Limitations

Fist Manor's courtyard.

Xu Chang, who was in charge of teaching the new disciples Stance Skill, walked slowly around the outer yard with his hands behind his back. His gaze occasionally swept over the disciples sweating profusely as they practiced.

"Keep your shoulders and elbows tucked in. Punch faster."

He frowned and stopped Wan Qing's movement. Guiding the other man's wrist with his hand, he demonstrated a relatively standard set of movements.

"Keep going!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Wan Qing's face was flushed red, and beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his temples. It was hard to tell whether he was nervous or exhausted.

There was no helping it. Over the course of the whole morning, everyone had more or less grasped the key points of the first few sets of postures. Xu Chang rarely needed to correct them personally, so making mistakes at this point clearly put Wan Qing somewhat behind.

Watching Wan Qing's muscles tremble faintly, Xu Chang gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

This was why aptitude and bone structure mattered in martial arts training.

Look at the talented disciples. They often mastered simple movements and breathing techniques after just two or three demonstrations.

But some people couldn't grasp the finer points. Their bones and joints even made certain movements awkward and stiff.

One or two mistakes might have been understandable for someone new to the techniques, but after dozens of demonstrations over the entire morning, they were still making errors again and again. Neither their breathing nor their movements had improved at all.

That was the limitation of their bone structure.

After watching for a while longer, Xu Chang noticed that Wan Qing still couldn't get some of the postures right. His brows furrowed.

"Take a break!"

At those words, Wan Qing, who had long since been struggling to hold on, immediately collapsed to the ground.

His sweat-soaked shirt clung to the dust on the floor, leaving him looking both bedraggled and grimy.

Wan Qing's chest heaved, his face pale, but he could no longer care about any of that.

He really had reached his limit.

"..."

Xu Chang turned his attention to the others.

His gaze passed over Shi Zhong and the rest, lingering especially on Shi Zhong.

The sixteen-year-old was already over six feet tall, his frame fully grown. Standing there, he was even taller and broader than Xu Chang himself.

Seeing Shi Zhong throw a punch, a veil of vapor forming around him from the heat of his exertion, Xu Chang nodded to himself.

"Not bad. His bone structure isn't especially good, but his qi and blood and physical constitution are the best among this group."

He quietly took note of the tall, broad-shouldered Shi Zhong.

Without changing expression, Xu Chang continued walking calmly around the yard, occasionally correcting disciples who made mistakes.

Compared with Wan Qing, who kept making errors and losing control of his breathing, most of the others were performing passably. At least they weren't as bad, and they were easy enough to correct.

Before long, Xu Chang found himself in a corner of the Staking Ground.

"Hm?"

The figure before him was going through the movements carefully and methodically. What was interesting was that, though the movements seemed unfamiliar, each one was more precise than the last.

"Lin Yin..."

Because of yesterday's incident, Xu Chang remembered Lin Yin quite well. He was extremely diligent, but his bone structure and qi and blood foundation were both rather poor.

Yet when Xu Chang saw Lin Yin again now, a trace of barely perceptible surprise flickered in his eyes.

It wasn't that Lin Yin was especially outstanding at Stance Skill. Rather, compared with Shi Zhong and the others, who were sweating profusely... Lin Yin looked far too "good."

Fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, his eyes shone brightly, and every movement radiated a kind of... calm composure!

After watching for a while...

Xu Chang grew more and more surprised.

He discovered that the boy before him had basically mastered every posture and technique he'd taught that morning.

That was no simple feat. The movements had to be coordinated with Qi and Blood Mobilization; even a simple straight punch required considerable effort.

Yet with such complex and tricky Qi and Blood Circulation, the boy before him breathed evenly, and not a single movement was out of place...

This was a little unbelievable.

After all, Shi Zhong, whose qi and blood foundation Xu Chang had just thought was the strongest, was already suffering muscle spasms and struggling to breathe.

The boy before him was thin and frail, and his qi and blood were clearly inferior. Yet he showed none of the same signs of exhaustion.

Xu Chang stopped in his tracks and studied the boy's movements carefully.

Once he confirmed that both the movements and breathing were flawless, he was almost dumbfounded.

"What is going on... Is he actually practicing, or isn't he?"

The thought even popped into his mind.

He quietly stepped behind the boy and reached out to grab the fist he was throwing.

Fist met palm.

Xu Chang stood as firmly as if nailed to the ground, not shifting an inch, while Lin Yin swayed slightly.

"Your stance is unstable. Your physical foundation really isn't good, and your strength is weak."

Disappointment flickered in Xu Chang's eyes as he released Lin Yin's hand.

"Not bad. Your movements are the most precise among this group. From now on, you'll guide Shi Zhong and the others."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Lin Yin wiped the sweat from his forehead and cupped his fists in response.

Xu Chang stepped forward and patted Lin Yin on the shoulder.

"As a reward, from now on you can take three extra steamed buns and two extra meat buns each day."

His voice was as faint as a mosquito's, yet Lin Yin's eyes lit up.

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

Compared with before, Lin Yin's voice was noticeably more vigorous this time.

Xu Chang nodded with satisfaction, then left the courtyard directly.

Teaching Lin Yin and the others was a task he'd accepted, but he had things of his own to do as well. After all, most people came to Fist Manor to improve themselves, and he was no exception.

"What a pity..."

Thinking of the force behind Lin Yin's punches, Xu Chang couldn't help sighing inwardly.

He felt that Lin Yin might have a strong aptitude for practicing techniques, but his poor bone structure and lack of qi and blood were simply too obvious.

That was a major hindrance in the early stages of martial arts training.

Lin Yin might perform well at first, but once he reached the Condensing Strength stage, the gap between him and those with abundant qi and blood, like Shi Zhong and the others, would only grow wider.

Meanwhile.

Lin Yin continued practicing the basic Stance Skill movements Xu Chang had taught him, carefully and methodically. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the complicated expressions on Shi Zhong and the others nearby.

Xu Chang's meaning had been clear. How could they not understand that Lin Yin had already distinguished himself in Stance Skill? Naturally, their feelings were complicated.

Lin Yin paid no attention to what they might be thinking. He secretly watched the courtyard entrance.

Only after confirming that Xu Chang had truly left did his seemingly relaxed muscles suddenly tense. He threw a punch, and the sweat vapor that had clung to his skin billowed up like a burst of steam.

The faint morning light was especially bright, shining through the thin mist and lending it a strangely beautiful splendor.

At that moment, Lin Yin's aura surged dramatically, becoming countless times stronger than even the much bigger Shi Zhong's.

[Heaven rewards diligence, Will achieve something]

[Vajra Stake Technique: Beginner (89/100)]

"Almost... just a little longer!"

Golden light seemed to flicker in Lin Yin's eyes. His movements, which had seemed so careful and methodical, had already undergone a tremendous transformation.

His punches were faster, and his movements flowed together in an instant. As his fists and feet swung, they carried a new heaviness and force.

Now that the experienced one was gone, it was time for him to really start training!

Dual Techniques, trained together!