As Li Bufan was reading in the courtyard, a white figure flashed past. Before he could react, the figure spoke first. "Learn some medicine—how to identify medicinal properties. It will be quite beneficial for martial training and body tempering, for discerning the circulation of your own blood and qi, and for dealing with internal and external injuries."
This voice...
Li Bufan's heart suddenly jolted, and his mind snapped back from the book to reality! His heart clenched in an instant, and even his blood seemed to stagnate for a moment. Almost by bodily instinct, his right hand snapped the book shut with a slap, while his left smoothly tucked it swiftly and securely against his chest. At the same time, his back straightened like a pine, his feet came together, and he clasped his fists in a bow. The motion flowed like drifting clouds and running water, completed in one breath, displaying exceptional control over his body:
"Your subordinate Li Bufan greets Eldest Miss Lin!"
Beneath the moonlight, Lin Zhiyan stood quietly in the courtyard in white robes, her slender figure resembling a fairy from the Moon Palace descending into the mortal realm—cool and ethereal, untouched by dust. She was dressed as before, her face veiled in gauze. Only those deep eyes, like ancient frozen pools, were visible. Calm and rippleless, they rested lightly upon Li Bufan, seeming capable of piercing through flesh and gazing straight at one's essence.
When had she arrived? How had she crossed the courtyard wall? How had she drawn so close without making a sound? Li Bufan had not noticed any of it! Her unfathomable strength once again made him feel the vast gulf between them in the most direct way possible, deepening the reverence in his heart.
"No need for formalities." Lin Zhiyan's voice was clear and cool, without the slightest trace of joy or anger, as though she had merely spoken in passing.
Li Bufan straightened as instructed, but he still lowered his head slightly, respectfully fixing his gaze half a foot before his toes, not daring to look directly at her. Yet thoughts churned through his mind like boiling water. Eldest Miss Lin held such an exalted position—why had she suddenly come in the dead of night to the humble residence of an outer-courtyard guard like him? What was this about? Was it fortune or disaster?
Lin Zhiyan's gaze lingered on his face for a moment. Those eyes that seemed able to see through people's hearts appeared to have long perceived the turmoil and doubts within him, yet she paid them no mind and went straight to the point. Her tone was as calm as if she were recounting some trivial matter unrelated to herself.
"In this Winter Hunt, your performance was acceptable."
She paused slightly, as though arranging her words—or perhaps she simply did not wish to say much—and continued in a businesslike manner. "You remained calm in danger, escaped while surrounded by wolves, hunted a Snow Fox, and kept its pelt intact without diminishing its value. That is one merit. You were plotted against by fellow guards, yet struck back from the brink, secured evidence, and did not disgrace the name of the Lin Family Guards. You subdued petty villains and cleansed the house. That is a second merit. You carried out your patrol duties responsibly, detected danger in advance, gave warning in time, and brought back news of your attacked companions, allowing the residence to respond promptly. That is a third merit."
Her tone was flat, yet every event and every word she spoke caused Li Bufan's mind to tremble faintly. So everything he had done in those deep mountains—even every detail—had already been clear to Eldest Miss Lin, as though she had watched a fire in the open! Such control sent a chill through him, mingled with a strange feeling of being acknowledged.
"Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished. This is the foundation upon which the Lin Family stands, and it is also the iron law of the Guard Camp." Lin Zhiyan continued, her voice still without much fluctuation. "According to Guard Camp custom, the merits you have accumulated this time may be exchanged at the Merit Hall for cultivation resources of corresponding value. You may also make one request within reasonable limits. You may handle this yourself in the coming days."
She paused, then added something of vital importance to Li Bufan. "Furthermore, from today onward, your monthly provisions and treatment in the Guard Camp shall be equal to those of the new guards in this batch. Daily medicinal cuisine and eligibility for a medicinal bath once every ten days—everything will be provided in full and distributed on time."
At those words, an uncontrollable surge of joy and excitement rose within Li Bufan! Daily medicinal cuisine! A medicinal bath every ten days! Back when he had still been a menial servant, such treatment had been beyond even his dreams! These were the basic cultivation guarantees enjoyed only by veteran guards! What did this mean?
It meant that from this day forward, he would finally no longer need to worry about the most basic cultivation supplies. He could completely bid farewell to those days of pinching every resource and calculating every portion, and devote all his energy and time to frenzied cultivation and improving his strength! The opportunity to exchange merits was an unexpectedly generous reward as well, enough for him to obtain certain resources he urgently needed!
Suppressing his surging emotions, he immediately clasped his fists. His voice carried a trace of barely concealed excitement. "Thank you, Eldest Miss Lin, for your generous reward! Your subordinate will certainly give his all and never disappoint Eldest Miss Lin's expectations!"
Lin Zhiyan nodded faintly. Moonlight fell upon her fair forehead, lending it a cold sheen. She seemed to consider the matter settled. Her white sleeve stirred slightly as she turned to leave.
"Eldest Miss Lin!" Seeing this, Li Bufan called out to stop her almost instinctively. The moment the words left his mouth, his heart tightened slightly, uncertain whether this might anger her.
Lin Zhiyan paused but did not turn around. She merely asked blandly, "What else is it?" There was no emotion in her voice—neither impatience nor curiosity.
Li Bufan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his excitement and faint unease. Respectfully, he said, "Eldest Miss Lin, your subordinate... what I wish to request is not ordinary resources, but... a Muscle Tempering Realm cultivation technique!"
This was a decision he had considered deeply. He was not short of resources for the moment, but an orthodox cultivation technique leading to the next realm was crucial. Without guidance or a bestowed technique, blindly feeling his way forward could easily lead to mishaps. Moreover, his journey through the deep mountains—whether the long pursuit of that cunning Snow Fox or the life-and-death moment when he had encountered the wolf pack's siege—had made him profoundly aware of his immense shortcomings in movement techniques and footwork! A lack of speed, agility, and explosive power could mean the difference between life and death at a critical moment! If he could obtain a Muscle Tempering technique focused on forging the muscles of the legs, one that could greatly enhance speed and agility, it would undoubtedly improve his combat ability, pursuit ability, and, most importantly, ability to preserve his life in every respect!
"A Muscle Tempering technique?" Her voice remained calm, but it carried an indescribable undertone. "Do you know why the Five Body Tempering Gates—skin, muscle, tendon, bone, and blood—must strictly follow their sequence and advance step by step? It is far from a simple matter of which comes first and which comes later."
Li Bufan froze, then answered honestly, "Your subordinate is dull-witted. I only know that one must proceed step by step. As for the deeper meaning, I ask Eldest Miss Lin to enlighten me." He truly only knew that one had to pass each gate in turn. No one had taught him the deeper principles, so naturally he did not understand them.
"Skin, muscle, tendon, bone, blood. The five gates of Foundation Establishment may seem independent, but in truth they are linked ring by ring, like building a tower. Every lower layer requires the layer above it as a solid foundation." Lin Zhiyan's voice was especially clear in the cold night sky. Every word was like a small hammer striking Li Bufan's heart. "After Body Nourishment comes Skin Tempering, the beginning of all things. Only after cultivating the Skin Tempering Realm to the true Perfection Realm, making the skin membrane across the body whole and unified, tough as dense copper hide, may one temper the muscles. Though it is called Skin Tempering, it is also a further enrichment of blood and qi. Once the blood and qi are full and surging, only then will you have sufficient strength and 'capital' to assault, shake, and temper the deeper muscle fibers, making them continuously tear and regenerate into something tougher and stronger. This is a matter that follows as naturally as water flowing into a channel."
Her tone suddenly grew more severe. "If your skin membrane has not reached the flawless Perfection Realm, yet you greedily rush ahead and forcibly circulate a Muscle Tempering method, attempting to guide your blood and qi to temper your muscles, it is like using a cracked, leaking ladle to carry water and irrigate parched land. Not only will you achieve twice the effort for half the result and waste blood and qi, but you will most likely damage your incomplete skin membrane through the forcible impact of blood and qi. Worse still, the great ineffective dissipation of blood and qi will leave your foundation depleted. At best, your realm will stagnate forever and your road ahead will be cut off. At worst, your Vital Energy will suffer grave damage, your martial arts will regress, and you may even be left with lifelong hidden afflictions. This is no empty alarm."
Li Bufan's mind shook violently as he listened. A layer of fine cold sweat seeped across his back, and when the night breeze blew over it, a chill immediately spread through him. He had originally thought that, with the Snow Ganoderma and bitter cultivation, he had reached the peak of Minor Success in Skin Refining and stood only one step from the next realm. He had never known that there was such a vital, natural chasm-like key stage as "flawless perfection"! Still less had he known that forcing a breakthrough could bring such terrifying consequences! Had Eldest Miss Lin not awakened him tonight, he might very well have destroyed his own future in ignorance!
Seeing the sudden change in his expression and the lingering fear in his eyes, Lin Zhiyan's tone remained calm, but she continued to deliver weighty words. "Moreover, even if you are fortunate enough to bring your skin membrane to perfection and your blood and qi appear full enough, do you know how extraordinarily demanding it is upon a warrior's mental will and control over blood and qi to simultaneously drive the dual tempering of skin membrane and muscle?
Dividing one's attention between two tasks is no easy matter. The slightest deviation or uneven application of force will result in incomplete tempering. Some muscle groups may not receive sufficient refinement, while other areas may suffer excessive damage. These minute flaws and hidden injuries may not show at first, but once they accumulate, they will leave your martial foundation riddled with cracks.
If flaws remain in one's foundation, then Foundation Establishment cannot be considered successful. The circulation of blood and qi within the body will inevitably encounter obstructions. When you later wish to draw the Vital Energy of heaven and earth into your body and step onto the path of qi refinement, these flaws in your foundation will be magnified without limit, becoming bottlenecks that cannot be crossed. They may even cause Vital Energy to run wild and backlash upon you. At that point, forget qi refinement—being able to preserve your life would already be a great fortune."
She concluded, her voice as cold and clear as ever. "Ordinary guards have limited resources and accumulate blood and qi slowly. To bring their skin membranes to perfection already takes years upon years. As for the fine control of blood and qi, it must be understood and grasped bit by bit; it cannot be achieved in a single stroke. Simultaneously tempering skin and muscle requires both an immense total amount of blood and qi and extraordinary precision of control. How could that be easy?"
These words were like thunder from the ninth heaven, yet also like enlightenment poured over his head. They completely split apart the fog before Li Bufan, pointed out the true and proper road, and made him incomparably aware of the difficulty and rigor of that path. The martial path was never simply about charging forward with reckless vigor. It also required the wisdom and accumulation to know not only that something was so, but why it was so.
Yet after the initial shock and lingering fear, Li Bufan's eyes showed not the slightest retreat or dread. He possessed the [Heaven Rewards Diligence] fate. So-called control over blood and qi was simply a matter of one's fist technique realm. Once his realm reached the proper level, control over blood and qi would naturally become smooth and complete. Still, Eldest Miss Lin was right—cultivating multiple gates at once truly required immense blood and qi, as well as control of the mind.
He bowed deeply once more, his tone utterly sincere and resolute, carrying the determination to smash the cauldrons and sink the boats. "Thank you for your instruction, Eldest Miss Lin! Your subordinate understands! I will certainly heed your teaching, calm my heart and steady my mind, first polish my Skin Tempering Realm to the flawless Perfection Realm, and diligently train my control over blood and qi. I will never aim too high or greedily rush ahead!"
Lin Zhiyan looked at that flame of fighting spirit in his eyes, as though it could not be extinguished by the wind but instead burned ever brighter, and at the steadiness and clarity that surpassed those of others his age. She fell silent for a moment. Then, with a slight turn of her slender wrist, she produced a thin, somewhat old pale-yellow booklet as if performing a magic trick, seemingly from nowhere, and handed it toward Li Bufan. The booklet appeared to carry a faint, elusive coolness.
"Since your heart is set on a Muscle Tempering technique, I shall give you this Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique to study as the reward for your merits."
Li Bufan was instantly overjoyed. He hurriedly stepped forward and received it with both hands in utmost respect. On the cover of the booklet were five ancient, vigorous characters written in a simple hand: "Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique."
"Although this technique mainly tempers the muscles of the legs, waist, and abdomen, enhancing explosive power, speed, and agility, its foundation remains a Muscle Tempering method." Lin Zhiyan reminded him. "Remember what I said just now. Until your skin membrane is complete, your blood and qi sufficient, and your control precise, do not rashly cultivate the Muscle Tempering essentials within it. However, you may now study and comprehend the accompanying Spirit Ape Three Leaps footwork. It should benefit your movement technique."
"Though this technique primarily emphasizes tempering the lower limbs and the core muscles of the waist and abdomen, aiming to increase explosive force, extreme speed, and agility, its fundamental core remains an orthodox Muscle Tempering method that requires blood and qi to temper the muscles." Lin Zhiyan reminded him, her voice still cool. "Remember what I said. If your skin membrane is not complete, your blood and qi insufficient, and your control imprecise, you must absolutely not rashly cultivate the Muscle Tempering essentials within it, or the troubles to come will be endless."
"Yes! Your subordinate will remember Eldest Miss Lin's instruction! I will certainly not fail the gift you have bestowed!" Li Bufan tightly gripped the technique booklet, which seemed to carry the weight of a thousand jun. His emotions surged beyond control. This was precisely what he needed and desired most right now! It was not only the road for his future, but also a practical footwork technique that could improve his strength immediately!
Lin Zhiyan seemed to have said all she needed to say. Without another word, her white figure swayed slightly and vanished from where she stood like a ghost, as though she had never appeared at all. Only the clear moonlight filling the courtyard remained, along with a faint yet distinct reminder that reached Li Bufan's ears and slowly dissipated into the cool air: "Cultivate diligently. Do not grow arrogant or impatient."
Li Bufan bowed deeply once more in the direction where she had disappeared, only straightening after a long while.
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