Twelve Forms Boxing Entry!

[Twelve Forms Fist experience +1]

This time, after finishing a round of Twelve Forms Boxing, Chu Fan felt that the exhaustion weighing on his body was considerably lighter than yesterday.

When he had first practiced this set of boxing techniques yesterday, his vision had gone black after every round, and he had even struggled to remain standing.

But now, although his heart still pounded like a drum and he was panting heavily, he no longer seemed ready to topple over as before.

He did not know whether it was because some of the medicinal power from the Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup and Crimson-Scaled Blood Python Meat remained, or because of the 3% Blood Nourishment...

Chu Fan found a flat blue stone and sat down. As he regulated his breathing, he carefully went over every move of the Twelve Forms Boxing in his mind.

Together with the stance training and breathing method, he also reviewed everything in detail.

Regardless of whether the moves were simple or complex, they all needed to be tempered through countless trials before they could become deadly techniques for taking lives in a fight to the death.

Although he could now complete an entire set of Twelve Forms Boxing, he was still as slow as a snail, and the transitions between his punches were riddled with flaws.

If he truly encountered actual combat, he probably could not even defeat the wild punches of a street thug.

Only when he had practiced every punch until they flowed freely, could switch between the Twelve Forms at will, and left not the slightest trace at the transitions, would this boxing technique truly be considered to have reached the hall.

After resting for half an hour, Zhao Tianxing and the six young men also rose and gradually arrived at the Training Ground.

[Skill: Twelve Forms Boxing (Not Entered)(Trait: None)]

[Progress: (6/10)]

"Four experience points short..."

Chu Fan glanced over the panel of the Mountains and Rivers Map, a flicker of excitement passing through his heart. He felt that the Entry realm was already within reach.

After resting for another half hour.

He focused his mind and gathered his qi, then once again began practicing the Twelve Forms Boxing from beginning to end...

"Step forward as though plowing a field, land your feet as though taking root!"

"Unite the heart and intent, unite the intent and qi, unite the qi and strength, unite the shoulders and hips, unite the elbows and knees, unite the hands and feet!"

"Hands and feet arrive together; once launched, they reach their mark at once. An inch ahead is the advantage..."

Most of the moves in the Twelve Forms Boxing went straight in and straight out, bending and extending, with a distinct rhythm and a plain, unadorned style.

Yet when the punches merged with the breathing method and he circulated Qi and Blood, those seemingly slow fists and feet actually stirred waves of whistling sounds as they tore through the air!

Not only that, Chu Fan clearly sensed that his movements were much smoother and faster than before, as though the blocked sections of his Meridians had been opened!

"Ha!"

When he launched the final move, the Tiger Form Fist, Chu Fan let out a carefree shout.

The wind from his fist swept past, and faintly, it seemed to carry the roar of a fierce tiger. That fierce momentum was even several notches stronger than before!

[Twelve Forms Fist experience +4]

[Skill: Twelve Forms Boxing (Entry)(Trait: None)]

[Progress: (0/100)]

"Four experience points? I... I've already reached Entry?"

Chu Fan stood there, momentarily stunned.

After roughly one breath, images of every punch he had thrown earlier surfaced in his mind, just as they had when his Chopping Wood Saber Technique broke through.

One punch after another, all crystal clear.

It was as if the memories of his past boxing practice had been reorganized from beginning to end!

His punches had been stiff, as though bound by invisible restraints;

His movements had been clumsy, like someone trudging forward under a heavy load;

His moves had been rigid, utterly lacking in agility;

His steps had been unsteady, and his punches had carried no strength;

His hands and eyes had been out of sync, his gaze unable to keep up with his moves...

Chu Fan seemed to stand outside himself, quietly examining his previously rather clumsy boxing forms from the perspective of a bystander.

Yet the stagnation between those moves and the deviations in his exertion melted away under the guidance of an indescribably wondrous force, like snow meeting the sun. One move at a time, they gradually became smooth and rounded, without the slightest trace of stiffness!

Chu Fan closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes within his body.

He felt as though his Limbs and Bones had been immersed in Jade Liquid, bringing indescribable comfort and exhilaration. It was like drinking Sweet Wine, leaving his mind intoxicated.

Before long...

Chu Fan slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was as calm as still water as he stared at the empty space ahead.

Then, he stepped forward half a pace with his left leg, planted himself firmly, and assumed the Opening stance of the Twelve Forms Boxing.

His feet gripped the ground, his chest was held in and his back straightened, his shoulders sank and elbows dropped. Both hands opened outward and rose to brow height, tiger mouths facing down...

A moment later, the strength in his right arm rapidly gathered. His right hand clenched into a fist like an iron pestle and fiercely split forward!

Before the fist arrived, the sound of tearing cloth had already rung out!

Before his right fist had even retracted, his left fist shot forward like an arrow loosed from the string, Crushing Fist striking straight ahead as fast as lightning!

Immediately afterward, Chu Fan sank his hips and raised his knee. His footwork abruptly changed, and his right wrist bent slightly, carrying a slanting upward spiral of force as he struck upward with the momentum!

These three punches were the Splitting Fist, Crushing Fist, and Drilling Fist of the Bear Form--

The Splitting Fist was like a bear's paw slapping a stone, heavy and forceful;

The Crushing Fist was like a bear's body crashing forward, possessing unmatched toughness;

The Drilling Fist was like a bear's arm embracing a tree, secretly concealing a twisting force.

The three punches seemed ordinary, yet they exuded a fierce courage that surged forward without hesitation, as though mountains were collapsing and crushing everything before them, unstoppable!

When he threw his punches, they sounded like a Steel File scraping iron.

When he drew his fists back, they resembled a hooked pole dragging a stone.

This was precisely the essence of the Bear Form: striking hard, advancing hard, with nothing able to block it!

Boom!

As his right foot stamped heavily on the ground, a circle of Force of Qi exploded outward with his sole at its center, sweeping up the dust and spreading it in every direction like ripples expanding across water.

But at that moment, the North Wind swept several Withered leaves up and sent them hurtling toward him like hidden weapons.

Chu Fan's expression shifted slightly. His body changed abruptly, and he leaped two meters to the side like a light swallow skimming water, avoiding the first two Withered leaves;

Immediately afterward, he spun around and performed a Kite Somersault, lightly dodging another Withered leaf.

His movements flowed like Flowing Clouds and Running Water, without the slightest stagnation!

The three punches earlier had displayed the Bear Form's ferocity.

But his evasion of the Withered leaves now used the Swallow Form's agility and the Harrier Form's speed!

The Bear Form had always occupied a central position among the Twelve Forms and was hailed as the "mother of the Twelve Forms."

Its techniques appeared simple and clumsy, but its fist wind was swift and fierce, its variations endless. Every move was powerful and heavy, containing the deepest principles of exerting force and the wisdom of actual combat within this boxing art.

Although the Swallow Form was inferior to the Bear Form in offensive power, it possessed the skill of skimming water and the swiftness of passing through the sky. It could skim low over the ground or soar straight upward.

Its flexibility and speed were uniquely outstanding among the Twelve Forms!

As for the Harrier Form, the harrier was a fierce and agile flying bird. It possessed the skill of turning in midair, the ability to drill into the heavens, and the swiftness to contract its body and seize objects!

Each of the Twelve Forms in the Twelve Forms Boxing had its own wondrous applications.

Entering the boxing art was only the beginning!

Chu Fan exerted a little force with his left foot, and his body floated lightly another three meters away.

Such agility had been unimaginable to him yesterday.

"The Twelve Forms Boxing has reached Entry, and Blood Nourishment has reached 4%..."

With such progress after only a day, Chu Fan could not stop his brows from lifting with joy.

He caught his breath, took out the other piece of python meat given to him by Zhao Tianxing, and ate it.

Once warmth began to spread through his stomach, he went to the dining hall for breakfast, then headed straight for the courtyard where firewood was chopped.

The firewood-chopping courtyard was not far from the dining hall, just a few dozen steps to its north.

Before he even crossed the Courtyard Gate, he heard the "thud, thud" of chopping wood from inside. The dull, rhythmic sound was like someone beating on an old war drum.

Chu Fan strode inside and saw Round wood piled as high as a mountain in the courtyard. All of it was hard timber as thick as bowls, its dark, muted sheen glowing beneath the morning light.

Beside the Round wood, three young men of fifteen or sixteen were already swinging axes and chopping firewood, though their movements were somewhat sluggish.

When the three saw Chu Fan enter, they merely lifted their heads and glanced at him. They could not even be bothered to offer a greeting before lowering their heads and resuming their chopping, their faces carrying the weariness of rising early.

Chu Fan withdrew his gaze and walked to a spot by the wall.

Five people shared the firewood-chopping work, and each had his own pile of Round wood, with the boundaries clearly marked.

Besides him and these three, the other person was Zhao Tianxing, though Zhao Tianxing had yet to arrive.

The task for each person was not especially heavy. As long as they rose early and worked quickly, they could finish before lunch.

If they dragged their feet, they could only continue in the afternoon.

Chu Fan bent down and picked up the Cleaving Knife from the ground. The blade felt heavy, but its edge had been polished until it gleamed white.

He stood a piece of Round wood upright, did not even look, and casually brought the knife down...

Whoosh!

The blade split the air with a faint whistle and landed with astonishing precision in the exact center of the Round wood's upper end.

With a crisp crack, the sturdy Round wood split apart, dividing neatly into two halves with a cross-section smooth as a mirror.

"..."

The three young men, who had already been chopping for quite some time, immediately widened their eyes. Their hands gripping the Cleaving Knives froze in place.

Under their gazes, Chu Fan swung his knife like the wind. As cold light flashed, he had split four pieces of Round wood in the blink of an eye.

This efficiency was more than three times theirs!

How could they know that, having just finished two rounds of the Twelve Forms Boxing, Chu Fan was exhausted in both body and mind? The strength and speed he now used to chop wood were already far inferior to what they had been at home.

If he had not practiced those two rounds of boxing, his strength and swiftness would have been even greater!

Unfortunately, before coming to the Seven Star Gang, his Chopping Wood Saber Technique had already reached the limit of Perfection. No matter how hard he worked at chopping wood now, he could not gain even half an experience point.

With three meals a day, Spiritual Essence could increase by roughly 0.3;

One bowl of Blood Nourishing Medicinal Soup could increase it by 0.5.

To gather ten points of Spiritual Essence, he would have to endure another nine days.

Before long, the medicinal effects of the Crimson-Scaled Blood Python Meat gradually took hold.

Chu Fan felt the exhaustion in his body recede like a tide. A wave of heat circulated through his Limbs and Bones, bringing indescribable exhilaration, and the Cleaving Knife in his hand seemed to grow lighter.

He stood the Round wood up piece by piece. As the blade rose and fell, each log was split into thin chunks.

In less than an hour, the Round wood piled before him had been chopped completely clean.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of the Round wood still remained before the other three!

Chu Fan turned his head and glanced at the Courtyard Gate. He did not know where Zhao Tianxing had gone, but he still had not arrived.

He stood up, moved two steps to the left, sat down in Zhao Tianxing's place, picked up the knife, and began helping him chop firewood.

"That kid actually dares to steal the chance to curry favor?!"

The three young men immediately grew furious when they saw this.

They had come early to chop wood precisely so that they could finish their own work first and then help Zhao Tianxing.

Yesterday, when Cao Feng had praised Zhao Tianxing at the Training Ground, they had all seen it. Naturally, they were unwilling to let this chance to build a connection slip away.

But now, most of their own work still remained, and Chu Fan had actually gotten there first!

The three glared angrily at Chu Fan and also sped up their swings, though their movements became somewhat hurried.

The Chopping Wood Saber Technique, which had reached the limit of Perfection, truly made chopping firewood as easy as slicing tofu.

As the blade rose and fell, Round wood as thick as bowls cracked apart, and Wood Shavings scattered like snowflakes.

After chopping Dry Wood for another hour, Chu Fan not only felt no fatigue, but instead felt that most of the soreness accumulated from practicing the Twelve Forms Boxing earlier had dissipated.

The Cleaving Knife in his hand seemed to have become one with his arm. His movements grew even faster, the blade flashing like a gale sweeping away leaves.

By the time he had chopped Zhao Tianxing's pile of Round wood completely clean, one-third of the Round wood before the other three still remained untouched.

At that moment, Zhao Tianxing finally arrived late.

"You finished all my work?"

Zhao Tianxing walked over, large beads of sweat beading on his forehead. He looked at the two neatly stacked piles of Dry Wood on the ground and broke into a grin.

Panting heavily, he dropped onto Chu Fan's little stool and slightly raised his head. "Thanks!"

Chu Fan smiled and waved his hand. "I ate two pieces of Python Meat from you. What's the big deal about chopping this little bit of wood for you?"

"Besides, I had to rest after finishing my boxing anyway. Chopping wood counts as loosening my muscles and bones."

Using chopping wood as rest?

The three young men nearby, who were still sweating profusely as they worked, all twitched at the corners of their mouths. They cast Chu Fan a speechless glance, but the axes in their hands involuntarily slowed down another fraction.

Looking at Zhao Tianxing's sweat-covered face, Chu Fan asked curiously, "Could it be that you spent the entire morning practicing the Twelve Forms Boxing?"

"Of course." Zhao Tianxing rolled his eyes and wiped his sweat with his sleeve. "Wasn't it all because you provoked me?"

Chu Fan was even more puzzled. "What does that have to do with me?"