Fists Like a Bull

Dawn gradually broke.

After the start of winter, the days had grown much shorter.

Lin Zheyu had already been standing for nearly two hours. His face was flushed, and his breathing was slightly labored, but he still seemed to have strength left.

"That's enough."

Liang Song said, beckoning him over for a sip of tea.

Lin Zheyu straightened up and shook out his slightly sore legs and arms, a thrilled smile appearing on his face.

He had done it.

He could finally practice martial arts.

"Your foundation is so poor, yet you've trained yourself to this extent in a month. Your perseverance and comprehension are both quite good."

Liang Song evaluated him, fairly satisfied with Lin Zheyu.

He took a sip of tea and continued, "First, let me explain what martial arts are."

Lin Zheyu sat quietly, listening with utmost attention.

"Martial arts train the sinews, bones, and skin externally, and cultivate a single breath internally."

"To master martial arts, you must first temper your skin, flesh, and fascia."

"By tempering the skin, flesh, and fascia, you make the muscles firm and full, the sinews strong and powerful, the fascia elastic and vigorous. Your explosive force becomes fierce, and your ability to withstand blows becomes strong. This is the Flesh Refining Stage of martial arts."

"Once the skin, fascia, sinews, and flesh have been trained well, you then advance further into Bone Forging."

"Bone Forging works from the outside inward, tempering the bones throughout the body, making them ever harder and stronger. Your penetrating force becomes powerful, and you can withstand greater bursts of strength."

"When the bones are trained to great mastery, they can be refined until they are like iron—unbelievably hard!"

"Bone Forging is somewhat difficult for you. Without having tempered your sinews and bones since childhood, it will be very, very hard to refine your bones until they are like iron."

"What I just described was external training of the sinews, bones, and skin. Now let's speak of cultivating a single breath internally."

"The breath spoken of here refers to breathing and circulation. After tempering the sinews, bones, and skin, your control over your body improves further, allowing you to begin practicing special breathing techniques."

"Through special breathing techniques, you can temper and strengthen your five viscera and six bowels. Your breathing becomes deep and unbroken, while your physical strength, explosive power, and endurance reach a terrifying level. This is Organ Refining."

"The first three realms of martial arts are Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, and Organ Refining."

"For where you are now, knowing the first three realms is enough. The realms beyond that are still far beyond your reach, so I won't tell you yet, lest you aim too high."

Liang Song spoke calmly.

He stood up and removed the outer robe draped over him, revealing the undershirt beneath and the smooth lines of his muscles.

Seeing this, Lin Zheyu hurriedly rose and followed.

"The Inner City is not a place for blades and weapons. I'll teach you Bull Fist instead."

"This is a widely circulated martial art, suitable for someone like you who began practicing halfway through life. Its punching techniques are quite powerful, but easy to learn and hard to master."

"When trained to a profound level, it strengthens the inside and fortifies the outside, hardens the bones, and can reach the complete Organ Refining realm."

"Bull Fist has eight basic forms and one hundred twenty-eight variations. I'll perform it once first so you can familiarize yourself with it."

Liang Song said as he assumed a stance.

Lin Zheyu noticed that once Liang Song became serious, his limp seemed as though it had never existed.

"Bull Fist, Bull Fist—it is a boxing art born from the bull."

"The essence of this boxing art lies in the word 'bull.' When training, you must imagine yourself as a bull. Your punches must press forward without hesitation, fearless and unstoppable."

Liang Song spread his legs slightly and lowered his body into a stance. An invisible aura spread from him.

"This is the first form—Bull Charge!"

Liang Song stomped down hard with his right foot, and the muscles in his legs suddenly exerted force.

A powerful strength surged from both legs, passing through his waist as a link and into his arms.

His upper body tilted slightly, and both fists shot out with overwhelming force like a pair of bull horns.

Every muscle in his body erupted in that instant. Power flooded into his arms and became a terrifying offensive strike, smashing into the wooden post in the courtyard.

The wooden post crackled, thin fissures spreading across it.

"So strong!"

Watching the formidable force behind Liang Song's punch, Lin Zheyu could not help clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Bull Fist, Bull Fist—the word 'bull' runs through it from beginning to end."

"There must not be the slightest hesitation when you throw a punch!"

Liang Song's voice rang out as he continued demonstrating for Lin Zheyu.

"This punch is Bull Horn Thrust. The center of force lies in the waist. The strength of the waist and abdomen is..."

"This punch is Bull Tail Whip..."

As he watched Master Liang demonstrate, Lin Zheyu's eyes shone brightly.

This was real martial arts!

The tremendous force bursting from every punch and every form filled him with yearning.

Before long, the entire boxing routine was finished.

Liang Song stopped and asked, "How does it feel?"

"Very strong!"

Lin Zheyu was filled with excitement. He clasped his fists and bowed. "Please teach me, Master!"

"No need for so much ceremony. Scholars always love these tedious formalities."

"First, follow me through the entire routine once. Let me see how good your comprehension is."

Liang Song broke Bull Fist down into pieces and slowly explained it to Lin Zheyu.

Under Liang Song's instruction, he studied very earnestly.

Practicing martial arts was far more difficult than he had imagined. It required mastering how different muscles exerted force, how to train them, and then growing stronger through constant practice.

Lin Zheyu immersed himself in Bull Fist, and time slipped away in a flash.

"Very good. Your comprehension is quite good."

Liang Song praised him.

Lin Zheyu had good comprehension. With just a little guidance, he could grasp things thoroughly, making him easy to teach.

Moreover, his perseverance was exceptionally tenacious.

After more than four hours of training, even with several rests in between, Lin Zheyu's physical strength had still been completely drained. Yet he had gritted his teeth and persisted the whole time.

"Perform Bull Fist from beginning to end. I'll point out your shortcomings," Liang Song said.

"Yes!"

Lin Zheyu answered.

After more than four hours of learning and training, his clothes had long since been soaked through with sweat.

The severe depletion of his stamina, combined with the buildup of lactic acid, left every part of his body unbearably sore.

But Lin Zheyu did not hesitate in the slightest and began training once more.

Almost there!

Lin Zheyu felt that he was about to reach his limit!

After reaching his limit, if he persisted for about another minute and broke through it, he would gain 1 unit of Source Power.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skills:

Bull Fist (Uninitiated 3%)

Lin Zheyu looked at the data within his consciousness, his heart filled with incomparable excitement.

Just as he had imagined, martial arts could enter the skill panel.

With intense excitement, Lin Zheyu assumed the stance of Bull Fist.

He stomped down hard. The muscles in his legs suddenly exerted force, transmitting it through his waist as a link into his arms.

His upper body tilted slightly, and both fists shot out with overwhelming force like a pair of bull horns.

First form, Bull Charge!

As his fists blasted forward, Lin Zheyu immediately felt pain shoot through the muscles in his waist, legs, and arms.

"Hiss, cramp!"

Lin Zheyu, who had looked so imposing just moments ago, was now sitting on the ground without the slightest concern for appearances.

His body twisted in a strange manner, trying to lessen the cramping sensation.

"Haha..."

Seeing this, Liang Song could not help laughing.

This kid was nearly collapsing from exhaustion, yet he still insisted on showing off.

When one was overtrained and then used Bull Fist, which demanded such explosive force, it was easy for the body to cramp.

"Rest for a while. Your body is almost at its limit," Liang Song said.

He stepped forward to Lin Zheyu's side and used his hands to knead and massage the cramped areas a few times. Lin Zheyu immediately felt the pain disappear.

"Thank you, Master."

Lin Zheyu got up and stretched his sinews and bones, relaxing the muscles throughout his body as he planned to continue later.

He was so close to his physical limit. He could not give up just like that.

As long as he broke through his limit, he could obtain another unit of Source Power.

Lin Zheyu listened as Liang Song explained some basic knowledge of martial arts while relaxing his body.

Before long, he felt that his muscles had loosened up enough.