Li He got up and followed Yuan Lingling to a quiet room deep inside the martial arts hall.
He pushed the door open and went inside.
The room was softly lit.
Master Yuan Shan was curled up in a large wicker recliner, a thin blanket draped over him. His graying hair was somewhat disheveled, and his eyes were half-closed. He looked like an ordinary old man dozing in the afternoon.
Sun Ao was there too.
He stood off to one side. When he saw Li He enter, he nodded slightly. He was no longer as haughty or confrontational as before.
"Grandpa, I've brought Junior Brother Li," Yuan Lingling said softly.
Yuan Shan slowly opened his eyes. A glint flashed through the depths of his seemingly cloudy gaze.
"You're all here."
He motioned for the three of them to sit.
"I called you three here today," Yuan Shan said, his gaze sweeping over Li He, Sun Ao, and Yuan Lingling, "because there's a martial art... the true core inheritance of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, that I want to pass on to you."
Li He's heart jolted.
The Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist wasn't the core inheritance?
Could the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall also have a breathing method?
Yuan Shan didn't keep them in suspense. He said slowly, "The martial art is called the White Ape Breathing Method."
"Every breathing method represents the core of a complete martial arts system. It is the foundation for harmonizing the qi and blood, connecting the inner and outer body, and drawing upon the power of exotic-beast blood essence."
"In the past, breathing methods were called internal arts."
"But after Abyss martial arts—that is, Federation martial arts—emerged, the internal arts were adjusted to keep pace with the times. Today, they're called breathing methods."