Practicing the Internal Breath

"Wen Zheng..." Zhou Gang gave a dry laugh, then changed how he addressed him mid-sentence. "Nephew, you're just too polite."

As he spoke, the stern appraisal he usually gave him softened, replaced by the satisfied look of someone seeing a familiar face.

Feng Xiu felt a chill under Zhou Gang's gaze. Zhou Gang looked him up and down again. "What do you think of Xiao Han?"

Feng Xiu blinked. "Brother Han's kung fu is solid, and he's a decent fellow. You didn't have to remind me—I'd forgotten to ask whether you could let him follow me from now on."

"Hmm? Follow you? That can be arranged." Zhou Gang thought it over and nodded, then changed the subject.

"Then tell me, are the men of my Zhou Family Escort Team to your liking?"

Feng Xiu was even more confused. "Uncle Zhou, what are you saying? Of course they're to my liking."

Zhou Gang smiled, his expression growing rather meaningful. Feng Xiu's brow twitched as he faintly guessed what was coming.

Sure enough.

"Nephew, is there a young woman you have your eye on?" Zhou Gang's voice held a note of hesitation, and his expression was tinged with anticipation.

Feng Xiu replied helplessly, "It's too early to talk about that."

Strangely enough, he was nearly twenty-six this year, yet Feng Ao had never tried to find him a match.

Then again, his father was so energetic he hardly seemed human. Maybe adding a new child to the family would take some of that energy out of him?

"It's not too early. Settle down sooner, and you can establish yourself sooner. If you're interested in starting a family, I happen to have a good candidate in mind. What do you think?" Zhou Gang waved a hand and asked with a beaming smile.

After being asked like that, what could Feng Xiu say?

Hmm?

Wait, no!

"Uncle Zhou, what's the surname of this young woman you mentioned?" Feng Xiu asked cautiously, testing the waters.

"Zhou."

"..."

Feng Xiu froze. Before he could open his mouth, Zhou Gang continued on his own. "Don't blame your uncle for being so forward. I like you, kid. You've got a good head on your shoulders, you're willing to work hard, and you know how to treat people."

"Your father is lucky to have a son like you."

He paused, then said, "Nephew, think it over. I'll take care of your matter first, then arrange for the two of you to meet."

Seeing Feng Xiu press his lips together without saying anything, Zhou Gang didn't push too hard. He patted him on the shoulder, then led the escort team out of the estate.

After Zhou Gang left, Feng Xiu stood there for a long while.

I treated you like a master, and you want to be my father-in-law? So you really do have a daughter.

Come to think of it, had Feng Ao secretly arranged this? A marriage alliance with a martial family would bring them closer, and then Zhou Gang could test him through martial training?

He shook his head, but couldn't help wondering what Zhou Gang's daughter looked like.

Could she be just like her father, able to smash rocks with a single palm?

At the thought, Feng Xiu shivered. He hurriedly banished the idea and stopped dwelling on it.

After taking a White Deer Pill, he turned and called over Han Che, who was standing nearby, to resume their practice bout.

The wind of his fist howled, and the air burst with a sound like a punch.

Inside the training room, fists whooshed through the air, punctuated by successive bursts of sound.

Feng Xiu's moves flowed naturally. He no longer had to keep an eye out for Han Che's tricks as he had before; now, he moved as he pleased, executing every technique with effortless ease.

What was more, his eyesight and perception, combined with the split-second adjustments of his mind after signals traveled through his nerves, formed an uncanny kind of anticipation, almost like a battle instinct.

Han Che knew Feng Xiu was about to attack his left flank as soon as his shoulder dipped; when his breathing rhythm weakened, he was going for the eyes or the groin.

His strength had also more than doubled since a moment ago. Han Che's eyes were filled with uncertainty. Even though he wasn't holding back with his techniques,

he still couldn't secure an overwhelming victory. What had been a one-sided fight was now approaching a stalemate.

Whoosh—

As soon as the sound faded, Feng Xiu still took the initiative, driving a punch straight at Han Che.

The punch looked no different from the one before, but before its momentum had run its course, the next move was already underway. Han Che's pupils contracted. His eyes instantly fixed on Feng Xiu's slightly lowered left elbow and his right knee, which seemed to have shifted casually out of place.

In an instant, Han Che's body abruptly swerved to the side, dodging the feint.

At the same time, both his hands clamped around Feng Xiu's extended right arm like iron pincers, aiming to lock the joint.

Yet the corners of Feng Xiu's mouth lifted slightly.

Just as expected: in martial combat, the real could be made false, and the false could be made real.

He'd taken the bait. Feng Xiu had used the momentum of his punch to lure him in. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for.

The instant his right arm was seized, Feng Xiu leaned forward with his step, throwing his full body weight against Han Che as his left elbow slammed into Han Che's ribs.

Han Che's expression changed drastically. Caught off guard, he could only brace with his left palm.

"Bang!"

A fierce force surged through Feng Xiu's elbow and struck Han Che's palm, numbing it and making him involuntarily retreat half a step.

The force of the strike also loosened Han Che's grip on Feng Xiu's right arm.

Feng Xiu immediately wrenched his arm free, then drove his right fist forward like a venomous dragon bursting from its cave, aiming straight for Han Che's chest.

The punch carried tremendous force. His internal breath and blood surged as he unleashed the most powerful move in the Five Force Fist: all five forces combined. Han Che had nowhere to dodge and could only meet it head-on again.

"Boom!"

Their fists collided with a thunderous thud. Han Che staggered back three steps, each footfall landing on the blue bricks with a heavy sound.

The force he shook off sent dust billowing from between the bricks.

Feng Xiu also retreated one step, his breathing slightly ragged. The Five Forces Combined move had consumed most of his blood and energy.

But it had worked well enough. The victor between him and Han Che was clear.

Han Che steadied himself, looked down at his trembling right hand, then stared at Feng Xiu for a long while before finally managing to ask:

"Young master, did you deliberately leave an opening just now?"

Feng Xiu nodded slightly, admitting it frankly. "Brother Han's attacks came too quickly. If I'd met them head-on, I wouldn't have held out long. I had to try another approach."

Han Che was taken aback. A rare, wry smile appeared on his face.

He said no more, but his thoughts churned, and he looked as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

Feng Xiu had been getting beaten down just moments ago. After merely learning the Internal Breath Method, his strength had surged to this level?

Some people were simply born to do this. Han Che couldn't help feeling a little bitter.

Medicinal baths couldn't produce that kind of response, and pills couldn't pour that kind of mind into someone.

In other words, only life-and-death combat could hone an almost monstrous battle instinct.

From anticipating his opponent through their breathing to repeatedly cutting off his own attacks, Feng Xiu had only been practicing martial arts for a few days.

Even with an unlimited supply of martial resources, reaching this level in a mere few days—

That was what it meant to be favored by the heavens.

At that moment, Han Che said seriously, "That whole series of changes just now—from using a feint to lure me into grabbing you, to borrowing the momentum to press in and strike back with your elbow,

"then wrenching yourself free at the first opening and attacking straight through the center—your moves flowed seamlessly into one another, each link connected to the next. That's not something you can achieve through hard practice alone."

Very few beginners had that kind of instinct. A novice martial artist's usual state was fumbling in a panic.

Han Che had traveled far and wide with Zhou Gang, but he'd never met anyone with such talent. Feng Xiu was the first exception he'd ever encountered.

Feng Xiu shook his head with a light laugh and said modestly, "You're too kind, Brother Han."

Every one of the four attributes in the Technique Record gave him a tremendous boost, affecting his overall abilities.

The increase to his mental strength and agility was downright terrifying.

Feng Xiu merely smiled at Han Che's words, but a faint understanding stirred in his heart.

During the fight just now, he'd felt as if he'd entered a strange state, somewhat like the flow state one experienced while learning.

By dusk, he was at the Martial Arts Arena.

"Brother Han, what realm would you say I'm at now?" After their practice bout, Feng Xiu picked up a towel to wipe away his sweat and asked Han Che with a smile.

Han Che replied, "Young Master Feng's bones, muscles, and skin have undergone some tempering. You should have reached minor mastery in Body Refining."

To reach the Body Refining realm in less than half a month—if an ordinary martial artist tried it, they probably wouldn't even sense their blood and energy for a year or two.

Considering Feng Xiu was taking the wealthy route to martial arts, Han Che didn't think he was underestimating him.

"But your stance seems a little unstable. You still need to improve your stance work and the Eight Trigrams Stance."

Feng Xiu nodded. He had noticed that too. When using high-intensity offensive techniques, he always felt the flow of blood and energy in his legs was a little disordered.

It wasn't hard to understand why. Feng Xiu had reached the Body Refining realm entirely through the nourishment of his body-strengthening resources.

When Zhou Gang taught him the Five Force Fist, he had only emphasized how the first eight forms stretched and trained the bones, muscles, and skin. He hadn't taught him a systematic stance method.

"Not only that, Young Master Feng, I'll teach you a set of corresponding weapon techniques to go with the Eight Trigrams Stance. In just a few days, you should be able to develop a feel for it."

Han Che thought it over briefly, then continued.

He had stood nearby and overheard Zhou Gang's earlier words from beginning to end—especially that undisguised attitude of a father-in-law sizing up his son-in-law.

Han Che wasn't much of a talker, but he could read the situation. At a time like this, building a good relationship with Feng Xiu could only do him good.