Then he reached out and patted Feng Xiu on the shoulder, his admiration plain in his eyes. "Quick-minded and able to apply what you learn to new situations. You're already far beyond the average person."
Martial arts had never been a discipline where hard training alone guaranteed success. Feng Xiu's adaptability—
—made Zhou Gang consider teaching him something new, rather than merely tempering his patience.
Feng Xiu wiped the fine sweat from his brow and smiled as he replied respectfully, "It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Uncle Zhou. The fist art is truly profound."
"Save the flattery."
Zhou Gang laughed and chided him, his eyes brimming with amusement. "No matter how profound the fist art is, it still takes someone willing to put in the hard work to practice it. Looks like I can teach you some real techniques today."
"I await your instruction, Uncle Zhou." Feng Xiu cupped his hands and bowed.
During the practice just now, Feng Xiu hadn't failed to consider performing the complete Five Force Fist straight through.
But every time he reached the ninth form, he felt a distinct hitch.
Zhou Gang's smile faded, and he resumed his stern-instructor demeanor. "You've grasped the form of the first eight moves. More remarkably, you seem to have brushed against the threshold of making your strength follow your movements."
He walked to an open space in the courtyard, his voice steady. "The latter eight moves of the Five Force Fist no longer train just your sinews, bones, skin, and membranes."
"Then what do they train?" Feng Xiu asked, his eyes alight.
"They train a breath, a force—a method of circulating qi and blood to lay the foundation for Blood Burning!"
"Once you learn to nourish your blood with qi, your future training will also lay the groundwork for the Internal Breath Method. The first eight moves are like digging a riverbed and widening its channels."
"The latter eight moves are like guiding water into those channels and setting it surging. Watch closely!"
Zhou Gang's gaze flashed like lightning. Then, without another word, he moved.
This time, his movements were utterly unlike the steady, expansive first eight moves. The moment he took his stance, the air around him seemed to tighten.
His movements and bursts of force were shorter and more explosive, yet each transition carried a strange delay.
It was as if the force within his body had been deliberately held back, gathered, and then suddenly unleashed.
His breathing was clearly audible, now long and drawn out, now short and sharp. When he finished the final move, a faint stream of white vapor came from his nostrils.
"Did you understand? The forms of the latter eight moves aren't complicated. You could even consider them variations and accelerations of the first eight."
Feng Xiu pondered briefly. "All right, I'll give it a try."
Just as Zhou Gang had said, the latter eight moves weren't complicated. With Zhou Gang breaking down the movements for him,
Feng Xiu learned them easily. But once he added the breathing method, his forms began to warp.
"Breathe, breathe. Pushing Mountains into the Sea is a push. Draw the breath into your dantian, then push, then exhale."
Feng Xiu focused, twisting his waist and sending out another punch, accompanied by a short, sharp exhalation.
He deliberately concentrated his thoughts on his lower abdomen. At the instant his punch was almost—but not quite—complete, a warmth like a wriggling earthworm surged out of his dantian.
Though it was extremely faint and beyond his control, Feng Xiu's breath immediately faltered.
Precise movements, coordinated breathing, and doing two things at once—the difficulty was no joke.
Still, Zhou Gang didn't criticize him too harshly.
"It's all right. You're on the right track. Just remember this feeling. Today, practice only this move until your breathing and that sensation of qi become as easy to command as your own arm. The rest will follow naturally."
"Thank you for correcting me, Uncle Zhou."
Feng Xiu's expression solemn, he sincerely bowed to Zhou Gang.
One was eager to teach, the other eager to learn. Setting aside the friendship between the Zhou Family Escort Team and the Feng Clan, Zhou Gang had already gone above and beyond.
Day after day passed, and before long, four days had gone by.
Over those four days, Feng Xiu settled into a fixed routine: fist practice at dawn, handling affairs during the day, a medicinal bath in the afternoon, more fist practice at dusk, and further training in the Eight Sections Vajra Skill late into the night.
Zhou Gang made time to check on him every day, offer a few pointers, then leave with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Master Black sent back word through a messenger that he had reached Yulin Prefecture.
He'd run into some difficulties, but didn't say what they were.
Feng Shouzhuo's condition continued to fluctuate. On good days, he recognized people and drank his porridge; on bad days, he still muttered incoherently.
The gifts for Juyuan Pawnshop had also been delivered, with Uncle Zheng personally handling it.
Shopkeeper Liu showed little reaction, but Liu Wenjun, the person who actually mattered, was still nowhere to be found.
Feng Xiu kept all these matters in mind, but focused more and more intently on his training.
With Zhou Gang's wholehearted instruction, the Eight Sections Vajra Skill to nourish and strengthen his body, and the Five-Strength Medicinal Bath to replenish his vitality and consolidate his gains,
Feng Xiu made rapid progress. The eighth move, Pushing Mountains into the Sea; the ninth, Weary Tiger Returns to the Forest; the tenth, Soaring Lake Overturning Dragon; and the eleventh, Dragon and Tiger Clash.
At this moment, the sun stood high over the small courtyard.
Feng Xiu raised his fists in salute.
His calm eyes suddenly sharpened. He darted out a fist and kicked, his hands striking in rapid succession as the sinews and bones throughout his body rumbled.
His movements were accompanied by faint whistles as they tore through the air, violent and fierce. The first eight moves were steady as mountains, building momentum; the latter eight erupted in a sudden burst!
For the first time, he flowed through all sixteen forms without the slightest hitch. As he settled into his finishing stance, his qi and blood circulated throughout his body, and an unprecedented sense of power filled his limbs and bones.
A complete set of Five Force Fist had finally come together as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
"Hah..."
As he finished, sweat poured from Feng Xiu, and a breath of murky white vapor escaped his mouth and nose.
After expelling that breath of stale air, his qi and blood seemed purer. A gleam shone in Feng Xiu's eyes as he slowly savored the subtleties of the Five Force Fist.
[Life: 8] [Spirit: 1] [Strength: 1] [Agility: 1] [Technique Record: Eight Sections Vajra Skill (Mastery: Life +2, Spirit +1)], [Five Force Fist (First Glimpse of the Way: Strength +1, Agility +1)] [Combine: Cannot be obtained before reaching the pinnacle]
Four days could seem long or short. He had barely managed to develop a sense of qi and blood through the Five Force Fist.
On the panel, the Eight Sections Vajra Skill had also advanced another level, though his Life had actually decreased. It was probably because the further he advanced in the skill, the more it began to affect other attributes.
The human body wasn't a set of game stats; it was impossible for a single technique to raise only one attribute to its limit. The proportions simply varied at different stages of progress.
The same was true of the Five Force Fist. It deserved its reputation as a high-grade martial art. Even at the first glimpse, it had increased two attributes.
What's more, Life manifested as a healthy complexion and abundant stamina. And after his Strength increased by one point,
threads of warmth surged from his chest, rapidly gathering throughout his limbs and bones. His back straightened, and a tide of fullness burst out from his tailbone.
It gradually spread through his whole body, then slowly settled.
The sensation wasn't especially strong in his torso.
But it was striking in his hands, legs, and the great dragon of his spine.
Feng Xiu lowered his head. His once-fair fingers now showed a faint, dusky tinge. He clenched his fist slightly, the veins rising beneath his skin as his knuckles and muscles stretched. His strength had surged.
He brought up the panel again and stared at it for quite a while before closing it.
Then Feng Xiu walked over to the various training implements of different sizes arranged in the corner of the courtyard and picked out a stone lock with a standard weight of 120 jin.
Before, he'd had to grit his teeth and strain to lift this thing. Now it felt light, and he could control it with ease.
And that wasn't all.
Feng Xiu looked up at the trees in the courtyard and the eaves in the distance. His eyesight was also clearer than before.
Before you continue