Technique Inscription

"You brat, what do you think martial arts are? Something you can learn after watching once?" Ma Jun laughed in exasperation.

"Whether I can learn it is my business. Deal. This tael of silver is the tuition fee. If the two masters think it won't do, I'll turn around and leave without another word," Chen Yue said calmly.

Yu Kan stared at Chen Yue for several breaths, seemingly trying to find something on his face, but all he saw was calmness and sincerity.

Yu Kan suddenly chuckled softly. No matter how he looked at it, this condition was almost nothing but benefit and no harm to him.

It was only one demonstration. There was no need for repeated instruction, nor any need for prolonged contact that might draw the Sea Shark Gang's attention.

Though one tael of silver was less than he had expected, it was practically money picked up for free. No matter how he calculated it, the deal was worthwhile.

As for whether the other party could learn it? What did that have to do with him? Once the money and goods changed hands, they would owe each other nothing and become strangers again.

With that thought, Yu Kan made up his mind. He no longer looked at Chen Yue, but turned to Ma Jun and instructed, "Junior Brother, since he insists on learning this way, then do as he says. Demonstrate and explain the Iron Mountain Lean stance and fist forms, the Roaming Mountains and Rivers footwork, and the Wind-Breaking Blade for him once each. Make sure it's clear!"

Yu Kan deliberately stressed the word "clear." The meaning was obvious: do not hold anything back, but do not waste extra effort either. Finish the job and take the money.

After giving his instructions, Yu Kan turned and pushed open the courtyard gate, walking inside and leaving the remaining teaching to Ma Jun.

Ma Jun was taken aback at first, then immediately understood his senior brother's meaning.

When he looked at Chen Yue again, the anger on his face had already turned into thick mockery and ridicule.

"Fine! Fine! You've got nerve! Since you insist on learning like this, I've got nothing more to say. Come in!"

Ma Jun stepped aside from the courtyard gate and gestured for Chen Yue to enter, sneering repeatedly in his heart.

Originally, Senior Brother Yu had intended to teach you a set of boxing. At least he would have led you through it a few times, corrected your posture, and made sure you could copy the gourd and draw the dipper well enough to strike a passable pose.

But you had to ask to watch only once? Truly, the ignorant feared nothing!

Chen Yue followed Ma Jun into the courtyard of Iron Mountain Martial Hall. It was more spacious than it looked from outside, its ground paved with blue bricks. Stone locks, wooden training dummies, and other martial arts equipment sat in the corners, while several rows of Plum Blossom Stakes of varying heights stood on the other side.

Ma Jun walked to the open space in the center of the courtyard, casually rolled his wrists and ankles, then faced Chen Yue with his chin slightly raised. "Brat, watch carefully. I'll teach you the Iron Mountain Fist first. Before the fist is thrown, the stance must be set. To learn boxing, you must first stand the Iron Mountain Stance!"

With that, he spread his feet shoulder-width apart and sank slightly into a squat, lowering his center of gravity as though roots had grown beneath his feet.

His arms formed a loose embrace before his chest, his shoulders and back relaxed, his neck upright, his gaze level. Though it was only a simple stance, he gave off an aura as steady as a mountain.

"The Iron Mountain Stance emphasizes feet like iron nails, a waist like a boulder, qi sunk into the dantian, and intent guarded at the mysterious pass. Stand properly, stabilize your lower body, and your qi and blood will naturally flow through all four limbs and a hundred bones. This is the foundation of martial practice."

As Ma Jun explained the key points, his body remained perfectly steady. He held the stance for roughly ten breaths, allowing Chen Yue to see its essential posture clearly.

Then he slowly withdrew the stance. He exhaled, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

"Watch the fist forms!" Before the words had even faded, Ma Jun moved.

His waist and hips drove the motion as he twisted his body and sent out his shoulder. A plain yet powerful straight punch shot forth, producing a brief dull thud in the air.

His footwork followed in an unbroken chain, advancing or retreating, supported by a low waist and horse stance as fist shadows whirled through the air.

There was the Crushing Fist, heavy enough to split mountains and crack rocks; the Drilling Fist, short and swift as a venomous snake flicking its tongue; the Blocking Fist, sweeping aside attacks like an iron gate sealing a doorway...

When the entire set was completed, the movements were fierce and concise, the bursts of force short and explosive. Combined with his steady shouts and the dull thumps of his feet striking the ground, it carried an intimidating presence.

As he fought, Ma Jun rapidly recited the essential formulae of the boxing art: "Strength rises from the ground, issues from the waist and hips, passes through the shoulders and arms, and reaches the edge of the fist..."

The set contained only twenty or thirty forms. Ma Jun performed them very quickly. From beginning to end, including the earlier stance demonstration, it took less than the time needed to brew a cup of tea.

Ma Jun withdrew his fists and stood still, exhaling a long breath of stale air. He turned to look at Chen Yue, who had remained motionless throughout, his face openly mocking. "Brat, did you see it clearly? The moves, breathing, and methods of exerting force—I held back nothing. I demonstrated and explained every bit of it once. Did you manage to catch the knowledge in that one viewing?"

Chen Yue seemed not to hear the mockery in Ma Jun's words. He appeared to be savoring the scene he had just watched, but in truth, his eyes had been fixed on the transparent panel before him.

The instant Ma Jun completed the Iron Mountain Fist and recited its core formulae, a new line of text silently appeared on the panel:

[Iron Mountain Fist (Not Initiated)]

It worked! It really could be done!

All he needed was to watch and hear one complete demonstration along with the core formulae, and the panel could record and identify the technique!

A tremendous surprise coursed through Chen Yue's body like an electric current, making his heart pound several times.

Chen Yue forcefully suppressed the excitement that nearly spilled from his face. Raising his head to meet Ma Jun's teasing gaze, he said, "I understood it. Thank you, Master Ma, for the demonstration."

"You understood it?"

Ma Jun's brows shot up high, as if he had heard something amusing. "All right, you talk big. Then don't just talk without practicing. Come on—follow my example. First stand the Iron Mountain Stance, then perform the entire set of boxing from beginning to end for me to see. I don't expect you to produce any force. If you can put on roughly the right form, that will count as understanding it."

He folded his arms and waited at his leisure to watch Chen Yue make a fool of himself.

Even someone with the highest talent would be doing well to remember twenty or thirty percent of the forms after seeing them once, let alone the breathing and force-exertion tricks that had to accompany them.

This brat was putting on airs only to make himself a laughingstock!

"I won't practice the boxing yet. Master Ma, please demonstrate the movement technique or blade art you mentioned earlier," Chen Yue said with a smile.

"You..."

Ma Jun choked on his words, then laughed angrily and nodded again and again. "Fine, fine, fine! The silver and instruction are already settled, so watch however you please! Consider it a warm-up. Earning your tael of silver is quite easy!"

As he spoke, Ma Jun strode over to the dusty row of Plum Blossom Stakes in the corner of the courtyard.

The wooden stakes varied in height and seemed to be arranged chaotically, yet they subtly followed a certain pattern. Ma Jun drew a deep breath, tapped off with the tip of his foot, and lightly leaped onto one of the shorter stakes.

"Watch carefully. This movement technique is called Roaming Mountains and Rivers! Its meaning is this: though mountains and rivers are fraught with peril, I roam through them as though walking on level ground!" he shouted low, and his body abruptly moved.

Ma Jun darted across the uneven wooden stakes with the agility of an ape. His steps shifted and landed with astonishing speed; sometimes he lightly tapped down with his toes to borrow force, sometimes he planted the sole of his foot firmly to steady his center of gravity.

His body continuously adjusted with his steps—shifting its balance, twisting, dipping, rising, and sliding sideways. His movements flowed freely, as if he were truly weaving through rugged mountain ravines and rushing rivers with ease, displaying a lightness and deft strength utterly different from the fierce boxing he had shown before.