Li Canghai

Three months later, in the square of the suburban estate.

Shi Mu stood under the blazing sun, wielding a three-foot-long cyan blade that traced shifting, erratic arcs across an area several zhang wide.

Around the square, several wooden stakes and straw dummies had been set up, along with a few heavy stone locks and a long wooden rack holding common weapons like sabers and spears.

"Stop."

A gruff male voice suddenly rang out.

Shi Mu's movements halted, the blade shadows converging as he stopped, holding the saber in one hand.

"Not bad. You've finally grasped the basics of this Thirteen Wind-Galloping Styles. But what you have now is only a rudimentary entry—still far from the minor mastery needed to truly face an opponent."

The speaker was a lean man standing at the edge of the square, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes gleamed with sharp light, and his bronze skin gave him an air of shrewd toughness.

"That's all thanks to Master Li's personal guidance. Otherwise, I couldn't have learned such a profound saber technique in just three months," Shi Mu replied respectfully.

This lean man was none other than Li Canghai, a renowned instructor at the Flowing Wind Martial Hall and a mid-stage Houtian martial artist.

Three months ago, he had come to the estate and, after revealing just one impressive saber move, immediately won Shi Mu's approval. Since then, Shi Mu had trained with him for two hours every day.

"This Wind-Galloping Saber Technique is a Wutu-level martial skill, but if you later cultivate the corresponding internal method, it can still be used against enemies even at the Houtian realm. Its essence lies in borrowing the wind's force, each strike faster than the last—the forms themselves aren't overly complex. I once used this saber technique to kill two martial artists of the same rank in a single battle, taking no more than a few breaths. The most intricate and troublesome Wutu-level martial art should be the Small Heavenly Circuit Sword Art. It has three hundred and six forms, and many people spend their entire lives unable to truly master it," Li Canghai said slowly.

"Master Li, you've said before that martial arts—wugong—are actually divided into martial skills and internal methods. Martial skills focus on defeating enemies and life-or-death combat, while internal methods focus on cultivating qi and tempering the body. The two support each other and are inseparable. But if you had to weigh their importance, which do you think deserves more attention?" Shi Mu asked after a moment's thought.

"Heh, you little brat sure think a lot. But this doubt has been asked by countless people since ancient times. Every martial arts master might have a different answer. To me, someone who only cultivates martial skills can't even enter the Houtian realm—it's like having a heavy head on weak legs, with no solid foundation. On the other hand, someone who only cultivates internal methods, no matter how deep their true qi, might still be beaten to death by a lower-ranked opponent. That said, I've heard that once a martial artist reaches the Xiantian realm, they can use true qi to protect their body directly. Even standing still, ordinary blades can't harm them, and they can even shake opponents of vastly inferior cultivation to death with their qi. Also, ordinary people living over a hundred years is considered long-lived, but once a martial artist enters Xiantian, their lifespan doubles," Li Canghai said with a few chuckles.

"It seems Master Li still thinks internal methods are more important," Shi Mu said with a smile.

"Many profound martial arts naturally include both internal methods and martial skills. When internal methods reach a certain level, corresponding martial skills come into play—they were never meant to be separated. Forcing them apart for comparison is a boring exercise. But for you Wutu-level practitioners, at this stage, it's naturally martial skills that improve your strength. Otherwise, even if a peerless internal method were placed before you, without grasping the sense of qi, you couldn't practice it. Besides, most profound martial arts have specific cultivation levels they suit. Trying to cross ranks to practice them—at best, you make no progress; at worst, your true qi backlashes, and the loss far outweighs the gain," Li Canghai said, unconcerned.

"I understand. But Master Li, could I watch you perform the Thirteen Wind-Galloping Styles one more time?" Shi Mu nodded, then made another request.

"Performing the Thirteen Wind-Galloping Styles is quite taxing. I still need to teach you the Crushing Stone Fist afterward, so I can only demonstrate it once today." Li Canghai frowned slightly before reluctantly agreeing.

Shi Mu naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

The next moment, Li Canghai walked to the center of the square and took the long saber from Shi Mu. With a low shout, he began to whirl it swiftly.

Instantly, the sound of air being torn filled the square. Around the lean man, it seemed as if a long white ribbon was dancing erratically, growing faster and faster until it blurred into a patch of cold light, accompanied by the roar of rushing wind.

Shi Mu watched without blinking.

After a short while, the cold light slowly moved toward a wooden stake at the edge of the square.

Li Canghai let out a loud shout, and the cold light swept toward the stake with a gust of wind. Then the wind abruptly stopped, and the cold light vanished.

With a few cracking sounds, the wooden stake was sliced diagonally into seven pieces, which rolled clattering to the ground.

That seemingly ordinary single strike from Li Canghai had actually delivered six cuts in one breath.

"Six cuts in one breath, and without using any true qi! Master, your mastery of this Wind-Galloping Saber Technique is truly at its peak," Shi Mu exhaled deeply and applauded in admiration.

"If I used true qi, I could achieve nine cuts in one breath at the great mastery level! When this saber technique reaches its ultimate perfection, it can deliver thirteen cuts in one breath. But unfortunately, I'm still far from that. Also, there's a rumor about this technique—some say the Thirteen Wind-Galloping Styles was originally a single Xiantian saber move, artificially broken down into thirteen forms. That's why it dropped to the Wutu level and lost much of its power. Of course, don't take that seriously. If the Wind-Galloping Saber Technique really came from a Xiantian move, it wouldn't have spread so easily—it would have been restored by countless masters long ago," Li Canghai said with a light laugh.

"Thirteen cuts in one breath—can that really be achieved? If so, who could withstand such a strike?" Shi Mu was greatly astonished.

"If you truly reach the level of thirteen cuts in one breath, setting aside Xiantian martial artists, you could at least dominate the entire Houtian realm. Enough, no need to dwell on this. Let me give you a final explanation of the key principles of this Wind-Galloping Saber Technique, and then I'll teach you the Crushing Stone Fist. This saber technique appears to have thirteen forms, but once executed, the strikes flow continuously without end. The main idea is to borrow the power of the wind, making the saber momentum faster and faster until it becomes unstoppable..."

Li Canghai spoke earnestly, and Shi Mu listened with full concentration, committing every word to memory.

"Alright, that's enough on the Wind-Galloping Saber Technique. Now I'll start teaching you the Crushing Stone Fist. This fist technique is different from the saber technique—it's a purely external martial skill. Its forms are very simple, and its power relies entirely on your fists. As the name suggests, if the Crushing Stone Fist is cultivated to great mastery, it can naturally shatter rocks and split stone," Li Canghai said, walking toward a nearby stone lock the size of a washbasin. He took a deep breath, then suddenly kicked out with one leg, which turned into a blurring shadow.

With a bang!

Despite his lean frame, Li Canghai's kick sent the hefty stone lock flying into the air.

"Hah!"

Li Canghai punched upward into the air, his lean body seeming to swell by a third in an instant, exuding a majestic aura like a lion.

With a thunderous boom.

The falling stone lock, struck by his fist, exploded directly, sending countless fragments flying in all directions.

Shi Mu's eyes lit up at the sight.

"Listen carefully. Whether you train in saber techniques or sword techniques later, there may be times when you don't have a blade at hand. If you encounter an enemy then, the only thing you can rely on is your own fists. This Crushing Stone Fist is simple, but it's more than enough for the Wutu level. If you truly master it, it can even lay a solid foundation for learning higher-level fist and foot techniques later. However, although this fist technique is quite famous among Wutu-level martial skills and packs enough power, few people actually practice it. The reason is that it requires external force to strengthen your fists, and achieving results means enduring a lot of hardship. Also, this technique places great emphasis on raw strength. If you're naturally gifted with immense power, you'll get twice the result with half the effort. And that punch just now—I didn't use any true qi either," Li Canghai explained with a straight face.

"May I ask how much strength Master Li currently possesses?" Shi Mu couldn't help but ask.

"Me? Without using true qi and relying only on my physical body, lifting a five-hundred-jin stone lock is no problem."

As Li Canghai spoke, he walked over to the second-largest stone lock at the edge of the square.

This stone lock was half a person in size and looked extremely heavy.

Li Canghai let out a low shout, dropped into a horse stance, grabbed the lock with both hands, and with a sudden burst of strength, hoisted it above his head.

Shi Mu watched and couldn't stop praising him.

A hint of pride also appeared on the lean man's face.

Indeed, being able to lift such a heavy stone lock with just physical strength alone—few Houtian martial artists in all of Feng City could manage it.

Half an hour later, Li Canghai left the estate, leaving only Shi Mu in the square. In his hands were a thumb-sized medicine bottle and a pale white booklet.

The medicine bottle contained a unique concoction Li Canghai had prepared to aid in training the Crushing Stone Fist, while the booklet was the manual for the Crushing Stone Fist itself.

Shi Mu merely examined the medicine bottle for a few moments, opened the lid to sniff it a couple of times, then put it away. He sat directly on the nearby grass and began carefully flipping through the booklet.

Truth be told, if not for the old scholar at the private school near the fishing village who, seeing that he was an orphan, had allowed him to study for free alongside the other children for several years, he likely wouldn't have recognized a single character.

After quickly flipping through the booklet once, Shi Mu lowered his head to glance at the medicine bottle in his other hand, and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.

"The stronger the better, huh!"

The youth muttered to himself, put the booklet away, then turned to look at the nearby stone locks. He walked toward the largest one.

This stone lock was as big as a tabletop, nearly twice the volume of the one Li Canghai had lifted earlier, and must have weighed at least a thousand jin.

He crouched down, moved his right arm, and grabbed the handle of the stone lock in one go.

With a dull thud, Shi Mu hoisted the massive object up with a single hand and lifted it easily above his head.