Contempt, An Early Martial Examination

"Senior Sister, could it be the breathing method?"

Shi Wen asked with curiosity.

It wasn't just about the set of Baji Fist that Li Qianqian had just performed.

When he had observed Wei Shan's techniques earlier, the man's breathing during action was like the roar of a wild beast, as if thunder rumbled within his chest. When his various killing moves erupted, they sounded like the explosive "Heng" and "Ha" sounds, which was exceptionally terrifying!

"That's right, it is indeed related to breathing."

Li Qianqian nodded and said, "Beyond the fluidity of the moves and the greater number of areas tempered, the core of Baji Fist lies in its breathing technique."

"The wonders of the human body are inexhaustible. A special breathing method allows killing moves to become fiercer and the body to be tempered more deeply. It can achieve the effects of regulating breath to nourish the spirit, dispelling illness, maintaining health, prolonging life, and strengthening the physique!"

She walked over to a custom-made wooden dummy to demonstrate.

With the same Prop Punch, the lethality unleashed when using a normal strike versus one combined with the special breathing method was vastly different!

"Every superior martial art is paired with a special breathing method, allowing the martial art to unleash unexpectedly powerful destructive force. Relying on moves alone cannot unleash the corresponding destructive power, nor can it achieve the correct level of body tempering."

"It can be said that without an Internal Breath Method, even if you learn all the martial arts moves, you will only achieve half the result with twice the effort, or even suffer a backlash..."

She briefly described the importance of the Internal Breath Method.

Shi Wen nodded from time to time.

Indeed, for superior martial arts, lacking an Internal Breath Method is essentially the same as being crippled.

For example, in the Taibao Hard Qigong he was learning, the Internal Breath Method was absolutely critical.

If one did not coordinate the Internal Breath Method while tempering the whole body, one would get injured, fail to master it, and be unable to execute the so-called killing moves.

"Junior Brother Shi, I will teach you the Internal Breath Method. Listen to the steps I describe and try it out."

"Exhale one breath, take three steps; inhale one breath, take three steps. As you repeat this cycle, feel as if air currents are surging toward you from all directions..."

Li Qianqian began to teach Shi Wen the Internal Breath Method.

Shi Wen, drawing inferences from what he had learned, quickly mastered the Internal Breath Method for Baji Fist and demonstrated the Six Harmonies Eight Desolations Baji Fist in front of Li Qianqian.

During this time, Li Qianqian offered pointers for a while. Seeing that Shi Wen had grasped the posture, she nodded and smiled, "Junior Brother Shi, your comprehension is very high. You already have the hang of it after only practicing twice."

"Just keep practicing like this. Once you are familiar with combining it with the Internal Breath Method, your level of Blood-Tempering will likely surge significantly within two or three months. Then you can attempt Blood-Coagulation, but you must be very careful when you reach that stage."

"The Blood-Coagulation Realm is different from the Blood-Tempering Realm. Condensed blood-qi contains properties like penetration and explosion, capable of inflicting immense damage on external objects."

"Therefore, the stage of condensing blood and qi into blood-qi is somewhat dangerous. If the condensation fails, it easily leads to a backlash of blood and qi."

"However, this stage is still far off for you..."

Shi Wen listened quietly as Li Qianqian explained the essentials.

Once Li Qianqian finished, he feigned curiosity and asked, "Senior Sister Li, I heard that breathing methods can strengthen tendons and bones, enhance physique, and change one's constitution. Is that true? What exactly is a breathing method?"

"Breathing methods can strengthen tendons and bones, enhance physique, and improve constitution?"

Li Qianqian was somewhat surprised by where Shi Wen had heard such things.

But she still patiently explained, "Junior Brother Shi, a breathing method is a special secret technique of a higher level than an Internal Breath Method. It focuses on using specific breathing frequencies to accelerate the tempering of blood and to create a tacit coordination with martial arts."

"Generally, one only learns a breathing method when they are about to reach the Origin Blood Realm."

"A breathing method can accelerate the tempering of blood throughout the body and its circulation speed, achieving a rapid tempering of blood-qi through special means, thereby reaching the point of constructing a Blood Membrane."

"However, ordinary breathing methods are basically not seen on the market; this is already a core aspect of martial arts."

"Even in our Fist Academy, only those who become the closed-door disciples of the Master, or those about to reach the Origin Blood Realm, can learn a breathing method."

Li Qianqian said earnestly, "Currently, among our Fist Academy disciples who can reach the Origin Blood Realm, aside from the Senior Brother, no other disciple has reached this level yet. The practice of martial arts cannot be achieved overnight; it requires years of tempering to step into the Origin Blood Realm."

"As for what you said about breathing methods strengthening tendons and bones or changing one's constitution... I am afraid I have never heard of such things."

"I see."

Shi Wen nodded silently, though internally he was extremely focused on the broken breathing method he had seen on the Extreme Seal.

He had seen that breathing method clearly.

Not only could it strengthen tendons and bones and temper the physique, but it could even change one's innate talent, granting a baptism of earth-qi every month!

Each description didn't look like it had any earth-shattering momentum, but they were all solid, tangible benefits—far stronger than the breathing method Senior Sister Li had introduced!

It was just a pity that the time required for the Extreme Seal to deduce the breathing method was too long.

A full ten years!

Otherwise, no matter what, he really wanted to experience exactly how different the breathing method deduced by the Extreme Seal truly was!!

"If only I could find something to shorten the deduction time of the Extreme Seal, that would be great."

Shi Wen sighed softly.

He swallowed some Treasure Blood.

He spent the entire afternoon practicing the Six Harmonies Eight Desolations Baji Fist, silently familiarizing himself with the moves.

Because the formal Baji Fist had many moves, and every move was a killing blow, combined with the corresponding Internal Breath Method for each action and the coordination of the moves, it could only be considered effective practice. Therefore, Shi Wen's speed in increasing his proficiency was not very fast in the beginning.

This martial art is not like Taibao Hard Qigong, which can be mastered through sheer brute force.

In one afternoon, he could only formally complete it five times.

During this time, many inner-court disciples observed this newcomer in secret, but soon shook their heads and looked away.

They had wondered if this fellow named Shi Wen possessed enough insight to break the shackles of his aptitude, but seeing him learn the core martial arts of the inner court, they saw nothing special about him at all!

His Six Harmonies Eight Desolations Baji Fist was performed in a crooked, disjointed manner.

It lacked any flow.

Was this not just mediocre at best?

The core martial arts of the Fist Academy were not as simple as basic techniques.

Once you are familiar with the moves, you must also master the coordination between the Internal Breath Method and the strikes.

Heh, at this rate, it would be a miracle if he could even reach the entry level after a few months of practice!

It seems this boy's ability to reach Blood Tempering was largely due to sheer luck!!

"Junior Brother Li, come over here, the inner court is holding a meeting."

An inner-court disciple named Xi Ying walked over and called out to him, eyeing him with curiosity before running off to find Zhou Heling.

Soon.

Under the shade of the trees in the inner court.

Over twenty people watched as Li Qianqian spoke.

Shi Wen stood at the edge of the crowd, unremarkable, his gaze curiously scanning the group; there were several inner-court disciples among them he had never seen before.

After listening to Li Qianqian's explanation, Shi Wen understood why so many disciples had gathered today.

It turned out that the rebel forces in the neighboring Tiannan Prefecture had seceded, and the situation had escalated significantly.

To boost morale across the regions while identifying martial geniuses, the Imperial Court had decided to hold the triennial Martial Examination ahead of schedule.

The goal of the Martial Examination in Black Cloud County was to select talent from the youth of the appropriate age.

Those who could come out on top in the Martial Examination would earn official status, exempt their entire families from corvée labor and taxes, and receive various precious medicines, rare elixirs, advanced martial arts manuals, and divine weapons bestowed by the Imperial Court!

As soon as these words were spoken.

Many inner-court disciples eagerly rushed to sign up with Li Qianqian.

Even Zhou Heling, despite her injured hand, ran over to sign up with excitement.

After all, passing the Martial Child Examination would grant one the status of a Martial Scholar, which meant exemption from taxes and labor, plus additional subsidies from the government every year.

Furthermore, since this Martial Examination was specifically organized by the Imperial Court to appease the regions, the rewards were bound to be generous.

Who wouldn't want to sign up?

As for the Martial Examination itself...

To pass and become a Martial Graduate in Black Cloud County.

The preliminary stage alone would eliminate a vast number of people!

Without being in the Origin Blood Realm and utilizing one's blood-qi, no one could possibly handle the thousand-jin heavy hard bows or the stone locks!

And that was merely the most basic standard.

"If no one has any objections, I will submit all your names," Li Qianqian said. "Since the Martial Examination is being held early this year, treat this as a chance to gain experience. There will be another Martial Examination in two years, and you will be able to participate then as well."

Hearing this.

Many inner-court disciples agreed.

The Martial Examination was a major event held in Black Cloud County, with countless participants.

It would be a chance to witness the martial arts of various schools and the geniuses from all over.

It was exactly the kind of lively, grand event that martial practitioners like them enjoyed!

"Junior Brother Qin, just aim for the Martial Scholar title this time to gain some experience. Once you participate in the Martial Examination in two years, becoming a Martial Graduate will surely be no problem."

Wei Shan laughed, "You must know that Junior Brother Qin is a genius with an eighth-grade aptitude. It shouldn't be hard for him to become a Martial Graduate in two years, unlike some people who rely on luck to temper a bit of blood-qi, only to remain stagnant for the rest of their lives."

"Senior Brother, you flatter me. I have only just reached the entry level of the Six Harmonies Eight Desolations Baji Fist; it will take quite some time before I reach minor completion."

Although Qin Huan said this, his face was filled with pride.

"Impressive, Junior Brother. You truly are the genius of our Fist Academy."

Wei Shan chimed in, casting a provocative glance toward Shi Wen.

Unfortunately, Shi Wen paid him no mind, and Wei Shan could only withdraw his gaze in disappointment.

After the registration for the Martial Examination concluded.

Sun Mingting spoke up: "Senior Sister Li, are we not going to deal with the matter regarding the Flying Cloud Pavilion?"

"The Martial Examination is imminent, and the Martial Child Examination is only seven days away. Besides, Master Li is away on business and won't be at the academy for some time. Let us seek justice from the Flying Cloud Pavilion after the Martial Examination concludes!"

"That is all, meeting adjourned!"

As Li Qianqian's voice faded, no one present dared to utter a single word.

They dispersed in every direction.

The bronze gong signaling the end of lessons soon rang out.

Shi Wen did not leave immediately; he was still familiarizing himself with a few techniques.

He had just departed the Fist Academy wearing the robes of an inner-court disciple.

He had not expected that many outer-court disciples, who usually left the moment lessons ended, would still be practicing.

When those outer-court disciples saw him emerge, they each pretended to be busy, yet long after Shi Wen had departed, the envy and complex emotions on their faces refused to dissipate.