Grinding for Experience

Hong Yuan glanced at him. Seeing his clear eyes and sincere manner, he nodded. "Very well. I'll explain a thing or two. We martial artists place the greatest importance on body tempering, which is known as the Body Tempering Secret Realm. This realm has four stages, each building on the last."

"The first stage is Skin Refining. You toughen your skin and fascia, strengthening your resistance to blows until they become resilient enough to withstand ordinary punches and kicks."

"The second stage is Tendon Opening. You stretch and train the major tendons throughout your body, making them supple so your strikes become faster and more sustained."

"The third stage is Bone Forging. You temper all the bones in your body until they grow dense and hard as iron and steel, able to bear greater strength and lend more destructive force to your punches and kicks."

"The fourth stage is Organ Cleansing. You nourish your internal organs, strengthen their functions, and invigorate your qi and blood, giving you greater stamina. You can even rouse your force to strike someone from a distance."

He paused, a glint flashing in his eyes as his tone grew more solemn. "Once you've perfected all four stages of Body Tempering and your qi and blood have reached their peak, you can try to refine them and break through into the Blood Refining Secret Realm."

"Once you succeed, your qi and blood will flow like mercury, surging without end. Your strength and speed will far surpass those of the Body Tempering realm, and you'll even be able to wield the power of your qi and blood against your enemies."

"But in a place like Qingping County, a martial artist at the Organ Cleansing stage can already dominate the local area. Opening a martial arts school is no difficult matter, either."

"I'm at the Organ Cleansing stage now, and not far from taking that next step."

Lin Qing listened, enthralled.

Just an Organ Cleansing martial artist could open a martial arts school and rank among the county's most renowned experts.

And that was nothing compared to the Blood Refining Secret Realm.

The path of martial arts was truly vast and wondrous.

He bowed deeply. "Thank you for your guidance, Master Hong. I understand."

"A-Lei, call over the other disciples who joined recently, too." Hong Yuan beckoned.

"Coming right up!"

A burly man with bronze-colored skin and a kindly face answered.

Hong Yuan then gathered all the disciples who had joined the school in the past month at one side of the training ground. Including Lin Qing, there were eight of them.

They were all young, under twenty.

Each wore a hint of nervousness.

Hong Yuan stood before them with his hands behind his back, his presence steady.

His gaze swept over the group, and his voice rang out. "Now that you've joined my Iron Wire Fist school, you must understand that fundamentals matter more than techniques."

"Today, I'll teach you the Iron Ring Stance. It's the foundation of our Iron Wire Fist and the basis for training your lower body and refining your qi and blood."

Hong Yuan demonstrated it himself. He set his feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, bent his knees slightly, and slowly lowered his body until his thighs were almost parallel to the ground.

He extended both arms before his chest. A dozen or so heavy iron rings encircled them, yet he stood utterly motionless.

Lin Qing was startled. Each iron ring weighed about five pounds, so a dozen of them would weigh around sixty pounds.

With those rings on their arms, ordinary people would struggle even to lift their hands, let alone extend their arms.

Yet Master Hong could hold them as steady as a mountain. He was truly formidable.

"Watch closely. This is the Iron Ring Stance. Let your weight settle into Yongquan, sink your shoulders and elbows, and let your qi sink to your dantian."

"Keep your mind on the iron rings around your arms. Breathe naturally. Don't hold your breath."

Hong Yuan's voice boomed like a great bell, ringing in everyone's ears.

He straightened and had the new disciples assume the stance. Then he continued explaining, correcting each disciple's posture in turn.

Lin Qing followed Hong Yuan's example and took the stance. Two iron rings were placed on his arms, and several iron wires were wrapped around him to keep him in position.

Before long, his body was trembling uncontrollably. But with the iron wires restraining him, he still managed to hold his position.

Seeing the other disciples grit their teeth and endure, Lin Qing clenched his own jaw, refusing to give up and make a laughingstock of himself.

Seeing that the new disciples were beginning to look the part, Hong Yuan nodded slightly and continued.

"The stance may look motionless, but inside, your qi and blood are surging. The iron wires also make your muscles and tendons tremble. This is an unparalleled method for tempering your bones and tendons and refining your qi and blood. If your lower body is unsteady and your qi and blood are weak, every fighting technique you learn will be a castle in the air!"

"Starting today, you must practice the stance for at least one shichen each day, split into multiple sessions and built up gradually. Beginners only need to wear four iron rings."

"Zhang Shun, keep an eye on them and teach them the school's rules while you're at it."

Hong Yuan called over a lean, tall man standing in front. Then he went to instruct the other disciples.

"Yes, Master."

Zhang Shun nodded. Then he turned to the group, his expression serious as he said in a low voice, "Fellow disciples, our school has rules you must remember!"

"First, when you fight someone, you must state your master's name. Don't bring shame upon the reputation of Iron Wire Fist."

"Second, you must never harm a fellow disciple! If there's a dispute, you can ask a senior disciple or the master to judge it."

"Third, teaching martial arts to outsiders in private is strictly forbidden. Offenders will have their martial arts crippled and be expelled from the school."

"Fourth, if you're in trouble, you can ask the elders of the school for help. Those who study Iron Wire Fist should stand by one another."

"Fifth, if you have a deep personal grudge with someone, you may settle it on your own without invoking the school's name, as long as the master agrees."

Lin Qing and the others all nodded in agreement.

That afternoon, Lin Qing and the others continued practicing the stance.

Zhang Shun patiently taught them the finer points of the Iron Ring Stance.

He corrected the slightest errors in their posture.

"Let your waist sink. That's right, but don't bend over..."

"Push your butt back. Imagine you're sitting on a tall stool you can't see..."

"Right, just like that. Hold it!"

Lin Qing watched the others adjust their corrected stances and followed their example.

At first, his thighs only felt sore and unbearably tight, and his body trembled slightly against his will.

But he gritted his teeth and held on through sheer stubbornness.

Deep in his consciousness, the Heavenly Dao Record quietly unfolded, revealing information about Iron Wire Fist:

[Iron Wire Fist (Novice)]

[Experience: 5/2000]

Though it increased slowly, those concrete numbers ticking upward gave him immense encouragement.

As long as he kept grinding for experience, he'd be rewarded!

Lin Qing spent the entire afternoon gritting his teeth and enduring.

When the evening bell rang, announcing the end of the day's training, he was practically soaked through, as if he'd been fished out of the water. His legs felt as heavy as lead, and every step brought a dull ache and stabbing pain.

Yet Lin Qing's eyes shone with extraordinary brightness.

[Iron Wire Fist (Novice)]

[Experience: 95/2000]

"At this rate, my Iron Wire Fist will reach the entry level in less than a month," Lin Qing mused.

At the same time, he looked toward a lean young man still working hard at his stance on one side of the training ground.

The young man was called Wang Cheng, and he'd shown astonishing perseverance during the training earlier.

He'd held perfectly still throughout the entire afternoon.

Listening to the other disciples talk, Lin Qing learned that Wang Cheng had been a fisherman before, and had only managed to join the martial arts school after a stroke of luck earned him a precious fish.

"Looks like no matter where you are, there's always some training fanatic around."

Lin Qing sighed inwardly. If he had that kind of astonishing perseverance, his experience would surely rise faster.

But he also knew himself best.

He, Lin Qing, wasn't one to fight for a moment's glory or pour everything into a single burst of effort.

All he could do was his best and leave the rest to fate.