You Eat Rice Step by Step

He remained silent for a moment, then responded one by one in that tone which, despite its childish, milky quality, was exceptionally steady: "For footwork, you must first train your core; stand firm before you move. When your feet land, the ball of the foot should touch the ground first. If you keep your center of gravity aligned with your steps, you won't wobble. When lifting stone locks, don't rely solely on your arms. Sink your waist first, generate power from your legs, and let it flow through your waist and abdomen to your arms; then it won't be strenuous. For archery, stabilize your breathing first. Inhale when drawing the bow, and exhale when releasing the arrow. Once your breath is steady, your hands won't shake."

These few short sentences precisely pinpointed the problems that had been troubling the three of them the most.

Qian Gujue's eyes lit up instantly. He squatted down on the spot and, following the method Tang San described, attempted the starting stance for lifting a stone lock. He found that his strength flowed much more smoothly and couldn't help but exclaim, "It really works! This is much more comfortable than the blind practice I was doing before! Tang San, you're too amazing!"

Oupai also immediately picked up his bow and tried the breathing method Tang San had described twice. Feeling his previously tense arms relax significantly, he nodded repeatedly, "Yes! That's the feeling! I was always getting stuck here, but I finally understand it now!"

Seeing the two of them so pleasantly surprised, Gui Mengguan took the opportunity to lean half a step closer. With eyes curved into crescents, he looked at Tang San, his tone filled with anticipation: "Tang San, you're incredible. The teacher has been teaching us for days, but you explained it in just a few words. Do you have a set of methods for training the body of your own? Could you teach us?"

As soon as he said this, Qian Gujue and Oupai stopped what they were doing and looked at Tang San in unison, their eyes full of expectation.

"We are all family, after all," Gui Mengguan said, swinging his short legs. His tone was soft, and every word struck the softest part of Tang San's heart. "My parents are Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, Oupai's grandfather is Guang Ling Douluo, and Qian Gujue's grandfather is Falling Devil Douluo. Elder Bibi Dong, who takes care of you, is a senior we all respect. We are meant to grow up together, cultivate in Martial Soul Hall together, and become strong together. Just teach us, please."

"Yeah, yeah!" Qian Gujue immediately nodded in agreement. "In the future, we'll be the best of partners, and we'll all become Title Douluo of Martial Soul Hall! You're so capable; if you teach us, we can help you out in the future too!"

Oupai also nodded vigorously, his eyes shining as he looked at Tang San: "We promise, we won't tell anyone else what you teach us! Only the four of us will know!"

Tang San looked at the three expectant children of his own age. His fingertips paused slightly, and a wave of conflict instantly surged in his heart.

How could he possibly teach them his true cultivation methods?

Mysterious Heaven Skill, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Purple Demon Eye, and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon—these were all the non-transferable secrets of the Tang Sect, ancestral teachings carved into his very bones.

Having lived two lives, his greatest obsession was to rebuild the Tang Sect here and restore its former glory. Tang Sect techniques must never be passed on to outsiders; this was the bottom line he would defend with his life.

Yet, on the other hand, he couldn't harden his heart to refuse them directly.

Bibi Dong was his mother, who had given him all the warmth of this life; Martial Soul Hall was his home, providing him with the most stable environment for growth and top-tier cultivation resources. The three children before him were his companions, kin who belonged to the same home as him, and they would grow up together and protect this home together. To refuse them coldly would be too heartless and would betray the lessons his mother had always taught him: "Be open-hearted and know how to repay kindness."

Furthermore, they were only three-year-old children. Even if he taught them the most basic methods, they wouldn't be able to discern the deeper mysteries within them.

Who would believe that a three-year-old child could produce a complete, top-tier cultivation technique passed down for a thousand years? At most, they would only think it was a small, self-devised method for strengthening the body.

As for the core techniques, he simply wouldn't mention them.

Tang San weighed the pros and cons in his mind for a long time before finally looking up at the three of them. He nodded slightly, his tone remaining steady: "I can teach you some methods I've pondered myself. Whether you can master them depends entirely on you."

The three children's eyes lit up instantly. They nodded repeatedly like three chicks pecking at grain, promising in unison: "We will definitely study hard! We absolutely won't tell anyone else!"

Watching their excitement, the conflict in Tang San's heart subsided slightly. He led the three of them to the open space under the veranda and first taught them the most basic introductory breathing technique of the Mysterious Heaven Skill—teaching only the crudest method of respiration. He told them how to follow their breath to sense that faint, warm energy between heaven and earth, and how to let this energy circulate simply through their bodies. He said nothing of the circulation of the Great Circle, nor did he mention the words "Mysterious Heaven Skill," calling it only a "small method for practicing qi."

Next, he taught them the basic balance footwork of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, teaching only how to place their feet, how to adjust their center of gravity, and the basic techniques of maneuvering within a small space. He did not teach the exquisite dodging or tracking steps, calling it only "a little trick for training footwork."

Finally, he told Oupai only to calm his mind and focus toward the rising sun at the hour of Yin every day, letting his eyes follow the sun without blinking or losing focus, which could train his eyesight—but he said nothing of the activation method for the Purple Demon Eye.

In less than half an hour, Tang San stopped and looked at the three of them: "That is all. You practice these first; once you've mastered them, we'll talk about what comes next."

The three transmigrators knew perfectly well that Tang San had held back; he hadn't taught them the true core techniques at all.

But they didn't care in the slightest; in fact, they were already overjoyed.

They hadn't expected to obtain the complete Tang Sect absolute arts in one go anyway. Being able to get these most basic introductory methods was already a massive, pleasant surprise.

One had to know, these were the foundations of Tang San's survival in the original work, techniques that even a God King would still cultivate. Even the crudest breathing method was several times stronger than the basic methods for ordinary spirit masters on the Douluo Continent, enough for them to lay the most solid foundation before their martial soul awakening.

Something was better than nothing, and since they had long lives ahead of them, they had plenty of time to slowly grind away at it.

There was not a hint of dissatisfaction on the faces of the three; instead, they were full of gratitude and thanked Tang San repeatedly.

"Thank you so much, Tang San!" Gui Mengguan smiled, his eyes curving. "I'll practice hard when I go back! How about we all come here to practice together every morning from now on? We'll supervise each other, and no one is allowed to be lazy!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Qian Gujue immediately echoed. "From now on, the four of us will practice together and get strong together!"

Oupai also nodded vigorously: "If you have anything you need help with in the future, we'll help you too! We're the best of partners!"

Tang San looked at the three sincere children and nodded slightly. He didn't say anything more, simply picking up the book he had set aside.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel a new wave of contemplation—his mother and Martial Soul Hall had given him the best of everything and were grooming him as the future core; he didn't want to fail this kindness, nor did he want to fail his mother's expectations.

But rebuilding the Tang Sect was his obsession across two lifetimes.

He couldn't exactly establish a Tang Sect department within his home of Martial Soul Hall, could he?

He shook his head, suppressing this absurd thought.

There was plenty of time; it was too early to think about such things. The most urgent priority was to improve his own strength, so that when his martial soul awakened at age six, he would not fail his mother's expectations and would have enough confidence for the things he wanted to do in the future.

The sunset gradually slanted westward, and the golden afterglow stretched the four small figures into long shadows.

"How about this: from now on, I'm the boss, Gui Gui, you're the second, Tang San, your name happens to have 'San' (three) in it, so you're the third, and Oupai, you're the fourth."

Qian Gujue proposed, and Gui Mengguan expressed no objection; this was also a step toward building their bond.

"I have no objection."

Tang San naturally had no objection either. Since his name contained the character for three, wasn't he born to be ranked third?

"I have no objection."

"Why do I have to be ranked fourth?"

Oupai was stunned. He actually had to be ranked behind the "Little Trash San," even if this Little Trash San wasn't the one from the original work who had been led astray.

"Who told you to be a year or two younger than the rest of us? Just be a good little brother," Gui Mengguan laughed.