Root-Leaf

"Starting today, I'll teach you martial cultivation."

Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

The morning sun had just risen, and the snow was still thick. An open space had been cleared in Qin Fang's small courtyard. Elder Wu stood there, speaking with a calm expression.

Qin Fang stood to one side with bright eyes. He took a deep breath. "Yes!"

"You already know that the first three realms of cultivation are Bright Force, Dark Force, and Transformation Force."

"These three are the initial realms of cultivation. They are also called the Fleshly Body Realm or the Mortal Martial Realm. The vast majority of martial artists in the world spend their entire lives halted within these three realms."

"The core principle of these three realms is to temper the fleshly body and develop its limits..."

Elder Wu spoke with great fluency.

Yet Qin Fang was somewhat bewildered. Unable to help himself, he interrupted, "Master, does that mean... there are other realms above these three?"

Since there was a Mortal Martial Realm...

Then naturally, there was...

A Transcendence Martial Realm?

Elder Wu's brows furrowed slightly. He stopped speaking and looked at Qin Fang.

"You haven't even begun cultivating martial arts, yet you're asking so much? On the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo is aiming too high. Haven't I told you that many times already?"

Qin Fang froze, then said awkwardly, "Sorry, Master. I... was just a little curious..."

Elder Wu snorted irritably. After a pause, however, he still said, "Of course there are. Beyond that lies the Supernatural Realm... But among ordinary martial artists, the overwhelming majority stop at the Fleshly Body Realm. Many cannot even cultivate the first realm, the Bright Force Realm, to completion."

"Your natural talent and physique are ordinary. Only your comprehension is fairly good... My expectations for you are simple. If you can successfully break through to Bright Force within three years, I'll already be completely satisfied... The Supernatural Realm?"

As he spoke, he shook his head.

Clearly, he did not think highly of Qin Fang.

Qin Fang blanked out for a moment, then scratched his head... This old man was good in every way, except that sometimes his words really choked people up.

"Cultivation is not child's play. The path of cultivation has a ravine every step and a gulf every day. Even Bright Force is not as easy to achieve as you imagine."

"Take Wang Long, whom you know. He cultivated for more than a decade, and the Iron Tiger Gang provided him with vast resources. Yet during those years, he attempted to break through several times, only to fail every time, remaining stuck before Bright Force... That should tell you that the path of martial cultivation is far from as simple as you imagine."

Elder Wu earnestly warned Qin Fang.

Hearing Elder Wu's words, Qin Fang's expression also turned solemn.

He had no real sense of it when speaking of others.

But Wang Long's physique had truly left a deep impression on him!

...Even with brainstem damage, Wang Long had still been able to erupt with such terrifying combat power in an instant.

Yet even he had not reached Bright Force...

That showed just how difficult Bright Force truly was to cultivate.

"Yes, this disciple knows his mistake."

Qin Fang took a deep breath, bowed in apology, and began listening seriously.

Seeing Qin Fang grow solemn, realizing the difficulty of cultivation and no longer being impetuous, Elder Wu nodded and continued, "Don't think little of the three realms of the fleshly body. Temper the body and strengthen the blood and qi; if one can cultivate to Transformation Force, one may be considered a dragon or phoenix among men."

"First, I'll tell you the general manifestations of these three realms."

"Integrating the power of the entire body and unleashing distinct, fierce external force—when one moves, the bones and tendons resonate; when one punches, wind rises; when one steps, stones crack—this is Bright Force."

"Force shifts from hardness to softness, able to pierce through an object's surface and strike directly at its interior. It moistens things without a sound, can strike an ox across a mountain, and wound people invisibly. This is Dark Force."

"One's control over force reaches the pinnacle of transformation, balancing hardness and softness, turning freely as one wishes. Keen currents of qi spread throughout the body, so even mosquitoes and flies cannot land. This is Transformation Force."

"Upon reaching Transformation Force, one's blood, qi, and spirit become firm and sealed, greatly slowing the pace of aging... At the peak of Transformation Force, one's lifespan may even reach two hundred years."

Qin Fang's eyes lit up as he listened.

Especially that final sentence—Transformation Force... a lifespan of two hundred?

It made his heart pound even harder!

This was...

The great path to immortality?!

"But cultivation is not easy. Cultivation methods are divided into two kinds. The first is the Root Method. The second is Leaf Technique."

"These are the root and leaves of cultivation."

"The distinction between root and leaf... is exactly as the name suggests."

"Think of cultivation as a great tree. The Root Method is its foundation. Only by cultivating a Root Method can one truly touch the martial path... and cultivate powers such as Bright Force, Dark Force, and Transformation Force."

"Leaf Technique, on the other hand, is technique. It is the method and skill of circulating power."

"For example, the Flying Darts you are practicing now are a standard Leaf Technique. They are a skill. No matter how profound your mastery becomes, they remain techniques and offer no help in tempering the fleshly body itself."

"Yet on the path of cultivation, both root and leaf are extremely important. Without a root, there is no need to say more: one is hollow and powerless. No matter how good one's skills are, striking someone will neither hurt nor itch, and be of no use at all. But without leaves, one merely has a foundation, like a savage ox whose strength has nowhere to go. Without knowing how to use it, one can still be toyed to death by others."

"Only by cultivating both root and leaf, using the root to condense the leaves and the leaves to protect the root, is one on the proper path."

What Elder Wu said made Qin Fang's eyes shine.

The methods of root and leaf...

Using the root to condense the leaves, using the leaves to protect the root...

The path of cultivation slowly unfolded before him.

Qin Fang did not know what realm Elder Wu had reached, but at the very least, his teaching ability was absolutely extraordinary...

First, Elder Wu explained the essentials of the three realms to Qin Fang in a simple yet profound way. It was equivalent to pointing out the path for Qin Fang's cultivation, letting him understand how he should take every step ahead.

"What I will pass on to you today is a low-grade Root Method: Savage Ox Qi Force."

"Though Savage Ox Qi Force is crude, it is the method best suited for tempering one's will and understanding the wonders of Integrated Force. If you fully comprehend it, then when you later switch to any medium- or high-grade Root Method, you will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Savage Ox Qi Force!

Qin Fang's eyes shone brightly.

"Root Methods generally have two steps. The first is stance work, and the second is breathing."

"Through a particular stance and rhythm of breathing, focus on sensing the coordination of your muscles and the surging of blood and qi. Only then can you comprehend Integrated Force."

"Now, I'll first teach you the stance."

As Elder Wu spoke, he took off his cotton-padded coat. Underneath, he wore a fitted martial outfit. Elder Wu's frame was thin and gaunt, making him look withered and skeletal.

Then Elder Wu exhaled lightly. He spread his feet parallel, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, standing with his toes turned outward and gripping the ground faintly.

His knees bent slightly, as if sitting but not sitting. He tucked in his chest and lifted his back, drawing his chest subtly inward while spreading the muscles of his back slightly to either side.

His arms formed a circle before him, as if embracing a great tree. His elbow tips hung downward, his palms faced each other, his fingertips a foot apart, palms turned inward in the shape of ox horns.

He tucked his chin slightly and held his crown aloft, as though a thread were gently pulling the top of his head upward. His gaze was level and focused ahead.

"This stance is called the Reckless Ox Stance. When standing a stance, you must not only stand the body stance, but also the Intent Stance."

"The so-called Intent Stance means that during this process, you visualize yourself as a reckless ox, its horns braced forward, standing unmoved before any impact."

Elder Wu spoke in a deep voice as he demonstrated.

Then his gaze sharpened, and he said slowly, "Next comes breathing. Once you are standing properly, use your breathing to feel the force within your body."

"Inhale through your nose, slowly, evenly, and deeply. At the same time, use your mind to guide the breath down into your dantian. The muscles throughout your body tense with it, like a savage ox gathering strength."

"Once you have inhaled fully, hold your breath for a moment. This is the stage of gathering strength. Keep the entire body taut and your spirit intensely focused, sensing the surging of blood and qi within."

"Exhale slowly through your mouth. Note that when exhaling, you must keep the stance unchanged as you gradually relax, imagining all the turbid qi and fatigue in your body being exhaled together..."

After Elder Wu finished explaining the key points in detail, he slowly drew a deep breath through his nose.

The next instant, his withered-looking body actually began to slowly expand. His encircling arms resembled a pair of ox horns braced toward the front.

"Stance skill has three levels, corresponding to the early, middle, and late stages of Bright Force."

"Its outward manifestation is Bones-and-Tendons Resonance."

"The first level is Skin-Membrane Drumbeat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Fang saw Elder Wu's skin and muscles begin moving naturally. The movements were not large, but their frequency grew faster and faster.

Gradually, Qin Fang heard a series of thump, thump, thump sounds.

The sound was like beating war drums, dull and earthshaking.

Qin Fang was dumbstruck.

...This was not the sort of sound from martial arts videos in his previous life, produced by stomping the ground or slapping the body.

This was a sound genuinely coming from within Elder Wu's body!

It was as if his master's skin and membranes had been stretched taut by some force in that instant, becoming a great drum.

But it was not over. His master's calm voice sounded again. "The second is Thunderous Bones and Tendons."

As his master's words fell, the vibrations in his body seemed to slow at once, yet they became more rhythmic. The next moment, a series of crackling bone pops came from his skeleton. At first, they sounded like ordinary bone cracks, but gradually, the frequency quickened until they became crisp explosions like flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.

Qin Fang's eyes widened...

Such sounds coming from inside the body?

This...

Before he could recover from his shock, his master spoke again. "The third level is Blood-Qi Tide."

The next moment, the rhythm of Elder Wu's body changed again. The bone-cracking sounds gradually weakened, but his body seemed to swell slightly. Then the sound of rushing water rose, growing louder and louder, making one feel as though they had suddenly been transported beside mighty rivers, looking upon towering waves.

The drumbeats and thunder had not vanished. They had merely merged into the sounds of that vast river, like a symphony that left Qin Fang utterly stunned.

Then, in a daze, Qin Fang seemed to truly see an old ox standing tall upon the boundless wilderness.

Overbearing, steadfast, powerful—it stirred one's heart and soul!

This was...

Martial arts?