Drumbeat

A moment later, Elder Wu exhaled a long breath, a stream of white mist shooting out like a sharp arrow for two or three meters before slowly dissipating.

Qin Fang stared, his gaze fixed in astonishment.

"Did you see clearly?"

"This is the stance of the Wild Ox Qi Force."

"Three levels, representing the three stages of Mingjin."

"When you stand in the stance and your skin and membranes begin to drum continuously, it means you have reached the early stage of Mingjin. The sound of thunder in your tendons and bones indicates you have entered the middle stage. If a tide of blood-qi appears... then it means your Mingjin has reached its peak."

"Now, you try it once."

It took a long time for Qin Fang to snap out of his daze, and then he took a deep breath.

Skin and membrane drumming...

Tendon and bone thunder...

Blood-qi tide!

He hadn't expected that even Mingjin would have three distinct realms.

He exhaled a long breath, nodded, and then, imitating Elder Wu's movements, began his first stance training in this life.

"Spread your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, keep your waist relaxed yet firm, and pull your back straight as if a string is hanging from the top of your head, suspending your entire body..."

Elder Wu began to guide Qin Fang's posture hand by hand.

Qin Fang followed his instructions.

Slowly, the "stance" began to take shape.

Even with just a hint of the form, Qin Fang's sensations were completely different...

Many muscles and bones in his body that had never been used before seemed to be "stretched" open by this posture, and he could vaguely hear the faint sounds of his own skeleton.

...Of course, this was not the "resonance of tendons and bones."

It was merely the sound of long-dormant joints finally moving.

Elder Wu nodded slightly before saying, "Next is the breathing. Pay attention: it must be slow, deep, steady, and even... During the process, feel the stretching of your muscles and the flow of your power..."

Qin Fang began to attempt it.

But this was not simple.

Breathing is an instinct, and the more instinctive something is, the harder it is to change.

Because this required using conscious effort to interfere with the unconscious... the moment he relaxed, he would forget.

Once he forgot, he would subconsciously try to find the rhythm again, only to completely disrupt it.

Elder Wu saw Qin Fang's performance but said nothing, continuing to guide him with patience.

...This was normal.

He had never expected Qin Fang to succeed on his first attempt at the stance.

It had taken him two or three months just to get a basic grasp of this stance technique himself...

If it were that easy, there wouldn't be so few Mingjin martial artists.

Anyone would be able to reach it.

Elder Wu guided him patiently, explaining when to inhale, when to pause to feel the power, and when to exhale...

What to pay attention to while exhaling...

The guidance was meticulous.

Time slipped away quietly.

Unknowingly, an hour passed.

Elder Wu looked at Qin Fang, who was still struggling with the stance, his face flushed red, and spoke calmly: "Do not be anxious. Cultivating martial arts is never something that happens overnight; it is an extremely long process. You have already memorized most of the key points of the stance; you can practice it slowly on your own from now on."

Qin Fang exhaled a long breath, withdrew his stance, and nodded earnestly.

"The stance can help you more efficiently integrate, temper, and comprehend 'unified force.' But the magnitude and strength of that 'force' depend entirely on the foundation of your body."

"The root lies in two points: first, training. Second, consumption."

"In this process, you can imagine your body as a weapon. Training is also refining. The process of hammering the body is the process of removing the dross and keeping the essence. And consumption is the fuel... meat, medicinal pills... these are all consumption."

"The stance itself is the training. The key lies in the consumption."

"To a certain extent, consumption is even more important than training."

"For example, the Blood-Qi Pill you obtained earlier is meant to be used at this time."

"However, Blood-Qi Pills are too expensive. Even I cannot provide them indefinitely; at most, I can provide you with one or two pills a month..."

Qin Fang was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then immediately shook his head: "Master, you have already given me enough. I will find my own way to handle resources; I dare not trouble you further."

Elder Wu frowned and asked, "What way could you possibly find?"

"Master, didn't you say you were trying to find work for me? Now that I've started working, I'll naturally have an income..."

Elder Wu frowned and remained silent for a moment before finally shaking his head: "How much income can you earn from the work you're capable of doing now? At most, it will keep you from starving. You want to buy a Blood-Qi Pill? One a year?"

"Uh, I still have over a hundred taels of silver..."

"That's only enough for ten or so Blood-Qi Pills."

Master shook his head, sighing with emotion: "Literary pursuits are for the poor, martial arts for the rich. Only when you truly step onto the path of cultivation will you understand the weight of those words... Say no more, I have my own plans for this."

Qin Fang opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only let out a soft sigh...

...He owed Master more and more.

"In short, the path of cultivation is long and arduous; take it slow."

"That's all for today. Go back and ponder it yourself. If there's anything you don't understand, come and ask me again."

After saying this, Elder Wu put on his cotton-padded jacket and prepared to leave.

Qin Fang hurriedly said: "Master, I'll go cook; why don't you eat here today?"

"No, I still have to go to Spring Return Hall... You should continue to ponder it yourself."

Having said that, Elder Wu waved his hand and walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Qin Fang followed him all the way to the door, and only after Elder Wu had walked far away did he close the courtyard gate.

He then returned to the spot where he had cleared the snow, exhaled a breath, closed his eyes, and began to continue pondering this "Stance."

The "martial arts" of this world were far more formidable than he had imagined.

"Fundamental and Leaf Techniques... training and eating..."

"I wonder if the panel can record this stance work..."

He looked at the panel with some trepidation.

...After practicing for more than an hour, the panel had not changed at all.

However, since Master was there at the time, he couldn't fully immerse himself in his practice, which was likely the biggest reason it hadn't been recorded.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Fang cast aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind and began to focus entirely on studying the stance.

Form...

Intent...

Breathing...

Feeling the stretching of muscles and the flow of force...

Master's guidance flowed through his heart bit by bit, naturally.

Qin Fang's body began to move according to those instructions.

He experienced the essentials of every movement, the stretching of muscles and bones, the rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing...

Slowly, ever so slowly, he even forgot about time.

He stood there in the snow-covered world, gaining insights.

He didn't know how much time had passed...

At one moment, his body suddenly heaved slightly, and the next, a faint "thump" sound emanated from within his body!

Although it was only for an instant, to Qin Fang's ears, it sounded like a thunderclap.

"Resonance of tendons and bones?!"

He suddenly opened his eyes.

But when he listened again, it had vanished.

In his daze, he thought of something and subconsciously looked at the panel.

He saw that a new line of text had appeared on the panel.

"Ox-Strength Stance (Low-grade Fundamental) (Entry): 1/500"

His eyes lit up instantly...

...The stance, it had already reached the entry level?

He widened his eyes, then, unable to wait, took a deep breath, suppressed his fluttering emotions, and began to stand in the stance once more...

Not long after, he faintly heard the sound of a soft drum beating from within his body.

He felt as if his entire body were a drawn bow, and an unprecedented sense of clarity permeated his entire mind...

Resonance of tendons and bones!

Drumming of the skin and membranes!

Although it was still far from being as shocking as Master's "drumming."

But, this was definitely it...

Qin Fang widened his eyes.

In other words, he had just...

Reached the stage of Bright Force?