A Fine Disciple

Early the next morning, Qin Fang woke up early.

He had gone to bed early the night before, and when he woke today, he felt completely refreshed.

The sky had yet to grow light, and the cold bit into him.

After getting dressed, he went out into the courtyard to loosen up. As he breathed out clouds of white mist, Qin Fang took stock of his body.

"Ever since I started practicing martial arts, my body seems to recover noticeably faster... Is it because of the two Blood-Qi Pills I took yesterday?"

Qin Fang's eyes lit up.

Usually, when he woke, he always felt an indescribable weariness deep in his body, one that lingered for a long time and refused to ease.

But when he woke today, that weariness had lessened considerably, and his body felt light and nimble.

He no longer had that familiar feeling of being tired no matter how much he slept.

This tangible improvement lit up his eyes and filled him with motivation.

"Right, I need to make a plan... Practicing with a plan is the only way to improve my efficiency."

Qin Fang thought it over.

The first three days of practice had felt rather haphazard. He had practiced whatever came to mind, and that clearly wouldn't do.

"First is stance training... It's the foundation, so I have to do it every day. But without a Blood-Qi Pill, stance training yields very little. It's most effective after taking one. Still, I can only take one Blood-Qi Pill a day... The second one would have diminishing returns..."

As he loosened up, Qin Fang began to think it through.

A moment later, he let out a light breath and sorted out his thoughts.

"First, when I wake up, I'll do a set of exercises from my previous life to loosen up my body. Then I'll take a Blood-Qi Pill and practice my stance. After half an hour, the pill's effects will be mostly spent, and my stamina will have dropped... I'll use whatever little remains to practice the Ox Demon Fist. After one set, I'll have breakfast and rest a little. In the afternoon, I'll practice Flying Darts... At night, depending on how my body feels, I'll either do another set of exercises from my previous life or practice my fist for half an hour..."

There was no helping it.

Blood-Qi Pills were too expensive.

To get the most out of them, one a day was enough. That way, each pill would be used to its full potential.

The rest of the time would mainly go toward practicing his fist and Flying Darts.

Especially Flying Darts. He was close to reaching the next stage... He didn't know what would change then, or what he might come to understand...

Qin Fang felt a little eager as he thought about it.

Once he had settled on a plan, Qin Fang wasted no time putting it into action.

After twisting and loosening up his body a little, he started doing push-ups.

The moment he began, he could tell something was different.

"My body really has gotten stronger... Before today, I could do twenty push-ups at most before my arms started aching and giving out. I'd have to rest before I could continue. But today..."

He did fifty in one go before he felt even the slightest ache in his arms.

And he could clearly feel himself recovering quickly!

It was obvious that not only had his stamina increased, but his ability to recover had improved as well!

Still, Qin Fang didn't push himself until he was exhausted... He only wanted to loosen up, not use push-ups as a full workout.

He did a hundred push-ups. Breathing a little heavily, with sweat on his forehead, he stopped.

Then he did a hundred sit-ups... just as many.

After getting up, he did a hundred jumping jacks...

By the time he finished the whole routine, about half an hour had passed, as it would have in his previous life.

Qin Fang let out a long breath.

His body felt warm, as if he had finally loosened up completely.

He didn't move on to more difficult exercises... They would take too much energy and would surely affect his stance training.

He took out a Blood-Qi Pill, ready to begin his stance training for the day.

But just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

He froze for a moment and instinctively looked toward it.

...Who would come by this early?

His brows drew together. To be safe, he strapped his Flying Darts to himself before heading to the gate.

When he saw who it was, he froze again, then quickly opened the gate.

"Master."

Standing outside was none other than his master.

Elder Wu looked Qin Fang up and down, then narrowed his eyes slightly...

What kind of eyesight did he have?

Even Zhou Xing had been able to tell at a glance that Qin Fang had achieved Martial Skill Embodied. How could Elder Wu fail to notice?

"You really have achieved it?"

He was shaken.

When his wife had told him yesterday, he had been astonished. He had actually wanted to come and see for himself right then.

But it had been rather late, so in the end he had tamped down his curiosity.

When he woke today, however, he had come straight over to see his disciple... He could only rest easy after seeing him with his own eyes.

"Mm."

He answered and walked through the gate.

Qin Fang quickly closed it and followed behind his master.

"Have you practiced your stance yet?" his master asked, turning to him.

Qin Fang honestly shook his head. "Not yet... I just got up and loosened up a little."

Elder Wu noticed the faint sheen of sweat on Qin Fang's forehead and nodded lightly. "You did well... Practicing your stance after getting your body moving will make it more effective... Have you met your senior brother?"

"Mm, I have."

"...He figured out that you were the one who killed Wang Long, didn't he?"

Qin Fang fell silent for a moment, then let out a light breath. "He probably did."

"Then there's nothing to worry about." Elder Wu said calmly, "If he figured it out but didn't immediately turn against you, that means he doesn't intend to pursue the matter. He even taught you a set of boxing..."

Hearing his master say the same thing, Qin Fang relaxed and nodded. "Senior Brother is a good man."

"Mm."

Elder Wu nodded and didn't say anything more. Instead, he said, "Your senior brother told me you've achieved Martial Skill Embodied... You seem to have the knack for it. Show me your stance."

Qin Fang let out a light breath and nodded.

He already knew what Martial Skill Embodied meant.

He walked to his usual spot for stance training, then suddenly paused and asked, "Master, can I take a Blood-Qi Pill now?"

Elder Wu froze for a moment, then nodded. "Blood-Qi Pills are meant to be taken before stance training. Their effects are potent, and if you don't use them up through stance training, most of the pill will go to waste... I forgot to tell you that the other day... It's good that you figured it out yourself."

There was approval in Elder Wu's voice.

What was a master most afraid of when teaching a disciple?

That he would do whatever his master taught him, but never think for himself.

That was foolishness.

A good disciple could immediately draw inferences from what his master taught him... Though he might take a wrong turn along the way.

But what did it matter if he made a mistake?

Even if he took a little detour, that was better than mechanically following in his master's footsteps.

People always said the student could surpass the teacher.

If a disciple didn't even have the awareness to learn and adapt on his own... How could he ever surpass his teacher?

At least Elder Wu liked disciples who knew how to adapt.

Teaching a disciple like that... was deeply rewarding.

Hearing his master say this, Qin Fang relaxed a little... It seemed his judgment had been right.

He didn't hesitate any longer. He tipped out a Blood-Qi Pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

Then he settled into position.

As the saying went, you could tell the real deal the moment a true expert made a move!

The moment Qin Fang took up his stance, Elder Wu's eyes narrowed slightly.

After a short while, the pill's effects surged, and Qin Fang drew in a deep breath.

Then... his body began to rise and fall in small, subtle motions...

He had truly begun practicing his stance!

"Thump... thump..."

When the faint Skin-Membrane Drumbeat, accompanying the subtle movements of Qin Fang's body, reached Elder Wu's ears, his eyes immediately contracted.

Even though he had been prepared, seeing it confirmed with his own eyes still left him visibly stunned.

...He had actually reached the Initiation Stage?