Excellent Disciple

Early the next morning, Qin Fang woke up bright and early.

Having rested early yesterday, he felt completely refreshed and full of energy upon waking.

The sky had yet to brighten, and the chill was biting.

He dressed and went into the courtyard to stretch, exhaling plumes of white mist while sensing the state of his body.

After practicing martial arts, the body's recovery is clearly better... Is it because of the two Blood-Qi Pill I took yesterday?

Qin Fang's eyes shone brightly.

Usually, when he woke up, he would feel an indescribable sense of fatigue that lingered and refused to fade.

But waking up today, that fatigue had significantly receded, and his body felt light and nimble.

Gone was the usual feeling of being perpetually drowsy no matter how much he slept.

This perceptible improvement made his eyes sparkle and filled him with motivation.

Hmm, I need to make a plan... Only with structured training can I improve my efficiency.

Qin Fang thought to himself.

The training over the past three days had felt chaotic; practicing whatever came to mind was clearly not the way to go.

First is the stance... This is the foundation and must be practiced daily. However, without consuming a Blood-Qi Pill, the gains from stance training are very low. The effects are best only when practicing after taking a Blood-Qi Pill. But I can only take one Blood-Qi Pill a day for now... the effectiveness drops for the second one...

Qin Fang began to ponder as he limbered up.

A moment later, he exhaled softly, having sorted out his thoughts.

Wake up and do a set of exercises from my past life to simply warm up the body. Then, take a Blood-Qi Pill and practice the stance. After half an hour of stance training, the medicinal power of the Blood-Qi Pill will be mostly consumed, and my physical stamina will also decrease... With the remaining medicinal power, I'll practice the Ox Demon Fist... After one round of fist practice, I'll have breakfast and rest. In the afternoon, I'll practice throwing darts... In the evening, depending on how my body feels, I'll either do a set of exercises from my past life or practice the fist for half an hour...

There was no other way.

Blood-Qi Pill were too expensive.

To maximize the results, one pill a day was sufficient; this ensured the highest efficiency for every Blood-Qi Pill.

The remaining time would be primarily spent on fist practice and throwing darts.

Especially the darts, which were close to reaching the next stage... He wondered what changes would occur or what insights he might gain once he reached that level...

Qin Fang thought with a sense of anticipation.

Having set his plan, Qin Fang displayed astonishing execution and immediately began to act.

After twisting and stretching his body slightly, he started doing push-ups.

As he began, he immediately felt the difference.

My body has truly improved... Before today, I could do at most twenty push-ups before my arms felt sore and weak, forcing me to rest before continuing. But today...

He did fifty in one breath before feeling even a hint of soreness in his arms.

Yet, he could clearly feel that he was recovering very quickly!

It was evident that not only had his stamina increased, but his recovery ability had also improved significantly!

However, Qin Fang did not push himself to exhaustion... After all, he only wanted to warm up his body, not train specifically with push-ups.

After doing one hundred push-ups, he stopped, slightly breathless with sweat on his forehead.

Then he did sit-ups... one hundred of those as well.

He stood up and did one hundred jumping jacks...

By the time he finished the set, it was equivalent to about half an hour of exercise from his past life.

Qin Fang let out a long breath.

Feeling his body slightly warm and flushed, he knew he was thoroughly warmed up.

He did not continue with more strenuous exercises... the physical exertion would be too high and would certainly affect the upcoming stance training.

He took out a Blood-Qi Pill, preparing for his daily stance practice.

But just then, the courtyard gate was knocked upon.

He froze for a moment, instinctively looking toward the gate.

...Who could it be so early?

He furrowed his brows, and as a precaution, he tucked his throwing darts onto his person before heading to the entrance.

Upon seeing who it was, he was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly opened the gate.

"Master."

Standing outside was none other than his master.

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

What kind of keen eyesight did he possess?

Even Zhou Xing could tell at a glance that Qin Fang had begun to master his martial arts. How could Elder Wu not?

"It really took hold?"

His heart felt a jolt of shock.

When his wife mentioned it yesterday, he had been astonished, and in truth, he had wanted to come over and see for himself right then.

However, considering the late hour, he had ultimately suppressed the curiosity in his heart.

But upon waking today, he had come over at the first opportunity to check on his disciple... he had to see it with his own eyes to be at ease.

"Yes."

He responded with a grunt and walked through the courtyard gate.

Qin Fang hurriedly closed the gate and followed behind Elder Wu.

"Have you practiced your stance yet?" Elder Wu turned his head to ask.

Qin Fang shook his head honestly: "Not yet... I just woke up and stretched my body a little."

Elder Wu looked up, noticed the faint beads of sweat on Qin Fang's forehead, and nodded gently: "You did well... keeping the body in an active state before practicing the stance makes the effects even better... have you seen your senior brother?"

"Yes, I have."

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

Qin Fang fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft breath: "He likely did."

"Then it's fine." Elder Wu said calmly: "Since he realized it but didn't immediately turn against you, it means he doesn't intend to pursue the matter. He even passed on a set of fist techniques to you..."

Hearing his master say this, Qin Fang also breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "Senior brother is very kind."

"Indeed."

Elder Wu nodded, not saying anything more, but instead said: "I heard from your senior brother that you have already mastered the basics... it certainly looks like you have the feel for it... take the stance and let me see."

Qin Fang exhaled lightly and nodded.

He already understood what it meant to have mastered the basics.

Walking to his usual spot for the stance, Qin Fang paused for a moment before asking: "Master, can I take a Blood-Qi Pill now?"

Elder Wu was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "The Blood-Qi Pill is meant to be taken before practicing the stance. The medicinal power of the Blood-Qi Pill is very strong; if it isn't consumed through the stance, most of it will be wasted... I forgot to tell you that the other day... It is very good that you were able to figure this out on your own."

There was a hint of approval in Elder Wu's voice.

What is the greatest fear when teaching a disciple?

It is that the disciple only does exactly what they are taught... without any independent thought.

That is "foolishness."

A good disciple is one who, upon being taught something by their master, can immediately draw inferences about other cases... perhaps there might be mistakes or missteps along the way.

But what does it matter if they make mistakes?

Even if they take a few detours, it is still better than following the master's footsteps in a purely mechanical way.

It is said that the blue dye is extracted from the indigo plant but is bluer than the plant itself.

If they lack even this sense of self-directed learning and flexibility... how can one even talk about surpassing the master?

At the very least, Elder Wu was very fond of this kind of flexible disciple.

This kind of disciple... is very rewarding to teach.

Hearing his master say this, Qin Fang also breathed a sigh of relief... it seemed his judgment had been quite accurate.

Without further hesitation, he poured out a Blood-Qi Pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

Then, he assumed his stance.

As the saying goes, one look from an expert reveals the truth!

The moment Qin Fang set his posture, Elder Wu's eyes narrowed slightly.

After waiting for a short while, the medicinal power of the Blood-Qi Pill erupted, and in that instant, Qin Fang took a long, deep breath.

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

He had truly begun the stance!

"Thump, thump..."

When the faint sound of skin and membrane drumming accompanied the subtle undulations of his body and reached Elder Wu's ears, Elder Wu's eyes constricted sharply.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, seeing it confirmed now, he could not help but show a look of shock on his face.

...He had actually, truly entered the gate?