Stance sense

Inside the house.

Crouched like a white ape, Jiang Chen gradually began to sweat.

Stance training was an extremely tedious and exhausting pursuit.

But practicing ancient martial arts in his previous life had long since tempered his resolve.

Hardship of this degree could not affect him in the slightest.

Half an hour later.

Creak.

The door opened, and Lin Shuyun entered with a bowl of medicinal broth.

"Chen'er, didn't I tell you to rest properly? Why are you out of bed?"

Lin Shuyun froze when she saw Jiang Chen practicing his stance in the room.

She truly had not expected the formerly indolent Jiang Chen to be training.

"I've been lying down all day. A little stance training is good for me."

Jiang Chen slowly released his stance and straightened, his leg muscles trembling slightly.

He had completely neglected his training for the past six months. His foundation was far too weak.

[Technique: White Ape Stance · Beginner 50%]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, his White Ape Stance had advanced by fifty percent.

To be honest, this rate of improvement far exceeded his expectations.

He had originally thought it would take two hours to reach Beginner 100%.

Now, it seemed he would only need one.

The Myriad Dao Chart's ability to enhance comprehension was truly terrifying.

"You need proper rest right now. Don't overexert yourself."

Lin Shuyun handed him the medicinal broth and wiped away his sweat.

Gulp.

As the broth reached his stomach, warm energy seeped through its walls and spread throughout his body.

Before long.

Jiang Chen felt comfortable all over, as though he were soaking in a hot spring.

After reminding him to rest properly, Lin Shuyun left with the empty bowl.

"Keep going!"

Once the medicine took effect, Jiang Chen did not slack off. He resumed his stance training.

Just like that, another half hour passed.

Dong!

The ethereal chime of the Dao sounded again, like an ancient god beyond the heavens imparting the Way.

[Technique: White Ape Stance · Minor accomplishment 1%]

In just one hour, his White Ape Stance had broken through to minor accomplishment.

"My understanding of the White Ape Stance actually improves at a constant rate?!"

Seeing his progress, Jiang Chen's eyes shone like stars.

Normally, cultivation was like climbing a mountain.

The higher the realm, the greater the difficulty.

Taking the White Ape Stance as an example:

The difficulty of progressing from uninitiated to beginner might only be one.

But advancing from beginner to minor accomplishment would raise that difficulty to two.

Going from minor accomplishment to great accomplishment would raise it to four.

And so on...

Yet the Myriad Dao Chart had completely shattered that rule.

From beginner to minor accomplishment, his White Ape Stance had improved at a constant rate.

Did that mean any technique in his hands could improve steadily?

"To see whether the rate really stays constant, I'll have to check how fast I train at minor accomplishment."

Rather than grow complacent, Jiang Chen reined in his thoughts and returned to training.

[White Ape Stance experience +1]

Soon, another line of insubstantial text drifted across the Myriad Dao Chart.

[White Ape Stance experience +1]

[White Ape Stance experience +1]

[White Ape Stance experience +1]

After that, his experience increased roughly once every ten breaths.

This confirmed Jiang Chen's guess.

The cultivation experience provided by the Myriad Dao Chart really did increase at a constant rate.

Whether at beginner or minor accomplishment, his cultivation speed would not slow.

And he could break through one realm every hour...

In that case, wouldn't he perfect the White Ape Stance before noon?!

Time flew by.

By the Si Hour, the blazing sun had climbed high.

Dong!

Within his soul sea, the ethereal chime of the Dao rang out again.

"Whew!"

Having reached his physical limits, Jiang Chen exhaled a long breath of stale air, slowly withdrew his fists, and straightened.

[Technique: White Ape Stance · Great accomplishment 1%]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, his White Ape Stance had progressed just as before, breaking through to the great accomplishment realm in only an hour.

Such cultivation speed absolutely qualified him as an extraordinary martial prodigy!

"Good. One more session, and I'll perfect the White Ape Stance."

A smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face.

Once he perfected the White Ape Stance, he could trigger stance sense and awaken his primordial energy, thereby condensing martial blood qi and setting foot on the martial path!

Although condensing blood qi was only the first step in martial cultivation, he still yearned for it.

After all, blood qi had three gates, and breaking through each one brought an explosive increase in strength.

At the first qi and blood gate, for instance, strength ranged from one hundred to three hundred jin.

At the second qi and blood gate, it ranged from four hundred to six hundred jin.

As for the third of the three qi and blood gates, it was even stronger, reaching seven hundred to nine hundred jin.

The blood qi realm, merely the starting point of martial cultivation, already granted nearly a thousand jin of strength.

That alone showed how terrifying martial cultivation would become at higher realms.

Perhaps overturning rivers and seas, riding flying swords and burrowing through the earth, and living for centuries were more than mere rumors.

After a long rest.

Once he had recovered most of his strength, Jiang Chen resumed his stance.

With his White Ape Stance at great accomplishment, his posture became ever more precise. At a glance, it possessed the effortless beauty of a gentle breeze beneath drifting clouds.

And with his posture correct, stance training was no longer so tiring.

For any standing post technique, the higher the realm, the less strain it placed on the body.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Jiang Chen's expression shifted slightly as he quietly held his stance.

An instant earlier, he had caught a trace of a peculiar, subtle force.

It felt as though an invisible power were supporting his body. Not only had all his fatigue and soreness vanished, but an indescribable comfort had washed over him.

Unfortunately, the sensation vanished in an instant.

"Stance sense!"

Jiang Chen realized what it was.

That fleeting, subtle force must have been the stance sense his senior fellow disciple at the martial hall had described.

What mattered in stance training was not how long one practiced, but whether one could trigger stance sense.

What was "stance sense"?

It was a very special state that could awaken the primordial energy hidden within the body.

Normally, triggering "stance sense" was only possible after perfecting a standing post technique.

To his surprise, he had triggered it with his White Ape Stance merely at great accomplishment.

Without question, this had to be the Myriad Dao Chart's doing.

"Keep going."

Jiang Chen did not try to explore stance sense. Instead, he swept aside his stray thoughts and focused on his stance.

Once he perfected the White Ape Stance, "Stance sense" would emerge naturally.

[White Ape Stance, experience +1]

[White Ape Stance, experience +1]

[White Ape Stance, experience +1]

Amid his silent, arduous training, only lines of experience drifted past in steady succession.

As his experience increased, that peculiar trace of stance sense surfaced from time to time, lasting longer and longer.

Dong!

At noon.

The familiar, ethereal chime of the Dao once again resounded through his soul sea.

[Technique: White Ape Stance · Perfection]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, his White Ape Stance had reached complete perfection.

He had perfected a standing post technique in a mere three hours. Who knew how many people would be stunned if word got out?

"Is this... permanent stance sense?!"

Jiang Chen did not stop training. Instead, he turned his awareness inward and carefully examined the Myriad Dao Chart.

At first, he had thought the Myriad Dao Chart could only enhance his comprehension.

Now, however, it appeared to possess at least three abilities:

The first was recording techniques, such as the White Ape Stance.

The second was enhancing comprehension, which went without saying.

The third was eternal realm.

Just as he was now, a mere thought could bring every detail of every muscle in his body into perfect alignment, without the slightest flaw.

Even being in poor condition or a bad mood would not affect the essence of his stance.

It was like saving his realm: once he reached it, he would never fall below it.

"Oh!"

As his stance sense became permanent, a faint burning sensation emerged throughout his limbs and bones, as though something had been ignited.

"Primordial energy!"

Jiang Chen's spirits lifted.

Clearly, that burning sensation came from the primordial energy hidden within his body.

As long as he awakened it, he would become a martial artist!