Six Harmonies Fist [Seek Follow-up Reads] [Seek Monthly Votes]

No one knew what had transpired in the mountain forest.

Lu Jing'an sat cross-legged in his bedroom. By the time he finished Refining the final three wisps of soul and the single pipe, the sky in the east had already begun to turn a pale crab-shell green.

The three souls, plus that heavy pipe, had brought him a total of two Affixes and seven Energy Points.

The two Affixes were Prairie Fire (White) and Foul Miasma (White).

Both had been Refined from the souls and pipe of the Smoke Cultivator.

As for the souls of the other two Martial Cultivators, they had not condensed into any Affixes, turning instead into pure Energy Points.

Lu Jing'an was not surprised by this.

Those two Martial Cultivators were advanced in age yet had not even broken through the Blood Barrier.

Their talent was clearly mediocre.

It was not strange at all that no Affixes could be Refined from such individuals.

After all, Affixes were the manifestation of the original owner's talent.

It was perfectly normal for such mediocre people to yield no Affixes.

Lu Jing'an shifted his thoughts, and the descriptions of the two Affixes appeared in his consciousness:

Prairie Fire (White)

[Note]: Water and fire are the most ruthless; though a spark may be small, it can still ignite a Prairie Fire. However, when the fire rises, one must ensure they are in a safe place.

Foul Miasma (White)

[Note]: Equipping this Affix allows one to conjure a domain of poisonous smoke out of thin air within a radius of twenty zhang. When the miasma spreads, be careful to distinguish between friend and foe.

These were typical Smoke Cultivator techniques. Although they were only white-tier Affixes, Lu Jing'an was very satisfied.

Both Affixes were large-scale offensive skills.

They might lack sufficient power against true cultivators, but if he encountered swarms of small fry, these would be god-tier skills for clearing the battlefield.

Lu Jing'an raised his eyes to look out the window.

The daylight was brightening.

He decided not to sleep, instead rising to stand in a stake-holding stance in the room, using cultivation as a substitute for rest.

Since officially stepping through the gate of cultivation, Lu Jing'an's spirit had grown increasingly full.

The boredom and fatigue he once felt while standing in his stance had now become a soothing relief.

After an hour of standing and an hour of practicing his strikes, his blood and qi flowed warmly throughout his body. Only then did he call for someone to prepare water for a bath.

Once he had changed his clothes, breakfast was already laid out in the side hall.

Lu Jing'an sent someone to invite Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan had said yesterday that he wanted to discuss Lu Jing'an's future path of cultivation.

Lu Jing'an also wanted to know how he should proceed from here.

What he was currently practicing no longer provided much assistance to him.

At most, it could only support him up to the Three Transformations of Blood and Qi.

To continue advancing, he would need new cultivation techniques.

Soon, Chen Xuan arrived.

Lu Jing'an noticed that Chen Xuan was holding a book.

The pages were yellowed and the edges worn.

It was one of the martial arts classics confiscated from the Qian and Lin families.

Seeing the book, Lu Jing'an knew that his choice back then had been the right one.

If he were to look through these martial arts books himself, he would likely be unable to pick out anything of value.

Professional matters should be left to the professionals.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master." Lu Jing'an stepped forward to greet him, taking the books with both hands and a warm smile.

Chen Xuan handed the books to Lu Jing'an but did not rush to explain, "Young Master, take a look first and see if you can discern anything."

Lu Jing'an took the books, first inviting Chen Xuan to sit and eat.

Chen Xuan did not stand on ceremony with Lu Jing'an.

Between master and disciple, such formalities were unnecessary.

As Chen Xuan ate, Lu Jing'an held the books in both hands, reading with focused concentration.

The books Chen Xuan gave Lu Jing'an were a manual for a fist technique.

It appeared to be an original copy, not a rubbing.

The manual was clearly quite old.

The fist technique was named Mountain Crushing Fist.

At first glance, it followed the path of using brute force to overcome finesse.

It was suitable for strength-based martial artists born with robust physiques.

The power of the technique was standard and unremarkable.

The only highlight was the Mountain Crushing Force within the technique.

Compared to ordinary internal energy, Mountain Crushing Force possessed both stability and heaviness, while simultaneously carrying the explosive momentum of a collapsing mountain.

Relying on the bonus from the Fist Master Affix.

Lu Jing'an quickly read through it once.

Furthermore, he had basically mastered its six core moves.

Reaching the final page.

Lu Jing'an said nothing.

He did not believe that the test Chen Xuan had set for him was this simple.

Lu Jing'an turned the manual back to the first page and read it through from the beginning once more.

This time, Lu Jing'an read very slowly.

About an hour later.

Lu Jing'an finished the last page.

He closed the book once again.

As he closed the manual, a look of realization dawned in Lu Jing'an's eyes. When he looked up, his tone carried an irrepressible excitement:

"Master, this manual is not simple!"

Chen Xuan set down his chopsticks and looked up at Lu Jing'an, "Tell me, how is it not simple?"

Hearing this test from Chen Xuan, Lu Jing'an was not flustered in the slightest and spoke methodically:

"Master, this Mountain Crushing Fist, at first glance, appears to be just a technique suitable for those born with great strength."

"But in reality, it hides a mystery within."

"Every move in this technique has five energy apertures."

"If I am not mistaken, this should be part of a complete set of techniques."

"There are six sets of techniques in total."

"The energy apertures of the other five sets can correspond with this one."

"The energy apertures can be combined in various ways."

"Even the internal energy between them can be combined at will."

"Once combined, the power of the energy would be several times greater than it is now."

Upon hearing Lu Jing'an's words, a sharp light flashed in Chen Xuan's eyes.

Clearly, Lu Jing'an's talent for fist techniques had far exceeded Chen Xuan's expectations.

Originally, Chen Xuan thought it would be enough if Lu Jing'an could just see that this was a combination technique.

After all, only by recognizing it as a combination technique could one meet the minimum requirements to practice it.

However, Chen Xuan had not expected this.

Lu Jing'an not only saw that it was a combination technique.

He even discerned how many books made up the entire set.

Chen Xuan had certainly realized this as well.

But Chen Xuan was very clear about the limits of his own talent for fist techniques.

Beyond the bonuses from his talent for fist techniques, he also possessed a wealth of experience and insight.

Yet, Lu Jing'an clearly lacked such experience.

To think he had seen it too.

It was evident that Lu Jing'an's talent in the way of the fist was even greater than his own.

This wealthy disciple he had taken in during his twilight years had truly given him too many surprises.

"Master, am I wrong?" Lu Jing'an asked tentatively, watching Chen Xuan, who remained silent.

Although the Affix on his body had been inherited from Chen Xuan, he was, after all, not as seasoned as Chen Xuan; it was not impossible that he had misjudged.

Hearing Lu Jing'an's words, Chen Xuan snapped back to reality.

"No, Young Master is correct. What Young Master described is precisely the core essence of this fist technique."

"Only when Young Master can discern these core points will you avoid going astray while practicing."

"I originally thought that as long as Young Master could see that this was a composite fist technique, you could begin practicing it."

"I would then provide a few pointers while Young Master practiced, which would be enough to ensure you wouldn't go off track."

"Now it seems this fist technique requires no guidance from me at all."

Hearing these words from Chen Xuan, Lu Jing'an couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Master, does this fist technique have a name?" Lu Jing'an asked the question he was most curious about.

Chen Xuan did not answer immediately, instead saying, "Young Master, let us eat first. I will explain it to you while we dine."

"Once I finish, I will demonstrate it for you."

Lu Jing'an had been thinking about the fist technique the entire time.

Now that he stopped, he felt famished.

Without Lu Jing'an needing to give an order, servants promptly replaced all the cold dishes.

The kitchen had already prepared everything in advance, so there was no need for Lu Jing'an to wait.

In just a moment, the table was once again filled with clear porridge, side dishes, steamed buns, and spiced meat.

Lu Jing'an ate while listening to Chen Xuan recount the origins of the fist technique.

"The true name of this set of techniques is the Six Harmonies Fist."

"During the Great Ming, this technique was extremely famous."

"The Great Ming Fist Champion Yue Qingshan practiced this very technique."

"It was by relying on this technique that the Fist Champion was ranked among the top ten experts of that era."

"Later, the Fist Champion disappeared without a trace."

"The whereabouts of this technique then became unknown."

"Eventually, six sets of seemingly unremarkable fist techniques appeared in the martial arts world."

"At first, no one paid them any mind."

"Later, someone accidentally collected all six sets and, upon comparing and studying them, realized they were the very Six Harmonies Fist practiced by the Fist Champion of that time."

"Afterward, this technique fell into the hands of the Great Ming imperial family and was hidden deep within the Imperial Martial Hall."

"It wasn't until the previous dynasty collapsed and the imperial palace was looted that the manual went missing once again."

"The whereabouts of this technique became unknown once more."

Lu Jing'an was so engrossed in the story that he forgot to move his chopsticks.

Lu Jing'an had read fragmented unofficial histories of the previous dynasty.

He knew that the martial atmosphere of the Great Ming had been incredibly flourishing, and that Martial Cultivator figures could split mountains and divert rivers, far surpassing those of today.

To be ranked among the top ten experts in such an era—the weight of this fist technique was truly as heavy as a mountain.