Turtle-Snake Great Stance

"Master Lin, I'll leave them in your hands!"

Huang Jin didn't stay long. He hadn't come here to supervise everyone's training, but to speak with Wei Yuan Hall and pay the fees.

As for whether Xu Yang and the others trained diligently, the Huang Family didn't care at all. Besides, he could ask Wei Yuan Hall about that.

There was no need to take it seriously if they just wanted to muddle through. Once the fees stopped, Wei Yuan Hall would naturally kick them out.

"Greetings, Master Lin!"

As soon as Huang Jin left, everyone cupped their hands toward Lin Cheng in unison.

Though they had paid to learn, they still had to show the proper respect and courtesy.

Lin Cheng gave a slight nod. His gaze swept over the ten of them, lingering longest on Lu Ren. "What do you think matters most in practicing martial arts?"

"Bone Root!"

"Perseverance!"

"Being able to endure hardship!"

"Diligence and persistence!"

They gave all kinds of answers, but most said Bone Root. After all, if Bone Root weren't the most important thing, the Huang Family wouldn't have felt their bones before deciding who to accept.

As for enduring hardship and perseverance, there were plenty of people with those qualities. If that was all it took, why would the Huang Family choose only them? Oxen and horses worked hard, too, but could they practice martial arts?

"Money!" Xu Yang said, speaking from experience.

He had spent half a year preparing to practice martial arts, and the word he'd heard most was money. Hardly anyone, when they heard he wanted to train, had told him he lacked talent or couldn't endure hardship. The thing they said most was that he didn't have money.

To pay for Yang Jun's training, Xu Laoer had even set his sights on the few hundred copper coins Xu Yang had sweated blood to earn digging in the mine.

Lin Cheng looked at Xu Yang in surprise, then nodded. "That's right. It's money. Without money, you wouldn't even get to see me!"

Luo Dehu, Lu Ren, and the others stared in astonishment. They hadn't expected a master like Lin Cheng to be so worldly, opening his mouth to talk about money.

"Don't think I'm being crass. I'm just telling you that while Bone Root and perseverance may be the most important things for practicing martial arts in general, for you, money matters most.

"The Huang Family felt your bones, so you all have the Bone Root to practice martial arts. And since you're all from the lower classes, you can naturally endure hardship. The one thing you lack is money.

"And martial arts training burns through money faster than anything.

"Forget medicinal soups and the like—even food alone can bankrupt a small household."

Everyone looked a little confused. Was Master Lin trying to persuade them not to practice martial arts?

Lin Cheng continued, "If you can't even eat your fill, then even someone with Lu Ren's Grade B Superior Bone Structure won't become a martial artist after ten years of training. So the first lesson I'm teaching you today is to eat—eat like your life depends on it, and every time, keep eating until your belly can't hold another bite. Ideally, you should eat four or five meals a day. That way, perhaps one day you'll claw your way out of the mud.

"When you get home tonight, talk to your families. If they have money, bring it all out and spend it on the best food you can afford."

Perhaps his advice wasn't universally true, but for this group struggling in the mud, it was the ultimate truth.

Food was the one thing the Huang Family was generous with. They could eat their fill.

"We've learned our lesson. Thank you for your instruction, Master Lin." Everyone cupped their hands together.

Lin Cheng nodded to himself. Rich children had their advantages, and poor people had theirs. At the very least, this group didn't need to be reminded to work hard and endure hardship. What remained was a question of Comprehension.

"Come, I'll teach you stance work first. Stance work is the foundation of all methods. It nourishes your qi and blood and tempers your body; for beginners, it matters more than boxing."

At last, they were about to make real contact with the martial path. Everyone grew excited, staring intently at Lin Cheng. Even the group practicing boxing nearby rushed over in a swarm and surrounded him.

He struck a strange pose, looking like a giant python rearing upright. A fierce aura of qi and blood rolled off him. His skin began to redden, and his already burly body swelled further, powerful muscles emerging like intertwined tree roots.

"This is the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. Turtles and snakes live long, and we martial artists often suffer hidden injuries. Some can't even be treated with medicine; only stance work can repair them. Remember, no matter how high your cultivation gets, you'll still have to practice this stance every morning and evening. It can prolong your life."

Xu Yang and the others watched while beginning to imitate Lin Cheng's movements.

"Don't rush to copy my movements. The true core of stance work isn't the movements, but the breathing method. Watch the rhythm of my breathing and how my skin rises and falls..."

Xu Yang stared at Lin Cheng, completely focused. At one moment, a faint glimmer flashed before his eyes, and the Martial Dao Longevity Panel appeared.

[Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Not yet initiated (0/5)]

His eyelid twitched. He hadn't even memorized everything Lin Cheng had taught, but now, whenever he recalled it, the panel showed him Lin Cheng's movements and repeated his words.

He hadn't remembered it, but the panel had. All that remained was to imitate the movements and practice.

Of course, it wasn't quite that simple. It was more like having a continuous replay. The benefit was that he didn't need to strain to memorize everything; the difficulty of training itself remained unchanged.

"It only takes five points of proficiency to get started."

Xu Yang didn't yet know how difficult "5" would be, and he didn't dwell on it.

"Give it a try!" Lin Cheng finished his demonstration and stood up. His flushed skin returned to normal.

The ten of them spread out and each struck the pose they had managed to remember.

"Not bad!"

Lin Cheng swept his gaze across them, looking first at Lu Ren, who had the best Bone Root. He couldn't help but nod to himself.

Lu Ren's Turtle-Snake Great Stance was still a complete mess, but he was the best of the ten.

Lin Cheng examined each of them, committing their first attempts at the stance to memory. Then he strode forward and gave them individual corrections.

"Chest in, back straight!"

"Sink your qi to your dantian."

"Your tendons and bones should seem relaxed yet remain taut."

"Don't deliberately hold your breath."

After finishing, he went to instruct the group that had been practicing boxing earlier.

Once he'd corrected everyone, Lin Cheng called toward the back courtyard. "Sun Tao, come over!"

The white-robed man from earlier soon appeared. Lin Cheng pointed to him. "This is your Senior Brother Sun Tao. He'll be guiding you through the basics from now on."

With that, he strode away.

Everyone looked at one another in bewilderment. Lin Cheng wasn't going to keep teaching them the Turtle-Snake Great Stance; instead, this Senior Brother Sun Tao would take over. They had paid one silver tael and received so little instruction.

"Don't expect the master to keep teaching you. He won't come back to teach you until you've mastered the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. This is only the Outer Courtyard; the master usually comes once every half month.

"If ten of you hadn't come at once this time, you wouldn't even have seen him."

Sun Tao seemed to understand what Xu Yang and the others were thinking, so he immediately explained.

"Senior Brother Sun, how do we know when we've mastered the Turtle-Snake Great Stance?" someone asked.

Xu Yang looked over and saw that it was the boy with the second-best Bone Root, who had Grade C Superior Bone Structure. He remembered that the boy was called Zhang Yong.

Sun Tao smiled. "When you feel strength rising from the ground and your qi and blood boiling like water as you hold the stance, you'll have mastered the Turtle-Snake Great Stance."

He was responsible for guiding new disciples in the Outer Courtyard, which included answering their questions and explaining basic martial arts knowledge.

"How long does it usually take to master it?" Lu Ren asked this time.

Sun Tao glanced at him. "The exceptionally talented might manage it in three or five days. If you're unlucky, you might never master it in your whole life."

Several of them turned pale at his words.

"Senior Brother Sun, do you mean Bone Root when you say talent?" Luo Dehu asked.

Sun Tao shook his head. "No. Martial talent isn't limited to Bone Root. There's also Comprehension. I know the Huang Family felt your bones, but you need to understand this: Bone Root is certainly important, but Comprehension can't be overlooked either.

"Wei Yuan Hall doesn't test Bone Root. There are too many examples of people with good Bone Roots who never became martial artists.

"Enough. Stop asking useless questions. First, learn the Turtle-Snake Great Stance."

Everyone's hearts tightened. Those who had been relying on their Bone Root immediately put those thoughts aside.