The Momentum of Mountains and Rivers

The Three Moon Pavilion was not the altruistic organization the legends made it out to be.

Their essence of rooting out injustice was primarily a means to farm reputation, which they could then leverage at critical moments.

People often said that one should judge by actions rather than intentions, and that doing good deeds was all that mattered.

This was true to an extent, but one could not view matters one-sidedly, nor could one generalize based on a single aspect.

One key factor was the underlying purpose: whether they intended to monetize this reputation.

To use a momentary act of kindness as a free pass for all subsequent behavior was nothing short of foolish.

At least, that was how Lu Bai saw it. In his eyes, there was no such thing as "trust"; any act of trust was inherently foolish.

Therefore, Lu Bai abandoned his original plan.

However, maintaining a certain connection might still prove useful, Lu Bai thought.

Once Lu Bai had sorted everything out and finished studying the modules, Luo Chuan finally returned and knocked on the door.

He was radiating heat, though his expression was somewhat listless.

Practicing martial arts all the way back was no easy feat.

Internal martial arts were all like this; they focused on how to mobilize one's Vitality to the greatest extent.

If one did not learn how to regulate their body while practicing, they were more likely to end up with a depleted constitution and a deficiency in both Vitality and blood.

He gulped down a bowl of medicine, gritted his teeth to retrieve the medicinal wine, and went back to his room to apply it and massage his muscles.

In the past, Luo Chuan had lacked neither resources nor martial arts techniques; what he had lacked was a ruthless drive.

Now, that ruthlessness had been forced out of him by Lu Bai.

He knew very well that once he had handed over the intelligence, his importance had dropped to a certain level.

Lu Bai was keeping his end of the bargain, teaching him in his own way.

But the deal was a two-way street. If Luo Chuan couldn't handle Lu Bai's methods and started slacking off, or even refused to carry out Lu Bai's orders, then the deal would be broken, and his value to Lu Bai would instantly drop to zero.

He didn't know exactly what Lu Bai would do to him, but he was certain he would live to regret it.

Under these circumstances, Luo Chuan threw caution to the wind and began to execute Lu Bai's orders completely.

You never know how much potential a person has until you push them.

Of course, it could also be like a math problem: if you can't solve it, you just can't.

Watching Luo Chuan finish his exercises according to his instructions, Lu Bai nodded and returned to studying the modules and martial arts.

He had possessed the Flowery Fists and Embroidered Legs the longest and had studied it the most deeply, but this martial art did not suit him.

The Mountain and River Fist he had obtained from Luo Chuan, however, was quite interesting.

The foundation of all fist techniques was to mobilize one's Vitality through physical movement.

In this process, Vitality would strengthen the body to a certain degree, while also allowing one to sense the existence of Vitality, and then, bit by bit, subdue it.

Lu Bai was stuck at this very point. He could indeed sense the existence of Vitality, but could someone tell him what "subduing Vitality" actually meant?

It was as if Lu Bai wanted to go to the moon, and an experienced person told him, "You just need to ignite the engines, calculate the trajectory, and input the coordinates; it's very simple."

These things were indeed simple, and relying on his own talent, Lu Bai might even do them better than they could, but please, give him the rocket or the spaceship first, thank you.

Earthlings and these dimensional natives seemed to be missing this "spaceship."

Therefore, relying solely on self-cultivation, it was impossible to bridge the gap between reality and the supernatural.

Lu Bai making his Vitality fragrant was merely utilizing the passive effects of some modules.

Trying to form his own active skills through this method was impossible.

"The foundations of these fist techniques are very similar, but they diverge significantly later on, and the differences are quite substantial."

Lu Bai analyzed the differences between Flowery Fists and Embroidered Legs and the Mountain and River Fist.

Orthodox Flowery Fists required one to circulate internal energy along specific meridians once it had been cultivated.

Different martial arts had different circulation paths, and the subsequent methods of cultivation also differed.

For instance, Flowery Fists began as a technique of agility, but once the internal energy grew to a certain level, one needed to gather the essence of a hundred flowers to concoct pills, while simultaneously nurturing the spirit of flowers and trees within one's own body.

At that point, the internal energy would become extremely agile, and its operability would become exceptionally high.

To a certain extent, this was like raising internal energy as a pet.

The Mountain and River Fist was completely different in this step; it focused on continuously refining the quality of the internal energy.

Then, one would travel everywhere, sensing the momentum of mountains and rivers, undergoing a transformation of mind and will, and making oneself as steady as a mountain.

This step had little to do with internal energy itself.

It was centered on the "self," with internal energy serving merely as a filler for power.

The self was like the soul of a mountain, while the internal energy was the soil and stone.

"These are two different martial arts paths, though there are likely more; it is simply that I only possess these two manuals," Lu Bai thought.

Flower Fist and Embroidery Leg could be considered the same martial art, as their subsequent content was identical, with the only difference being that one training route favored the hands while the other favored the legs.

If one had the ability, one could practice both together, as they did not conflict in the slightest.

However, Mountain and River Fist was not like that; there seemed to be a certain implicit threshold between the two.

"But they are not entirely incompatible." Lu Bai leaned more toward Mountain and River Fist. To a certain extent, Mountain and River Fist was the type of martial art where brute force created miracles, making it better suited for him.

It was just a pity that compared to Flower Fist, Lu Bai was missing more modules for Mountain and River Fist.

"But this mountain momentum seems a bit familiar," Lu Bai thought as he adjusted his position.

Earth's martial artists lacked extraordinary power and could only practice technique. Once their technique reached its peak, they would use it to stir their own mental will, thereby gaining a certain degree of supernatural ability.

The acquisition of this sliver of supernatural ability represented the pinnacle of Earth's martial arts.

Lu Bai had fought people who possessed such supernatural abilities, and the aura those people exuded was completely different from that of ordinary people.

From this perspective, it seemed to share the same underlying principle as this Mountain and River Fist, only Earth's martial arts lacked the infusion of internal energy.

"The momentum of mountains and rivers..." Lu Bai's thoughts drifted: "Perhaps I can do it this way!"

And so, early the next morning, Lu Bai set off with Luo Chuan. Before departing, he found Lou Jingren and entrusted him with mailing a letter.

Lou Jingren was a true scholar; although he was puzzled as to why Lu Bai wanted to send a letter to that person, he still nodded and agreed.

Afterward, Lu Bai took Luo Chuan running everywhere, visiting mountains when there were mountains and waters when there were waters.

Luo Chuan felt that his Mountain and River Fist had made great progress, yet he remained unable to see through Lu Bai's true purpose.

Until a month later.

The two, having slept in the open and eaten in the wind, headed straight back to East Province, making their way toward the city where the Luo Family resided.

By this time, Lu Bai's hair was no longer short; he could tie it into a small ponytail.

Before they had even entered the city, Luo Chuan saw many martial forest practitioners carrying weapons.

There had not been this many people before; clearly, something was about to happen here.

A little late, here is the first update.