Three Days to Master the Basics, Genius Shi Hao

Early in the morning, Lu Chen was the first to arrive at the Martial Practice Yard and practice the Coiling Dragon Stance Art.

After he assumed his stance, however, the aura around his entire body was completely different from a few days ago.

His feet spread apart and closed, the soles planted firmly on the ground.

His waist and hips sank as they slowly coiled.

His spine rose and fell bit by bit with his waist and hips, like a long dragon crouching upon the ground. Though it could not yet be called vigorous, it already possessed a certain form and spirit.

After practicing it over and over these past few days, the Coiling Dragon Stance Art had begun to take shape on him.

As his practice deepened, Lu Chen gradually sensed the changes within himself as well.

His lower body became increasingly steady, his arms slowly gained the outlines of muscle, and his thin shoulders and back had become somewhat firmer.

Especially his eyes—they held less confusion now, replaced by a calm, tenacious gleam.

After Lu Chen completed one round, the transparent light screen appeared again:

[Coiling Dragon Stance Art: Not Initiated]

[Progress: 24/100]

As long as he worked hard, there would be rewards!

The feeling filled Lu Chen with incomparable certainty.

"Brother Lu Chen, you're here so early!"

Lu Yuan, another youth from the same village, also arrived at the Martial Practice Yard. Seeing Lu Chen already practicing his stance art, he raised a hand in greeting.

Lu Chen nodded to him.

Lu Yuan was younger than Lu Chen, lean in build, with the lingering childishness unique to mountain boys still on his face. He jogged into the Martial Practice Yard while rubbing his aching thighs. Seeing that Lu Chen had already begun practicing, a trace of admiration rose in his eyes.

Only the two of them from Lu Family Village had been selected by the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall.

Having just arrived, they were surrounded by youths from other villages. Naturally, the two were closer to each other than to the others.

Lu Yuan walked over to Lu Chen's side. While warming up, he struck up a conversation. "Brother Lu Chen, how's your practice going?"

"My stance art still isn't proficient. Some of my movements aren't quite right, but I'm too embarrassed to ask Senior Brother Chen Chong."

"I think Brother Lu Chen has already completely mastered the Coiling Dragon Stance these past two days. You do it in one smooth flow without even needing to stop for breath. That's amazing!"

After completing a round of the stance art, Lu Chen was drenched in sweat. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "I'm just forcing myself through it."

In truth, the Coiling Dragon Stance could not be interrupted during practice. Otherwise, he would be unable to push the panel's progress forward and would have to start all over again.

Every time, Lu Chen could only grit his teeth and endure. Once he grew accustomed to it, practicing the Coiling Dragon Stance became smoother and smoother.

As the two spoke, more and more people gathered in the Martial Practice Yard. The other youths arrived one after another and began their morning training.

Senior Brother Chen Chong also arrived at the Martial Practice Yard.

He wore a tight short-sleeved training outfit with his cuffs bound close, his steps steady. The moment he entered, the youths who had been somewhat lax immediately tensed up.

Chen Chong said nothing. With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth through the yard.

He occasionally offered pointers and frequently scolded them.

Until he spotted a youth named Shi Hao, and his eyes suddenly shone.

The youth was agile and sturdier than those his age, with slightly dark skin and a wild mountain-forest air between his brows.

His shoulders sank, his back rounded, his waist and hips locked together. As his arms encircled, it seemed as though a coiling dragon truly wound around his body, driving the circulation of blood and qi throughout him as a faint red glow surfaced beneath his skin.

Chen Chong's expression changed slightly as he asked:

"What is your name?"

After Shi Hao finished his stance, his forehead was covered in sweat. Yet unlike the other youths, he did not collapse. He merely took a few breaths, cupped his fists, and said:

"Stone Bridge Village, Shi Hao."

Chen Chong fell silent for a moment before saying:

"Do it again for me."

Those words drew the attention of the surrounding youths.

Shi Hao took a deep breath and assumed his stance once more.

It was the same Coiling Dragon Stance Art. When others practiced it, they resembled wooden stakes—stiff and clumsy.

But when Shi Hao practiced it, it was as though a current of force slowly coursed through his body.

That force rose from his legs, drove his waist and hips, poured into his shoulders and back, then gradually coiled together with the embrace of his arms.

When Shi Hao finished one round, his face was flushed red and sweat had soaked through his clothes.

Chen Chong was visibly shaken.

"Coiling Dragon force generation, tempering sinews and forging bones."

"He's initiated it!"

His voice was not loud, yet it was like a stone crashing into water.

The surrounding youths instantly erupted.

"Initiated?"

"Shi Hao has initiated it?"

"It's only been three days!"

"I haven't even memorized the movements yet, and Shi Hao has already learned it?"

The youths all stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

They were all youths from mountain villages.

They had all begun practicing the Coiling Dragon Stance Art three days ago.

Some of them had not even memorized the movements, yet Shi Hao had already entered the gate.

The few youths from Stone Bridge Village immediately broke into ecstatic expressions.

"Little Stone, well done!"

"I knew Brother Hao could do it!"

"Our Stone Bridge Village is going to produce a martial artist this time!"

Standing among the crowd, Shi Hao lifted his chin, looking quite pleased with himself.

Chen Chong ignored everyone's clamor.

He gave Shi Hao a deep look, then said in a low voice, "Quiet, all of you!"

The youths immediately shut their mouths.

Chen Chong looked at Shi Hao, his tone far gentler than usual.

"Entering the gate in three days is very good. Even the senior brothers of the inner courtyard might not possess talent like yours!"

"Wait here."

With that, he turned and headed toward the inner courtyard.

Standing beside Lu Chen, Lu Yuan watched Shi Hao being surrounded by the crowd and could not help swallowing.

"Brother Lu Chen, entering the gate in three days... Is Little Stone from Stone Bridge Village really that incredible?"

Lu Chen looked at Shi Hao and fell silent for a moment.

The panel quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Coiling Dragon Stance Art: Not Initiated]

[Progress: 25/100]

His Coiling Dragon Stance Art progress was only one-quarter complete. He was still far from entering the gate.

Yet Shi Hao had already done so.

For the first time, Lu Chen felt the pressure brought by a so-called genius.

Some people took one step that equaled ten steps for others.

Still, with the panel, as long as he trained steadily and advanced a single pawn each day, he would enter the gate sooner or later!

Settling his mind, Lu Chen assumed the Coiling Dragon Stance Art once more and continued practicing.

Before long, Hall Master Qin Wuhe approached, with Chen Chong close behind him.

Qin Wuhe was in his fifties. He was not particularly imposing in build, but his steps were steady.

After entering the Martial Practice Yard, Qin Wuhe swept his gaze over everyone.

His eyes were not sharp, nor did he deliberately put on an air of authority. Yet every youth his gaze passed over still lowered their head unconsciously.

It was the bearing accumulated through many years of martial training.

"Hall Master, this is Shi Hao!"

Chen Chong called Shi Hao out from the crowd and introduced him to Qin Wuhe.

"He entered the gate of the Coiling Dragon Stance Art in three days."

As he said this, Chen Chong's voice still carried barely concealed excitement.

It had been a long time since the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall had seen such a dazzling youth.

Shi Hao stepped out from the crowd.

Qin Wuhe's gaze fell upon him.

Shi Hao felt his back tighten, as though he had been seen through from head to toe.

He instinctively held his breath, his hands clenching unconsciously.

"How old are you?" Qin Wuhe asked.

Shi Hao hurriedly cupped his fists. "Reporting to Hall Master, this disciple is fifteen this year."

Qin Wuhe nodded and asked again, "Have you practiced martial arts before?"

"No." Shi Hao shook his head. "I only followed my father into the mountains to hunt in the village, carried stones, and chopped firewood."

Hearing this, the interest in Qin Wuhe's eyes deepened.

He had never practiced martial arts and had never built any foundation.

Relying purely on his physique and comprehension, he had touched the threshold of the Coiling Dragon Stance Art in three days.

That carried an entirely different weight.

"Practice a round for me to see," Qin Wuhe said.

Shi Hao knew the hall master intended to personally assess his stance art.

He drew a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the nervousness churning in his chest, and began demonstrating the Coiling Dragon Stance with utmost seriousness.

He knew clearly that this was an opportunity to change his fate.

If he could catch the hall master's eye, his standing in the martial hall would become completely different from that of the other youths.

As Shi Hao gradually unfolded the stance art, Qin Wuhe's eyes slowly brightened.

When he saw force circulating through Shi Hao's body like a coiling dragon winding around him, Qin Wuhe nodded in satisfaction.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, his voice echoing across the Martial Practice Yard.

These past years had not been easy for the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall.

Among Scarlet Cloud County's five great martial halls, the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall had once enjoyed considerable glory. Its ancestors had produced martial arts masters renowned throughout Scarlet Cloud County, while the Coiling Dragon Stance Art and Azure Dragon Through-the-Arms Fist were both resounding martial techniques in the martial world.

But what a martial hall feared most was a break in its succession.

For several consecutive years, the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall had failed to cultivate even one martial scholar.

As its reputation weakened, fewer and fewer newcomers came to study under it.

With fewer newcomers came less tuition.

With less tuition came fewer resources the martial hall could offer to cultivate its disciples.

Thus it declined day by day like a river flowing ever downward, until the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall gradually fell into the lowest ranks of the county seat.

Other martial halls had bustling gates, with wealthy households scrambling to send money and their children in.

But the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall's new recruits grew worse year after year.

Qin Wuhe saw it all and burned with anxiety.

If things continued this way, the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall would only grow more and more dilapidated, perhaps even be forced to close its doors.

That was precisely why, after considering matters from every angle, Qin Wuhe had turned his gaze toward the depths of the mountains.

Mountain villages were poor, and their youths were rough.

They had no money to pay tuition and had never seen the wider world.

But children raised in the mountains chopped firewood, carried water, and crossed mountains and ridges year-round. Their sinews and bones might not be inferior.

If he could select several promising prospects from among them, they could also provide the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall with a little fresh blood.

Thus, the "Lucky Plan" came into being.

Put nicely, it opened a path into martial arts for mountain village youths.

Put realistically, it was also the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall's desperate act of self-preservation.

Qin Wuhe had not originally held much hope.

He had thought that if three to five of the forty mountain village youths managed to succeed, it would mean his efforts had not been wasted.

But he had never expected that in merely three short days, a fine martial arts seedling would truly emerge from the deep mountains.

The Coiling Dragon Stance Art was a martial stance art passed down through generations of the Hidden Dragon Martial Hall. Across all of Scarlet Cloud County, it could be considered a superior foundational method.

Without ten days to half a month, it was simply impossible to touch its threshold.

Shi Hao had entered the gate of the Coiling Dragon Stance Art in three days. This showed that his talent was extraordinary, perhaps even comparable to the outstanding heirs of certain great families.

The more Qin Wuhe thought about it, the more delighted he became.

He looked at Shi Hao as though he were an uncut jade freshly split from mountain rock.

"Shi Hao."

Qin Wuhe spoke, his voice much gentler than before.

Shi Hao hurriedly straightened up. "This disciple is here."

Qin Wuhe nodded. "You are very good."

"To enter the gate of the Coiling Dragon Stance Art in three days shows that neither your natural physique nor your comprehension is lacking."

"However, mastering the basics of stance training is only the beginning. The road of martial arts is still long—do not grow complacent because of this."

Shi Hao immediately clasped his fists, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

"This disciple understands!"

Qin Wuhe looked at Chen Chong beside him and instructed, "From today onward, Shi Hao may collect one serving of Tiger-Bone Body-Strengthening Soup from the Medicine Hall each day."

Then he turned to Shi Hao. "Come with me. Since you have mastered the basics of the Coiling Dragon Stance Art, you are qualified to learn boxing. I will teach you a fist technique!"

Watching Shi Hao follow Qin Wuhe away, the other youths were filled with envy.

Chen Chong let out a thunderous shout, pulling everyone back to reality. "Enough!"

"Continue training!"

"As long as you work hard, you too may earn the hall master's favor and soar into the sky in a single bound!"