Guidance

Huo Shan thought back on the dazzling geniuses he had seen during his decades in the Prefecture City. Every one who had become a Grandmaster or even a Great Grandmaster had possessed outstanding root bone.

Take his last disciple, Chu Fan, for example. Though his perseverance and diligence fell short of Zhao Feng's, his second-grade root bone had allowed him to become a hidden force expert after just six months of training. His potential was limitless. If Huo Shan could raise a Great Grandmaster, his own name would go down in history as well.

Though he admired Zhao Feng's intelligence and diligence, the Martial Arts School's future still rested on Chu Fan, and its resources had to favor him. After all, Chu Fan was the hope of both Huo Shan and the entire Martial Arts School.

After finishing a form, Zhao Feng noticed Huo Shan and hurriedly cupped his fist in salute. "Master."

"Your Small Frame and Large Frame have both reached a decent level of refinement, but actual combat often demands that you blend them more thoroughly," Huo Shan said.

"Blending them doesn't simply mean combining close-range strikes with long-range sweeping blows, nor does it merely mean balancing hardness and softness. You must also combine yielding and sinking to build momentum!"

Seeing Zhao Feng's puzzled expression, he said, "Come at me with everything you have."

"Forgive me, Master!" Zhao Feng sprang forward, opening with a flurry of close-range attacks. He had honed his First Form to perfection, so both the speed and power of this initial barrage were astonishing. Huo Shan did nothing but block.

Soon, however, Zhao Feng realized something was wrong. His attacks were like clay oxen plunging into the sea, his fists striking cotton. Just as his flurry of attacks spent itself, Huo Shan traced a semicircle with his left fist and delivered a short, sharp blow.

Bang! Zhao Feng watched the Inch Fist come at him, yet could do nothing to block it. The punch struck his elbow and sent him stumbling backward.

His entire right arm ached and tingled so badly that he could not lift it. If Huo Shan had counterattacked then, he would have been utterly helpless.

"What did you learn?" Huo Shan asked.

"Combine yielding and sinking. Use sinking force to guard your defenses, and yielding force to neutralize attacks and build momentum, then seize an opening to counterattack," Zhao Feng replied.

"Good." Huo Shan nodded, slightly surprised. This disciple's comprehension was quite good.

"But you've only got half of it right. You need to build momentum when attacking, too."

"Our Eight Extremes Fist places equal emphasis on offense and defense. As I said before, strike like exploding thunder, overwhelm your opponent with momentum, and seek a swift victory. But if your opponent is too strong to defeat quickly, you must do more than respond with Long-Range Pigua. You must also use void force to build momentum, gathering power until you find an opening to win with a single strike of inch force!" Huo Shan said.

"Ideally, that inch force should strike one of your opponent's vital points. Failing that, the point of the elbow, the wrist, or other joints and acupoints in the limbs will also reduce their fighting ability, allowing you to seize the initiative. If you can break through to hidden force, the effect of this inch force will be astonishing."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." It was as though the tangled thickets in Zhao Feng's mind had suddenly been cleared away. He hesitated, but finally spoke.

"Master, I have a question. If an opponent has nimble footwork, and neither close-range strikes nor Long-Range Pigua can handle them, is there another way to respond besides gathering momentum and power while waiting for an opening to win with a single blow?"

"Oh?"

"You aren't the first to ask that question." Huo Shan nodded.

"What are your thoughts on the matter?" Interest showed on his face.

"If I may be so bold, doesn't our Eight Extremes Lineage have a complementary movement technique? That would keep us from being at an obvious disadvantage whether we fought at close, medium, or long range."

"The fact that you thought of that shows you have a questioning mind. Such comprehension is rare." Approval appeared on Huo Shan's face.

"Our Eight Extremes Fist emphasizes sinking downward along the cross, striking like exploding thunder, and defending with a level cross, unmoving as a mountain! Movement is indeed a relative weakness. It has no fully complementary movement or kicking technique," Huo Shan said.

Seeing the slight disappointment on Zhao Feng's face, he smiled. "I said Eight Extremes Fist alone has none. That doesn't mean our Eight Extremes Lineage has none. Listen carefully. If you're fortunate enough to enter the Inner Gate of our Eight Extremes Gate one day, you'll naturally be able to choose a movement technique to complement it."

Zhao Feng's eyes lit up. He had heard bits and pieces from his fellow disciples about how his master had retired from a sect. Of course, he knew better than to ask questions he should not ask.

"Then, Master, would it be possible to find a compatible movement technique elsewhere?"

"Combining another school's movement technique with our Eight Extremes Fist isn't easy. Our Eight Extremes Fist emphasizes sinking, Cross Force, and countering motion with stillness, while most other schools' movement techniques are light and flowing. But that doesn't mean they're entirely incompatible. In fact, with sufficient comprehension, you can often combine the two effectively." Indeed, some disciples within the sect possessed exceptional comprehension and had successfully incorporated outside movement techniques and kicking arts, multiplying their power. This had nothing to do with root bone. It depended on comprehension and the individual.

Huo Shan's answer gave Zhao Feng confidence. Since it was possible, he could try acquiring a kicking technique and combining it with Eight Extremes Fist, making up for its weaknesses as much as possible.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Huo Shan nodded and turned to leave without another word. This diligent disciple might leave the Martial Arts School before long. What Huo Shan had taught him, and the guidance he had offered, would be enough for him to earn his keep out in the world.

In the Inner City's Water Diversion Ward, inside a side room in the rear courtyard of the Xue Family Trading House, Xue Xiangling, the Xue Family's second young lady, studied a ledger with her delicate brows faintly knitted. The accounts for the past few months would not balance.

The recent unrest had affected the Xue Family's business, leaving them with losses. A shipment entrusted to the Might-Reaching Escort Agency had even been robbed by the Blood Wolf Bandits. Though the escort agency had paid some compensation, the loss had still been considerable. Afterward, they had been forced to take a long detour through neighboring Huaiyin Prefecture to bring their goods in, needlessly adding substantial expenses and losses.

"Young lady." A maid entered quietly with a cup of ginseng tea.

"It's late. You should rest after drinking your ginseng tea."

"I know." Xue Xiangling nodded and rubbed her temples with her fair hand. She took the ginseng tea and drank a couple of sips.

"Oh, young lady, about the junior disciple your cousin mentioned yesterday, Young Master Zhao Feng-what do you think? How should I reply to your cousin?" the maid asked.

At the mention of this, Xue Xiangling's lovely face cooled. She was, after all, the second young lady of the Xue Family Trading House, from a wealthy family, educated and well-mannered. Yet Wei Yuan had introduced her to a mud-legged rustic, a Martial Master with below-average root bone at that. It left her feeling insulted.

This distant cousin of hers was a good-natured man, warmhearted enough, but somewhat immature and unable to read people's expressions. No wonder his branch of the Wei Family was gradually being pushed to the margins.

"Turn him down for me. There's no need to meet," Xue Xiangling said.

"Turn him down?" the maid asked.

"Of course. Do you think I need to meet him?" Xue Xiangling said coldly.

"Yes." Seeing her displeasure, the maid dared not say more and hurriedly withdrew.

The Wei Family Residence in the Inner City had a layout of three successive sections and four courtyards, marking it as the home of one of the County Seat's foremost wealthy families.

Wei Yuan hurried into a side room in the rear courtyard. His elder sister, Wei Ping, sat beside the table, looking displeased.

"Sister, what's wrong?" Wei Yuan asked cautiously, watching her expression.

Even though he was now a hidden force Martial Master, the weight of their family hierarchy still made him tread carefully around this elder sister he had feared since childhood.

"Wei Yuan, look what you've done!"