"Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force"

He entered the inner courtyard.

The snow crunched beneath their feet.

Mei Shuangfeng stopped in the middle of the open courtyard and turned to face the two of them.

"The martial path is like raising a lofty tower from level ground. Standing stances temper the qi and blood and lay a solid foundation; only when that foundation is as impregnable as a fortress can one climb higher and train 'techniques.'"

"But to wield techniques, one must pair them with special breathing methods."

"Our Mei Clan's Mystic Eagle Stance contains a complete set of Hidden Force-level breathing methods, along with thirty-six complete combat forms, known as... Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force!"

Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands behind her back and looked at Shen Xiuhan. "This martial art does not deal in empty talk. It recognizes only eight words: break bones, tear tendons, draw blood with one strike! You practice it to kill!"

Shen Xiuhan's eyelid twitched.

Sure enough, it was not the slightest bit different from the martial art he had comprehended in his deductions.

"Xu Chuan, take your stance!"

"Yes!"

Xu Chuan's expression tightened. He strode forward, crossed his arms, and sealed off his centerline without the slightest gap.

"Watch carefully!"

Before the words had even faded, Sha Qi around Mei Shuangfeng erupted with a boom, seemingly taking solid form.

Her feet shifted, and her entire right arm swung up like a fully drawn iron whip before chopping down viciously!

Her five fingers curled inward like iron hooks, tearing through the cold wind with a piercing shriek as they drilled straight toward the Jianjing acupoint behind Xu Chuan's collarbone.

A muffled crack of dislocated joints rang out.

No matter how firmly Xu Chuan held his stance, his body still collapsed downward beyond his control. His entire right arm instantly went limp with pain like a noodle, his balance was torn apart, and his chest was left wide open.

"This move is called Stone-Splitting Tendon-Severing. It is aimed at crippling a man's arm."

"A light grip makes him lose strength; a heavy clasp directly dislocates his shoulder blade."

"The essence lies in striking the weakness he must defend, stripping him of the power to fight back in a single move!"

Xu Chuan bared his teeth in pain. Before he could catch his breath, Mei Shuangfeng's left hand shot out without warning like a venomous snake flicking its tongue!

Her fingertips whistled sharply as they stabbed straight toward Xu Chuan's windpipe!

Shen Xiuhan's pupils contracted sharply.

Mystic Eagle Soul-Seizing!

It was one of the killing moves within Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force, made specifically to rip apart fatal acupoints.

Xu Chuan broke out in a cold sweat and hastily raised his left arm before his neck.

Mei Shuangfeng's wrist seemed boneless as it twisted strangely, sliding along the inside of Xu Chuan's forearm before hooking beneath his Adam's apple at the Tiantu acupoint. If she pushed inward another half inch, his throat bone would be crushed!

"Gulp!"

Xu Chuan swallowed, beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans continuously dropping from his chin.

"The throat is a fatal weak point!"

"Whether claw techniques are vicious enough does not depend on meeting an enemy head-on in a life-and-death clash, but on slipping a needle into every crack. At high mastery, they bore specifically through the gaps between tendons and bones! Once you touch a fatal point, tearing out a windpipe takes no more than an instant!"

Mei Shuangfeng slowly withdrew her hand, her breathing as steady as before, as though she had merely brushed a snowflake from her shoulder.

A tide of astonishment surged through Shen Xiuhan's heart.

What one learns from books always feels shallow in the end!

Although he had comprehended every move of Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force through deduction.

Only after watching Mei Shuangfeng demonstrate it in person did he understand that, in terms of the seasoned viciousness and insidiousness of the moves, and the precise control of timing in combat, he was lacking by far more than a little!

Practicing martial arts was one matter.

Killing people was another.

"Xiuhan, I will perform the entirety of Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force once. Watch carefully."

Mei Shuangfeng suddenly moved, like a vicious bird darting through the forest. Amid sharp whistles and repeated bursts of air, she personally demonstrated all thirty-six forms of Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force in one fluid sweep.

Every move was fierce and ruthless, aimed directly at vital points, without the slightest flourish.

Not long afterward, Mei Shuangfeng finished her form and stood still. Her phoenix eyes swept toward Shen Xiuhan as she asked, "How much of those thirty-six forms did you remember?"

"All of them."

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"Hmm?"

Mei Shuangfeng's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Yet she did not question him. She merely stepped half a pace back and raised her chin slightly.

"Perform them once for me."

"Yes."

Shen Xiuhan walked to the center of the courtyard and assumed his stance.

Shadow-Seizing Dragon, Mystic Eagle Bone-Splitting, Cloud-Seizing Heaven-Cutting, Mystic Wings Skimming Wind...

The wind from his claws howled, and his robes fluttered.

Move after move, he performed all thirty-six claw forms in their entirety.

Though he was still somewhat unpracticed and far less smooth and effortless than when he had displayed the Mystic Eagle Stance in the outer courtyard, he had indeed executed every one of the thirty-six forms without missing a single move.

"Excellent comprehension..."

Mei Shuangfeng nodded faintly, a trace of approval passing through her eyes.

"It seems I was right. Xiuhan's comprehension of martial techniques is extraordinarily high. Otherwise... it would have been impossible for him to bring the Mystic Eagle Stance to minor mastery in just over ten days."

At the side, Xu Chuan widened his eyes to the size of bronze bells and could not help clicking his tongue in admiration.

"Junior Brother Shen is truly a genius. These thirty-six forms are incomparably complex. Back then, it took me quite some time just to barely memorize them."

Mei Shuangfeng shot him a cold sideways glance.

Xu Chuan's voice caught. He shrank his thick neck and lowered his head sheepishly.

He might have been the second senior brother of the inner courtyard, and his cultivation might have reached the Bone Tempering Peak, but his comprehension of martial techniques truly was rather ordinary.

Within the inner courtyard, quite a few junior brothers and sisters surpassed him in combat forms and technique.

But Xu Chuan had his own strengths.

Savage, overbearing, born with divine strength.

No matter how exquisite or tricky the move, he would shatter it with brute force alone.

"Though Xiuhan's comprehension is superior, he has only just begun studying martial techniques of slaughter. His forms are still far too 'stiff.'"

Seemingly worried that he might grow arrogant, Mei Shuangfeng sternly cautioned him.

"What is meant by stiffness is being too rigid and proper, without enough slick adaptability. When you truly fight, where will there be so many rules for you to follow as you set your stance?"

"Martial techniques are practiced to make your heart dark and your hands ruthless!"

"When real blades and real weapons are drawn outside, no one will speak to you of arena rules."

"No matter how well you practice your forms, if you lack the intent to kill, you will still meet your end against someone truly fighting for their life."

"When you truly fight, you must use the fastest and cruelest method. Any move that can kill is a good move!"

Mei Shuangfeng paused, her gaze settling on Shen Xiuhan as she instructed him.

"Starting tomorrow, you will remain in the inner courtyard and practice exchanges with Xu Chuan. Nor may you neglect your foundational stance work. Every morning, you must use stance work to guide qi and temper the qi and blood throughout your body."

"Of the three stages of Bright Force, above Blood Tempering lies Bone Tempering, and above Bone Tempering lies Tendon Tempering."

"The martial path is like climbing a peak. You have only barely taken the first step. Never grow arrogant or aim too high!"

Shen Xiuhan's expression turned solemn. He cupped his fists and answered in a deep voice.

"This disciple will remember your teachings!"

After Mei Shuangfeng left.

Xu Chuan's taut expression immediately relaxed. He strode forward, threw an arm around Shen Xiuhan's shoulders, and grinned broadly.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother. You've entered the inner courtyard!"

Shen Xiuhan was sharp-minded, so naturally he understood the implication behind his words.

Back in the outer courtyard, he had merely been a registered martial student paying for instruction, with Xu Chuan teaching him in Mei Shuangfeng's stead.

Now that he had broken into Blood Tempering and received the true transmission, he had truly entered Mei Shuangfeng's school and become Xu Chuan's genuine junior brother.

Shen Xiuhan immediately straightened his expression and solemnly cupped his fists in salute.

"Junior Brother Xiuhan greets Second Senior Brother! In my future cultivation within the inner courtyard, I hope Second Senior Brother will look after me and offer your guidance without reservation!"

"Hahaha, we're brothers of the same school. No need for courtesy!"

Xu Chuan laughed heartily, clearly pleased by that address of Second Senior Brother.

After laughing, he looked Shen Xiuhan over from head to toe and shook his head.

"Come. Senior Brother will take you to the storeroom to collect two sets of inner courtyard training clothes. Now that your qi and blood have been awakened, practicing martial arts wrapped in that thick padded coat will only leave you tied hand and foot and get in your way."

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