Keeping Pace on All Fronts, Leaving No Weaknesses Behind!

In the blink of an eye.

More than ten days passed.

On this day.

At the foot of the back mountain, a great river flowed.

Chen Jichuan stood in the water.

At times, he braced his shoulder diagonally against the waves and ran forward.

At times, he raised his inner qi while in the water, treading water without pause, his hands and feet constantly moving—his feet stamping the water, his hands parting it. His form in the water resembled a golden toad, and he swam as swiftly as the wind.

At times, he dived down, forcefully displacing the water as he sank to the riverbed.

At times, he sank his qi and sat atop the water, seeming to weigh a thousand catties without falling.

Movement and stillness.

Rising and falling.

Like a flood dragon, appearing and vanishing unpredictably, impossible to fathom.

"Bare the body, stamp the water—the feet' art revealed. Slant the shoulder, withstand the water—break through the waves. Raise qi and tread water, hands and feet in motion; the golden toad floats upon water, swift as the wind. Dive beneath the surface, force the body down; feet stamp the sinking water, hands brace upward. Sink qi and sit on water, a thousand catties heavy; when facing an enemy, leap from water like a flood dragon."

This was the Wave-Wrapping Technique.

Unlike the other martial arts Chen Jichuan had learned, this art was devoted solely to training a person's water skills.

Back then.

Within these Taiqing Eighteen Ridges, Ruan Mu, the second-in-command of the Taiqing Bandit Gang, known as Wave Rider, had practiced precisely this martial art.

By a fortunate twist of fate, Chen Jichuan had obtained it. After practicing it for years, he found its mysteries unfathomable each time, more exquisite even than the Iron Bull Technique, Jade Belt Technique, Golden Shovel Finger, and the like.

Among all the martial arts Chen Jichuan possessed, only the Crouching Tiger Technique and Eagle Claw Technique could compare with it.

When Chen Jichuan had first begun practicing this art, he trained slowly in shallow water. Once he had mastered several movements, he gradually moved into deeper water, then began practicing in rivers. Everything proceeded step by step.

He did not dare advance abruptly, lest he damage his body.

In reality.

Because he was in Black Prison, and within a rocky cave besides, he had neither the time, opportunity, nor place to practice it. Thus, he had never cultivated it in reality. But in Great Yan, he had already brought it to a considerable level.

Not only could he dart up and down through the water, moving freely.

He had also trained it to a deeper level.

At the bottom of the water.

He stood without moving.

He let the current batter him while constantly resisting the water's buoyancy, and he also practiced holding his breath.

When Chen Jichuan had first reached this stage, he had even needed to wear an iron garment to steady his body and keep from being affected by the water's buoyancy.

After several more years.

He no longer needed the iron garment. Having become familiar with water's nature, his five viscera and six bowels had been strengthened as well, allowing him to hold his breath longer. In the water, he calmed his mind and sensed the changing currents, feeling them pass through every pore of his body.

This gave Chen Jichuan increasingly precise control over his force.

The force throughout his body also became increasingly condensed.

By now, the force within his body seemed fused into one whole, ready to be called upon at will. When he threw a punch, the air exploded with a crack, its might astonishing. He had reached the profound realm known in the martial world as "a single sound worth a thousand gold."

Chen Jichuan was now at this level.

At this level, arts such as the Iron Bull Technique, Jade Belt Technique, and Land-Flying Technique had become very difficult to advance further.

These skills, forged by "training through the bitterest cold of winter and the blazing heat of summer," by relentlessly wearing down the body, had all reached their limits.

At the root of it, the medicinal efficacy was insufficient.

When practicing these arts in the past, there had been medicinal ointments, medicinal wine, medicinal soups, and other aids. But as one's skills grew deeper and the body stronger, ordinary medicine could no longer heal injuries quickly. Such meager medicinal power also could not raise one's strength and constitution another step.

Chen Jichuan had Origin Force.

He could continue improving, but every tiny increment of progress from here on would require Origin Force to increase geometrically.

And if one merely tempered strength and refined the body.

Without understanding the transformations of force, one would ultimately be nothing more than a brute with empty strength.

One force subdued ten thousand techniques—

Easy to say.

Far too clumsy to do.

Anything that yielded half the result for twice the effort had to be considered carefully by Chen Jichuan. With the Great Yan World's four-hundredfold difference in time, he could slowly experience and ponder the mysteries of force's transformations. He was in no hurry.

For the sake of his future path.

Relying solely on Origin Force, cultivating strength but not realm, was truly no long-term road.

Therefore.

If he wished to take another step forward.

The Wave-Wrapping Technique was the focus of Chen Jichuan's study.

"Train the strength of the entire body, then gather it together. Throw one punch, kick one foot, integrate all force, and produce a crisp crack—this is Manifest Force."

"No matter how powerful external arts such as the Iron Bull Technique and Jade Belt Technique become, their understanding of force remains limited to Manifest Force."

"If I want to advance."

"I must carefully comprehend force, joining the sinews, bones, and outer membranes of the whole body into one. Move without intention, let it naturally burst forth, and thoroughly grasp both hard force and soft force. This is the level of Hidden Force."

Of course, some people drove hard force down a dead end. Their strength might be formidable in the short term, but over time, their qi and blood would inevitably run dry. By their forties or fifties, they would be finished.

After practicing martial arts for decades.

Chen Jichuan had gained his own insights, and his understanding of martial arts was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Great Yan martial arts.

Several decades ago, had not yet formed a system. With diligence and tenacity alone, one could achieve something.

Like Lu Peng, like Yang Xu, like Yang Qing.

These foremost masters of Langning Prefecture had all attained their accomplishments through decades of relentless, day-after-day bitter cultivation.

But at Chen Jichuan's current level.

Burying his head in arduous training alone was no longer enough.

"There is no road ahead."

"After Manifest Force, I must carve out the path to Hidden Force myself."

Perhaps.

He could wait ten years, even a hundred. The martial artists of the Great Yan World might well be able to explore the "path of manifest and hidden" on their own. Four hundred years in the Great Yan World was merely one year in reality. Chen Jichuan could afford to wait.

But for now.

He still wished to make an attempt—to comprehend the road forward himself, without borrowing the experience of those who came before.

He submerged beneath the water.

Carefully sensing.

Carefully experiencing.

Carefully thinking.

Time passed little by little. Chen Jichuan surfaced from time to time, then dived beneath the water again.

In winter, because of their different specific heat capacities, the water was colder than the air during the day.

The bone-piercing cold stimulated the circulation of Chen Jichuan's qi and blood, making him more sensitive and allowing him to perceive subtler changes.

When his body reached its limit.

Today's training was sufficient.

Only then did Chen Jichuan rise, stamp the water, and shoot onto the shore. As he moved, the force in every joint and muscle of his body seemed twisted into a single strand, leaving him with a sense of complete clarity from head to toe.

Crack!

The crisp sound was exceptionally pleasing.

Integrated force.

Crisp force.

This was a phenomenon that came only after integrating and straightening out the force of the whole body, after thoroughly tempering hard force. Once the force in every part of the body was twisted into a single strand, such a crisp crack would arise whenever one moved.

"Hard force."

"Soft force."

Chen Jichuan rolled his wrist. As he dressed, he continued pondering the martial principles within.

He headed back.

The heavy snow had long since stopped, and days of sunlight had melted the accumulated snow. Everywhere on Taiqing Mountain not paved with bluestone was thick with mud.

The moment he returned to his residence.

He saw Lu Changshou waiting outside. He was travel-worn and dusty. Upon seeing Chen Jichuan, he hurried forward. "Grandmaster."

"Come inside and speak."

Chen Jichuan had still been contemplating the changes in force he had just experienced. Only upon seeing Lu Changshou return did he come back to himself and invite him indoors.

He changed his shoes.

He lit the fire.

As Chen Jichuan warmed himself by the fire, he looked toward Lu Changshou. "The snow has only just melted, and the roads are difficult. Why were you in such a hurry to return?"

"Grandmaster."

Lu Changshou took out a yellowed envelope and handed it to Chen Jichuan. "This is the letter you gave my great-grandfather back then. It was in my grandfather's possession some years ago, and after Grandfather passed away, it was passed to my eldest uncle. Now that Grandmaster has returned, please take this letter back."

Chen Jichuan looked at the letter in Lu Changshou's hand.

He took it and examined it.

It was indeed the letter he had personally written to Lu Xiong, handing White Jade Capital over to Lu Xiong and the Lu Family. He had not expected the Lu Family to preserve it for so long.

Lu Changshou was now returning the letter. The meaning behind this—

"White Jade Capital was an enterprise Grandmaster built with his own hands."

"For all these years, my Lu Family has managed it on your behalf and has already enjoyed more than enough from it. Now that Grandmaster has returned, White Jade Capital should also be returned to its rightful owner."

Lu Changshou said solemnly.

Thirty-five years had passed.

White Jade Capital was no longer confined to Lingnan. In the north, Jiannan Circuit and Jiangnan Circuit also had White Jade Capital businesses, truly bringing in gold every day.

Through this, the Lu Family had gained a foothold in officialdom, commerce, and the martial world.

Among them, Lu Bai's branch, the eldest, had connections in officialdom. They spent money generously and maintained good relationships with officials throughout Lingnan.

Lu Yu, the second, and Lu Jing, the third, merely managed the business.

But Lu Yu had a son like Lu Changshou, whose standing in Lingnan's martial world was not low. Moreover, many martial artists from the Chen Sect supported White Jade Capital's business.

Thus, Lu Yu's voice and influence far surpassed Lu Jing's.

The three brothers, who had once been barely over twenty, were now in their fifties or sixties. As people aged, their thoughts grew more numerous. In addition, each had spread branches and borne leaves, with many descendants in every branch, some good and some bad.

Thus, the three branches appeared harmonious while being at odds in their hearts. In recent years, they had engaged in no small amount of open and covert struggle.

Lu Changshou had gone to the Chen Residence a few days ago to seek peace and quiet.

Besides the pressure brought by the Tan Sect's Thirteen Guardians, it also had to do with that heap of family mess.

As it happened.

Grandmaster Chen had returned, so Lu Changshou wished to hand White Jade Capital back to its true owner.

"Are your father and eldest uncle willing?"

Holding the letter in his hand, Chen Jichuan looked at Lu Changshou with a smile and asked.

"I knew I could not hide it from Grandmaster."

Helplessness and shame appeared on Lu Changshou's face.

The Lu Family had operated White Jade Capital for generations. Ever since Chen Jichuan's disappearance, they had regarded it as family property. Several generations and decades had passed. Even if Chen of the Southern Dynasty returned, how could it be easy to make them hand White Jade Capital back?

Lu Changshou thought of the conversations he had held with his father and eldest uncle over the past few days. Anger, indignation, shame, and irritation churned in his heart, but he forced himself to say, "Please rest assured, Grandmaster. My Lu Family will never seize White Jade Capital. I am confident I can persuade Father, Eldest Uncle, and Third Uncle."

Lu Changshou's martial skill was exceptional.

He had also founded his own sect, and his disciples and followers were spread throughout all of White Jade Capital's businesses. Though he appeared not to concern himself with White Jade Capital's affairs, if he spoke up, it was truly uncertain whether all of White Jade Capital would listen to Lu Bai, Lu Yu, and Lu Jing, or to him—the Chen Sect's sect master, Little Southern Chen, Lu Changshou.

"There is no need."

Chen Jichuan smiled at this, put away the letter, then handed it back. "I gave White Jade Capital to your great-grandfather Lu Xiong back then. How could there be any reason to take it back? Your father and eldest uncle are already in their fifties or sixties. If you lock horns with them and forcibly take White Jade Capital from their hands, it would be like carving flesh from their hearts. Be careful they do not anger themselves into illness."

Human nature was simply like this.

The ancients had said it too: give someone a pint of rice and they repay kindness; give them a bushel and they become enemies.

If Chen Jichuan truly took back the White Jade Capital he had given away, it would become an enmity as deep as a sea of blood.

Why bother?

"But—"

Lu Changshou thought Chen Jichuan did not believe him and wanted to say more.

But Chen Jichuan impatiently waved his hand. "I have no interest in White Jade Capital. I do have a mind to stir up your Chen Sect a little, though. I wonder whether you are willing?"

Money was like drifting clouds.

Having entered Great Yan, the only thing Chen Jichuan truly cared about was martial arts.

Now that he had fallen into a bottleneck, it was the perfect time to carefully teach martial arts within the Chen Sect. It would also let him review the old and learn the new, perhaps sparking inspiration.

"What is Grandmaster saying?"

"The Chen Sect was originally established by Changshou presumptuously, on my own initiative, using Grandmaster's name. We honor Grandmaster as the Chen Sect's patriarch. Within the Chen Sect, Grandmaster may naturally do whatever you wish."

Lu Changshou answered without even thinking.

"Good."

"Do not mention White Jade Capital again."

"I also buried gold and silver in my former residence. Have someone dig it up, then use White Jade Capital's channels to collect martial arts from every school for me."

Chen Jichuan settled the matter once and for all, refusing to entertain further argument.

Then he sent Lu Changshou away.

All martial arts under heaven ultimately led to the same destination.

Chen Jichuan now had more time and energy to study martial arts. Besides, while external arts such as the Iron Bull Technique had limits and weaknesses, they still greatly enhanced a martial artist's strength.

The Iron Bull Technique trained the abdomen.

The Golden Shovel Finger trained the four fingers.

The Iron Broom Technique trained the legs.

After Chen Jichuan cultivated them to the fifth level, his four fingers were like gold, his belly like iron, and his calves like steel. Ordinary people could hardly injure him.

But that was still not enough.

He intended to train his arms, waist, back, knees, elbows, even his neck, head, armpits, and groin until they were impervious to blades and spears.

That way,

once he reached the Innate Realm, he could stand in an undefeated position.

As the old saying went: learn martial arts by first learning how to take a beating.

There was quite a bit of truth to that.

But passively taking hits was not Chen Jichuan's style, either.

He could not slack off on techniques that built strength, such as the Water-Splitting Technique, Jade Belt Technique, and Crouching Tiger Technique. He also had to practice more lightness skills like the Land-Flying Technique.

More skills never weighed a person down.

He could take a beating.

He could beat others.

He could flee for his life.

He could hunt others down.

With the uniquely blessed conditions of the Great Yan World, Chen Jichuan's ambitions were far from small. He did not want to leave behind any shortcomings.

"Defense."

"Strength."

"Force."

Chen Jichuan reckoned that with a four-hundredfold time difference and Origin Force at his side, his ambitions ran wild. He wanted all three to advance side by side!

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