Recording the Bedrock Stance Art

Morning sunlight pierced the thin mist and spilled across the bluestone training grounds of Bedrock Martial Academy, adding a touch of warmth to the cool dawn.

Lin Qing had also arrived at the training grounds on time.

By then, nearly all the disciples had gathered. Dressed in gray training uniforms, they stood in twos and threes, loosening their tendons and bones and adjusting their breathing as they prepared for the unified stance practice.

Lin Qing had only just taken his place at the back when he saw Zhao Lei stride over and beckon to him.

"Lin Qing, come here."

Lin Qing immediately stepped forward and bowed to Zhao Lei.

"Senior Brother Zhao."

Zhao Lei nodded slightly and shifted aside, revealing a youth about Lin Qing's age standing beside him.

The youth was somewhat plump, with a round face and lively eyes, and he was curiously sizing Lin Qing up.

Zhao Lei said to Lin Qing:

"This is Wang Yuan. Like you, he joined the academy yesterday, but he arrived in the afternoon, so you didn't see him."

Then he turned to Wang Yuan and said:

"This is Lin Qing. He came yesterday morning."

The two nodded to one another. Zhao Lei then led them to a relatively open corner and said:

"This is your first time practicing the Bedrock Stance Art. Today, I'll teach you both its essentials together. Listen carefully and do not let your minds wander."

Seeing the serious expressions on their faces, Zhao Lei said no more and began teaching directly:

"The Bedrock Stance Art is the foundational technique upon which our academy stands..."

As he spoke, he demonstrated. His movements were unhurried, and he explained every posture in meticulous detail, from the placement of hands and feet, to the points where strength should be exerted, to the rhythm of breathing—nothing was omitted. From time to time, he corrected key posture points and reminded them of details they were liable to get wrong, afraid that as beginners, they might fail to grasp the method and practice the art astray.

Lin Qing stared unblinkingly at Zhao Lei's movements, committing every mnemonic verse to memory while silently working through them in his mind, memorizing the entire set of stances and breathing methods.

Just as Zhao Lei finished explaining the complete essentials of the Bedrock Stance Art, Lin Qing felt something stir within him and opened the system panel.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Mortal (Breakthrough Time ∞)

Fused Arts: Clear-Mind Life-Nourishing Art (Expand)

Recorded Arts: Harmonious Essence-Nourishing Art (30/90), Meridian-Relaxing Heart-Calming Art (0/90), Spleen-Strengthening Life-Nourishing Art (0/90), Bedrock Stance Art (0/1000)

The recording of the art did not surprise Lin Qing, but when he looked at that one thousand at the end, he felt a little panicked.

Watching the two perform their movements with decent form, Zhao Lei nodded in satisfaction. "Those are the basic essentials. The value of stance practice lies in persistence. You must cultivate it diligently every day before you can gain anything from it. Now go to the back of the group and practice with them. If there is anything you cannot remember clearly, watching your senior brothers practice will make it easier to recall."

With that, Zhao Lei turned and left for another part of the training grounds.

A complete round of the Bedrock Stance Art took about half an hour. After each round, the group rested for the time it took to drink a cup of tea. The disciples either regulated their breathing where they stood or gathered in small groups to chat.

Wang Yuan ended his stance, rubbed his aching legs, and immediately sidled up to Lin Qing, striking up a conversation as though they had long been acquainted.

"Lin Qing, you learned this stance art way too fast, didn't you? From the way you stood just now, your posture was far more standard than mine. I've practiced for half the day, and my whole body still feels awkward."

Lin Qing steadied his breathing and smiled faintly.

"Not at all! I was just copying the senior brothers in front. We're two halves of the same pound—I find some parts awkward too."

"Ah, forget that. Lin Qing, which direction do you live in? We entered the academy at the same time, so we can talk more privately and learn from each other."

You really are familiar with everyone the moment you meet them. You're asking where someone lives right off the bat. Still, since Wang Yuan had asked, there was no need to deliberately hide it. If he truly had other intentions, he could find out even if Lin Qing said nothing. So he replied:

"I live in Old Well Alley, over by Eternal Peace Street. What about you, Wang Yuan?" He returned the question out of courtesy.

Wang Yuan leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"I live at Drifting Cloud Martial Academy. My father is the master of Drifting Cloud Martial Academy."

Lin Qing could not help being taken aback. No, brother, are you all right? He asked:

"Drifting Cloud Martial Academy? Then why did you come to Bedrock Martial Academy to study martial arts?"

Drifting Cloud Martial Academy was also a renowned martial academy in the city. Like Bedrock Martial Academy, it was one of the county town's four great martial academies. As the academy master's son, Wang Yuan could clearly have received more attentive instruction at his own academy, so why had he come running to Bedrock Martial Academy?

At this, Wang Yuan's face reddened slightly. He said with some embarrassment:

"My father personally taught me the Drifting Cloud Stance Art for three months. After I got started, my progress was extremely slow. Father said I might not be suited for Drifting Cloud Martial Academy's nimble path, so he sent me to Bedrock Martial Academy to try."

Lin Qing gave him a careful once-over. He found himself somewhat agreeing with Wang Yuan's father. Wang Yuan had the build of a large-boned man; perhaps coming to Bedrock Martial Academy really was the better choice.

But Lin Qing still had doubts and could not help asking:

"But the stance arts of different martial academies are the foundations upon which those academies stand. By accepting you into Bedrock Martial Academy, isn't Academy Master Shi worried that the core stance art might be leaked?"

If they casually accepted disciples from other martial academies, would that not pose a great risk of their art's secrets being exposed?

Wang Yuan looked at Lin Qing as if he were an idiot. Lowering his voice, he whispered:

"Stance arts aren't taught to just one or two people with the instruction not to spread them around. Over the years, which martial academy hasn't had hundreds or thousands of people come to learn? Keeping them secret is simply impossible. In fact, you can buy the stance arts of every major martial academy in the Black Market."

Lin Qing's spirits rose. This was good news for him. Once he ground the Bedrock Stance Art to completion, he would no longer need to practice it himself every day. When the time came, practicing the stance arts of other martial academies might be a good choice.

So the martial arts of the martial world—especially those widely taught to many disciples—were not as precious as Lin Qing had imagined.

Wang Yuan truly had the sort of personality that became familiar with anyone at first sight. Seeing that Lin Qing was willing to listen, he launched into an endless stream of amusing stories about the various martial academies in the city, showing no awkwardness at all despite having only just arrived.

Lin Qing listened quietly, responding once or twice now and then. As he rested his body, he also committed much of the information Wang Yuan shared to heart.

After several more rounds of practice, the morning's unified cultivation session came to an end. After eating the high-energy lunch provided by the martial academy, the afternoon was generally free to arrange as they wished.

Some needed to go earn money. Some continued practicing stance arts at the martial academy in the afternoon. Others practiced fist techniques, kicking techniques, or weapon arts.

Lin Qing, meanwhile, returned home and continued practicing the Harmonious Essence-Nourishing Art. There were still some things about the system panel that he had not figured out.