Twelve Forms, Comprehending Hidden Strength!

Jia Qingshan's eyes went wide, and he could not help sucking in a breath of cosmic energy. "Hiss, you've reached Bright Strength already?"

"Thanks to the hall master's guidance." Wu Ming smiled faintly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have reached the Bright Strength realm so easily."

He was not merely being polite.

Although Jia Qingshan had not guided him many times, every piece of advice had struck precisely at a crucial point, saving him a great deal of time spent feeling his way through.

Without that, Wu Ming could not have entered the Bright Strength realm and fully integrated the strength of his entire body in just one day.

While exploring the changes in his body, he opened his status panel and checked his current attributes.

[Strength: 2764→3012 KG (Intermediate Warrior)]

[Spiritual Force: 3552→3690 KG (Intermediate Warrior)]

[Speed: 33→48 m/s (Intermediate Warrior)]

In merely two days, his strength naturally could not have undergone a dramatic leap.

But compared to the increase in strength, Wu Ming's speed had risen by a truly enormous margin!

Do not forget that the effect of Bright Strength was to unite the power of the entire body, and that entire body did not merely refer to arm strength. The same applied to leg strength!

Even though he had never specifically trained in running, Bright Strength's control over his body had greatly increased the power his legs could exert. His running speed might not have been extraordinarily fast, but it had definitely reached the standard level of Martial Artists in the same tier!

This was the greatest improvement Wu Ming had gained after entering Bright Strength.

Of course, he had not learned any movement techniques yet, so he was only fast in a straight line. If he encountered a close-quarters battle requiring maneuvering, then without Spiritual Force to assist him, he would still be a complete mess.

Therefore, when he reached the next stage, movement technique training would also have to be put on the agenda.

Jia Qingshan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. "Very good! Since you have entered Bright Strength, it is time to prepare for practical combat training. You must begin practicing both combat techniques and footwork."

"I will teach you the Xingyi Twelve Forms, a fist art that imitates the styles of various animals. Naturally, it includes footwork as well."

"Yes, Hall Master." Wu Ming nodded expectantly. At last, he could learn true combat fist techniques.

Although the stances he had practiced before were the foundation of Xingyi Quan, they were ultimately training methods. Their main purpose was to temper the body and control force, not to excel in actual combat.

Although the Five Elements Fist was a practical combat fist art, it was still fundamentally a framework. It needed the essence of the Twelve Forms added to it, or else it would be nothing more than an empty shell.

Over the following period, Jia Qingshan demonstrated the movements of the Twelve Forms for him. Wu Ming copied what he saw, and as he memorized the movements, his body instinctively began to practice them.

By the time Jia Qingshan finished demonstrating the set once, Wu Ming had also performed the entire sequence in a fairly convincing manner.

"You learn quickly enough, but you have yet to grasp the essence."

Jia Qingshan suppressed his surprise, his expression remaining calm as he instructed, "When practicing the Twelve Forms, do not focus only on the movements. You must comprehend the different methods by which force circulates in each form."

"For example, Dragon Form Fist has coiling as the core of its force. With the spine as the center, you use spiraling power to entangle your opponent."

"Then there is Tiger Form Fist. Remember just one word: pounce! Do you remember the intent of the Tiger-Subduing Stake? The instant you pounce, the force of your entire body must erupt."

"And Monkey Form emphasizes agility... Horse Form relies on crashing, while Harrier Form relies on drilling..."

He explained the characteristics of each of the Twelve Forms one by one. Relying on his powerful memory, Wu Ming committed them all to heart, silently digesting them before putting them into practice.

For the entire afternoon, he repeatedly practiced the Twelve Forms. At times, he pounced like a fierce tiger hunting prey; at others, he became a winding dragon wrapping around his target. He even used both hands and feet, flipping and leaping across the Plum Blossom Stakes like an agile monkey.

Yet even as evening approached, Wu Ming had failed to grasp the essence of any single form, much less incorporate them into the Five Elements Fist.

As the sky gradually darkened, he finally could not help asking, "Hall Master, I've already mastered the movements of the Twelve Forms to the point where I couldn't be more familiar with them. Why can't I comprehend the essence of even one?"

"That is normal, because you possess only the form, not the spirit."

Jia Qingshan smiled. "Xingyi Quan is fundamentally a fist art that imitates the habits of various animals, selecting their finest traits and integrating them into oneself. You have not even seen the creatures you are imitating. How could you possibly comprehend their spirit?"

Wu Ming fell into thought. "Hall Master, do you mean I need to observe wild animals hunting up close in order to comprehend their essence?"

"There is no need to make it so troublesome." Jia Qingshan laughed. "What era do you think this is? Who would still run over there in person? Xingyi Quan is not that mystical."

"You only need to watch recordings. The martial arts hall has recordings of all kinds of animals hunting, all in archived 4K quality. They will definitely make you feel as though you are there."

"Uh..." Wu Ming froze for a moment, unable to stop himself from inwardly complaining.

He had just been wondering where he would find so many animals to observe in this age of the RR Virus, when wild animals everywhere had either died or mutated.

Unexpectedly, the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall knew how to keep up with the times.

That made sense. Xingyi Quan had merely been created by ordinary people, so how could it be so miraculous? Observing the spirit of the animals was, at its core, simply watching their movements!

With 4K image quality, he could see every single hair on those animals clearly. How could he fail to see a few movements?

"Come on. There is a screening room on the first floor of the dormitory, specially prepared for situations like yours."

Jia Qingshan turned and headed down the mountain. "You still have two hours before lights-out. Study them carefully in there."

Wu Ming's spirits lifted, and he immediately followed.

It had to be said that the 4K video footage was indeed excellent. Wu Ming watched animal action films for a full two hours, only leaving the screening room reluctantly before the dormitory closed.

He already had some idea of how to comprehend the spirit of the Twelve Forms.

However, the dormitory building had already been locked, and there was no suitable place to practice. He could only give up for now and wait until daylight.

After returning to his room, Wu Ming began his daily cultivation as usual.

This time, his cells took a full hour and a half to become completely saturated.

This meant that after the Four Great Stances fused together, the effect of the Xingyi Guiding Art had increased threefold. His daily cultivation gains would reach an astonishing 160 kilograms!

At this pace, he would enter the Battle General level in at most one month.

Even without any resources to support him, by September, he would certainly reach the Advanced Battle General realm!

Wu Ming believed that such strength would ensure he no longer had to worry about his personal safety in the face of a Beast Tide. However, if he wished to influence the outcome and turn the tide of the battlefield, he still needed to keep improving.

"Keep working!" Wu Ming did not dwell on it. After completing three hours of meditation, he fell peacefully asleep.

The next day, Jia Qingshan once again witnessed what a true genius was.

His eyes were round with disbelief, his heart filled with confusion. They had both begun cultivating from scratch, so why had he failed to sense cosmic energy after two days of bitter practice, while Wu Ming had already grasped the essence of the Twelve Forms?

That was right. After observing the videos the previous night, Wu Ming's understanding of the spirit was already on the verge of breaking through.

From dawn onward, he repeatedly practiced his fist techniques, integrating the images in his mind into every move of the framework.

Once, twice, three times... Until the fifth repetition, the spirit of Dragon Form Fist finally became clear to him.

Though it was called Dragon Form, it was essentially based on a python. By watching a giant python coil around and crush its prey, Wu Ming comprehended Coiling Force!

Once the first bottleneck had been overcome, the remaining eleven forms could no longer trouble him. Even when he encountered questions, a little thought was enough to resolve them.

For the entire day, Wu Ming gradually mastered the remaining spirits and integrated them into the framework of the Five Elements Fist.

As he grasped more and more of those spirits, the crisp crackling sounds from his fist practice grew deeper and deeper, as though his force was no longer floating on the surface but sinking deep into his muscles and bones.

By dusk, he had finally comprehended the final spirit and fused them all together, perfectly combining them with the Five Elements Fist.

Bang!

The instant the Twelve Forms perfectly merged with the Five Elements Fist, Wu Ming suddenly threw a punch. The fist wind surged mightily, yet made no sound.

Hidden Strength had been achieved.