Tathagata Fist Manual

Lin Qing's heart jolted. He looked more closely, and sure enough, it was a fist manual.

"The fist is not strength, but the movement of qi. Qi is not breath, but the manifestation of the heart. The Tathagata Fist Manual carries the Way through the fist and illuminates the heart through the Buddha..."

"It is not a weapon of conquest, but a boat of salvation. The fist rises like an autumn breeze brushing willows and falls like the autumn moon reflected in a pond..."

Lin Qing skimmed it quickly. This Buddha Statue was indeed what Yin Muhua was looking for.

He carried the statue into the woodshed, went out to buy paper and a brush, then swiftly copied the manual down.

As the statue cooled, the writing on it grew blurred. Lin Qing had to set it alight several times before he finished copying.

A new martial art immediately appeared on his panel: Tathagata Fist Manual (Incomplete).

Lin Qing buried the statue again, then began studying what he had copied.

It took him a full three hours to make some sense of it.

"The Tathagata Fist Manual is called the finest fist art of this age. It has methods for training and for fighting, but only the fighting methods are here. That's why it's incomplete."

"There are eighty-one moves in all. The first move alone has seventy-two variations. It's fiendishly complicated."

"Its blows are fierce and domineering, capable of shattering sinews and breaking bones. If I master Tathagata Force, my fists will strike like the great sun rising in the east, laying all Evil Spirits bare and melting them like snow and ice."

Lin Qing finished reading, delighted. From the description, this fist art really was powerful.

"A pity it only has the fighting methods, not the training methods. With those, I could cultivate Tathagata Force."

"Still, the fighting methods are worth having."

After some thought, Lin Qing decided to start practicing that night.

Before leaving home, Lin Qing told his parents,

"Dad, Mom, close the General Store for now. There have been sinister practitioners causing trouble lately. Best to lie low."

"We know, Ah Qing. Don't worry about us," Han Ying said.

"Ah Qing, what's so special about that Buddha Statue?" Lin Cheng asked, puzzled.

"Dad, don't ask. Knowing could get you killed. If you ever see a Buddha Statue like that again, don't touch it," Lin Qing said solemnly.

"All right. Don't worry, I won't!" Lin Cheng nodded, his expression grave. He understood how serious this was.

Lin Qing went out, turning the matter over in his mind. The statue could never be exposed. Even handing it over now would bring him terrible trouble; too much was tied to it.

Night fell.

In the courtyard of the Artisans' Office.

After the others had fallen asleep, Lin Qing went outside, found a deserted corner, and tried practicing the first move.

His stance was crooked, and he adjusted it again and again. A full hour passed before he barely grasped the first variation.

"This is too hard. Is this what a supreme fist art is like? The first variation alone has so many details. Mastering all seventy-two would be no easier than learning another martial art on the level of Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake."

"And that's only the first move. To get started, I'd have to master all eighty-one. That's like training eighty-one copies of Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake to Perfect Mastery."

"An ordinary person would need at least five to ten years to bring even a common martial art to Perfect Mastery. Multiply that by eighty-one, and they couldn't finish even if they did nothing but train."

"No wonder it's a supreme fist art. An ordinary person couldn't master it even with the manual in hand."

Lin Qing sighed.

Well, I'll keep at it. I have the Rebirth Record. If I get a chance to improve my martial arts talent someday, I won't have to worry about failing to master it.

He decided to devote an hour to the fist art every night.

With the Rebirth Record, he was all but certain to pass the assessment in five months. Spending one less hour on Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake would not hurt.

The next morning.

Lin Qing got up feeling tired for the first time in a long while.

He frowned. "Could it be because I practiced the Tathagata Fist Manual?"

"The Tathagata Fist Manual is too demanding. My body can't take it. I'll have to cut back my practice time."

"If I had enough supplements to replenish my blood and vitality, it wouldn't be this difficult."

"It all comes down to money."

In the depths of winter, heavy snow fell from the sky, as though a spring breeze had blown overnight and coaxed pear blossoms from a thousand trees.

The streets were empty. The occasional peddler or passerby hurried along with head bowed.

The Yinyuan Sect's sinister practitioners hung over the people like a dark cloud. Families scarcely dared go out even during the day.

In a teahouse at the entrance to Changping Street, several old men sipped tea and chatted.

"Did you hear? A lot of people died at Siping Pawnshop yesterday. They say the constables fought the Yinyuan Sect's sinister practitioners. It was a fierce battle."

"When will the last of those monsters finally die?"

"Ah, if heaven has eyes, let it take them soon."

Outside the city.

In the abandoned temple, Yin Muhua leaned against a weathered wall. Her gaze was vicious, her face pale.

"My lady, the latest news: the deputy envoy was captured. Cheng Yannian took him personally." A man in black hurried into the temple and lowered his voice.

"Cough, cough. Cheng Yannian, one day this old woman will grind your bones to dust!" Yin Muhua rasped.

"My lady, your injury?" The man in black looked at Yin Muhua's left arm. It was twisted out of shape, a jagged white shard of bone piercing the flesh, blood streaming down it.

"All thanks to that old devil Cheng Yannian." Yin Muhua stood. "We can't stay here. This old woman is badly wounded and needs time to recover. Keep searching for that Wooden Idol, and don't make a move unless you must."

"Yes."

Time flew. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

Under the moonlight.

Lin Qing was practicing Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake again.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Lin Qing twisted and darted, striking with fists and feet. The wind roared around him, and every powerful punch brought a humming rush through the air.

From the first move to the eighth, every posture was precise. One flowed into the next like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest pause or awkwardness.

At one point, he drove out a punch, and the proficiency shown for Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake on his panel rose to 40%, taking him from Beginner to Proficient.

"I've reached Proficient!"

Lin Qing murmured, delight flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, his body underwent a violent change. The thread of blood and vitality within him surged, coursing through him and transforming his physique.

He closed his eyes slightly. He could feel his strength growing, his flesh, sinews, and bones all becoming stronger.

About fifteen minutes later, the transformation ended. Lin Qing opened his eyes and slowly breathed out a cloud of clear vapor.

"Even without the Rebirth Record, I'm now a Bright Force Mid-Stage Martial Artist."

As he spoke, Lin Qing reached toward the stone millstone beside him, seized it, and lifted it easily with a sudden burst of strength.

"Not bad. I have at least fifteen hundred jin of strength in one arm now," Lin Qing thought.

The feeling reassured him. The Rebirth Record could grant him the strength of a late-stage Bright Force Martial Artist in an instant, but if he replaced that martial art in his equipment slot, the strength vanished and he became an ordinary man again.

Now this immense strength was entirely his. This was power that truly belonged to him.

"Next is Minor Mastery. I'll need to be able to break down and recombine each move at will while keeping everything smooth and natural."

"With the Rebirth Record, reaching Minor Mastery in two months shouldn't be difficult."

Lin Qing was confident. It had taken him three months to advance from Beginner to Proficient only because he had set aside some of his time to practice the Tathagata Fist Manual. He had now mastered its eleventh variation.

Progress was slow, but the rewards would be immense once he learned it. He had no intention of giving up.

"Lin Qing, come here!"

As he pondered this, Shen Lian's voice drifted from the north room.

Lin Qing hurried over and pushed the door open. Shen Lian sat languidly in a chair, looking him up and down.

"Well, well. You've gotten sturdier again. Looks like you reached Proficient."

"Nothing escapes your eyes, my lady. I just reached it," Lin Qing said respectfully.

"Proficient in three months. Not bad. I've seen you train day and night, as hard as anyone could. You deserve a reward!"

Shen Lian reached into the cabinet beside her, took out three bottles of Qi-Supplementing Pills, and slapped them onto the table with a smack.