After breaking through in the Tiger-Crouching Stance, Mo Yun continued cultivating.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. As the sky gradually brightened, Xiao Liu and the others arrived one after another.
Commander Li then arrived on time and instructed everyone as usual.
"Today, we'll mainly practice Stance Training. Come closer, you lot. I have something to say!"
Commander Li's voice thundered, drawing Mo Yun and the others over.
He gave them a general rundown of the problems they often encountered, then let them practice on their own.
"Whew-"
Slowly exhaling a stale breath, Commander Li stepped aside and carefully observed them, ready to give individual guidance whenever he spotted a problem.
Before long, however, he froze for a moment. His gaze landed squarely on Mo Yun, a hint of astonishment mingling with his confusion.
"Something's off. There's something very different about this fellow today..."
Commander Li noticed that although Mo Yun had yet to begin the Tiger-Crouching Stance, his entire bearing had changed. He seemed steady as a mountain, yet beneath that composure lurked a chilling killing intent, like a fierce tiger waiting to strike.
Seemingly struck by a thought, he drew a deep breath and beckoned to Mo Yun. "Little Mo, come here."
Hearing him, Mo Yun stopped what he was doing and walked over.
"Show me your stance," Commander Li said in a low voice, his expression unusually serious.
Mo Yun nodded, stepped back twice, and assumed the Tiger-Crouching Stance.
A moment later, Commander Li's pupils abruptly contracted.
"Th-this is..."
He sucked in a sharp breath, staring at Mo Yun in utter disbelief.
Mo Yun's feet were rooted to the ground, his shoulders lowered and elbows sunk, his chest drawn in and back extended. His entire body resembled a mountain, steady and imposing.
More importantly, the qi and blood within him were slowly circulating. His five viscera and six bowels were linked and pulled by Force Energy, producing deep, muffled sounds that seemed to carry the faintest echo of a tiger's roar!
"Your Tiger-Crouching Stance... you've already reached the introductory level?!"
Commander Li was completely dumbfounded, wondering whether he was dreaming.
"Am I dreaming?"
How long had it even been?
Quickly grasping a fist technique through comprehension was one thing, but how could this boy be progressing so quickly in Stance Training too?
After all, breakthroughs in Stance Training depended heavily on Bone Root and resources, not just comprehension!
Although Mo Yun's comprehension was peerless, his Bone Root was only slightly below average, and he hardly had abundant resources. How could he possibly have broken through in Stance Training so quickly?
"H-how did you do it?" Commander Li's eyes widened, and even his voice changed pitch.
Mo Yun scratched his head and answered earnestly, "Hard work. Desperately hard work!"
Commander Li: "..."
Commander Li shot Mo Yun an exasperated look and chided him with a laugh. "Who asked you that? I mean, given your Bone Root, you shouldn't have been able to reach the introductory level of the Tiger-Crouching Stance this quickly..."
Mo Yun considered it carefully before saying, "It must be because the Foundation-Nourishing Pills work so well. After taking them these past few days, my hearing and vision have sharpened, my mind feels clear and refreshed, and I'm brimming with strength!
"My Stance Training has been progressing a thousand miles a day. This morning, a sudden insight struck me, and before I knew it, I'd broken through. Thank you to the Mountain Manor for nurturing me!"
Commander Li: "?"
After a pause, Mo Yun continued:
"Come to think of it, I have you to thank as well, Commander Li. Ever since I went to the Spirit Herb Garden, I've been able to free up almost half my day for cultivation. That, combined with the effects of the Foundation-Nourishing Pills and Qi-Blood Pills, was what let me break through in Stance Training so quickly."
Hearing Mo Yun's words, Commander Li drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart.
Commander Li paid that no mind, because he had already caught the crucial details!
"Foundation-Nourishing Pills, a sudden insight, an immediate breakthrough!
"So that's it. So that's it!
"A prodigy, a true Martial Dao prodigy!"
"No, you're not a prodigy. You're a monster!"
The more Commander Li thought about it, the more excited he became, until the smile on his face was practically overflowing.
"What's gotten into you?" Mo Yun scratched his head as he watched Commander Li muttering under his breath.
Commander Li came back to his senses and calmed himself before saying, "Young Mo, what happened to you must have been sudden enlightenment!"
"Sudden enlightenment?" Mo Yun was a little bewildered.
So Commander Li thought I'd experienced sudden enlightenment?
On second thought, Mo Yun found that perfectly reasonable.
Adding points through the panel poured insight into me, like wisdom being poured straight into my crown. How did that not count as a kind of sudden enlightenment?
Commander Li gave Mo Yun's shoulder a heavy pat.
"Yes, sudden enlightenment! When you cultivate after taking a Foundation-Nourishing Pill, there is indeed a chance of entering that state. In that instant, it feels as though you've entered the Inner Landscape described in the ancient texts. Amid mottled, flowing light, months or even years pass in a single moment. It's like wisdom being poured into your crown, and your cultivation soars!"
Commander Li grew more animated as he spoke, spittle flying. "But it's far too rare. You might not find even one person in ten thousand who can do it!
"Little Mo, the fact that you achieved sudden enlightenment means your Martial Dao potential is truly limitless. You're blessed with tremendous fortune, born to practice martial arts!"
"Right, Young Mo, when you broke through, was it like what I just described? Did it feel as though you were in a mysterious space, with months or even years passing in an instant amid mottled, flowing light? Were you constantly cultivating during that time, as if in a dream, and then your cultivation rose when you woke up?"
Hearing this, Mo Yun nodded vigorously without hesitation. "Yes, that's exactly it. Exactly as you just described!"
Seeing Mo Yun nod, Commander Li became so excited that his sturdy, iron-tower-like frame trembled slightly, as though he were the one who had experienced sudden enlightenment.
Soon, something seemed to occur to him, and he hurriedly added, "Young Mo, wait here. I'll report this to the Village Master right away!"
With that, he turned and left, striding off like a shooting star, wishing he could fly straight to the Village Master.
Mo Yun: "..."
Watching Commander Li's retreating figure, Mo Yun took a while to recover.
"Sudden enlightenment it is, then." He had been wondering what excuse he could invent to explain his progress in Stance Training, only for Commander Li to come up with an explanation all on his own.
His rapid progress in Stance Training was difficult to explain. He had originally planned to go through the motions for the next few days, only revealing it when the deadline approached.
He had not expected that the moment he broke through, he would gain an imposing aura he could not conceal right away, allowing Commander Li to notice it easily.
"Sudden enlightenment works nicely. Saves me having to make something up." Mo Yun grinned, his expression relaxing.
Suddenly, he felt a chill at his back. Frowning, he turned toward Xiao Liu and the others, only to find them staring at him with peculiar looks.
"Old Mo..."
Xiao Liu was the first to break the silence. Swallowing, he asked in a trembling voice, "You wouldn't happen to be the reincarnation of some Martial Saint, would you?"
After giving it serious thought, Mo Yun shook his head and said solemnly:
"What reincarnated Martial Saint? What shortcuts could there possibly be in martial arts? Everything I've achieved today came entirely from my own tireless hard work, the blood and sweat I shed every day, and my heaven-reaching wisdom!"
Xiao Liu: "..."
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