Cultivating Both Within and Without

Over the course of a month, he took advantage of being Wang Tianlei's little brother-in-law and a tiny sprout of barely three. Naturally, Wang Tianlei had no reason to be on guard. In fact, Wang Tianlei had no intention of hiding anything, for his own understanding of martial arts was shallow; he knew only a few basic facts.

For Goudanzi, those basic facts were enough.

This was a world of martial arts.

Still, it differed in many ways from the martial arts novels he had read before.

The martial arts here emphasized cultivating both within and without. Things like eating a fruit and gaining centuries of cultivation, as happened in novels, were impossible. Even if such a miraculous treasure truly existed between heaven and earth, the only result of a child eating it would be to burst like a balloon-with a boom, the child would become a cloud of blood and flesh and vanish from the world.

Wang Tianlei knew martial arts, which he had learned in the army. The fellow had been conscripted at fifteen and taught the martial arts of Great Jin's military. As in other countries, however, the martial arts taught in the army were the most basic, but also the most practical.

For Goudanzi at this stage, the greatest benefit Wang Tianlei offered was not his martial arts but his knowledge of the world. Born in this isolated mountain village, what Goudanzi lacked most was detailed information about the world around him.

Wang Tianlei, who had spent several years away as a soldier, brought him a wealth of detailed information. Although the martial arts he had learned were only the most basic, his three years in the army had made him the most worldly person in this little mountain village.

It was much the same as in Goudanzi's previous life: in remote mountain villages in the west, the people with the broadest knowledge of the world were often veterans who had returned after being discharged.

People serving in the army came from every corner of the land and every walk of life, so the news they brought was equally varied. Some of it was rather far-fetched, but Wang Tianlei still knew plenty of basic facts about this world, such as its basic geography, the current emperor's name, the name of the army he had served in, and the martial arts he practiced.

Great Strength Vajra Qigong, Bear Demon Fist, Nine Forms of the War Saber, and Thousand-Army-Breaking Fist.

Great Strength Vajra Qigong was the most basic method of internal cultivation and could produce internal energy. Combined with Nine Forms of the War Saber and Thousand-Army-Breaking Fist, it had considerable power and was ideally suited to the battlefield. Bear Demon Fist, meanwhile, focused on Skin Training.

"Within, cultivate a breath of qi; without, temper sinews, bones, and skin." These were the two most widespread sayings in the martial world, as well as its most fundamental principles.

The martial arts of this world emphasized cultivating both within and without. Internal and external training were equally important. Internal training proceeded from the inside out, while external training followed the opposite course, from the outside in. Neither could be neglected.

Practicing external arts without internal arts tempered only a layer of skin. Practicing internal arts without external arts ultimately produced only a little rudimentary Internal Energy, with no other practical use.

Internal Energy and external training had to be honed in harmony; neither could be neglected.

Internal Energy was cultivated through internal arts, such as Great Strength Vajra Qigong. External training relied on fist techniques, such as Bear Demon Fist. Like Great Strength Vajra Qigong, Bear Demon Fist was a standard martial art of Great Jin's army.

Of course, internal arts and fist techniques were only the most basic elements. Actual cultivation was far more complicated.

Take external training, for example. Besides having a fist technique, anyone who wanted even modest success needed large quantities of medicinal ingredients to cleanse and temper their sinews and bones. These ingredients were all precious, far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even if someone obtained them, they would not know the formulas for the various cleansing decoctions. All of these were closely guarded secrets held by powerful aristocratic clans and great sects.

Besides those powerful aristocratic clans and great sects, this world also had countless small and medium-sized sects, as numerous as hairs on an ox. They, too, possessed fist techniques, internal arts, medicinal formulas, and the like, but theirs were commonplace goods. Practicing them was enough to travel the martial world,

But truly crossing the threshold into mastery was no easy matter.

For him at present, however, it was enough.

His tiny sprout of a brother-in-law showed an enthusiasm for martial arts that completely surprised Wang Tianlei. Still, he gave it little thought. Who would suspect a little child of three or four?

Besides, to please his new wife, he spared no effort in teaching her little brother. He poured out everything he knew to demonstrate his generosity. In truth, as far as he was concerned, what ability could a three-year-old brat possibly have to learn everything he taught?

Goudanzi learned it all.

After a month of practicing fist techniques and internal arts under Wang Tianlei, he developed a sense of qi and perceived the meridians within his body. He was only just three, after all, an age ideally suited to laying a foundation and cultivating internal breath. At his age, the wisp of innate qi brought with him from his mother's womb had not yet completely dispersed, and his sensitivity to the vital energy of heaven and earth was still relatively high. With the addition of his soul from another world and the memories of his previous life, he easily crossed the first hurdle in cultivating Internal Energy: gathering qi and developing a sense of it.

Once he had cleared the first hurdle, the rest of his cultivation was a matter of proceeding step by step.

That was true, but he could not cultivate recklessly, for he was too young and his body had yet to fully develop. Generally speaking, children born into great aristocratic clans began practicing internal arts at two or three to establish a foundation. Only at seven or eight would they begin practicing fist techniques, starting with Skin Training before progressing to Bone Tempering and Sinew Transformation techniques. Throughout their training, medicinal decoctions were also needed to cleanse the entire body. Wang Tianlei had mentioned this in passing, and Goudanzi had committed it firmly to memory.

Of course, aside from a few basic Skin Training fist techniques, Bone Tempering and Sinew Transformation arts were closely guarded secrets of various sects. Ordinary people could forget about practicing them. Someone of Goudanzi's background had no hope of learning them without an extraordinary opportunity.

But he still had Tai Chi Fist.

Goudanzi had been born in the new era and raised beneath the red flag. In his previous life, he had been a member of the glorious ranks of civil servants. As the saying went, whatever those above favored, those below would flock to. Back then, his division chief had been in his late fifties, nearly sixty. After a lifetime of work with few hobbies, he had taken a liking to Tai Chi Fist in his old age.

But Tai Chi Fist was not something one could simply pick up at will. To practice it properly, finding an instructor was naturally the best option, and instructors cost money. Still, the man was a division chief, wasn't he? He had his ways. He actually coaxed the bureau director into hiring an instructor in the office's name and setting up a Tai Chi Fist interest class. Everyone even received a tracksuit.

Although few people in the office were interested, quite a few still signed up. If nothing else, getting a set of Adidas gear was worthwhile.

Wang Bo, who was Goudanzi in his previous life, had been one of them. Unlike those who fished for three days and dried their nets for two, he attended every day. Not only did he attend every day, he also studied diligently. In a few months, he had not only mastered the basic framework of Tai Chi Fist, but could also reel off its mnemonic verses, key points, precautions, and even its various schools and their strengths and weaknesses as though counting treasures in his own home!

It was not that he was genuinely interested in it. He was only currying favor.