On the morning of the ninth day of the first lunar month, in a grove some ten li from the East Gate of Lu Town, beneath the rising sun, a tall, lean young man stood atop the crown of a snow-covered pine tree. Squinting at the distant morning sun, an unconscious smile hung at the corner of his lips. After several rounds of breathing exercises, he leaped down from the tree and began practicing a fist technique on the level snow, each movement meticulous and precise.
After finishing one set of punches, he did not pause. Instead, he immediately began another set nearly identical to the first. If a true martial arts master had examined them closely, they would have discovered that this latter set was simply the former set in reverse.
This young man was naturally Zhang Xiaohua, who was making his way toward Guo Village.
Ever since he had once again entered the realm of unity between man and heaven a few days ago and caught a glimpse of one corner of the laws of life and death within the Heavenly Dao, Zhang Xiaohua's cultivation seemed to have entered another realm. Yet when he carefully examined his inner cultivation, he found that he had merely taken a great step forward, not undergone the fundamental leap he had imagined. Still, Zhang Xiaohua understood clearly that he must have made tremendous progress in some aspect he did not yet comprehend—namely, in his usual cultivation through understanding the Heavenly Dao. Since he did not know what it was, but knew how to cultivate, that was enough.
On the other hand, the wandering cat's death had pointed out the direction for upgrading the Big Dipper Divine Fist. Thus, while continuing to comprehend the deeper Heavenly Dao, Zhang Xiaohua also turned his thoughts