The next day.
Night ended, dawn broke, and the morning light gradually appeared.
Lian Youming sat cross-legged on the rooftop, gazing at the rosy clouds in the distance. A divine radiance flowed through his eyes as he breathed his inner breath in and out. As his aura expanded and contracted, even the pores all over his body continually opened and closed, and his clothes drew in and billowed out. These extraordinary changes were visible even to the naked eye.
His Elixir Skill had begun to mature.
Viewed from a distance, the once-rough skin of Lian Youming's cheeks had, at some point, become smooth and fine, cold and white as jade. Yet as he breathed in and out, a faint purple hue spread beneath his skin, and the little mole between his brows was as red as blood.
Only when the rising sun pierced the rosy clouds did he close his eyes, swallowing the breath in his mouth along with his saliva down his throat.
Everything returned to calm.
Back at the Martial Arts Arena, Lian Youming saw Xie Ruomei, Xu Baishi, and two other Baji Sect disciples practicing their stances.
Stance training was Stake Work.
Unlike an anomaly such as Lian Youming, who strengthened himself through nourishment, ordinary martial artists placed Stake Work above all else. Its purpose was to strengthen the blood and qi, loosen the tendons, open the channels, and lay a foundation.
A stance was not dead, but alive.
Still outside and moving within, drawing inner breath in and out-although the body appeared steady and motionless, changes gradually arose in its smallest parts, like ripples becoming great waves, growing ever more intense. The Horse Stance was the same; it was the most elementary form of Stake Work.
Simply holding a pose would not develop any ability.
Standing