Grasping the Feel of the Stance, a Gluttonous Little Snake (Congratulations to Alliance Leader Echoes of Astra!)

Seven days passed in a flash.

Early that morning, Lu Sui lifted his camel-down quilt and saw a tall "tent" pitched over his lower body.

"Fortifying myself with medicinal meals every day and diligently practicing Turtle-Breathing Tuna finally freed me from that sickly weakness."

Reestablishing contact with his own "little brother" was proof enough.

During those first few days after he woke, his body had been so severely depleted that the thing had been utterly lifeless.

It had left Lu Sui faintly worried.

Fortunately, Turtle-Snake Stance lived up to its reputation as a health-nurturing art. In less than half a month, it had transformed a withered body that had spent half a year bedridden.

"Looking lively!"

Lu Sui offered a word of praise, closed his eyes, and sent his consciousness into the ancient temple.

Within the illuminated shrine, the little turtle with its ink-black shell had grown ever more lively. It slowly crawled to his feet.

"Little turtle, you deserve much of the credit for where I am today."

Lu Sui dangled an empty promise:

"Once I achieve mastery in martial arts and gain power that reaches heaven and earth, I'll reward you handsomely."

Whether the little turtle understood was anyone's guess. Its plump claws scrabbled at its master's trouser leg.

Lu Sui bent down and lifted it into his palm.

As the stick of white incense neared its end, the little turtle's phantom form grew increasingly solid.

Lighting a stick of incense means initial attainment; burning through a third means minor mastery; once it burns out, that should mean major mastery?

Lu Sui pondered. Practicing the common-grade Turtle-Snake Stance had not been slow, and he had not even encountered any bottlenecks.

As for why, it was mainly his own extraordinary martial talent, which accounted for ninety percent. The little turtle's diligence could probably make up the remaining ten percent.

The breathing method is almost at its limit. Time to ask Uncle Wen for Spirit Snake Circulating Qi.

Lu Sui felt that without adding a little snake, it would be difficult to perfect this health-nurturing art.

"Young Master, you're saying you've achieved major mastery in Turtle-Breathing Tuna and are ready to try Spirit Snake Circulating Qi?"

Dou Xiaowen braced both hands on his rattan chair and looked at Lu Sui standing before him.

For the first time, he felt old.

Was Turtle-Snake Stance really so easy to learn?

Had he truly been dull-witted and slow to grasp things back then?

Otherwise, why had he needed such tremendous effort just to cross the threshold?

And why had he persisted for twenty years, only to remain at minor mastery?

Compared with the young master's progress, his was simply mud beneath the clouds!

"My father often taught me that the slow bird must fly first, and diligence can make up for clumsiness. Put in the hard work, and you'll gain something."

Lu Sui rattled off the familiar sayings:

"He was absolutely right! I practiced the breathing method a few extra times every day, and slowly reached major mastery.

"Perhaps this is what they mean when they say Heaven never lets down those who strive."

The corners of Dou Xiaowen's mouth twitched. He nearly spat out two mouthfuls of old blood.

Listen to that. Is that something a human would say?

Practicing martial arts isn't working an abacus, where flicking the beads a few more times makes you proficient!

"Young Master, you're a born martial talent, gifted and intelligent. Learning nurturing methods yields twice the results for half the effort."

With an outer robe draped over his shoulders, Dou Xiaowen slowly rose and instructed Heiwa beside him:

"Fetch a stool and a ball."

Heiwa seemed a little distracted. He stared blankly for a few breaths before responding with repeated nods:

"Oh, all right! Master Dou!"

Dou Xiaowen circled Lu Sui twice.

"Young Master, give me your hand."

Lu Sui complied.

Like an old collector appraising an antique, Dou Xiaowen first pinched Lu Sui's wrist bones.

Then he pressed his shoulders twice before sliding down his spine and stopping against his lower back.

Surely Uncle Wen isn't so petty that he's deliberately getting back at me?

Dou Xiaowen's powerful hands tightened like vises, squeezing Lu Sui painfully.

"Young Master, your sinews are somewhat lacking, probably from too little exercise. Your bones are well formed, with something of a wasp waist and mantis legs."

After giving his assessment, Dou Xiaowen explained:

"In the martial trade, before anyone practices or trains a stance, we have to examine their sinews and bones.

"If their sinews are strong and resilient and their skin and membranes thick, they're suited to external arts.

"If their bones are better aligned, they should start with internal refinement, practicing stances often to invigorate the blood and nourish Qi."

With that, Dou Xiaowen pointed at Heiwa as he ran over:

"This lad has several sturdy major tendons, so I taught him Subduing Tiger Stance. After lifting stone locks, he goes to the sandpit and takes seven or eight tumbles. Naturally, his skills improve quickly."

Understanding dawned on Lu Sui. No wonder everyone said a master had to lead you through the door of the martial trade.

Without guidance, fumbling around blindly was a waste of time, however long you spent at it.

"Young Master, sit."

Dou Xiaowen had Lu Sui sit on the tall stool, then hooked its leg with his foot and yanked it away.

"Uncle Wen..."

Lu Sui had not yet seated himself firmly. This sudden move nearly sent him falling.

Fortunately, his diligent practice of Turtle-Breathing Tuna had steadied his breathing. He hurriedly held his breath, drew up a breath of Qi, and poured it into his legs, avoiding a public embarrassment.

"Don't take offense, Young Master. You can't stand stiffly when practicing a stance, or you'll turn into a block of wood. You need to find the feeling of an empty, nimble crown pressing upward."

Approval showed on Dou Xiaowen's face. It seemed Lu Sui's legs had suffered no lasting damage from his illness. Even caught off guard, he could firmly root himself in a horse stance.

"Your lower back must neither sag nor arch. Imagine there's a stool under your backside, but don't touch it. This is how you exert strength through the waist and hips."

Lu Sui listened while clenching his teeth, afraid the breath in his chest and belly would escape.

There was no denying that Dou Xiaowen was an excellent teacher.

His direct demonstration taught more than a thousand words could.

"Very good. Hold that seated position, Young Master. Now grip this ball beneath your crotch. Hold it tight, and don't let it touch the ground."

Dou Xiaowen signaled for Heiwa to bring the wooden ball and tuck it beneath Lu Sui's crotch.

"Master Dou's drilling him so hard. How could the young master possibly hold out...?"

"Starting straight off with loosening the waist, settling the hips, rounding the crotch, and gripping a ball? The young master will probably be stuck in bed tomorrow, unable to get up!"

"The first time I practiced a stance like this, my legs went limp as noodles. It took three days of rest before I could walk..."

This time, Dou Xiaowen had not avoided the others in the courtyard. Stance training was no secret transmission; all the countless stances involved standing in the same way.

The only difference lay in the route that breath of Qi followed.

Half a quarter-hour later.

Dou Xiaowen took a puff from his pipe, watched Lu Sui's legs shake like chaff in a sieve, and asked:

"Young Master, can you still hold on?"

Sweat poured off Lu Sui in streams. The muscles and tendons of his thighs were aching, numb, hot, and swollen.

It reminded him of being punished by a drill instructor during military training, frog-jumping around the field.

"Yes..."

Lu Sui squeezed the word through his teeth.

He could feel the breath of Qi coiled three inches below his navel charging about like a wild horse that had broken its reins.

He could not maintain the slow rhythm of Turtle-Breathing Tuna at all.

"Young Master, stance training is an active practice, unlike the still practice of breathing.

"The latter circulates Qi; the former requires exerting force."

Dou Xiaowen spoke unhurriedly:

"That's why Turtle-Breathing Tuna must be slow, so you can store up enough Qi. But Spirit Snake Circulating Qi places its emphasis on 'circulating.'"

"Have you seen a snake pass through the grass, Young Master? It moves low against the ground, swift as flight..."

Dou Xiaowen rambled on for another half a quarter-hour. Only when Lu Sui's face had flushed red and he was nearing his limit did he prepare to help "smooth out his Qi."

For apprentices formally accepted into the martial trade who wanted to quickly find the "feel of the stance" and achieve results,

the best method was for their master to personally guide the Qi's route around their body. Two or three sessions would produce results.

"Hm?"

Dou Xiaowen brought two fingers together and was about to act, only to stop.

His aged face filled with astonishment!

I haven't taught him the crucial part yet. How does the young master already know it?

[Seeing that you have grasped the essence of stance training, Turtle-Snake Stance experiences enlightenment like clarified butter poured over the crown!]

[Spirit Snake Circulating Qi comprehended...]

Strength comes from Qi; Qi moves like a snake...

Countless images flashed before Lu Sui's eyes. It was as though hundreds upon thousands of him were practicing stances at once, through wind and snow, through winter's cold and summer's heat, accumulating progress day after day.

First through the legs to steady the lower body, then around the waist and hips, as though embracing, as though coiling, making the frame firm rather than loose... So many details, so many tricks.

Lu Sui adjusted his posture. His soles lay flat, their centers slightly hollow, all ten toes lightly gripping as though he stood barefoot in mud.

It felt as though a thread were lifting the crown of his head, and he gradually found the meaning of that "empty, nimble crown pressing upward."

Then he let his Qi travel and his blood surge, smoothing away the earlier aching, numbness, swelling, and heat.

The longer he stood, the more relaxed and comfortable he became!

Does reason even apply anymore?

Dou Xiaowen's mouth fell open. Though he had weathered many storms, Lu Sui's martial talent still stunned him.

Martial training shouldn't be like this. You're supposed to train through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, seek guidance from a skilled master, and struggle to comprehend the key principles...

Could it be that the young master's past reluctance to practice martial arts was actually him hiding his abilities?

Lu Yulin's question surfaced in Dou Xiaowen's mind.

-Was Zhan'ao cut out to enter the martial trade and become a great master?

More than merely cut out for it-he's practically the Martial Star, with Heaven chasing after him to spoon-feed him!

So this is a mind that's had schooling? It works far too well!

Heiwa was dumbstruck.

The last time he had seen the young master discard his crutches and walk over, he had merely thought Doctor Lu's medical skills were superb and the Lu Family's medicines precious. It had not struck him so deeply.

But this time was different. Outsiders watched the spectacle; only insiders could see the workings.

Heiwa had practiced stances himself and knew better than anyone how difficult they were.

Finding the feel of a stance required grueling endurance. Only by repeatedly standing until your legs went weak and your head spun could you slowly find it.

I slogged through two months and took more than a dozen knocks on the head from Master Dou's pipe before I even touched the edge of it.

Heiwa stood rooted to the spot, his throat dry.

The young master had actually grasped the feel of the stance in just a quarter-hour!

So the gulf between one person and another really could be as vast as heaven and earth!

Lu Sui was wholly focused, completely unaware of the changing expressions around the courtyard.

That thumb-thick breath of Qi traveled throughout his body, threading through his sinews and bones and nourishing his flesh and blood, bringing him a measure of comfort.

At the same time, a great bell rang beside his ears. Words flickered into view, quietly rising from the depths of his vision.

[Turtle-Snake Stance (common)]

[Aptitude: high grade]

[Imprints: Diligence Rewarded, Gluttony]

Another "imprint."

With a thought, Lu Sui arrived at the ancient temple.

From within the illuminated shrine, a palm-sized little snake swiftly darted out.

"Gluttony? Looks like a greedy little green snake."

Lu Sui looked at the little snake, tender green all over, with a round head and watery little eyes like black beans.

It darted over, raised its head, and hissed at him.

It rather looked as though it were begging for food.