After Zhao Zhong left, their eldest senior brother, Wang Shi, continued to instruct everyone in the Mountain-Breaking Fist in his stead.
Wang Shi stood with his arms folded, his gaze sweeping over all the disciples present like a hawk's.
At one side of the grounds, Chen Erniu stood alone in a corner, silently practicing the first move of the Mountain-Breaking Fist over and over.
His movements were slow, and he threw every punch with care. Fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead, but he showed no intention of stopping.
He practiced it again and again.
No one noticed him, and no one offered him guidance.
He simply stood there alone, silently, stubbornly throwing punches over and over.
Jiang Fa withdrew his gaze, recalling the treatment Qin Xuan received.
Sometimes, a difference in talent and innate constitution could be the difference between heaven and earth.
Sighing inwardly, Jiang Fa settled his mind.
He took a deep breath and slowly extended a punch, following the images in his mind.
The distant clamor gradually faded, leaving only the whistle of fists cutting through the air and Wang Shi's occasional scolding on the training grounds.
Toward evening, the people on the grounds gradually dispersed.
Jiang Fa withdrew his fists and stood still, his arms aching terribly.
He had practiced the Mountain-Breaking Fist dozens of times.
[Mountain-Breaking Fist (mid-grade Yellow tier) · beginner (8/200)]
The results are clear. Just one afternoon, and my progress has increased by eight points.
He looked at the numbers on the panel.
Jiang Fa thought to himself.
This was not hard to understand.
Martial techniques were unlike cultivation arts, which required stimulating blood and Qi and condensing force.
The slow progress of Jiang Fa's stance training was largely due to insufficient nourishment, which caused his blood and Qi to develop slowly.
Fist techniques, however, were purely a combination of skill and strength. As long as the movements were correct, practice made perfect, and progress naturally came quickly.
With the blessing of his [Heaven rewards diligence; success is certain] talent,
he improved almost every time he practiced the fist technique.
This was even the result of deliberately slowing his training to avoid attracting attention.
He was not Qin Xuan and had no Zhao Zhong behind him to back him up. If he stood out too much, there was no guarantee he would not invite jealousy and stir up further trouble.
For him, keeping a low profile was the safest course now.
From the looks of it, with enough medicinal herbs for nourishment, my progress in the Mountain-Breaking Stance should speed up considerably.
A thoughtful look appeared in Jiang Fa's eyes as he silently made calculations.
As the night deepened, he dragged his aching arms back to the room.
Li Tie and Wang Dahu had long since collapsed onto their beds in exhaustion, while Liu Wen had never returned after staying in the guest quarters for the first few days after joining the martial hall.
Jiang Fa brought back two coarse-grain flatbreads from the dining hall and placed them on the table.
"Want some?" he asked.
"Don't want to move..." Li Tie said weakly. "These arms aren't mine anymore."
Wang Dahu struggled to sit upright, grabbed a flatbread, and took a huge bite. "I've never been this tired in my life," he said indistinctly. "This is much worse than helping my parents farm back then."
"It'll probably only get harder! We've barely even started," Jiang Fa said helplessly.
Then he left the room, went to the well, drew a bucket of cold water, and poured it over his head.
The icy well water flowed down his neck, washing away the day's sweat and dispelling the sticky heat clinging to his body.
By the time he returned to the room, Li Tie's and Wang Dahu's snores were already rising and falling in turn.
Once they were sound asleep,
Jiang Fa sat cross-legged, his eyes lightly closed, and silently circulated the mental method for the first level of the Seven-Colored Glazed Glass Art in darkness so deep he could not see his hand before his face.
A gentle stream of Qi rose from his dantian and flowed slowly through his meridians, nourishing his flesh, sinews, bones, and every limb.
After an unknown length of time, Jiang Fa opened his eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air.
[Seven-Colored Glazed Glass Art (high-grade Heaven tier) · first level (33/1000)]
Only one point.
Jiang Fa smiled bitterly to himself.
He closed his eyes to sense his condition, but the changes in his body were also negligible.
A Heaven-tier cultivation art truly was not so easy to practice. Without medicinal assistance, relying solely on dogged practice made his progress pitifully slow.
At this rate, when would he ever break through the first level?
Jiang Fa leaned against the wall and gazed at the hazy moonlight outside the window, thoughts churning in his mind.
Thinking that a fair portion of the three-month period had already passed, he could not help growing agitated.
The Black Tiger Gang...
In the darkness, his brows knitted tightly as he reached a certain decision.
The next day, after the rooster's third crow, Jiang Fa rose early, before the sky had lightened.
After giving his face a quick wipe, he headed straight for the outer courtyard's training grounds.
Morning mist filled the air, which carried the damp scent of fresh grass.
Looking up, he saw Chen Erniu already standing in his usual spot, just as expected.
Jiang Fa did not disturb him. Following his usual habit, he walked to his familiar patch of open ground and began loosening his muscles and joints.
This morning, he planned to set aside stance training for the time being and practice a few more rounds of the fist technique.
He was gradually becoming proficient in the Mountain-Breaking Stance, and three or four double-hours of stance training each day would suffice. Further practice offered no benefit; without medicinal assistance, it would instead harm his body. All the remaining time could be devoted to practicing the Mountain-Breaking Fist.
He slowly assumed his fighting stance, throwing his punches extremely slowly as he strove for precise control over every move.
As he punched, he also adjusted his posture from time to time. Only when he felt that every part of his body was in the most suitable position did he slowly execute the second move.
Just as he finished his third round of the Mountain-Breaking Fist, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"You're throwing that punch wrong!"
Jiang Fa froze and turned his head. For once, Chen Erniu had come over to his side and was looking at him with a frown.
"What am I doing wrong?" Though somewhat taken aback, Jiang Fa still asked humbly for guidance.
Chen Erniu stepped forward, extended his right hand, and pressed down on Jiang Fa's shoulder. "Your shoulders are too tense when you punch. Power starts in your feet, passes through your waist and hips, reaches your arms, and finally comes out in your punch. When your shoulders tense up, the power gets cut off right here."
As he spoke, he demonstrated.
It was the same punch, but Chen Erniu's movements looked smoother and more natural, as though an invisible force rose from the soles of his feet, passed through his body, and finally gathered in his fist.
"Try again," Chen Erniu said.
Jiang Fa nodded and assumed his fighting stance again.
This time, he deliberately relaxed his shoulders, feeling the power travel all the way up from the soles of his feet.
The moment he threw his punch, he clearly felt that it was much smoother than before, and the wind from his fist was sharper as well.
"Much better." Chen Erniu showed a rare trace of a smile. "You have good comprehension."
"And those punches you threw earlier... you need to do them like this."
Chen Erniu demonstrated, pushing his right fist straight forward as his waist and hips exerted force in unison. The force rose from his heels, passed through his waist and hips into his arm, and finally burst from the face of his fist.
Jiang Fa copied his movements and practiced them a few times. Sure enough, the results were markedly different.
[Mountain-Breaking Fist (mid-grade Yellow tier) · beginner (12/200)]
This guidance had directly increased his proficiency by four points.
Jiang Fa thanked him sincerely. "Thank you for your guidance, senior brother."
Chen Erniu waved a hand. "No need to call me senior brother. I only arrived two months before you."
"Even one day earlier still makes you my senior brother."
Jiang Fa smiled. "Come to think of it, after all these days since I joined the hall, this is the first time you've spoken to me, senior brother."
Chen Erniu paused, then scratched his head.
"I'm not good with words by nature. It isn't that I dislike you; I was afraid of disturbing your training. As the saying goes, friendship between gentlemen is as light as water. Please don't take offense, junior brother."
Jiang Fa smiled and waved a hand.
Then he changed the subject. "May I ask how long you have left before your three-month assessment, senior brother?"
Chen Erniu's smile faded, his expression darkening. He sighed. "My assessment is in just a few days. Of the disciples who joined the hall with me, only a handful from well-off families are still holding on. The others gave up long ago and went off to find another livelihood."
That sigh held far too much.
There was helplessness, unwillingness, and perhaps even a trace of despair.
Looking at him, Jiang Fa could only offer reassurance. "No one in this courtyard can match your diligence, senior brother. Heaven rewards diligence; success is certain. You needn't be so pessimistic."
Chen Erniu gave a bitter smile. "Heaven rewards diligence? If only hard work really helped..."