Jiang Fa shook his head.
He only knew that the Mountain-Breaking Stance was the Zhao Clan Martial Hall's signature cultivation technique, a mid Yellow Grade art. He had never heard anyone speak of its origins.
Zhao Zhong set down his tea bowl and gazed out the window, seemingly recalling something from the distant past.
"I didn't create the Mountain-Breaking Stance. Thirty years ago, I was an outer disciple of the Earth Xuan Sect in Qingyang Prefecture."
Something stirred faintly in Jiang Fa's heart at his words.
"The Earth Xuan Sect is one of Qingyang Prefecture's three great sects. Its foundations run deep, far beyond anything these little martial halls in Qingshan County can compare to."
Zhao Zhong's voice grew low, his tone carrying a measure of nostalgia and complicated feelings that were hard to conceal.
"When I cultivated in the Earth Xuan Sect, my aptitude and innate talent weren't outstanding, but I was diligent and hardworking."
"Later, because of certain matters, I left the Earth Xuan Sect, returned to Qingshan County, and founded the Zhao Clan Martial Hall."
When he said "certain matters," his voice noticeably paused. A barely perceptible shadow flashed through his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
"The Mountain-Breaking Stance is a cultivation technique practiced by the Earth Xuan Sect's outer disciples," Zhao Zhong explained.
Jiang Fa froze.
Something outer disciples practiced?
"Surprised?" Zhao Zhong smiled faintly at Jiang Fa's expression. "It's a long story, involving some old events from your master's past. Now isn't the time to tell you. All you need to know is where the Mountain-Breaking Stance came from."
He rose and walked to the center of the Teaching Hall, set his feet shoulder-width apart, lowered his waist and settled his hips, assuming a textbook opening posture of the Mountain-Breaking Stance.
"Of the Mountain-Breaking Stance's first two layers, the first trains sinking Jin, and the second trains lifting Jin. Both are foundations, preparations for the third layer."
He said in a deep voice:
"What the third layer trains is penetrating Jin."
Jiang Fa sat upright on the cushion, his gaze fixed intently on Zhao Zhong's every movement.
"Now that you've entered An Jin, you should already have experienced the subtle uses of penetrating Jin."
Zhao Zhong slowly raised his right palm, facing it toward Jiang Fa.
"The hallmark of An Jin is force that penetrates the bones. One palm strike leaves the skin unharmed while shattering everything within.
But that is its crudest application."
He suddenly turned and fetched a piece of bluestone from outside.
The bluestone was a full four inches thick and quite heavy.
"True penetrating Jin isn't as simple as shattering a stone with one palm strike."
Zhao Zhong gently placed his right palm against the stone's face, his movement as delicate as if he were stroking a piece of fragile porcelain.
"Penetrating Jin has three realms."
"The first is penetrating the skin and entering the flesh. This is something you can do upon first achieving An Jin. The force passes through skin and flesh, reaching straight into the sinews and bones. If an ordinary person takes this palm strike, their skin won't break and no blood will flow, but their insides will already have been smashed into pulp."
His palm trembled slightly. The bluestone did not budge, yet fine cracks silently appeared on its surface, spreading outward from beneath his palm in a dense spiderweb.
"The second is penetrating the bones and entering the marrow."
Zhao Zhong's voice grew weightier, and the force in his palm deepened another degree.
This time, a faint cracking came from inside the bluestone, as though an enormous invisible hand were slowly crushing it from within.
The cracks on the surface did not multiply, but they became several times deeper, extending from the surface all the way into its depths.
"In this realm, the force penetrates the bones and reaches straight into the marrow. The victim feels nothing at the time, but three to five days later, their marrow dies. Even immortals cannot save them."
Jiang Fa's heart chilled slightly as he listened.
He had only broken through to An Jin yesterday and could barely execute the first realm of penetrating Jin. As for the second, he was still far from it.
"The third realm..."
Zhao Zhong suddenly withdrew his palm and turned to look at Jiang Fa. "Transmitting force through objects."
Instead of striking the bluestone again, he walked to the weapon rack and took down a refined-steel saber.
Its blade gleamed like snow, its edge glinting with a cold light. It was a superior weapon forged from hundred-refined steel.
"Watch closely."
Zhao Zhong gripped the hilt in his left hand and held the blade horizontally before his chest. Curling his right index finger slightly, he flicked the blade gently.
Ding!
A clear metallic ring rang out.
Jiang Fa's eyes widened.
He saw it clearly: Zhao Zhong's finger struck the front face of the blade, yet a faint snap sounded from its back at the same instant. The dry stalk of grass resting on the saber's spine was jolted into two pieces by an invisible force.
"Transmitting force through objects."
Zhao Zhong returned the saber to the weapon rack and dusted off his hands, though there was no dust on them.
"This is a realm you can only master by cultivating the Mountain-Breaking Stance's third layer to perfection. The force penetrates weapons, ignores the protection of armor, and directly attacks your opponent's sinews, bones, and internal organs."
"The senior who created this cultivation technique once used this force to shatter an enemy's heart with a single palm strike through an iron shield three inches thick."
Jiang Fa drew a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.
Transmitting force through objects, killing without a trace.
This was what truly made An Jin terrifying.
"I'll only recite the formula for the Mountain-Breaking Stance's third layer once. Listen carefully."
Zhao Zhong returned to his grand armchair, closed his eyes, and slowly recited a formula.
The formula was short, just over a hundred words, but every line was obscure and difficult to understand, every word a pearl.
Jiang Fa held his breath and focused, engraving every word firmly in his mind.
When Zhao Zhong finished reciting the formula's final line,
the panel quietly appeared in his mind.
[Mountain-Breaking Stance (Mid Yellow Grade) · Third layer (0/1000)]
One thousand proficiency points.
A full twice as many as the second layer.
Jiang Fa smiled bitterly inwardly, but nothing unusual showed on his face.
"Have you memorized the formula?"
Zhao Zhong opened his eyes and asked.
"I have."
"Good." Zhao Zhong nodded. "Your master has a few more words of advice for you."
Jiang Fa immediately straightened and sat solemnly.
"Your entry into An Jin is cause for great celebration, but word of your exchange with Xie Tan on the training grounds just now has probably spread throughout the martial hall by this point."
Zhao Zhong said slowly, "Breaking through to An Jin within a year with inferior aptitude is far too astonishing. Though I admire your diligence, the tree that rises above the forest is sure to be battered by the wind. Keep as low a profile as you can from now on, and think three times before you act. Showing too sharp an edge will do you no good."
He walked back to the grand armchair and sat down again, his expression returning to its former stillness, like an ancient well without a ripple.
"All right, I've said everything I needed to. Go back and cultivate the Mountain-Breaking Stance's third layer diligently. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask your master at any time."
"Yes."
Jiang Fa rose, bowed deeply to Zhao Zhong, then turned and left the Teaching Hall.