Gang-Breaking Fist (minor mastery 470...510...550...630/800). Gale Leg (minor mastery 0...40...80...160/800).
The two martial techniques were rapidly approaching minor mastery, and the feeling of such swift progress left Lin Fan immensely pleased.
But human stamina had its limits. The two stopped for a while, panting heavily.
"Haha... that felt great!" Young Master Tang laughed. "A living stake really is much better than a dead one. I can feel my bottleneck loosening. Major mastery of both techniques is just around the corner."
Lin Fan cupped his hands, a smile playing on his lips. "Then allow me to congratulate you in advance on bringing your divine arts to major mastery, Young Master Tang."
Young Master Tang waved a hand. "They're barely graded martial techniques, nothing worth mentioning. A martial technique containing thirty percent intent could just about qualify as a divine art."
"Intent martial techniques?" Lin Fan rolled the words on his tongue, curiosity showing in his eyes.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you a lesson in the basics of martial arts." As Young Master Tang spoke, he walked toward the tea table. Lin Fan tactfully followed and filled a cup of tea for him.
"The world's martial arts fall into three grades. The lower grade is unranked, such as Iron Cloth Shirt and Iron Sand Palm-martial arts that don't involve intent. The middle grade consists of intent martial arts, which involve cultivating intent. Cultivated to their peak, they can condense Gang Qi, overcome the strong with the weak, and injure enemies a thousand miles away." Young Master Tang paused there to let Lin Fan digest this.
"As for the upper grade, those are the divine abilities of legend." Longing colored Young Master Tang's voice, and he unconsciously raised his head to look at the sky. "Legend has it that divine abilities can draw upon the power of heaven and earth, destroying a million mountains with a turn of the palm. Such might is no different from that of gods and devils."
Lin Fan listened, his heart soaring with yearning. Destroying a million mountains with a turn of the palm-what kind of power could span heaven and earth like that?
"Divine abilities are too far beyond us, not something people like us can pursue. Intent martial arts alone are enough to occupy a lifetime of study," Young Master Tang said with a sigh.
Young Master Tang gathered his thoughts and continued explaining to Lin Fan. "Intent martial arts span an enormous range, broadly divided into three tiers. The low tier contains less than thirty percent intent, the middle tier contains thirty to seventy percent, and the high tier contains more than seventy percent."
A question arose in Lin Fan's mind as he listened. "Intent is so intangible. Can it really be divided into percentages?" he asked curiously.
Young Master Tang smiled. "Intent is indeed intangible, but once incorporated into martial arts, it becomes something concrete. A martial art containing ten percent intent can condense ten strands of Gang Qi, twenty percent can condense twenty, and so on."
Lin Fan nodded to show he understood, then asked another question. "Then can Gang-Breaking Fist and Gale Leg condense ten strands of Gang Qi?"
"Heh..." Young Master Tang shook his head with a chuckle. "They barely qualify as graded techniques. Even cultivated to their peak, they can only condense a single strand of Gang Qi."
Lin Fan cupped his hands. "Thank you for the lesson, Young Master Tang."
Young Master Tang took a sip of tea. "You would have learned this eventually. I've merely let you know a little ahead of time."
Once Young Master Tang had rested, they resumed sparring, and Lin Fan's progress in Gang-Breaking Fist and Gale Leg soared rapidly once more.
Gang-Breaking Fist (minor mastery 630/800...670...750...800/800)
In just about forty-five minutes, Lin Fan's Gang-Breaking Fist had reached minor mastery, then advanced steadily toward major mastery.
But his progress changed at that point. It slowed down. Lin Fan estimated that it was only half as fast as before, yet his progress in Gale Leg remained unchanged.
Could it be because Young Master Tang's Gang-Breaking Fist and Gale Leg are at minor mastery, so after I reached minor mastery, his guidance became less effective? Lin Fan pondered silently. His intuition told him that was the case.
The two rested when they tired of fighting and resumed once they had recovered. Perhaps because major mastery of his martial techniques was imminent, Young Master Tang practiced for an extra half hour that day.
"Catch. Your reward." Young Master Tang tossed two taels of silver to Lin Fan, who swiftly caught them in one hand.
"Thank you, Young Master Tang." Beaming with delight, Lin Fan escorted Young Master Tang all the way to the martial arts hall's entrance. A wealthy young master like this deserved his attentive service.
Lin Fan looked at the Fate Panel, the smile on his lips widening further.
Gang-Breaking Fist (major mastery 180/1400) Gale Leg (major mastery 40/1400).
Major mastery of both martial techniques was within reach, just two or three days away.
There were still three hours until mealtime. Lin Fan returned to the dormitory and threw himself into practicing the Body Tempering Art.
Sweat soon dripped all over the floor, while Lin Fan's progress in the Body Tempering Art steadily increased.
Body Tempering Art (beginner 530/800)...560...600...650...750...800.
The moment his progress reached 800, Lin Fan felt the muscles throughout his body vibrate violently. Then a wisp of scorching Qi flowed out from his heart and traveled through his meridians.
"The first level of the Body Tempering Art-body generates Qi and blood. Haha, I did it! I'm a martial artist!" Lin Fan was beside himself with joy.
He had risked broken limbs and even his life to come to the Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall as a human stake precisely for this moment. Now, he had finally achieved it.
He recalled everything from the past few days: the uncertainty when he ran away from home, the worry during the beating test, the agony of rolling down the slope, the anger at the instructor's favoritism, the frustration when the eldest senior brother made things difficult for him, the relief at Young Master Tang's generosity...
In a mere seven or eight days, he had experienced so much. Now, all of it had brought him an enormous reward. He had become a martial artist, finally pulling his legs free of the mire at the very bottom.
Even if he left the martial arts hall now and found any job outside, his wages would be no less than ten taels a month.
Ten taels-previously, he would have needed to work for a thousand days without eating or drinking to earn that much. Now, it would take only a month.
Lin Fan clenched his fist, gathering Qi and blood over it. He felt he could smash a large rock to pieces with one punch. This was no illusion. With the reinforcement of Qi and blood, his strength had increased by at least another thousand jin.
Added to the thousand jin of immense strength he already possessed, that made two thousand jin. With a ton of tremendous force concentrated in his fist, shattering a large rock with one punch was by no means impossible.
It took quite a while before Lin Fan calmed his excitement.
"I can't get conceited. Becoming a martial artist is only the first step. With the Fate Panel in hand, if I don't take in the view from the pinnacle of martial arts, wouldn't I have transmigrated for nothing?" Lin Fan murmured to himself.
"Besides, this strength still isn't enough to kill Zhang Yu and the martial arts hall's higher-ups behind him. A grudge for obstructing my path can only end in death!" Killing intent filled Lin Fan's eyes.
He assumed the Body Tempering Art's stance again and immersed himself in practice.
Body Tempering Art (minor mastery 1/1500).
The experience required for minor mastery had nearly doubled, but it would still take only 150 practice sessions. Lin Fan was confident he could reach minor mastery within three days, attaining the sinews and bones ringing in unison realm and raising his strength another step.
Meanwhile, in Zhang Yu's training room, Zhang Yu was attentively serving a disciple dressed in the martial arts hall's robes.
"Senior Brother Tan, what wind has blown you here?" Zhang Yu asked cautiously.
Senior Brother Tan went straight to the point. "Junior Brother Zhang, bandits have been running rampant lately. Quite a few nearby towns have been plundered, with heavy casualties. One of Shopkeeper Tang's medicinal gardens has been targeted. He approached our Mountain Suppression Martial Arts Hall and asked us to help guard it. I've come on Master's orders to find twenty outer court disciples to go along and assist in guarding the medicinal garden."