The first light of morning glimmered, and the thin mist had yet to fully disperse.
Li Qingshan came to Riverside Park once more, his heart filled with anticipation.
His encounter with Tang Zichen the day before had left him restless all night.
Her exquisitely subtle Baguazhang, her unfathomable cultivation, and especially her final use of Gang Jin to strike from an inch away without touching him replayed in his mind.
If I can see her again today...
Li Qingshan took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement.
Today, I must seize the opportunity and ask for her guidance.
He waited quietly in the clearing by the lake where they had met yesterday. At the same time, he circulated his psychic power, spreading his mental power like a net to sense everything around him.
Elderly people exercising, children playing, masters practicing Taiji—everything in the park appeared clearly in his mind's mirror,
yet that perfectly harmonious presence was nowhere to be found.
Time passed, minute by minute. The sun gradually rose higher, and the mist dispersed.
Li Qingshan could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.
Had yesterday's meeting been a chance encounter? Was I not fated to see her again today?
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed something.
In the distance, a familiar and powerful presence was slowly approaching, like a bright moon emerging from behind clouds and casting its clear light upon the world.
Li Qingshan's spirits lifted, and he focused his gaze.
Tang Zichen came gliding down the bamboo grove's path.
Today, she had changed into a light purple training outfit, which set off her snow-white skin and ethereal bearing.
Tang Zichen entered the clearing by the lake. Seemingly unaware of Li Qingshan's presence, she began practicing her fists on her own.
Today, she was practicing Xingyi Fist. As soon as she settled into the opening Three-Body Stance, she stood like a mountain overlooking an abyss, her presence weighty and composed;
then she struck with Splitting Fist, fierce and explosive, like an axe cleaving Mount Hua;
next came a succession of Crushing Fists, like arrows released from a bowstring, brimming with penetrating force.
Li Qingshan stood at a safe distance, watching with his full attention.
With his psychic power augmenting his senses, he could clearly perceive the paths Tang Zichen's Qi and blood took and how her force shifted with each move.
In particular, Xingyi Fist's characteristic "strike hard and advance hard" stood in stark contrast to Baguazhang's "overcome hardness with softness" from the day before,
giving him a deeper understanding of the diversity of Guoshu.
After about an incense stick's time, Tang Zichen brought her movements to a close and stood still, her breathing steady as ever.
She slowly turned, her gaze shooting toward Li Qingshan like lightning.
"You've watched for two days. Have you discerned anything?"
Her voice was calm, but it carried an intangible pressure.
Li Qingshan knew this was a test, and an opportunity.
He stepped forward and gave a proper fist-and-palm salute, neither servile nor arrogant.
"Senior, your fist arts are exquisite. I have benefited greatly. Xingyi emphasizes intent, Bagua emphasizes change, and Taiji emphasizes softness,
but despite their myriad variations, they all return to the same source: using intent to lead Qi, using Qi to drive force, and pursuing the state of unity between body and mind."
A trace of surprise flashed through Tang Zichen's eyes. Clearly, she had not expected Li Qingshan to have such insight.
She nodded slightly.
"It seems you do have some comprehension. Why were you secretly watching me practice?"
"Please forgive me for taking the liberty of watching, Senior. I came because I seek the true essence of the martial path."
Li Qingshan spoke candidly.
"Seeing that your fist arts have reached the realm of transformation, I yearned for the same. That is why I waited here, hoping to receive your guidance."
"The true essence of the martial path?"
Tang Zichen chuckled.
"Such grand words. Do you know how long the martial path is? How many people spend their entire lives only to glimpse its surface?"
"I understand, Senior."
Li Qingshan's gaze was firm.
"But having entered this path, I should seek its ultimate realm. Otherwise, how would I differ from the countless mediocre souls?"
Hearing this, Tang Zichen studied Li Qingshan closely.
Her gaze swept over Li Qingshan's entire body like a tangible thing, as though she meant to see through him inside and out.
"Good natural aptitude, vigorous Qi and blood, and the beginnings of Hidden Jin."
She gave her assessment.
"More remarkable still, your spirit is whole, your Qi abundant, and your mind clear. Have you practiced some kind of mental cultivation method?"
Li Qingshan was startled. He inwardly marveled at Tang Zichen's piercing eyesight; she could even see traces of his practice of the Crystal Visualization Method.
He said respectfully, "Your eyesight is keen, Senior. I do indeed know a little of certain methods for calming and focusing the mind."
"Interesting."
The interest in Tang Zichen's eyes grew.
"Come, let's cross hands. Show me your kung fu."
Li Qingshan knew this was a rare opportunity. He took a deep breath, stepped forward three paces, and assumed the opening stance of Xingyi Fist.
Tang Zichen smiled faintly and slowly raised her right hand. Her five fingers curved slightly, neither quite a claw nor quite a palm.
It was the opening stance of Xingyi Fist's Eagle Form.
The instant their arms lightly touched, Li Qingshan felt a soft yet resilient force travel from her arm, surging through his whole body like a tide.
He immediately circulated his psychic power, concentrating his mental power to the utmost while drawing on the force within his body to resist.
Strangely, Tang Zichen's force did not simply attack head-on. Instead, it shifted nimbly like a swimming fish,
sometimes like a needle hidden in cotton,
sometimes like storm waves crashing against the shore,
constantly probing the depth of Li Qingshan's abilities.
Li Qingshan concentrated fully, perfectly combining his mental perception with his use of force.
Although he was far weaker than Tang Zichen, he could always sense the direction her force would change in advance and adjust his response in time.
More surprisingly, he could rapidly learn Tang Zichen's techniques for wielding force during their exchange, then subconsciously imitate and apply them.
"Oh?"
Tang Zichen gave a soft exclamation, clearly noticing something unusual about Li Qingshan.
The surprise in her eyes deepened, and she quietly increased the force in her hand.
Li Qingshan immediately felt the pressure multiply.
Tang Zichen's force surged toward him like the great rivers, its changes even more subtle and unpredictable.
Although his mental perception could catch the changes in her force, his body's reactions were gradually falling behind, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his temples.
But he did not panic. Instead, he immersed himself even more deeply in the intense exchange.
His psychic power circulated to its limit, his mind's mirror clear as crystal, reflecting every minute change in Tang Zichen's force;
under extreme pressure, his body constantly adjusted and adapted, and his use of force improved at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The appreciation in Tang Zichen's eyes grew stronger.
She found that this young man not only had astonishing comprehension but, more remarkably, could remain calm under intense pressure and even grow braver the longer he fought.
Such a disposition was precisely the most precious quality for cultivating the martial path.
Suddenly, her force changed. What had been dense and close-knit as a net became concentrated as a needle, and a sharp force drove straight into the meridians in Li Qingshan's arm.
Caught off guard, Li Qingshan felt his arm go numb, and the circulation of his force immediately grew sluggish.
But he remained calm in the face of danger. Concentrating his mental power, he instantly analyzed the properties of the force and made a slight adjustment to his body, attempting to neutralize it with Taiji's soft force.
However, the gap between their realms was simply too great. Although he had grasped the principle behind neutralizing it,
he could not completely dispel the pure force. The impact sent him back three steps before he managed to steady himself.
"Not bad."
Tang Zichen withdrew her hand and stood still, her breathing as steady as before.
Li Qingshan took a deep breath, suppressed his churning Qi and blood, and saluted respectfully.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."
"Your kung fu is a mixture. You've dabbled in Xingyi, Bagua, and Taiji, but you haven't grasped the true essence of any of them."
Tang Zichen gave her assessment.
"However, your comprehension and disposition are both quite good. That ability of yours to anticipate moves is especially unusual."
She paused, then asked,
"Who was your master?"
Li Qingshan answered truthfully.
"I have no master, Senior. I only sought guidance from Master Wu of Wu Family National Martial Arts some time ago."
"Self-taught?"
Tang Zichen murmured the question to herself.
"Without guidance from a skilled teacher, you managed to reach the threshold of Hidden Jin? And you have such knowledge and comprehension?"
Li Qingshan said,
"Most of my kung fu came from watching others, exchanging insights, studying, and practicing."
Tang Zichen gazed at him for a moment, then suddenly said,
"Perform the Xingyi Five Elements Fist for me."
Li Qingshan did as she asked, demonstrating the five fists-splitting, crushing, drilling, pounding, and crossing-one by one.
Although his movements were correct and his use of force showed a fair degree of skill, to a grandmaster like Tang Zichen, they were naturally riddled with flaws.
"Xingyi values intent over form."
After watching, Tang Zichen said calmly,
"Your fists have the form, but the intent has yet to arrive.
Splitting Fist must carry the intent of an axe cleaving Mount Hua.
Crushing Fist must carry the intent of an arrow piercing metal and stone.
Strength alone isn't enough."
As she spoke, she casually struck out with a Crushing Fist.
The movement seemed simple, yet it contained an intent to press ever forward and shatter any obstacle. The wind from her fist surged, and the air cracked explosively.
Li Qingshan watched, deeply shaken, and suddenly understood what his own fist arts had been missing.
He performed Crushing Fist again, attempting to incorporate his mental will into it, and sure enough, it felt entirely different.
Tang Zichen nodded slightly, genuinely surprised inwardly.
Such remarkable comprehension...
"Your fighting methods show some understanding, but your training methods lack a system and are all over the place. I'll teach you a stance exercise."
With that, Tang Zichen lightly drew a straight line in the lakeside dirt with her toe, then had Li Qingshan place his feet on either side of it, one in front of the other.
The line divided his body down the middle, like an invisible boundary marker.
"This is the centerline. The centerline of the human body is the spine.
The spine reaches up to the back of the skull and down to the tailbone. If any kung fu is not trained into the spine, it will ultimately be flowers in a mirror and the moon in water."
Tang Zichen's expression was solemn, her voice clear as jade striking stone.
"What I'm telling you today is fundamental to Guoshu. Without understanding this principle, you may spend your whole life without ever finding the entrance."
Li Qingshan focused and held his breath, his gaze burning.
Though he had already reached the threshold of Manifest Jin and could issue fierce force, he had never been able to glimpse its deeper mysteries.
"The 'Qi' spoken of in martial arts is neither the breath one draws nor the air."
Tang Zichen's dark hair fluttered gently in the wind.
"When a person moves, heat is produced. When the heat becomes extreme, sweat emerges. This heat is Qi.
"What is called refining essence into Qi is taking the heat generated by this movement and putting it to one's own use."
Li Qingshan clapped his hands in sudden realization.
"So that's how it is! Qi arises with heat, and when sweat comes out, Qi leaks away!"
"Exactly."
Tang Zichen nodded.
"The pores of the human body are like the holes in a bamboo basket. Qi leaks away with sweat, and in the end, it is like drawing water with a bamboo basket.
"The essence of Guoshu lies in locking this Qi within the body during movement and preventing it from escaping. This is essential to preserving health and is also the foundation of fist arts."
She suddenly turned and chopped her palm toward a willow tree beside her.
As the wind from her palm passed, her hair abruptly stood on end, then fell like a cloud.
A sharp crack rang out, and the willow, as thick as the mouth of a bowl, snapped in response. The broken surface was smooth as if cut by a blade.
Tang Zichen lightly tapped her toe, and the bluestone pavement cracked beneath it.
"This is Hidden Jin."
She opened her hand, glistening beads of sweat on her palm.
"When a person grows agitated, fire rises; when fire rises, Qi leaks away.
"The key is to unite intent with Qi, and Qi with force, so that all the Qi in the body emerges solely from the center of the palm."
Li Qingshan fell into thought.
In the past, his force had been fierce, yet he had always felt it lacked staying power. It turned out that his vital Qi had been leaking away with his sweat.
Tang Zichen adjusted his posture again.
"You already have a foundation in Manifest Jin. What you lack is a method to gather what is scattered into a whole.
"The Three-Body Stance trains the spine so that you can master the subtle opening and closing of the pores."
Her fingertips pressed and massaged their way along Li Qingshan's spine, vertebra by vertebra. With each one, he felt a warm current rise from his tailbone.
When the fingertip touched the base of his spine, Li Qingshan's whole body jolted, and the hairs all over him stood on end,
as if cold water had been poured over his head. The heat that had been radiating from him instantly withdrew back into his body.
"When your center of gravity settles at the base of your spine, you should be like a startled cat with its fur standing on end.
"The Three-Body Stance trains Qi to flow through the entire body."
Tang Zichen withdrew her finger.
"Refining essence into Qi is like bathing; nourishing Qi and returning it to the dantian is like a cold wind. That is the true essence of internal martial arts."