"This afternoon, I sparred with Hou Huai from the constabulary and used internal power again."
Wu Shuangren said.
When Xu Nanzhi heard this, she immediately took his pulse and examined him thoroughly once more.
"How is he?"
Wu Dongrong asked.
A smile appeared on Xu Nanzhi's face. "There's nothing wrong."
The two were finally able to put their worries to rest. It seemed the internal cultivation Wu Shuangren had learned really wouldn't leave any hidden problems.
"It seems teaching you internal cultivation was the right choice."
"It really can help you grasp other things by analogy," Xu Nanzhi said.
Wu Shuangren said, "Mother, every time I use internal power, I need to eat a great deal afterward. What if I'm out in the wilderness and don't have enough food?"
He was worried that if he used internal power while away from home in the future, he wouldn't be able to replenish himself with food in time.
Xu Nanzhi said, "You can either find something edible in the wild or endure it. But there's a more convenient way: taking certain medicinal foods or pills."
"The deeper your internal cultivation, the more food you need to replenish yourself each time. At the Grandmaster realm, you might even need to eat an elephant a day! If they relied entirely on ordinary food, Grandmasters would have to spend most of every day eating and wouldn't be able to do anything else. That's why people long ago developed medicinal foods and pills specifically for martial artists. They only need to take a small amount to replenish what they've expended."
Wu Shuangren asked, "Does Bo County have anything like that?"
Wu Dongrong picked up the conversation. "Preparing the medicinal foods and pills martial artists need requires breeding farms or large tracts of land for cultivation. In Bo County, only the Mo Family has the means."
Wu Shuangren nodded. It seemed there were probably no Grandmasters in this world who stood entirely alone, nor any reclusive masters who cultivated by themselves deep in the mountains and forests.
If he wanted to reach a profound level in martial cultivation, he needed a major power behind him to provide for him.
"Your cultivation is still shallow, so you don't need to worry about medicinal foods or pills. When you truly need them, it won't be hard to find a major power willing to provide them."
Xu Nanzhi said to Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren murmured his assent.
He continued learning the Mountain-Moving Method from Xu Nanzhi until he went to bed late that night.
Early the next morning, it was almost the hour of the rabbit, five in the morning, and the sky was still dark.
"Shuangren, time to get up."
Xu Nanzhi stood outside Wu Shuangren's door and knocked softly.
Wu Shuangren slept lightly and woke at once. He got up and dressed without delay.
Before bed the previous night, Xu Nanzhi had told him to get up before the hour of the rabbit.
"Mother."
Wu Shuangren opened the door.
Xu Nanzhi said, "Come with me."
She led Wu Shuangren into the courtyard and pointed to a ladder set beside the house. "Up to the roof."
Without asking any questions, Wu Shuangren climbed the ladder onto the roof of their main house.
Xu Nanzhi quickly followed him up. "Sit down facing east, just like me."
Wu Shuangren did as instructed, and the two sat cross-legged on the roof.
Xu Nanzhi began, "The Dao De Jing says: returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called returning to one's destiny. Both the Buddhist and Daoist schools can improve the body and strengthen Qi and blood through seated meditation, so most of the world's profound internal cultivation methods come from those two schools. The Mountain-Moving Method I'm teaching you also draws on some Daoist principles-
"Every day during the hour of the rabbit, around sunrise, yin and yang are changing places. Facing east and meditating at this time allows the newly born Yang Qi between heaven and earth to enter the body. This is the Daoist method of nurturing Yang Qi.
"Part of the Mountain-Moving Method concerns this. If you practice it every day, it will make it easier for you to develop a 'sense of Qi' and gradually strengthen your Yang Qi and improve your physique."
With that, Xu Nanzhi began instructing Wu Shuangren in meditation:
Using the Mountain-Moving Method's breathing rhythm, he was to visualize the light of the rising sun as a clear spring, pouring in through the Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head and flowing throughout his body as he inhaled. As he exhaled, he was to visualize the turbid Qi inside him as dirty water, flowing out through the Yongquan acupoints on the soles of his feet...
Following the method Xu Nanzhi had taught him, Wu Shuangren kept adjusting his breathing rhythm and visualization, gradually settling into the state.
In a daze, he felt as though a warm current flowed in through the crown of his head and spread through his limbs and bones, naturally opening and relaxing every pore in his body. A turbid current flowed out through the soles of his feet, and with every portion that left, his body grew lighter and stronger!
Wu Shuangren became completely immersed in meditation...
When he opened his eyes and came back to himself, he found that the sun had risen and the sky was fully light.
He turned to Xu Nanzhi beside him. "Mother, what time is it?"
Xu Nanzhi smiled. "It's almost the hour of the dragon, seven in the morning."
Wu Shuangren realized that he had meditated for nearly a full two hours, though it had felt like only a moment.
"How do you feel?"
Xu Nanzhi asked.
Recalling the state he had just been in, Wu Shuangren said delightedly, "I've developed a sense of Qi!"
Xu Nanzhi smiled gently. "Good. You've used internal power twice already, which is why you were able to develop a sense of Qi on your first attempt at visualization. From now on, you can come to the roof during the hour of the rabbit every day to practice visualization, strengthen your sense of Qi, and improve your physique."
Wu Shuangren nodded emphatically. "All right."
Xu Nanzhi said, "Let's go down and eat first."
After breakfast, Wu Shuangren continued learning the Mountain-Moving Method from Xu Nanzhi.
He made remarkable progress this time. He could clearly feel the flow of his Qi and blood, and he could also faintly sense the "invisible mountains" inside his body.
"Good. You've already grasped the basics of the Mountain-Moving Method. You don't need to keep practicing it for now. Instead, use what you're feeling to gain insight into the internal cultivation that master taught you."
Xu Nanzhi reminded him once more.
Wu Shuangren said, "I understand."
Xu Nanzhi said, "Once you've grasped the basics of the breathing method, you need to learn to control your mental power. That part requires the aid of special medicines. I'll need a few days to prepare them."
Wu Shuangren said earnestly, "Thank you, Mother."
Xu Nanzhi looked at him tenderly. "Silly child, why be so polite with your mother?"
Wu Shuangren pressed his lips together and said nothing.
That afternoon, he went to the county yamen as usual and continued sparring with Hou Huai.
After developing a sense of Qi, he gained a more direct and subtle feel for the internal power granted to him.
After exchanging a dozen or so moves with Hou Huai, Wu Shuangren was surprised to discover that his breathing method under Match for One Person had changed from before-
Some of its finer details had become very similar to the Mountain-Moving Method!
Could the internal power granted to me by Match for One Person change according to my current state? Before, I didn't know any internal cultivation, so it gave me an internal cultivation method that wouldn't leave any hidden problems while I was a "blank slate." Now that I've learned the Mountain-Moving Method, has it granted me new internal power based on that method?
Does that mean that no matter what martial art I learn, whenever I encounter an opponent stronger than me and Match for One Person needs to strengthen me, it will temporarily enhance the martial arts I already know?
Wu Shuangren's heart raced. He felt as though he had opened the door to a whole new world!
In an instant, too many possibilities came to mind...
The Proper Way to Use an Entry
"Uncle Hou, let's stop here for today. I have some things to think about."
Wu Shuangren said to Hou Huai first.
Hou Huai nodded without asking any questions. He turned and left the back courtyard, leaving Wu Shuangren the space to himself.
Wu Shuangren stood in the courtyard, his thoughts surging like a tide!
Match for One Person allowed him to defeat any opponent in a one-on-one fight. When he had first encountered that bandit who had been separated from the others, using the strength he already had well was enough to defeat him. So the entry had only temporarily enhanced his ability to anticipate moves and adapt in the moment.
Later, when he faced Peng Tianlang, the vast gap in strength could no longer be bridged with skill, so Match for One Person temporarily granted him internal power.
The "enhancements" the entry brought him in those two battles had been different.
As things stood, Match for One Person's enhancement mechanism followed a set of rules rather than providing unlimited or random enhancements.
Wu Shuangren recalled every battle and sparring match since he had transmigrated and summarized three rules he had confirmed-
First, it would make more efficient and more extreme use of his existing abilities, allowing ten parts of strength to truly produce ten parts of effect.
Second, when an opponent's strength exceeded the limits of what he could handle, it would enhance him based on the abilities he already possessed.
Third, the degree of enhancement would not exceed his opponent's strength by too much.
Wu Shuangren had arrived at the third rule because the internal power he gained while fighting Peng Tianlang had not been much stronger than his opponent's.
He therefore believed that, for now, there was a limit to the degree of enhancement Match for One Person could provide.
Having arrived at these three rules, Wu Shuangren's thinking suddenly became clear.
The Match for One Person entry could be used not only in battle, but also for cultivation!
He might gain not only entirely new internal cultivation methods, but other martial arts as well.
In his previous fights, Wu Shuangren had simply countered each move as it came and had not used any systematic set of moves. That was because he had never learned any martial arts.
If I learn a saber art and encounter an opponent who exceeds the limits of that art, will Match for One Person enhance it and turn it into a more powerful saber art? Or will it temporarily enhance my internal power and make me stronger than my opponent?
Wu Shuangren didn't know what the result would be, so he decided to test it.
He went and called Hou Huai back.
"Uncle Hou, could you teach me your saber art?"
Hou Huai was taken aback.
He had intended to teach him in the first place, but later Wu Shuangren had said they only needed to spar every day.
For some reason, Wu Shuangren suddenly wanted to learn the saber art again.
"I can."
Hou Huai readily nodded.
"Teacher."
Wu Shuangren bowed respectfully to Hou Huai.
Hou Huai was surprised and hurriedly helped Wu Shuangren up. "Brother Wu, there's no need to be so polite!"
Wu Shuangren straightened up and said solemnly, "You're willing to teach me your saber art, Uncle Hou. I should respect you as my teacher."
Hou Huai waved his hands repeatedly. "My saber skills aren't even as good as yours. How could I deserve to be called your teacher?"
But Wu Shuangren insisted, and Hou Huai couldn't refuse. He said he was unworthy, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
"I learned this saber art at a martial arts school years ago. Later, when I traveled the jianghu, I cobbled together all sorts of miscellaneous moves and added them to it. It's nothing impressive."
Hou Huai said self-consciously, "It's called the Three Ultimates Tiger Baleful Intent Saber. It's a saber art that imitates a fierce tiger pouncing on and killing its prey."
He then explained the saber art to Wu Shuangren in detail and demonstrated it.
The Three Ultimates Tiger Baleful Intent Saber had only three core moves, derived from a fierce tiger's pounce, heave, and sweep.
The first move, Wind Follows the Tiger's Roar, involved pouncing forward over a distance and raising the saber for a downward chop. It was used to close the distance and launch an opening assault.
The second move, Whirling Gale Shocks the Mountain, involved turning with the saber and flipping its edge upward in a rising slash to break through an opponent's defense.
The third move, Tiger Baleful Intent Severs the Soul, involved swinging the saber in a horizontal sweep to cut the opponent in two and finish them off.
The saber art seemed to consist of only three simple moves, but it concealed many variations. Hou Huai had added other moves and his own understanding to each one; he couldn't finish explaining the variations in its sequences in a whole day.
Moreover, the saber art had to be used in conjunction with internal power to unleash its true might. The changes in Qi and blood and in mental power were all very complicated.
Over the next few days, Wu Shuangren rose every day during the hour of the rabbit, meditated on the roof, and watched the sunrise.
Then he went to the constabulary to spar with Hou Huai and learn the Three Ultimates Tiger Baleful Intent Saber.
Hou Huai taught him diligently, holding nothing back.
Wu Shuangren's days were busy and fulfilling. It was as though he had returned to the days when he first learned combat sports...
Five days later, in the constabulary's back courtyard.
Wu Shuangren and Hou Huai sparred with iron rods.
When they used internal power, wooden sabers simply couldn't withstand their strength, so they had switched to iron rods for their sparring.