Chapter 4

And at this moment, Dongfang Sheng also noticed that Dongfang Bai was looking at him with worry.

He immediately realized that closing his eyes had made Dongfang Bai worry, after all, he had been closed-eyed for about ten minutes, which was naturally enough to make Dongfang Bai anxious.

He immediately nodded at Dongfang Bai and said softly, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Just focus on your horse stance."

"Okay!" Dongfang Bai smiled happily when she heard Dongfang Sheng say he was fine, and nodded her little head.

For the rest of the morning, Zhou Tantou did not come back. Only the dozen or so followers of the Sun Moon Cult were responsible for supervising their horse stances. After two hours of horse stances, each of them took charge of dozens of people, teaching them the Sun Moon Fist Technique.

Dongfang Sheng watched one of the followers teaching the Sun Moon Fist Technique, performing the 81 forms. He found that the follower's technique was far less impressive and powerful than Zhou Tantou's, and some of the finer details were not as well executed as what he had seen in his mind.

Thinking about it, Dongfang Sheng felt relieved. If none of Zhou Tantou's subordinates could perform the technique well, he wouldn't have the current strength and status.

Therefore, for the remaining one or two hours of the morning, Dongfang Sheng focused entirely on understanding the 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique in his mind, no longer paying attention to the followers' instructions.

Of course, he still had to put on a show. He didn't want to become a target right from the start, when he had no real strength. The time to stand out would be ten days later, or a month later, when everyone started competing.

At lunchtime, Dongfang Sheng finally fully understood the 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique. Of course, he didn't know if there were deeper meanings, as his current knowledge and experience were still limited.

However, if others knew that Dongfang Sheng had basically fully understood the 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique in such a short time, they would be amazed and find it hard to believe. Could a human really do that?

After all, Zhou Tantou had set the goal for everyone to memorize and know how to perform the 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique within ten days, which he considered a very strict target.

The 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique involved hundreds or even thousands of punches, kicks, and movements. It took Zhou Tantou about ten minutes to perform them once. What about Dongfang Sheng now?

In his heart, Dongfang Sheng knew that he had done very well to reach this point. He was very happy and proud of himself, but he wouldn't be satisfied. To become stronger, he had to do even better.

At lunchtime, although the food was limited, everyone was still young. Even though the morning had been tiring, they could still eat their fill.

However, when they needed more nutrients for training, the food would not be enough, and they would probably have to fight for it.

Thinking about this, Dongfang Sheng also thought about the spiritual medicines mentioned by Zhou Tantou, and some ideas formed in his mind.

...

In the afternoon, everyone continued to learn the Sun Moon Fist Technique, occasionally trying it out themselves. The dozen or so followers of the Sun Moon Cult were quite relaxed about this. They taught, and you could learn or not. Dongfang Sheng, of course, took this opportunity to find a place where he wouldn't be noticed and tried out the Sun Moon Fist Technique.

This trial revealed many issues. Although he had basically fully understood the 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique, when his body performed the movements, he found that it couldn't follow his commands.

Some movements were simply impossible to perform. He could see them in his mind, but his body couldn't do them. He struggled to keep his movements standard, and it took him nearly thirty minutes to complete the entire set, slow and clumsy, like a mere show.

However, after completing the set, Dongfang Sheng was too exhausted to care if it was just a show. After all, he had maintained the standard movements, even though it was slow and not very effective, it was truly a physical exercise, and he had persisted for over thirty minutes, which naturally left him very tired.

Dongfang Sheng now felt a soreness and heat in his body, a tingling sensation in every inch of his skin, and a slight emptiness in his stomach, which had been full at lunch. Amidst these sensations, he also felt a strange sense of relief.

Feeling all this, Dongfang Sheng smiled. He knew the technique was working. The feeling of growing stronger was truly wonderful.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Suddenly, Dongfang Bai appeared beside Dongfang Sheng, seeing him bent over and panting. She couldn't help but support his arm and asked with concern.

"Nothing, why did you come over? Shouldn't you be learning the fist technique there?" Dongfang Sheng looked at Dongfang Bai's worried face and asked softly.

"I... I saw you come over here. I learned the fist technique for a while and then came to find you." Dongfang Bai said, a bit embarrassed.

After hearing this, Dongfang Sheng thought for a moment and said seriously, "From now on, you watch me practice the fist technique. Work hard to learn, and don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay?" Dongfang Bai was a bit puzzled but still nodded obediently.

"Okay, now I'll continue practicing. You watch carefully and remember." Soon, Dongfang Sheng felt the tingling sensation subside and prepared to practice again.

"Okay, I will." Dongfang Bai nodded obediently and stepped back.

Then, under Dongfang Bai's amazed, proud, and admiring gaze, Dongfang Sheng performed the Sun Moon Fist Technique again. This time, it was smoother, with fewer mistakes, and took about two to three minutes less than before.

After this, Dongfang Sheng naturally felt the tingling sensation again, and a slight emptiness and even hunger in his stomach.

"Brother, you've already learned the Sun Moon Fist Technique?" Dongfang Bai's mouth opened wide, her big eyes full of disbelief, admiration, and pride.

Dongfang Sheng smiled slightly and nodded, "You can learn from me from now on."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Dongfang Bai nodded rapidly, then skipped over to Dongfang Sheng, supporting his arm obediently, and said, "Brother, why does your fist technique seem more, more complex than what those uncles taught us?"

Dongfang Sheng was surprised. He hadn't expected Dongfang Bai to be so observant. The fist technique he performed was based on Zhou Tantou's, while the followers of the Sun Moon Cult performed a rougher version. The differences were subtle, but Dongfang Bai had noticed them.

"Why worry about that? Just focus on learning. Remember what I do and practice more. If you have any questions, ask me. And don't tell anyone that I've learned the fist technique, okay?" Dongfang Sheng patted Dongfang Bai's head and smiled.

"Okay." Dongfang Bai wrinkled her little nose and answered happily and firmly.

After that, Dongfang Sheng continued practicing the Sun Moon Fist Technique, while Dongfang Bai watched and learned.

By dinner time, Dongfang Sheng was starving, his stomach growling.

Of course, he had made great progress. He could now complete the entire Sun Moon Fist Technique in thirty minutes, quite smoothly. His body felt as if it had undergone a small cleansing, tired but much lighter.

However, when faced with the limited food at dinner, which had seemed sufficient at lunch, Dongfang Sheng now found it insufficient. In the end, Dongfang Bai gave him some of her food, which allowed him to eat his fill. Dongfang Sheng didn't feel embarrassed about this.

The most important thing for the two of them now was to grow stronger. Once he had the strength, he would ensure that Dongfang Bai could eat her fill.

After dinner, everyone began learning to recognize characters and the body's meridians, which was preparation for when they would extract their first thread of internal energy. Of course, this also included teachings on loyalty to the Sun Moon Cult.

Then, the instructor taught them various martial arts knowledge and stories from the martial world for about half an hour.

For example, how the Sun Moon Fist Technique was divided into levels, the various sects in the martial world, and how the basic fist technique of the Shaolin Temple, the Luohan Fist, was used to train the body and extract the first thread of internal energy, similar to the Sun Moon Fist Technique. Other sects also had their own techniques with similar effects.

There were also various martial arts knowledge, the classification of martial arts manuals, famous events in the martial world, and so on, which left Dongfang Sheng's eyes sparkling with interest.

In this way, nine days passed in a flash.

"Ha!"

"Huff... huff...!"

In a rather secluded place, Dongfang Sheng was performing the 81 forms of the Sun Moon Fist Technique with great seriousness, focus, and vigor. Each move was completely different from what he had done nine days ago, each punch and kick exuding a sense of power, no longer the mere show it had been before.

After about ten minutes, Dongfang Sheng stopped, his breathing somewhat rapid, and his brows furrowed.

"Still something's not right. This fist technique hasn't improved since reaching the beginner level. It's been stuck at the initial stage. What's going on? I don't think I'm performing the technique incorrectly, but why does it always feel off?"

Dongfang Sheng muttered to himself, constantly recalling how Zhou Tantou and the dozen or so followers of the Sun Moon Cult had performed the technique, while trying to calm his somewhat rapid breathing.