Chapter 5

In the past six months, Yue Fangxing had made significant progress. Now, he could maintain a horse stance for fifteen minutes, and any longer would exceed his capacity. After all, he was not yet four years old, and his body was still frail. Reaching this level was already quite an achievement. Linghuchong, being older, was at the perfect age for training and had made remarkable progress. He could now hold a horse stance for half an hour and had also begun to learn some basic boxing and kicking techniques. Yue Lingshan, on the other hand, could only maintain the stance for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Although Ning Zhongze was quite strict with her, she was still young and lacked the understanding to grasp many concepts, often only having a superficial understanding. The competition between the two ended with Yue Fangxing's clear victory.

During this period, Yue Fangxing had also made significant progress in reading and writing. He had not only memorized most of the commonly used characters but had also begun to recite classic texts. He could recite the Three-Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and even the Four Books and Five Classics with ease. Ning Zhongze was delighted and even considered letting him focus on literature for a while. Yue Buqun was also very proud and had already begun to explain the meanings of the classics. However, Yue Fangxing's true interest did not lie in literature. He was simply using his strong memory from childhood to memorize these texts, so he wouldn't have to struggle to remember them later if he needed them. Ancient texts were generally not long, and once he found a method, they were not difficult to memorize. Even Linghuchong, who was intelligent and had a good memory, could not match him in this regard. Although Linghuchong was clever, he did not enjoy reading and had only learned the commonly used characters.

Yue Fangxing, in this life in the martial arts world, had a stronger interest in martial arts. Although he studied ancient texts diligently, it was mainly because he was young and had nothing else to do. Due to his age, he could not practice martial arts for long periods, and there were few people on the mountain, so he found some enjoyment in reading. Despite the significant changes on Mount Hua, the martial arts classics were well-preserved. Yue Fangxing often visited Yue Buqun's study, where he could read the experience notes of Hua Mountain's predecessors, even though he could not access the important martial arts manuals. Over the past six months, he had tried to incorporate the breathing techniques from the horse stance into his daily life, based on ideas from novels he had read in his previous life and his current martial arts experience. It was said that this could make one's breathing more steady, though he was unsure if it was true. However, he had noticed that he no longer fell as easily as other children when walking and could run farther without getting out of breath. He believed this was mainly due to his improved physical strength and stability from practicing the horse stance, but he also thought the breathing techniques played a role. Now, his breathing was rhythmic, and his steps were steady.

The breathing techniques did not require much effort, and the cultivation of a sense of rhythm was particularly beneficial. It helped him maintain his composure and not be easily startled by sudden events, which was an essential quality for those in the martial arts world. Ordinary people needed decades of experience to achieve this. Yue Fangxing began cultivating this quality from a young age, reflecting on his previous life, where he had made mistakes due to impatience, causing some losses. In this life, he was determined to avoid such mistakes, knowing that in the martial arts world, a single mistake could cost him his life. Over the past six months, he had constantly reminded himself, and now he had made some progress. His breathing was natural, and his steps were steady, with almost the same intervals. He had even integrated the breathing techniques with the Muscle Changing Classic he had learned in his previous life.

This Muscle Changing Classic was not the famous Shaolin Muscle Changing Classic, but the twelve-form national fitness qigong Muscle Changing Classic he had learned when he was sick in his previous life. He had only learned the movements and not the incantations or techniques. The Shaolin Muscle Changing Classic was a supreme internal martial arts manual, while the twelve-form Muscle Changing Classic was a method for strengthening muscles and improving health. They were not comparable. To avoid confusion, Yue Fangxing named it the Twelve-Form Muscle Changing Classic.

The Twelve-Form Muscle Changing Classic could be practiced by the whole body and was effective in improving coordination and flexibility. It was the only martial arts-related practice he had learned in his previous life, so he continued to practice it. Yue Buqun, seeing some martial arts elements, thought it was just a child's play and did not pay much attention. Yue Fangxing practiced diligently and integrated the breathing techniques from the horse stance, achieving a sense of accomplishment. However, in recent days, he felt little progress in both the horse stance and the Twelve-Form Muscle Changing Classic, and continued practice made him feel uncomfortable, as if he had reached a bottleneck.

One day, after finishing his practice with no progress, Yue Fangxing felt frustrated and lay on the grass, recalling a lesson from three months ago.

That morning, after Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong finished their horse stance practice, Yue Buqun said to them, "Chong'er, Xing'er, you have been practicing the horse stance for three months and have both made progress, which I find very gratifying. Chong'er is almost at the threshold of mastery, while Xing'er relies too much on brute force, which is not the right path. The horse stance is a basic skill, but it has its principles. I believe you have some understanding, so today I will teach you the key points of the horse stance."

Yue Buqun then demonstrated a horse stance, standing naturally with his upper body slightly moving as if swaying with the wind, while his legs were as steady as a rock. His whole body seemed relaxed yet ready to exert force at any moment, exuding a special rhythm and harmony.

At the time, Yue Fangxing felt somewhat不服 (unconvinced) when his father said he had not yet mastered the horse stance. He had worked hard for three months and had made significant progress, even though he was not as good as Linghuchong. He thought it was just a matter of age. However, Yue Buqun's comments made him realize he had much to learn. He watched carefully but still felt somewhat confused.

Yue Buqun then said, "Chong'er, Xing'er, the key points of the horse stance are 'emptiness,' 'relaxation,' and 'stability.' The upper body should be empty, the whole body should be relaxed, and the feet should be stable. It should be natural and effortless, like your father. One can hold the stance for hours without feeling tired. When you reach this level, you will have achieved mastery, and I will teach you the next level of skills."

Yue Fangxing was deeply impressed by these words, realizing that there was more to martial arts than just hard work. Influenced by modern training methods, he had thought that persistence would lead to breakthroughs. However, Chinese martial arts were profound and required not only hard work but also insight and reflection. Hua Mountain's martial arts, derived from the Quanzhen School and influenced by Confucianism, emphasized harmony with nature and naturalness. Without understanding these principles, one could not achieve mastery. Modern training methods, which often involved pushing one's limits, were very different from Chinese martial arts. Yue Fangxing, influenced by his previous life, had not yet shifted his mindset and had made the mistake of focusing too much on the external aspects of the horse stance, neglecting its essence.

Since that day, Yue Fangxing had worked hard to break free from his previous mindset and learn to think in the context of his current life. He had gradually grasped the principles and gained a deeper understanding of the incantations. He had also tried to integrate the breathing techniques into the Twelve-Form Muscle Changing Classic, making significant progress over the past three months, far surpassing Yue Lingshan. However, he recently felt as if there was a barrier, and he had not yet grasped the correct method of the horse stance.

Yue Fangxing had been thinking hard for several days when a sudden realization struck him: the horse stance was just a horse stance, wasn't it? He thought about people riding horses, where their bodies moved with the horse's movements, relaxed and ready to exert force at any moment. This was very similar to how his father performed the horse stance. No wonder he had not been able to replicate the feeling he saw in his father, while Linghuchong could. He had never seen a real person ride a horse, only horse riding in TV shows in his previous life, which was not the same. Linghuchong, having seen people ride horses in the village, naturally used this experience when practicing the horse stance. With this realization, Yue Fangxing jumped up and ran to the training ground, shouting, "Father, Father, I want to go down the mountain, I want to go down the mountain."

Yue Buqun was teaching Linghuchong some basic boxing, footwork, and sword techniques in the training ground. Hearing Yue Fangxing's words, he frowned, "Xing'er, I told you not to disturb your senior brother during practice. What do you want to go down the mountain for? Wait until your senior brother finishes his practice to talk about it."

Yue Fangxing, realizing he had been too excited and had lost his usual composure, which had upset his father, quickly replied, "I want to go down the mountain to ride a horse."

Yue Buqun, finding this strange, asked, "Why do you want to go down the mountain to ride a horse? You are too young to ride a horse."

Yue Fangxing explained, "When I practice the horse stance, I always feel a bit uncertain. I want to go down the mountain to see how people ride horses."

Yue Buqun thought for a moment and realized his oversight. He had assumed his son had seen people ride horses, but since Yue Fangxing had never left Mount Hua, he had no such experience. No wonder he had felt something was off with Yue Fangxing's horse stance recently. He had thought it was due to their age and lack of insight, but now he realized it was due to their lack of experience. Living on the mountain, they had not seen many things. He decided they needed to go down the mountain more often to broaden their horizons. He was pleased that Yue Fangxing had thought of this, as it showed he had good insight.

He said warmly, "It's already late today. Tomorrow, I will take you and Lingshan down the mountain to see. I will also take Linghuchong, as he has been practicing hard for the past six months and has not been down the mountain."

Yue Fangxing and Linghuchong were delighted. Yue Fangxing had never left Mount Hua and was eager to see the world below. Linghuchong, being naturally lively, had only been able to focus on practice for the past six months because Yue Buqun had been strict. He was now eager for the next day to come so he could go down the mountain, but he knew he needed to continue practicing to avoid losing this opportunity.