Chapter 37

"Regarding the subsequent cultivation techniques, we can discuss them later. Even if the Lichen Sect does not have them, we can choose another. With a foundation, if you are willing to spend some time, you can deduce them."

When Yun'er said this, she gave Zhuang Wudao a gratifying smile: "Sword Master, can we begin the lessons today? Your performance in the noon battle was already quite good. You still lack some refinement to achieve the Dragon-Tiger Union, but since you can use it, you are not far off. Your memory is astonishing, you never forget what you see, and you can infer from one example. I estimate that in no more than two days, you will understand the essence of the Dragon-Tiger Union."

Yun'er seemed unwilling to talk much about the 'Lichen Sect' from another world. Zhuang Wudao had no curiosity either; he was not even a Qi Practitioner yet, so why think so much? At this moment, being praised by Yun'er, he couldn't help but feel a bit elated. From childhood to now, he had never been praised so much.

Fortunately, he was still clear-headed, knowing that he had some talent in martial arts, but his cultivation talent was only average. If he did not put in the effort to practice and cultivate, he would only fall further behind, until he could only look up to that person.

Yun'er did not just explain the essence of the Dragon-Tiger Union. When guiding the fist techniques, she focused more on the 'Great Boulder Hand' and the Six Harmonies Xingyi.

The 'Great Boulder Hand' was even simpler than the Dragon Subduing Strike, with only eight fist postures. It was extremely simple with few variations.

Zhuang Wudao grasped the true essence of this palm technique very quickly. Yun'er only demonstrated it a few times, and he already understood it.

He finally understood why this palm technique was considered subpar by the world, but in Yun'er's eyes, it was a supreme martial art. This 'Great Boulder Hand' emphasized using brute force to overcome skill and simplicity to defeat complexity, hence it only had eight postures.

The true essence lay in its method of exerting force. When the palm was struck, it could instantly increase a person's strength by three to ten times, making it incredibly powerful and domineering, with the might to split mountains and crack rocks.

However, without the technique for exerting force, the Great Boulder Hand was even worse than a subpar martial art.

Zhuang Wudao became increasingly delighted as he practiced, knowing that this set of fist techniques would not take more than a few days to master. Although he would not reach the First Heaven realm, he would certainly gain a basic understanding.

This was because he already had the foundation of the Bull Demon Yuanba Body.

The Great Boulder Hand had only eight combat postures, but it had a hundred and eight external martial arts postures for body training. Although it was not a cross-training martial art, it required his fleshy palms and arm bones to be as hard as iron and stone!

When the 'Great Boulder Hand' was struck, it was indeed powerful. However, after that, it required years of hard training with this complex body training technique.

The Bull Demon Yuanba Body, however, was the most advanced cross-training technique in the world. With Yun'er's help, he had already achieved a small success. His fleshy palms were impervious to blades and swords, and his bones were strong! They were even better than before. He was not far from the requirements for the small success of the Great Boulder Hand.

The 'Great Derivation Technique' also gradually showed its benefits, helping him to unblock his internal meridians and making his limbs more coordinated.

According to Yun'er, he only needed to select a dozen useful postures from the hundred and eight postures, spend some time thoroughly unblocking the meridians, and this palm technique could be mastered.

Whether practicing fists, swords, or palms, one needed to unblock the meridians. Once the meridians were unblocked, one could exert force.

Zhuang Wudao did not need to work on his physical body anymore, but he needed to unblock the meridians in his palms to smoothly use the force exerting technique of the Great Boulder Hand.

The Six Harmonies Xingyi, however, was much more complex, with five methods and eight forms. Just for combat, there were eight sets of postures: bear, elephant, ape, snake, tiger, crane, eagle, and chicken. The body training techniques also had over a hundred postures and five桩法 (桩法 can be translated as "stake methods" or "post methods").

Fortunately, Zhuang Wudao had an astonishing memory. He could remember the key points that Yun'er had explained and practice and understand them later. With the foundation of the Bull Demon Yuanba Body and the Dragon Subduing Tiger Subduing techniques, he could ignore most of the body training techniques.

However, Yun'er's explanation of this set of fists was very brief, and the principles were far less detailed than those of the Great Boulder Hand. It seemed that she did not expect Zhuang Wudao to achieve great success in the Six Harmonies Xingyi.

She focused on explaining the essence of the body and mind, and the form and spirit in this set of fists. Additionally, she emphasized the body movement changes in this set of fists, which were far superior to Zhuang Wudao's 'Dragon Shape Tiger Step'.

Gradually, Zhuang Wudao understood that Yun'er wanted him to practice this set of fists. The most important purpose was probably the 'intention'. Achieving the unity of body, mind, and intention would naturally increase the power of the fist techniques.

"Intent is what the heart emits, the direction of the intent is the fist, the body follows the intent, leading the qi with the intent, and manifesting the form with the intent. It's really interesting. I feel it can not only be integrated into the Great Boulder Hand but also into the Dragon Subduing Tiger Subduing Fist, further enhancing its power! It is indeed a top-notch martial art! The Six Harmonies Xingyi, as known in the world, lacks these key phrases, which is why it is considered a third-rate technique."

Although he understood Yun'er's intentions, Zhuang Wudao was quite fond of the 'Six Harmonies Xingyi'. This set of fists emphasized direct and straightforward movements, fast as lightning and thunder! It was simple and practical, straightforward and direct, with no unnecessary embellishments. When performed, it could conserve energy.

It was also most suitable for group battles and battlefields. In the midst of thousands of soldiers, there was no room for evasion. Only by moving straight forward, bravely and without hesitation, like a river breaking its dam!

Perhaps due to the nature of his joints or his personality, Zhuang Wudao had no interest in the more agile and flexible postures like chicken, ape, crane, and snake. However, he quickly mastered the more powerful and direct postures like bear, elephant, tiger, and eagle, needing only one or two practices to grasp them.

He felt that if he could use the Great Boulder Hand as the main technique and combine it with the Six Harmonies Xingyi, the power of his fist techniques would be ten times stronger than before!

In a group battle, he could single-handedly take on over a hundred strong men without any difficulty!

However, the dream was short-lived. Just as Zhuang Wudao was deeply engrossed, Yun'er pushed him forcefully. He felt his feet leave the ground, and he fell into an endless abyss.

Then he woke up, still sitting in the spirit room, maintaining the posture he had used while practicing the Sword Essence Technique. Looking outside, it was already past noon, well past the morning.

He smiled to himself, quickly washed up, and tidied his appearance. He had someone prepare a heavy gift and went with Ma Yuan and Lin Han to the academy to visit the supervisor named Wei Huan, to thank him for his protection.

Coincidentally, Wei Huan was also preparing to leave Yuecheng. He accepted their gratitude with a smile but declined the gift.

"I am about to be inspected by a supervisor from our Lichen Sect, who will strictly investigate any illegal activities of inner and outer sect disciples. I cannot take the risk now. As for yesterday's incident, it was my duty, and you do not need to be so grateful! I will report everything to the True Person, and a decision will be made soon. As for you, Zhuang Wudao, being able to achieve a small success in the Dragon Subduing Tiger Subduing Fist, your future is promising. This year's competition may be delayed, but in the next one, you will surely enter the inner sect. You should continue to practice diligently. If you can achieve a great success in the future, it will bring glory to both me and the True Person."

Perhaps believing that Zhuang Wudao would eventually be on par with him, Wei Huan did not act like a senior, calling Zhuang Wudao a junior to show his favor. His words were gentle and instructive, and his intention to win Zhuang Wudao's favor was evident.

After seeing Wei Huan off at the dock, Zhuang Wudao's life temporarily returned to peace. The Sword Robe Hall raised its flag, replacing the Green Robe Hall and occupying Yuhua Street. Zhuang Wudao, with his own strength, killed Shi Hu and Liu He, along with nine other Marrow Cultivators—these news gradually spread and caused a stir in the area around Yuhua Street.

However, Zhuang Wudao was already detached from these matters. Since he had his own spirit room in the hall, he no longer went to the academy. Li Xiangnan could not do anything to him, and he had no interest in going to the academy to be treated with a cold face.

Every day, he stayed in the room, practicing fist techniques day and night.

Qin Feng knew of his determination to cultivate and never bothered him with trivial matters. He only held the title of deputy hall master in the Sword Robe Hall, leaving all other matters to others, making him a complete idle person.

It took Zhuang Wudao only three days to consolidate the Dragon-Tiger Union, just as Yun'er had predicted. Within seven days, he achieved a small success in the Dragon Subduing Tiger Subduing Fist.

After that, he focused most of his energy on the Great Boulder Hand and the Six Harmonies Xingyi. He had someone set up a plum blossom stake and a star stake in the courtyard. Both were two inches in diameter, with two inches sharpened and inserted into the ground, used to practice footwork.

The essence of fist techniques lies in 'precision' and 'familiarity'. Precision means mastering the true essence of the set of fists. Familiarity means being well-versed and skilled.

It requires thousands of practices to form a natural reaction in the body. Only then can one act before the intent, and not be caught off guard in actual combat.

Therefore, one must not think that just because they understand the true essence of the fist techniques, they can skip practicing the postures. Mastering the techniques, even if one does not fully understand the principles, can still exert considerable power.

Diligence can make up for lack of talent. In the academy, Zhuang Wudao saw many clumsy disciples who outperformed those with outstanding talent and a sense of superiority.

With Yun'er's guidance in the dream, Zhuang Wudao's skills in fist techniques and palm techniques improved day by