Chapter 84

Shenma's Selection (84)

Chao Ailiang said to the flustered Dan Aoxian,

"They say that seeing is believing. Experiencing something firsthand is often better than just seeing it. Even if you fail, try with confidence. I will point out your mistakes."

Encouraged by Chao Ailiang's words, Dan Aoxian stood in front of a nearby tree.

Dan Aoxian stood still for a moment, recalling Chao Ailiang's movements.

Then, at a certain moment,

A series of movements formed in his mind, and he adjusted his breathing and took a step forward.

The energy of the Weihuashengong, which he had gathered to the utmost, enveloped his entire body.

Boom!

With a loud noise, Dan Aoxian took a few steps back.

The shock that traveled from his wrist to his shoulder made his entire body tingle.

However, the result was disappointing.

His palms were numb, but the tree bark was only slightly indented.

When Dan Aoxian looked back at Chao Ailiang, Chao Ailiang also smiled awkwardly.

Your posture is quite good, but the process of concretizing the rotational force at your fingertips, which is the essence of the Zhan Shijing, seems very distant.

It was a comprehensive deadlock.

'Well,'

Chao Ailiang inwardly smiled bitterly.

In fact, the Zhan Shijing was one of the core martial arts that formed the foundation of Chao Ailiang's martial skills.

If Dan Aoxian could master it just by watching a few times, Chao Ailiang would have been amazed.

He himself only managed to handle the Zhan Shijing properly after a considerable amount of time since he started practicing.

'Even a genius would find it difficult.'

Reflecting on his own impatience, Chao Ailiang demonstrated the Zhan Shijing once again.

This time, it was a rock.

Crack!

Chao Ailiang merely placed his index finger on it.

Yet, a deep crack started from his finger and spread across the rock like a spider web.

It then crumbled to pieces.

Chao Ailiang said to the wide-eyed Dan Aoxian,

"Have you heard of the phrase 'Zhongshi Mo Shi' (the arrow sinks into the stone)?"

"Yes, it means that if you concentrate, you can exert an incredible amount of strength."

Dan Aoxian was familiar with the anecdote from the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) about Li Guang, a general who shot an arrow into what he thought was a tiger, only to find it embedded in a large rock shaped like a tiger.

Chao Ailiang nodded.

"Like that example, a concentrated force can exert great power, whether it's mental or physical."

He continued, moving slowly and explaining further,

"When a series of movements form a trajectory and connect into one force... "

Swish.

With a light slash, a rather thick rock cleanly split, revealing a neat cross-section.

"Various applications are also possible this way."

"Wow..."

"Try it again."

Dan Aoxian concentrated and moved his hand, slashing and grabbing, just like Chao Ailiang.

However, no matter how many times he repeated it, the result was the same.

His posture was quite good, but the final result was still disappointing.

Han Xuehua, who had been watching, stepped in, seemingly frustrated.

"The rotational force should multiply as it travels from your feet through your ankles and knees. It should be further enhanced by your waist and shoulders, but each part is working separately. Instead, the forces are counteracting each other, nullifying the power."

"Then what should I do?"

"The direction of the force must maintain a consistent flow."

Dan Aoxian fell into thought.

A vague feeling tickled his mind, almost within reach.

'Now that I think about it...'

He had a similar experience a long time ago.

It was when he was learning acupuncture.

Although the locations of the meridians were all in his mind, they varied subtly from person to person.

Therefore, finding the exact effective acupoints was not as easy as he thought.

Still, he did not give up and kept practicing.

Then, at a certain moment,

He had a strange experience.

He began to feel sensations through the needles.

It felt as if the nerves extending from his fingertips were connected to the needles.

At that moment, the needles seemed to find the correct acupoints on their own, as if by magic.

So he repeated the sensation until it became second nature.

Recalling that moment, Dan Aoxian moved his body again.

As time passed, the taste of bitterness began to fill his mouth.

The sweat that had been pouring down like rain had now evaporated, leaving only a salty residue.

Still, Dan Aoxian did not give up and continued to practice diligently.

Chao Ailiang and Han Xuehua did not hesitate to offer criticism and advice from time to time.

However, there was no noticeable dramatic improvement.

After about half an hour,

Dan Aoxian's movements, drained of energy, noticeably slowed down.

Chao Ailiang, who thought he had reached his limit, smiled bitterly.

"Let's take a break."

"Huff, huff. I'm fine. I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it."

But Dan Aoxian shook his head, his breath short.

Chao Ailiang frowned at Dan Aoxian's stubbornness.

"Pushing yourself further is not practice but overexertion. Your concentration has already dropped, hasn't it? Your current movements are just meaningless gestures."

At this moment, Fan Jiwei interjected.

"Why? I think he's doing fine."

"What?"

Fan Jiwei, who was munching on the dried meat he had bought instead of Jianliang, said to Dan Aoxian,

"That's not it, Doctor Dan. Chao Ailiang's movements were 'swish!' But yours are 'chop, chop, chop.'"

Chao Ailiang wondered if he had heard correctly.

Looking at Han Xuehua, she also seemed displeased.

In the current situation, what good would such vague and amateurish advice do?

What was even more astonishing was that it came from the mouth of Fan Jiwei, who was known as a master.

However, Dan Aoxian's eyes sparkled at Fan Jiwei's words.

"Ah! That's it. The key is the 'swish!'"

Chao Ailiang sighed.

"Don't rush. It took me a considerable amount of time too. If you keep practicing diligently, you will eventually make it your own."

Seeing Dan Aoxian readjust his posture, Chao Ailiang smiled awkwardly.

"Is it possible with just 'swish?'"

Chao Ailiang could not finish his sentence.

The moment Dan Aoxian's hand, after a series of movements, touched the large tree,

Thud.

A distinctly different sound was heard.

The tree then swayed violently, and the snow piled on its branches fell in a cascade.

"..."

Chao Ailiang's eyes widened.

The power was far from his own, but it was clearly the Zhan Shijing.

"How did you do that?"

Chao Ailiang turned to Han Xuehua.

She too was blinking in disbelief, clearly surprised.

At that moment, Dan Aoxian asked Fan Jiwei,

"Like this?"

"That's it! Well done, Doctor Dan."

Fan Jiwei's praise made Dan Aoxian smile brightly.

"By focusing on the connection and speed of the movements, I couldn't fully immerse myself in the flow."

Chao Ailiang almost lost his composure at Dan Aoxian's next words.

"Uncle Fan really teaches well. It all sinks in."

"Ha ha ha! I am quite talented, unlike some people."

Fan Jiwei then threw a smug smile at Chao Ailiang and Han Xuehua.

Chao Ailiang was speechless with exasperation.

"You understood that?"

Han Xuehua was equally skeptical.

The two of them shot Fan Jiwei a look of strong disbelief.

They firmly believed that Dan Aoxian had just happened to gain insight at a crucial moment.

Otherwise, their pride would not allow it.

After that, Dan Aoxian continued to practice the Zhan Shijing.

His movements noticeably improved.

Once he grasped the knack, he was quickly making it his own.

At first, out of ten attempts, only two or three were successful, but after about half an hour, he succeeded more than half the time.

At that moment, Chao Ailiang approached Dan Aoxian.

"Let's take a break now."

"Already?"

Chao Ailiang firmly said to the disappointed Dan Aoxian,

"If you, a doctor, don't take care of your own body, it would be absurd, wouldn't it?"

"Ah!"

Dan Aoxian finally realized that his stamina had already reached its limit and smiled sheepishly.

"Phew."

Dan Aoxian collapsed on the spot, as if in a heap.

As he withdrew his inner energy, his entire body felt incredibly heavy, and he could not move.

Chao Ailiang, impressed by Dan Aoxian's tenacity, beckoned to Fan Jiwei and Han Xuehua.

The two of them approached and used the Weihuashengong to strike and massage various parts of Dan Aoxian's body.

Through the Chasing Meridians and Acupoints technique, they washed away the turbid energy accumulated inside and replenished his depleted energy.

Dan Aoxian also closed his eyes and used the Weihuashengong.

Chao Ailiang suddenly realized something as he watched Dan Aoxian accept the energy from the two of them without resistance.

'Now that I think about it...'

He had always been around, but only now did he notice that Dan Aoxian had changed significantly since leaving Shenma Valley.

The auspicious energy that used to fill the surroundings when he used the Weihuashengong was now much thinner.

Moreover, the range that covered the surroundings was only about a meter.

This was a clear sign that he was using his energy more efficiently.

The speed at which he absorbed and integrated this energy into his own inner strength had also increased accordingly.

After about half an hour,

The aura surrounding Dan Aoxian was rapidly absorbed into the pores of his body.

When Dan Aoxian opened his eyes, Chao Ailiang pointed to an open space.

"Let's have a sparring match now."

Dan Aoxian smiled brightly at this.

Facing each other, the sparring match began with Dan Aoxian's first move.

The air was filled with chaotic hand shadows, and the sound of air being torn apart echoed continuously.

Chao Ailiang inwardly marveled at Dan Aoxian's movements, which improved day by day.

Teaching him was indeed rewarding.

Like a dry sponge absorbing water, Dan Aoxian absorbed and made everything taught his own, which was frighteningly fast.

On the other hand, as the sparring continued, problems also became more apparent.

"Let's stop here. Regain your breath."

As Chao Ailiang withdrew his hand and stepped back, Dan Aoxian panted heavily.

Despite being drenched in sweat, Dan Aoxian smiled brightly.

It was a brief sparring match, but he had poured all his effort into it.

"Doctor Dan, you did well! Your skills are improving every day."

Fan Jiwei praised him, and Han Xuehua nodded silently.

However, Chao Ailiang had a somewhat unsatisfied look and sighed.

"Your overall martial skills have indeed improved, but there are still many problems. Your reactions and movements are too straightforward. Your responses to feints and changes are also too direct."

His honest nature was clearly reflected.

"Trusting your sparring partner too much is also a problem."

Even in a sparring match, unexpected accidents could happen, but he had no such concerns.

The martial skills of the three were too advanced for any accidents to occur.

"Then, how about a sparring match tailored to your weaknesses?"

"Is that something I can do?"

"Can the great Blood Suction Venerable not do something?"

Chao Ailiang frowned.

"Then you do it."

Fan Jiwei shook his head.

"How can I harbor killing intent against Doctor Dan? I don't want to do anything despicable either."

Chao Ailiang turned to Han Xuehua.

But Han Xuehua was already looking at the distant mountains.

Chao Ailiang sighed softly.

"I should have brought him along..."

At such times, he regretted leaving Neng Suomi in Shenma Valley.

"What should we do? To gain practical experience, an appropriate sparring partner is needed..."

Ultimately, the key was experience.

The problem was that finding a sparring partner who met the conditions was not easy.

Someone who would not hesitate to use underhanded tactics and was adept at improvisation.

It would be even better if they also possessed suitable martial skills.

At that moment,

"Ah!"

Fan Jiwei exclaimed, as if recalling something.

"We're in Shaanxi."

"So?"

"Isn't it full of secular sects of Huashan and Zhongnan? We could break into a nearby escort agency or martial hall and bring back a suitable opponent..."

"Doctor Dan would love that."

Chao Ailiang's rebuke made Fan Jiwei grimace.

As the awkward silence continued, Chao Ailiang recalled someone.

"That's it! There's someone!"