Chapter 18 | The Path from Fisherman to Martial Deity

Walking and chatting, they returned to the outer courtyard.

Mei Shuangfeng had changed into a clean, tight-fitting martial outfit at some point.

Seeing this, Xu Chuan immediately took his leave.

Once he left, Mei Shuangfeng tossed over an exquisitely embroidered brocade pouch.

“The remaining money I owed you from yesterday. Open it and count it yourself.”

Shen Xiuhan caught it, opened the pouch to take a quick glance, tucked it away safely, and cupped his fists.

“Thank you, Master.”

“It was a fair trade. No need for thanks.”

Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands behind her back and said, “When first learning the martial path, the foundation is of the utmost importance. I will personally guide you for the next few days.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Master!”

A warm feeling rose in Shen Xiuhan's heart.

When he had heard Chen An talking about practicing martial arts a few days ago, it would have been a lie to say he wasn't envious.

And yesterday, having witnessed Mei Shuangfeng's supernatural footwork on the ice with his own eyes, his yearning for the martial path had reached its peak.

Now, he was finally getting his wish.

“To build a foundation in martial arts, one must first nourish and accumulate blood qi.”

Mei Shuangfeng's gaze fell upon him, her voice as cool and clear as a spring. “But how does one nourish blood qi?”

“First, you must use stance work to guide your blood into your meridians and sense its flow. Then, you strengthen your circulation. Only when your blood qi surges and boils like boiling soup will you truly have mastered the martial path!”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Mei Shuangfeng tapped the ground with her toes, her body rising into the air like a hunting eagle, leaping dozens of feet high!

As she descended, she extended her arms forward, level with her shoulders. Her ten fingers curved into claws, and the Laogong acupoints in her palms faced each other from a distance.

With her inner energy restrained and her mind focused on her claws, her entire body froze into a peculiar stance.

“This is our Mei Family Martial Arts Hall's 『Mystic Eagle Stance』, representing the concept of 'the mystic eagle soaring to the heavens, shattering bones to capture dragons'!”

Mei Shuangfeng's cold voice pierced through the howling winter wind, sounding like the sharp cry of an eagle echoing in the high heavens.

Her body began to transition through the stance forms as smoothly as flowing water, one posture after another.

“When holding a stance, you must never stand as stiff and lifeless as rotten wood!”

“You must change your palms into claws, channel force through your fingertips, and focus your mind and energy!”

“Visualize a thousand-pound stone block in front of your chest. Under the squeezing force of your claws, raise it inch by inch to your chest. Once you feel a burning, swelling pain in your Laogong acupoints, pull both hands inward...”

As Mei Shuangfeng demonstrated the stance work, a prompt suddenly flashed before Shen Xiuhan's eyes:

【Deduction-capable martial art "Mystic Eagle Stance" detected. Begin Deduction?】

Hmm?

Deduction...

The system triggered?!

Shen Xiuhan's heart leaped. Without hesitation, he muttered in his mind:

'Deduce!'

【...Insufficient intelligence accumulated. Fifteen days are required to initiate Deduction.】

As expected...

Shen Xiuhan pursed his lips slightly.

However...

Although he couldn't use the Deduction function right now, it didn't mean he gained nothing.

Within Shen Xiuhan's field of vision, every time Mei Shuangfeng demonstrated a stance posture, the system would perfectly imprint a human figure composed of faint golden light points holding that exact posture!

One posture, two postures, three postures...

A total of twenty-eight complex stance postures were fully engraved into his mind.

Mei Shuangfeng finished her sequence and stood upright. She drew her breath back to her core, her chest and abdomen expanding before she exhaled a long, white stream of breath like a sharp sword, shooting it three feet away.

Her phoenix eyes turned to look at Shen Xiuhan, who was standing in a daze.

“You try.”

“Go through the movements I just showed you. This stance work is obscure and difficult, so it's fine if you can't remember all of it. Just copy me as best as you can and strike as many postures as you can manage.”

Shen Xiuhan pushed his thoughts aside, cupped his fists, and said in a deep voice, “...Understood!”

He stepped onto the wooden posts and began to replicate the stance postures according to the faint golden light figures in his mind.

Shen Xiuhan had originally thought it would be as simple as copying an answer sheet.

But once he actually struck the posture, he realized how incredibly difficult these seemingly simple movements were!

The muscles across his entire body tightened like twisted hemp ropes, pulling against one another. His shoulder blades, waist, abdomen, thighs, and ankles were all locked in a fierce internal struggle.

It felt as though countless invisible threads were pulling at his muscles and bones from every direction.

Barely managing to hold the third posture, Shen Xiuhan felt a tearing soreness all over his body. His legs buckled, and with a thud, he fell off.

“Mhm, not bad.” Mei Shuangfeng nodded slightly. “To be able to hold three postures on your first attempt at stance work is already considered above average in the martial arts hall.”

This was considered above average?

Panting heavily, Shen Xiuhan wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, “Master, how many postures could the other senior brothers and sisters hold on their first try?”

“The five in the inner courtyard could all hold three or more.”

Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands behind her back. “There is no use in overthinking. The most critical taboo in the martial path is impatience.”

“Master these three postures today, then add two or three more each day. In less than ten days, you will be able to perform the entire set of stance work. At that point, you can attempt to sense your blood qi.”

“Yes, Master!”

Mei Shuangfeng watched him practice the three postures twice more. Seeing his movements become increasingly fluid, she nodded in satisfaction.

“Go train with the others.”

The master opens the door, but the practice is up to the individual.

After Mei Shuangfeng left, Shen Xiuhan practiced the stance postures three more times.

He now had a clear understanding of his own natural talent.

It could be summed up in two words.

Utterly mediocre.

If he practiced step-by-step like a normal person, it would probably take him four to five months just to sense his blood qi.

Therefore...

Accumulating "intelligence" to deduce the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 had become a matter of utmost urgency.

Although he didn't know the exact mechanics of "Deduction," the name suggested it was likely a simulation that would deepen his comprehension of the technique's true essence.

For him, this was undoubtedly a heaven-defying tool to change his destiny on the martial path!

Of course, while accumulating intelligence, he couldn't slack off on his stance work.

Otherwise, if he appeared to do nothing every day but suddenly made massive leaps in his cultivation, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

With that thought, Shen Xiuhan gritted his teeth, stepped back onto the wooden posts, and continued his training!

More than two hours passed.

Shen Xiuhan copied the other outer courtyard disciples' method: practice once, rest for fifteen minutes.

After an entire morning, his progress was much faster than he had expected.

He had completely mastered the first three postures and was already attempting the fourth.

This bit-by-bit progress motivated him even further, and he threw himself entirely into the training.

Before he knew it, Xu Chuan's booming voice rang out across the courtyard:

“Lunch is ready!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the outer courtyard disciples in the yard began stopping their movements in twos and threes.

Some gathered to chat, while others drifted toward the center of the courtyard.

Shortly after, a few disciples emerged from the inner courtyard carrying massive bamboo steamers.

The steamers were set down in the middle of the courtyard. When the lids were lifted, steam billowed upward, wrapping the area in a white mist.

A rich aroma of wheat instantly filled the air.

Inside the steamers, large white steamed buns made from fine sorghum flour were plump and soft, looking incredibly appetizing.

The outer courtyard disciples of the entire martial arts hall immediately swarmed around them in a noisy crowd.

“Two per person, no taking extra! If that's not enough, eat your own rations...”

Holding a whip, Xu Chuan stood in front of the steamers and shouted loudly, looking like a shepherd tending to his flock.

The tuition fees the disciples paid to the martial arts hall originally included a single lunch.

However, martial artists put immense strain on their muscles and bones, consuming vast amounts of energy. How could a mere two steamed buns fill their bellies?

Therefore, everyone had brought their own rations.

But how could dry rations compare to these piping-hot, freshly steamed buns?

“Junior Brother Shen, these are yours.”

There were still plenty left in the large steamer. Xu Chuan handed him four buns and smiled warmly.

“Newcomers usually don't know to bring their own food, so there's an exception on the first day to let you have two extra buns. But starting tomorrow, you'll have to figure something out yourself.”