They stepped into the inner courtyard.
The accumulated snow crunched underfoot.
Mei Shuangfeng stood still in the center of the spacious courtyard and turned to face the two of them.
“The path of martial arts is like building a high tower from flat ground. Stance work is for tempering blood qi and laying a solid foundation. Only when the foundation is rock-solid can you take the next step and practice actual combat techniques.”
“But if you want to unleash these techniques, you must pair them with a special breathing method.”
“Our Mei Family's 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 contains a complete set of Anjin-level breathing methods, as well as thirty-six complete forms of combat styles. It is called... 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』!”
Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands behind her back, looking at Shen Xiuhan. “This martial art doesn't deal in empty pleasantries. It only cares about eight words: shattering bones, tearing tendons, drawing blood in one strike! We practice it for one purpose—to kill!”
Shen Xiuhan's eyelids twitched.
Sure enough, it was exactly the same as the martial art he had comprehended during his Deduction.
“Xu Chuan, take your stance!”
“Yes!”
Xu Chuan's face tensed. He took a wide stride forward, crossing his arms to tightly guard his center.
“Watch closely!”
Before her voice could fade, the murderous aura around Mei Shuangfeng erupted like a physical force.
With a shift of her feet, her entire right arm whipped out like a heavy iron lash, raising high and chopping down ruthlessly!
Her five fingers curved inward like iron hooks, tearing through the cold wind with a sharp whistle as she aimed straight for the Jianjing acupoint behind Xu Chuan's collarbone.
Swoosh!
A muffled sound of dislocated joints rang out.
No matter how solid Xu Chuan's guard was, his body still collapsed downward uncontrollably. His entire right arm instantly went limp from the agonizing pain, his balance completely shattered, leaving his chest wide open.
“This move is called 'Shattering Stone, Severing Tendon', and it is meant to cripple an opponent's arm. A light grab robs them of their strength; a heavy grip directly dislocates the shoulder blade. The essence lies in targeting their vital weakness that they must defend, stripping away their ability to fight back in a single move!”
Xu Chuan grimaced, not yet having caught his breath, when Mei Shuangfeng's left hand shot out without warning, like a venomous snake darting its tongue!
Her fingertips whistled sharply as they lunged straight for Xu Chuan's windpipe!
Shen Xiuhan's pupils shrank.
『Mystic Eagle Soul-Seizer』!
It was one of the killing moves in the 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』, specifically designed to tear at an opponent's vital points.
A cold sweat broke out on Xu Chuan's back. In his panic, he raised his left arm to block in front of his neck.
Swoosh!
Mei Shuangfeng's wrist seemed boneless as it twisted in a bizarre angle, sliding along the inside of Xu Chuan's forearm and locking onto his Tiantu acupoint just below the Adam's apple. If she pushed just half an inch further, his throat bone would be crushed to pieces!
Gulp!
Xu Chuan swallowed hard, beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans dripping continuously from his chin.
“The windpipe is a critical weak point! Whether a claw technique is lethal enough doesn't depend on head-on clashes of life and death, but on exploiting every single opening. When trained to a high level, you must target the gaps between bones and tendons! Once you lock onto a vital point, tearing the windpipe is a matter of an instant!”
Mei Shuangfeng slowly retracted her hand, her breathing as calm as before, as if she had merely brushed a snowflake off her shoulder.
A wave of astonishment surged in Shen Xiuhan's heart.
To read of it on paper was one thing, but to see it in action was quite another!
Although he had comprehended all the moves of the 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』 through Deduction, only after seeing Mei Shuangfeng demonstrate it in person did he realize that in terms of the ruthlessness and viciousness of the moves, as well as the mastery of combat timing, he was still lacking by more than just a little bit!
Practicing martial arts was one thing, but killing was a completely different matter.
“Xiuhan, I will perform the entire 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』 once. Watch closely.”
Mei Shuangfeng's figure suddenly moved like a vicious bird of prey darting through the forest. Accompanied by sharp, explosive whistles of air, she personally demonstrated all thirty-six forms of the 『Heavenly Mystic Eagle Force』 with fluid grace.
Every single form was fierce and ruthless, aiming directly at vital spots without any flashy filler.
Moments later, Mei Shuangfeng finished her stance and stood tall. Her phoenix-like eyes swept toward Shen Xiuhan as she asked, “Of those thirty-six forms, how many did you memorize?”
“I memorized all of them.”
“Oh?”
Mei Shuangfeng's brow furrowed imperceptibly, but she did not voice her skepticism. She merely took half a step back and tilted her chin up slightly.
“Show me.”
“Yes.”
Shen Xiuhan walked to the center of the courtyard and took his stance.
Shadow-Fleeting Dragon-Seizer, Mystic Eagle Bone-Shatterer, Cloud-Seizing Heaven-Cutter, Mystic Wing Wind-Sweeper...
The wind of his claws whistled, and his sleeves fluttered.
Form after form, he executed the thirty-six claw techniques completely.
Though still somewhat stiff and far from the fluid ease he had displayed with the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 in the outer courtyard, he indeed executed all thirty-six forms of the routine, without missing a single move.
“Excellent comprehension...”
Mei Shuangfeng nodded slightly, a trace of admiration flashing in her eyes.
“It seems my intuition was correct. Xiuhan's comprehension of martial techniques is exceptionally high. Otherwise... it would have been impossible for him to master the 『Mystic Eagle Stance』 to Minor Accomplishment in just over ten days.”
Beside them, Xu Chuan widened his copper-bell-like eyes and couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
“Junior Brother Shen is truly a genius. These thirty-six forms are incredibly complex. Back then, it took me quite a long time just to barely memorize them.”
Hearing this, Mei Shuangfeng shot him a cold, sidelong glance.
Xu Chuan's voice caught. He shrank his thick neck and lowered his head sheepishly.
It was true that he was the second senior brother of the inner courtyard, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the Bone Tempering Rank, but his comprehension of martial techniques was indeed very mediocre.
In the inner courtyard, when it came to combat techniques and skills, many of his junior brothers and sisters surpassed him.
But Xu Chuan had his own advantages.
Brute force, sheer ferocity, and innate Herculean strength.
No matter how delicate or tricky your moves were, he would simply crush them with raw power.
“Though Xiuhan's comprehension is top-tier, he is still new to lethal combat techniques. His style is still too 'formulaic'.”
As if worried that he might grow arrogant, Mei Shuangfeng warned him sternly:
“Being formulaic means your moves are rigid and lack flexibility. In a real fight, who is going to give you the luxury of posing according to the rules? Martial techniques are trained for ruthless hearts and lethal hands! When fighting with real blades out there, no one is going to follow arena rules.”
“No matter how well you practice your routines, if you lack the intent to kill, you will lose your life the moment you encounter someone who is truly fighting for theirs. In a real fight, you must use the fastest and most brutal methods. A good move is one that kills!”
Mei Shuangfeng paused, her gaze resting on Shen Xiuhan as she instructed:
“Starting tomorrow, you will stay in the inner courtyard to spar and practice moves with Xu Chuan. You must not neglect your basic stance work either; every morning, you must use stance work to guide your qi and temper your blood qi through the cosmic circulation.”
“The three barriers of the Mingjin Rank consist of Blood Tempering, followed by Bone Tempering, and finally Tendon Tempering. Martial arts is like climbing a peak, and you have only just taken your very first step. You must never allow pride to take root, nor should you reach for things beyond your grasp!”
Shen Xiuhan's expression turned solemn. He cupped his fists and answered in a deep voice:
“This disciple will keep your teachings in mind!”
...
Once Mei Shuangfeng left.
The tension on Xu Chuan's face instantly vanished. He strode forward, slung an arm around Shen Xiuhan's shoulder, and grinned broadly.
“Congratulations, Junior Brother, on entering the inner courtyard!”
Shen Xiuhan was sharp-witted and naturally understood the underlying meaning.
When he was in the outer courtyard, he was merely a registered disciple who paid tuition to learn martial arts, with Xu Chuan teaching him on behalf of their master.
Now that he had broken through to Blood Tempering and received the true legacy, he was considered to have formally entered Mei Shuangfeng's lineage, making them true martial brothers.
Shen Xiuhan immediately composed his expression and bowed solemnly with cupped fists.
“Junior Brother Xiuhan greets Second Senior Brother! I hope Second Senior Brother will look after me and guide me in my cultivation in the inner courtyard from now on!”
“Hahaha, we are brothers now, no need to be so polite!”
Xu Chuan laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying being addressed as Second Senior Brother.
After laughing, he sized Shen Xiuhan up from head to toe, shaking his head as he said:
“Come, I'll take you to the storehouse to get two sets of inner courtyard practice robes. Now that your blood qi has been awakened, practicing martial arts while bundled up in this thick coat will only restrict your movements and get in the way.”
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