Chapter 15: Skin, Flesh, Bone, Blood

"The foundation of the martial path is divided into four stages: Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood. I'm sure you've all heard of them. In my opinion, it's not that complicated; it all boils down to a single, fundamental word: 'Refine.'"

"Refine?"

"Yes, refine. Refine with all your might. Refine your strength until it becomes infinitely great. When an ordinary person suffers injury merely by brushing against you and dies just by touching you, then you can be called a grandmaster of a generation."

Liang Qu, following behind Xiang Xiang Zhangsong, couldn't help but grimace at these words.

So, achieving sagehood through the physical body, is it? But the key question is, how does one refine?

Elite athletes from the Olympics in his previous life had taught Liang Qu that the human body has limits. Without special methods, it was absolutely impossible to split stone and break tablets using only the physical body.

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong's next sentence proved this point.

"Of course, no matter how hard an ordinary person refines, there is a ceiling. Being able to fight ten people is the absolute limit. To break through this limit, two things are indispensable: Method and Medicine!"

"Method and Medicine?"

"Correct. 'Method' refers to the technique. For instance, upon joining our Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, you will be given the Three Fist Techniques to practice. With a method, people gain a ladder to climb upward."

Liang Qu asked, "And what about Medicine?"

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong replied, "The method paves the upward ladder, but this ladder is steep! Dangerous! Precipitous! Therefore, you need a handrail to walk fast and steady without falling off and smashing yourself to pieces. That is Medicine!"

"Since you both come from Yixing Market, I assume you've heard the news about the two precious fish caught at the Yixing Market dock yesterday?"

Liang Qu clasped his fists and said, "Cao Shixiong Xiang, to be honest, one of those two precious fish, a Horned Pompano weighing over three jin, was caught by me. I sold it for six taels and five Great Qian of silver. Adding that to some savings, I barely scraped together enough money to learn martial arts."

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong paused in surprise, realizing that the seven taels handed over earlier were likely the proceeds from selling the precious fish. He smiled and said, "Liang Shidi Liang is indeed quite fortunate."

"Those precious fish are actually the Medicine we need. One precious fish can nearly substitute for over a month of effort. Furthermore, there are precious meats and precious plants. Anything that helps us temper our qi and blood and increase our strength counts as Medicine."

"For this reason, many techniques have accompanying medicinal formulas that complement each other, achieving an effect where one plus one is greater than two. For example, our Three Fist Techniques have their own formula. While other techniques might benefit from our formula, the effect won't be as good as when practicing the Three Fist Techniques."

"Of course, if there's truly no other way, eating more meat is also acceptable; it will provide some benefit, however slight."

Liang Qu's mind began to race with possibilities upon hearing this.

He had no connections for precious meat, but he was an expert when it came to precious fish and precious plants!

There were countless precious fish in the Jianghuai marshlands. Even Fat Catfish could find two precious fish in a few days. If this continued, wouldn't he skyrocket?

However, Li Li Libo, standing nearby, remained somewhat silent.

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong noticed this but wasn't surprised. Many people thought that simply entering a martial arts hall guaranteed achievement, which was a grave mistake.

Poverty hinders literary pursuits, while wealth fuels martial ones. A child raised on meat is naturally stronger and sturdier than one raised on chaff and vegetables.

These two junior brothers came from ordinary families; they were probably feeling somewhat disheartened.

He didn't speak to discourage them further. Instead, he comforted them, saying, "Liang Shidi Li, do not be sad. The lack of Medicine does not mean the martial path is destined to be difficult. Success depends on human effort; nothing is absolute. There are always geniuses in this world who, even without Medicine, can walk the path quickly and steadily."

"Thank you, Cao Shixiong Xiang. I will remember this."

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong nodded and led the two further inside, saying, "The so-called Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood are the four stages of the early martial path. Breaking through each stage grants different benefits and allows us to ascend to a higher level."

Following Xiang Xiang Zhangsong's explanation, Liang Qu gained a deeper understanding of the four stages.

Simply put, breaking through the Skin Stage leaves the body looking unchanged, yet the skin becomes as tough as ox hide, resilient and unbreakable, greatly increasing defense.

Breaking through the Flesh Stage greatly increases physical strength, making it effortless to lift a person with one hand.

Breaking through the Bone Stage allows for a more unreleased exertion of power, truly enabling one to split stone and break tablets.

Breaking through the Blood Stage is like adding diesel fuel to a steel automobile, providing an all-around enhancement.

"If you can break through the Skin Stage within three months, you may stay in the hall for an additional two months. If you can break through within fifty days, you might even have a chance to gain Master Yang's favor and become a true disciple, learning more profound techniques."

These words reignited Li Li Libo's spirits, filling him with surging excitement. Even Liang Qu found himself eager to learn techniques as soon as possible.

At this moment, Xiang Xiang Zhangsong stopped and said, "This place is the training grounds, where we primarily interact and train daily."

Inside the training grounds, there were about thirty-plus people. Some were standing in meditation postures, some lifting stones, and others sparring. The youngest looked even younger than Liang Qu, while the oldest appeared to be over thirty. Most were men, with a few women scattered among them; the scene resembled a large-scale gymnasium.

Liang Qu looked on with envy. Even if all thirty-plus people paid the lowest tuition of seven taels, that would amount to over two hundred taels. Two hundred taels every three months meant nearly a thousand taels a year! That would be enough to buy a large mansion.

This was a conservative estimate. Accounting for transient students and those not currently in the training grounds made the figure even more staggering. When would he ever be able to make money while lying down?

"During the last five days of every month, Master Yang will come here personally to teach martial arts. You may ask him any questions you have."

"We can only see Master Yang at the end of the month?" Li Li Libo was stunned. He had thought that entering the martial arts hall meant receiving instruction from a true martial master directly. Was this all there was to it?

"Then what do we do during the rest of the time?"

Xiang Xiang Zhangsong did not answer immediately. Instead, he called out to a burly man lifting stones in the training grounds: "Cao Shixiong Hu!"

Liang Qu looked over curiously and was surprised to discover that this was none other than the martial artist surnamed Hu who had bought his fish yesterday.

Truly, no coincidence is too strange.

Then again, the number of martial artists in the entire Pingyang Town was limited, so encountering Martial Artist Hu was not surprising.

While waiting for Martial Artist Hu to approach, Xiang Xiang Zhangsong explained, "On ordinary days, Master Yang's personal disciple, Cao Shixiong Hu, will teach you. He is the martial artist on duty for the middle of the month. Cao Shixiong Hu is knowledgeable and possesses profound martial arts skills. According to the rules, you will study under him from now on. Well, now that you are acquainted, I must return to the entrance to manage the registration."

"Safe travels, Cao Shixiong Xiang."

At this moment, Cao Shixiong Hu approached. After glancing at their wooden tags, he said, "Two junior brothers, I am Hu Qi. From now on... Hmm? It's you?"

Liang Qu clasped his fists and said, "Nice to see you again, Cao Shixiong Hu."

Hu Qi pondered briefly and understood the situation. Smiling, he said, "I didn't expect such a coincidence. From now on, you two will study martial arts under me. However, I must first examine your bone structure."

"Bone structure!?"

Li Li Libo's face lit up with excitement. Could he be the legendary martial prodigy?

Seeing Li Li Libo's expression, Hu Qi knew exactly what he was thinking. "It's not that mystical. Good bone structure does mean faster progress and punches that carry heavier, fiercer force, but it's not absolute. It cannot completely represent one's innate talent."

"Moreover, our Three Fist Techniques actually consist of three distinct styles: Tiger, Crane, and Ape. You can choose the primary style that best suits your bone structure. This is something the other two martial arts halls do not offer."

Having said this, Hu Qi took Li Li Libo's hand, pinched his wrist bones, shoulders, and hip bones, and finally said, "Endure the pain."

Hu Qi thrust two fingers inward, touching Li Li Libo's spine.

Hiss!

Liang Qu's eye twitched. Hearing Li Li Libo gasp in pain told him it hurt immensely.

He had once watched a movie where a female agent killed people using exactly this method.

Hu Qi withdrew his hand and said, "Above average. I recommend you primarily practice the Ape Fist among the Three Fists."

Li Li Libo was greatly disappointed.

It was Liang Qu's turn. Again, it was the wrist bones, shoulders, hip bones, and finally the spine.

Hu Qi thrust his two fingers inward. Liang Qu felt half his body go numb, yet in the end, the one who made a sound was not him, but Hu Qi.

"Eh? Liang Shidi Liang's bone structure is actually this good?"