Chapter 40: Concurrent Practice of Yanxing Quan

Back when he was a new student, Zhou You had already heard of Li Hao's reputation.

Although Li Hao's late father was merely a low-level officer in the City Gate Guard, his family barely reached the threshold of an official's household.

An unexpected tragedy occurred, and Li Hao's father died in battle.

The young man's fate quickly reached a turning point, and his family situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

The government's compensation was long delayed, and the relatives and clansmen who were originally taken care of by his father changed their faces entirely.

Watching his family property being swallowed up and his mother and younger brother left with no one to rely on, Li Hao gritted his teeth and joined the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall.

He had a determined personality; he developed Essence Power in two months and became a Formal Disciple of the martial arts hall.

With this, having found a backer, the clansmen dared not act recklessly and returned his father's belongings.

The government's response also arrived late; compensation and the like were naturally skipped over, and they only agreed to let him take a post and draw a salary, though he could no longer inherit his father's official position—after all, there was only one seat for every person, and it had long been occupied by someone else.

Li Hao had high aspirations and decisively refused to become a common soldier in the City Gate Guard.

He chose to stay at the martial arts hall, swearing to break through the Blood-Qi Barrier and revitalize his family business.

The Blood-Qi Barrier was a height his father had never been able to reach until his death.

Holding onto this drive, Li Hao practiced desperately after joining the Outer Courtyard, never wasting a moment.

Zhou You felt that Li Hao was quite similar to himself; both had many secrets hidden in their hearts that they were unwilling to share with others.

"Belongings? I understand."

A flash of inspiration crossed Zhou You's mind; it was rumored that the belongings withheld by Li Hao's clansmen, besides the family property, also included Li Hao's father's martial arts notes.

Li Hao's father was a martial officer in the City Gate Guard who practiced the internal martial art "Thousand Army Breaking Evil Fist."

Since entering the realm of Essence Power, Li Hao surely had to practice his family's fist technique and would not want others to pry into it.

No wonder Li Hao looked so reluctant when he heard Zhou You wanted to be his sparring partner.

Zhou You couldn't help but laugh; it was a coincidence that he also wanted to practice the Yanxing Quan in private and didn't want Li Hao to know either.

Both of them had secrets, and they had reached a tacit understanding invisibly.

The Diba Lianwuchang was located in the Outer Courtyard and was a place Zhou You had never set foot in.

Surrounded by high walls and obscured by large blue stone slabs and thickets, it was a secluded place for martial arts practice.

Compared to this, the place where the new students practiced was an open, large drill ground with people coming and going.

"Let's set some ground rules. I am a person who likes quiet; usually, if there is no major matter, try to talk less."

After bringing Zhou You to the site, Li Hao spoke to him with a serious expression.

Although both had a connection through Senior Brother Shen, personal friendship was one thing, and practicing martial arts was another.

Zhou You nodded, "That's what I was thinking too. Why don't we take advantage of the fact that it isn't dark yet to divide the space, so everyone can practice on their own and no one disturbs anyone?"

"Hmm?"

Li Hao was taken aback; how was the other party even more reluctant about the sparring partner relationship than he was?

Zhou You's suggestion was exactly what he wanted, and he agreed without a second word.

The two moved the stones on the ground, drew a line along the center of the training ground, and piled up a temporary stone wall.

The blue stone slabs of the training ground were all high-quality stones mined from the mountains, used as targets for students to hone their Essence Power.

Piled up layer by layer, the training ground was soon divided into two halves, exactly equal on the left and right.

Zhou You carefully examined the stone wall; it was at least four or five meters high, piled tightly with no gaps for prying eyes.

This stone wall was an unauthorized structure; it would be fine if it wasn't discovered, but it would certainly have to be torn down if it were.

Considering that the Big Senior Brother did not have the habit of conducting surprise inspections, let's keep it partitioned for now!

"Let's leave it at that!"

"Unless one party makes a request for mutual sparring, neither is allowed to intrude into the other's space."

After agreeing on the principles, the two entered their respective halves of the training ground and began to practice earnestly.

Zhou You heard the sound of air being torn from across the stone wall; Li Hao was already practicing impatiently.

He first performed a set of Tiger-Subduing Fists, using the moves to mobilize his Essence Power and sort out the details within his body that he had previously overlooked.

The guidance from Lu Qiang, from the perspective of a Blood-Qi martial artist, was infinitely beneficial to him.

After finishing the one hundred and eight moves, Zhou You was covered in sweat and noticed that certain parts of his body were sore and slightly painful; this was the process of tearing and strengthening parts that had not been exercised before.

Essence Power was a key that strengthened the physical body, which then allowed for the cultivation of more Essence Power.

Zhou You had added points to his three attributes to 22 in one go, which already surpassed many students who had just entered the realm of Essence Power.

He was not in a hurry, settling down to harmonize the Tiger-Subduing Fists with his Essence Power and digest the improvements brought by his physical enhancement.

Half a day later...

Zhou You opened the Yanxing Quan and read Lu Zhigang's martial arts notes.

Lu Zhigang was of Commoner origin with decent talent for martial arts; after joining the martial arts hall, he achieved Essence Power, became a Formal Disciple, and mastered the secrets of the Swallow Form Fist.

Because he had long been unable to break through the Blood-Qi Barrier, the fist and martial arts secrets he had come into contact with were limited to the Blood-Qi Barrier, which happened to be on par with Zhou You's current progress.

But after all, he had over a decade of experience with Essence Power, and his strikes were seasoned and ruthless.

"Lucky, lucky."

Zhou You closed the booklet, feeling a lingering fear.

The Lu Zhigang he encountered was not in his peak state, but a dilapidated version who had been wandering and starving until he was gaunt.

At that time, Lu Zhigang was so hungry that his muscles had wasted away and he had no fat left; the power of his punch was not even thirty percent of his peak.

Otherwise, he would not have been easily killed by the fledgling Zhou You.

"Do not blame me, do not blame me. I killed you, took your money, learned your martial arts, and borrowed your name—all of it was out of necessity."

Zhou You prayed silently to the spirit of Lu Zhigang in the void.

Then, he began to formally practice the Yanxing Quan.

"Pecking-Ground Leaping Step."

This is the foundational footwork of the Yanxing Quan, so named because the movements rise and fall like a chick pecking at rice.

Zhou You walked on his tiptoes, landing without a sound, the tendons in his calves and thighs like bowstrings, at times taut, at times snapping open.

The Tiger-Subduing Fist, on the other hand, tempers the bones, training one's entire skeleton to the hardness of forged steel to smash enemies into pulp.

The Yanxing Quan is different; its momentum comes and goes like the wind, incomparably swift, with its focus on the exertion of the tendons.

Each step is a peck at the ground; the posture appears light, but in reality, it grips the ground to borrow force invisibly.

A bird skimming the ground moves differently from a beast; it hops and jumps, its direction difficult to predict.

The tiger step presents a downward pouncing force, while the bird step is an upward lifting force.

According to martial arts theory, when forces clash, the center of gravity becomes unstable, requiring hand gestures to adjust and balance the state.

Therefore, in the fist principles of the Yanxing Quan, the hands are like wings, coordinating with the Pecking-Ground Leaping Step to strike, moving high and low, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

Zhou You benefited greatly, pondering the secrets of the Yanxing Quan bit by bit.

As long as he could fully grasp the Yanxing Quan and the Tiger-Subduing Fist and merge them into one, it would be like a tiger growing wings—fierce and invincible.

"You have practiced the Pecking-Ground Leaping Step for one hour, Experience Points +1."

"You have practiced the Yanxing Quan for one hour, Experience Points +1."

The advantage of the Yanxing Quan over the Tiger-Subduing Fist lies in its simple moves, which yield higher corresponding Experience Points.

"Name: Zhou You.

Strength: 22.

Speed: 22.

Defense: 22.

Experience Points: 632.

Occupation: Martial Arts Apprentice.

Level: Initial Entry into Force.

Skills: Imperial Wood-Cutting Hand lv8, Square-Circle Step lv8, Tiger-Subduing Fist lv10, Pecking-Ground Leaping Step lv1, Yanxing Quan lv1."