Chapter 31: 30 The Power of Insects

30 The Power of Insects

By evening, Tang Zhao had intended to wait for Si Liyu to arrive, but for reasons unknown, the other party did not show up that night. While Tang Zhao felt a bit of regret, he also felt a sense of relief; the pressure Si Liyu placed on him was far greater than that of Guan Lei.

Having some free time, Tang Zhao lit a lamp to read, naturally choosing the newly acquired "Guan Lei's Discourse on Martial Arts."

"Guan Lei's Discourse on Martial Arts" was clearly written by Guan Lei himself, recording common knowledge of martial arts and the common knowledge of "learning martial arts."

The text in the book was just like Guan Lei's tone of speech—plain and colloquial, yet clear and understandable. Not to mention that Tang Zhao had already been tempered by the "Paulownia Draws the Phoenix Art," even if he were completely ignorant, he could still read it through smoothly.

It covered common knowledge of martial arts, such as the starting points, stages, and realms of Martial Dao, the distinction between internal and external arts, the origins of weapons and unarmed combat, and the content and connections between martial arts, martial techniques, Martial Dao, and martial virtue. As for the common knowledge of learning martial arts, it provided a rough yet systematic introduction, ranging from initial stretching and stance training to fist techniques, footwork, movement techniques, mental cultivation, and even the nourishment of Spirit, Qi, and Bone.

Finally, there were records of Jianghu rules and martial arts anecdotes; although written brilliantly, they were brief, as the author clearly did not care much for them.

Although Tang Zhao had only flipped through it roughly, he had already guessed that Guan Lei had ambitions in writing this book. Just like military strategists writing the Art of War, he was organizing what he had learned and compiling it into a treatise, aiming for his name to be passed down through the ages; recording the unofficial histories happening right now held little significance.

Viewed in this light, Teacher Guan was a remarkable person, full of ambition and lofty intentions.

Yuan Qing said that learning martial arts did not require reading books, but perhaps starting from this one, it would be necessary.

Of course, this book was still a draft, or even just an outline; many introductions were too rough, with only the first few chapters suitable for detailed reading, while others merely listed names. However, even if it were completed, the content in the book could not possibly be fully detailed; otherwise, it could not be finished in a million words, nor could it be written by one person alone.

Because it was too sketchy, the Glasses did not give the book a rating and did not acknowledge it as a "technique," perhaps considering it a "popular science reader." Naturally, there were no annotations either.

But popular science readers are easier and more interesting to read than monographs, and easier to accept. The more useless the knowledge, the more interesting it is; Jianghu rules are more interesting than martial arts common knowledge, and strange tales are even more interesting than Jianghu rules.

Take the ranks of martial arts experts, for example; they are not as strict as in stories. Roughly speaking, those who have only learned superficial fist and foot techniques are called "Warriors." Once one's kung fu has a foundation—simply put, being able to vault over walls and climb roofs—one can be called a "Strongman." Further up, once internal and external arts reach a certain realm, one can be called a "Knight-Errant," and those who can open a sect and lead the trend of an era are called "Grandmasters." As for the Great Hero, like the "Righteous Man" corresponding to the Strongman stage, one must reach the Knight-Errant stage and then be conferred by the Imperial Court. There is only one per county, and one must possess strength, reputation, and merit sufficient to convince the masses.

But these are merely conventional titles, not golden rules. In the Jianghu, everyone says "expert" and "hero" at every turn. Except for "Grandmaster," which people generally dare not usurp, and Great Hero or Righteous Man, which must be certified by the Imperial Court, other titles are flexible. It is not uncommon for people to close their doors and flatter each other as "Knight-Errant Zhang" or "Master Li."

As for the strength of those at the same rank, that is even more unpredictable. Among those who are both Strongmen, one might be able to take on ten. As for the notable figures active in the Jianghu, they are basically all at the Knight-Errant level, and their strength is as different as clouds and mud. Even if two people are equally famous, it does not mean they are evenly matched; one could be knocked down by the other in a single move. Even a Great Hero conferred by the Imperial Court is not necessarily stronger than a Knight-Errant. It is not to say that the Great Hero is the strongest in a county, but an Imperial Court certification is an Imperial Court certification; even if you beat the Great Hero until their head is covered in bumps, the authority will not shift to you.

Finally, Guan Lei mentioned that the Jianghu never lacks busybodies who rank experts, and various lists emerge one after another. But most are full of errors and omissions, and are highly regional. Currently, the most reliable reference in the martial arts world is the "Hundred Weapons Manual" of the Star-Gazing Tower, which has detailed data and updates quickly, gradually becoming the public consensus. In particular, the Hundred Weapons Manual is divided by province and county, has various sub-lists, and even establishes a full list of first and second-rate experts, with its ambition to become a standard clearly revealed.

Above that, there is the Imperial Court's Nine Provinces Loyalty List. It does not judge by martial arts, but only by merit. It is related to martial arts prowess, but it cannot be generalized. In terms of authority, nothing surpasses the Imperial Court; however, there has always been an invisible chasm between the government and the Jianghu. While the government views Jianghu people as chaotic outlaws, how could martial arts experts look up to the government's "running dogs" and "lackeys"? Therefore, when the Nine Provinces Loyalty List was launched, it was not only not sought after by the martial arts world, but repeatedly and deliberately ignored. Especially in the underworld, some even consider being on the list a disgrace.

However, this phenomenon is gradually changing. For one, the Yin Calamity has been intensifying in recent years, and martial arts people can no longer stay out of it; even the underworld is under the constant threat of the Yin Calamity, and it is not just one or two sects that have been wiped out. Secondly... the Imperial Court is also giving too much.

To reward loyalty, all Righteous Men on the list can exchange their merit for benefits, including secret techniques, divine weapons and sharp blades, and tonics and healing medicines. In particular, there are "Mysterious Technique" and "Art Tool."

It is said that these two are the keys to transcending the Knight-Errant realm.

"Guan Lei's Discourse on Martial Arts" becomes vague here, without explaining what "transcending the Knight-Errant realm" is, nor explaining what "Mysterious Technique" or "Art Tool" actually are, only saying they are not within the scope of the "Discourse on Martial Arts."

I don't know if it's Tang Zhao's petty mind, but he always feels that Guan Lei's wording here is a bit sour.

Mysterious Technique...

Tang Zhao thinks about it; he is actually most familiar with Mysterious Technique. The only technique he has mastered, the "Divine Bird Bathing in Fire Art," is a Mysterious Technique.

Was it such a high-level technique all along?

Although it does not involve the Mysterious Technique itself, he finally knows where the starting point of the Mysterious Technique is.

The starting point of the Mysterious Technique is the end point of what is generally called "Martial Dao."

According to this book, the end point of martial arts is "Perfection." This perfection refers to the perfection of the body, and it is also just the perfection of "Spirit, Qi, and Bone," where both internal and external reach a state of perfection, achieving the "No-Leak Realm."

Reaching this stage can be considered the peak of Martial Dao; there are only a handful of such people in the Jianghu. At this point, the path of Martial Dao has reached its end. Theoretically, one can still accumulate Internal Energy, making it deeper and purer, allowing one's martial arts to overwhelm peers and dominate the Jianghu.

But this is only a quantitative change, not a qualitative one. The essence remains in the ranks of Knight-Errant. Internal Energy can delay aging, but it has its limits. Eventually, the body weakens and cannot maintain the realm, and the five decays of heaven and man finally turn one into white bones.

Seeing this, Tang Zhao cannot help but worry secretly—is the threshold for Mysterious Technique this high?

If that's the case, just reaching the threshold for cultivation requires decades of effort, and one must be a martial arts genius to complete it. Doesn't that mean he, an ordinary person, has no hope for his whole life?

Is there no way to accelerate it?

Perhaps there is, but Guan Lei did not write it in the book, only writing about the two routes of martial arts—internal training and external training.

To put it bluntly, it is training Internal Energy and training external arts.

External arts start from the muscles, bones, and skin, moving from the outside in, while internal arts are the opposite; when internal Qi is full, the muscles and bones naturally strengthen. Both are proper paths. External arts show results quickly but are more arduous and dangerous, while internal arts excel in long-lasting stamina, with poorer initial results.

The Body Refining Chapter Tang Zhao is learning is a preliminary technique for external training, which is normal. His time is limited; if he used this month to practice internal arts, he might not even be able to touch the threshold.

It's just that he still feels a bit of regret—internal arts sound a bit cooler.

Let's just practice step by step; the expert and famous teacher hired for him surely won't lead him astray. Moreover, he still has the Glasses as a supplement, and he can use the Light Flame Diagram to train his Spirit. In one month, he surely won't waste his time.

The next morning, Tang Zhao got up early and changed into new gray coarse cloth clothes for training.

After finishing his stretching exercises, he walked out the door and saw that the gray-clad disciples in the courtyard had already risen for morning practice, some standing in stances, others practicing fist techniques. Looking at their state, it was clear they had been practicing for a while.

Tang Zhao couldn't help but click his tongue, thinking: I thought I had gotten up early enough, but it turns out so many people are earlier than me! It seems practicing martial arts requires more diligence than reading. No wonder the ancients said: "Rise at the sound of the rooster to dance"; it seems I must be even more diligent in the future!

According to what was agreed upon yesterday, he jogged to Guan Lei's courtyard. By the time he reached the entrance, his body had already warmed up.

In the courtyard, there was suddenly a mountain rock over a person's height, not hollow and porous like a rockery, but a solid, heavy block that nearly pressed the ground into a depression.

This "over a person's height" was the height of a strong man; it was almost twice his size!

Guan Lei stood by the rock, resting his hand on the rock that was half a head shorter than him, and said, "Tang Zhao, come here."

Tang Zhao walked over, cupped his hands, and said, "Good morning, Teacher."

Guan Lei nodded and said, "Azhao, do you know what the strongest animal in the world is?"

Tang Zhao answered without hesitation, "Ants."

Guan Lei was uncharacteristically stunned for a moment and said, "Um... cough, that's right. You might have said tigers or bears..."

Tang Zhao thought: I just said it was ants.

"But those animals only have large bodies. The tiny ant is the one with the greatest strength; it can carry weights many times its own body weight, truly possessing infinite strength. And the technique I teach, which excels in strength, is called 'Ant Strength.' Since you are small and weak, you must learn from the ant. We will train our physical strength starting with moving this rock. Let's set a small goal: in one month, I will have you move this rock!"

Although Tang Zhao felt that "Ant Strength" didn't sound majestic enough, he was still excited and said, "Okay!"

Guan Lei thought to himself that this child, despite his small strength, had plenty of confidence; with such a large rock in front of him, he didn't fear the difficulty at all.

How could he know that ignorance is fearless? Tang Zhao had no concept of real-world martial arts, but had infinite fantasies about the martial arts in stories. Let alone a mere rock, even if he were asked to move a mountain in a month, he would dare to believe it.

Before hitting the south wall, Tang Zhao was a greenhorn in Martial Dao.

Guan Lei then had Tang Zhao stand in front of the large rock and push it according to the posture for exerting force he had mentioned yesterday.

The large rock naturally remained motionless. Tang Zhao pushed with all his might for a while, having exhausted his strength, and could no longer exert any force.

Guan Lei said, "Tired?"

Tang Zhao was covered in sweat and said, "A little."

Guan Lei said, "Hardness cannot last; extreme exertion like this won't work. Just use ordinary force." After saying this, he adjusted Tang Zhao's stance, told him to sink his waist and squat in a horse stance, keep his arms slightly bent, and then gave some pointers on the knack of exerting force.

Following his pointers, Tang Zhao reined in his strength and continued to push. It did indeed save some effort, but he was still exhausted within a short while.

Guan Lei told him to withdraw his strength but keep the same posture, adjusting his breathing to rest. This time, the rhythm of the breathing was different; it wasn't just about relaxing, but about controlling the inhaled breath, storing it in the body for a while longer before exhaling.

Tang Zhao followed along while memorizing, confirming in his heart that external training was indeed closely related to breathing methods; every technique had a corresponding breathing method.

After relaxing, Tang Zhao went back to pushing the stone, alternating between exerting force and resting. By the end, his arms were so sore and weak he couldn't lift them, and his legs were numb too.

Not until Tang Zhao was exhausted to the point of death did Guan Lei tell him to get up, handed him the teacup from his own hand, and said, "Drink some water, rest a while."

Tang Zhao took a sip and felt the medicinal scent rush to his nose; it was bitterly unbearable, and he truly couldn't swallow it.

Guan Lei laughed, "Azhao has good perseverance and can endure hardship. I was worried you were delicate before; it seems my worry was in vain."

Tang Zhao couldn't help but laugh, "It's alright, just average." He then drank several mouthfuls in a row.

That medicinal tea had astonishing efficacy; as soon as he drank it, heat traveled throughout his entire body, and his strength was restored quite a bit instantly. Guan Lei was not in a hurry, waiting until he had rested enough before telling him to go push the stone again.

Thus, the whole morning was spent squatting and pushing the stone. Lunch was large chunks of meat, which looked red, bright, and fragrant, but tasted terrible. They had added some unknown ingredients, making it both sour and bitter. Tang Zhao's tongue went numb from eating it.

After the noon break, Guan Lei brought Tang Zhao to the other side of the stone. This side of the stone was pitted and uneven, with many shallow depressions. He asked again, "What do you say is the animal that jumps the highest in the world?"

Before Tang Zhao could answer, he said, "Perhaps you want to say a rabbit, but it is actually a grasshopper..."

Tang Zhao didn't have the heart to correct him: "Shouldn't it be a flea?"

Guan Lei continued, "A grasshopper jumps several times higher than its own height. If a person could jump that high, what would that look like?"

Tang Zhao imagined it; that would be about the same as flying, right?

However, is it normal for light-body techniques to be the same as flying?

In that case, his light-body technique is to learn from a grasshopper?

This time it's called "Grasshopper Technique"?

Ordinary people practicing martial arts all learn from dragons and tigers, or at the very least from leopards and panthers, yet Teacher Guan tells him to learn from an insect.

But thinking about it carefully, the power of insects truly exceeds that of tigers and wolves; it is a miracle of nature, so what does it matter if the name isn't imposing?

Guan Lei said, "We are now going to learn the jumping art of the grasshopper, and we will also set a small goal. Within one month, you must jump onto this stone from a standing start, without borrowing any other force."

Teacher Guan then instructed him on some keys to exerting force from the waist and legs, first having him jump all the way to the top along the shallow depressions on the stone, and then jump down from the opposite side.

Practicing jumping was much more tiring and dangerous than pushing the stone. Even though Guan Lei had laid a thick layer of straw on the ground, Tang Zhao was still thrown quite hard, and a few times his posture upon falling almost hit his head. Guan Lei watched from the side; if there was a risk of falling on a vital spot, he would immediately step in to help, but if it only hit skin and flesh, he would ignore it.

After practicing for over an hour, Tang Zhao's legs were sore and painful, and in the end, he couldn't even jump while holding onto the stone, so Teacher Guan let him rest.

It was dinner time, but Guan Lei didn't call him to eat; instead, he drove him to take a bath, and the bathwater was, of course, medicinal soup.

Bathing wasn't just soaking; Guan Lei taught him several techniques to continuously pat and massage his body during the medicinal bath to relax his muscles and accelerate the absorption of the medicine. He soaked until just before dinner, and the bruising was indeed almost gone, and his strength had recovered quite a bit.

Dinner was still that medicinal stewed meat. Tang Zhao, who hadn't complained once during the whole day of hard training, ate until he doubted life—even if medicinal herbs had to be added, it shouldn't be this unpalatable, right? It was practically like dark cuisine made on purpose.

Tang Zhao couldn't help but say to Wei Zhangle, who hadn't been seen all day, "Couldn't the medicinal herbs just be boiled into a soup to drink, and at least not ruin this meat?"

Wei Zhangle had been called away by Guan Lei in the morning for separate instruction. It seemed the master taught according to aptitude, and even with only two people, he would formulate different plans. He was only seen at dinner, also eating very painfully, but still pinching his nose to swallow, saying, "I think if the medicinal taste didn't cover it, it would probably be even worse. That fishy stench is hidden inside..." Seeing Tang Zhao's face turn green, he hurriedly said, "But I think this should be a tonic, not ordinary meat."

"Haha, Zhangle has insight." Guan Lei walked over carrying a large bowl the size of a washbasin, sat down casually on a stone—higher than the two of them standing—and said:

"This is Fierce Beast meat. Have you heard of it? Fierce Beasts are wild beasts mutated by the Calamity Moon, wantonly wreaking havoc in the Human World, far exceeding tigers and wolves. This area is still considered peaceful; further East, once you leave the borders of Yunzhou, you can often hear of Fierce Beasts eating people in the markets. Now it is placed on your table, transformed into Blood Qi to nourish your body; isn't this a blessing? When I was young and practicing martial arts and needed nourishment, it was good enough to get a little bit of dried Fierce Beast meat. How pungent was that Fierce Beast blood? I still had to grit my teeth and drink it raw. How could it be as abundant as yours? Guess how much such a piece of meat sells for outside?"

Tang Zhao naturally guessed on the expensive side: "Ten taels of silver?"

Guan Lei said, "Close, fifty taels."

... How is that close? Isn't it a five-fold difference?

Fifty taels... that is, Tang Zhao's entire net worth wouldn't be enough to eat for two days! And those farmers couldn't even afford meat scraps after a year of hard work!

"Why else would they say 'the poor study, the rich practice martial arts'?"

But, it's still very hard to eat!

Tang Zhao leaned over to look and found that Guan Lei's bowl was filled with fragrant chicken, duck, fish, and meat—all normal dishes. He hurriedly and diligently picked up a piece of Fierce Beast meat and said, "Teacher, you eat something good."

Guan Lei pulled his bowl back and said, "I won't eat it. It's useless for me to eat it; this thing is too unpalatable, who would eat it if not for practicing martial arts."