Chapter 109: Force Spans a Foot, Qi Reaches Three Zhang

The Cold Pond separated the inner and outer gates.

The small island had many mountains; among them, the six tallest Shanfeng were respectively the inner gate's five halls and the sect's great hall, followed by the Scripture Pavilion, the Weapon-Forging Valley, the storehouses, the Divine Armory...

About a li to the left of the sect's great hall lay the Hammer Hall.

"The hierarchy of the Divine Armory Valley is far stricter and more clearly defined than even the Forging Shop. Most of the time, inner and outer disciples have very little interaction... well, except for the menial disciples."

After circling half the island, Li Yuan hadn't run into many inner disciples, but menial disciples were everywhere, laboring in every corner of the island.

Chopping wood, carrying water, transporting iron materials, repairing houses, tending vegetable fields... they looked even busier than the apprentices at the Forging Shop.

But these menial disciples were nothing like the outer-court apprentices of the Forging Shop. At the very least, they had to come from well-off families in the lower counties—Young Masters and Young Ladies from lower counties like Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao were not few in number.

"No wonder every family strictly controls the leakage of Wu Gong. This is the foundation of a sect's standing."

Following the small path up the mountain, Li Yuan felt a slight stirring in his heart.

He had firsthand experience of the difficulties of martial training. Had it not been for the Gao Liu upheaval, where Han Han Chuijun swept away many forces with Lei Ting-like methods, the difficulty of his Yi Jiu Xing would have been immeasurably greater.

Even after joining the Divine Armory Valley and becoming a true disciple, he dared not slacken in the slightest.

The true disciples of the Divine Armory Valley were not fixed; in fact, every few years there were shifts among the true disciples, just like the Three Thousand Divine Guards, which changed every year—the weak descending, the strong ascending.

The fastest way for an inner disciple to advance to true disciple was to defeat an existing true disciple. Fang Fang Yunxiu had hinted at this to him earlier.

Compared to other true disciples, his foundation and Wu Gong were both very thin. At least, on the surface, he was merely a genius who had just cultivated internal Gang and had yet to complete body tempering.

"Li... Junior Brother Li?"

At the end of the mountain path sat a rather large stockade. The moment Li Yuan reached the gate, a tall, thin youth came out to greet him with a smile:

"I'm Gao Gang. Master told me to wait for you here."

"Li Yuan greets Senior Brother Gao."

Li Yuan cupped his hands in greeting, his peripheral gaze sweeping over the long hammer strapped to Gao Gang's back.

Though that hammer-weapon was only second-grade, it surprisingly contained the 'Soldier's Path Battle Hammer' enhancement he needed, and at Great Completion.

"Junior Brother Li is indeed an outstanding talent. No wonder Master Values so highly."

Gao Gang smiled and turned: "Master has been waiting a long time. Junior Brother, hurry and follow me."

"Mm."

Li Yuan nodded and followed.

According to Fang Fang Yunxiu, Han Han Chuijun had taken in many disciples in recent decades, but most were nominal disciples; only nineteen had truly entered the sect, and among them were two true disciples.

Gao Gang had entered the sect seven years ago and had achieved Internal Strength Completion.

The buildings within Hammer Hall clustered in groups, much larger than the Forging Shop, with vegetable plots, a small stream, and bamboo groves and grassy fields.

"Master, Junior Brother Li is here!"

In the bamboo grove, Han Han Chuijun was practicing his fists. He responded casually without pausing his movements.

Glancing at Li Yuan stepping forward, Gao Gang bowed and retreated.

Whoosh whoosh~

Han Han Chuijun's movements were light, slow, and casual—sometimes like a tiger descending the mountain, sometimes like a snake coiling through grass, sometimes like an ape gazing at the moon, sometimes like a horse galloping...

Each move and form lacked a fixed pattern; the shapes of the various beasts were all different, yet when executed by his hands, they carried a natural, flowing quality.

"Unity of All Forms?"

Li Yuan's heart skipped slightly.

Han Han Chuijun hadn't exerted force, yet the various form-fists shifted between his fists and palms as he wished. Though deliberately slowed, one could still sense that each of his moves and forms carried the power of all forms combined.

Once unleashed, it would surely be terrifyingly extraordinary.

"Hoo!"

After a long while, Han Han Chuijun slowly gathered his stance. Though his movements were clearly extremely light and slow, steam rose from his entire body. From over ten meters away, Li Yuan felt as if he were being scorched by raging flames.

Such surging, terrifying vital energy made even his hair stand on end.

"What did you see?"

Han Han Chuijun drew a long

breath, and the steam around his body was pushed outward and dispersed by an invisible force, not a single drop remaining on him.

"Unity of All Forms."

Li Yuan answered.

"What else?"

Han Han Chuijun asked again.

Li Yuan thought for a moment, then answered: "More than just beast forms."

"Not bad."

Han Han Chuijun slowly paced:

"Among all the Wu Gong in the world, image-form Wu Gong are considered the finest, but image-forms also have their high and low. Take the White Ape Wind-Swept Hammer, the Tiger's Roar Saber, and the like—those that imitate ordinary beasts are mostly mid to low grade...

Above that are those that imitate spirit beasts. Wu Gong of this kind are mostly mid to upper grade, but the myriad forms of heaven and earth extend far beyond beast forms alone."

Li Yuan stepped into the bamboo grove, focusing his mind and listening intently. He lacked systematic knowledge of Wu Gong and was quite eager for it.

"Bamboo groves, grassy fields, small streams, wind, rain, thunder, lightning—even mountains, rivers, and cold ponds—all have forms. Where there is form, all can be transformed!"

Han Han Chuijun stood by the small stream without moving, yet in Li Yuan's eyes, he gave off a sense of having merged into the wind, ready to drift away with it at any moment.

"Wind form?"

Li Yuan was somewhat startled, somewhat taken aback.

He knew Han Han Chuijun had transformed many forms, but he hadn't expected wind form to be among them. How could one transform wind?

"Form transformation is the beginning of the human body shedding into the inhuman. The number and kinds of forms you transform determine what realm you can ultimately reach!"

"This realm is heavy, heavy beyond measure!"

"Dizishou Sect!"

Li Yuan hurriedly bowed and asked the question that had been on his mind.

"When Form-Shifting is mastered, internal force transforms into Qi, circulating through every meridian of the body — that is Meridian Opening. Internal Qi will not affect Form-Shifting. I have my own reasons, so you need not ask further."

Han Han Chuijun paid it no mind, paused briefly, and added:

"Wu Gong is the way to break limits. The realm is indeed important, but in the end, when two people clash, the realm is not what decides it."

"If your speed is so fast that no one can get close, and your strength is enough to kill anyone, even if you're only at Body Tempering, who would dare say you are not the greatest under heaven?"

"Uh…"

Li Yuan of course did not argue, but he felt that Old Han lingering so long in the Form-Shifting realm must have had some other reason.

If the realm were useless, how could it have been passed down for thousands upon tens of thousands of years?

Since the two did not conflict, following his own thinking, he naturally wanted both…

"Follow me."

Han Han Chuijun saw through his thoughts but said nothing, simply turning to walk toward the thatched hall. Li Yuan hurried to keep up.

The bamboo grove thatched hall looked rather plain and unadorned from the outside, but the interior decoration had nothing to do with simplicity — every kind of furniture and object was fully provided.

Three small incense burners were also lit, wisps of green smoke curling around, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, quite pleasant.

Inside the room, there were actually four maidservants…

'What a life Old Han leads, truly knows how to enjoy himself!

Li Yuan muttered, his expression strange.

The four fair-featured maidservants had already respectfully withdrawn from the room.

"These are menial disciples sent by the sect to attend me. They change every day — they are not maidservants!"

Han Han Chuijun knew at a glance what Li Yuan was thinking, gave a light cough, and said with a straight face:

"I have never in my life been one to indulge in carnal pleasures."

"Mm, mm."

Li Yuan nodded repeatedly.

He had no habit of prying into others' privacy, and was not very interested in this matter — even if he were, he could not show it.

"When one's Qi and blood are vigorous, all kinds of desires grow stronger. But I have been devoted to the martial Dao and have not been near a woman for decades. Take a lesson from that."

Han Han Chuijun glared at him, too lazy to explain further, and said in a low voice:

"The True Transmission Ceremony will not be held grandly, but inviting fellow sect members to bear witness is essential. Normally this takes over a month — far too long…"

"Today, I will pass on to you the 'Bu He Xin Fa'!"

Li Yuan immediately stood straight — this was also the treatment reserved for a true transmission disciple.

Bing Gu Wu Gong are numerous, but no Wu Gong

is taught for nothing — menial disciples can only learn one Zhong Cheng Wu Gong every three to five years.

Inner disciples fare slightly better, but they too often must do great deeds for the sect before being taught half a volume of a superior martial art. Take Fang Fang Yunxiu — ten years after entering the sect, she has only learned a few moves of the Heavenly Cicada Sword Art.

But true transmission disciples may receive an entire superior Wu Gong.

"Tian Xia Wu Gong come in vast numbers and varieties. The so-called distinctions of superior and inferior have only been circulated for a thousand years and are not necessarily accurate, but on the whole, they are not far off."

Before beginning the transmission, Han Han Chuijun still explained quite a few things.

"The difference between Zhong Cheng Wu Gong and inferior Wu Gong lies in the great circulation of Qi and blood. Without this part, no matter how great the talent, one cannot strengthen the body from within…"

"The gap between superior Wu Gong and Zhong Cheng Wu Gong lies in 'Qi Gong.'"

"Qi Gong?"

Li Yuan Captured the heavy one.

"Form is easy to change, internal Qi is born. How does internal force transform into Qi? This requires 'Qi Gong.'"

As he spoke, Han Han Chuijun flipped his right palm and crooked one finger.

*Pa! *

Li Yuan's eyelid twitched — before he could react, he felt a stab of pain in his chest, and his inner armor let out a *pa* of its own.

A tremendous force transmitted through, making him stumble back several steps without choice.

"This is internal Qi?"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up — the two of them were a full three meters apart.

"As the saying goes, force reaches one chi, Qi reaches three zhang. The gap between Internal Strengthening and Form-Shifting is vast beyond your imagination."

Han Han Chuijun pulled a manual from his bosom, flipped through it casually — the ink was not even dry yet:

"The Bu He Xin Fa of the Bing Dao Dou Sha Hammer makes up seventy percent of the entire Wu Gong. This booklet was transcribed by me last night…"

Good heavens — what was on the boots was only the fringe?

Though he had had some guesses before, Li Yuan could not help but smile bitterly inside; he had once thought he had already gotten his hands on most of it.

"This booklet contains the Dou Sha Jiu Xing Hu Xi Fa, the complete one hundred and eight forms of the Bing Body Stance, and — the true essence of this Wu Gong — 'Qian Jun Qi Gong'!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Li Yuan reached out to take it.

"Qian Jun Qi Gong is the true essence of the Bing Dao Dou Sha Hammer, a secret not to be transmitted. You may only read it here, and you absolutely must not pass it on to anyone!"

Han Han Chuijun flipped his hand and pressed down on the manual, his gaze cold and fierce:

"If this Wu Gong is spread through your hands, then — whether it be you or the one who stole the learning — both shall have their clans exterminated!"

"This disciple will keep it firmly in mind!"

Li Yuan answered solemnly.

Only then did Han Han Chuijun release his grip: "You may not take it with you. You may only read it here in the thatched hall."

"This disciple understands."

Li Yuan reached out to take the booklet and slowly began flipping through it.

"Your background is poor, and you know far too little about the common knowledge and taboos of various Wu Gong. I cannot teach you everything one by one. From now on, go learn on your own at the outer-gate 'Lecture Wu Tang'!"

Han Han Chuijun gave his instructions as he rose and lit a candle.

Li Yuan read by the candlelight, silently praising Old Han for his thoroughness. The booklet was written in great detail, explaining the profound in simple terms, very easy to understand.

"Nine kinds of breathing methods, far more complex than the Ape Six Breathing Method… mm… and the Soldier Body Stance is missing so much too, no wonder my progress has been so slow…"

Li Yuan immersed himself in it, silently reciting line by line, word by word.

The entire booklet was over fifty thousand characters, and with the various illustrations it wasn't really that much, but reading it through once was easy—memorizing it was another matter entirely.

"I have to memorize it, over fifty thousand characters. Old Han is talking nonsense—how could one person copy so many characters in a single night…"

Li Yuan muttered to himself, and for a moment felt the pain of memorizing texts from his past life.

Those who practice martial arts are surely well-developed in limb and muscle, but that doesn't necessarily mean their brains work well…

……

……

Li Yuan's head was dizzy and swollen from trying to memorize it, and he still couldn't commit those fifty thousand characters to memory. By midnight, he could only drag himself painfully back to the room Han Han Chuijun had arranged for him.

"The Nine Form Breathing Method I've managed to remember, but I should compare it a few more times before attempting it. For now, let me first try the complete Soldier Body Stance…"

In the crude little room, Li Yuan didn't even light an oil lamp. He drew a deep breath and began his stance practice.

Hah!

The remnant chapter on the Six Harmony Boots differed from the complete Soldier Body Stance only in subtle details, but it was precisely these subtle differences that Li Yuan immediately noticed the moment he began.

In just a few stance postures, he felt as if the strength throughout his body was like floodwaters pouring out through an opened sluice gate. He had only reached the ninety-first of the hundred-and-eight postures of the Soldier Body Stance before he was already somewhat out of breath.

After completing the full set, his clothes were soaked through.

"Good stuff!"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up.

Whether nurturing strength or nurturing qi and blood, both are consumption—supplement, then consume, in such a cycle. The more strength a stance practice expends, the better.

Of course, this requires the aid of medicinal pills; otherwise it would only be half the result with double the effort.

"Hah!"

When the sky's edge gradually paled, Li Yuan finally ended his stance and fell asleep at once.

Since he began practicing martial arts, the quality of his sleep had always been excellent. After the Nine Form Body Modification, he could recover all his energy and spirit in just two or three hours.

When the sky was fully bright, Li Yuan pushed open the door and went out. Hammer Soldier Hall was quite large. He walked a full circle but saw no one, nor any place to eat.

It was on his way to find Han Han Chuijun that he ran into Gao Gang.

"Master has been away from the mountain for a long time, and the other senior and junior brothers are all gone too. The dining hall was dismantled long ago. If you haven't eaten, Junior Brother, go catch some wild game in the mountains yourself."

Gao Gang said coolly, tossed back one line, then turned and left.

"There's nowhere even to eat…"

Li Yuan paid no heed to Gao Gang's attitude, shaking his head inwardly.

He walked a great circle but still couldn't find Han Han Chuijun. He only learned from a serving maid that the old man had hurried out before dawn, destination unknown.

"…I only read it through once. Old Han can't possibly think I've memorized it, can he?"

Li Yuan's heart gave a sudden lurch. He didn't know whether other Dragon Form bone structures had photographic memories, but he certainly didn't.

"Given Old Han's thoroughness, it shouldn't be like this. Could something have happened?"

Li Yuan deliberated, then went to Sky Cicada Hall. He didn't find Fang Fang Yunxiu there, but he did learn what had happened.

"Ping Gou County has rebelled. Every force aligned with Divine Weapon Valley has been exterminated to the last, their corpses hung upon the city walls!"

The news spread quickly, and Divine Weapon Valley's response was equally swift. At dawn Han Han Chuijun had already led a squad of Divine Guard troops and set out.

Inside Divine Weapon Valley, the atmosphere was also in an uproar. Many disciples took on missions one after another—the rewards for such missions were excellent.

"Another rebellion?"

Li Yuan's heart sank slightly as he thought of Gao Liu County: "The matter of Gao Liu County… I'm afraid it was no coincidence…"

Within Divine Weapon Valley, Li Yuan didn't have many acquaintances. After walking a full circle he couldn't pry out any more information, so he could only return to Hidden Dragon Manor first.

He had arrived in a hurry yesterday and hadn't even packed his bundle. Mainly, he hadn't brought Little Mouse. Li Yuan had grown attached to it and planned to go back and bring it along.

Along the way, he'd find a banquet to attend and prepare for the advancement of his Soldier-Summoning Register.

……

……

Liu Zheng hurried back. Compared to the chores within the sect, it was Hundred Flowers Pavilion that lingered in his mind.

Li Yuan decided to bring him along. Young Master Liu's Wu Gong was poor and his talent was poor, but his capacity for drink was excellent, and in handling affairs he was far more thorough than disciples like Yue Yue Yunjin.

"Master Li!"

The two had just returned to the courtyard one behind the other when, from outside the gate, came a respectful knock.

"Zhao Zhao Yunsheng?"

Liu Zheng stepped forward to open the door. Outside stood Zhao Zhao Yunsheng, his face all deference.

"Master Li!"

Zhao Zhao Yunsheng hadn't even straightened his waist. Smiling all over his face, he presented the property deed with both hands:

"These are the three shops in the prime location on Divine Weapon Street. Master Li has been too busy to come collect them, so I specially delivered them today…"

Tsk, a man who knows when to bow and when to rise.

Reaching out to take the property deed, Li Yuan's regard for the man actually rose.

Compared to those who wear their contempt on their faces, those who hide it in their hearts are naturally more to be feared.

Reading the room and seeing that Li Yuan seemed to have no dissatisfaction, Zhao Zhao Yunsheng only then breathed a sigh of relief and presented the invitation:

"Hearing that Master Li has received the true inheritance, our family's old master specially ordered me to deliver this invitation. I do hope you will not decline!"

"The Zhao family head?"

Li Yuan took the invitation, flipped through it casually, and could not help but show a slightly odd expression:

"Your grandfather is also called Zhao Zhao Yunsheng?"