Chapter 47: Internal Martial Arts: The Five Elements Origin-Nourishing Art

"Foster father." Chen Mo walked into the study and bowed.

"What is it?" Sun Shouren set down the files in his hand and asked with a smile.

Regarding Chen Mo, this foster son, he could now be said to hold him in high regard.

There was no help for it; among his many foster sons, Chen Mo was the only one left in the military camp, so he had to value him whether he wanted to or not.

"Child is currently practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist and is nearly at the perfection of the third layer, but while practicing over the last two days, I have always felt that the circulation of Qi and Blood within my body is obstructed. Recalling your words, foster father, I dared not continue training and came immediately to seek your guidance."

Chen Mo stood up and spoke, his eyes full of confusion and doubt.

"Oh!" Sun Shouren's gaze showed slight surprise, and he stroked his beard unhurriedly.

"Come with me." He quickly left the desk and headed straight for the Yanwu Ting in another courtyard.

Chen Mo followed closely behind, step by step. Upon entering the Yanwu Ting, Sun Shouren dismissed everyone else in the hall.

In the vast Yanwu Ting, only he and Chen Mo remained.

"Come, let's see how much strength you have now." He pointed to the stone wheel on the side.

The stone wheels in the Yanwu Ting were no longer made only of stone; some had been replaced on the left and right sides with wrought iron, which was heavier in weight but smaller in volume.

This allowed the weight of the stone wheels to be more precise, so that a Martial Artist could have a more accurate estimation of their own strength.

Chen Mo nodded with a smile, walked to the nine-hundred-catty stone wheel, and lifted it with ease.

This was not difficult for him, and then came one thousand catties, then one thousand one hundred catties.

The third layer of the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist could bring him an increase of six hundred catties of strength, and adding the five hundred catties of strength he already possessed, that made a full one thousand one hundred catties.

So these were not too difficult for him. Arriving at the one thousand two hundred catty stone wheel, Chen Mo made a slight attempt and finally lifted it with great difficulty.

Seeing this, Sun Shouren quietly walked in front of Chen Mo, one hand hovering over the stone wheel; if he discovered even a hint of trouble, he would catch the stone wheel.

However, in the end, Chen Mo held the stone wheel over his head for a full fifteen breaths.

"Not bad. With this kind of strength, although you don't match me back in the day, passing the Imperial Examination for the title of Scholar is absolutely easy, and it won't be difficult to pass for the title of Provincial Graduate in another two years."

Sun Shouren's expression was quite happy, and his gaze toward Chen Mo grew increasingly satisfied.

For his foster son to reach this realm just after starting to practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, while not matching himself, was still far superior to many others.

This showed that his talent was absolutely not bad; as long as he was cultivated well, he would certainly be a fierce general in battle.

"It is all thanks to your cultivation, foster father." Chen Mo smiled.

Although his strength might be stronger than many candidates taking the Imperial Examination, the Imperial Examination was not just about brute force.

Stone lifting, archery, Riding, military strategy Policy Essays, and weapon combat were all within the scope of the examination.

It was not that one could pass by meeting the standard in one area, but that one had to meet the standard in every single area.

Because of two consecutive rebirths, his talent was indeed quite decent, but the time he had spent practicing was still too short.

Since entering the Personal Soldier camp, even if he practiced until the Imperial Examination, it would only be half a year in total.

And the other candidates participating in the Imperial Examination had practiced for at least several years or even over a decade; even with good talent and excellent strength, it was very difficult for Chen Mo to compete against them.

"Since you are now practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist and have felt an obstruction in the circulation of Qi and Blood, you cannot continue to practice, otherwise you will only damage yourself. If you want to continue practicing, you must practice an Internal Martial Arts method," Sun Shouren said slowly.

"I ask that you teach me, foster father!" Chen Mo hurriedly bowed.

"Rise, my child!" Sun Shouren laughed loudly and reached out to help Chen Mo up.

"Sit down first; I will teach you how to calm your heart, circulate Qi, and realize the Sense Qi." Sun Shouren sat cross-legged immediately.

In the practice of Inner Family Kung Fu, sitting in meditation is a crucial link. First, one must sit in meditation to clear the mind in order to perceive the Sense Qi.

Only by finding the Sense Qi can one condense Inner Qi and formally begin cultivation.

To reach this step, those with talent and comprehension can succeed in three to five months, while those without talent may not achieve anything even in three to five years.

Precisely because of this, pure Cultivators of Internal Energy in the world today are becoming fewer and fewer. Apart from the limitations of money, more importantly, it wastes too much time.

Martial Artists who practice both internal and external arts or those who purely practice external arts are the mainstream; ninety-nine percent of Martial Artists in the world are like this.

But pure Cultivators of Internal Energy often become stronger the older they get, and more importantly, their lifespan is long enough. As long as their cultivation is successful, living to a hundred years is not difficult.

As for external art practitioners, even if they switch to practicing Internal Martial Arts to nourish their bodies later, most find it hard to live to eighty.

"The Internal Martial Arts method I am teaching you is called the Five Elements Origin-Nourishing Art. Its intent is to regulate the five internal organs so that the Five Elements within the human body are balanced, only then can one cultivate Internal Breath," Sun Shouren said earnestly, explaining every word in great detail.

The Five Elements Origin-Nourishing Art also has a corresponding training method, but compared to the grand and open style of the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, the training method for this art is much gentler.

Furthermore, one must meditate for at least half an hour every day to keep the heart calm and the spirit agile.

This is only the standard for beginners; as the time spent practicing increases, the time spent sitting in meditation to calm the heart will also gradually increase.

Sun Shouren taught this art to Chen Mo almost hand-in-hand, fearing that something might go wrong.

"From now on, you only need to focus on practicing this art. When you cultivate Inner Qi, it means your five internal organs are regulated, and only then can you continue to practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist. Before that, you must absolutely not practice it again."

Sun Shouren's tone was slightly stern as he exhorted him repeatedly.

"Child understands. But is this Five Elements Origin-Nourishing Art only one layer? Once the Inner Qi is sensed, is it considered completed?" Chen Mo's expression showed slight doubt; what he lacked was not an Inner Qi Cultivation Method, but how to use it.

"Of course not. Unlike us external Martial Artists, it is hard to tell who is superior or inferior without fighting.

Although internal practitioners also don't know the true gap until they fight, there is still a rough classification among them," Sun Shouren shook his head lightly.

External hard arts are essentially about improving a Martial Artist's strength, and there is no strict division of realms. When two external Martial Artists meet, it is hard to tell who is superior unless they actually fight.

Even for internal Martial Artists, there are divisions of high and low realms, but as long as they are mortal, a spear can still poke a bloody hole in them, so the gap between high and low realms is not that great.

As long as one makes a mistake or is ambushed, even those with a high realm will still meet their end.

"The first realm of internal Martial Artists is Sense Qi, which is mainly about searching for the Sense Qi; you are currently in this realm.

After the Sense Qi realm comes Internal Breath. The Martial Artist accumulates Inner Qi in the Dantian until the Dantian Internal Qi is completely full; that is considered the completion of this realm's cultivation.

Martial Artists in this realm have Inner Qi, but it is often used up as it is spent; if they want to accumulate more, they need to spend more time practicing.

The third realm is Meridian Opening, where True Qi travels between the meridians and can complete a cycle within the body; when the Dantian Internal Qi is exhausted, it will slowly recover on its own.

As for the realms after that, they are too far away from you, and you don't need to know yet.

You have only just begun your practice; first Sense Qi, then cultivate Internal Breath, and only then can you begin Meridian Opening and practice the next layer of the art."

Sun Shouren spoke a great deal in one breath, and Chen Mo listened quite attentively from the side.

"Then may I ask, Foster Father, if I were to cultivate Inner Qi, how should I use it?" Chen Mo continued to ask.

"That is complicated to explain; wait until tomorrow when you come to my study, and I will give you the manual for the Five Elements Essence-Nurturing Art, and you will understand once you read it slowly," Sun Shouren said with a smile as he stood up.

He had no intention of keeping secrets from Chen Mo, and besides, letting him see the subsequent cultivation methods now would also be helpful for his future cultivation.

Inner Family Kung Fu is intricate and complex, far surpassing External Martial Arts by several times over; Martial Artists from large sects and great clans often begin to study cultivation manuals when they are enlightened at the age of six or seven.

Even if they cannot cultivate yet, they must begin studying in advance to avoid problems when they do practice.

Chen Mo has already started late; if he were to keep secrets from him now, he fears that even if Chen Mo manages to cultivate Inner Qi in this lifetime, he will not achieve much.

Although it is said that techniques should not be taught lightly, Chen Mo is his foster son, and more importantly, this technique is not being passed down to him alone.

The foster sons under his command, as well as several close nephews, all cultivate this technique.

If one person knows it, it is considered precious, but if twenty or thirty people know it, then this technique is no longer considered all that precious.

It is just like the foundational techniques of many large sects and great clans; because many people practice them, they inevitably circulate throughout the pugilistic world.

It is just that in order not to offend the sects and clans behind those techniques, practitioners of these techniques generally do not speak of this matter lightly.

"Many thanks, Foster Father!" Chen Mo bowed to thank him again.

If one speaks of External Martial Arts techniques, ordinary people can still find a way to obtain the opportunity to practice if they work hard enough.

Then these Inner cultivation techniques are not something that ordinary people can obtain through hard work; every single manual is quite rare.

(End of this chapter)