blueteamnovel Chapter 22 Eight Changes in Seasons, One Drawing
Chapter 22 Eight Changes in Seasons, One Drawing
"Please enlighten me, Master."
This is precisely what Li Xin couldn't understand.
In his previous life, he had never seen any book that mentioned martial arts at this time having elemental attacks.
After all, martial arts is not about cultivating immortality, and you can't actually develop true qi; that's something novelists do.
Martial artists of that era were rumored to possess formidable skills unmatched by later generations.
For example, cutting off blood vessels and severing pulses, or injuring people with hidden attacks... When one reaches a level of mastery that is truly divine, one can even sense danger.
It can also exert its full strength, ensuring that not a single mosquito can land or a feather can be added.
Their ability to listen and detect the enemy is integrated into their daily lives, rendering any sneak attack meaningless.
But no matter how you look at it, shooting out flames is a bit excessive.
"Actually, it wasn't that my palm technique was so powerful that it could generate flames; what I released earlier was a hidden Yang energy."
My Baguazhang skill was passed down from Master Dong. Years ago, he had a fortuitous encounter with a master who taught him the "Eight Changes of Cold and Heat Skill," from which he came to understand Baguazhang.
"Feet tread on the Bagua, palms divide Yin and Yang, diligently cultivate through the midnight and noon hours, enduring both raging fire and freezing ice. Simply put, this palm technique requires absorbing both extreme cold and extreme heat, integrating them into the blood and qi. With mastery, one will be impervious to both cold and heat, and one's power will be innate."
At this point, Cheng Yuanhua looked at Li Xin expectantly, wondering if he could grasp anything.
He didn't really have high hopes, after all, he was just a twelve-year-old child, and if what you said was too profound, he wouldn't understand.
Perhaps, since he doesn't even recognize words, the first thing to do is teach him academic subjects.
Li Xin didn't pay attention to Cheng Yuanhua's thoughts, but quickly understood and tentatively said:
"Could it be that Master previously used a hidden force, which was latent in the heart of the wood, and after it exploded and shattered the wood into powder, the blazing force in the force ignited the wood chips, creating the effect of burning flames?"
In that case, our style of force must be extremely fiery. The palm strike penetrates deep into the body, possessing immense power.
No, that's not right. Yin alone cannot produce anything, and Yang alone cannot grow. If one goes down the extreme path of intense heat and yang, it is easy to cause an imbalance of the five elements and a host of diseases.
Moreover, they will also be short-tempered, impulsive, easily angered, and bloodthirsty...
As he said this, Li Xin felt a warm breath on his neck and turned to look at Cheng Feiyan.
The senior sister was breathing rapidly, her eyes wide open, and her face full of surprise.
"Junior brother, how do you know my father is short-tempered and easily angered? He has a terrible temper, and his beatings are really painful."
"swallow."
Cheng Yuanhua blushed slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and looked at Li Xin with admiration in his eyes.
"You can read?"
"Of course he can read. His little sister, um, that adorable little girl from before, always says, 'My second brother has the talent to become a scholar,' hehe..."
Cheng Feiyan was quick-witted and imitated Xiaoyue's words perfectly.
She had only been at it for a short while before she managed to coax Xiaoyue into calling her "sister."
Furthermore, he even made friends with the little girl by sharing some Yitang rice cakes.
He's definitely a social bull.
She didn't give up on befriending Zhuang Hongxiu either, and the group chatted enthusiastically.
If it weren't for the fact that the master's transmission of skills involved a lineage that required secret instruction, Xiaoyue and the others would still be reluctant to leave at this point.
"No wonder he has such amazing comprehension and can apply what he learns to other situations."
Cheng Yuanhua stroked his beard and chuckled: "Indeed, yin cannot produce life alone, and yang cannot grow alone. If I had understood this principle back then, I could have avoided some detours."
Although the practice of Cheng's Bagua emphasizes the Yang energy, the Yin and Yang aspects must not be biased during practice.
Remember, physical strength is merely an outward manifestation. In essence, it follows a path of harmony between softness and hardness, and the balance of Yin and Yang.
My senior brother, although more famous than me and extremely renowned among the powerful and influential, has also gone astray.
This has resulted in being stuck at the current level, unable to make any further progress.
Seeing Li Xin's confusion, Cheng Yuanhua carefully explained: "My Qianyang Bagua Palm technique is unknown to outsiders, but it uses a unique method to control the vibration of qi and blood to generate power."
First, the Yang Fire submerged deep, then it erupted like a volcano, with layers upon layers of endless power.
My senior brother's strength was cold, hard, rigid, and brittle... his power was like an ice spike or a cold sword, with extremely strong penetrating power.
A single palm strike is so powerful it's devastating and extremely difficult to withstand.
Therefore, he was taciturn and reserved, like ice, and disliked interacting with strangers.
These words indirectly admit that he has a volatile and easily angered personality.
It doesn't usually show up; it's just that I've cultivated good manners over time.
To put it bluntly, it's about forcibly enduring it.
"To cultivate strength, one must first nourish the blood. Only when the body is strong will the strength be formidable. Your body is severely deficient, so you must not be impatient at this time. First, practice standing meditation to invigorate the blood and replenish your vital energy."
Feiyan, go and brew a dose of Nourishing Vitality Soup, using the maximum dosage. Xin'er, first learn the Cold Chicken Stance from me.
He truly lives up to his fiery temperament; though he doesn't show it in public, he's incredibly decisive and efficient when it comes to getting things done.
On the very first day of becoming an apprentice, he began to teach her his skills.
Cheng Feiyan went to prepare the medicine.
Cheng Yuanhua then instructed Li Xin to practice the Twelve Stances Method.
"The twelve stances are twelve different static postures. Different stances have different effects. However, the ultimate goal of all stances is the same: to nourish the vital energy and strengthen the blood..."
They discovered that Li Xin could stand up quite well after just one look.
Cheng Yuanhua also fell slightly silent...
However, every now and then, he would channel a gentle force from his fingertips into Li Xin's body.
This allowed him to gradually adjust his posture and gait.
It's strange, really.
As the force passed through, all the incoordination in Li Xin's movements and the lack of flow of qi and blood were straightened out.
I felt a warm sensation rising from my feet, going straight to the top of my head, and then falling down, spreading throughout my limbs and bones.
I should be getting more and more tired from standing.
But as he stood there, he felt more and more comfortable all over.
A warm, gentle aura slowly spread through my body, like the sun shining into my internal organs.
"This is the method of cultivation. Each school and sect has its own unique standing exercises for cultivating qi and promoting blood circulation."
The saying "Practicing boxing without internal strength training is a waste of time in old age" actually refers to this stance training.
It looks like they're practicing, but it's actually just nurturing.
Our internal martial arts school emphasizes seven parts nurturing and three parts training. Even at nearly a hundred years old, we can still have strong blood and energy, and maintain good strength, thanks to proper nurturing methods.
As for controlling one's qi and blood, and honing one's physical strength to defeat enemies, as long as one has a solid foundation and sufficient comprehension, it will come naturally.
This is the true transmission.
If it were a real child...
At this point, they probably wouldn't understand.
But Li Xin had lived two lives, and in his previous life he had been exposed to various martial arts styles and philosophies. He had even practiced Sanda, boxing, Muay Thai, and judo for a period of time.
That's why he was so deeply moved, feeling that every word was like a morning bell or evening drum.
They also understood the earnest meaning in Cheng Yuanhua's words.
Nourishing the body is a way to strengthen the foundation of health and enhance physical strength.
Although the improvement wouldn't be significant—for example, if I'm not mistaken—his master, Cheng Yuanhua, would only see his physical attributes improve by one or two times compared to an average person, which would be quite remarkable.
In terms of sheer strength, being able to easily lift an object weighing seven or eight hundred pounds is considered the highest achievement.
This is determined by a person's innate physical constitution.
But when he was young and working hard to make a living, being able to lift two or three hundred pounds was considered very strong and impressive.
From this perspective, his lifelong practice of stance training and boxing has proven highly effective, demonstrating his profound skill.
Of course, this is just a mortal's cultivation method, not a myth, so it's not bad that it has this effect.
What truly makes renowned martial arts masters famous is not how terrifyingly strong their physique becomes.
Rather, it's their method of application.
With the same force of 700-800 jin, some people can only achieve 300-400 jin when they punch.
Someone can exert a force of 1,500 jin.
It also has various amazing effects, such as wrapping force, elastic force, penetrating force, spiral force...
And that is the purpose of the training method.
When practicing, you should control your Qi and blood to integrate your strength, so that one part of your strength can play two or even three parts of the role.
As for the playing style.
Master Cheng Yuanhua didn't say much.
It only involves responding to each move as it comes and adapting to the situation...
Li Xin understood why he said that.
The enemy is different, the tactics are different, and the situation changes in an instant when facing an enemy; this cannot be taught.
Once all the fixed techniques have become second nature, their application is a matter of personal choice.
When the opponent throws a punch, you can block, dodge, cut, or intercept; there are countless options.
This also means that the subsequent responses will be different.
Whether someone can fight or not ultimately depends on their talent.
Strength, speed, and nerve reflexes are certainly extremely important, but they don't represent everything.
Of course, in Master Cheng Yuanhua's eyes, this is the most important thing.
In Li Xin's eyes, it was the least important thing.
On the contrary, I am more interested in the footwork and body movement courses that Senior Sister Cheng Feiyan will teach next.
……
Time flies like water.
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
That evening.
Li Xin ran for three hours on the sixty-four wooden stakes in a corner of the Cheng family's courtyard, until his legs almost cramped up.
"Li (☲) is three, Kan (☵) is one, Gen (☶) is two, Kun (☷) is four, starting with Xun (☴) and hiding in Dui (☱)..."
Li Xin stumbled and almost fell headfirst under the wooden stake.
Cheng Feiyan hurriedly called out, "Get down, get down! Are you out of your mind? Drink this bowl of medicine and then lie down here..."
"Do we need to press acupoints?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xin felt not only his legs cramp, but his whole body also twitched slightly.
"Hmph, if you don't want to massage, I'm too lazy to do it myself. Ask your senior brothers, when they were laying the foundation for footwork, who among them ever enjoyed the unique technique to relax their muscles and tendons? They could only lie down and wait for slow recovery."
Not to mention, for me, your senior sister, to do it myself—what a blessing this is!
Cheng Feiyan laughed heartily.
"Don't move."
The so-called unique technique involves pushing the uterus to promote blood circulation and separating tendons and muscles when Li Xin's muscles and bones are sore.
Furthermore, stimulating various acupoints helps the body heal injuries and recover quickly.
Flexibility, coordination, and muscle strength will gradually improve through the penetration and nurturing of Cheng's Qianyang energy.
"Their other footwork is good, and in terms of speed and agility, they are even better than mine."
However, your feigned advance and subsequent retreat... your intention was too obvious and easily seen through.
Cheng Feiyan commented while applying pressure with her fingers.
Li Xin nodded, enduring the soreness, numbness, and swelling, and reviewed every detail of his footwork practice in his mind.
He knew that the practical combat skills his senior sister had mentioned were actually very useful, especially the methods of using footwork and body movements to deceive opponents.
This kind of knowledge is difficult to acquire from books without guidance from a renowned teacher.
In fact, no one would write down the key points, even if they did, you wouldn't understand them, and even if you did understand them, you wouldn't be able to master them; it all depends on self-realization.
The general effect is that even though the opponent sees you making a big, rapid advance into the center and is about to counterattack.
As a result, when I took a step forward, I actually made slight adjustments to my footing, and I was actually retreating rather than advancing rapidly.
This caused the opponent to misjudge the distance, miss their attack, and fall instantly.
Within the sixty-four steps of the Eight Trigrams, there are countless ingenious tricks, ever-changing and unpredictable...
Li Xinxue learned it, but he didn't integrate the essence of this footwork into his instincts.
He needs to think about it before he can use it correctly.
"Thank you very much, senior sister." He expressed his sincere gratitude.
Not only did they provide meticulous guidance, but they also gave her nourishing soup for half a month.
And, the [separation of tendons and muscles] enjoyed every morning and afternoon.
His physical condition improved rapidly; his strength increased by two points, and his agility increased by one point.
Even his height has increased by eight centimeters, and he is now 1.4 meters tall.
His skinny arms had already gained some flesh.
It can no longer be called "rib essence".
"Junior brother, we've already borrowed the detailed explanation of the Ji family's military treatise. Do you really want to learn it? You haven't even obtained the title of martial arts examinee yet, and there's no way you can catch up this year. Besides, you're not old enough."
Cheng Feiyan was in a rather difficult position.
He felt that his junior brother was indulging in wishful thinking.
At such a young age, he's already thinking about becoming a martial arts champion.
Moreover, it has to be this year's session.
"There are ways, Senior Sister, just watch."
Li Xin smiled.
Actually, he didn't want to be in such a hurry.
These days, seeing my reputation grow, I get a small boost of faith every now and then, and I'm itching to get more.
If someone were to pass the martial arts exam and become the top scholar, how many people would envy and resent them?
Once a reputation spreads, while it may not command overwhelming public trust, the gains will certainly be substantial given the large number of people involved.
The reason he wanted to take the exam in this year was because Li Xin probably knew that there wouldn't be a next year.
If nothing changes, this year's martial arts examination will be the final swan song.
The champion of this year's martial arts competition will also be known as the "last champion of martial arts competition".
Once you miss this opportunity, it's gone forever.
If it weren't for the fact that corruption in officialdom has reached its limit in this day and age, he would have been helpless.
Now, however, one can find a secluded path through a winding trail.
There's a saying that goes, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
As long as you're clever enough, you can always find a way to get the qualifications to take the martial arts championship.
Fortunately, there are still six months left, so there's still time.
"Here's the silver, Senior Sister. My appetite has increased; I'll eat even more meat tomorrow. Also, make sure your medicine is ready."
Afterwards, Li Xin felt refreshed and his whole body was warm.
My senior sister's acupressure skills are really good. Apart from the process being a little uncomfortable, there are no other problems.
"Do you have enough money? If not, we'll have to stop the medication. The martial arts school is out of money; we can't afford to lose money."
Cheng Feiyan readily accepted the silver, though a slight trouble appeared between her brows.
"Don't worry, we can afford the medicine. Why would you need to pay for it yourself, senior sister?"
Li Xin said one sentence and then turned to leave.
It took Cheng Feiyan a while to react. She spat and said, "This brat is taking advantage of me."
……
As soon as I returned to my own yard, I saw my eldest brother, Li Cheng, with a dark face, breathing heavily. Beside him was a low stool, broken in two.
Zhuang Hongxiu's hands trembled as she held a piece of paper, staring intently at the picture on it.
Beside them, Xiaoyue looked up at the two adults, tears welling in her big eyes.
……
This exposition wasn't finished, but I kept writing until it was finished, which caused the story to go overtime.