Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3. Stone Platform Stance Art
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Feng Xiao nodded in satisfaction, but then his tone suddenly shifted.
“However, the meridians in the human body are innately blocked and obscured by hidden impurities. Only by using powerful qi and blood to break through that stagnation can you truly gain control over those channels.”
“After that, your qi and blood will blaze like a furnace, and your body will flow like fire. At that point, even severing a river or breaking off a cliff would be nothing to speak of.”
Feng Xiao spoke with a look of longing on his face.
But when he saw that the menial servants had also started fantasizing, he coldly cut them off.
“That’s enough. Stop daydreaming about those useless things. Even I am only at the Second Meridian… As for you lot? If any of you can pass through the First Meridian, your ancestors’ graves must be smoking.”
“There are nine realms in Meridian Opening, and each meridian is another mountain to cross. How could it possibly be that easy to break through? If your aptitude is lacking, being stuck at the First Meridian for decades is perfectly normal.”
He shook his head in despondency and looked at the youthful faces before him.
“Although the First Meridian is relatively simpler, out of the twenty-odd of you here, it would already be a lot if four or five succeeded.”
Splash!
Those words were like a basin of cold water dumped straight over the menial servants.
Out of all twenty-six people present, not even twenty percent would be able to break through?
“What a brutal success rate.”
Xu Yuan was equally shocked by that number.
But the moment he thought of the panel in his mind, his fighting spirit rose again.
What was there to fear?
As long as the opportunity was in front of him, he would fight for it with everything he had.
Even if he failed, the attempt would still be worth it.
In this world where extraordinary power truly existed, he absolutely refused to live his entire life as a menial servant.
Only after seeing everyone wounded by reality did Feng Xiao seem somewhat satisfied.
Then he said in a deep voice, “The first step is to practice stance art until you can sense your qi and blood. The second step is to temper that qi and blood. Once the meridians are saturated and you feel swelling within them, the final step is to gather your qi and blood and break through the blockage in one stroke, allowing the meridians to circulate completely.”
“As for the first step, if you have the means, it would be best to buy a bowl of Vein-Nourishing Soup from the front courtyard. This soup will make it easier for you to sense the opportunity within your qi and blood, and it can also protect your tendons and vessels from suffering damage later on.”
“Enough talk. Now, I will teach you the Shangyang family’s inherited Stone Platform Stance Art.”
As he spoke, Feng Xiao began demonstrating.
He explained the movements and breathing techniques of the stance art slowly and in careful detail.
The eyes of the menial servants nearly bulged out.
They were terrified of missing even the smallest crucial point.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed, the demonstration finally ended.
Not a single drop of sweat had appeared on Feng Xiao’s body.
He lifted his eyes toward the crowd.
“Did you remember it? Come up and demonstrate it once for me.”
The space below fell completely silent.
This entire set of stance art contained dozens of forms and all kinds of variations.
It was dazzling to the eye.
How could anyone possibly memorize it all in one viewing?
If they went up now, embarrassing themselves would be a small matter.
But if they left a bad impression on Instructor Feng, that would be disastrous.
Their margin for error was pitifully small.
So quite a few of the menial servants looked at one another, their feet hesitating, unable to decide.
Just as they were still thinking, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Instructor Feng, I am willing to do it!”
It was Xu Yuan.
He had already fallen so low as to become a menial servant, so what face did he still need to preserve?
Only the skills he truly learned and made his own were real.
Moreover, this was also the perfect chance to verify the golden finger.
“Good. Then you.”
Seeing that Xu Yuan had moved the fastest, Feng Xiao beckoned him forward.
“Begin.”
Xu Yuan took a deep breath and started to demonstrate according to what he had just remembered.
But the moment he began, someone could not help laughing out loud.
Feng Xiao immediately interrupted, “This part is wrong. Doing it like that has no effect.”
As he spoke, he pressed down on Xu Yuan’s shoulder.
Xu Yuan instantly lost his balance and staggered, nearly falling over, which immediately triggered a burst of laughter.
Xu Yuan’s expression did not change.
He quickly adjusted himself and continued demonstrating.
But not long after, Feng Xiao interrupted again.
“Your body has to stay taut, or the force won’t come together… You call this stance art? Even a child doing horse stance would be steadier than you!”
“Your footwork is wrong here.”
“What’s going on with your hand? Why are you curling it up like you want to gnaw on a chicken claw?”
...
Once Feng Xiao started teaching, his temper rose with it.
His words could hardly be called friendly.
From time to time, he tossed out a few cutting remarks, making the faces of the menial servants flush red with embarrassment.
If someone with a weaker mindset had been up there, he probably would have collapsed on the spot long ago.
But Xu Yuan remained calm, as though he were not affected in the slightest, and corrected himself one step at a time according to Feng Xiao’s guidance.
What no one else knew was that Xu Yuan was not merely calm.
He even wanted to laugh.
Because at that moment, the panel had already changed.
[Name: Xu Yuan]
[Skill: Tai Chi Exercise (Small Success 1%) Stone Platform Stance Art (Beginner 1%)]
[Aptitude: 3 (Above Average)]
“As expected, the skill has been recorded.”
Xu Yuan was delighted inwardly and continued refining the details of the stance art under Feng Xiao’s guidance.
However, not everyone in the courtyard was merely watching the excitement.
Those with quicker minds had already begun practicing along with him.
Watching Xu Yuan’s movements grow more and more standard, Feng Xiao nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad. Go down.”
At the end, he added, “Your body is a little depleted, though. It would be best if you used it together with Vein-Nourishing Soup.”
Vein-Nourishing Soup?
Xu Yuan’s heart stirred.
He had heard that this thing was not cheap.
Even the martial students in the front courtyard could not afford to use it every single day.
After Xu Yuan stepped back, Feng Xiao looked around again.
“Another one. Come up.”
Now that they knew they would not be blamed for performing poorly, the others, who had already been eager to try, all raised their hands.
“You, then.”
Feng Xiao could not be bothered to care who had volunteered first, so he casually picked a sturdier one.
After carefully helping him complete the demonstration, he chose a maid next.
Only after three people had gone through it did he finally say, “All right. That’s enough for today.”
“Except on your day off, I will come once every day at the hour of Si to teach you. This will continue until... two months from now.”
The moment those words fell, the young menial servants all went blank.
They bitterly regretted not seizing the chance just now to step forward and ask for instruction.
Some were also dissatisfied.
Feng Xiao had only taught three people, yet there were more than twenty of them here.
How were they supposed to learn like this?
It was simply too irresponsible.
Of course, they did not dare say any of that openly.
One glance at their expressions was enough for Feng Xiao to know what they were thinking, and he could not help letting out two cold laughs.
What a joke.
They were only a bunch of menial servants, and they still expected him to guide them one by one with his own hands?
The only reason martial instructors had come to teach them at all was because the upper ranks of the Shangyang family wanted to make a slight attempt to avoid overlooking some hidden pearl in the sea.
These menial servants had gone hungry since childhood, and their qi and blood were severely depleted.
Aside from a very few with exceptional natural bones, most of them would find it hard to amount to anything.
Taking a step back, even if there truly were a genius among them, that person would still be able to stand out under circumstances like these.
Feng Xiao understood this perfectly clearly.
He shook his head and slowly walked out of the courtyard.