Chapter 111 - 106: 3 Cultivation Techniques
The mountain wind was bitingly cold, whipping his clothes about.
Zhao Lin leaped from the cliff, doing his best to keep his body parallel to the ground. He spread his arms and legs to increase wind resistance.
At the same time, he released internal energy from his chest to counteract gravity, maintaining his descent at a manageable speed.
To lighten his load, he also tossed down his iron ruler.
After a dozen breaths, the ground became faintly visible. Below was a tangle of overgrown weeds and jagged rocks.
He quickly channeled energy from several acupoints to adjust his trajectory, avoiding the large rocks and finally landing smoothly.
"Phew..."
It was his first time jumping from such a height. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t nervous. Zhao Lin glanced up toward the summit.
’Let’s see how much longer you can last!’
By his count, he had killed four bandit leaders so far: Diao Liu, "Heartless Pillar" Zhao Feilong, Third-in-Command Yin Hu, and that gaunt-faced man.
Another one had been struck in the groin by a flying axe; his fate was unknown.
These were all core members of the bandits. Each one he killed was like peeling a layer of skin off Drilling Mountain Leopard.
’A pity I couldn’t collect their heads. That would have been a hefty sum.’
Zhao Lin didn’t leave right away. Instead, he slowly circled around to the front of the mountain.
By now, the sky had darkened. If the bandits came down looking for him, he could use the opportunity to kill a few more.
But after waiting for the better part of an hour, there was still no movement at the mouth of the valley, so he had no choice but to give up.
The city gates would have been closed by now, so Zhao Lin didn’t return to Qinghe County. He just made do for the night in the cellar of Zhou Pao’s house.
Early the next morning, as he entered the city through the north gate, he was surprised to see his master, Zhu Huaishan, pacing back and forth in front of it.
"Master? What are you...?"
Zhao Lin asked, feeling a little guilty.
Zhu Huaishan’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept all night, and his voice was laced with fatigue. "You had yesterday off, but you didn’t come to the sect to train."
He glanced at the bloodstains on Zhao Lin’s iron ruler. "Looks like I was right. You went into the mountains after the bandits yesterday."
Zhao Lin knew he couldn’t hide it, so he admitted, "I killed a few of them."
Zhu Huaishan gave him a long, hard look and sighed. "I’ve told you before not to take such risks. With your talent, there’s no need for you to be throwing your life away fighting these people."
"I just didn’t expect... that you were so spirited. And that you hold such a grudge."
Seeing that his master didn’t seem angry, Zhao Lin pressed his lips together. "As long as they’re alive, I have to live my life constantly looking over my shoulder. I can’t be at peace with that."
Zhu Huaishan was noncommittal. "That disposition of yours... isn’t necessarily a bad thing for a martial artist. Come, follow me back to the sect."
After a few steps, he turned back. "Don’t you need to check in at the county office?"
Zhao Lin quickly replied, "No need. I already told Liang Song to cover for me if I didn’t show up."
Back at the Liuhe Sect, the two of them went straight to the study.
"Now that you’ve reached the First Layer of the Qi Realm, the next step is to open the six Yin Meridians. But before that, you must accumulate sufficient internal energy."
Zhu Huaishan sat bolt upright and spoke slowly. "Accumulating internal energy isn’t easy. During the process, you can practice some Cultivation Techniques."
As he spoke, he picked up a brush, wrote a few lines on a sheet of paper, and handed it to Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin took it and read what was written on the paper: Stone Roar Fist, Falling Leaves Palm, Thunderbolt Finger, Cloud-Piercing Step, and Turtle Shell Force.
"Master, are you going to teach me these Cultivation Techniques?"
Zhu Huaishan sighed, a note of resignation in his voice. "Since I can’t stop you from taking risks, I may as well teach you some techniques. While they won’t raise your cultivation level, they will increase your combat strength."
Zhao Lin was deeply moved and started to rise to bow, but Zhu Huaishan pressed him back down into his seat.
"Do you know what these techniques are for?"
Zhao Lin looked at the list again. "Based on the names, the first three should be techniques for the fist, palm, and finger."
"Correct. Go on."
"Cloud-Piercing Step is a footwork technique. It’s not for attacking, but a Light Body Skill."
"That’s right, too."
"And Turtle Shell Force... is for strengthening the back?"
Zhu Huaishan smiled faintly. "You’re half right. Turtle Shell Force strengthens not only the back, but the chest as well. Mastered to its peak, one’s torso becomes as hard as Gold Stone, impervious to blades."
A thought struck Zhao Lin as he listened, and he couldn’t help but think of the "Lark’s Twenty-Four Acupoints" on his body—the name he’d given to the twenty-four acupressure points opened up by his Lark Essence Soul.
’Offensive and defensive Cultivation Techniques are methods for applying internal energy. They work by expanding acupoints and controlling the flow of that energy. When combined, they increase one’s offensive or defensive capabilities.’
’My Lark’s Twenty-Four Acupoints are already open, so practicing Turtle Shell Force should be much easier for me.’
However, he was still unclear about the other four techniques. "Master," he asked, "I have a weapon. Why do I need to practice fist, palm, and finger techniques?"
Zhu Huaishan shook his head vigorously. "You are mistaken. For one, when these energy-based techniques are mastered, they are not only more flexible and versatile than any weapon, but you also won’t fear them."
"For another, fists and feet are irreplaceable in close combat. Even with a weapon, you still have a free hand and two feet, don’t you?"
’That makes sense,’ Zhao Lin thought. He then asked, "Master, of the fist, palm, and finger techniques, which is the most powerful?"
Zhu Huaishan chuckled. "If we’re talking purely about power, the fist is definitely strongest. It concentrates the body’s full strength into a single point. Its advantage is its raw power and straightforwardness, which makes it easy to learn. Its disadvantage is its lack of versatility. Still, most beginners start with fist techniques."
"The palm is less powerful than the fist but allows for more variation. If two opponents are of equal skill, a Palm Skill can counter a Fist Skill."
"As for the finger... I’ll give you two martial arts proverbs, and you’ll understand."
"The fist is inferior to the palm, the palm is inferior to the finger."
"One year for the fist, three years for the palm, ten years for the finger."
Zhao Lin listened in silence. Realization dawned on him. "Master, I understand. Finger techniques are the hardest to practice, but once mastered, they’re also the most powerful."
Zhu Huaishan nodded. "Precisely. Finger techniques are unpredictable, making them incredibly difficult to defend against."
"Furthermore, the power of the Thunderbolt Finger grows as your realm increases. It’s not a technique that will ever become obsolete."
Zhao Lin was intrigued. "Master, are you saying I should choose a few of these to practice?"
Zhu Huaishan roared with laughter. "A few? You’re certainly ambitious! Each of these techniques takes a great deal of time to practice. For a Qi Realm martial artist, mastering even two or three is considered an excellent achievement."
"If it were anyone else, I would have them choose only one and wait until they reach the Second Layer of the Qi Realm before learning another. But with you... to be honest, I’m not so sure."
"First, pick the ones you like, and I’ll give you my opinion."
Zhao Lin pondered his options. ’I definitely have to choose Turtle Shell Force. With the help of my Lark Essence Soul, I should be able to master it quickly.’
’As for Cloud-Piercing Step, I already have the speed of a leopard, so there’s not much point in learning it. I’d be better off focusing my energy on other techniques.’
’Of the fist, palm, and finger techniques, I’m most interested in Thunderbolt Finger. After all, who doesn’t like a powerful skill?’
’But finger techniques are difficult to train, so it probably won’t be of much use in the short term. Maybe I should learn a Fist Skill as well?’
’It’s not that I’m being greedy. If I don’t count Turtle Shell Force, it’s really only like choosing two techniques.’
Having made up his mind, Zhao Lin put down the paper. "Master, I’d like to choose the Stone Roar Fist, the Thunderbolt Finger, and the Turtle Shell Force."