Chapter 58 - 50: Bow Stance Spear-Holding Post
With that, he turned and left.
Lin Yi was left alone in the spacious Martial Dao hall.
Stance training, especially a discipline that demanded absolute, unchanging precision, was more agonizing than the average person could ever imagine.
Every second of every minute, his muscles screamed in silent protest. Soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain were like countless tiny, venomous ants gnawing at his bones and sinews.
This constant torment was enough to make anyone with a weaker will lose their form and collapse to the ground.
Take, for instance, the simple act of holding one’s arms out straight. Someone with a weak constitution wouldn’t last three minutes before their arms ached and their hands trembled. Even a person in good health couldn’t hold out for more than five.
Yet, Lin Yi was like a stone statue, utterly motionless!
Because his kidneys were strong!
Within him, the miraculous Kidney Water Spiritual Essence was quietly working its heaven-defying magic.
Whenever his muscle fibers were on the verge of tearing from the extreme strain, a cool, gentle, life-filled energy would surge from his kidneys, instantly mending the damage and dispelling fatigue.
Pain?
For him, it was as if the pain existed behind an invisible barrier, leaving only an absolute focus on the precision of his stance.
Time trickled by to the sound of dripping sweat.
Exactly one hour later, Zhang Quan’s figure appeared at the doorway right on time.
Seeing Lin Yi still holding the standard posture, a small patch of the floor beneath him soaked with sweat, an imperceptible glint of approval flashed in his eyes.
"Good endurance."
He had left on purpose, wanting to see if Lin Yi could truly bear this hardship, to see if he would slack off.
Lin Yi’s performance satisfied him for the first time.
He walked closer for a better look and nodded slightly. "Hmm, your form is acceptable. The frame hasn’t collapsed. Keep going! Practice until your body remembers it on its own!"
After offering a few words of guidance, Zhang Quan left again.
Outside the window, the sun moved quietly across the sky, rising from the morning glow in the east to its zenith, then slowly slanting westward, casting long, orange-red shadows from the Weapon racks inside the Martial Dao hall.
An entire day!
Lin Yi remained rooted to the spot, not even moving an inch for lunch.
Nourished by the endless supply of Kidney Water Spiritual Essence, his Lunge and Spear-Hold Stance not only maintained its form without the slightest deviation but, as time went on, his body began to miraculously adapt to the posture.
Even a Third or Fourth-Grade Martial Artist with their abundant Qi and Blood would find such endurance nearly impossible. The accumulation of micro-injuries from continuous, extreme strain would be enough to ruin the precision of their form.
But Lin Yi had no such bottleneck!
Zhang Quan came by twice in the morning to give pointers, but he didn’t disturb him in the afternoon.
After all, stance training was a slow grind. He had already said everything that needed to be said.
As evening approached, the golden glow of the setting sun filled the Martial Dao hall. Zhang Quan strolled in again. Looking at Lin Yi, who was soaked through with sweat but whose eyes were still clear and bright, he asked, "Lin Yi, how is your practice coming along?"
Hearing his voice, Lin Yi slowly relaxed his stance, lowered the longspear, and cupped his fist to Zhang Quan. His tone was calm yet filled with confidence.
"Teacher, I feel that I have completely mastered this Lunge and Spear-Hold Stance!"
He was a First-Grade Martial Artist with exquisite control over his body. Moreover, he had the heaven-defying cheat of his Kidney Water Spiritual Essence to eliminate all fatigue and damage. Coupled with a full day of focused, non-stop, extreme training, he had long since branded every detail of the stance, every ounce of force, deep into his physical memory.
Even if it hadn’t formed true muscle memory yet, he was already incredibly proficient with the Lunge and Spear-Hold Stance. He could move on to the next lesson.
After all, most people’s Cultivation involved practicing a stance for five minutes, resting for ten, practicing another five minutes, and so on.
But even a month of that kind of training method wouldn’t be as effective as Lin Yi’s single day of continuous practice.
The continuity of the process was crucial.
The results of such sustained, uninterrupted polishing far surpassed months of intermittent practice!
"Nonsense!"
Zhang Quan’s face suddenly darkened, his brows knitting tightly.
"Lin Yi! Talent is a good thing, but you must not be overly ambitious and look down on the Way of the Spear! Spear practice is about dripping water penetrating stone; it’s a slow and patient grind! If you harbor such an impatient desire for quick results, you’d best give up now! Better that than to succumb to demonic deviation in the future, when it’s too late for regrets!"
His tone was severe, laced with deep disappointment and reprimand.
But Lin Yi’s expression didn’t change. His gaze remained as firm as ever. He cupped his fist again, his voice steady and strong. "I invite Teacher to test me!"
Before the words had even faded, his body suddenly sank!
His body was as steady as a boulder, perfectly centered and upright, his spine straight, his head held as if suspended from above.
His front leg lunged forward, thigh nearly parallel to the ground, calf perpendicular to it, with his knee aligned over the tip of his front foot. The sole of his front foot gripped the floor, toes pointing straight ahead.
His back leg was fully extended, heel off the ground, the ball of his foot pushing off the floor at a forty-five-degree angle.
His center of gravity was seventy percent forward and thirty percent back, his legs forming a stable, taut frame.
The spear shaft was held tight against his right hip and waist, the tip pointing levelly forward.
His front hand, palm up, supported the middle-back section of the shaft, his shoulder sunk and elbow dropped. His rear hand, palm down, gripped the butt of the spear, holding it firmly against his right side. His arms pulled against each other like a drawn bow, channeling power through to the spear tip.
His gaze was sharp, locked on a target, his entire body integrated and poised to strike.
It was a flawless, perfect Lunge and Spear-Hold Stance!
"Good! Good! Good!" Zhang Quan laughed in extreme anger, saying "good" three times as a cold light flickered in his eyes. "Since you’re so confident, let me see what you’re really made of!"
He felt Lin Yi had become too proud, too arrogant. He needed to be taken down a peg.
His figure blurred. As fast as a phantom, he instantly closed the distance and lashed out with his right leg like a whip. With a sharp whistle of displaced air, he ruthlessly kicked Lin Yi square in the chest!
Although he had held back most of his strength, how could an angered strike from a Third-Grade Martial Artist be a trivial matter?
BANG!
A muffled thud!
As if struck by a giant hammer, Lin Yi was sent stumbling back more than a dozen large steps, each one landing with a heavy THUD on the hard floor. His Qi and Blood roiled, and his face instantly flushed red.
However!
The moment his staggering figure finally stabilized, the instant his feet planted themselves firmly...
...the standard, power-filled Lunge and Spear-Hold Stance reappeared before Zhang Quan’s eyes, as perfect and as if it were branded into place!
The posture, the angle, the sense of power—it was identical to how it was before the kick, without the slightest deviation!
It was as if that kick, powerful enough to send a tiger reeling, had been nothing more than a gentle breeze blowing over a hill, unable to shake him in the slightest!
In the process of that rapid retreat, his body had instinctively been making the most minute adjustments!
Zhang Quan’s pupils abruptly contracted to pinpoints. The anger on his face was instantly replaced by utter, incredulous shock!
’This... how is this possible?!’
An ordinary Martial Artist hit with such an impact would be hard-pressed just to stay on their feet; their form would inevitably be ruined.
’But Lin Yi... he actually managed to make such exquisite adjustments while retreating, re-establishing his stance without a single flaw?!’
’This is no longer about simply remembering the movements. He’s clearly drilled the essence of the stance into his very marrow! It’s become instinct!’
Even if it wasn’t true muscle memory, he already possessed a sufficiently solid foundation.
’To reach this level of mastery with the fundamentals in a single day... This is just astounding!’
"Good! Good! Good!"
The frost on Zhang Quan’s face instantly melted away, replaced by a hearty, unrestrained laugh. His eyes were filled with admiration.
"Hahaha! Good lad! You’re really something else! Tomorrow! Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin learning how to shake the greatspear with me! To listen to the spear’s force!"
His tone softened slightly.
"However, you must continue to practice this Lunge and Spear-Hold Stance! It’s not quite at the point of true muscle memory yet. The stronger the foundation, the better! You mustn’t slack off!"
"Yes, Teacher! This student will remember your words!" Lin Yi suppressed the churning in his Qi and Blood and answered solemnly.
Just then, the door to the training hall was pushed open.
Principal Chen Zhenguo’s booming laughter rang out:
"Hahaha! I heard your laughter from a mile away! What’s so ’good, good’? Teacher Zhang, what’s put you in such a good mood?"
"Principal," Lin Yi said, bowing quickly.
The smile didn’t leave Zhang Quan’s face. He said to Lin Yi, "You’ve been training all day and you’re covered in sweat. Go take a shower and freshen up. I need to speak with the Principal about something."
