Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 52: Chapter 51: Junior Brother, have you practiced Wind Defying Finger before?

Linfeng Hall, inner courtyard.

Accompanied by the dull echoes of the wooden dummies, a dozen disciples stood in front of the scattered Wooden Dummies practicing the movement technique of Linfeng Hall.

Shen Qing was also among them.

After exterminating Wang Qiyao's entire family, he bore no psychological burden at all, acting as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to Martial Arts training.

In the dead of winter, heat steamed off Shen Qing's entire body.

To dissipate the heat, he had taken off his jacket, wearing only a newly bought cloth garment as he moved swiftly in front of the Wooden Dummy.

The bruises that had been on his shoulders, now completely healed by the medicinal strength of the Shiquan Dabu Decoction, bore no marks, but they gradually reddened under the onslaught of a new round of strikes.

Pa, pa, pa...

The entire process of practicing the Lingfeng Body Technique was monotonous, simply a constant repetition of dodging and being struck, but Shen Qing did not find it arduous or boring.

[Skill: Wind Defying Finger (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 31/100 points]

[Status: Unavailable for improvement]

Watching his proficiency increase in his line of sight, Shen Qing could feel himself growing stronger, and the more he practiced, the more energetic he became, even becoming completely immersed in a state of self-forgetfulness.

Not knowing how long he had been practicing for, Shen Qing suddenly felt that this Wooden Dummy would soon no longer be able to stop him.

"Junior Brother Shen, how's your training going?"

At this time, the eldest senior brother, Ouyang Tiezhu, had finished his errands and, seeing Shen Qing training in the inner courtyard, he walked over with interest.

Shen Qing was a blood relative of the Seventh Master, her own nephew.

The master had also said that he had some Martial Arts talent and might one day become the master's direct disciple and join their ranks.

Knowing that his own background was rather ordinary and that it was only through his fists and kindness to others that he had gained some status, Ouyang Tiezhu had almost immediately taken on the task of instructing Shen Qing without much consideration.

For one, he could make his presence felt in front of the master, and on the other hand, it gave him an opportunity to make a new friend and pave more paths for the future.

It was a good deal for him.

After their first encounter yesterday, he realized that Shen Qing indeed had some martial talent.

What took others three to five days to just grasp the basics, Shen Qing had managed to get the hang of in just a short while.

This reinforced his intention to befriend him even more, so he immediately noticed him upon entering the inner courtyard today.

Shen Qing was currently focused on practicing his movement technique and did not hear Ouyang Tiezhu greeting him at all.

His mind was highly concentrated at this moment, and everything around him seemed to have gone silent; all he could hear was the beating of his own heart.

Suddenly, Shen Qing's movements became faster, and his figure almost turned into an afterimage.

Finally, at the last moment.

He broke through a barrier in an instant.

Boom!

Shen Qing subconsciously pushed his hands forward and down, and the rapidly spinning Wooden Dummy came to an abrupt halt, emitting a dull thud.

He had successfully replicated the movement technique taught to him by Ouyang Tiezhu from beginning to end, with virtually no difference in speed.

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"Success."

Continuous practice had caused beads of sweat the size of soybeans to seep from his forehead, sliding down his chiseled face and dropping onto the dusty ground.

A surge of joy rose from the depths of Shen Qing's heart, involuntarily lifting the corners of his mouth upwards.

This scene had just caught the eye of Ouyang Tiezhu, who was not far away.

His expression froze in an instant, fists clenched, and the leg he had just stepped forward with stopped mid-air.

A moment later, as if snapping back to reality, he woodenly continued to walk forward.

If he remembered correctly, when he started from scratch, it had taken him nearly seven or eight days just to perform this movement technique with some fluency.

To reach the level of today, he had spent a whole month's worth of day and night practice.

Shen Qing noticed Ouyang Tiezhu and was somewhat surprised. He quickly wiped the sweat from his face and walked over, greeting, "Senior Brother!"

Ouyang Tiezhu, snapped out of his shocked state by Shen Qing's call, regained his composure.

After mumbling a few words with difficulty, he asked with a taste of bitterness in his heart, "Junior Brother, have you practiced the Wind Defying Finger before?"

He thought Shen Qing, being the nephew of Seventh Master, might have been taught some basics in advance.

Under Ouyang Tiezhu's complicated gaze, Shen Qing shook his head and denied, "I'm just a small hunter from the mountains, where would I get the chance to learn such Martial Arts?"

"Didn't your aunt tell you some of Linfeng Hall's training methods when she returned?"

"Auntie married into the city, and it's been many years since she has returned to her parental home," said Shen Qing, looking at Ouyang Tiezhu curiously, "Why does Senior Brother ask these questions?"

Ouyang Tiezhu swallowed a bitter saliva and forced a smile, "You've learned this movement technique very fast, just casually asking."

Shen Qing glanced at the Water Ink Panel within his line of sight and said complimentarily, "It's all thanks to Senior Brother's good teaching, actually I'm quite slow at learning other things."

Ouyang Tiezhu's heart seemed to feel a little better, and his facial expression relaxed a lot.

"Senior Brother, I have a question, which is, about how long do I need to practice this movement technique before I can consider it mastered?" Shen Qing asked earnestly.

Ouyang Tiezhu set aside his complex feelings and began explaining, "What you are practicing now is the basic Two Stick Wooden Man Stakes, and there are still three sticks, and five sticks to come."

"Once you can use five sticks without getting close, and your Qi and Blood reach Great Perfection and can circulate freely, you'll basically be able to start Strengthening Tendons and Bones."

Shen Qing persisted, "So, you mean as long as I can handle the five sticks, it's considered achieved? There aren't any other Martial Arts Realms?"

"There certainly are Martial Arts Realms, but you're not quite there yet," said Ouyang Tiezhu, not withholding information despite Shen Qing's eye-catching performance.

Life is so long, who knows what will happen.

However, do good deeds without asking about the future.

Since he had decided to befriend him, he should follow through, not letting a touch of envy spoil their relationship.

Ouyang Tiezhu paused and then said, "For us martial masters, the realms aren't divided so finely. In the early stages, it's primarily about nourishing and training Qi and Blood; reaching Great Perfection of Qi and Blood is one realm. Afterwards, practicing basic skills to stimulate blood energy, followed by stretching tendons and Bone Refining, constitutes the Second Realm.

Then, after strengthening muscle and bone, you merge your Qi and Blood inward, develop strength, proceed with Skin Forging and Qi Cultivation, this is the Third Great Realm."

"Each Great Realm consists of two stages, with a former-latter relationship, like the First Realm is first about nourishing the Qi and Blood, followed by achieving Great Perfection; the Second Realm is about stretching first and then refining the bones, and so on."

"Each school's focus within the three Great Realms leads to different results. For instance, our Linfeng Hall places great emphasis on stretching in the Second Realm, for victory with speed. Whereas the Chen Martial Arts Hall focuses on Qi and Blood in the first phase, for outsmarting with power."

"There are other realms beyond these but our master has told us not to pay too much attention to them for now. First, we should solidify our fundamentals step by step, and the subsequent knowledge will naturally follow."

Ouyang Tiezhu had laid out the rough stages of Martial Arts, providing Shen Qing with a very clear understanding in an instant.

By that account, he was at the second phase of the First Realm – Great Perfection of Qi and Blood.

Curious, Shen Qing asked, "Senior Brother, which realm is our master currently in?"

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