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

Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Direct Disciple?

Li Linfeng, as the master of Linfeng Hall, was considered quite a figure in the whole of Taiping County.

Although he had been given the opportunity partly due to his aunt and partly because he possessed some "Sight" for learning Martial Arts, there was a great chance he would receive special care later on.

But he never imagined that day would come so soon.

As the saying goes, "An apprentice for three years, halfway through in five."

To learn a master's skill as an apprentice, one shouldn't even think about it without at least three to five years of examination.

It could only be said that those who find the path often find more help along the way.

Today he was indeed in luck.

"If you wish to visit your aunt in the future, just let Dongxue know and she will bring you here,"

"Okay," Shen Qing nodded in agreement.

"You may go now, remember to come find me early tomorrow morning."

Once he was done speaking, Li Linfeng, with his hands clasped behind his back, strode out of the courtyard.

...

To learn Martial Arts, one aspect requires a large amount of meat and medicine to nourish the body and maintain a robust physique; the other aspect requires the guidance of a martial master to learn the specific Training Method.

For the lower class who cannot guarantee three meals a day, either of these two conditions is as difficult as reaching the heavens.

Not to mention that after learning Martial Arts, if one does not have good talent and fails to make a name, the money spent in the early stages could very likely be completely wasted.

Therefore, most of those in Taiping County who truly become martial masters and obtain a place in the martial arts register are from families with some resources. People like Shen Qing who purely come from the lower class are not many.

Shen Qing also knew that such an opportunity was very rare.

The next day, very early in the morning, Shen Qing got up from the inn where he was staying and waited outside Li Linfeng's residence.

The courtyard was laid with green bricks and was relatively open.

After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea and the east grew light, Li Linfeng walked out of the house leisurely.

He was dressed in a black practice outfit, looking vibrant and not at all like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

Li Linfeng looked at Shen Qing and spoke seriously, "Before you came in, I had already examined your Bone and Qi-Blood which are very good, but you are older and lack the basic skills of Martial Arts. Originally, I was planning to have you start as an Inner Disciple and see how things went after a year or half a year of tempering."

Shen Qing stood to the side with his head lowered, listening intently, and he deeply agreed with what Li Linfeng said.

Real skills are not so easily learned.

Even to become a carpenter in the county, you need someone to negotiate, post an apprenticeship notice, and establish a rule of completing the apprenticeship in three years.

Once accepted, the apprentice starts by doing rough chores.

Carrying water, sweeping, sawing, sharpening blades, filing saws, and after about a year, the master will start to teach them to use the plane, chisel and other assistant works.

Gradually, they move on to using the adze, swinging the axe, marking lines, and preparing materials.

Some apprenticeship notices even state that if the teacher injures the apprentice by accident, the incident cannot be held against the teacher.

If learning the trade of carpentry is so, then learning the Martial Arts of combat is bound to be even more strict.

"Yesterday, I noticed that your talent for learning Martial Arts seemed better than I had imagined, and I suddenly felt an affection for talent. So, I changed my mind and decided to teach you personally,"

Li Linfeng circled around Shen Qing, assessing him with his gaze and said, "You know that the Wind Defying Finger is my signature Martial Skill, and what the disciples in the Outer and Inner Courts learn is the foundation of Wind Defying Finger. However, what they learn is just the surface, the real skill is all in my hands. Do you want to learn it?"

Shen Qing was by no means slow-witted and immediately understood Li Linfeng's implication.

It was not just about teaching him personally, but there was also a hint of taking him as a Direct Disciple.

Shen Qing snapped back to reality and intended to kowtow to Li Linfeng to perform the ceremony of accepting a teacher.

However, before he could kneel down, Li Linfeng stopped him with a lift of his foot, "Don't be in a rush to perform this ceremony now, we'll pick an auspicious day later. For now, I'll teach you the techniques of Wind Defying Finger."

The dawn was faintly breaking, and a cold wind was whistling.

"Wind Defying Finger, as the name suggests, is like the formless wind, prevailing above the formless," Li Linfeng's voice was deep and full of contained power as he continued to speak slowly, "This Martial Skill focuses on channeling the body's strength to the fingertips, using the fingers to strike. It's about catching the opponent off guard and striking where they least expect it."

Li Linfeng spoke, gently raising his right hand, only to see faint frost-colored light swirling around his fingertips.

With a flick of his finger,

Shen Qing saw nothing but heard a series of crackling sounds and hurriedly looked toward the source.

Underfoot, a piece of blue brick was covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks that spread outward from a central point.

Finally, with a "bang," the blue brick completely shattered.

All this happened in an instant, demonstrating Li Linfeng's immense finger strength, and he clearly hadn't used his full power.

"Did you see me make a move just now?"

Shen Qing shook his head.

"That's right. The Wind Defying Finger technique is all about speed," he emphasized, "At the level of stretching and strengthening, it has only two moves: flicking finger and pointing."

"These two moves require unity of Qi-Blood and finger skill, embodying the principles of internal and external cultivation," Li Linfeng explained. "Next, I'll teach you some flicking finger techniques, so you can find the path for unleashing the Wind Defying Finger's power."

Shen Qing was all ears, solemnly saying, "Okay."

Li Linfeng's instructions were clear and after speaking, he moved his hands from the sides of his body to in front of his chest, spread his legs, generated force from relaxed shoulders through wrapped elbows, and assumed the stance for a double finger thrust of the Wind Defying Finger.

He executed the movements slowly, as if intentionally teaching Shen Qing.

Shen Qing watched intently.

His eyes focused, etching every single one of Li Linfeng's movements into his mind.

The sequence wasn't overly complicated; he went through all the movements in the span of several dozen breaths.

Li Linfeng finished the demonstration and, exhaling a murky breath, said to Shen Qing, "You copy my breathing and go through the sequence once."

Without any hesitation, Shen Qing followed suit.

Endowed with the "Never Forget" skill, Shen Qing only needed a brief recollection for Li Linfeng's movements to reappear vividly in his mind.

He began to arrange his stance, earnestly mimicking the movements, striving for accuracy.

Li Linfeng offered guidance from the side, "Feel the flow of Qi-Blood, and while moving, try to gather it at your fingertips."

Shen Qing did as instructed, sensing the changes in the flow of Qi-Blood within his body.

Gradually, he felt a warm current emerging from his Dantian.

Under the guidance of Shen Qing's actions, it followed the meridians towards the tips of his fingers.

At that moment, black-and-white characters appeared before his eyes, and the proficiency of the Wind Defying Finger skill jumped forward by 2 points.

[Skill: Wind Defying Finger (Skilled)]

[Progress: 2/200 points]

[Status: Cannot be upgraded]

[Note: Continuous practice could lead to mastery of the Extreme Speed Finger Technique, killing invisibly with a single move.]

A smile appeared on Shen Qing's face.

Indeed, having guidance made a difference.

Quickly, Shen Qing's movements transformed from the initial awkward stiffness to a smooth fluidity.

Li Linfeng, watching Shen Qing from the side, showed a flash of surprise: "So fast?"

The technique he was teaching wasn't highly complicated, but even the brightest martial arts prodigies took about three to five days to grasp the basics.

None of them learned it as fast as he did.

Never! Before!

This was his first encounter with such a freak of nature.

Li Linfeng felt that this level of comprehension was truly defying the heavens!