5: Chapter 5 Second Life, First Glimpse into Martial Arts (Part 4)

In the open space of the courtyard, the two moved apart and simultaneously assumed the "Rooting Stance."

The difference was apparent from the start. Wang Hao's stance was standard and his breathing long and steady; he looked completely relaxed, having long since mastered this introductory stance technique.

Lin Shi's posture was flawless, yet he kept his eyes closed and his gaze lowered. His expression was calm, completely ignoring the surrounding noise, making his depth unfathomable.

One stick of incense burned out, and neither had moved a muscle.

Wang Hao's breathing remained steady, but a trace of impatience appeared in his eyes.

He had expected to embarrass his opponent in moments, but he hadn't thought the other could hold on for so long.

Lin Shi, meanwhile, was like an old monk in meditation, not even blinking once.

Two sticks of incense burned out, and the surrounding disciples began to stir.

This duration had long exceeded the limits of ordinary disciples; even some veteran disciples who had trained for half a year might not be able to persist for so long.

Wang Hao's temples were sweating, and his breathing grew heavy; he could only grit his teeth and force himself to hold on.

Lin Shi's face was also covered in fine beads of sweat and looked slightly pale, but his stance remained as steady as if he were rooted to the ground.

Three sticks of incense were nearly finished.

Wang Hao's legs began to tremble uncontrollably, his face flushed red, and his breathing became completely chaotic.

He stared fixedly at Lin Shi; the other was clearly at his limit as well, his back soaked with sweat, yet his stance had not collapsed in the slightest.

Why? His aptitude was inferior, his progress in martial arts was far behind, and he had only just achieved mastery after two months—why could he hold out longer than him?

Shame and exhaustion rushed to his head. Wang Hao let out a low growl, his stance completely collapsed, and he fell to the ground with a 'thump,' gasping for air with a face full of unwillingness.

Seeing this, Lin Shi slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and stood up straight, retracting his energy.

He had also reached his limit, but in the end, he had remained standing.

Looking at the disheveled Wang Hao, he calmly cupped his hands: "Senior Brother Wang, I accept your concession."

After saying this, he turned and walked through the crowd of onlookers toward the courtyard gate.

His gait was unsteady, yet exceptionally firm.

"You..." Wang Hao was rendered speechless by this calmness, feeling that the back was more blinding than any mockery.

Under the varied gazes of the surrounding disciples, his face turned from red to green, and he clenched his fists tightly.

"Everyone disperse, go back to what you were doing!" Instructor Wang gave a cold shout, scattering the gathered disciples.

Lin Shi left the Instruction Courtyard and leaned against the wall at the alley entrance to catch his breath; exhaustion surged over him like a tide.

Yet his heart was crystal clear—did he win? It seemed he had.

But what he won with was not talent or technique, but willpower.

It was the indomitable willpower brought to him by the fifty years of arduous life in his previous life.

Meanwhile, outside the Instruction Courtyard.

Instructor Wang Zhong was walking out after dismissing the morning class when he bumped into Steward Lin Zhen, who was coming out after his shift.

"Your son is remarkable." Instructor Wang Zhong's voice remained low, but it carried genuine praise.

Steward Lin Zhen was stunned and quickly cupped his hands: "Brother Wang, did Lin Shi cause trouble? He just started recently and doesn't know the rules..."

"Cause trouble? Perhaps. He won against Wang Hao in a standing stance competition." Instructor Wang Zhong waved his hand to interrupt, a flash of complex emotion in his eyes.

"His temperament is indeed good, although his aptitude is truly lacking. However, in this world, this temperament is even more precious."

Steward Lin Zhen stood frozen in place, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

He knew how much his son had suffered over these two months; leaving the house before dawn every day and falling asleep the moment he hit the bed upon returning at night.

The chilblains on his hands cracked and healed, but he never once complained of hardship.

On the other side, Lin Shi had already returned home.

His mother had long prepared hot water and food; soaking in the warm water, he slowly closed his eyes.

Today's events would likely not end here.

Wang Hao had lost so much face in public; with his arrogant temperament, he certainly wouldn't let it go just like that.

But he did not regret it; one must yield when necessary, but when it was time to stand tall, he would never bend his spine.

It was just that he would need to be more careful in the future.

Wang Hao did not look for trouble with Lin Shi for the time being, but every time they met, he would have a gloomy face, his eyes hiding deep malice.

He did not take it to heart, continuing to practice the stance and temper his strength step by step every day.

After this incident, Instructor Wang Zhong taught Lin Shi with even more dedication.

After grinding for another two full months, Lin Shi could finally hold the stance for two hours with his eyes closed, his posture not moving a single bit.

His breath aligned with the qi and blood in his dantian; even if someone pushed him suddenly, he could remain rooted to the ground without swaying at all.

Only then did Instructor Wang Zhong finally relent and formally teach him fist techniques.

What he taught was the foundational fist technique of the Houshan Martial Arts Hall: the "Houshan Fist."

It was both a training method and a fighting technique.

The twelve basic forms had no flashy moves; every move corresponded to the tempering of skin, flesh, tendons, and bones. Between throwing and retracting punches, it forced qi and blood to surge through all four limbs and the entire body.

It trained force-generation techniques, and even more so, the endurance of the skin and flesh.

Instructor Wang Zhong's requirements were extremely strict; every move and form had to be practiced perfectly, and he would only teach the next move after the previous one was fully mastered.

Lin Shi also had the patience; for a single fist frame, where others would practice ten times and move on, he would practice hundreds or thousands of times, until every detail was mastered and formed into muscle memory.

As spring passed and autumn arrived, he had practiced the twelve basic forms of the "Houshan Fist" solidly for four months.

From the initial stiffness of the moves to the steady fist frames and heavy fist momentum that followed.

Each punch thrown could drive the qi and blood of the entire body to surge; his entire spirit and energy had changed, and his lean frame had gradually developed the firm silhouette of a martial artist.

Only then did Instructor Wang Zhong pass on the next core method to him: the 'Skin and Membrane Striking Technique.'

The so-called striking is the foundation of skin and membrane tempering.

Using cloth bags filled with fine sand and iron sand, one pats the entire body along the path of the meridians over and over again, combined with mutual striking of the fist frames and hitting against wooden stakes, allowing the skin and flesh to repeatedly endure controlled impacts.

This brings the entire body's skin and membrane to life, forcing qi and blood to seep into the depths of the skin and membrane, laying the most critical foundation for the subsequent breakthrough to the Tree Bark Realm.

The pain of the striking was even worse than standing the stance or practicing the fist.

Every strike brought heart-piercing pain; it was common to be covered in bruises after a session, and it was difficult to even turn over while sleeping at night.

Lin Shi never had a single word of complaint, following the three-step routine of stance, fist, and striking every day without missing a step, tempering every inch of his skin and flesh over and over again.

Another half a year passed, and under the day-after-day triple tempering, the qi and blood in Lin Shi's dantian became thicker and thicker.

Even without consciously circulating energy, he could feel that solid, warm sensation of qi in his abdomen. In every movement, a sense of power felt natural and innate; the "Houshan Stance" had finally reached perfection.

After training that day, Instructor Wang Zhong stopped him and reached out to hold his wrist pulse, his fingertips feeling the steady, deep, and freely circulating qi and blood in his body, and he nodded slowly.

"Not bad, the qi and blood are condensed and solid, the foundation is very stable; you can officially attempt to break through to the Tree Bark Realm."

Lin Shi's heart jumped violently, and he clenched his fists.

From the time he became an apprentice at ten until now, it had been over a year; finally, he had the opportunity to touch the first threshold of the martial way!

The Tree Bark Realm, as the name suggests, involves training until the skin and membranes are as tough as old tree bark, able to withstand the claws and teeth of wild beasts and the punches and kicks of those in the same realm.

Crossing it counts as truly entering the gate, allowing one to advance from a registered disciple to a formal disciple of the martial arts hall.

"The core of the Tree Bark Realm is to balance striking with nourishment. Relying solely on brutal training will only result in a body full of irreversible hidden injuries."

Instructor Wang Zhong's tone was solemn; he turned and took an oil-paper-sealed medicine packet from the medicine cabinet in the Instruction Courtyard and handed it to him.

"This is the body-tempering medicine packet passed down within the martial arts hall, specifically designed to complement the 'Houshan Fist.' It can maximize the repair of minor injuries caused by striking and guide the qi and blood to impact the skin and membrane barrier without leaving any future complications."

"This first portion is a breakthrough benefit I applied for on your behalf; it is free."

"If you fail the breakthrough subsequently, you will need to buy it at the pharmacy; it costs ten taels of silver per packet."

"The sequence for the breakthrough cannot be chaotic; the daily fist frames and striking cannot stop. First, activate the qi, blood, and skin membranes, then soak in the medicinal bath to guide absorption."

"Don't be like those impatient brats; even if it takes more time, you must not leave any root causes of illness in your body!"

"This disciple will remember, thank you, Master."

Lin Shi took the medicine packet with both hands and bowed solemnly.