13: Chapter 13 Five Elements

The night was deep; Lin Tian sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed in concentration.

In his mind, the five movements of the Five Elements Stance appeared over and over again.

The heaviness of the Diamond Stance, the vitality of the Green Wood Stance, the fluidity of the Flowing Water Stance, the explosiveness of the Raging Fire Stance, and the firmness of the Thick Earth Stance.

His breathing coordinated with his focus; with each inhale and exhale, Qi and blood flowed slowly through his body.

It had been three days.

From not being able to remember the movements at first, to now being able to complete a full set of the Five Elements Stance, he had finally grasped the method.

[Five Elements Stance Proficiency + 1]

A cold, mechanical prompt sounded in his mind.

Lin Tian opened his eyes, a trace of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

With a thought, he pulled up the System panel:

[Name: Lin Tian]

[Realm: None]

[Martial Arts: Mountain-Opening Fist (Minor Achievement) 0 / 500]

[Five Elements Stance (Introductory) 1 / 100]

[Strength: About 300 catties]

The Five Elements Stance had finally reached the introductory level.

Next, he only needed to practice it ninety-nine more times to fully master the introductory Realm.

By then, his Qi, blood, and strength would all see a significant improvement.

Lin Tian took a deep breath, got out of bed, walked to the open space in the room, and set up his stance again.

Diamond Stance, begin.

He separated his feet, bent his knees slightly, and kept his waist and back straight.

His hands were held loosely in front of his chest, as if embracing a sphere.

He inhaled, his abdomen expanding, and Qi and blood rose from his Dantian, moving upward along the Ren meridian.

He exhaled, his abdomen contracting, and Qi and blood sank down along the Du meridian.

With each inhale and exhale, the muscles all over his body rose and fell slightly.

Once.

Twice.

Three times...

It was not until the moon was high in the sky that Lin Tian finally stopped.

That night, he practiced the Five Elements Stance ten times, and his proficiency reached 11 / 100.

Although tired, he felt a sense of fulfillment.

In the following days, Lin Tian dedicated all his time to Cultivation.

He would get up before dawn and practice the Five Elements Stance in the courtyard.

After breakfast, he would go to the Training Ground and continue practicing.

After lunch, he would rest for a while, then continue practicing in the afternoon.

When he returned to his quarters at night, he would practice until late.

Every day, apart from eating and sleeping, he was practicing his stance.

Those wealthy young masters were still enthusiastic for the first two days and practiced quite diligently.

But after a few days, seeing that they had mastered the Five Elements Stance, they slacked off.

On the Training Ground, one could often see them gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing, or simply finding a cool spot to take a nap.

Senior Brother Wang saw all of this.

He noticed that Lin Tian was always the one who arrived earliest and left latest.

Even if his movements were still not quite standard, and his progress was still slow, that desperate drive could not be faked.

"If talent is insufficient, effort can make up for it," Senior Brother Wang sighed inwardly, "But... on the path of Martial Dao, is effort alone enough?"

Young Master Liu and the others scoffed at Lin Tian.

"Look at that kid, practicing like an ox."

"What's the use? We practice three times a day, which is worth more than his ten."

"If effort were useful, what would talent be for?"

"Exactly! By the time he reaches Minor Achievement, we will have long since broken through to become First-Rank Martial Artists!"

These words would occasionally drift into Lin Tian's ears. But he never responded; he just kept his head down and continued to practice.

Once, twice, ten times, twenty times...

[Five Elements Stance Proficiency + 1]

[Five Elements Stance Proficiency + 1]

The System's prompt was his only companion.

One month later.

Late at night, Lin Tian finished his ninety-ninth round of the Five Elements Stance in the courtyard.

Sweat soaked his clothes and dripped onto the ground, gathering into a small puddle.

He panted heavily, his muscles aching all over, but his eyes were startlingly bright.

The last round.

Diamond Stance began; his Qi and blood were like mercury, heavy and solid. Green Wood Stance turned; full of vitality, endless and continuous.

Flowing Water Stance was soft, like a stream, like a river, flowing ceaselessly.

Raging Fire Stance was explosive, scorching and fierce, burning through everything.

Thick Earth Stance concluded; solid and heavy, steady as Mount Tai.

The five movements were completed in one go, his breathing and intent perfectly coordinated.

He withdrew his stance and stood still.

[Five Elements Stance Proficiency + 1]

[Proficiency has reached 100 / 100]

[Five Elements Stance Breakthrough: Introductory → Minor Achievement]

[Next stage: Minor Achievement → Proficient (0 / 300)]

The moment the prompt sounded, a surge of heat erupted from his Dantian and instantly rushed through his limbs and bones.

Lin Tian could feel the Qi and blood surging in his body like a river, stronger than before by more than a notch.

His muscles became tighter, his bone density increased, and even his skin faintly glowed.

He opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

This breath actually condensed into a white streak in the night, shooting out three feet before slowly dissipating.

"Is this the Minor Achievement Realm of the Five Elements Stance?"

Lin Tian felt excited and set up his stance again.

This time, the feeling was completely different.

With each inhale and exhale, the speed of his Qi and blood circulation was more than 30% faster than before.

A low rumbling sound came from within his body, like a surging river or rolling muffled thunder.

Every movement could stimulate the Qi and blood throughout his body, tempering his muscles and bones.

The effect was much better than the Great Strength Fist!

Lin Tian walked to the corner of the courtyard, where a few stones were piled up, which the martial arts hall used to test the strength of its Disciples.

He first walked up to a 300-catty blue stone.

Previously, this was the limit of what he could lift with both hands. Now...

Lin Tian squatted down, hooked his right hand under the bottom of the stone, and exerted force from his waist and back.

"Rise!"

The 300-catty blue stone rose at his command, easily lifted over his head with one hand.

His arm was as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

One hand, 300 catties!

Lin Tian put down the stone and walked over to a 400-catty stone pier.

This time he used both hands, hooked them under the base of the pier, and exerted force to lift it.

It was slightly strenuous, but he still succeeded.

Finally, he came to a 500-catty giant stone.

This stone was irregular in shape, with a rough surface, leaving nowhere to apply force.

He had tried several times before, and even moving it was difficult.

Lin Tian took a deep breath, set up his Diamond Stance, and channeled his Qi and blood into his arms.

He squatted down, dug his ten fingers tightly into the edge of the stone, arched his back, and planted his legs like roots into the ground.

"Haa—!"

With a low roar, the 500-catty giant stone lifted off the ground.

Although he had to put it down after only lifting it to his chest, Lin Tian was already satisfied.

In one month, his strength had increased from 300 catties to 500 catties!

And this was only at the Minor Achievement Realm.

If he continued to Cultivate and reached Proficient, Major Achievement, or even Perfection...

How strong would he be?

Lin Tian clenched his fists, his eyes full of anticipation.

The next morning, Lin Tian was practicing his stance in the courtyard when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

He opened the door to find a young Disciple wearing green martial attire, with the characters "Qingfeng" embroidered on his chest.

"Junior Brother Lin Tian, Master Huang is summoning the new Disciples for the monthly exam. Gather at the East Training Ground at the third quarter of the Chen hour; do not be late."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Lin Tian returned to his room, changed into clean clothes, and hurried to the Training Ground.

When he arrived, more than twenty people had already gathered in the field. Young Master Liu and the other wealthy youths were all there, dressed in fine clothes and looking spirited.

Seeing Lin Tian arrive, Young Master Liu's mouth curled into a cold smile.

Huang Yuanshan stood at the front of the field with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"You have joined the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall for one month now," he said in a steady voice. "Today, we will conduct the monthly exam to evaluate the results of your Cultivation over the past month."

The new Disciples began to whisper among themselves.

Young Master Liu was the first to speak: "Master Huang, if our performance is outstanding, is there any reward?"

Huang Yuanshan glanced at him and said indifferently: "Yes. The top three in the monthly exam will receive a portion of 'body strengthening soup'."

"body strengthening soup?"

"It's a medicinal soup that can accelerate Cultivation and enhance Qi and blood!"

"I heard one portion costs five taels of silver!"

Everyone exclaimed.

Young Master Liu's eyes lit up, clearly determined to win.

"Then what if we practice poorly?" Young Master Liu asked again, his gaze sweeping over Lin Tian intentionally or unintentionally.

Huang Yuanshan's voice turned cold: "If you practice poorly, you will naturally be punished. You will hold the horse stance for two hours, without rest."

He paused, then emphasized his tone:

"Furthermore, anyone who ranks last in the monthly exam for two consecutive months will be expelled from the Martial Arts Hall and never rehired."

The field immediately went quiet.

Expelled from the Martial Arts Hall!

To these wealthy youths, this might only be a loss of face.

But for a country boy like Lin Tian, it meant cutting off his only path to advancement.

Young Master Liu laughed, his eyes full of mockery as he looked at Lin Tian.

The meaning was clear: Kid, you are the one who will be last.

Lin Tian rolled his eyes.

If he didn't have the System, he might indeed be the last one. But now...

Five Elements Stance at Minor Achievement, 500 catties of strength.

Would he be the last one?

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Huang Yuanshan nodded:

"Alright, let's begin the exam. Who will go first?"

For a moment, no one responded in the field.

The new Disciples looked at each other; no one wanted to go first. It was certainly good to perform well, but what if they messed up? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?

Young Master Liu looked left and right, then suddenly said loudly:

"Master Huang, Disciple Liu Yunfeng, is willing to be the first to take the exam!"

He strode out of the crowd and came to the center of the field.