Destiny is ashes

Chapter 10: Cultivating Qi at the edge of the abyss, Penetrating the armor with true strength

A few months after becoming the recognized eldest senior brother, An Jing and other boys and girls began their real training at Xuanming Manor.

Not only physical training, Xuanming Manor began to truly teach "martial arts" and "mental skills".

The beginning of Dachen martial arts is [Inner Breath], but before officially becoming an Inner Breath warrior, apprentice martial artists have [three levels] to pass.

The first hurdle is the heart. Don't be afraid when facing danger, and don't move your eyes when facing swords.

The first level is the body. If you have enough strength, you can throw a thousand punches without getting tired.

The last level is called skill. You need to hone a skill, make it harmonious and unified, and be able to perform hundreds of moves and thousands of styles at will.

Only when the mind, body and skills are all mastered can one deliver a blow that uses all the strength of the whole body and comprehend the 'inner breath'.

The physical test is easy to pass, you just need to train. The disciples of Xuanming Zhuang are selected from all over the country, there is no problem with their qualifications, and anyone can succeed by proceeding step by step.

The heart barrier requires sparring, to the point where your mind is calm and your spirit is focused, to the point where you can face a fist without blinking and feel pain through your brain without panicking.

Ever since An Jing defeated eleven people in a row, sparring has become a daily routine in the martial arts arena. Although no one will challenge An Jing, the other four disciples who have a chance to eat will be challenged every day. They will switch positions every ten days, and their skills will be honed very quickly.

The last skill is the most difficult, requiring day and night training, as well as natural inspiration, in order to use the skills to integrate the 'heart' and 'body' and then master the 'innate qi' and transform the qi into internal breath.

The reason why An Jing was able to crush other disciples was precisely because his 'body' and 'mind' had already been broken through, but his 'skills' were not yet perfect. However, he was ahead of others in terms of progress.

And this skill is not even just a technique in the hands, but also the understanding of the acupoints in one's body and the internal organs. If one cannot even recognize all of his eight extraordinary meridians, is not clear about the major acupoints in the body, and cannot distinguish the five internal organs, how can this person grasp the innate qi and achieve internal breath?
This is why Xuanmingzhuang has always taught its disciples to read and write: one must be cultured to practice martial arts.

The mental method taught by Xuanmingzhuang is called "Linyuan Yangqi Posture". One needs to stand on the posture with eyes blindfolded, visualize the deep abyss, control the muscles and internal organs of the whole body, and remain fearless, motionless, and unmoving.

Although it is not considered an advanced mental method, it is much more complete than the simple mental methods passed down by many martial arts families. It can nourish qi, concentrate the mind, and refine the body's strength.

The martial art taught was called 'Armor-piercing Strength', which was essentially just a technique for moving strength, but it was a part of a top-notch martial art that even An Jing was surprised at...

The armor-piercing true power is actually a kind of power-generating technique passed down from the highest level of authentic tradition.

It requires the concentration of mind and strength. The braver and more determined you are, the greater the force you will exert at that moment. If you achieve perfection, its force will be enough to penetrate armor and break steel.

If fully mastered, it can even be used to break through the 'inner breath'.

Linyuan Yangqi Posture and Guanjia Zhenjin are both martial arts techniques for cultivating the 'spirit of courage and determination'. They emphasize the unity of energy and the all-out burst. It is a way of fighting for life and exchanging life for life.

Combined with the name "Xuanming Manor" itself, An Jing can basically conclude that this place is very likely a training base for assassins and death squads of some powerful sect.

Although I had some doubts before, they were not as certain as they are now.

For An Jing, the Linyuan Yangqi Posture was very easy for him. He had experienced life and death several times during the year of fleeing, so he was walking on the edge of the abyss at every step. His mentality was very compatible, and he soon mastered it completely.

The same was true for the other sons of disasters. They mastered this mental method very quickly. At most, there were a few who were slow in literacy and needed others to explain it to them before they could understand.

This may also be a mentality specially provided to these "survivors of the disaster".

As for the real power of penetrating armor, it is more difficult.

An Jing learned very quickly and was soon able to use various weapons smoothly. In an instant he could burst out with strength that was 40 to 50 percent higher than usual. However, there were only a few people who could keep up with his progress, and most of them didn't even get started.

As the eldest brother, An Jing is willing to help other children solve some troubles.

For example, they offer some training suggestions, methods to relieve fatigue, and explanations of martial arts experiences, and their explanations are even more detailed than those of some instructors.

Under his guidance, Zhang Ying, Gu Yeqi, Cang Linzu and others quickly mastered the method, and Cang Linzu and several other talented people even mastered the armor-piercing power. Although the others did not master it, they all understood it. They knew that An Jing did not lie to them or hide anything, but really shared his experience. They were grateful and gradually trusted him.

Since then, even many children are willing to talk to him about their troubles - mostly the strange ideas and sensitive heartbreaks that are unique to children before and after puberty, missing their hometown and parents, feeling that they are just dust, etc.

An Jing was quite helpless, but he was still willing to listen patiently and answer from the perspective of an older brother to comfort him.

As a result, not only the children in the same dormitory, but also the children in other dormitories, both men and women, all respected An Jing from the bottom of their hearts and regarded him as their brother.

Being respected and loved is indeed a happy thing.

When giving lectures to others, one also needs to have a deeper understanding of the knowledge that one is explaining.

During the lecture, An Jing discovered that his understanding of martial arts might be too dependent on talent. He learned it instinctively, but his specific ideas were not clear.

The process of explaining to his fellow juniors was also a process for him to review the key points and thoroughly master these mental methods and martial arts, from 'mastery' to 'comprehensive understanding'.

However, it was during this period that Xuanming Manor sent away the first batch of eliminated people.

"Some people did not meet the requirements of our Xuanming Manor and were eliminated during the drills in the past half month."

This was the explanation given by a pharmacist to everyone's questions one morning.

There were thirty fewer people in the entire Xuanming Manor, not too many, not too few, enough for everyone to notice, but not enough to be too surprising.

Most of those eliminated were children who lacked physical strength and whose martial arts progress was extremely slow. This was completely understandable and in line with most people's imagination.

It was only natural for them to be eliminated, and I think neither everyone nor they themselves would find it strange.

The same is true for An Jing.

However, with his keen observation skills, he unexpectedly discovered a strange place.

It’s not really weird... It’s just that, on the day those children were eliminated, An Jing didn’t remember hearing the sound of a car leaving the manor.

Xuanmingzhuang is located deep in the mountains and forests. Trucks transport supplies every few days. If people want to leave, they will most likely leave by truck.

But there were no cars coming or going in the days before and after, and the eliminated children were not seen in the village.

But this is not a big deal.

Although he had some doubts about the reliability of Xuanming Manor at first, but in recent times, An Jing has personally experienced the treatment of Xuanming Manor - there is meat and you can eat your fill. Compared with the chaotic world in the Northern Frontier, this place is almost like heaven.

Although the instructors are a bit strict, they are generally very nice.

An Jing also gets along well with several teachers. They will bring some snacks to share with the children. Although he is usually serious, he will also tell the children about his own training experiences during breaks.

An Jing therefore didn't take this matter to heart.

After all, they had never seen the five children who appeared at the beginning and might have awakened their destiny.

Xuanming Manor is very large and there are many restricted areas that are not allowed to be entered. The five children may be living in other areas of the manor, and the eliminated children are probably also waiting in other areas.

Before I knew it, another half month had passed.

(End of this chapter)