I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 50: Breakthrough Method, Warrior Spirit

Could it really be the inheritance of Prajna Temple?

Xie Yuan has been learning martial arts in Tieyi Sect for several months and is no longer a newbie who knows nothing.

Although the people in the small martial arts hall in Panlong Town may not have much knowledge, they still know some stories about the martial arts world.

After hearing it so many times, Xie Yuan always heard the three words "Prajna Temple" - in addition to the "origin" between Tieyi Sect and Prajna Temple, the bigger reason was that Prajna Temple was indeed the Buddhist holy land and top sect of the Dali Dynasty, and its disciples often participated in major events in the cultivation world.

As one of the top sects in the Dali Dynasty, its inherited skills appear in a martial arts hall in a small town under a county town. Does this make sense?

Xie Yuan shook his head secretly.

If it really was the secret book of Prajna Temple, Monk Liu would not have just practiced it twice, unless he was a fool.

Most likely he had practiced in a Buddhist temple and gained some inheritance, so he opened a martial arts school. In order to attract business, he deliberately used the name of Prajna Temple as a banner.

Anyway, this place is thousands of miles away from the Prajna Temple, so there is no need to worry about being discovered. Even if there are disciples from the Prajna Temple passing by, the monks will be compassionate and at most warn them not to lie.

Monk Liu rummaged through the books for a while, pulled out a blue booklet, and handed it to Xie Yuan:

"It contains a method and experience of practicing breakthroughs. Let me tell you about it first.

“To put it simply, martial arts training can be summed up in six words: ‘condensing blood and strengthening the body’.

"First, condense the blood and qi, and then use the blood and qi to strengthen the body. The four stages of external training are all the same principle, except that the parts of the body are trained differently, from the outside to the inside, from the skin to the bones, and gradually go deeper.

“When you first start learning, you don’t have much blood and energy. You use it to train your body, but it will be used up after a while and you need to replenish it.

"The simplest way is to rest. Blood and energy are like physical strength. As long as you eat enough, drink enough and sleep well, you can recover. And if you have food supplements, medicine supplements, or even nourishment methods, you will naturally recover faster.

"Afterwards, when your cultivation level is high, your blood and energy are abundant, and you temper your body... it still consumes a lot of energy, and it is quickly exhausted. Because your physical strength has increased, the consumption has also increased. Alas, martial arts training has always been a climb..."

Monk Liu sighed deeply, seeming to be filled with emotion.

He turned back and asked:
"Are there any problems with these? I'm afraid Hoda didn't explain them clearly to you."

"Thank you, Master. I understand."

Xie Yuan nodded.

Huo Da explained these basics to him quite clearly, but Monk Liu explained it more succinctly and concisely.

Especially when comparing blood and energy with physical strength, Xie Yuan couldn't help but feel that it was not so mysterious, and his basic understanding of cultivation was strengthened.

Monk Liu nodded:
"Okay, if these things don't leave any traps, I can tell you how to break through. Otherwise, if you practice and break through with hidden dangers, what do you think will happen?"

"Will you become possessed?"

Xie Yuan asked tentatively.

Monk Liu sneered:
"Haha, it's a bit early for you to talk about going astray at your level."

Xie Yuan's face turned red and he felt a little embarrassed.

He subconsciously thought of this word, but he was not even at that level as a warrior, and he was not even at the stage of going astray.

Monk Liu laughed:

"But it's almost the same. If you don't think it through and learn it clearly, and you break through it hastily, it will leave more weaknesses for those who practice Iron Shirt, or even damage their foundation. Martial arts practice is a slow and steady process. If you seek speed for a moment, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Remember this."

The further he spoke, the more serious his expression and tone became.

Xie Yuan sensed the solemnity and concern of Monk Liu, and his expression straightened. He clasped his fists and said loudly:
"Disciple understands!"

"Okay, then listen carefully.

"The methods of breaking through the barriers in external training are different for each school. But at their core, they all follow the same principle: using the power of a drop of water to penetrate a stone.

“When you reach the third level and are close to perfection, you will find that your blood and energy are slowly failing to improve, and your skin strengthening seems to have reached a bottleneck. This is due to the limitations of your body.

“The body is a pool, and the blood is the water. If your pool is too small and can’t hold more water, what should you do?
"Continue to use blood and energy to train your skin and expand the pool, even if it has reached its limit! A drop of water will eventually wear away a stone, but whether it lasts a day or a lifetime depends on one's talent and diligence, neither of which can be missing.

"The third level of perfect blood and energy should be able to cover the entire body's skin, allowing for a breath of tempering. Then, as I said before, the blood and energy will be consumed, and then restored, over and over again until a breakthrough occurs.

"That's the principle behind the breakthrough. It's very simple, but it also stumps countless people. Do you have any questions?"

Xie Yuan heard it clearly and had no doubts. To sum up, quantitative change leads to qualitative change. In martial arts practice, every bit of sweat can contribute to success.

He thought for a while and asked:
"Then will the medicinal baths and tonics be of any help?"

"Yes. Although the drugs are only a side effect, at least in the external training stage, to put it bluntly, they are all external medicines. The side effects on people are not serious, and they will not affect the foundation. On the contrary, they will help to strengthen the body.

"But at the breakthrough stage, relying on medicine alone is not enough. When you are about to break through, your body will undergo unique changes. If you don't feel it carefully, you will miss that opportunity. The road of cultivation must eventually return to yourself."

"I understand, disciple. I will study it carefully when I return."

Xie Yuan bowed earnestly and gratefully.

What Monk Liu taught today are all the fundamental principles that cannot be avoided in martial arts practice. If you really understand them, it will be of great benefit to your future practice.

After leaving, Xie Yuan thought on the way:

"My blood and energy are not yet perfect, and I still need to cover... I'm still a little short of it. Well, since Master has said that medicinal baths are helpful, I will practice and digest them for a few days, then take an advanced medicinal bath, push the progress directly to perfection, and then take advantage of the momentum to break through!"

After making a plan, Xie Yuan went straight to his home in Xiaoshi Village.

You can try the advanced medicinal bath for free once, but you will have to pay for it later.

Twenty taels is not a small sum. It's time to go back and chop wood.

Two days later.

After processing all the previously accumulated wood and loading it onto a cart, Xie Yuan came to Boss Wan’s shop in Panlong Town.

"Twenty-four taels!"

Boss Wan waved his hand, took the wood and handed over the silver.

Xie Yuan was a little surprised:

"Boss Wan, the condition of this car should be around twenty taels, why is it so much?"

"Not much, not much. You are now a celebrity in Panlong Town."

Boss Wan clasped his hands together and laughed.

The news of that competition spread throughout Panlong Town. Although Boss Wan was not particularly interested in martial arts, he pricked up his ears when he heard the name Xie Yuan. He knew that his timber supplier was no ordinary woodcutter.

Xie Yuan felt a little embarrassed:
"Hey, Boss Wan, we have always been fair in our dealings. A small discount is fine, but if it's too much, I feel unworthy of it."

"That's not right, Brother Xie. I'm not just considering your face, I'm also considering the money you can bring."

Boss Wan came closer and rubbed his thumb and index finger together with a smile.

"I know a lot of wealthy families in this town whose children learn martial arts. How much money can I make if I make the wood you cut into mannequins and weapon racks and sell them to them, and add your name to it? Haha, Brother Xie, you don't object to me using your name, right? The extra money will be your reputation fee."

"Boss Wan, you deserve to make money with your business acumen."

Xie Yuan gave a thumbs up and shook his head:
"It's just that reputation is sometimes more valuable than life..."

When Boss Wan heard this, he scratched his head and was about to say forget it, when he heard Xie Yuan say:
"Boss Wan, please help me sell it at a good price."

Boss Wan was stunned.

Is this the character of a martial artist?

Xie Yuan carried the large silver ingot and walked happily towards the Tieyi Pavilion.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw Cao Shan coming over. He was startled when he saw me:
"Xie Junior Brother, you really came today?"

Xie Yuan was confused:
"Brother Cao, what's the matter?"

"A customer was looking for you. I said you were not in, but he insisted that you would come today and wait for him in the tea room."

Hmm? How can you have a customer? And you know my whereabouts?
Xie Yuan asked:

"What's the guest's name?"

"I don't know his name, but they say his last name is Zhang, and he's a county magistrate."

(End of this chapter)