Starting with photographic memory, I've worked my way up to become a martial arts immortal.

"What a pity." Jiang Yuan said coldly, then pulled the woman in his arms into a hug.

What!

The woman sensed something was wrong as soon as she heard Jiang Yuan's words. Suddenly, she felt a strong force on her body, making it impossible for her to continue stabbing with the dagger.

Immediately afterwards, the arms that were holding him tightened even more, and a sharp pain struck him in an instant.

"No, ah!"

The woman's face was filled with astonishment and terror, and she screamed instinctively.

However, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, her screams stopped abruptly, blood gushed from her mouth, and she slumped into Jiang Yuan's arms like a rag doll.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Yuan grabbed the woman, gave her a violent shake and twist, twisting her spine into a pretzel. Then, he grabbed her arms and flung her backward, sending her crashing like a windmill towards the enemy whose footsteps were closest.

Jiang Yuan turned around, his pupils shrinking slightly, and saw three figures rushing towards him from different directions at high speed.

The leader was tall and imposing. As the woman flew towards him, a cruel smile appeared on his lips. He slammed out his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, and sent her flying to the side. The woman fell to the ground without a sound, her life hanging in the balance.

His movement was interrupted and stopped; a knee emerged from the darkness and struck his chest.

"How dare you!"

He roared and fearlessly blocked the sudden flying knee with his arm, but he couldn't deal with the elbow that came crashing down next, so he could only grit his teeth and meet it with his forehead.

"Boom!"

He felt as if his brain was being churned up, and he collapsed to the ground, seeing stars.

"Its head is still pretty hard."

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow, used his knee to flip backward, and dodged a punch and a kick from the other two enemies.

A lean, masked man stopped upon seeing this, while a burly man with a scar on his face roared, "What are you all standing there for? These guys are tough, let's go!"

After saying that, he threw out both fists with a whooshing sound.

As soon as Jiang Yuan landed and adjusted his posture, he arched his back, instantly lowering his body by a section, and his five fingers formed claws as he viciously grabbed at the scarred man's waist.

This move, "Crane Spreading Wings," was used perfectly, not only deflecting the opponent's fierce double punches but also striking the attacker's vital point.

Scarface didn't dare to be careless, and twisted his elbows to block halfway through his punches.

Jiang Yuan grabbed the strong man's forearm with both claws, and with a half-bow stance, he pushed the forearm up to the joint.

Crane-style boxing is swift in its fighting style and is also adept at striking pressure points and seizing. Once it seizes an opening and attacks the enemy's joints, pressure points, vital points, or other areas, the opponent will be either killed or crippled.

Just as he was about to use a grappling technique to grab Scarface's elbow, a loud whooshing sound came from his side.

Jiang Yuan sighed inwardly, reluctantly letting go to retaliate, missing the opportunity to break the man's arm.

The lean, masked man fought fiercely, like a tiger, with each move extremely explosive. Scarface also joined the battle, his arms covered in bloodstains, and for a time, he suppressed Jiang Yuan, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

Jiang Yuan believed that he had mastered Crane Style Fist to a minor level and could defeat any one of them in a few moves in a one-on-one fight.

However, since his cultivation level had not yet reached Ming Jin, his body was at the same level as his opponent's. Both of them used wide and sweeping fist techniques, so the defense against the two of them working together was not as simple as one plus one. It was difficult to find a way to break the deadlock for a while.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the tall man who had been knocked down first was already swaying as he stood up, and he immediately felt a surge of anxiety.

He understood that this was a matter of life and death, and he had to take down the two opponents as soon as possible; otherwise, with a third person joining the fray, he would surely be defeated.

While he was distracted, a ruthless glint flashed in the scarred man's eyes. He dodged Jiang Yuan's fist and slammed his shoulder into Jiang Yuan's body.

Jiang Yuan lightly touched the ground with his foot and took a half step back, dissipating the opponent's most powerful force, but he still let out a muffled groan and his body flew out.

"A great opportunity!"

The lean, masked man's eyes lit up, and he rushed over.

Jiang Yuan, his breathing erratic from the impact, forced himself to twist in mid-air, landing face down. He braced himself on the ground and shouted, "Zhao Hui!"

The sound, like thunder, rang in the ears of the lean, masked man, causing him to pause in his tracks.

Taking advantage of this moment of respite, Jiang Yuan suddenly exerted force in his waist and abdomen, and his body quickly sprang up, flashing two zhang away, finally widening the distance.

"Idiot!" Scarface arrived a step too late and roared angrily.

The lean, masked man ignored him and slowly pulled off the veil covering his face. "Senior Brother Jiang, you actually recognized me."

Jiang Yuan chuckled. He had carefully observed every disciple in the academy, so naturally he wouldn't forget any details. Zhao Hui's figure was easy to recognize, and his Tiger Form Fist technique matched perfectly; who else could it be but him?

A person's face is easy to cover up, but the details of their body are difficult to change.

Zhao Hui glanced at the tall, burly man who had already approached, confident that he had the victory in the bag. He stared intently at Jiang Yuan, saying, "I thought I was hiding my strength, but I didn't expect Senior Brother Jiang to be even more secretive."

Jiang Yuan's lips suddenly curled into a smile. Not wanting to get entangled in this topic, he said bluntly, "Zhao Hui, can't you see that they want us to kill each other?"

"This..." Zhao Hui's pupils suddenly dilated. How could he not have thought of this possibility? But his family was in someone else's hands, so he had no choice but to obey.

"Alright, enough nonsense!" The tall, burly man who had been knocked down earlier stepped between the two. "After we kill this kid, you can chat with him later. I'll lead the charge, you two flank him!"

Although he was still dizzy from the elbow strike and could only use half of his strength, he knew he practiced a powerful fist style and was best at frontal attacks. He only needed to hold off his opponent for a few breaths, and his companions would find an opportunity to cripple the kid.

He roared and charged forward, each step leaving a small dent in the hardened dirt road.

The three of them formed a triangular shape and quickly arrived at a distance of less than ten feet from Jiang Yuan. Suddenly, they saw the other party raise his arm, and something flew over.

The tall, muscular man was the first to be hit. He was too close to avoid it, so he simply threw a punch.

The thing was smashed by a punch, exploding into a large cloud of white powder that covered the tall, burly man's face.

He felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and for a moment he could not see anything. He screamed and covered his face.

The other two, startled, also quickly moved aside.

Jiang Yuan was caught off guard by the attack and didn't even have time to take out the lime he had prepared beforehand from his pocket. Just now, when he braced himself on the ground with his five fingers, he quietly took out the paper packet and held it in his hand. When he found an opportunity, he threw it as a hidden weapon, and it worked wonders.

If the lime didn't work, he could only turn and run, using his speed to create distance between the group and then look for an opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Seeing the three separate, Jiang Yuan immediately changed his footwork and came to the side of the scarred man, his palm forming a knife as he thrust it straight at his armpit.

This attack was insidious and vicious. The scarred man, who had just dodged the area where the lime had fallen, instinctively retreated in panic.

Through the brief exchange just now, he knew that he was no match for Jiang Yuan alone, and could only hope that his companions would arrive in time to join the attack.

Jiang Yuan missed his first thrust, then deftly deflected it with his palm, his five fingers already gripping the opponent's elbow, while his left hand followed up with a sudden twist.

A crisp cracking sound rang out as half of the bone pierced through the flesh of the elbow, leaving a pale, bloody droplet splattered all over Jiang Yuan's face.

He didn't give up. He twisted his arm in the opposite direction, breaking several sections of the arm bone. Broken bone fragments spilled out from his forearm, and blood mixed with bits of flesh flowed down between his fingers.

"what!"

The scarred man let out a scream as an indescribable pain overwhelmed him. He could no longer muster any strength and could only writhe on the ground, splattering blood all around him.

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Hui unleashed a powerful tiger claw strike, creating gusts of wind as he viciously clawed at the target.

But his eye twitched slightly, and a flicker of fear flashed deep in his pupils.

He was a young man who came from a carpentry background. He only knew how to bury himself in practicing boxing techniques at the martial arts school. He had never seen such a bloody scene before. His courage instantly waned, and even the tiger claw he had practiced countless times in the past lost some of its power.

As the saying goes, first comes courage, second comes strength, and third comes skill.

This is most applicable in the life-or-death battles during the early stages of martial arts training.

Once your courage is gone, how much of your hard-earned boxing skills can you actually use?

Jiang Yuan saw it clearly and threw a punch without dodging or yielding, hitting the opponent's palm squarely.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he grabbed Zhao Hui's wrist and shook off his opponent's punching stance.

Caught off guard, Zhao Hui suddenly opened the middle door.

Jiang Yuan lunged forward, his elbow like a knife or a mountain, slamming heavily into Zhao Hui's chest with a dull thud.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud, like the beating of a drum, rang out.

Zhao Hui was sent flying diagonally by the blow, the blood he spat out arcing through the air before crashing heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string.

Jiang Yuan caught up quickly and, using the momentum, stomped on Zhao Hui's chest. The sound of bones cracking exploded, and Zhao Hui's entire chest collapsed.

Zhao Hui was convulsing in pain, his clothes were torn to shreds, and his face was covered with the blood he had vomited.

His eyes were wide open, staring intently at Jiang Yuan, making unintelligible sounds as if he wanted to say something.

Jiang Yuan merely glanced at him coldly, then turned and walked away.

All of this happened too fast, in just a few breaths.

The scarred man next to him was still groaning in pain. Seeing this, he scrambled to his feet in terror.

"No, don't kill me!"

The man who had been so fierce just moments before now trembled and cried out like a child who had seen a demon.

"Your leg isn't broken, so why aren't you running?" Jiang Yuan came up to him and asked, looking down at him.

"I...I...I..."

Jiang Yuan raised his foot, aimed at the other person's thigh, and stomped down hard!

The broken legs triggered an even louder scream. Jiang Yuan then dislocated the other man's other arm and tore off a strip of cloth, stuffing it into his mouth.

Although this road is secluded and few people would walk on it at night, someone might just happen to pass by.

Even if there were people there, those screams would probably scare him away.

However, it's better to keep things quiet to avoid attracting any evil spirits.

On the other side, the tall, burly man's face was completely white, his eyelids twitching and tightly closed, blood and tears mixed with lime streaming down his face, and the area around his eyes was festering from his fingernails, making him look utterly miserable.

He realized something was wrong and started waving his hands wildly.

Jiang Yuan walked over.

To the tall, burly man, the approaching footsteps sounded like the whisper of death. He retreated in terror, tripped, and fell to the ground.

Jiang Yuan sighed inwardly. No matter how high one's martial arts skills are, if one's eyes are destroyed and one loses sight during a fight, one can only become a lamb to the slaughter.

He had no interest in dealing with such an enemy any longer, so he simply crippled his opponent's limbs.

"Tell me, who instructed you to do this?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Leaving him alive is to find out who is behind it all; otherwise, there might be further attacks. The next time the enemy knows his strength, they might send someone even stronger.

The tall, burly man, looking utterly dejected, said resentfully, "Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you. I absolutely will not utter a single word!"

Jiang Yuan shook his head helplessly and used a grappling technique. As a result, the burly man who had been so stubborn just moments before confessed everything in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

After going over the "confessions" with the scarred man, Jiang Yuan found no oversights and then crushed their throats.

He then walked up to the woman whose spine had been twisted and was surprised to find that she was still alive.

Under the moonlight, Jiang Yuan quietly observed the woman and saw two lines of clear tears on her face, making her look pitiful.

"Your vitality is quite strong, let me see you off." Jiang Yuan was moved with compassion.

"I'm already ruined, so please let me go and let me fend for myself," the woman pleaded desperately, her eyes red with grief.

"Your injuries are too severe; I'm just trying to ease your pain." Jiang Yuan shook his head and touched the other person's throat.

Even if he didn't kill her, the woman definitely wouldn't live much longer. Not to mention the paralysis caused by her broken spine, he witnessed the tall, strong man's vicious punch accurately hitting the woman's abdomen. Under that level of impact, the woman's internal organs were probably ruptured, and this was just a last gasp of life.

The woman's eyes darted around in terror as she pleaded, "Don't kill me! You can have all my money!"

Jiang Yuan stopped. He had only found a little over five taels of silver on the other three people, which was not much. Therefore, the woman's words piqued his interest.

Under the woman's shy and frightened gaze, he reached his hand directly into her bosom and rummaged around, finally finding only a small purse.

Upon opening it, more than two taels of silver rolled out.

He glanced at it sideways. "Is this the money you were talking about?"

The woman gave a bitter laugh. "People like us who live on the edge wouldn't carry all our possessions on our person. We'll find a suitable place to hide. If you let me go, I'll tell you the location."

"Do you think you can still live?" Jiang Yuan asked, stroking his chin in confusion.

The woman said sorrowfully, "Even ants cling to life, let alone me? If you don't kill me now, you can get several dozen taels of silver, how about it?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head, his hand gripping the other man's neck. "Tell the truth, or you're dead!"

The woman's expression changed, and she sighed, "I accidentally obtained a strange cultivation technique. After practicing it, I can greatly improve my recovery ability, so if you don't kill me, I still have a chance to live."

"I see. No wonder you're still alive." Jiang Yuan chuckled.

"Let's make a deal," the woman said in a deep voice.

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Use your cultivation technique to save your life?"

"That's right, you just need to leave me here, and I'll give you the cultivation technique."

"Those few dozen taels of silver?"

"No, only cultivation techniques are available."

The woman's attitude suddenly hardened.

Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

"How can I trust you?" the woman asked again.

Jiang Yuan said calmly, "You have no other choice."

The woman sighed, "Alright, the cultivation technique is on my back."

"Oh?"

Jiang Yuan turned the woman over with some surprise, took off her shirt, and gently touched her back with his hand.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation on his fingertips, so he pinched it with his fingers and peeled off a piece of leather that looked like human skin.

Jiang Yuan flipped it over and saw that it was covered with tiny, densely packed characters.

The exercise is called "Yuanxi Gong".