From absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to achieving divine mastery in martial arts

Time flies, and it's already 10 a.m.

Golden sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, casting bright spots of light on the floor.

Cang Lian stretched his muscles and bones, and the deep soreness that had penetrated to the bone marrow after yesterday's standing meditation was now completely gone, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fullness and lightness.

He could clearly feel that his physique was stronger than it had been the previous morning.

"This Heaven and Earth Pearl is indeed a divine object that defies fate!"

While he was excited, he was also filled with curiosity. How did the nourishment from the essence of the sun and moon compare to the secret medicines of the Cang family?

Unfortunately, he never tasted what the legendary "secret medicine" tasted like.

It's 10 o'clock, the sun has fully risen, and the sunlight outside is much more intense than in the morning.

Cang Lian had a sudden thought: absorbing it from outside would surely have a better effect.

He thought about it, then got out of bed and pushed open the door.

Outside the door, a maid stood with her hands at her sides, the same maid named Lai Xiang from yesterday.

This time, however, she kept her head down, even her breathing became soft, and she no longer dared to look at him coldly, nor did she dare to ask another word.

After all, the slap she received yesterday still stung, and her mistress, the first wife, hadn't stood up for her.

This young master, who used to be someone everyone could manipulate, seemed to have become an untouchable devil overnight.

"Young Master, are you hungry?" Lai Xiang's voice trembled slightly.

"Hmm." Cang Lian nodded lightly.

"I...I'll take you to the restaurant right away!" Lai Xiang hurriedly turned around and led the way, her steps somewhat flustered.

Looking at her submissive yet fearful appearance, Cang Lian thought to himself, "Sure enough, some people just can't be indulged."

If you back down an inch, she'll advance a mile; if you stand firm, she'll be softer than anyone else.

He went downstairs and had just reached the corner of the stairs when he caught sight of Gu Guolong standing at a distance from the pillar in the courtyard, as usual, his gaze calmly fixed on him.

Cang Lian was aware of his surveillance, but ignored it and walked straight to the restaurant.

Breakfast consisted of several exquisite seafood snacks, a bowl of steaming rice porridge, a small dish of pickled cucumbers, and two crab roe soup dumplings.

He ate with complete focus, but he could also sense that the gazes of the other servants in the restaurant had become cautious, no longer showing the usual disdain and indifference.

After a bowl of porridge, I felt warm all over.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin, stood up, and asked Lai Xiang, who was standing beside him, "Has Master Huang taken the person out?"

"Reporting to young master, Master Huang... did not take anyone out; they are still in the manor."

"Hmm." Cang Lian didn't waste a moment. After having breakfast, she went straight to find Elder Huang.

Old Huang was a rickshaw puller at the mansion. Apart from eating and sleeping, he spent most of his time with other rickshaw pullers waiting by the rickshaw for their master's orders.

Cang Lian walked over and, from a few steps away, greeted him loudly, "Elder Huang!"

Old Huang was leaning against the wall, squinting in the sun. When he saw him coming, a hint of surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes, and then he straightened up.

"Young Master, what brings you here? Yesterday was your first training session, and I thought you'd be spending the whole day in bed."

"A little soreness, nothing serious." Cang Lian waved his hand, his expression indifferent. "Has Elder Huang had breakfast yet?"

"I've used it, thank you for your concern, young master."

"In that case, I'll trouble Elder Huang to continue instructing me in the art of martial arts!"

"Alright, young master!" Old Huang was a smart man. Yesterday, he taught Cang Lian to practice standing meditation. This news had probably already reached the ears of the higher-ups.

Since no one stopped him today, it meant they tacitly approved, so he could continue teaching freely, since this job was much easier than pulling a cart.

Amidst the envious or jealous gazes of the other drivers, Old Huang led Canglian to the quiet garden from the previous day.

"Actually, there's nothing new to teach today," Elder Huang said, getting straight to the point. "Since you found the feeling of stance yesterday, young master, what you need to do today is still stance training!"

He looked at Cang Lian, his eyes becoming serious: "This stance training, roughly speaking, has three major realms."

"The first stage is the foundation-building period, from 'learning station' to 'meeting station'."

"Young Master found the feeling of stance yesterday. The power reaches the fingertips. With the slightest movement, you can feel the power being transmitted from the soles of your feet, through your waist and hips, and down your spine to your fingertips."

"That's good, but young master has only obtained the 'key' to open the door to martial arts."

"If this key isn't used often, the hinges will rust, and the newly established 'stance awareness' and 'integrated strength' will quickly deteriorate, rendering all previous efforts futile. Therefore, what you need to do now is stand more, stand as hard as you can, and engrave this feeling into your very bones!"

"The second stage is the transition from 'existence' to 'non-existence'."

"Walking, sitting, and lying down all become stances. When you reach this level, you no longer need to deliberately adopt a stance. Whether walking, waiting for a bus, or holding a cup of tea, your body can naturally maintain a 'central and comfortable' and 'rooted' state. You have integrated the 'stance' into your bones and blood, and you are 'standing in stance' at all times."

"As for the ultimate goal of Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation)," he sighed and continued, "it's not about 'ending' it, but about 'forgetting' it, because it has become a part of your body. But until then, young master, please be sure to practice diligently every day and keep practicing!"

"The final third stage," Old Huang paused, "is the period of strength training from 'standing meditation' to 'living meditation'."

"What is the sign of a qualitative change at this stage? It's when you suddenly sneeze or cough and all your muscles automatically tense up without falling apart; it's when someone pushes you hard from behind and your feet feel like they're welded to the ground, completely immobile. Only when you reach this stage do you truly begin to train your strength."

As Old Huang gestured, his voice rose slightly:

"The 'strength training' in Chinese martial arts is absolutely not the same as the Western fitness training that isolates muscles into rigid lumps. Our core is 'connecting the body and integrating tendons and bones' to develop 'whole-body strength,' also known as 'structural strength'!"

"How to train? Opening the shoulders and hips is the first step. Through methods like waist swishing, hip rotation, and shoulder massage, you can make the shoulders and hips, these two key points for power transmission, flexible and powerful. Then, supplement with simple exercises like supporting, hugging, pushing, and pulling, performing slow movements against the air or a large tree. The focus is not on exerting force, but on feeling the complete transmission of power from the feet to the hands, turning a static stance into a dynamic one!"

He pointed to the clutter piled up in the corner:

"Traditional training methods also use some props. For example, the stone locks and stone weights over there are used to train grip strength and waist and hip coordination; there is also that long pole, called the shaking pole, which uses the elasticity of the long pole to train the whole body's strength and resilience; and there is also the rubbing of heavy balls, which involves rubbing a hundred-pound weight in your arms, which is an extreme test of the coordination between the waist, hips and arms."

"When you feel that when you move, your whole body moves, and the power is no longer emitted from a local area, but rather your body is like a heavy sack filled with water. When you exert force, you can 'push' out a force from the soles of your feet and transmit it to your hands, instantly connecting your tendons, bones, and skin, and making that 'sound' when you strike, that is the mastery of 'whole-body power'."

"Once the foundation of 'whole-body strength' is established and the body is equipped to generate power in an integrated manner, one must begin to learn how to release this power swiftly and fiercely; that is the 'manifest strength' stage. Its core essence is 'smoothness' and 'fierceness'."

After Huang finished speaking, he smiled and looked at Cang Lian.

Canglian listened quietly, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

These words were like a detailed map of martial arts, guiding him on his path.

"I understand!" He solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his mind clearer than ever before.