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

The next morning, as the first rays of dawn pierced the sky, golden sunlight, like a sharp sword, pierced through the clouds and shone precisely into the room, landing right on Cang Lian.

He opened his eyes as usual, but instead of getting out of bed, he immediately assumed the stance of the Hunyuan Zhuang (a martial arts style) on the bed.

The essence of the sun flowed in through the space between the eyebrows, interacting with the long-accumulated feeling within the body.

He stood quietly, like an old monk in deep meditation, waiting for that final opportunity.

After an unknown amount of time, just as the sun was fully risen and the yang energy in the world was at its peak, something inside him seemed to "crack" and shatter completely!

An indescribable, wonderful feeling instantly spread throughout my body.

It was a kind of unprecedented clarity and harmony.

He no longer deliberately adopted the stance, but felt that his body, no matter what posture he adopted, naturally conformed to the ultimate principle of "stance".

He slowly stood up and casually took a couple of steps.

With each step, I felt rooted to the ground, the power flowing from the earth, down my ankles, knees, hips, through my spine, and all the way to my fingertips.

He bent down to pick up the teacup on the table, raising his arm, slightly lowering his shoulders, and naturally engaging his waist and back. His entire body seemed to work as a coordinated whole, with not a single ounce of strength wasted.

This is the state of "walking, sitting, and lying down all become like a stance"!

"The perfect stance has finally been achieved!"

Cang Lian's expression brightened with joy, and the skill panel of the Hunyuan Zhuang changed accordingly.

[Practice Method]: Hunyuan Stance (Perfect)

[Proficiency Level]: 1/100

"My whole body's strength... should be almost at its peak." Cang Lian clenched his fist, feeling the power that could be unleashed at any moment, connecting his entire body, and his heart was filled with pride.

He knew this was just the beginning.

To truly achieve mastery of integrated strength, one must follow Master Huang's instructions and engage in a series of strength-building exercises.

Opening the shoulders, opening the hips, swishing the waist, rotating the hips... those terms that once sounded profound and mysterious have now become clear steps to a higher level in his eyes.

He pushed open the window, looked at the old locust tree in the courtyard, and a hint of fervor flashed in his eyes.

It's time to move on to the next step.

After Cang Lian went down the stairs and finished her meal, she went straight to the front yard as usual.

Old Huang was leaning against a black Western-style car, carefully wiping the headlights with an oilcloth. When he saw him approaching, a familiar smile immediately appeared on his face.

But when he saw the way Cang Lian was walking towards him, his smile froze instantly, and then turned into complete shock and disbelief.

Cang Lian walked steadily, landing silently, each step seemingly merging with the earth, exuding a natural and solemn aura.

It wasn't a deliberately put-on pose, but a natural quality ingrained in one's very being.

"Young...Young Master, you, you, you..."

Old Huang was so excited he was almost incoherent. He strode forward, his gaze sweeping from the toes of the hunched figure to the top of his head, finally settling on that calm face. "You walk... with your chest slightly concave and back straight, shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped... this feeling... this has already been integrated into every gesture! This is the Hunyuan stance achieving 'unity of form and intention'?!"

For the first time, a storm was brewing in the usually calm eyes of Gu Guolong, who was following not too far behind.

Whether walking, sitting, or lying down, one can become a stance!

This first step in martial arts is also the most basic and important first step.

He achieved that in just one month!

"Yes, I've practiced diligently every day, and by sheer luck, I've finally reached this point." Cang Lian smiled at Elder Huang with just the right amount of joy on his face. "Elder Huang, may we proceed to the next stage of training today?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Old Huang nodded repeatedly, his face flushed with excitement. "Come on! To the garden! Today I'll teach you how to turn this 'dead stake' into a 'living stake'!"

They came to the quiet garden as usual.

The subsequent training was no longer about monotonous standing, but rather about integrating the stance into various dynamic exercises in order to completely connect the body's joints and achieve mastery of integrated power.

"Young Master, stance training is about 'accumulating energy,' like a fully drawn bow. Strength training, on the other hand, is about learning how to 'release the arrow,' allowing that energy to flow smoothly!"

Old Huang didn't rush him to do anything. Instead, he picked up a dry branch from the ground, snapped it off with a flick of his wrist.

"Look, why did it break? Because it's brittle and lacks resilience. True martial arts isn't just about brute force, but about a balance of strength and flexibility, with the entire body's energy flowing smoothly. This 'living stance' is precisely what trains the body's resilience and connectivity."

After saying that, Old Huang got into position and began to demonstrate himself.

"The first movement, 'Lazy Dragon Turns Over,' trains the shoulders and spine to open up, emphasizing the key word 'relaxation'!"

He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his body slightly lowered, and his arms hanging naturally at his sides.

Then, his left shoulder slowly drew a circle upward, backward, and downward, the movement as slow as swimming in water, but Cang Lian could clearly see that his left scapula was like a living wing, bulging, sliding, and rotating under the skin, driving the entire spine to writhe segment by segment like a dragon or snake.

That's not an isolated muscle movement, but rather a coordinated movement of the entire musculoskeletal system.

"You try it." Old Huang finished his practice, without panting or changing his expression.

Canglian followed suit, imitating Huang Lao's movements, and began to rotate her shoulders.

However, the "live fish swimming" he imagined did not appear.

When he raised his shoulders, he only felt the stiffness in his trapezius muscles, and his shoulder blades felt like they were glued to his back, unable to move.

The force was transmitted to the shoulder and then broke, as if a great river had built a dam there, making it impossible for the lower back to move in any direction.

"No, young master!" Old Huang immediately stepped forward and pressed his hand on his shoulder blade. "You're using brute force; your muscles are the source of power. You need to forget about the muscles and focus on guiding the movement with your mind. Imagine your shoulder blade is a door, and you need to 'push it open.' Not lift it, but 'open' it! Relax, sink your shoulders, and completely relax your Jianjing acupoint so that the force can pass through!"

Under Huang Lao's guidance, Cang Lian closed her eyes, cleared her mind of all distractions, and focused all her attention on her left shoulder.

He stopped thinking about how to raise his arm and instead imagined the tightly closed "door".

"open!"

He let out a low shout in his heart, and this time, he sensed something different.

The shoulder blades seemed to loosen slightly, although they were still stiff, but a tiny crack seemed to have appeared on that "dam".

"I'm starting to get the hang of it!" Cang Lian was overjoyed, but he didn't continue practicing. Instead, he said, "Elder Huang, I'm rather slow-witted, and I might not be able to master it in a short time. Please teach me the next move!"

"Alright, young master!" Old Master Huang smiled and continued teaching, "The second move, 'Grinding Millstone Hip Rotation,' trains the hips to become rooted, focusing on the key word 'sinking'!"

He slightly bent his knees, kept his upper body upright, and then began to slowly and horizontally draw circles with his hips around his spine as the axis.

The feeling was like a giant millstone turning steadily, moving the entire lower body.

His feet were firmly planted on the ground like nails, while his upper body remained completely still, with only his hips moving in a strange rhythm.

Canglian tried again.

This time, he encountered even greater difficulties.

His hips were like rusty gears, making a "creaking" sound with every movement. Either his knees would wobble or his upper body would twist, completely unable to achieve the state of "lower body moving while upper body doesn't" that Master Huang possessed.

"Your foundation is wrong!" Old Huang slapped his ankle with a branch. "Your feet need to grip the ground, your Yongquan acupoint (located on the sole of the foot) should be hollow, like a suction cup holding you to the earth. Power should originate from the ground, travel from your ankle to your knee, and then lock your hip from your knee. Your heels are floating; how can your hips rotate steadily? If you can't 'sink,' everything is just empty talk!"