Becoming a martial arts saint starting with Black Tiger Fist

"Longevity pill?"

Chen Yuan looked puzzled as he watched Song carefully unfold the yellow paper, revealing a pill the size of a longan inside.

This pill is entirely black, with a complex dark red pattern covering its surface, and it emits a strong medicinal fragrance.

"And this too," Chen Yuan was carefully examining the pills when Song Shi took out a palm-sized wooden statue and a stick of incense with a somewhat pungent smell.

The statue has a rounded body, indistinct features, and an expression that is neither smiling nor frowning.

"The messenger of the Cizun Sect said that from now on, we fishermen will no longer have to pay those messy water rents and Dragon King taxes. We just need to offer incense and pray to Cizun every day."

"He also said that the Compassionate One had compassion for all living beings and bestowed grace widely. From then on, the Compassionate One's sect would come to the riverbank every month to set up a shed and cook porridge to help the fishermen who were starving. Everyone on the riverbank said that the Compassionate One's sect was a living bodhisattva!"

The smile on Song's face never stopped, and her words were full of goodwill towards the Cizun Sect.

Chen Yuan frowned as he looked at the pills and the rough statue in his mother's hand.

In this world, the lives of the lower classes are as worthless as grass. Even a respectable family like the Zhou family had a clear investment purpose when they sponsored him.

A sect that suddenly appeared, so cruel that it could wipe out the Green Snake Gang overnight, yet it was so merciful to the fishermen at the bottom of society.

They also distributed medicines to relieve the previous exploitation, only asking the fishermen to offer incense to them.

Even a charitable organization wouldn't do such a losing business!

Chen Yuan picked up the black pill and sniffed it carefully; the cloying, strange fragrance made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Mother, don't take this pill yet."

"Huh? Why? Old Wang ate it and it was fine, wasn't it?" Song asked, looking puzzled.

"Old Wang is Old Wang," Chen Yuan said in a deep voice. "In this world, there's no such thing as a free lunch. The ingredients of this pill are unclear, so it's best to be careful."

The poor people here may not be able to see it clearly, but Chen Yuan, having lived two lives, knows all too well what kind of elements this inexplicable sect that appears in chaotic times is composed of!

"But everyone says it's good, and the messenger of the Cizun Sect seems quite kind."

Song hesitated. She was terrified of being exploited by gangs in the past and instinctively wanted to protect the benevolent power of the Ci Zun Sect.

"Mother, you have to listen to me this time." Chen Yuan's expression was more serious than ever before. "I'll keep the pills for now, and don't rush to burn the incense."

He rewrapped the pill in yellow paper, then looked at the blurry-faced statue again. He felt that the ambiguous smile on its face, under the dim yellow oil lamp, exuded an indescribable eeriness.

Seeing her son's solemn expression, Madam Song finally nodded: "Alright, Mother will listen to you. What do you plan to do with these pills?"

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment: "Senior Brother Zhou's family is in the medicinal herb business, so there must be someone in the family who knows about it. I'll take it to him tomorrow and ask him to take it back and help me figure out what this pill is all about."

The next day, Chen Yuan got up early to fish as usual.

They only headed towards the martial arts academy when the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Upon arriving at the martial arts academy, Chen Yuan immediately approached Zhou Yue, handed him the pill wrapped in yellow paper, explained its origin, and asked him to take it home and have someone knowledgeable examine it.

Zhou Yue took the pill, examined it carefully, and frowned slightly: "A gang that doesn't collect protection money and even gives away these so-called Longevity Pills for free?"

As someone from a prominent family, he was extremely sensitive to costs and profits, and knew that such acts of kindness could not be sustained without a huge scheme behind them.

"The aroma of this pill is rather peculiar, and I can't identify its specific ingredients."

Zhou Yue carefully put the pill away. "I'll take it back today and have the old pharmacists in my family take a look at it. I'll see if they can figure out anything. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhou!" Chen Yuan clasped his hands in thanks.

The next morning, Zhou Yue found Chen Yuan and solemnly returned the pill to him.

"Well? Senior Brother Zhou, has your family's pharmacist noticed anything amiss?" Chen Yuan asked hurriedly.

Zhou Yue shook his head: "Several pharmacists have examined it carefully, and their conclusions are basically consistent."

"The main ingredients of this pill are indeed some precious calming and qi-tonifying herbs, mixed with a little syrup and spices, so it smells a bit sweet. After taking it, it will indeed make people feel more energetic in the short term, similar to some formulas that boost the mind."

Zhou Yue changed the subject, his expression turning serious. "However, this pill seems to contain some components that are difficult to separate and identify, which are inconsistent with the properties of all the medicinal herbs they know. It is quite mysterious, and he cannot figure it out either."

"What I can confirm is that these normal medicinal materials on the surface are quite valuable. Distributing them for free on such a large scale would require enormous financial support, which is quite strange."

Hearing Zhou Yue's words, Chen Yuan's heart sank. There was indeed something wrong with this pill!

Zhou Yue's expression was serious. "Tell your mother not to take this pill. All medicines have some degree of toxicity, let alone this unknown substance."

Chen Yuan nodded emphatically, his vigilance towards the Cizun Sect reaching its peak.

Zhou Yue continued, "The Cizun Sect's ambitions are probably quite grand. You and your mother must be careful and not easily get involved with them. I have already told my father about this matter, and he will explain it to the authorities. This matter seems to involve a lot of people, and the authorities should take action."

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, senior!"

Chen Yuan put away the slightly damaged pill, calmed his mind a little, and began to practice his skills.

That noon, Chen Yuan took half a day off and went straight home.

After returning home, he repeatedly warned his mother not to take the pill and threw it into the river.

Chen Yuan was still uneasy, so he took Song Shi to the clinic again that afternoon to get some medicine for her chronic ailments. Only by getting her to take proper medicine and improve her health would she stop thinking about taking that longevity pill.

He even made a special trip to Xu Qing's house to tell him about this privately and to warn him to be careful.

......

After returning home, just as he finished preparing the medicine for Song, two people dressed in red robes and wearing red headscarves came to visit.

"The messenger of the gods has arrived?"

Song pushed open the cabin door and came to the bow of the ship, his face showing a hint of awkwardness and respect.

She introduced Chen Yuan, who was standing behind her, to the two men: "Divine Envoy, this is my son, Chen Yuan. He is currently studying martial arts at the Martial Academy."

Chen Yuan looked over and saw that the leader was a middle-aged man with a fair complexion, followed by a slightly younger follower.

The fair-skinned man looked at Chen Yuan, a gentle smile on his face, and cupped his hands, saying, "So it's Brother Chen. I am Wu Zhong, a steward of the Cizun Sect. Today I am here to visit the believers as usual."

Chen Yuan calmly returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Deacon Wu."

He sized up the other man and noticed that Wu's hands were clean and his knuckles did not have the calluses of a martial artist, but his aura was calm and his movements were light and agile, clearly indicating that he was not an ordinary person.

The younger follower, on the other hand, was more robust and vigorous, and when he occasionally glanced at him, his gaze held a hint of scrutiny.

"Young Master Chen is already a skin-smoothing martial artist at such a young age; he is sure to have a bright future."

Deacon Wu spoke sincerely, with a hint of appreciation, "If you have any shortages at home, just let me know. I have set up a charity hall on the riverbank that can provide you with some assistance."

His words were sincere, and his posture was extremely humble. He was completely unlike the rude and arrogant members of ordinary gangs. Instead, he truly resembled a kind older brother who cared about his juniors.

Chen Yuan looked flattered: "Steward Wu, you flatter me. I'm just a beginner, how could I have any great future? My family is doing well right now, thank you for your concern."

"That's good, that's good."

Deacon Wu nodded with a smile, then said gently to Madam Song, "Aunt Song, thanks to the blessings of the Merciful One, the Longevity Pill must be taken on time to ward off disasters and illnesses and gradually bring blessings. Don't forget to offer incense every day as well."

Mrs. Song nodded in agreement, then secretly glanced at her son.

Deacon Wu seemed unconcerned by her little actions. After exchanging a few more pleasantries and saying a few auspicious words such as "May Your Majesty bless you with good weather and abundant harvests," he bowed and took his leave.

Chen Yuan stood at the bow of the boat, watching them leave, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Only after walking far enough and turning a corner past a patch of reeds did the young follower lower his voice and ask, with a hint of confusion:

"Boss, that old woman clearly didn't take the Longevity Pill. When I talked to her, there wasn't a trace of the faint fragrance of the Longevity Pill on her. Should I sneak over tonight and try to feed it to her?"

Deacon Wu, walking ahead, didn't stop. The gentle smile on his face had vanished. He glanced at his follower, his voice calm and even:

"Didn't you see that her son is already suspicious? That kid isn't stupid; he's managed to establish himself at the martial arts academy and even make a name for himself. Things are getting a bit tense lately; let's not cause any unnecessary trouble."

He paused, gazing at the scattered lights on the riverbank. "We are not those brutes from the Green Snake Gang. The Compassionate One requires voluntariness. Only when they willingly consume the Longevity Pill and sincerely offer incense can the pill be truly pure. Forcing it like this will only disturb the believers' peace of mind, greatly diminishing its potency, or even having the opposite effect."

"But wouldn't that be a waste?" the follower still said, somewhat unwilling.

"waste?"

Deacon Wu's lips curled into a cold smile. "How many households live on the riverbank? Do they need her?"

"When every household has taken the Longevity Pill and everyone is praising the Buddha's virtues, how long can this family sustain themselves?"

"At that time, you'll either have to follow the crowd and obediently take the pills and offer incense, or you'll be seen as an oddball. There are plenty of ways to deal with oddballs, aren't there?"

He patted his follower on the shoulder, his tone softening: "Remember, we are the Compassionate Ones sect. We must be kind and compassionate, and make people feel from the bottom of their hearts that we are living bodhisattvas who save people from suffering."

"Only in this way can the incense burn brightly and the elixir be produced one after another, growing strong and healthy."

When the envoys are satisfied, we will naturally reap the rewards!

The henchman suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: "The boss has a long-term vision; I was too hasty."

……

Time flies, and a month has passed.

Chen Yuan continued his usual routine, going back and forth between the riverbank and the martial arts academy.

Besides practicing the Black Tiger Stance and boxing techniques all day long, he also spent his time soaking in the river practicing the Canglan Fubo Gong and fishing to make money.

[Master: Chen Yuan]

Age: 17

Occupation 1: Fisherman

【Fishing - Mastery (288/300)】

[Class 2: Warrior]

[Black Tiger Stance - Minor Success (331/1000)]

[Black Tiger Fist - Minor Mastery (298/1000)]

[Canglan Fubo Skill - Minor Success (192/1000)]

With sufficient meat to nourish him and the continuous use of the skin-refining cream to temper his skin, Chen Yuan's blood and qi are becoming increasingly vigorous, and his improvement speed has almost doubled compared to before. Now he is only one step away from reaching the stone skin level.

At this rate, it might take less than four months to attempt the second breakthrough.

The skin-smoothing ability was already so powerful, which made Chen Yuan even more eager to see the abilities of the bone-forging stage.

But in the past month, he had spent all his money on skin-smoothing cream and qi-blood-nourishing powder, including what he had received from Zhang Biao and the five taels of silver that his senior brother Zhou had given him this month.

"To maintain this progress, relying solely on Senior Brother Zhou's funding is far from enough! We need to think of other solutions."

……

In the Zhou family mansion, on a training ground paved with bluestone.

Chen Yuan was shirtless, sweat dripping down his lean, muscular back.

Three burly men surrounded him in a triangle. "Brother Chen, please forgive us!"

"superior!"

With a low growl, the three pounced at the same time! Their coordination was perfect, their punches and kicks were swift and powerful, each move aimed at Chen Yuan's vital points.

However, Chen Yuan's figure was as agile as a swimming fish. His steps seemed simple, but he always managed to avoid attacks at the last second.

The solid foundation provided by the Black Tiger Stance, combined with the flexibility and agility honed by the Canglan Fubo Skill, seemed to create a wondrous fusion, making his movements in combat much more refined.

He first exchanged a punch with one of them, then lightly tapped his right foot back half a step to dodge the second big man's sweeping leg kick. He then lowered his shoulder and stepped to the side, cutting into the third man's open space like a fish swimming in the water.

Before the other party could react, Chen Yuan had already closed in and delivered a powerful elbow strike to the opponent's chest!

Bang!

The burly man, weighing a full two hundred pounds, flew out like a sandbag and landed heavily on the ground.

Without pausing, Chen Yuan twisted his waist to avoid the other person's grabbing hand, and then delivered a Black Tiger Heart Strike into the chest, causing the other person to catch their breath.

At the same time, he kept moving forward, getting close to the last person, and with a clean and swift Tiger Leaps Through the Forest, he knocked the last person away, who rolled several times on the ground before stopping, clutching his chest and sweating profusely from the pain.

In the blink of an eye, all three were taken down.

"well!"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Yue clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his eyes full of admiration. "Your fist technique has improved remarkably quickly. Nowadays, among the disciples at the Skin-Refining level in the Martial Academy, I'm afraid none can rival you."

Chen Yuan took the cloth handed to him by the servant beside him, wiped his sweat and breathed slightly, and said:

"It's all thanks to my senior brother for providing me with sparring partners and training grounds; otherwise, I would never have made such progress."

During this period, Zhou Yue frequently invited Chen Yuan to the Zhou family to spar with these experienced guards. This kind of practical training was far more effective than practicing alone.

Moreover, Chen Yuan discovered that whether it was the disciples from the inner courtyard or the guards from Senior Brother Zhou's family, their actual combat skills were far inferior to his own.

Boxing teaches fixed moves, but to truly apply them flexibly in actual combat, one needs years of training, constant reflection, and the formation of habitual movements and muscle memory.

Many times, you might perform well in one competition and win by luck, but if you make a slight mistake next time, you will lose to your opponent again.

Even if they practice boxing for ten days without improving their strength and speed, they might not be as good as they were ten days ago when they actually fight!

Chen Yuan possesses a proficiency panel, which is permanent. Every subtle improvement he makes in actual combat will be permanently remembered. He will be stronger when he practices his fist technique ten times than when he practices it nine times. Therefore, his fist technique level improves extremely quickly.

"At the same level, my greatest advantage lies in my fist technique!"

Having figured this out, Chen Yuan's eyes gleamed.