Becoming a martial arts saint starting with Black Tiger Fist

Chen Yuan imitated Xu Qing by clasping his hands in greeting and bowing, saying, "This humble one, Chen Yuan, greets Master Jiang."

Jiang Cheng looked Chen Yuan up and down a few times.

The boy in front of me was a little thin, but his eyes were bright and he seemed to be a strong person.

He put down his teacup and asked directly, "Have you thought it through? Martial arts isn't acrobatics; you have to be able to endure hardship and loneliness."

"If you don't make a name for yourself within three months and fail to pass the first test, you might as well go home and go fishing."

Chen Yuan raised his head, his gaze resolute, and said, "I've thought it through!"

"Hmm," Jiang Cheng responded noncommittally.

"The apprenticeship fee is five taels of silver, which covers only stance training and boxing techniques, plus one breakfast. Herbal supplements and massages are extra."

"Hmm!" Chen Yuan did not hesitate, took out the five taels of silver from his pocket that he had used to sell the treasure fish, and presented it with both hands.

Jiang Cheng took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and casually put it into a small wooden box beside him, his tone softening somewhat:

"Now that you've paid the fees, you're a disciple of the Martial Academy. The rules are simple: respect your teachers, do not cause trouble in the academy, and do not harm your fellow disciples. Anyone who violates these rules will be expelled from the academy!"

"Also, before entering the inner courtyard, you are not allowed to use Dean Jiang's name in any incidents outside. Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" Chen Yuan replied solemnly.

"Good." Jiang Cheng showed a satisfied expression and waved to Xu Qing beside him: "What are you standing here for? Go practice your skills."

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Qing responded, gave Chen Yuan an encouraging look, and then quickly walked towards a young man in the courtyard.

Jiang Cheng stood up and said to Chen Yuan:

"Before I teach you the specific methods, you need to understand what martial arts is."

His gaze sharpened: "True martial arts aren't just fancy moves for show; they're killing techniques!"

"No matter the method, as long as it kills the enemy with minimal loss, it's good martial arts!"

Chen Yuan nodded slightly.

In this chaotic world, fancy moves are of no use at all.

Seeing that he had taken it to heart, Jiang Cheng continued, "In martial arts cultivation, building a solid foundation is paramount. Ordinary people begin by practicing stance training to regulate their breathing, concentrate their mind, and refine their qi and blood. Without a stable foundation, everything is just a castle in the air. Therefore, martial arts training begins with stance training. What I am going to teach you is the foundational stance training method of Black Tiger Fist—the Black Tiger Stance."

After saying that, Jiang Cheng stood up and came to an open space in the courtyard. He stood with his feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, his back arched, and his arms held loosely in front of him, like a tiger ready to pounce. His whole person instantly exuded an aura of calm as a mountain, yet containing explosive power.

"Look closely, this is the stance of the Black Tiger Stance. The center of gravity is on the Yongquan point (Kidney 1), the tailbone is tucked in, the chest is slightly concave and the back is straight, the head is held upright with a light and agile posture..."

Jiang Cheng explained the key points meticulously, and had Chen Yuan imitate and adjust accordingly.

After helping Chen Yuan get into position, Jiang Cheng said, "The key to stance training lies not only in the form, but also in the feeling. Feel the solidity of your feet on the ground, feel the power of your waist and hips as the axis, and feel the flow of breath within your body."

"Once you find the feeling in the stance, standing meditation is no longer a tedious ordeal, but a practice that mobilizes the whole body and cultivates both internally and externally. Otherwise, it's just a waste of energy and a case of doing twice the work for half the result."

Chen Yuan did as instructed and assumed the stance. Before long, he felt his legs were sore and his back was stiff. His breathing also became erratic. He had no energy to find any sense of stance. Just maintaining this posture had exhausted all his strength, leaving him completely tired.

"Master, how do I know if I've found the feeling of stance?" Chen Yuan asked.

"When you feel less tired while practicing standing meditation, that's when you've found the feeling of standing meditation."

Chen Yuan maintained the posture, his whole body aching terribly, trying to prolong the standing meditation session as much as possible.

After a dozen or so breaths, Chen Yuan finally couldn't hold on any longer and his body collapsed.

Jiang Cheng nodded slightly: "Today you are a beginner, and you were able to stand for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Your perseverance is quite good. During this period, you should practice stance training to cultivate your qi and blood. After you have mastered the stance training and your qi and blood have accumulated to a certain level, I will teach you the fighting method of Black Tiger Fist."

Chen Yuan rubbed his aching shoulders, nodded emphatically, and then asked, "Master, how long does it usually take to find the feeling of stance?"

"It varies from person to person. Some people may be able to stand still by chance after two or three tries, while it is normal for some people to not be able to find the feeling of standing still for ten days or half a month."

"Moreover, standing still once does not mean you can stand still every time. Only when you find the feeling of standing still in more than half of the ten standing sessions can you be considered to have formally entered the stage of standing meditation."

"That's quite mysterious." Chen Yuan nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "What you meant by 'knocking on the barrier' at the beginning was...?"

He had only practiced standing in the Spirit Snake Stance for a few hours at the Spirit Snake Martial Arts School, and the rest of the time he was sent to do odd jobs, so he was not clear about many common martial arts knowledge.

Jiang Cheng explained, "When you practice standing meditation and circulate your Qi, your strength and blood circulation will increase. When you reach a certain level, your skin will not be able to withstand the power of the Qi and blood in your body, so you will need to perform a 'knock on the gate' exercise."

"Having successfully passed the test, the skin is as tough as cowhide, and the ability to withstand blows and strength have been significantly improved. This marks the entry into the first level of martial arts - the skin-refining stage."

"This level is beyond the reach of ordinary people. With a casual punch, an ordinary person would either die or be seriously injured. On the battlefield, clad in armor and wielding a spear, killing ten soldiers in a row would be a piece of cake."

Chen Yuan was deeply moved. This was only the basic level of martial arts, yet it already showed extraordinary qualities. The pinnacle of martial arts in this world was probably far beyond his imagination.

"While the skin smoothing effect is powerful, it's extremely difficult to master."

Jiang Cheng stared at Chen Yuan with a serious expression: "Besides practicing standing meditation day after day to strengthen your muscles and bones, you also need sufficient talent and a lot of resources to have any hope of successfully breaking through the barrier."

"Hundreds of disciples come and go from Jiang Academy every year, but only one or two out of ten are able to successfully undergo skin resurfacing."

Chen Yuan's expression tightened upon hearing this. This was only the first hurdle, yet the success rate was already so low.

However, it's not a big problem. With the panel's support, knocking on the barrier is actually the easiest step for him!

Seeing the slight change in Chen Yuan's expression, Jiang Cheng sighed inwardly and said, "You don't need to think about so much for now. First, be down-to-earth and get through the initial stage of stance training."

Afterwards, Jiang Cheng let Chen Yuan practice on his own in the courtyard, and then went to the inner courtyard.

Chen Yuan resumed his stance training, and a series of discomforts, including soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain, rushed in, quickly soaking his clothes with sweat.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulged on his forehead, and large beads of sweat rolled down his face, but his body remained as firm as an old pine tree rooted to a cliff, clinging to the ground without moving an inch.

Time slowly slipped by in the agony, each minute and second feeling exceptionally long.

After finally making it to the end of the morning class, Chen Yuan almost collapsed to the ground, his hands and feet feeling like they didn't belong to him anymore.

But I still haven't found the feeling of being on the ground.

As the sun rose higher, it soon reached noon. Chen Yuan found a sheltered corner and sat down to rest.

The other disciples in the courtyard began to rest and chat in twos and threes, while also taking out their own lunches to eat.

His gaze swept across the room, and he saw that most of the disciples were from impoverished families, eating dry, hard-cooked cakes made of rice bran or cornmeal, which they then rinsed down with water. They were merely sustenance, offering no taste or nutrition whatsoever.

A few families with better financial means would take out mahogany food boxes from the luggage rack next to the courtyard, open the lids, and inside were still-warm white rice, as well as fatty pork belly and fragrant braised beef...

Even from a distance, Chen Yuan could smell a delicious aroma wafting over, which made his stomach rumble.