Becoming a martial arts saint starting with Black Tiger Fist

Glug!

Chen Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he felt an unbearable hunger.

The only grain left at home was wheat bran and rice husks, which, when cooked into porridge, were as thin as water and could not be made into pancakes to bring along.

Xu Qing also finished practicing his boxing and came over.

He sat down next to Chen Yuan, took out two steamed buns from his pocket, and handed one to him: "A Yuan, here you go."

Chen Yuan was taken aback, staring at the plump white steamed bun. His throat moved instinctively, but he didn't take it: "Aqing, you yourself..."

"Take these, I brought three, that's enough."

Xu Qing stuffed the steamed bun into Chen Yuan's hand, took a bite himself, and mumbled, "You're just starting out, and your body isn't strong yet. Standing meditation is the most strenuous activity. You can't keep up without eating something substantial."

Chen Yuan looked at the steamed bun in his hand and didn't refuse anymore, saying in a low voice, "Thanks."

Xu Qing waved his hand and lowered his voice: "Let me tell you, in the path of martial arts, stance training and fist techniques are important, but food and tonics are even more important."

He gestured towards the disciples who were eating bran cakes, "Look at them, their families can't afford enough food. They rely solely on standing meditation, and their qi and blood grow very slowly. Some of them stand for more than half a year and still don't accumulate enough qi and blood to pass the gate. Even if they have enough qi and blood, they still need a lot of medicinal supplements to strengthen their skin and membranes, otherwise it will still be very difficult to pass the gate."

He took a bite of his steamed bun and continued, "Those with substantial family wealth can eat meat at every meal, which helps them accumulate qi and blood quickly, giving them a much greater chance of successfully passing the test."

Chen Yuan listened silently, took a big bite of the steamed bun, the wheat aroma melting in his mouth, but his heart was heavy.

Having spent his five taels of silver on the apprenticeship fee, he was now struggling to even afford food. He needed to find a way to earn more money, not to mention medicine, he just needed to eat his fill.

In the afternoon, the other disciples either continued practicing standing meditation or found others to practice their boxing techniques with.

Chen Yuan rested for only a short while before gritting his teeth and returning to the corner of the courtyard to set up the Black Tiger Stakes again.

The tingling, numbness, and swelling returned, even worse than in the morning. Sweat quickly soaked through his clothes and dripped down his chin.

He stared intently at a dotted point in front of him, trying to adjust his breathing to capture the "stance feeling" that Master Jiang had described.

Time passed slowly, and the other disciples in the courtyard gradually finished their practice, packed up their things, and prepared to go home.

After Xu Qing finished practicing a set of punches, he wiped his sweat and saw Chen Yuan still struggling there, his body swaying slightly. He went over to call him.

"Ah Yuan, that's enough for today. Don't push yourself too hard on the first day..."

Chen Yuan seemed not to hear, his entire mind was immersed in sensing his body.

He was breathing rapidly, his consciousness almost overwhelmed by exhaustion, his legs were trembling uncontrollably, and just when he was about to give up, an extremely faint sensation came from the soles of his feet.

It felt as if a root had truly taken hold, and my breathing eased. A barely perceptible warmth surged through my limbs and bones, instantly relieving most of the intense fatigue.

[Black Tiger Stance: Beginner (1/600)]

He found it, the feeling of the stake!

Chen Yuan was overjoyed and savored the completely different feeling.

When you can't find the feeling of standing in the stance, standing in the stance feels like you're in unbearable pain, and each day feels like an eternity.

Now that I've found the feeling of stance training, my body feels incredibly comfortable from the inside out, and it's become something I thoroughly enjoy.

"This martial art is truly amazing. The body posture remains unchanged, but the physical sensations before and after entering the path are worlds apart."

Chen Yuan slowly relaxed his posture and exhaled a long breath.

That afternoon of extra practice was totally worth it!

Xu Qing, who was watching from the side, could clearly see that Chen Yuan's condition was noticeably different in the last period.

He stared wide-eyed in surprise: "Ah Yuan, you've found the feeling for the stance?"

Chen Yuan wiped the sweat from his face and nodded: "Yeah, I've gotten a little bit off the mark."

"Not bad!" Xu Qing patted him hard on the shoulder. "Counting your three days at the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts Academy, this is only the fourth day. You're much better than I was back then!"

The two packed up and left the martial arts academy together.

As the sun set, it cast long shadows of the two of them.

Xu Qing looked around and lowered his voice to Chen Yuan, saying, "Yuan, things aren't very peaceful in the outer city lately. Be careful on your way back to the riverbank."

"What's wrong?" Chen Yuan's heart tightened.

"I heard that there's a group called the Compassionate Sect that's been fighting the Green Snake Gang for territory lately, and there's been a lot of friction between them."

Xu Qing's expression was somewhat grave. "When these gangs fight, they don't play by the rules. Whoever gets caught in the crossfire is doomed. Try not to go out tonight, and remind your aunt to be careful too."

The Compassionate Venerable Sect? Chen Yuan recalled the strangely dressed people the Green Snake Gang had chased down last night, and the answer became clear to him.

We must become stronger faster and master the basic ability to protect ourselves.

"Okay, I understand. Be careful too!"

......

Back on the ship, Song was busy around a steamer.

Hearing the noise, Madam Song immediately turned around. "A-Yuan, you're back. How was your apprenticeship today?"

"It's done!" Chen Yuan laughed. "Master Jiang's apprenticeship fee is indeed only five taels of silver."

Song was delighted, but also somewhat worried, saying, "Is this master's skill lacking?"

Chen Yuan chuckled, "Mother, don't worry, Master Jiang is quite skilled. He's more than capable of teaching a complete novice like me!"

"That's good," Madam Song breathed a sigh of relief, then whispered a reminder: "Don't let your grandfather and second uncle know that you've signed up for the martial arts school again."

Chen Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded silently.

He could already imagine the other person's reaction when they learned that he had wasted another five taels of silver to enroll in a martial arts school instead of using it to help his cousin learn martial arts.

"You caught quite a lot of fish yesterday; you made a full hundred coins selling them today."

Song lifted the pot lid, and a wisp of steam rose up, revealing a basket of golden-yellow cornbread inside.

"Mom bought some cornmeal today and steamed this basket of cornbread. From now on, you should take two with you to the martial arts school every day. Martial arts training is very physically demanding, and you can't go hungry."

She carefully picked up a still-warm cornbread and handed it to Chen Yuan: "These past two days, I've taken on a job mending fishing nets for others. Although I don't earn much, it helps supplement our income."

Chen Yuan took the cornbread and ate it, feeling a pang of sadness. Mending fishing nets was hard on the eyes and hands, and the pay was extremely meager.

But he didn't say much, just nodded: "Yes, Mother, don't overwork yourself."

Just then, the last embers in the clay furnace flickered a few times before going out completely.

Song looked at the stove, then at the few scattered pieces of firewood in the corner of the stern, and sighed.

The chill of late autumn was already quite noticeable, especially at night, when the river wind blew and the thin boat awning offered no protection whatsoever.

Without firewood for warmth, the boat became like an icebox in winter, and their homes had very thin and inadequate winter clothing.

Chen Yuan looked at the few pieces of firewood and felt a tightness in his heart.

Practicing martial arts requires a lot of food to replenish qi and blood, and daily household expenses, firewood, rice, oil, salt, winter clothing and bedding... all require money.

A sense of urgency welled up inside him. He looked at the dim river surface and suddenly said, "Mother, shall I go out and cast a few more nets tonight?"