Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

In Li Yuan's courtyard.

The two stood facing each other.

The December weather was crisp and cold. A thin layer of ice had formed on the ground in the yard, making a crunching sound when you stepped on it. The old tree in the corner was bare, and when the wind blew, the branches trembled slightly without making a sound.

The sky was grayish-white, and the clouds hung low, as if it were about to snow, but it never did.

Li Yuan looked at Chen Ping in front of him, a hint of fighting spirit rising in his eyes, and said, "This time, I will still not use my full strength, but I will use my full power."

Chen Ping stood opposite him, his eyes calm and still, his posture relaxed and unhurried, and said indifferently, "Come."

The next moment, Chen Ping disappeared.

Li Yuan's eyes narrowed, knowing he couldn't fall into Chen Ping's attack rhythm. He took two steps back, but Chen Ping's figure appeared out of nowhere behind him. Li Yuan's internal organs resonated, and he stopped abruptly, twisting his body and throwing a punch with a whooshing sound.

Chen Ping didn't try to take the hit head-on. He stepped to the left and appeared on Li Yuan's right the next moment, his fist already thrown out.

Li Yuan had no choice but to withdraw his hand and block the path of the punch, only to see the fist suddenly change into a palm midway through, bypassing his fist and pressing a palm onto Li Yuan's chest.

The moment the palm struck, Chen Ping felt a resonance in his internal organs.

Two loud bangs.

The Yin-Yang Palms struck out in quick succession within a single breath. Li Yuan grunted and was knocked back five steps by the palm strike. He stood firm, looked up, and shouted "Good!"

With a single step, a faint thunderous sound echoed, and in the blink of an eye, he stood before Chen Ping, unleashing a punch so fast that its trajectory was invisible to the naked eye.

However, in the perception of the Water Observation Method, the trajectory of this punch was captured the moment it was thrown.

As if he had foreseen the future, Chen Ping shifted his footing, and his palm slid down Li Yuan's arm, pressing down on his waist.

Li Yuan looked surprised and pressed down with his elbow, trying to stop him.

At that very moment, the palm turned into a fist.

Veins bulged on his arm as he threw a punch that struck Li Yuan squarely. The nascent force exploded, causing Li Yuan to stagger back a few steps. He frowned and said, "How could this be? This is force, but it doesn't feel like real strength."

Chen Ping stood still, stopped his stance, and said, "This boxing style is called Crushing Stone Force. It is a military boxing style. When mastered, it can produce the rudiments of power through specific punches."

When Li Yuan was teaching him the moves, he was not yet proficient in switching between fist and palm techniques, so he naturally couldn't use the rudimentary form of his strength.

Li Yuan stood still, sensing the power, and frowned, saying, "The Crushing Stone Force... I've never heard of it before. Could it be a secret technique passed down within the military?"

Chen Ping thought for a moment and shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it. When this boxing style is practiced to a high level, you can see many flaws and immature aspects, but it is indeed a military boxing style."

Li Yuan was silent for a moment, then raised his head and asked, "Your cultivation is nearing completion. Have you felt anything unusual in your body lately?"

Chen Ping thought for a moment and nodded.

Recently, as his refining process has neared completion, after his condensed qi and blood complete a full cycle within his body, they linger briefly in a certain part of his body. Although this happens frequently, he has noticed it.

Li Yuan said, "That's it. After you've perfected the Refining of the Inner Veins, you'll be able to feel the key points in your body. The path to breaking through to the Ming Jin realm lies right here."

He paused, then began, “There are sixteen external acupoints, starting from the Yongquan point on the sole of the foot, going up the leg, passing through the Weizhong point, the Huantiao point, the Mingmen point, the Dazhui point, the Fengfu point, the Tianmen point, going down through the Tanzhong point, into the Qihai point, splitting off into the arms, passing through the Quchi point, reaching the Laogong point, and returning to the Yongquan point. Once you complete one cycle, you have completed the outer circulatory system.”

"By condensing qi and blood to flush out and open the acupoints, qi and blood will fill them. Once they are full, the acupoints will resonate with the skin and flesh, thus generating a bright and powerful strength that is unmatched."

Chen Ping asked, "What about the hidden strength?"

Li Yuan said, "There's also the Inner Sixteen, which resonates with the muscles and bones to become hidden strength, but that's a matter for later. Right now, you should break through the Outer Sixteen first."

Chen Ping didn't ask any more questions and nodded.

Li Yuan glanced at him, his lips twitching slightly: "After the Refining of the Dirty is perfected, and the Qi and Blood are sufficiently condensed, it is not difficult to open the first acupoint. The difficulty lies in the subsequent ones. Opening each acupoint is more strenuous than the previous one. Only when all sixteen acupoints are opened and filled can one be considered to have perfected the Ming Jin."

The wind blew in from outside the courtyard wall, swirling up a few withered leaves from the ground.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Hu Qian walked in, a folding fan tucked under his arm. He glanced at the two of them, a smile on his lips, and said, "Oh, the master and disciple are sparring again. It's time to go, to the council hall."

Li Yuan patted his sleeves, nodded towards Chen Ping, and the two followed Hu Qian outside.

Inside the council chamber, everyone had arrived.

Inside, a charcoal brazier burned quietly, warming the surrounding air. But even a short distance away, one could still feel the chill seeping up from the ground. Occasionally, a wisp of cold air would slip through the window cracks, causing the candlelight to flicker slightly before settling back down.

The gang members, all dressed in red, stood in a row along the wall. Several managers sat down, speaking in hushed tones, creating a buzzing sound in the hall.

Chen Ping walked in, glanced around, stood by the chair on the left, and sat down.

That was the spot that originally belonged to Ghost Hand Zhang.

People in the hall looked at him one after another, their faces showing smiles to varying degrees. Some nodded, some raised their chins, but no one spoke.

Footsteps came from outside the hall, and everyone stood up at the same time.

Lu Cheng walked in, sat down in the chair in the center, glanced around the hall, gestured for everyone to sit, and then said, "After so long of the Green Robe Society selection, the Red Flower Sticks in the gang are now full."

Four people stepped out from the crowd and stood in the hall.

"Wang Shi".

"Zhao Man".

"Chen Liu".

"Liu Tiegen".

The four men announced their names in turn and stood there, their expressions solemn. From bone tempering to tendon tempering, both required a solid foundation. Chen Ping glanced at them, and the four men retreated back into the crowd.

Lu Cheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said, "The Dragon Head Festival will last for one more month."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The red-flower sticks' eyes changed simultaneously, then they suppressed their anger and looked at Lü Cheng again.

Lu Cheng didn't say much, only saying calmly, "I won't say much more for this last month. Everyone should continue to hone their skills. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Then several managers reported on the month's affairs in turn, from the docks, the business hall, and the greywater yard, one by one. Lü Cheng listened, occasionally asking a question or nodding. The pace in the hall was neither too fast nor too slow.

When it was Hu Qian's turn, he wore a bitter expression, tucked his folding fan under his arm, cupped his hands towards Lü Cheng, and said, "Master, there are some things I need to say."

Lu Cheng glanced at him: "What is it?"

Hu Qian sighed: "I usually manage the business hall, but recently the handover of the Bai family's granary has been completed, and there's been a lot more and more to do. As for this spy business, I'm willing but unable to do it."

Lu Cheng was silent for a moment, then turned to Chen Ping: "Manager Chen, could you take over the matter of this informant?"

Chen Ping thought for a moment and said, "Report once a day, as long as it doesn't disturb my cultivation."

Hu Qian turned around abruptly, grabbed Chen Ping's hand, shook it vigorously, and said repeatedly, "Thank you so much, thank you so much."

Chen Ping withdrew his hand without saying a word.

Lu Cheng said, "Then let Scarface know later."

Chen Ping thought for a moment and said, "From the large pool of people in the greywater field, select some usable ones and apply them under the scars."

After he said that, the hall fell silent for a moment.

The group exchanged glances but remained silent.

Rouge Tiger sat on the right, put down his teacup, raised his head, and said calmly, "Okay."

Lu Cheng's lips twitched, he smiled slightly, and said, "Then let's arrange it that way."

......

The people in the council hall gradually dispersed, their footsteps fading into the distance. The red-hot charcoal in the brazier burned a little lower, crackling softly and sending out a few sparks.

Lu Cheng did not get up. Holding his teacup, he glanced at Li Yuan.

Li Yuan stood still, without moving.

Lu Cheng put down his teacup and said, "Speak."

Li Yuan was silent for a moment, then raised his head and asked, "Master, do you know of any martial art that can generate power using only brute force and technique?"

Lu Cheng frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head: "I've never heard of it, and it's impossible. Where did you hear such a rumor?"

Li Yuan didn't speak. He reached up and lifted his shirt to reveal his side rib, where there was a faint red mark with irregular edges, as if something had exploded inside his flesh.

"This is what Chen Ping did just now," he said. "His punch, the power didn't dissipate, but there was a force that exploded on my flesh. Although the force wasn't enough, it followed the same path as internal energy."

Lu Cheng stood up, leaned closer, examined it carefully for a moment, and said, "Perhaps it's a secret technique passed down within the military?"

Li Yuan shook his head: "No, he said that the boxing technique is called Crushing Stone Force, and that if you practice it deeply, you can see all the flaws and immaturities of this martial art."

Lu Cheng stared at the red mark without saying a word.

A moment later, he suddenly raised his head: "You're saying he can see the flaws in martial arts?"

Li Yuan was stunned for a moment, then reacted, his eyes suddenly changing: "He saw the flaw in the martial arts, and it's perfected?! His fist technique is perfected?"

The two men stared at each other in the council chamber, the fire in the charcoal brazier burning silently.