In this chaotic world of martial arts, I'll become a god by adding skill points!

Chapter 87 Martial Arts Practice! A Cold New Year

The next day.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

The faint sound of energy breaking through the air could be heard from Wang Anping's residence.

He had shed his usual athletic attire and was now dressed in a light, casual outfit, standing intently in an open space in the courtyard.

His breathing was calm and even, and his eyes were slightly closed.

It seemed as if he was regulating his breathing and gathering his strength, preparing to practice the Five Animal Frolics.

During this period, he rarely went to the Yihe Gang anymore.

Zhang Cheng was basically in charge of all the affairs there.

Unlike his two cousins, Zhang Cheng did not join Chen Chaoming's city defense army.

Instead, they chose to stay with the Yihe Gang and guard that territory.

After all, Wang Anping was a highly respected figure, and Chen Chaoming valued this disciple highly.

Even now, the Chen family martial arts school has taken control of Zhenyuan County and raised an army in rebellion.

They always turned a blind eye to the Yihe Gang and never made things difficult for them.

Chen Chaoming knew in his heart that the path of rebellion was extremely dangerous.

True victory is still a long way off, and defeat and annihilation may occur at any time.

Wang Anping was not only a disciple with whom he had a pact of ancestral protection, but also possessed extraordinary talent.

It was already the only lineage he had chosen in his heart.

Naturally, they don't want to offend anyone easily; on the contrary, they should be considerate in every way and leave themselves a way out.

Pulling his thoughts back, Wang Anping suddenly opened his eyes.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his internal energy quietly surged throughout his body.

Slowly raising his hand, he assumed the stance of the Five Animal Frolics, the first movement being the Tiger Stance.

He lowered his body slightly, bending his knees to firmly plant himself in a horse stance.

The left hand is loosely clenched like a tiger's claw and slowly raised, while the right hand gathers strength at the waist.

His aura instantly became fierce and sharp, like a lurking tiger about to break free of its cage.

"Drink!" A low shout burst from his throat, causing the surrounding morning mist to disperse slightly.

His right tiger claw suddenly shot forward, the wind of his fist whistling past.

With immense force, it blew the fallen leaves in the courtyard into a flurry of motion.

His ten fingers were bent, his strength fierce, as if he could tear the air apart.

The tiger belongs to the metal element (庚金), which represents killing and warfare; this is the tiger play style.

It brings out the fierceness and killing power of Geng metal to the extreme, with every move and stance being powerful and forceful, and the wind from the punches like thunder.

His posture is like a tiger crouching and a dragon coiling, possessing both the imposing power of a tiger descending the mountain and the ruthless ferocity to devour enemies and take their lives.

As his internal energy circulated, his entire body exuded an aura of unassailable dignifiedness.

Immediately afterwards, the move changed abruptly, and the fierce energy instantly subsided.

Instead, it evokes a sense of lightness and agility, which is precisely the essence of deer play.

Wang Anping stretched slightly, his legs lightly touching the ground alternately.

His steps were as swift as a deer treading through the forest, his figure shifting and unpredictable.

Dodging left and right, it seemed as if they were weaving through thorns, avoiding the strong and attacking the weak.

His hands were slightly bent, like the antlers of a deer, sometimes lightly flicking, sometimes gently pulling.

Deer belong to the element of wood, which represents vitality. This deer play not only enhances the agility of the body.

It can better nourish internal strength, harmonize qi and blood, and make restless internal strength become more gentle and enduring.

As soon as the deer act ended, Wang Anping's body suddenly sank down.

With legs shoulder-width apart, adopting a stable bear stance, he clenches his fists, palms facing inward, and slowly presses them against his sides...

He occasionally throws a punch, the movement slow but the force is deep and powerful.

The punch he threw had the force of a bear shaking a mountain.

The bear belongs to the Earth element (戊土), which represents defense.

This bear-like move emphasizes strengthening one's foundation and defense.

When practiced to a high level, one can achieve external strength as solid as a mountain and internal power as deep as an abyss.

It remains as solid as a rock, unscathed, no matter how much it is attacked.

As soon as the bear play ceased, its body suddenly accelerated, like a monkey darting through the forest, instantly becoming agile and unpredictable—this was the monkey play.

Finally, with a graceful movement, Wang Anping slightly leaped up, his arms slowly opening like a crane spreading its wings, light and elegant—this was the Bird Style (Crane Style).

After practicing a set of Five Animal Frolics, Wang Anping was slightly sweaty, but his breathing remained calm.

The internal energy flowed slowly throughout his body, nourishing his limbs and bones.

He slowly finished his movements, his eyes slightly closed, carefully contemplating the subtleties of the Five Animal Frolics.

The tiger's ferocity, the deer's vitality, the bear's defense, the ape's agility, and the crane's spirit—the five elements correspond to each other, mutually generating and restraining each other.

The moves flow smoothly, combining offense and defense.

It can not only temper the body and enhance internal strength, but also nourish the spirit.

Its ability to harmonize Qi and blood is far more sophisticated than the Xingyi Quan he had previously practiced.

Once his breathing had calmed down, Wang Anping quietly brought up the system panel, where he saw that his proficiency in the Five Animal Frolics was [Five Animal Frolics 238/1000 Ming Jin]. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

Such exquisite techniques, if practiced diligently, would surely elevate his strength to a new level.

Even if I go to Piaofeng in the future, I will have enough confidence to stand firm.

Moreover, his current level of Five Animal Frolics is still very low, and he can improve very quickly. He spends a few hours every morning, and it won't be long before he can break through to the Great Perfection.

Even if you're still at the early stage of Transformation Realm, your strength will have increased significantly!

This is the difference between high and low levels of skill!

This is why he went to the sect; there must be differences between higher-level cultivation techniques!

Even if you practice a basic, unorthodox style of martial arts to the point of mastery, it's still just a basic, unorthodox style of martial arts. But if you master a martial art to the point of mastery, you can achieve that level of mastery right from the start. That's the difference!

For the next few days, he practiced martial arts in the yard every day.

His two older cousins ​​went out with the team to recruit soldiers, while Zhang Cheng was busy with gang activities every day.

The Spring Festival arrived in the blink of an eye, but unlike in the past, the county town was not lively at all.

Why?

Since the conscription team had already left, Chen Chaoming led the main force towards Liangzhou, where they were going to train their troops before setting out on an expedition.

Now that 90 percent of the young and middle-aged people are gone from Zhenyuan County, no one is happy about it.

Father, son, and brother have all left; no one is in the mood to celebrate the New Year.

Even the Wang Anping family, who were unaffected, were in a much worse mood.

After finishing his martial arts practice, Wang Anping wiped the sweat from his face.

She sat down next to her mother and asked softly, "Mother, why aren't you cutting paper snowflakes anymore?"

The mother snapped out of her daze, forced a smile, and shook her head: "No one will even look at it if I cut it. Look at this county town, it's so deserted, it doesn't look like it's New Year's at all."

As she spoke, her voice lowered.

Yesterday, when I went to fetch water at the entrance of the alley, I heard Aunt Li next door crying.

Her son, Zhuzi, was only sixteen years old when he was conscripted into the army.

Aunt Li was in poor health, and Zhu Zi was the only strong man in the family.

"Now that Zhuzi is gone, she and her husband are barely able to get a hot meal. How are they going to survive?"

At this moment, the father also came over, threw down the pipe in his hand, and said in a heavy tone: "It's not just Aunt Li's family, Old Man Wang from the east end, his son was taken away."

Overwhelmed by the burden, the daughter-in-law took her grandson and returned to her parents' home, leaving Old Man Wang all alone.

I passed by his house yesterday, and the gate was tightly closed.

There's not even a trace of smoke in the air; perhaps—perhaps they can't survive anymore.

He paused, then sighed.

"There's also Zhang the blacksmith in West Alley. He's very skilled and used to make a living by blacksmithing."

Both of his sons were conscripted this time.

The old man stroked his beard, his cloudy eyes filled with sorrow: "What a tragedy, what a tragedy this world is."

All the able-bodied men have been taken away, leaving the fields uncultivated and the shops unopened.

Families were torn apart, wives and children separated; Zhenyuan County was practically ruined.

Wang Anping remained silent. He knew his family was telling the truth.

The conscription took away 90 percent of the young and middle-aged people in the county, leaving behind only the elderly, women and children.

Without able-bodied men, the people struggled to make a living, let alone celebrate the New Year.

Then the mother said, "I heard from Zhang Cheng that of all the gangs that used to exist in Zhenyuan County, only the Yihe Gang remains, is that right?"

Wang Anping nodded: "Yes, there's only one Yihe Gang left in the county, but there aren't many people left."

Originally, the Yihe Gang had about twenty or thirty members, but most of them were taken away during this conscription.

Now there are only about ten people left, barely enough to hold onto their territory.

Protecting the residents of the surrounding streets and alleys, maintaining public order and such.

The father nodded: "It's all thanks to you that Chen Chaoming turns a blind eye to our family and the Yihe Gang."

Otherwise, our family might also be implicated.

My only concern is that Chen Chaoming led a large force to Liangzhou.

"If we are defeated, what will become of our Zhenyuan County?"

After these words, the courtyard fell silent again.

Yes, Chen Chaoming's expedition to Liangzhou is still uncertain.

If the army is defeated and Zhenyuan County is out of control, it will inevitably fall into greater chaos.

At that time, the elderly, women, and children will probably suffer even more.

Seeing the worried looks on his family's faces, Wang Anping slowly spoke, his tone firm: "Father, Mother, Grandpa, don't worry."

With me here, I will not let anyone hurt you, and I will do my best to protect the people in the surrounding area.

No matter what happens in the future, I will protect our home.

Looking into her son's resolute eyes, the mother's eyes welled up with tears, and she reached out to pat his hand.

J

Mother believes you, of course Mother believes you.

This world is too hard, all I hope for is that you are safe and sound.

I hope this chaotic world will end soon.

The meal on New Year's Eve was very simple.

The family sat around the table, eating quietly.

There was no laughter or joy, only deep sorrow, lingering in the small courtyard and over the entire desolate Zhenyuan County.

Outside the courtyard gate, the occasional sighs of the elderly, women, and children could be heard.

It seemed out of place with the festive Spring Festival.

Only Wang Anping's composure and determination added a glimmer of hope to this cold and desolate Spring Festival.