A man stands before the heavens, his sword emerges from the Emei Mountains.

Fine snowflakes drifted down, and breath turned to frost.

Two thin, white wisps of smoke emerged from Chen Yu's nostrils and traveled several feet, melting into flakes of snow before dispersing in the wind. He exhaled and inhaled, his muscles beneath his thin clothes undulating like snakes and dragons. Upon closer inspection, one could see that as his tendons and veins stretched, his muscles were forged as if solidifying into iron ingots, then rolled into refined iron bars, then solidifying and rolling again, in an endless cycle.

This condition is what the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" mentions: "When Qi arrives, the membrane rises; when Qi flows, the membrane stretches; and the membrane and tendons become strong together." Chen Yu practiced diligently for two months, relying on the effect of the jade ruyi, which made him achieve in one day what others had achieved in several days. He successively completed the first stage of membrane refining and the second stage of tendon refining. Now, he is only a step away from the third stage of strong fascia and tendons.

……

Shallow footprints stretched from afar to the doorway. Zhou Zhiruo stopped, brushed her clothes, and a wisp of catkin caught between her fingertips.

"There are no footprints outside the courtyard, so my senior brother must be inside." Zhou Zhiruo thought to herself, and just as she reached out to knock on the door, she suddenly heard a breath that sounded like a raging storm.

"Is Senior Brother practicing his martial arts?" Zhou Zhiruo, afraid of disturbing him, peeked through the crack in the door. In the dim light of the day, she saw a broad and strong back. The cold wind was howling, and his white shirt clung to his body. It looked as if countless fish were swimming on both sides of his spine.

"what……"

Zhou Zhiruo realized that Chen Yu was practicing internal martial arts and, seeing that something was wrong, was about to step back when she suddenly heard Chen Yu grunt and shout. The muscles under his clothes bulged like a churning sea of ​​clouds. Immediately afterward, there was a series of rapid crackling sounds like soybeans being fried in a hot pan. Chen Yu moved like a slingshot, his front foot advancing and his back foot following, raising his arm and elbow to slam into the thick wooden stake.

Click...

The snow on the wooden stake collapsed and flew into a curtain, like gauze. The very sturdy wooden stake, which was several feet deep in the ground, broke in the middle, flew horizontally for several feet, and crashed to the ground, splashing up a huge snow lotus flower.

Chen Yu was completely unaware that Zhou Zhiruo was outside the courtyard. He exclaimed with delight, "With the waist as a string and the force of the strike as powerful as pushing a mountain, the third stage of the technique is complete. It has indeed increased the power of Bajiquan by several times."

As the thought crossed Chen Yu's mind, he suddenly sensed something, looked towards the courtyard gate, and with a creak, the wooden door was pushed open. A face as pure and flawless as white porcelain squeezed in through the crack in the door, smiling as bright as spring flowers, "Senior brother has broken through in his cultivation technique."

"It's junior sister, come in quickly."

"Hmm." Zhou Zhiruo pushed the door open and entered, then closed it behind her. Yu Fengxue was outside. She straightened up and said, "Today is the Winter Solstice. I brought some dumplings for you, Senior Brother. I also have a lot of questions about cultivation techniques that I've accumulated, and I would like to ask you to answer them."

"How can one accumulate difficulties in the cultivation method? Wouldn't that delay one's practice?"

"My main concern is that it will affect my senior brother's cultivation," Zhou Zhiruo said, then explained, "It won't interfere with his practice at all. He can practice stance training, sword moves, and memorize the mental techniques. There are plenty of things he can do."

"That's how it is." Chen Yu smiled. "I happen to be hungry, so I'll fill my stomach first before explaining to my junior sister."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Don't be so polite.

The two entered the house, and Chen Yu brought over bowls and chopsticks. Zhou Zhiruo opened the food box, and what she saw were steaming fish-shaped dumplings, ingot-shaped dumplings, and crescent-shaped dumplings.

"Junior sister has excellent skills."

"Since elementary school, I often dug up wild vegetables to make dumplings." Zhou Zhiruo recalled her childhood life on the Han River without feeling bitter, her delicate eyebrows curving like a new moon.

"Let's come together."

"Zhiruo has already eaten, but it won't hurt to eat a few more with her senior brother."

"Alright, junior sister, do it yourself. I'll get the vinegar."

"Hmm." Chen Yu acted with great composure, and Zhou Zhiruo felt relaxed and comfortable around him, as if bathed in a spring breeze. She placed the dumplings in her two wrists and waited for Chen Yu to bring out the vinegar, which she then poured into a porcelain dish.

The two sat around the table. Chen Yu ate several pieces. The aroma of wild vegetables and meat mingled, and the texture was smooth, sweet, and refreshing. He praised the delicious taste before getting down to business, "Let's talk about the cultivation method."

"Our sect's internal cultivation method states, 'The mechanism of harmonizing water and fire is called the Yellow Woman. What does the Yellow Woman mean?'"

Chen Yu laughed and said, "Does that mean a haggard old woman?"

Zhou Zhiruo covered her mouth and laughed, "Exactly."

"When I first practiced our sect's techniques, I understood it in the same way. Huang Po is the spleen, and the Four Seas specifically refer to the heart, kidneys, spleen, and brain." Once the topic was opened, Chen Yu simply recounted all the things he had encountered before, such as "One Yang," "One Qi," "Three Vehicles," and "Five Times and Seven Phases," explaining them to the other party.

Zhou Zhiruo listened attentively and memorized everything. She was amazed; her senior brother's words addressed all the points that had puzzled her. He was truly remarkable.

Chen Yu was always forthcoming with his knowledge, but he could always explain Zhou Zhiruo's confusion in simple terms, resolving all her doubts in less than the time it takes to eat a meal.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Zhou Zhiruo replied, then changed the subject, "Was that arm-lifting and elbow-striking strike just now also an Emei martial art? I heard Senior Brother Yang and Senior Brother Tang mention that Senior Brother has learned a wide range of martial arts."

Unlike Chen Yu, Zhou Zhiruo did not take the initiative to ask Yang An for various basic martial arts training when she first entered the sect. She followed the steps and progressed step by step, mastering one technique before moving on to another. She has only just come into contact with the "Snowflake Piercing Cloud Palm".

Upon hearing Zhou Zhiruo's words, Chen Yu asked, "This is not a technique from our sect. Would you like to learn it?"

"Is that alright?" Zhou Zhiruo asked happily.

"Skills are never a burden, so why not? I'll teach you a set of Baguazhang that's suitable for your practice. It will be beneficial for your future practice of our sect's Four Symbols Palm." As Chen Yu said this, a sudden inspiration struck him: was it possible to merge the two martial arts into the Four Symbols Baguazhang?

"Thank you, senior brother."

"Let's go." Chen Yu's consciousness returned.

The two went out of the house and into the courtyard. Chen Yu said, "I'll play it once first, and you can watch it carefully."

"Um."

Chen Yu lifted his robe, swung his body, and began with the Azure Dragon Claw stance, demonstrating his technique: "Baguazhang uses the palm instead of the fist, striking in a cross shape, seeking survival within that cross, each step following a circle, resembling a galloping horse wading through mud, or a chicken treading on snow, with chicken legs and a dragon's body, a crane's form and a monkey's appearance. Kicking, striking, throwing, and grappling are all integrated, gentle and slow, combining strength and softness..."

Zhou Zhiruo felt that Chen Yu was using this set of palm techniques with great skill, spinning and circling, changing unpredictably, and controlling them with ease, which was very refreshing.

"How much do you remember?" Chen Yu asked after finishing typing.

"About 60%."

"Good memory," Chen Yu praised. "Let me explain it again in detail."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Chen Yu began explaining each move from "Azure Dragon Probing Claws" in detail, emphasizing the techniques of upward palm strikes, downward palm strikes, vertical palm strikes, piercing palm strikes, and chopping palm strikes. Zhou Zhiruo fully understood before they began the next move.

This round was extremely long, taking nearly an hour, and the Bagua Palm technique was transferred to Zhou Zhiruo.

"I've memorized it all," Chen Yu asked, finishing his practice.

"Um."

"Alright, it's getting late. Junior sister can practice whenever she has time when she gets back, but she should focus on the martial arts of our sect and not put the cart before the horse."

"Zhiruo understands, thank you, Senior Brother."

Don't be so polite.

"Then I'll head back now."

"it is good."

Zhou Zhiruo took the food box, left the house, and the snowflakes fell heavily, covering the path she had come from. She walked step by step, and after walking for more than a mile, she turned around the mountain pass and suddenly heard joyful shouts.

"Senior Brother Chen has imparted his martial arts skills."

A graceful young girl stood tall in the wind and snow, her eyes bright and her steps light. Sometimes she leaped forward like a fluttering butterfly, and sometimes she twirled like snowflakes in the wind, pausing to smell the fragrance of plum blossoms.

……

"This is the bright and beautiful look a teenage girl should have. In the past, she was too restrained, cautious, and timid in her actions."

Chen Yu sighed and said, "It's time to practice your lightness skill."

The little white ape darted away, its white form instantly merging into the snow and wind. Chen Yu followed closely behind, and wherever he went, snowflakes were enveloped by his energy, trailing behind him like a white tornado that never fell.

From a distance, it looks like two white dragons weaving through the forest and clouds.