This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

From that day on, Qingfeng devoted almost all his time, apart from his own Taoist cultivation, to studying martial arts.

As he delved deeper, his manipulation of qi and blood, and the refinement of his skin and flesh became more and more thorough. Qingfeng gradually abandoned his contempt for martial arts.

Because he discovered that even the martial arts, which seemed extremely rudimentary to those who had achieved mastery of the Dao, actually conformed to the principles of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

If the practice of Taoism is like standing at a very high place, peeling away layers of silk to find one's true self, refining one's true nature, and finally reaching the peak.

So martial arts is like planting a seed, slowly looking up at and exploring the Great Dao from the most extreme, the most superficial and the most basic perspective.

Through the ultimate tempering of one's own body, one can unlock the door to the Great Dao.

It's like Taoism starting from the highest point, then gradually perfecting itself and searching for its true self.

Martial arts, on the other hand, begin with one's true self and gradually explore its highest level.

Perhaps the final achievements of the two paths will not necessarily be superior or inferior.

Of course, Qingfeng's understanding of martial arts is not yet thorough enough, and he doesn't know if his research is correct.

He plans to take it slow, practice slowly, and verify gradually.

From then on, a martial arts atmosphere emerged in the courtyard. Qingfeng began practicing boxing, and initially, Wang Yangming demonstrated it for him.

After practicing a few times, Wang Yangming was surprised to find that Qingfeng's fist technique was more profound and pure than his own.

From then on, Wang Yangming refused to demonstrate to Qingfeng again.

If Qingfeng wanted to learn a new style of martial arts, he would have some of the Wang family's guards, who were skilled in martial arts, demonstrate it.

Half a month later, Qingfeng had mastered basic fist and foot techniques, including punches, kicks, palm strikes, and grappling, to a high degree.

Even Mingyue, who wasn't very attentive, had reached a certain level of skill, far surpassing the guards of the Wang family.

A few days later, Qingfeng, who was meditating and practicing Qi cultivation, suddenly felt his skin and flesh loosen, and a force that he could feel went from his skin and flesh to his bones.

It sent a tingling, numb sensation through his bones.

Qingfeng's heart stirred, and he knew that he had completed the tempering of the first stage of martial arts, the flesh and skin stage.

He should now be considered to have reached the second stage of martial arts, the Bone and Tendon Realm.

Upon closer inspection, I found that my physical strength had indeed improved significantly.

His vital essence had also increased significantly compared to before, which, in a sense, seemed to be of some benefit to his Taoist cultivation.

However, Qingfeng knew in his heart that this benefit was nothing more than picking up a sesame seed while losing a watermelon.

No matter how he arranges his time, practicing another martial art will always distract him.

Therefore, his progress in Taoist arts has slowed down considerably over the past month.

In contrast, Mingyue's magical power and cultivation level have been steadily increasing.

Upon closer inspection, even the gentle breeze couldn't perceive the depth of the moon's light.

Clearly, Mingyue's cultivation level had surpassed his by many levels.

However, Qingfeng did not regret it. He knew that this was something that had to be done. The more he did now, the more references his master would have when he came out of seclusion in the future.

After that, everything was peaceful and uneventful.

Wang Yangming also started coming less and less.

Because after New Year's Eve, in April of the following year, he would have to take the prefectural examination of Lijiang County. Only by passing this examination could he be considered a scholar with official rank.

So Wang Yangming has been locking himself at home every day to read and write articles during this period.

Although Wang Qingdu did not approve of his son becoming an official, he ultimately could not persuade Wang Yangming otherwise and had to give up.

The main reason is that Wang Yangming has now become Li Daoxuan's disciple. In Wang Qingdu's mind, Li Daoxuan is a person with extraordinary abilities. With Li Daoxuan protecting him, even if Wang Yangming encounters setbacks in officialdom in the future, he will not end up in a deadly situation like he once did.

Therefore, Wang Qingdu no longer objected so much to Wang Yangming's pursuit of academic success.

Wang Jingshu remained the same, always jumping around and causing chaos at home. Even in the courtyard, she was restless and couldn't calm down for a moment.

Seeing that Qingfeng had already progressed from fist and leg skills to weaponry, Wang Jingshu had an idea. She ran home and found two unsharpened, hundred-refined steel longswords, wanting to practice swordsmanship with Qingfeng.

Qingfeng naturally wouldn't refuse and gladly accepted Wang Jingshu's sword, then began practicing with her.

It didn't matter if she didn't practice, but once she did, Qingfeng discovered that Wang Jingshu was actually very suitable for sword practice.

Although her movements and footwork were mediocre and her martial arts foundation was weak, sometimes she couldn't even hold a sword steadily.

But as soon as she drew her sword, Wang Jingshu exuded the aura of a natural swordsman, and even her eyes underwent subtle changes.

He was a Taoist practitioner, and therefore particularly sensitive to such divine inspiration.

Not only him, but Mingyue also noticed it.

Privately, I couldn't help but sigh:

"So Jing Shu actually has the talent of a sword immortal..."

Qingfeng remained silent and continued to practice swordsmanship with Wang Jingshu as usual.

Gradually, Wang Jingshu seemed to find her footing, and surprisingly, she practiced with great patience, meticulously and methodically.

In the past, whether Wang Jingshu was reading, meditating, or playing with other strange things, she would lose interest in no more than 45 minutes.

But Wang Jingshu persisted in practicing swordsmanship for more than half a month.

Seeing this gentle breeze, I was truly certain that Wang Jingshu could pursue the path of swordsmanship.

So he also put more effort into swordsmanship.

Winter Solstice has arrived in the blink of an eye. As the seasons change and the energy of heaven and earth stirs, it is the perfect time for spiritual practice.

On the night of the winter solstice, while Qingfeng was eating Li Daoxuan's unique hot pot with Mingyue and the Wang siblings around a clay pot, his hand, which was holding a slice of lotus root, suddenly froze in mid-air.

He stood frozen in place, completely motionless.

The Wang siblings looked puzzled and were about to ask.

Mingyue immediately made a shushing gesture.

About ten breaths later, Qingfeng suddenly ran out of the house and coughed violently outside.

The Wang siblings, bewildered and terrified, ran outside and hurriedly asked:

"Senior Brother, what's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"

Qingfeng waved his hand repeatedly, then opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of phlegm.

Upon seeing this, Mingyue, who had followed, laughed:

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, your Qi and blood have entered your internal organs, and you have entered the third realm of martial arts."

Upon hearing this, the Wang siblings' eyes widened in disbelief.

Qingfeng wiped his mouth, raised his hand and waved, and the thick phlegm on the ground turned into powder and was blown away.

Then he turned around and smiled:

"It's just the third realm, nothing special. Eat, and don't overcook the meat slices."

After saying that, Qingfeng returned to the table and continued eating hot pot as if nothing had happened.

Wang Yangming and Wang Jingshu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with nothing but shock.

Their previous guard, Master Luo, had practiced martial arts for over thirty years, but had always remained stagnant at the peak of the second realm.

How long has Qingfeng been training? Two months?

He actually entered the third realm...

For a moment, Wang Yangming couldn't tell whether Qingfeng was just too monstrous or whether his cultivation was simply high enough to allow him to handle things so effortlessly.

However, this also made Wang Yangming realize something.

When they first became disciples, their master said he didn't understand martial arts and couldn't teach them advanced techniques.

This is not a lie.

Simply because, in the eyes of the teacher and senior brothers and sisters, martial arts were nothing more than child's play...

"What kind of sect do I belong to...?"

Wang Yangming was filled with mixed emotions...