Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School, a corner of the training ground.

Zhou Sheng listened with longing as Liu Cheng recounted his experiences as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) on his journey.

After Liu Cheng finished speaking, he quickly flattered him, "Senior brother is truly amazing! Earning three taels of silver for just one escort mission!"

"Haha, practice hard! Once you break through the skin barrier, you can go out and earn money by taking up temporary positions!" Liu Cheng said with a smug smile.

"Alright! By the way, senior brother, I don't have any money to buy tonics right now, and my body can't hold up after practicing the stance training for half a day. I don't want to waste the rest of the time, could you teach me the fighting techniques?"

Zhou Sheng then took the opportunity to make his own request.

Liu Cheng thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay. Generally speaking, it's best to focus on stance training before breaking through the skin barrier to avoid distractions. But your situation is also quite common. Many disciples don't have the money to take supplements, so learning a few fighting techniques in advance can also help them go out and earn money."

"Can I go on a temporary assignment without breaking through the skin barrier?" Zhou Sheng's eyes lit up as he asked.

Liu Cheng shook his head. "It's not a nominal position. Without breaking through the skin barrier, you can't take on a nominal position as a martial arts school disciple. You can only take on private jobs. Private jobs require a certain level of skill, and the pay is much less. For example, some of the escorts who go on escort missions with me are ordinary porters, and they only get seven or eight hundred coins per trip."

"That's great! Senior brother, teach me how to fight!"

Zhou Sheng was in high spirits. Although seven or eight hundred coins were far less than Liu Cheng's three taels of silver, he thought it was a considerable sum. He could buy several sets of Chuipi Tang (a type of soup) by going out a few times a month.

"Alright, I'll teach you how to play now."

Liu Cheng's tone quickly turned serious, "Our Hammer Cloud Fist is invincible, swift as thunder, and its punches are like iron hammers, smashing and striking relentlessly. It is said that when cultivated to the highest level, a single punch can produce thunder and lightning, and white clouds can rise, hence the name Hammer Cloud Fist!"

As he spoke, Liu Cheng moved with incredible speed and unleashed a set of fierce and powerful fist techniques. His entire demeanor changed, transforming him into a ferocious beast, radiating a terrifying aura, with each move seemingly possessing the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Zhou Sheng watched from the side, not daring to breathe loudly.

After a short while, Liu Cheng finished his demonstration and asked, "Junior brother, did you see anything?"

Zhou Sheng thought for a moment and replied, "Senior brother, I think this set of boxing techniques is somewhat similar to the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique."

"That's right. Stance is the foundation, the body is the tool, and the fighting style is the application. Hammer Cloud Fist evolved from Hammer Cloud Stance. It has twelve basic stances, and each stance has three variations, for a total of thirty-six moves. However, the essence remains the same despite all the variations..."

......

In the evening, Zhou Sheng returned home and walked over to Zhou Fugan with a hint of excitement.

"Grandpa, today Senior Brother Liu taught me how to fight."

"Oh? Try it out and let me see."

Zhou Fugan was overjoyed and quickly said...

Zhou Sheng looked around, frowned, and said, "Grandpa, the shop is too small; we can't work properly here."

Zhou Fugan said, "It's alright, you can take your time and do it once. I'll just take a look."

"good!"

Zhou Sheng immediately tidied up the items in his way to make more space, and then carefully unleashed his Hammer Cloud Fist.

He demonstrated the famous moves while repeating Liu Cheng's explanation, and soon he had demonstrated all the moves he had learned that day.

"Grandpa, the fighting style is complicated and there's not much free time. I only learned three moves today," Zhou Sheng said.

Zhou Fugan pondered for a moment and said, "Since Master Liu said that the fighting style evolved from the stance training, starting tomorrow, you can spend more time learning the fighting style and learn it all as soon as possible. It might help with your stance training."

Zhou Sheng nodded upon hearing this and said, "Grandpa, you're right. I'll try my best to learn more fighting techniques tomorrow."

That's what he was thinking too. He planned to learn the fighting style as soon as possible, develop some practical combat skills, and then take on freelance work to earn money.

"Okay. Type it a few more times. I'll take a look."

Zhou Sheng practiced it several more times, and Zhou Fugan basically memorized the changes in the moves. He also noticed a small problem with Zhou Sheng's training and pointed it out to him.

...

After the drill ended, Zhou Sheng brought up another matter.

"Grandpa, I've found out about the tonics that Senior Brother Zhang sells."

"Oh? How is it?"

Zhou Fugan's eyes lit up. He needed to increase his strength right now, and if this tonic was reliable, he could buy it and take it.

"I heard from other senior brothers that this tonic is called 'Strengthening Powder,' and its effect is only half that of the tonics used in martial arts schools, but it has great hidden dangers and is highly toxic. Taking too much of it can seriously damage the body, and may even damage the foundation of one's martial arts career, thus cutting off one's path to mastery."

"But if taken in small amounts and with longer intervals between doses, it can indeed be quite helpful."

As Zhou Sheng spoke, he frowned, his expression hesitant.

"Isn't this exactly what I was prepared for? As for the potential risks and toxicity, that's a good thing. If it's less toxic, it will be more expensive."

Zhou Fugan was secretly delighted.

However, he forbade Zhou Sheng from taking it. This strengthening powder would damage the foundation of one's constitution, and for ordinary people it would be like drinking poison to quench thirst. Zhou Sheng was already of inferior constitution, and if he took the strengthening powder, he would probably have no chance of breaking through the skin barrier.

Thinking of this, a serious expression appeared on his face, and he earnestly warned, "Sheng'er, you must not take the strengthening powder. If you really damage your foundation, it will be too late to regret it. It's better to wait and see; there's always a way to make money."

"I know." Zhou Sheng nodded, completely abandoning any lingering hope.

Zhou Fugan then said, "Here's what we'll do. Sheng'er, go find that Senior Brother Zhang tomorrow and buy a dose for me. Grandpa knows a renowned doctor at a pharmacy; ask him if he can adjust the prescription to reduce the toxicity."

After saying that, he took out two hundred coins from his pocket and handed them over.

Zhou Sheng believed his grandfather's words and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He quickly took the copper coin and said, "Okay."

Zhou Fugan felt a pang of regret. These two hundred coins represented most of his net worth. If he spent that money on security fees, he wouldn't even be able to afford to eat seafood later.

But this is a necessary expense. If the Strengthening Powder really works as claimed, it will allow his cultivation to continue its rapid growth. This will also greatly help his upcoming money-making plans.

...

After dinner, Zhou Fugan quickly returned to his room and slowly practiced the Hammer Cloud Fist technique he had just memorized.

After the gesture was completed, a new prompt immediately appeared on the virtual interface.

"The host cultivates the Hammer Cloud Fist (incomplete). Effects: mobilizes the body's strength to generate offensive capabilities and slightly tempers the body."

The price: diligent study and hard work.

"An exemption can be activated without incurring a cost, while retaining its effectiveness."

At the same time, information about the first three moves of the Hammer Cloud Fist surfaced in his mind. These three moves were no longer a secret to him.

He felt something was wrong with his body, and with a thought, he flashed forward and immediately and skillfully executed the three fist techniques.

His moves were natural and fluid, his momentum fierce and unparalleled, yet he controlled them with ease. Even in the cramped bedroom filled with clutter, he didn't touch anything, as if he had undergone years of arduous training.

He looked at the virtual interface again, and there was an extra line of text on it.

"Hammer Cloud Fist (Incomplete): The first three moves are perfect!"

"Hmm? Diligent study and hard work can be considered a price to be waived?"

Zhou Fugan looked surprised, but he understood something in his heart.

Clearly, this is why he can learn techniques instantly and reach maximum proficiency. Techniques like the Hammer Cloud Fist or the Hammer Cloud Stance are just skills; he can master them to perfection through diligent practice.

However, techniques like the Hammer Cloud Stance combined with a martial artist's cultivation improvement involve strengthening the martial artist's body and require external assistance such as tonics and nutrients. Therefore, he cannot instantly raise his cultivation to its peak.

In other words, as long as it's a playing style, he only needs to learn it once to reach a perfect level instantly.

This feature is incredibly powerful; it will save him a tremendous amount of time. From now on, he only needs to focus his energy on improving his cultivation level, unlike other martial artists who also need to cultivate fighting techniques, otherwise they would have immense strength but be unable to defeat others.

"very good!"

After practicing several times, Zhou Fugan happily finished his practice.

This Hammer Cloud Fist is indeed powerful. If he can learn the whole thing, his plan will be guaranteed to succeed.