Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

The courtyard of Zhou Liang, a hunter in the west of the village, is wider than that of ordinary people.

Yi Yang stood in front of the door and knocked.

Knock knock.

Footsteps came from inside, and soon the wooden door opened.

The man who opened the door was a burly man in his forties, with broad shoulders, thick arms, and a stubble-covered face. His eyes, perpetually fixed on the mountain road beneath his brow bone, always seemed to be scrutinizing people with a hint of sizing up goods.

It was Zhou Liang.

When he saw Yi Yang, he paused for a moment, his hand still on the door latch.

"Why are you here in the middle of the day? Are you not feeling well? Or has something happened to Yuexin?"

Yi Yang waved his hand.

"Nothing happened."

Zhou Liang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly opened the door.

"Come inside and sit down. It's so hot outside. With your body like that, don't let yourself get too sunburnt."

"I won't sit then."

Yi Yang raised the small cloth bag in his hand.

Inside the cloth bag were a few copper coins and two small pieces of dried ginseng rootlets. The items weren't expensive, but in a place like Sanmu Village, it showed thoughtfulness in taking them out.

Zhou Liang frowned immediately upon seeing this.

"Grandpa Yi, what are you doing? You're here, why bring things? Aren't you just embarrassing me?"

Yi Yang didn't beat around the bush.

"Liangzi, didn't you go to the city to learn martial arts in your younger days?"

Zhou Liang's face twitched. This matter was not a secret in the village, but it was not exactly something to be proud of either.

Back then, he brought the money his family had saved into the city, hoping to find a martial arts school and make a name for himself.

In the end, the money was spent, but the person wasn't trained.

When he returned, many idlers laughed at him about it, saying that Zhou Liang had bought a dream with money, and when he woke up he still had to go up the mountain to chase rabbits.

Zhou Liang has come to terms with things over the years.

While one may be able to let it go, it still makes one's teeth ache a little when someone brings it up to one's face.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Yi Yang continued, "When I was young, I went to a martial arts school to have my aptitude tested, and they said I was not destined for the martial arts path."

"These four words, like a door latch, have kept me out for decades."

"Now that I'm old, I have no other desires. I just suddenly want to see what the martial arts I've been longing for all my life actually look like."

After he finished speaking, he lifted the cloth bag again.

"I'm not just looking for nothing. A few copper coins and two pieces of ginseng root are nothing, just a small gift."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liang's initial unease subsided considerably, and he instead frowned.

"useless."

He reached out to push the cloth bag.

"Grandpa Yi, aren't you slapping me in the face?"

"You're here, why bring a gift?"

"Besides, what I have isn't exactly a valuable martial arts technique."

Zhou Liang glanced into the courtyard and lowered his voice.

"When I first came to the city, I paid my tuition. The martial arts instructors examined my bones and said that I was too old and had poor physical constitution, so I wouldn't be able to improve much."

"But we've already taken the money, we have to give an explanation, right?"

He scoffed. "They just tossed me a book called 'Yi Mu Health Preservation Exercise,' saying it's for health preservation. If you master it, it can strengthen your muscles and improve blood circulation; if you don't, it can still be used as a literacy book."

"I spent half a year studying that booklet, my legs swelled up from standing, my back ached from twisting, and in the end I didn't learn anything."

"I ran out of money and had no choice but to go back to the village. I'm not afraid to tell you, but I really wanted to burn the booklet back then."

Yi Yang asked, "It didn't burn?"

"I couldn't bear to part with it."

Zhou Liang shrugged. "I paid for it, it would be a shame to burn it. Besides, what if my son has the potential someday?"

He shook his head again at this point.

"Forget it, he's even lazier than me. Instead of making him stand in a static posture, I'd rather have him go catch rabbits with me."

Yi Yang was amused by this.

Zhou Liang said, then turned and walked into the house.

"Grandpa, wait here, I'll go inside and get it."

The sound of something being rummaged through came from Zhou Liang's house.

A moment later, Zhou Liang came out with a yellowed booklet.

The booklet was thin, with the corners rolled up, and five characters written in ink on the cover.

Yi Wood Health Preservation Exercise.

The ink stains had turned gray over the years.

Zhou Liang handed the booklet to Yi Yang, but didn't immediately let go of her hand.

"Old Master Yi, let me say this first."

"You're old enough to be here, don't try to be brave. Even young people get sore all over from practicing these stances. If you try to force yourself, you'll only hurt your bones and muscles, and it won't be worth it."

Yi Yang nodded.

"I want to live a few more years; I won't joke around with myself."

Zhou Liang then released his grip.

"Alright. Take it and have a look. Don't even mention whether you'll return it. It's just a tattered booklet; it's too bulky to even keep at the bottom of a drawer."

Yi Yang placed the cloth bag by the threshold.

Zhou Liang's face fell again upon seeing this.

"Hey, Grandpa Yi, why did you put it down? Take it away, take it away!"

Yi Yang turned and left.

"My legs are getting old, and it's hard for me to bend over. If you don't take it, I'll just throw it in the ditch."

"You old man..."

Zhou Liang took two steps after him, but ultimately gave up.

He stood at the door, staring at Yi Yang's thin back, and muttered something after a long while.

"At this age, you're still looking at martial arts."

"This world is really taking a toll on people."

Yi Yang waved his hand and walked back along the dirt road.

Yi Yang didn't turn around.

The booklet, pressed against my chest, felt surprisingly warm even through the fabric.

It's not a booklet.

It's like his old furnace, which had been extinguished for sixty years, has started smoking again.

at night.

In the small courtyard surrounded by three small houses, Jiang Yuexin had gone to bed early, and even breathing could be heard from inside.

Yi Yang sat under the old locust tree, with an oil lamp on the table.

He spread out the "Yi Mu Health Preservation Exercise".

The first page contains the general outline.

The foundation of martial arts training begins with nourishing one's vital energy and blood.

Martial artists hone their skills, cultivate their vital energy, strengthen their skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and internal organs, and cleanse their marrow and blood. Only through this process of internal and external circulation of qi and blood can they unlock the path to martial arts.

Then it was written again.

There are six levels of Qi and Blood.

Refine the skin, strengthen the flesh, change the tendons, forge the bones, refine the genitals, cleanse the marrow and change the blood.

As for the Qi and Blood, the booklet only vaguely mentions that there is another world there, without going into details.

Upon seeing this, Yi Yang paused his fingertip on the page.

"Six levels of Qi and Blood".

The tattered booklet in Zhou Liang's mouth could actually be used to cultivate to the sixth level of Qi and Blood.

Of course, being able to write it doesn't mean everyone can practice it.

Just because a poor person gets a recipe doesn't mean they'll have a Manchu Han Imperial Feast on their table.

Yi Yang understood this principle all too well.

Ordinary people could practice this until their hair turned white, and they might not even have developed the skin to the point of being able to toughen up.

But Yi Yang is different; he has a destiny, and for him, practicing martial arts is only a matter of time.

What he lacked was a door, and now the door to martial arts has been opened.

The first half of the booklet discusses martial arts, and the second half contains illustrations.

The little figure in the picture is holding a stake frame, which is called the Yi Wood Longevity Stake.

Stand with your feet apart, knees slightly bent, back straight, arms loosely clasped in front of your chest, fingers naturally spread, tongue touching the upper palate, breathing gently, and focus your mind on your lower abdomen.

It looks simple, but actually setting it up is incredibly difficult.

Yi Yang stood in the position according to the picture.

I had only been standing for a few breaths when my knees started to ache, followed by numbness in my lower back, and my shoulders felt like I was carrying two bundles of wet firewood. I also had trouble breathing.

The old wounds he sustained while chopping wood in his youth are starting to reappear and cause trouble.

My left leg was injured in a fall years ago, and it aches on rainy days.

My right shoulder has been rubbed raw by firewood for decades, and it gets tight whenever I raise it.

Not to mention the back; how many of the old woodcutter's backs are straight?

Sweat quickly streamed down his forehead.

The summer night wasn't cool; beads of sweat slid down to the corners of my eyes, tasting both salty and bitter.

Yi Yang gritted his teeth and remained silent.

It hurts, as much as it hurts.

It's tough as it is.

He survived famine years, his parents' favoritism, the slippery mountain roads, and the leg cramps he suffered from chronic arthritis at night.

Can a mere stance training technique be more thorny than the human heart?

Just as he was struggling to maintain the correct posture, familiar small characters appeared before his eyes.

An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles.

[Level 1 of Yi Wood Health Preservation Exercise: (1/1000)]

Yi Yang raised his eyelids, and the breath he was holding in his chest almost reached his throat.

It's done! It's really done!!!

The words of his martial arts instructor when he was young, "You have no chance to pursue martial arts," were like an unbreakable wall that blocked his path for most of his life.

Tonight, he smashed a hole in the wall with his old bones.

If it weren't so late at night, and if he weren't afraid of waking Jiang Yuexin, Yi Yang would have loved to laugh out loud three times.

God was sixty years late, but finally didn't completely forget about him.

The old man pressed the tip of his tongue against his teeth, forcefully suppressing his laughter, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Yiyang, oh Yiyang."

He cursed himself inwardly. "I'm sixty years old, be steady, don't act like I've never seen a cheat code before." After the first round of stance training, he looked like he had been pulled out of a water tank.

Sweat soaked through my short jacket, sticking to my skin on my back, which was very uncomfortable.

But the handwriting has changed.

[Level 1 of Yi Wood Health Preservation Exercise: (60/1000)]

Yi Yang stared at that line of text for a long time.

Once.

Sixty o'clock.

This is the blessing of longevity.

He's sixty years old; one session of his training is equivalent to sixty sessions for someone else.

While others slowly grind away, he uses an accelerator for the elderly.

After finishing the exercise, Yi Yang sat down on the recliner and took two sips of warm water.

Despite his joy, Yi Yang didn't lose his head.

After standing for the first time, he was exhausted, his stomach felt empty, and his hands and feet felt weak.

This is due to a loss of vital energy.

Practicing martial arts isn't about shouting a couple of slogans and striking a couple of poses; you can't expect to gain anything for free.

For the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones to become stronger, something needs to be added to them.

Lean meat, medicinal soup, blood-qi powder, blood-qi pills, and further up, there's also exotic beast meat.

This is the story of the poor being scholars and the rich being warriors.

When poor people practice martial arts, the first thing they overcome is not laziness, but their very life force.

He now eats coarse grains and wild vegetables, and even when he has eggs, he gives them to Jiang Yuexin first. If he forces himself to train, his progress will increase, but his body will be completely drained.

People are the root, and achievements are the branches.

If the roots are rotten, no matter how fast the branches grow, they will eventually collapse.

Purple wood can be exchanged for money, but now that the news has leaked out, selling it would undoubtedly be very risky.

Don't rush.

Three times a day.

Too much of it is bad for your health.

Six days.

In just six days, one can reach the first level of Qi and Blood and refine the skin.

Second time.

The third time.

As dawn approached, Yi Yang returned to his room and lay down.

As dawn approached, Yi Yang returned to his room and lay down.

He thought he would sleep until the sun was high in the sky, but after only two or three hours, the roosters outside crowed for the second time, and he opened his eyes.

My mind is very clear.

Unlike usual, I always feel groggy when I wake up in the morning, my eyelids feel heavy, and my back needs to rub against the bed for a long time before it will obey me.

Today is different.

My chest and abdomen felt warm, and my limbs felt much more relaxed.

Yi Yang sat up and stretched his shoulders.

The aches and pains from last night are still there, but they are no longer sharp. Instead, they feel like old firewood that has been moistened by rain, and they are not as brittle anymore.

"The Yi Wood Health Preservation Exercise—the name 'Health Preservation' is certainly not without merit."

He finished dressing and had just pushed open the door when he bumped into Jiang Yuexin carrying a wooden basin back from the well.

The little girl's hair wasn't fully combed yet, with a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks, but her eyes were bright.

She saw Yi Yang and stopped in her tracks.

"grandfather?"

Yi Yang picked up a water ladle and washed her face.

"What's wrong? Did you see a ghost this early in the morning?"

Jiang Yuexin placed the wooden basin on the stone platform and looked around at him for half a circle.

"You seem different today?"

Yi Yang paused.

"What's different?"

Jiang Yuexin wrinkled her little nose, looking as serious as the old scholar at the village entrance checking accounts.

I can't quite explain it.

"Your face isn't as ashen, and your back is straighter. Also, did you sneak something nice last night? You look younger!"

Yi Yang splashed water on his face, and the water droplets trickled down his wrinkles.

"illusion."

"You must not have slept well last night, your eyes are blurry."

Jiang Yuexin was unconvinced.

"My eyesight is perfectly fine."

Yi Yang wiped his face with a cloth, his tone very steady.

"That means you skipped breakfast and got so hungry you couldn't see clearly."

Jiang Yuexin puffed out her cheeks.

"Grandpa, you're fooling me again."

Yi Yang hung the cloth back on the wooden rack and walked towards the kitchen with his hands behind his back.

"What's wrong with fooling you? At my age, it's not illegal to fool young girls."

Jiang Yuexin followed behind, and the two walked towards the kitchen.