Realm-Hopping Martial Master

In a courtyard covering at least three or four hundred square yards, over thirty people were training non-stop.

Fists and kicks, grappling moves, stone disks hoisted high.

With Jiang Shu's current eyes, he could clearly see that, besides a select few, all of these thirty-odd people had already reached the Realm of Qi Blood Transport.

At that Realm, heavy clothes against the cold were already unnecessary.

Between every movement and stillness, their qi and blood roared like waves, limbs and a solid spine opening and closing like a drawn bow—radiating sheer presence.

He watched for quite a while before finally taking off his jacket, carefully wrapping a small pouch of powdered lime and his electric baton in it, and stashing them at the edge of the courtyard.

Although these moves weren't particularly sophisticated, compared to the martial forms from his past life or Xuanxing, they were clearly more lethal.

Jiang Shu mimicked as he fought, practicing at an unoccupied part of the courtyard. His form spun sharply, instantly closing the distance, his hand darting forward in a claw formation—one smooth, continuous motion.

"Elder Qiu is up, silence."

Suddenly, from the south room of the courtyard, a creak sounded. The door opened a crack.

A lovely-faced maid darted out, her voice a bit soft.

The apprentices practicing in the yard all stopped in an instant after hearing her, adjusting their breathing and standing quietly in place.

In all the martial halls around the county, it was rare for them to accept formal disciples.

Almost all they took in were apprentices who dressed in ordinary training clothes and practiced in the outer courtyards.

Every month, they paid a ten-tael training fee, and only every three to five days could they hear a teacher's guidance.

"My surname is Qiu. You can call me Master Qiu, or Elder Qiu."

Before the man appeared, his voice did.

The aged voice seemed to resonate in everyone's ears, vibrating their eardrums.

Only now did the door to the room swing fully open.

The old man walked out slow and steady, his figure slightly hunched, barely over five feet tall.

Yet with every step he took, Jiang Shu's heart trembled, as if a gaunt, starving tiger were stalking toward a sheep.

"Martial Arts are like climbing a tall mountain, like crossing deep water. Without great will or bold spirit, you can't reach the heights or depth. Even the first Skin Grinding Realm requires enduring Horse Stance for a long time, mastering breathing, Transporting Qi Blood, and tempering your skin with force."

"Today, since I'm in the mood, I'll give a demonstration. Someone step up."

No sooner had Elder Qiu's words fallen,

than a student in black training clothes quickly stepped out, lifting a stone disk before his chest.

The stone disk weighed about five hundred jin. The apprentice rooted his Horse Stance, uniting waist and hips, transporting qi and blood. With a shout, he hoisted the stone disk to his chest.

While several new apprentices looked on in confusion, Elder Qiu extended an arm that looked like skin and bones. Clawing his fingers, he struck the stone disk.

The stone disk didn't change at all, except for a soft thud.

Without pausing, he struck again.

This time the disk vibrated, and where his fingers landed along the edge, five impressions appeared, shockingly clear.

A third strike.

The stone disk burst with several cracks, and at the center, there were five finger holes, each half an inch deep, terrifying to behold.

"All of you who came here should know that Horse Stance is divided into three stages: Qi Blood Sensing, Qi Blood Transport, and Full Body Qi Blood Circulation. The powers they correspond to are three hundred jin, six hundred jin, nine hundred jin!"

"After full body circulation, a subtle, mysterious force is born in you. Use this force to temper your skin into a membrane—this is Martial Arts' first Realm, the Skin Grinding Realm. This Realm also has three stages: Cow Hide, Stone Hide, Iron Hide. Newcomers can come check it out for yourselves, study it carefully."

He didn't bother to explain the finer points of the sub-Realms; the stone disk gave the best answer of all.

Elder Qiu stood hands behind his back off to the side.

Jiang Shu was the first to step forward, feeling the finger holes. Instinctively, he slipped his own fingers into them.

Inside the holes, a bit of warmth lingered. He felt the rough stone where the strike pierced. Tiny crumbs of stone clung to his fingertips.

*In "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," even the world's number one, Wang Chongyang, couldn't carve words into stone walls.*

*But here, piercing a stone disk was just the first Realm of Martial Arts.*

*If I had reached this Realm, I could crush Zhao Tai right now. Even if the Green Snake Gang's boss came, would he dare say half a word?*

Skin Grinding.

Cow Hide, Stone Hide, Iron Hide.

*This was the true Martial Arts!*

*It wasn't just brute strength!*

*Just at Skin Grinding Realm, it had such power.*

*What about above Skin Grinding?*

*This world's Martial Arts might even rival Divine Skills!*

*Jiang Shu's blood surged. He forced down the deep hunger for power in his heart, stepped back, and left the chance to feel the stone disk to the other apprentices.*

"You'll get your time. New apprentices, step out. Follow me for half an hour of breathing techniques and Seated Cave Stance. The rest, stand by and keep practicing your stance."

"Five feet between each of you. Squat down."

A quarter of an hour later, seeing all the newcomers had sensed the power of a Martial Artist, Elder Qiu spoke up again.

"Every martial hall's stance training has its own visualization."

"Our Hungry Tiger Martial Hall's Hungry Tiger Seated Cave Stance is to imagine you are a Supreme hungry tiger who hasn't eaten for days, crouching in your cave—part patience, part imminent explosion."

"Follow my breathing!"

Elder Qiu—who had practiced stances for who knew how many years—crouched like a savage tiger.

His breath sounded long and deep, exceptionally clear in the silent training ground.

Inhale... exhale... inhale... exhale.

Already having achieved a small success in Horse Stance and sensing his qi and blood, Jiang Shu watched Elder Qiu's posture and gradually found the rhythm of the Hungry Tiger Breathing Technique. His waist and hips merged like a crouching tiger.

"You! Stop! Go over there and wait. Later your senior brother will teach you the stance—lay your foundation first."

Not every newcomer could find the rhythm like Jiang Shu did.

In less than a quarter-hour, Elder Qiu finished, pointing at a chubby rookie and motioning him to the edge of the courtyard.

The chubby boy's face was flushed. He knew his breathing was off.

By now, everyone in the yard was practicing the Hungry Tiger Breathing Technique. If anyone's breath faltered, it was obvious at a glance.

Soon, all newcomers who had arrived in the last five days, faces red, made their way to the side, leaving only Jiang Shu doggedly holding out.

*In his mind, a panel slowly appeared,*

Jiang Shu—

Hungry Tiger Breathing Technique: Entry-level (6/1000)

Hungry Tiger Seated Cave Stance: Entry-level (9/1000)

"Alright, let's all stop for a moment and check on the newcomers."

*Jiang Shu had no idea how long he'd been standing. With his eyes closed, he held out until Elder Qiu's voice rang out beside his ear, and he let out his breath, nearly plopping right down onto the ground.*

A fierce hunger welled up from his gut, his stomach growling low.

"Every martial hall has unique stances and breathing techniques. But just having stances and breathing isn't enough. After all, even in the county's black markets, you can buy stances and breathing manuals. Then why do so many people still flock to martial halls to train?"

"Because—secret medicine! Whether it's stances or breathing, they all rely on transporting qi and blood. Without enough meat to supplement, it only hurts your body and depletes your qi."

"But meat is hard to come by. Almost all the meat in Pingling County ends up in the yamen or noble houses. An ordinary person trying to buy a bit pays nearly as much as our martial hall training fees! But once you join the martial hall and take our Hungry Tiger Hall's secret medicine, not only does it soothe muscle and bone ache after practice, it greatly enhances your qi—one dose rivals ten pounds of meat!"

"Of course, what you're getting now is just diluted meat broth made from the secret medicine. But even so, you'll never find this soup for sale outside!"

Elder Qiu's breath was measured as he barked loudly.

As his words ended, two maids came from the room lugging out wooden buckets.

The unique fragrance of secret medicine meat broth drifted across the courtyard, making every apprentice's stomach rumble with hunger.

Under the maids' gaze, the apprentices lined up, each allowed just one bowl of broth, not daring to spill a single drop extra.

"After you drink the secret medicine meat broth, spend half an hour practicing the Hungry Tiger Seated Cave Stance and your progress will double!"

After circling the entire yard several times, watching as not one of the thirty apprentices made a single misstep, Elder Qiu finally said slowly,

"In Martial Arts, there's practice, cultivation, and combat."

"Stance is practice, breathing is cultivation, and after this round of Tiger Seated Stance, I'll teach you our martial hall's combat style."

"For tigers, there are only three killing moves."

"Pounce."

"Lift."

"Slice."