Realm-Hopping Martial Master

"Tiger Form Three Styles, Pounce, Lift, Slice."

"Pounce emphasizes force. It must seize the soul, grab the heart. A hungry tiger pouncing on sheep—before it even strikes, the fierce glint in its eyes alone is enough to scare an entire flock."

"It looks like a simple 'pounce,' but in reality, you must train your gaze, your body's explosiveness, and the strength in your arms and palms."

"Miss any one aspect, and it's not a real pounce."

Chou Hai shouted loudly, the sound from his throat like a tiger's roar.

He leaped into the air, tendons and bones cracking, throwing a punch that cracked through the air.

"Lift. The tiger lifts itself, and in lifting itself, it also pushes its foe. Lift depends on coordination; pounce is hard, lift is soft. Using a mix of hard and soft, you can face many opponents at once!"

Old Chou yelled as he spun, hand turned into a claw, launching ferocious attacks at high, middle, and low levels.

"Slice. Strike when least expected. The tiger has a tail, humans have legs. A sweeping kick, every step a fight for your life."

The sky stretched cloudless, with only a single sun hanging midair, red as spilled blood.

Old Chou demonstrated several times. Only after seeing the apprentices all start imitating the moves, each with some form, did he squint at the sun and wave his hand, heading back to his room for a midday rest.

"Whew, finally gone... "

The chubby kid who practiced the Tiger Form Three Styles beside Jiang Shu three or four times let out a heavy sigh, sweat pouring off him, his cotton shirt stuck tight against his skin.

"Training Martial Arts is too damn hard, bro, how are you so good at this?"

The chubby kid's legs shook as he looked at Jiang Shu, his eyes full of admiration.

With his own eye for skill, of course he could tell that, like him, Jiang Shu hadn't yet reached the Qi Blood Transport Realm.

But at the same realm, Jiang Shu, who joined later, could endure more and showed greater talent than he did.

On the Hungry Tiger Stance, sitting in the tiger's lair, Jiang Shu could stand one round longer than he could two rounds!

Performing the Tiger Form Three Styles, he looked more convincing too!

"Nah, you're doing great too."

Jiang Shu finished his practice and steadied his breath. He wasn't just flattering—the chubby kid couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen by the looks of him.

*Back on Xuanxing, that's just freshly graduated from middle school. But this chubby kid already had Qi Blood Sensing and could've gone straight to college.*

*Even in Hungry Tiger Martial School, those practicing Qi Blood Transport were all at least eighteen or nineteen, some even in their twenties.*

*Fourteen, fifteen, able to sense Qi blood—definitely not bad.*

"No way, no way," the chubby kid waved it off and moved in closer, lowering his voice, "It's all because I eat. My old man always said, if you want to practice martial arts, step one is to eat—a ton, a mountain, until you can't eat anymore. Then go do stances and digest."

"This time, I snuck out behind my old man's back. Heard the stance work at this Hungry Tiger Martial School has some special effects. After practicing, your belly gets hunger pangs—like a tiger starved for days. Then I eat even more, eat like mad. That way, my Martial Arts progress will be super fast."

"Bro, my name's Zhou Yang. My dad runs several restaurants in the city—if you ever need meat, drop by any of them, pay cost price, just tell them my name."

"Jiang Shu."

He only answered with his name, Jiang Shu didn't say more.

In three months living in Pingling County, how could Jiang Shu not realize how precious meat was here?

*What damn restaurant sells meat at cost?*

*Bet the moment I step into a restaurant, I'm already on the Zhou Family's boat.*

*Sure enough, a different world, different human nature.*

*On Xuanxing, what kid at fourteen or fifteen would already have such schemes?*

*I've crossed between Two Realms. What's considered precious meat in Pingling County, back on Xuanxing I could buy any time, eat until I can't stomach it.*

*Why bother owing big favors over some tiny resource like this?*

*This chubby kid might have Qi Blood Sensing, but it's pretty clear that's thanks to family money.*

*If he's scheming this much already, he'll struggle to go far in Martial Arts.*

*Martial Arts is like climbing mountains or wading deep waters. Without real willpower, without major nerve, you can't reach the heights or depths.*

*That saying is damn true.*

Jiang Shu closed his eyes, ignoring whatever the chubby kid was rambling, recalling every move Old Chou demonstrated earlier, then resuming his stance work, squatting like a tiger, breathing like a tiger.

*The Tiger Form Three Styles, to him now, still seemed just too deep.*

*After practicing a few sets, he immediately discovered a bunch of issues with himself.*

*His gaze lacked ferocity, couldn't shock the soul, his pouncing burst was weak, and his arm and palm power needed more forging.*

*When lifting, he forced too much, nearly torqued his back.*

*Obviously, his body coordination still fell short, couldn't even manage hard, let alone soft.*

*As for the final Slice, he sucked even more.*

*Maybe after breaking through to Qi Blood Transport, practicing Tiger Form Three Styles again will let me understand a lot more.*

When he saw Jiang Shu truly close his eyes and lock into his stance, the chubby kid Zhou Yang curled his lips and, turning to another new apprentice, started again, "Training Martial Arts is too damn hard, bro, how are you so good at this..."

*The chubby kid's words didn't make the slightest ripple in Jiang Shu's heart.*

He held his stance, breathing and punching over and over.

*He persisted for a whole hour before finally stopping, returning to his coat and closing his eyes for a short rest.*

*He always remembered—this was Pingling County.*

*Not the safety of Xuanxing.*

*He had to make sure his Qi and blood stayed full, that every punch and kick could be his best shot at any moment.*

*Especially since, tonight, he still had something important to do.*

Until dusk, Old Chou never reappeared, and the apprentices left the yard one after another.

"Brother Jiang, make sure you come by the restaurant sometime!"

Zhou Yang called over to Jiang Shu, then patted the broad-shouldered Han, "Brother Han, let's go, today I'm treating you to the restaurant. Once you're used to it, you can just go solo, just give them my name!"

"Little Zhou, I think I'll pass. Even at cost price, not sure I could afford it..."

"Aw, c'mon Han, so what if you can't afford cost? You can buy on credit. Think about it, you've joined the martial school now—without enough meat, how long will it take before you reach Qi Blood Transport? But now, just eat your fill at our restaurant, hit Qi Blood Transport early. Once you get there, keep cycling your Qi, step by step. When you finally hit the Skin Grinding Realm—what's a few meat bills then?"

"That kind of makes sense..."

"Of course it does!"

Their voices faded into the distance.

Jiang Shu closed his eyes, held his stance, and breathed deep.

A panel gradually surfaced in his mind.

Jiang Shu——

Horse Stance: Small Success (565/1000)

Hungry Tiger Lair Stance: entry-level (35/1000)

Hungry Tiger Breathing Method: entry-level (35/1000)

Tiger Form Three Styles: entry-level (12/1000)

Two Realms Shuttle Countdown: 00:40

"There must be more miraculous secrets to Martial Arts in this world. Stancework and the breathing method—these might only be the basics."

*With the panel, he understood his own level better than any apprentice.*

*The Hungry Tiger Lair Stance really was more profound than Horse Stance; even just reaching entry-level, he could already sense Qi blood.*

*Judging by proficiency, entry-level meant Qi Blood Sensing, small success was Qi Blood Transport, great success meant full-body Qi blood cycling, and at perfection, he would arrive at the Skin Grinding Realm.*

*But beyond the Skin Grinding Realm, how did you keep advancing?*

*What kind of mysteries would the upper realms hold?*

Jiang Shu looked up at the sky.

Dark clouds shrouded the city, the slanting sun sinking behind the mountains.

The sky in the distance was cloaked in a drifting mist, everything unclear.

A cold wind blew, and he slipped on his coat, packed away his lime powder and electric baton, and left the inner city.

Outer city.

Rooster hour.

The houses lining the street were mostly shuttered. In and out of every alley, only the restaurants and gambling dens still glowed with light.

Under the dim light, Jiang Shu took off his wig, walked on his own shadow, and headed toward Bicao Lane—step after step, slow but steady.

At this moment,

the moon was dark.

The wind ran high.

A good night for killing.