"The foundation of martial arts is divided into four barriers: skin, flesh, bone, and blood. I believe you've all heard of this. To put it simply, it's all about 'refining.'"
"Refining?"
"Yes, refining. Train tirelessly, build up your strength until it's boundless. When a simple touch can injure others, and a mere brush can kill, then you can be known as a grandmaster."
Liang Qu followed behind Senior Brother Xiang and couldn't help but smirk at these words.
Achieving sainthood through physical refinement, but how exactly does one refine?
In his previous life, top Olympic athletes had told Liang Qu that the human body has limits.
Without a special method, it was impossible to shatter stones with mere physical strength.
Xiang Changsong's next words confirmed this point.
"Of course, ordinary people only have so much potential. Being able to defeat ten men is already reaching the skies. To break past this limit, you cannot do without two things: technique and medicine!"
"Technique and medicine?"
"That's right. Technique means methods. For example, when you join our Yang Clan Martial Hall, you're given the Three Fist Techniques for practice. With a technique, you have a staircase to climb upwards."
Liang Qu questioned, "What about medicine?"
Xiang Changsong responded, "The technique lays the path upward, but the staircase is steep! Dangerous! Treacherous! In this case, you need a handrail to move quickly, steadily, and without plummeting to your doom. That's medicine!"
"Since you've come from Righteous Prosperity City, you must have heard about the two Treasure Fish caught at the dock yesterday, yes?"
Liang Qu clasped his hands together in acknowledgment, "Senior Brother Xiang, to be honest, I caught one of those Treasure Fish, the Horned Pomfret, over three jin in weight. Sold it for six taels and five, and together with some savings, I gathered enough silver to learn martial arts."
Xiang Changsong was slightly surprised, recalling the seven taels just paid, which probably came from selling that Treasure Fish.
He laughed, "Junior Brother Liang has quite the luck indeed."
"Those Treasure Fish are essentially the medicine we need. A single Treasure Fish can match over a month's worth of training. Besides that, Treasure Meat and Treasure Plants — anything that helps us build vitality and enhance strength is medicine."
"For this reason, many methods come with corresponding recipes that complement each other, achieving a result where one plus one is greater than two. For example, our Three Fist Techniques have their recipes. Others may benefit from our recipes, but the effect won't be as prominent as when practicing the Three Fist Techniques."
"Of course, if need be, eating more meat can help a bit too."
Liang Qu's mind was buzzing with thoughts.
He didn't have access to Treasure Meat, but he was familiar with Treasure Fish and Treasure Plants.
The Treasure Fish in the Jianghuai Marshlands were abundant.
With a few more Fat Catfish here and there, wouldn't he take off?
On the side, Li Libo was silent.
Noticing this, Xiang Changsong wasn't surprised.
Many believe that entering a martial hall guarantees success, but they're gravely mistaken.
"Martial arts need wealth as much as scholars need calm," as they say.
Children brought up on meat fare better than those on gruel.
His two juniors were only from ordinary families, potentially feeling a bit disheartened.
Still, he didn't discourage them further and instead provided solace: "Junior Brother Li, don’t be disheartened. Lack of medicine doesn’t mean the path of martial arts is doomed. Success depends on people, and there are no absolutes in the world. Many geniuses exist who, even without medicine, move quickly and steadily."
"Many thanks, Senior Brother Xiang. I'll remember that."
Xiang Changsong nodded and continued leading the two inside.
"The so-called skin, flesh, bone, and blood are the four barriers in the early stages of martial arts. Each barrier you break brings different benefits and propels you to higher levels."
With Xiang Changsong’s explanation, Liang Qu gained a deeper understanding of these four barriers.
Simply put, breaking through the Skin Barrier doesn't change one's appearance, but the skin becomes tough like oxhide and much harder to damage, greatly increasing defense.
Breaking through the Flesh Barrier significantly boosts strength, making it easy to lift a person with one hand.
Breaking through the Bone Barrier allows one to unleash power more freely, truly shattering stone.
Breaking through the Blood Barrier enhances every aspect, like a blazing fire or a bloom adorned with embroidery.
"If you can break past the Skin Barrier within three months, you can stay in the hall for two more months. Supposedly, if one breaks through in seventy days, Yang Master might take notice, making you a true disciple to learn higher martial arts."
His words rekindled Li Libo’s resolve, and even Liang Qu felt eager to start learning martial arts.
At this moment, Xiang Changsong stopped, "This is the Martial Training Grounds, where we usually practice and interact."
The Martial Training Grounds held about thirty people, some engaging in stance training, some lifting stones, and others sparring.
The youngest looked even younger than Liang Qu, while the oldest seemed over thirty.
Mostly men, though a few women were present, it resembled a large, bustling gym.
Liang Qu secretly admired the setting.
Just the tuition from these thirty students, even at the lowest seven taels, amounted to over two hundred taels.
In three months, two hundred taels—nearly a thousand in a year.
Enough to purchase a large mansion!
And that was a conservative estimate.
Factoring in people who came and went and those not currently present, it was even more astonishing.
When would his own chance come to earn money while lying down?
"Each month's end, for five days, Yang Master personally instructs here. If you have questions, you can ask him."
"We only meet Yang Master at the month's end?" Li Libo was stunned.
He thought that joining a martial hall meant learning directly from a Martial Master.
And now, this?
"What do we do in the meantime?"
Xiang Changsong didn't immediately answer but shouted to a stone-lifting hulk in the grounds, "Senior Brother Hu!"
Liang Qu looked over curiously, surprised to find it was the same martial artist who had bought his fish yesterday, Master Hu.
What a small world.
Well, perhaps not so surprising.
There were only so many martial artists in Peaceful Sun Town; running into Master Hu wasn't entirely unexpected.
While Master Hu made his way over, Xiang Changsong explained, "During regular days, it's Senior Brother Hu, Yang Master’s direct disciple, who instructs you. The martial master on duty mid-month is him. Senior Brother Hu has vast knowledge and high martial prowess, according to the rules, you’ll be learning from him from now on. Alright, you've been familiarized; I need to return to the entrance for registration."
"Farewell, Senior Brother Xiang."
At this point, Senior Brother Hu arrived, looked at their wooden plaques, and said, "Brothers, I'm Hu Qi, and henceforth—Hmm? It's you?"
Liang Qu clasped his hands, "Senior Brother Hu, we meet again."
Hu Qi quickly realized the circumstances, laughed and said, "Such coincidence. From now on, you'll be learning martial arts under me. But first, I need to check your natural talent."
"Natural talent?!"
Li Libo was visibly excited.
Could he be the legendary martial genius?
Seeing Li Libo's expression, Hu Qi explained, "It's not as mystical as you might think. While good talent does make learning faster and fists more powerful, it doesn't completely determine potential. Moreover, our Three Fist Techniques include three styles: Tiger, Crane, and Ape. We examine your talent to find the most suitable style for you—something other martial halls don’t offer."
Then, Hu Qi examined Li Libo’s wrist bones, shoulders, and hip bones before saying, "Bear with it."
Hu Qi’s fingers prodded and felt Li Libo's spine.
Hiss!
Liang Qu felt his cheek twitch.
The sound of Li Libo’s sharp intake indicated how painful it was.
He recalled a movie scene where an undercover female agent assassinated in a similar manner.
Hu Qi withdrew his hand, "Above average. I suggest focusing on Ape Fist from the Three Fist Techniques."
Li Libo was visibly disappointed.
When it was Liang Qu’s turn, Hu Qi repeated the inspection — wrist bones, shoulders, hip bones, and finally, the spine.
When Hu Qi's fingers prodded, Liang Qu felt half his body go numb, but surprisingly, it was Hu Qi who spoke.
"Huh, Junior Brother Liang, such impressive talent?"
(End of Chapter)