Chapter Thirty-Two: Could I Be a Martial Arts Prodigy?

Chief Huang provided a total of six manuals on internal and external martial arts. Their titles were "Nine Yang Inner Canon," "Flaming Sun Heart Method," "Dragon-Seizing Crane-Control Technique," "Azure Cloud Secret Manual," "Treading Snow Without Trace," and "Muscle-Easing Bone-Forging Art."

Among them, both "Nine Yang Inner Canon" and "Flaming Sun Heart Method" were top-tier internal disciplines characterized by vigorous yang energy. The former emphasized holding and nurturing the primordial force, cultivating an inexhaustible internal power that grew stronger with each battle; the latter was fierce and domineering, producing an internal force as radiant as the midday sun. "Dragon-Seizing Crane-Control Technique" was also one of Chief Huang's practiced external arts. When mastered, it allowed one to use internal energy to retrieve objects from afar, seize weapons from opponents, strike through obstacles, and harm adversaries from a hundred paces—truly remarkable.

The "Azure Cloud Secret Manual" was the most substantial, akin to those introductory books, being a compilation of combat techniques from generations of palace experts. It contained sword formulas, blade methods, flowing sleeve techniques, immobilizing finger skills, and many other assorted arts. The learner had to discern what to study from its varied contents.

"Treading Snow Without Trace" was a superior lightness skill, while "Muscle-Easing Bone-Forging Art" was created by the legendary "Saint of a Thousand Faces," Cui Feng, who combined the strengths of many schools. This method enhanced one's potential, not only being highly functional but also practical—Chief Huang spoke highly of it.

“A master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on the individual. Today, I will not teach you anything,” Chief Huang waved his hand and said, “Your comprehension is decent. Go home and carefully study those introductory books, then choose one internal discipline as your main practice. If you have any questions, you may come to me.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Chief,” Xu Boqing bowed deeply. It was said that an elder at home was like a treasure, and now he understood this deeply.

In the martial world, the great sects guarded their teachings jealously, rarely passing them on lightly—even their own disciples were sometimes kept at bay, sharing only with insiders or kin. Yet here, simply by expressing his desire to learn martial arts, Chief Huang had prepared both the introductory books and the methods for internal and external cultivation with the utmost care—a seamless service.

Such kindness was truly overwhelming.

He put away the manuals, seeing that Chief Huang was not inclined to speak further and seemed somewhat fatigued. Xu Boqing said, “I shall not disturb your rest, Chief.”

Just as he was about to leave, Chief Huang seemed to recall something, called out, “Wait,” and took from beside his bed a gold token inscribed with “Imperial Gift,” tossing it over.

“This is the waist token bestowed upon me when I retired to the Palace of Compassion. The Emperor granted it to show imperial favor. With this, no one in the imperial city should dare stop you.”

“Thank you, Chief!!” Xu Boqing felt the weight in his hand, tucked it into his chest, bowed again, and departed.

Martial cultivation, though simple in concept, was divided into two realms: Post-Heaven and Pre-Heaven. Once one cultivated internal power or internal force, one entered the Post-Heaven realm. When internal force could be projected outside the body, one reached the Pre-Heaven realm. Those unable to cultivate internal power were unranked.

Yet while simple, martial cultivation was also truly difficult.

To achieve anything in martial arts, one first needed to consider inherent traits such as “bone structure,” “talent,” and “comprehension”—factors mostly determined at birth. Furthermore, martial training was exhausting, and some methods harmed the body, requiring substantial wealth to purchase medicines and supplements. This was one reason for the saying, “Literature for the poor, martial arts for the rich.”

These internal and external factors were only the prerequisites; even when all were met, the most important requirements were “opportunity” and “time.”

“Opportunity” was reserved for a rare few; most people could only rely on “time” to slowly hone their skills. In the martial world, many spent twenty or thirty years painstakingly practicing a single boxing or sword art, yet some spent their entire lives without ever reaching the Post-Heaven realm, wielding only rustic techniques.

His second uncle Xu He was an example—practicing since childhood, only reaching the threshold of the Post-Heaven realm in middle age.

This explained why, despite the vastness of the martial world and the multitude of practitioners, those who reached the Pre-Heaven realm were only a handful.

As for those above Pre-Heaven?

Even prodigies like “Saint of a Thousand Faces” Cui Feng, blessed with great fortune, only attained the Pre-Heaven realm in late middle age. How much harder for others? With age comes decline, vitality wanes; for Chief Huang to maintain his skills at over eighty was already extraordinary, let alone advancing further.

Xu Boqing sat at his desk, reading the introductory martial arts books. They recorded martial anecdotes, cultivation insights, but most of all lamented the hardships of the martial path.

He skimmed through them, feeling troubled—not from a lack of opportunity, nor from laziness, but from the realization that in this era, people over forty or fifty were already considered old, and those like Chief Huang, in their eighties, were exceedingly rare.

A mortal life lasted only a few decades. If one spent all those years on a single pursuit, would that not be a dull existence?

He shook his head, browsed through the introductory books, then set them aside and took up the "Nine Yang Inner Canon" to study its heart method.

Nurture the primordial, breathe the nine yang;
Clarity of mind, brightness of eyes, dignified bearing;
Act in harmony, life unceasing;
Act against the flow, strength inexhaustible...

Xu Boqing stared blankly at the inner method, as if seeing figures spinning in his mind—some sitting cross-legged, others pointing to the heavens. Their forms differed, but their spirit was the same.

He sat at his desk, eyes hollow, as if his mind wandered beyond the mortal realm...

Within him, the furnace blazed, figures of flame danced within. Points of shimmering light seemed to float from his limbs and merge into the furnace, then return again. This cycle repeated seventy-two times, until the lights became like mist, drifting ceaselessly between furnace and limbs, like threads, unbroken.

Xu Boqing came to his senses, set down the inner method, and looked at his hands with a faint sense of understanding. He tapped lightly on the desk.

The wooden desk shattered with a crisp sound!

He stared at the broken desk, bewildered.

He had merely tried the seventy-two cycles of breathing described in the "Nine Yang Inner Canon," never expecting the process to be so smooth.

As he regained awareness, he felt a subtle, indescribable energy within, and tried to channel it.

The result—indeed!

Was this... the Post-Heaven realm?

Xu Boqing looked at the shattered desk, then at his hands, blinking innocently, thinking, "Could I be the legendary martial prodigy?"

Heh... hehehe...

Most importantly, his internal force, as he had guessed, was connected to the furnace within, refined by pure yang fire, purging impurities and leaving only the essence.

His brows lifted as he instantly recalled the sinister method "Star-Absorbing Demon Art," whose advantage was that, by absorbing enough internal power, one could quickly break through to the Pre-Heaven realm; but its flaw was obvious—absorbing others' power couldn't resolve conflicts of attributes and retention, leading to a short life...

Yet his pure yang body, with its "body as furnace" trait, could refine internal power, perfectly resolving the Demon Art's shortcomings.

His gaze sharpened...

He gathered his thoughts, preparing to try other internal and external arts, when he discovered in surprise that dusk had already fallen outside the window.

He went to the window and saw the sun slanting in the west.

When he returned from Chief Huang, it had been midday. Yet after a single spell of focused training, the entire afternoon had passed.

Xu Boqing marveled inwardly.

No wonder it was said that time loses meaning in cultivation. He had only tried martial arts, not even begun immortal cultivation, and already the passage of time had slipped away unnoticed—how much more for those who truly cultivate immortality?

Thinking it over, he cleaned up the shattered desk, stuffed the martial manuals into the bookshelf, packed the eight gold ingots into his purse and tucked it away, then took the "Palace of Compassion Internal Affairs Chief" waist token and stepped out...

It had been nearly two months—he wondered how Second Uncle's family was faring now...