"CREAK!"
"CREAK!"
Chu Fan strode into the courtyard.
Earlier, in the Seven Stars Gang's dining hall, he had drunk a bowl of Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup. Now, he could feel his qi and blood surging, and his entire body felt hot.
The heavy snow had stopped. In the courtyard, Mrs. Zhang was shoveling snow.
She had shoveled all the snow into a corner, piling it into a small snow-mountain.
Seeing Chu Fan enter, Mrs. Zhang broke into a smile. A puff of white air escaped her lips as she said, "Fan, you're back?"
"The Master and Tianxing went out yesterday and still haven't returned."
Chu Fan paused, surprised. "They're still not back?"
Yesterday, Master Cao had said he was taking Zhao Tianxing to visit a renowned archery expert.
Regardless of whether it was successful, they should have been back last night.
Chu Fan went over and helped Mrs. Zhang shovel the last of the snow, using it as a chance to warm up his muscles.
Once the courtyard was completely clear of snow, his body felt even hotter, so he began to practice his fist forms in the yard.
"Head, shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees, and feet—all seven methods used in concert, striking from anywhere!"
"From a distance, use your hands; up close, add your elbows!"
"From a distance, use your feet to kick; up close, add your knees!"
This Fist Technique, the Twelve Forms Fist at the Great Success stage, actually stirred up a whirlwind that sent powdered snow flying from the ground!
Under the eaves, Mrs. Zhang watched the scene and praised him repeatedly, "This must be what they call 'training through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer,' right?"
"If my boy were half as diligent as Fan and Tianxing, I'd be laughing in my sleep."
But Chu Fan didn't answer.
His entire focus was on his Fist Technique.
Every step a stance, every punch an intent.
When he punched, he twisted, wrapped, drilled, and flipped, seamlessly integrating his movements with his Body Technique and Step Technique.
His entire body was like a tightly wound rope, without a hint of slack.
Movement, stillness, rising, falling, standing, planting, turning, folding...
He had the spirit of a monkey, the grace of a swallow.
The soaring dominance of a dragon.
The fierce momentum of a tiger...
His movements were concise and masterful, his techniques vicious and deadly, his attacks swift and explosive!
Even someone like Mrs. Zhang, who had never practiced martial arts, could perceive an ineffable beauty in Chu Fan's performance. She couldn't help but watch for a moment longer before turning to leave.
[Twelve Forms Fist Experience Points +7]
"Hah!"
After finishing one set of the Twelve Forms Fist, Chu Fan felt his qi and blood rushing like a tide, yet he felt none of the exhaustion he had when he first started practicing.
He mused to himself, 'Perhaps it's because my mind is clear after killing Liu Da and his men. That's why this set felt so smooth.'
Not only were the sequences much smoother, but the transitions between moves were also a bit faster and more fluid than before.
It took less time, yet he had gained more Experience Points.
Chu Fan muttered to himself, "The Twelve Forms Fist after reaching Great Success is the true Fist Technique!"
A smile touched his lips as he recalled how awkward and clumsy he was when he first began practicing the Twelve Forms Fist.
Exhaling a puff of white air, Chu Fan didn't pause for a moment before performing the Twelve Forms Fist again.
Unlike the previous time, he deliberately slowed down to feel for that trace of Fist Intent.
The heart unites with intent, intent unites with qi...
[Skill: Twelve Forms Fist (Great Success) Progress: (71/800) (Trait: None)]
After five sets of the Twelve Forms Fist, his Experience Points had shot up by thirty-four. Only the last set had given him six points; the other four had each given him seven!
This clearly meant his understanding of the Twelve Forms Fist had advanced another level!
Chu Fan caught his breath and started walking out.
With his currently vigorous qi and blood, he could have pushed himself to do another set or two like he used to.
But he knew well the principle of balancing work and rest.
Overexertion could easily lead to a deficit of qi and blood.
Besides, it was about time. He could use his practice of the "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" to rest for an hour or so.
Master Cao had said that today he would teach him and Zhao Tianxing the "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber"...
Chu Fan's heart was filled with anticipation.
That was a Sword Technique used by the Guardians of the Seven Stars Gang!
After Breaking Limit, his "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" gained the Trait "Sword Swift as Wind." This destined him to be stronger in Sword Techniques than other Martial Artists of the same rank.
Once his "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" reached a certain level, his "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" should be able to undergo its Second Limit Break.
He just didn't know how the difficulty of cultivating the "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" compared to the "Twelve Forms Fist."
'Judging by my current training speed,' he thought, 'it won't take more than ten days to take the "Twelve Forms Fist" from Great Success to Perfection.'
'All in all, from Entry-Level to Perfection, this Fist Technique won't even take a full month!'
'The "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" is probably a bit more difficult than the Twelve Forms Fist.'
'But I have the Map of Mountains and Rivers. As long as I work hard enough and have my vigorous qi and blood to support me, it probably won't take more than a few months to go from Entry-Level to Perfection.'
'If I can bring the "Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber" to Perfection quickly and pair it with "Sword Swift as Wind"...'
'What's so difficult about killing someone like Huang Yu, who's a whole rank above me?'
...
Passing through the Martial Arts Arena, he arrived at the small courtyard for splitting firewood.
Even before he entered the yard, Chu Fan could hear the sound of wood being chopped inside.
"Chu Fan, morning!"
The short, stout youth waved a greeting when he saw Chu Fan come in.
The other two youths merely glanced up at Chu Fan before lowering their heads to focus on their chopping.
"Morning."
Chu Fan replied, sat down on a small, ice-cold stool, picked up a snow-dusted log, and split it with a single chop.
After splitting three logs in a row...
[Firewood Splitting Saber Technique Experience Points +1]
[Skill: Firewood Splitting Saber Technique (First Limit Break 1168/3000) (Trait: Sword Swift as Wind)]
Chu Fan calculated in his head that chopping firewood for a morning would earn him about two hundred-plus Experience Points.
At this rate, he estimated his "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" could achieve its Second Limit Break in another nine days.
The thought of his "Firewood Splitting Saber Technique" reaching its Second Limit Break instantly swept away his fatigue from practicing his fists, and his chopping speed increased noticeably.
In the small courtyard, the continuous CRACK-CRACK-CRACK of splitting wood echoed.
The two youths beside the short, stout one furrowed their brows, gritted their teeth, and also sped up a little.
Chu Fan, of course, wasn't trying to compete with them.
But they were watching his every move.
Time passed bit by bit...
Just as Chu Fan was running out of logs, Zhao Tianxing suddenly burst into the small courtyard like a whirlwind.
"HAHAHAHA, Old Chu, I'm back!"
Zhao Tianxing was practically dancing, acting just like a monkey.
He grinned triumphantly!
He grinned triumphantly!
Throwing an arm around Chu Fan's shoulder, Zhao Tianxing asked, "So, how did it feel, doing that kind of thing for the first time?"
Chu Fan shot him a speechless look.
'How can you talk about killing someone in a place like this?'
Seeing his friend's annoyed expression, Zhao Tianxing just grinned and didn't press the matter.
But the short, stout youth's eyes went wide with disbelief. "You... you guys went to a brothel?"
The two youths beside him were stunned. They looked up, their eyes wide and round.
"CRACK!"
Chu Fan's Firewood Splitter went wide by a fraction, nearly striking the ground.
He frowned at the short, stout youth. "Fatty, how old are you?"
"What kind of junk is rattling around in that head of yours?"
The short, stout youth's face flushed red. "I'm sixteen this year, only a year younger than you... How can you blame me when you're the ones saying things that are so easily misunderstood?"
Chu Fan ignored him and focused on speeding up his chopping. With a few quick swings, he split all the remaining logs on the ground.
[Skill: Firewood Splitting Saber Technique (First Limit Break 1377/3000) (Trait: Sword Swift as Wind)]
Glancing at the panel, Chu Fan put down his Firewood Splitter and stood up.
Zhao Tianxing gave the stout youth a mischievous chuckle and followed Chu Fan out of the courtyard, heading toward the dining hall.
The two youths beside the stout one exchanged a look, their expressions turning sour...
They had also been working hard at chopping wood recently, but the gap between them and Chu Fan was only growing wider.
It was like seeing a ghost!
...
Once they were out of the small courtyard and saw no one was around, Zhao Tianxing asked again, "I'm asking you, how did it feel?"
"Were you nervous? Sweaty palms, racing heart, short of breath?"
"After you killed him, did your arm tremble uncontrollably?"
"Did you feel sick or disgusted after you cut him down?"
Chu Fan shook his head slightly. "...None of that, no."
Zhao Tianxing darted two steps forward and turned to stare into Chu Fan's eyes. "That's not possible!"
"The first time I hunted a wolf, my hands were shaking with nerves!"
"Let alone killing a person!"
"I really didn't feel anything," Chu Fan said. "Chopping off a head is just like splitting firewood... The only annoying part is you have to be careful not to get blood splattered on you."
Zhao Tianxing was speechless.
'Is there really someone in this world who feels nothing after their first kill?'
He stared intently into Chu Fan's eyes, trying to find some clue.
"If I had to describe a feeling..."
Chu Fan added, "I guess I was a little excited."
Zhao Tianxing was at a loss for words.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Chu Fan changed the subject. "Master Cao is back too, right? Does that mean we can start cultivating the 'Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber' today?"
"Yeah, that's why Master Cao sent me to find you!" Zhao Tianxing immediately grew excited again. "We'll go over right after lunch..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a voice from not far away interrupted him...
"Zhao Tianxing, I hear you're preparing to start Condensing Qi and Blood?"
Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing turned toward the voice.
They saw Ling Feng walking toward them, surrounded by a crowd of people.
Lately, this young genius seemed to be paying more and more attention to Zhao Tianxing, whose own rise had been too rapid.