Night.
Jia Yanrong’s eyes were swollen and red.
After the doctor’s treatment, his eyes were still saved.
But now they were swollen, his vision blurred, and he could hardly see things clearly.
"Gang Leader, I specifically went to invite Lin Zheyu, but he refused to come." Jia Yanrong said.
"What did he say?"
Xu Jingwu took a sip of tea and grabbed the waist of the woman beside him.
He appeared to be in his forties, well-maintained, without the bandit demeanor of Jia Yanrong, even looking somewhat refined.
"He said he’s busy tomorrow morning. If the Gang Leader wishes to listen to the story, he can go to Bidan Tea House tomorrow afternoon."
Jia Yanrong said, somewhat bluntly.
If he were a bit more devious, he could have just badmouthed Lin Zheyu directly.
However, Xu Jingwu knew this about Jia Yanrong, and that’s why he valued him, reused and groomed him.
"I asked you to invite him; did you threaten him with force?"
Xu Jingwu glanced at Jia Yanrong.
He knew Jia Yanrong’s character; a brute who solves problems with fists rather than brains.
"No... Well, just a little threat."
Jia Yanrong was about to protest but saw the Gang Leader giving him a sideways glance, so he awkwardly said.
"Forget it, forget it. I forgot to remind you to be polite."
"But this scholar does seem to have some guts; despite your threats, he not only refused but dared to launch a preemptive attack. Interesting."
"I’ll go to Bidan Tea House myself tomorrow, invite him, and listen to the story to see if this guy is really so tough."
Xu Jingwu chuckled and said to Jia Yanrong, "Your eyes are injured, take a good rest these days."
"Lun Tian, fetch five ounces of silver for Jia Yanrong to see the doctor."
"Thank you, Gang Leader."
Watching Jia Yanrong leave, an amusing expression appeared on Xu Jingwu’s face.
"An interesting fellow, with some guts. No wonder he could write such an exciting story like The Legend of the Condor Heroes."
He was not interested in the scholar’s love stories of charming females and bewitching ghosts.
As a Martial Artist, Xu Jingwu preferred stories like The Legend of the Condor Heroes that describe the blood and guts of the jianghu.
The story was well-told; several gang members discussed it a few days ago, and he curiously inquired and got drawn in.
But with only one episode a day, it was not satisfying enough, so he had the idea of inviting Lin Zheyu over for storytelling.
...
When he got home, it was already late night.
Lin Zheyu was sore all over, with several bruises on his body.
Mr. Liang hit too hard, did not hold back at all, and Lin Zheyu felt his face burning.
"My handsome face is ruined."
Applying medicine to himself in front of a copper mirror, Lin Zheyu couldn’t help but cry out in pain.
He freshened up.
Exhausted, he climbed into bed.
Those few hours of sparring practice with Mr. Liang had depleted his physical strength, energy, and spirit enormously.
Yet Mr. Liang seemed unaffected; when Lin Zheyu left, he was still full of vitality.
Lin Zheyu couldn’t help but wonder what level of master Mr. Liang really was.
"I’ll ask tomorrow morning, and inquire about the subsequent Martial Arts Realm."
Lin Zheyu said to himself, sinking into a deep sleep.
...
At dawn.
Lin Zheyu arrived early at Liang Song’s house.
The medicine given by Mr. Liang was magical; after applying it last night, he woke up pain-free, and the bruises on his face had disappeared.
"Master, what realm comes after the Refining Internal Organ Realm?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.
"Well, I’ll tell you."
"On the path of Martial Dao, training the flesh, Bone Forging, and Refining the Organs are just the basics to build the foundation of Martial Dao. Only after completing Refining the Organs can one begin deeper training."
"After Refining the Organs comes Qi Blood, Bone Marrow Cultivation, Transforming Force, Grandmaster, Martial Arts Innate."
"On the Martial Dao path, Refining the Organs is a hurdle, with each subsequent realm being another heaven. The difference in realm translates to a vast difference in strength."
Liang Song said, his tone somewhat rueful.
Because of some past events that led to a limp in his right foot, he was unable to advance in Martial Dao.
"Then, Master, what realm are you in now?"
Lin Zheyu was extremely curious, feeling that his Master must be very formidable.
"Haha, I’m currently in the Qi Blood Realm. But as I’ve grown older and weaker, my Martial Arts Realm has somewhat declined." Liang Song shook his head, full of regret.
’Grandmaster, Martial Arts Innate...’
Lin Zheyu muttered, feeling a yearning.
An Innate Powerhouse in Martial Arts, their strength must be beyond comprehension?
Liang Song looked at Lin Zheyu, seeing his yearning expression, couldn’t help but smile slightly.
"Don’t aim too high; be down-to-earth."
"Martial Dao is extremely challenging; even being in the Refining Internal Organ Realm is already considered skilled in Songyi City." Liang Song said.
"Yes, Master."
Lin Zheyu came back to his senses.
He took off his coat, put on a tight vest, and went to the middle of the courtyard to practice his fists.
After half an hour of practicing his fist skill, Liang Song watched carefully and nodded in satisfaction.
"That’s good."
"Next, I’ll teach you another cultivation technique."
"Wild Bull Fist is only a third-rate cultivation technique; even at its peak, it is only at the Refining Internal Organ Realm."
"The cultivation technique I’m going to teach you next is considered second-rate. If you can fully master it, it can be refined to the extreme, and your strength can reach the peak of Qi Blood!"
Liang Song said, in an extremely serious tone.
In his view, cultivation techniques above second-rate can be considered true Martial Arts Skills.
Wild Bull Fist, a third-rate martial skill, can only be regarded as non-mainstream.
He used to teach others only third-rate martial skills.
After seeing Lin Zheyu’s extraordinary perception and talent, Liang Song developed a fondness for talents and decided to teach him another cultivation technique.
"Master, is there a great difference between the strength of Refining the Organs and Qi Blood?"
Lin Zheyu asked curiously.
Wild Bull Fist could cultivate to the Peak of Refining Internal Organs, but from Liang Song’s tone, it seemed to be somewhat disregarded.
But when talking about a cultivation technique that could reach the peak of Qi Blood, he spoke very seriously.
"Of course."
"Training the flesh, Bone Forging, Refining the Organs is only the foundational process, to lay the groundwork for the path of Martial Dao. Cultivating to the peak of Refining Internal Organs represents reaching the limit of a normal person’s physique."
"After reaching the Qi Blood Realm, there is a significant leap in strength."
"What is most important for a Martial Artist?"
Liang Song continued without waiting for Lin Zheyu’s response: "It’s Qi Blood!"
"Qi Blood is the foundation of the body, the basis of Martial Dao."
"To walk the path of a Grandmaster, or even to break through to Martial Arts Innate, Qi Blood is crucial."
"Please enlighten me, Master."
Lin Zheyu asked respectfully, pouring his Master a cup of tea.
Liang Song, satisfied, picked up the teacup and sipped it.
He continued: "Qi Blood is extremely important to the path of Martial Dao. Our predecessors have studied it deeply and divided the Qi Blood Realm into nine smaller layers."
"These nine smaller layers are known as the Nine Transformations of Qi and Blood."
"If one can complete the Nine Transformations in the Qi Blood Realm, reach blood like mercury and train Qi Blood Wolf Smoke, there is a high probability of stepping into the realm of Grandmaster!"
Liang Song explained, his tone filled with longing.
He shook his head: "But accomplishing the Nine Transformations of Qi and Blood is as hard as climbing the sky; most martial artists can only reach the Qi Blood First Transformation."
"Even at my peak, I only managed to cultivate Qi Blood to the Qi Blood Three Transformations."
Liang Song said.
He took off his robe, wearing a vest, and walked to the center of the courtyard.
"Next, what I will teach you is my main cultivation technique, called Golden Swan Skill."
"Golden Swan Skill focuses mainly on Leg Skill, specializing in the art of leg attacks."
"Our legs are the strongest and most explosive parts among our body’s many parts."
"Golden Swan Skill specializes in the legs, adept at speed, highly agile, capable of attacking and defending."
"But it has a drawback, limited by the legs’ flexibility compared to the arms; while the attack’s explosiveness is strong, it lacks the hand’s dexterity."
"..."
Liang Song slowly explained.
After introducing the Golden Swan Skill, he began to demonstrate each move and method to Lin Zheyu.
Lin Zheyu learned very seriously with good comprehension.
Liang Song’s ability to teach disciples was quite ordinary, but fortunately, Lin Zheyu’s perception and talent were good, able to quickly understand Liang Song’s meaning.
Liang Song became more satisfied as he taught.
Encountering such a perceptive disciple gave him an excellent teaching experience, making him feel like he was also very accomplished in teaching Martial Dao.