Chapter 32: Minor Success! Axe Techniques

Since there was value to be gained, Zhang Lingshan did not hold back.

He drank the Guyuan Tea.

He also drank the medicinal decoctions the physician brewed for the wounded.

At noon, seeing that the demon rabbit meat could not be prepared immediately, he rushed to the martial arts hall to eat another meal.

Afterward.

He quickly returned home, gave a brief greeting to his mother and younger sister, and immediately entered his room.

He opened the panel.

Name: Zhang Lingshan Martial Arts: Red Line Fist (Entry+), Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance (Perfection) Energy: 89.8

'I can upgrade again.'

Zhang Lingshan sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state.

'Allocate points.'

He commanded in his mind.

*Whoosh.*

The scene before his eyes suddenly shifted, and a flurry of images rushed toward him.

Looking closely, these images were all composed of himself; merged together, they were the footage of his tireless practice through all seasons and weather.

Based on the seasonal changes in the images, he had practiced for at least a year.

Finally.

The version of himself in the images let out a sharp shout, throwing a powerful punch that struck a man-sized tree, leaving a deep crater.

Red Line Fist, Minor Accomplishment!

'It's already at Minor Accomplishment?'

Zhang Lingshan snapped back to reality, feeling a slight sense of surprise.

It felt as though a long time had passed, yet it also felt like a mere instant.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was that his body had not undergone further changes, unlike when his Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance had broken through to Perfection...

Just as he was thinking this.

A series of cracking sounds suddenly erupted from within his body.

Then, a surge of power exploded violently inside him, causing Zhang Lingshan's body to shudder. He immediately collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball.

His body turned bright red, looking like a cooked shrimp.

His body trembled incessantly, and sweat poured over him, only to be quickly evaporated by the intense heat radiating from his skin.

After about a dozen breaths.

Finally.

He returned to a state of calm, scrambled to his feet, and let out a long sigh of relief.

'Having processed a year's worth of cultivation all at once, it's understandable that the body would have some abnormal reactions.'

Zhang Lingshan was not surprised.

It would have been more abnormal if there had been no reaction at all.

After checking his body, Zhang Lingshan discovered to his delight that he had grown a bit taller.

But even more surprising was that his skin had become much tougher.

Walking into the courtyard.

Following the movements from the images, Zhang Lingshan focused his Qi and spirit, then threw a heavy punch at a man-sized tree.

*Bang!*

As he retracted his fist, a clear fist print was visible on the wood.

Yet, there wasn't even a single red mark on his knuckles.

'It really has become stone-like skin.'

Zhang Lingshan felt a secret joy in his heart.

This breakthrough of the Red Line Fist to Minor Accomplishment was clearly different from his previous breakthrough to Entry; the magnitude of the improvement was much greater. All those energy points had not been wasted.

Feeling the vast power within his body.

Zhang Lingshan estimated that with his current strength, if he encountered that demon rabbit again, he would be able to fight it with ease, without suffering from loss of focus or exhaustion.

In contrast, the herb-gathering guards like Meng Yuan also possessed stone-like skin, yet they had been driven back repeatedly by the demon rabbit.

The difference in quality was clear!

And the reason for this gap lay in the fact that his Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance was at the stage of Perfection!

Thinking of this, a sudden idea struck Zhang Lingshan.

Should he find another stance-based technique similar to the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance and train it to Perfection?

Doing so would not only further enhance his physique but also allow him to comprehend another type of "Momentum."

He just didn't know if the two types of "Momentum" could stack.

However, that wasn't a major issue; even if they couldn't stack, enhancing his physique was still a good thing.

But as for how to do it, he would have to experiment.

Fortunately, stance techniques were relatively low-level martial arts, and increasing them did not consume many energy points, making it worth a try.

'But where can I get a stance technique?'

Zhang Lingshan couldn't help but feel troubled.

Although stance techniques were low-level, they weren't something one could just learn casually.

When he had joined the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall, he had paid 20 taels of silver, only to end up learning the basic Zhengyang Stance.

It was evident that the martial arts halls were secretive about their teachings from the start, making it difficult to learn true skills.

Moreover, even if a hall were to teach him true skills directly, given his current status as a disciple of the Hong Clan, he had already lost the qualification to seek masters elsewhere.

Everything had its rules.

Since he held the identity of a Hong Clan disciple, he could not overstep the rules; otherwise, not only would he fail to learn martial arts, but he would also be kicked out of the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall.

Therefore, learning a new stance technique was indeed a difficult problem.

He would have to plan carefully and not rush.

"Is Senior Brother Zhang Lingshan in?"

A voice suddenly called out from outside the courtyard.

Zhang Lingshan gathered his thoughts, walked out of his room, and opened the gate, asking in surprise, "Junior Brother Tie Feng, what is the matter?"

Tie Feng said, "Senior Brother Shan, my father sent me to thank you for saving his life yesterday. If it weren't for you yesterday..."

He suddenly stopped, looking around cautiously, and said, "Can I come in to speak?"

"Come in."

Seeing his cautious expression, Zhang Lingshan found it quite baffling.

After inviting him into his room, Tie Feng lowered his voice and said, "The Sixth Young Master said that we cannot speak recklessly about your heroic feat yesterday; he told us all to keep our mouths shut. I believe your feat must have been extraordinary; if it were overheard by those with ulterior motives, there would be trouble."

"Mhm, Senior Brother Feng is very thoughtful. We shouldn't speak of it carelessly."

Zhang Lingshan nodded.

In his mind, he wondered: *Could it be that Feng Shaolong realized I had comprehended 'Momentum,' and that is why he has changed his attitude toward me?*

But "Momentum" was something ethereal and elusive, and back then, he had merely borrowed the "Momentum" of the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance while still using the Red Line Fist.

He shouldn't have been able to see the mystery behind it.

*Forget it, I won't overthink it.*

He would first listen to the purpose of Tie Feng's visit.

"Senior Brother Shan."

Tie Feng suddenly gave a solemn bow. "Thank you for stepping in to help yesterday. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have made it back."

Zhang Lingshan waved his hand and said, "At the time, I was also just acting out of self-preservation..."

"No, my father said that you clearly could have escaped, but because you were concerned for him, you chose to stand your ground, which resulted in you being seriously injured and unable to move."

Tie Feng said earnestly, "My father feels deeply ashamed of this. Knowing he cannot repay the debt of a life, he specifically ordered me to bring you ten taels of silver and three treasured axe techniques. Please, Senior Brother Shan, you must accept them!"

As he spoke, he pulled ten taels of silver banknotes from his robe, along with three carefully wrapped pieces of parchment.

"Uncle Tie is being far too kind."

While Zhang Lingshan said this, his hands were very honest as he tucked the banknotes into his robe, then picked up the three pieces of parchment to examine them.

On the oiled parchment was a drawing of a bare, muscular man, with several red dots and various blue lines marked on his body.

"What is this?"

Zhang Lingshan asked curiously.

Tie Feng replied, "The red dots on this drawing are acupoints, and the blue lines are the paths for circulating Qi.

"These axe techniques were passed down to my father by a martial arts expert he once met while my father was working as a laborer for him.

"Since my father is illiterate, the expert drew this picture for him to memorize and provided oral mnemonics.

"Senior Brother Shan, I will pass the mnemonics on to you now."