"Try this one!" As soon as Wu Liangchen set down the stone lock, Aunt Fan pointed directly to the one at the very back.
This stone lock was much larger than the others, weighing around fifteen hundred pounds.
This was the limit one could only reach after achieving mastery of the First Realm and training arduously for a long time.
Wu Liangchen didn't hesitate. He walked over, took a deep breath, slightly lowered his stance, and with a sudden roar, heaved the stone lock straight up.
This time, even Aunt Fan couldn't help but exclaim in praise, "Excellent!"
But he wasn't finished. Wu Liangchen could feel the strain, but it was still manageable. Furthermore, having just set foot on the path of martial arts, his spirit and ambition were at their peak. So, after a brief rest, he exerted his strength once more.
In an instant, every muscle in Wu Liangchen's body tensed, twisting like a thick rope as a massive amount of Qi and Blood surged into his arms.
Then, Wu Liangchen hoisted the fifteen-hundred-pound stone lock high above his head.
Now, even Aunt Fan was stunned.
Lifting a stone lock and hoisting it overhead were two entirely different things. The fact that Wu Liangchen could do it proved his foundation in Martial Arts was incredibly solid.
With a muffled THUD, Wu Liangchen dropped the stone lock, smashing a shallow crater into the densely packed earth.
He then turned to look at Aunt Fan. "Aunt Fan, how did I do?"
Aunt Fan was at a loss for words. Finally, she could only let out a long sigh. "What strength, what talent!"
But then, Aunt Fan's expression turned serious.
"But don't let this go to your head. The path of martial arts is littered with geniuses. In my life, I've seen countless prodigies of breathtaking talent. They tend to advance through the early realms at astonishing speeds, only to get stuck before a major breakthrough for one reason or another, some even stagnating for the rest of their lives."
Wu Liangchen, of course, had no intention of becoming arrogant. 'After all, at best I'm just a normal person who knows a few fist techniques and is a little stronger than average.'
'This is still a far cry from my goal.' So, upon hearing Aunt Fan's words, Wu Liangchen nodded very seriously.
"I understand, Aunt Fan. I'll take your words to heart."
Seeing Wu Liangchen standing there so humbly, even the worldly and experienced Aunt Fan couldn't help but sigh with emotion again.
'Truly a diamond in the rough. Who could have imagined that a simple cart driver would possess such heaven-defying talent for Martial Arts?'
'If he had been born into one of the great clans and trained from childhood, his achievements would be simply unimaginable.'
'What a pity!'
'If only he had started his training and broken into the first realm two years earlier, reaching the Third Realm in the future would have been a certainty.'
'But now...'
'No matter how talented he is, he's a bit too old. At most, he'll reach the peak of the Second Realm—my current level.'
'Cultivating innate qi to strengthen his internal organs and enter the Third Realm is likely impossible for him now.'
It was a well-known fact in the martial world that the timing of one's initial breakthrough was crucial.
One could not be too young, nor too old.
The ideal window was after the bones and sinews had developed around age twelve, but before the great surge of Qi and Blood before age sixteen.
Past this age, while one's fate wasn't sealed, advancing even a single step beyond the Second Realm became incredibly difficult.
This was why one could still find Second Realm masters from common backgrounds, but almost all Third Realm experts hailed from the great Martial Arts clans and powerful families.
Of course, Aunt Fan kept these thoughts to herself. The truth was harsh, and it could easily crush a person's spirit beyond recovery.
Besides, based on the potential Wu Liangchen was showing, he was well worth recruiting.
After all, throughout the Great Yan Empire, Martial Artists were as numerous as fish in the sea, but how many could ever reach the Third Realm?
Even among the great Martial Arts clans with their many scions, only three to five in a generation would ever enter the Third Realm.
The rest would, for the most part, remain in the Second Realm for their entire lives.
And not all Second Realm cultivators were equal. A few with exceptional talent, who had mastered a wide range of Martial Arts, could even hold their own against a Third Realm Martial Artist.
'Like me, for instance...'
Aunt Fan pushed aside these stray thoughts and said to Wu Liangchen, "You've established your foundation in martial arts. It's time to choose a specific Martial Art to practice. Do you want to learn fist techniques or leg techniques?"
"Can't I learn both?" Wu Liangchen asked.
Aunt Fan smiled. "You can, but I wouldn't recommend it. A person's energy is finite, after all. Especially at your current stage, you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew."
"Focusing on a single Martial Art is the proper way."
Wu Liangchen nodded to himself.
'Aunt Fan might look fierce, but she's been nothing but good to me. Her advice is truly sincere.'
'It's true that most people don't have the energy to practice multiple Martial Arts, but I'm different.'
'With the Ten Thousand Laws Tripod, as long as I have enough Life Fire, I can practice any number of Martial Arts simultaneously without issue.'
'I won't even encounter bottlenecks.'
This made Wu Liangchen feel that the Ten Thousand Laws Tripod was truly a miraculous treasure.
"Then I'll learn a Leg Skill," Wu Liangchen said.
Wu Liangchen had secretly learned the Four-Step Fist from the Long Wind Martial Arts Hall, so a Leg Skill was what he needed now.
Aunt Fan nodded. "A good choice. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have recommended you start with a Leg Skill."
"After all, leg skills are the most beneficial for a beginner. Not only can you use them to fight, but they're also crucial for escaping when you're in a pinch."
"Now, watch closely. The Leg Skill I'm about to teach you is called the Twelve-Route Wind-Chasing Leg!"
As she spoke, Aunt Fan blurred into motion, leaping into the center of the courtyard. She then began to demonstrate the technique, move by move.
"This is the Twelve-Route Wind-Chasing Leg! First Route: The Lashing Whip!"
Aunt Fan's right foot shot out, creating a sharp, explosive CRACK in the air.
"Second Route: The Ghostly Cross-Drill!"
"Third Route: The Smashing Cartwheel!"
"Fourth Route: The Slanted Intercept!"
"Fifth Route..."
Aunt Fan recited the mnemonics as she demonstrated the Leg Skill. Her movements weren't fast, but the power they conveyed left Wu Liangchen utterly shaken.
Every one of her kicks produced a terrifying sonic boom.
Wu Liangchen had no doubt that if a kick like that landed on him now, he'd be dead or gravely wounded.
But the more powerful it seemed, the more excited he became. His eyes were fixed on her, not blinking for an instant, engraving every single movement into his memory.
"Eleventh Route: Lotus Leaf in the Wind! Twelfth Route: The Paired Chain Kicks!"
After demonstrating the final two routes, Aunt Fan concluded the form and held her stance.
"Did you see everything clearly?"
"Yes, I saw about seventy percent of it."
"Again, then!"
Her instruction this time was far more meticulous than when she had taught Wu Liangchen the stances. She spent the entire afternoon tirelessly explaining every detail.
By dusk, Wu Liangchen had finally committed all the secrets and force-generation methods of the Twelve-Route Wind-Chasing Leg to memory.
"What comes next is a great deal of practice. Remember not to rush. You must proceed step by step. Understand?" Aunt Fan urged.
"I understand!"
"Alright, you can rest now. I need to go make dinner for the young mistress."
After Aunt Fan left, Wu Liangchen stood on the training ground. He took a deep breath, then began to practice the Twelve-Route Leg Skill, move by move.
The Twelve-Route Wind-Chasing Leg was undeniably much more difficult than the Four-Step Fist. Fortunately, after a full afternoon of practice, Wu Liangchen was already able to perform the Leg Skill with some proficiency.
After he finished practicing the final route of the Leg Skill, the familiar prompt finally appeared before his eyes.
[Technique Name: Twelve-Route Wind-Chasing Leg]
[Technique Grade: Mid-Tier, Superior]
[Estimated Cost: 28 Wisps of Life Fire]
[Consume Life Fire to evolve?]