A genius?
You?
Duan Chenzhou couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't think that just because you grasped 'Ten Steps One Kill' and achieved Perfection in the Celestial River Saber Technique in a month, you're some true prodigy."
"You must understand, in Xuanjing, there are the Noble Generals, families of high officials for generations. You haven't seen them, and neither have I, but I've heard... those fellows are born with a Will Barrier Empowerment, allowing them to comprehend Martial Arts from birth!"
"Of course, the path of a Secret Martial Dao is one you must walk yourself, one step at a time."
"But being cultivated like that from childhood—just imagine how profound their understanding of Martial Dao concepts must be."
"It's preordained that their future path will be smooth sailing."
"Those people are the real prodigies!"
Duan Chenzhou looked Ji Xiu up and down, stroking his chin.
"Back in my day, it took me seven days of studying the first volume of the Turtle and Snake Grand Foundation Stake just to grasp its form and begin refining my blood."
"In one month, I could perform the Profound Turtle Posture, exhale the Great Toad Qi, and project it with my Qi and Blood for over a zhang without it dispersing. Only when my Qi and Blood grew as deep as the ocean abyss was I considered to have entered the true path, cultivating Mercury Blood and beginning Muscle Forging."
"In less than a hundred days, I had mastered both volumes and reached Great Success in the Bone Marrow Refining Realm."
"While still not the absolute best, it was enough to ensure my path through the Power Barrier was wide open, qualifying me to receive my lineage's Secret Martial Dao."
"Given your background, grasping the basics in a month is already quite impressive."
"Come, come. I'll teach you the breathing technique and the Pile Skill."
Duan Chenzhou had Ji Xiu sit at the stone table, unrolled the partial scroll of the Turtle and Snake Grand Foundation Stake, and told him to read it through, word by word.
Then he walked over to a Plum Blossom Posture, got into position, lowered his stance, and supported himself on two of the wooden posts with a single palm in a push-up-like pose. His shoulders and hips were level, and with every breath, it was as if True Qi was swirling in his abdomen.
From a distance,
Ji Xiu felt that in this moment, Duan Chenzhou was like an ancient Profound Turtle lying dormant on the earth, its aura as deep as the abyss. He seemed as immense as a mountain, as steady as a boulder!
He held the stance like that for a full double-hour!
Only then did a breath rise from his chest and lungs, connecting his five viscera, before he forcefully exhaled it in a long stream!
The plume of white vapor hung in the early morning courtyard air for a long time before dispersing.
After exhaling that breath,
Duan Chenzhou's face was flushed, and he was completely sober.
At this moment, even without him saying a word,
Ji Xiu, watching from the side, could feel that the Qi and Blood circulating through his master's body had been completely reawakened in that instant. It flowed between his great tendons and muscles, being quenched back and forth by strands of Force and that special breathing technique!
It was far, far stronger than any Pile Skill he had ever seen at Lu Manor!
"The human body is frail. From the very beginning, our ancestors imitated various exotic beasts and living creatures to create the most primitive methods for tempering the physique."
"This lineage first comprehends the 'Azure Sea Profound Turtle,' then perceives the 'Blackwater Soaring Serpent.' By merging the intent of these two—the turtle and the serpent—we achieve Blood Nourishing and Tendon Forging, and finally, we may behold the 'Black Tortoise Orthodoxy'!"
"Although it is said that throughout history, very few who have practiced this stake have ever perceived its true essence."
"But even grasping a mere fraction of its form and intent is enough to build a foundation that will last ten thousand generations."
"You usually can't get anything out of the first try. You, boy, first circulate your breath with the technique I taught you, then get into the stance. Practice it a few times and let me see, so I can correct your form..."
He broke his stance, calmed his Qi and Blood, and returned to his usual carefree demeanor.
Then, he watched as Ji Xiu, having heard his words, obediently put down the Silk Book, took out a Leopard Embryo Pill, and swallowed it in one gulp. Duan Chenzhou couldn't help but frown.
"That Pill is refined from the Qi and Blood of leopards, supplemented with Mountain Ginseng. It's considered a Ninth Grade of the Mortal Realm item and is greatly beneficial for the Bone Marrow Refining Realm. If you master the Pile Skill first and then take it, the effect will be doubled with half the effort. Taking it now..."
He was only halfway through his sentence,
when he saw Ji Xiu deftly imitating his posture, having already leaped up to stand on one of the wooden Plum Blossom Posts.
Seeing him get into the stance after swallowing the Pill, his face and neck flushed red, looking as if his Qi and Blood were about to burst forth, Duan Chenzhou couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
"You impatient kid. You don't understand the Key Points. You've only seen it once; it's not that easy to..."
The word "master" had not yet left his lips,
when his voice suddenly froze.
He saw—
At some point,
the young man, standing against the cool morning breeze in the Profound Turtle posture, was breathing in and out with a profound, ancient rhythm. Unconsciously... he had already captured its form.
He actually possessed a hint of the divine bearing of 'an Azure Sea births a Profound Turtle, the Profound Turtle exhales True Qi'!
This made Duan Chenzhou, who had just taken a sip from his teacup, fall suddenly silent.
Then, unconsciously...
He gave the teacup a light squeeze.
It turned to dust.
...
「Half a month later.」
Lin Residence.
"Boss, according to our reports, that 'Ji Xiu' has indeed become a Sword-carrying Guest, and what's more..."
"In just a short time, after practicing the saber for only about a month, he has already entered the Sword Sect and comprehended 'Ten Steps One Kill'!"
Instructor Du leaned in and whispered in his ear.
Lin Zhenhai's eyes narrowed. He was in the middle of a meal and suddenly stopped talking.
"I didn't expect him to be such a character."
"When that kid from Lu Manor took him away, I thought Lu Chengfeng would never let him do as he pleased, so I just let it be. It seems I truly misjudged the situation."
"Little Third."
He glanced at Lin Du, who was sitting to his left and eating obediently, lifted his eyelids slightly, and said flatly,
"Before, when you spread those exaggerated rumors, I thought you were just sticking up for the steward under your command, so I turned a blind eye."
"But now, the news from Lu Manor has spread."
"What you did was not acceptable."
"The weather is getting cold; it's easy to get sick. Steward Lin was flogged half a month ago and hasn't been able to get out of bed, he's on the verge of death. Go send him a cup of warm wine. Consider it a final gesture for your many years of master-servant bond."
"After you finish eating, go to the storehouse, take two sets of blood-strengthening Pills and Medicinal Powders, and prepare a table of wine. Have a better attitude this time."
"You don't need me to teach you the rest, do you?"
Lin Du lowered his head. Hearing this, his heart skipped a beat. After a long moment, a drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple before he managed to say with difficulty,
"Yes, Father."
Just then,
the eldest young miss, Lin Ruxue, walked into the hall, having just finished her sword practice outside. She held a sword as thin as a cicada's wing, and her skin glowed like jade.
When Lin Zhenhai saw her, the coldness on his face instantly melted into a pleasant smile.
"Finished practicing? Quick, sit down, let's eat!"
"Your little sister felt the morning cold and couldn't get up. If she were just a third as diligent as you, she wouldn't be without any Martial Arts to protect herself..."
As Lin Zhenhai was lamenting, Lin Ruxue, who had set down her sword with a soft "mhm," asked casually,
"Father, what were you talking about just now? Something about Ten Steps One Kill?"
Seeing his eldest daughter ask, Lin Zhenhai smiled cheerfully, without any of his usual airs.
"Oh, nothing. Just a former Groom of ours who entered the Sword Sect after practicing the saber for a little over a month. I misjudged him and let him go, and now he's joined the Fire Kiln Lu Manor next door."
"Lu Chengfeng is powerful and a Local Bully. It's better to resolve grudges than to create them, so I'm having Little Third go and smooth things over."
"It's a small matter of bowing our heads; no need to escalate it."
"If we let it get bigger, we'll lose more than just a little face."
"Let's eat, let's eat."
'Ten Steps One Kill, in one month?'
A flicker of surprise passed through Lin Ruxue's eyes. After taking her seat, she couldn't help but nod.
"If that's the case, he really is someone of note."
...
Lu Manor.
The end of the year was approaching.
The autumn leaves had all withered and fallen.
Though snow had yet to fall, the branches were bare, devoid of any adornment.
Ji Xiu was up early in the courtyard, prostrated on the ground like a Profound Turtle. Every expansion of his chest stirred his Qi and Blood to a boil, Quenching his physique and great tendons.
This continued for a full double-hour!
He let out a long breath!
Only then did he rise, wiping away his sweat and panting heavily, but a smile flashed in his eyes.
Upon closer inspection,
the young man's skin was hot, as if steaming. His muscles were swollen, and it seemed as if beneath the 'shackles' of his flesh, a torrent of molten lava was about to burst through his skin like water from a shattered silver vase!
His Qi and Blood felt like a fire consuming his body. Half a month had passed, and though his physique hadn't changed much...
...he had inexplicably gained several dozen catties in weight!
This was the result of refining one's blood until it was as heavy as mercury, a prerequisite for refining the marrow and forging the tendons!
Half a month.
Every morning, for one double-hour!
He performed the stance fifteen times without fail.
Supplementing every meal with meat, he had also consumed one Ninth-grade Leopard Embryo Pill and one dose of Ninth-Grade Tiger Blood Powder...
The half-scroll of the Turtle and Snake Grand Foundation Stake was already at Great Success!
This also meant...
...that in the second barrier, the 'Bone Marrow Refining Realm,' Ji Xiu had successfully nourished his blood.
Though he couldn't compare to those Sword-carrying Guests who were Forging their Muscles, he was on par with the ordinary Lu Manor Guests, Fire Kiln Stewards, and enforcers.
They were only at this level!
[Profound Turtle Great Toad Technique: (16/30)!]
[Current: Great Success (Traits can be comprehended after Soaring Serpent Cloud-Chasing Technique reaches 'Great Success')]
[Advance Condition: Perform the Profound Turtle Posture, circulate Qi through the hundred meridians, and exhale in a single breath a total of thirty times to achieve Perfection.]
'If not for the fact that performing the stance just once with the breathing technique already pushes me to my physical limit,'
'I could pay off this advance in just a few days.'
'However...'
'Including that one time in Master Duan's courtyard, I've performed the stance sixteen times in total, which has already brought me to the Great Success stage.'
'The resulting feedback from my Qi and Blood has brought about a complete Transformation, greatly strengthening my body's muscles and Qi and Blood.'
'With this, my physical limit has also increased. If all goes well, I should be able to practice for one double-hour in the morning and another in the evening!'
'In other words... my progress from now on will speed up dramatically!'
Ji Xiu's face was flushed, brimming with energy. He looked vigorous as he threw on an outer robe, revealing the bulging muscles of his chest, where beads of sweat traced paths down every inch of his skin.
That was the proof of his hard work!
"Junior Brother, you've been acclimatizing for so long, I've finally found a good job for you. You..."
Just then, Lu Hongyu, dressed in a goose-yellow dress with a shawl draped over her shoulders that shimmered like sunlit clouds, arrived with a smile.
She had barely begun to speak,
when she took in the scene.
Shrouded in the thin morning mist,
the young man's strong muscles were taut, his Qi and Blood surged, and his eyes were bright. Having just thrown on his robe, he heard the sound and happened to look over.
Even for a woman of martial training, for whom such a sight was commonplace, still...
unconsciously,
Lu Hongyu couldn't help but avert her gaze, her pretty face flushing red as she didn't dare to look directly at him.