Without realizing it, Lin Mo Chen had spent almost an hour trying different ways to strike the wooden post.
First he concentrated Huan Qi through his entire arm, then only into his fist, and finally tried coordinating it with the turn of his waist, vaguely imitating what he had seen other disciples do.
None of his attempts produced anything worth mentioning.
A small mark could be seen on the wood, though that probably had more to do with how many times he had hit it than the strength behind any single blow.
Lin Mo Chen spread his feet again and gathered a small amount of Huan Qi. This time, he made sure to keep his arm properly aligned as he punched.
Just before his fist reached the post, a hand caught his forearm.
Lin Mo Chen turned in surprise and found his father standing beside him.
For several seconds, Lin Qingshan looked at his son with an expression that was difficult to read.
"Who taught you to punch like that?"
Lin Mo Chen looked down, wondering what exactly he was doing wrong. This was how he had seen the other disciples stand.
"...No one."
That answer seemed to be enough. Lin Qingshan released his arm and pointed toward the post.
"Again."
Still a little confused, Lin Mo Chen took the same stance and threw another punch. Before he could finish the movement, a light push against his shoulder was enough to make him lose his balance.
On the second attempt, a small tap behind the knee nearly dropped him to the ground. On the third, his father pushed his fist aside with a single finger, leaving his chest completely exposed.
There was hardly any need for an explanation. Every attempt made it obvious how easy it would have been to knock him down.
After several more tries, Lin Mo Chen stood in front of the post with his pride hurting far more than his body.
His father picked up a small branch from the ground and tapped one of his feet.
"Too far apart."
Another tap landed against his elbow.
"Too open."
Then the branch pressed lightly against his back.
"And you're trying to punch with nothing but your arm."
Lin Mo Chen adjusted his stance according to the instructions, though the new position felt awkward at first.
Until now, he had thought his problem was that he didn't know how to use Huan Qi properly.
He was beginning to suspect he didn't even know how to use his own body.
Lin Qingshan watched him for a moment before pulling a small piece of dark wood from inside his robe.
Silver lines formed the emblem of the Lin Family on one side. Several characters were carved into the other, along with the seal of the Contribution Pavilion.
The token landed in Lin Mo Chen's palm.
"Go to the clan's Huan Martial Arts Hall."
The moment Lin Mo Chen looked at it, he understood what it meant.
Disciples of the main family were allowed to choose one technique every three months. Things were different for members of the secondary branches. They needed enough contribution points, a special reward, or authorization from someone with sufficient standing in the clan.
Lin Mo Chen still had several months before he would be allowed to take missions on his own.
"I can choose a technique with this?"
"In your case, only a Low-Grade Fan Ji."
Lin Mo Chen knew how valuable that opportunity was. His father must have earned the token during one of his missions, and he could easily have used it for himself.
"Father, I can wait until after the coming-of-age ceremony."
"You were attacked yesterday."
That ended the argument.
Lin Qingshan started walking away, but before leaving, he added,
"Choose something useful. Don't let an impressive name fool you."
Lin Mo Chen remained there for a moment with the token between his fingers before carefully putting it away.
Not long after, he left the residence and headed toward the Huan Martial Arts Hall.
Built from gray stone and dark wood, the building stood near the central area of the clan. Two guards watched the entrance and inspected his token before allowing him inside.
The smell of old wood, dust, and ink greeted him as soon as he entered. Shelves covered much of the walls, packed with carefully protected manuals.
Behind a desk, an old man dressed in blue took Lin Mo Chen's token and examined the name carved into it.
"Lin Qingshan... It's been a while since he used one of his rewards."
The old man put the token away and pointed toward several sections of the hall.
"Movement techniques in the back. Fists and palms in the center. Defense and body tempering along the wall."
"Thank you, Elder."
Lin Mo Chen started with the movement techniques.
Running away had saved his life the day before, so a movement technique seemed like a fairly logical choice. Unfortunately, the first one that caught his attention required precise control over Huan Qi and warned that improper use could damage the ankles.
Remembering what had happened to his wrist after punching a simple wooden post, he decided to keep looking.
The offensive techniques were much more tempting. He found palm arts that concentrated Huan Qi into a single strike, techniques capable of releasing small waves of energy, and even one designed specifically to attack vulnerable points on the body.
Every one of them had some problem. They consumed too much Huan Qi, required far more precise control than he had, or simply demanded a higher cultivation level.
Near the body-tempering section, he finally found one that caught his attention.
Condensed Rock Fist — Low-Grade Fan Ji.
Through repeated stances and strikes, the technique gradually tempered the muscles, tendons, and bones. During each punch, the cultivator had to circulate Huan Qi from the legs, carry the force through the waist, and concentrate it into the fist just before impact.
Once properly mastered, it allowed the user to release the strength of the entire body in a single blow.
After reading about techniques capable of splitting mountains and shaking the heavens, it didn't sound especially impressive.
Which was exactly why Lin Mo Chen kept reading.
The technique taught him precisely what he didn't know how to do.
After thinking it over for a few minutes, he carried the manual back to the old man.
"Condensed Rock Fist..." The elder examined the manual before looking at him. "Not a very flashy choice."
"Thank you for the praise, Elder."
The old man stared at him for a moment before deactivating the protective seal and handing him a thin manual.
"You have seven days to memorize it."
Lin Mo Chen returned home without wasting any time.
The moment he entered his room, he opened the manual and began reading carefully. The technique was divided into three parts: stances for strengthening the body, the basic punching motion, and the condensation of Huan Qi just before impact.
After reading the manual twice, Lin Mo Chen reached a rather comforting conclusion.
It didn't seem that complicated.
Step forward with the left foot, bend the knees, turn the waist, circulate Huan Qi from the legs, then gather it into the fist right before the strike.
At least on paper, it looked simple enough.
When Lin Mo Chen returned to the courtyard with the manual, General Fatty had already claimed her usual rock, as though she had been waiting for the show to continue.
He left the manual beside her and stood in front of the post again. The moment he entered the first stance and began circulating Huan Qi, the Spirit Patterns hidden beneath his skin responded immediately.
Bang!
Pain shot from his knuckles all the way to his shoulder, and before he could recover his balance, his own momentum sent him falling sideways into the dirt.
A loud cluck came from the rock.
"The first try never counts!"
On the second attempt, he released the Huan Qi too early. He tried correcting it on the next punch, only to hold the energy for so long that a cramp ran through his entire arm.
After several attempts, the post remained almost completely untouched.
The Spirit Patterns could circulate Huan Qi with surprising efficiency, but they couldn't make decisions for him. The energy followed every instruction he gave it, even when Lin Mo Chen sent it down the wrong path.
Too absorbed in practicing, he didn't notice his father until a shadow fell across the open manual resting on the rock. When Lin Mo Chen looked up, he found Lin Qingshan watching him in silence.
"This one will do."
Lin Mo Chen expected something more, but the small nod from his father was enough to tell him he had chosen well.
He returned to the post, but he had barely settled into the stance when Lin Qingshan's branch struck the back of his knee again.
"You lost your base."
Lin Mo Chen had barely corrected himself when the branch tapped his shoulder.
"Too tense."
Every time he fixed one mistake, another appeared. If he focused on his legs, he forgot his waist. When he finally managed to turn properly, his shoulder rose, and whenever he tried controlling everything at once, he ended up releasing the Huan Qi too early.
After correcting him several more times, his father finally tossed the branch aside.
"Hit me."
Lin Mo Chen attacked without using Huan Qi, but before the punch could finish, his father lightly hooked his ankle and sent him straight to the ground.
None of it had required extraordinary speed. His father simply seemed to know what Lin Mo Chen was going to do before he did it.
"Your shoulders move before you attack. You look where you're about to strike, and you lose your balance after every movement."
For the rest of the afternoon, Lin Mo Chen didn't use Huan Qi again.
His father sent him all the way back to the basics. For a long while, Lin Mo Chen practiced nothing but his stance and footwork, learning how to move forward without crossing his feet and how to retreat without losing his balance or leaving the center of his body exposed.
By the time the sky began to darken, he could barely feel his legs. Sitting on the ground, Lin Mo Chen stared at the open manual in front of him for a while.
He had imagined learning a Huan Technique would be as simple as memorizing a few circulation routes, practicing several movements, and mastering it in a short time.
Lin Qingshan pointed toward the first pages of the manual.
"For the next two weeks, you'll practice these stances and strengthen your body in the morning. In the afternoon, you'll train with me."
Lin Mo Chen raised his head in surprise.
"What about condensing the Huan Qi?"
"When you can use your body properly."
Without another word, Lin Qingshan returned to the house.
Until then, Lin Mo Chen had thought obtaining a technique was the difficult part.
Now he understood that had barely been the beginning.
First, he needed to strengthen his body and learn how to move without losing his balance every time he attacked. Condensing Huan Qi into his fist could wait.
Looking once more at the almost untouched wooden post, Lin Mo Chen let out a sigh.
Getting the technique had been the easy part.
Now he had to learn the most basic thing of all... How to use his own body.