Becoming a saint begins with apprenticing under the last martial arts champion.

As dawn broke, a thin mist, like a damp veil, enveloped Pig Cage Village.

Lu Changqing heard the sound of the courtyard gate.

He paused his martial arts practice and exhaled a long breath.

With a slight sheen of sweat on his face, he looked at Liu Bai, who had just entered through the door.

"Good morning, Young Master Liu."

"Perfect, eat it while it's hot." Liu Bai placed the oil paper package on the small stone table in the courtyard, his gaze casually sweeping across the ground.

His gaze fell on the remaining crimson stains on the ground, a flicker of "puzzle" crossing his face. Knowing the answer already, he asked, "What happened here?"

Lu Changqing paused for a moment, then truthfully recounted the Umbrella Cult's attack the previous night.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai's expression shifted slightly. "How did you get involved with the Umbrella Cult?"

Lu Changqing shook his head: "I don't know, the attack was sudden."

After learning the source of the bloodstains, Liu Bai appeared very relaxed, consistent with his usual laziness in looking down on all the martial arts practitioners and foreigners in Hong Kong.

"Regardless of the conflict with them, since it has already happened, it must be resolved."

"How is it?"

"Aren't you panicked to be targeted by such a large cult?"

Lu Changqing laughed and said, "What we martial artists value most is our spirit!"

"The greater the pressure, the greater the motivation!"

"The presence of a clear enemy actually excites me more!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai was very satisfied and laughed, "Clean stones are hard to find, and they can't be used to build a very high platform."

"Sometimes, you have to use dirty stones."

"The Umbrella Cult is dirty and tough! This conflict is actually a good thing! Once you've mastered martial arts, go find their people and kill them as practice!"

Liu Bai spoke lightly.

But Lu Changqing knew that his current strength was still far from reaching that level!

However, the feud with the Umbrella Cult began when they summoned the Tiger Head Gang to capture him.

He is certain that he will settle accounts with the other party sooner or later!

...

...

Time flies, and another six days have passed.

Early morning, in the courtyard.

Lu Changqing, shirtless, with his back straight as a pine tree and legs slightly bent, was breathing slowly according to the key points of Tai Chi stance, feeling the blood and qi flowing and tempering between his muscles and bones.

Every inch of skin and flesh, every bone, seemed to be breathing, subtly strengthening.

Sweat trickled down his sharply defined muscles, dripping onto the blue bricks and spreading into a small dark patch.

[The person diligently and effectively practiced Tai Chi stance training, resulting in increased proficiency.]

[Martial Arts: Tai Chi Stance (Minor Success, 4337→5581/7000)]

The ink-black words flashed through my mind.

Lu Changqing finished his stance, exhaled a long breath, which condensed into a brief white streak in the cool air.

"I'm only a little over 1,400 points away from mastering it..." He felt a slight stirring in his heart.

At the current pace, with diligent practice day and night, I should be able to break through in about half a month.

After practicing the "Internal Organs Realm" three times, one can already see the threshold.

Even Liu Bai himself would find this speed astonishing.

As he was pondering, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Liu Bai walked in carrying two oil paper packages, the aroma of the buns wafting from the oil paper.

He glanced at Lu Changqing, placed the steamed buns on the stone table, and then lay back in the creaking armchair, gently fanning himself.

"Your stance training has improved again, which is a good thing," Liu Bai said calmly. "However, because of this..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lu Changqing, "You're spending your money rather quickly."

Lu Changqing was taken aback.

Then Liu Bai continued, "The one thousand given by the Wang family earlier, plus... some other income, totals about one thousand three hundred silver dollars."

"These six days of taking tonics and medicine according to the prescription cost nearly five hundred silver dollars."

"There are still over eight hundred left."

"Over eight hundred..." Liu Bai chuckled, pausing his fan. "That sounds like a lot."

"But do the math. Your daily expenses for pills and meat are nearly ten silver dollars. That eight hundred silver dollars is only enough to last you for three months."

"If you break through to the third level of training, your internal organs will need more qi and blood to nourish them, more than doubling the daily requirement."

"At that point, your money won't even last a month."

Liu Bai's words were like a bucket of cold water, pouring down on the burning passion in Lu Changqing's heart that was about to break through.

Recently, due to the Umbrella Cult incident, Lu Changqing chose to temporarily avoid the limelight and did not venture into the deep underground waters to attempt treasure hunting.

In addition, the Wang family lost their job...

Although Uncle Wang said to just ask if I need anything,

But right now, the Wang family is in trouble because they refused to talk to foreigners, and they are in a real bind.

At this point, wouldn't it just cause trouble if he came to ask for money and a job?

Lu Changqing was not an ungrateful person.

"Young Master Liu, regarding the money... I'll find a way," Lu Changqing finally said, his voice steady.

Liu Bai simply grunted in response, then raised his fan again, signaling Lu Changqing to continue practicing.

Method?

Lu Changqing quickly made a mental calculation.

There's still no word from Wang Fanghua about the fishing job in that desolate waterway west of the city. I guess the Wang family's internal troubles are more demanding than I imagined.

Could it be... that I'm really going to do something like "murdering for personal gain"?

The "murder ranking" that Liu Bai mentioned...

The thought flashed through his mind, but Lu Changqing quickly suppressed it.

He was unwilling to easily embark on that path unless he was driven to the brink of despair.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

This evil path cannot be taken as the right one.

"There's always a way out." He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of distractions. "Right now, let's practice until we reach the third stage."

"The stronger you are, the more choices you have."

......

Shortly after breakfast, the laborer Qiang arrived at the courtyard on time.

After several days of practice, the two had become quite familiar with each other.

Without any preamble, they got into a fight.

Legs flew swiftly, the sound of them cutting through the air never ceasing.

Lu Changqing's Hundred-Foot Stride became increasingly smooth and fluid, and he brought out the "Moving Like a Startled Swan" technique at its peak.

"Bang!"

Another hard collision occurred, with their calves striking each other, and each of them taking a half step back.

Kuliqiang rubbed his slightly numb calves and looked at Lu Changqing, who was only slightly out of breath but whose eyes were getting brighter. A heartfelt sigh appeared on his honest face.

"Xiao Lu, your legs... have improved so fast."

He shook his head, his tone incredulous. "At this rate, in another month, I'm afraid my leg techniques really won't have anything left to feed."

"You've learned almost all the 'momentum' you can learn to walk."

"And the leg technique that Lord Liu taught you..."

Kuli Qiang's words carried a hint of sourness: "It's not much weaker than our Twelve-Road Tan Leg."

Lu Changqing clasped his hands in a fist salute: "It's all thanks to Brother Qiang's meticulous guidance."

He looked at the data in his mind.

【Hundred-Foot Astounding Step (Mastery, 7091/10000)】

With the continuous instruction of Kuli Qiang, a master who had been immersed in leg techniques for decades, and his own tireless practice day and night, his proficiency in this leg technique soared.

We are not far from the legendary state of "perfection".

Lu Changqing could clearly feel the power and lightness contained in his legs.

He was confident that even without the boost from the [Yin Water] talent, there would still be attribute boosts from the Tai Chi diagram.

With his leg skills already nearing perfection, he would be hard to find an opponent in the second training session at the same level.

From this perspective, even without going into the water, he could still hold his own against a regular three-person team if he had used all his trump cards!