Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

The next day.

Inner courtyard.

The disciples stood in a semi-circle, each one looking spirited, their eyes all fixed on their master, Yang Huaichuan.

Jiang Ding'an, standing beside Ye Ci, gently nudged Ye Ci's arm and whispered:

"Junior brother, watch closely. The techniques practiced in the outer courtyard are all ordinary. Today, Master is teaching the real fighting method of Baoshan Fist."

Ye Ci nodded, her gaze focused.

Outer disciples can also learn fighting techniques, but they are all taught by their second senior brother, Fang Cheng. Ye Ci has seen them and they are definitely not much better than his own fighting techniques; they can't be considered the real deal.

"Today, a new junior brother has entered the inner courtyard, so I will repeat some old sayings."

Qin Huaichuan's voice was full of vigor: "The Baoshan Fist, without achieving true strength, can only produce a superficial understanding. The reason is simple: this style of boxing emphasizes 'holding the mountain to defend and using the momentum to defeat the enemy,' which is all about stability! And the Panshi Zhuang (Stone Stance) is the first step in developing stable strength."

"A stable stance is essential for self-defense in the face of an enemy!"

His gaze, sharp as a torch, swept over the disciples, finally lingering briefly on Ye Ci, as if intentionally offering a hint:

"The foundation of boxing techniques lies in the condensation of qi and blood in the rock-solid stance, with tendons and bones as weapons and strength as the edge."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and lowered his shoulder, his body slightly slumping, and a calm and steady aura quietly spread out.

It felt like a mountain pressing down on us.

Ye Ci immediately held his breath, and the muscles in his back tensed up involuntarily.

Jiang Ding'an whispered, "Did you hear that? The essence of Baoshanquan lies in 'defending while breaking through,' not in brute force, but in borrowing momentum. Watch Master's demonstration later and remember every point of force exertion."

"Qi Wang!" Yang Huaichuan shouted in a low voice.

"Disciple is here!"

A young disciple immediately stepped forward and assumed a solemn stance.

"This is your fourth senior brother, Qi Wang," Jiang Ding'an said. "In terms of fighting style, he's the best among the disciples. He also enjoys listening to music in brothels, especially those with big butts, hehe..."

"..."

Ye Ci's expression was strange. He felt that Senior Brother Jiang's focus didn't seem to be on martial arts.

Forget it, I'll just focus on practicing martial arts.

In the arena, Qi Wang strode forward, threw a punch, and shouted loudly:

"Master, I'm here!"

"Watch closely, hold onto the mountain without becoming deadly; conceal your vulnerability within!"

Before Yang Huaichuan finished speaking, his entire aura suddenly changed. Just as Qi Wang's fist came down, his steady and unwavering figure suddenly moved.

He slightly turned his body, and his right arm seemed to slowly rise. It was not a straight punch, but rather, along the outside of Qi Wang's embracing arm, it carried a twisting force, like water flowing around a mountain, and struck Qi Wang's Jianjing acupoint with lightning speed.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound, not heavy, but incredibly precise.

Although Qi Wang was prepared, his body still stiffened instinctively, his shoulders slumped, and his arms instantly lost their grip, leaving his defenses wide open.

Ye Ci saw it clearly and thought to himself: If I practice this well, I'll just break his throat.

Yang Huaichuan withdrew his hand and said, "This move is called 'Embracing the Mountain to Dissipate Force.' It targets the Jianjing acupoint. A light strike will cause numbness and dissipate force, while a heavy strike can cripple the arm. It uses stillness to control movement, breaking the opponent's momentum with one strike and seizing the initiative."

Ye Ci thought to himself: "Master Yang's teaching is not good. He succeeded in one strike, but then let his opponent make another move."

If I were to teach this myself, I would say that if the first strike hits, you should immediately press your advantage and kick the cripple's good leg hard.

In the arena, Yang Huaichuan continued to demonstrate and exchange moves with Qi Wang, and soon taught him all the moves of Baoshanquan.

"Standard training is the foundation; one must remain steadfast as a rock and act with the force of a mountain pressing down..."

"When using power footwork, one should know how to adapt to the enemy. Fists and feet are not straight, but should attack the enemy's vital points. Breathing should be steady and deep, and one should not be disturbed by others. Only when exerting power can one mobilize the internal organs to exert full force."

He explained it in great detail.

Yang Huaichuan gave a final, gentle look around the room.

"Besides practicing stance training to cultivate your qi and blood every day, you should also practice fighting techniques diligently in your spare time. Among people of the same level, whose strength is similar, what can distinguish their levels is their fighting techniques."

"Today, all of you here are inner disciples, the core of my martial arts school. You must practice diligently, and ask your senior brothers questions whenever you encounter anything you don't understand."

The senior brothers he mentioned were Jiang Du (third senior brother), Qi Wang (fourth senior brother), and Jiang Ding'an (fifth senior brother).

"Yes, Master!"

Several senior brothers responded in unison.

Then Jiang Ding'an whispered to Ye Ci, "Normally, I'll teach you; you don't need to ask anyone else."

Ye Ci nodded, thinking to himself, "My second senior brother, Fang Cheng, usually teaches apprentices in the front courtyard; my third senior brother is named Jiang Du; and my fourth senior brother, Qi Wang, likes people with big butts..."

We've gone off-topic.

"Where's Senior Brother?" Ye Ci asked.

"My master didn't say."

Jiang Ding'an waved his hand dismissively and said, "To hell with it, junior brother, come on, I'll teach you some moves. Try practicing. Remember what Master just said: guard the center and conceal the attack, exert force deeply, and strike accurately."

"Let's go through the whole move once."

"good!"

Ye Ci took a deep breath and, following his master's demonstration, began the first move.

Jiang Ding'an deliberately made a slow move, revealing a weakness in the Jianjing acupoint, thus guiding Ye Ci to make a move.

Ye Ci focused his mind and twisted his right arm along the outside of Jiang Ding'an's arm. The movement was a little awkward and the force was hard to control, but it had already taken the shape of "embracing the mountain to deflect the force".

"Yes, that's it. Apply a little more force, and use a skillful twisting motion with your wrist, don't force it!"

While adjusting Ye Ci's posture, Jiang Ding'an patiently instructed him: "The power of the Baoshan Fist comes from stance training. It sinks to the dantian and then flows out through the arms. Only in this way can it be stable and accurate."

Ye Ci nodded and made the adjustments as instructed.

After walking through the entire route, Ye Ci saw golden characters appear in the void.

[Heaven bestows its ordination, Heaven rewards diligence, with unwavering focus, all laws will naturally arise]

Name: Ye Ci

Lifespan: 18/36

[Technique: Minor Mastery of Rock Stance (1/2000)]

[Techniques: Basic Combat Techniques (Perfect), Basic Archery (Perfect), Introduction to Baoshan Fist (1/200)]

Compared to other martial arts techniques, the skill proficiency requirement is much lower; only 200 points are needed to reach a minor level of mastery.

This surprised and delighted Ye Ci.

He has a one-year free period, during which he can make good use of the resources of the Rock Martial Arts Academy to train diligently.

Jiang Ding'an continued to help Ye Ci parry his moves. This time, Ye Ci once again used "Embracing the Mountain to Deflect Force" to meet the attack. This time, Ye Ci tapped the base of his palm, causing Jiang Ding'an's arm to tremble.

"Damn, you got it pretty fast!"

"Next move: 'Crossing the River and Embracing the Mountain'."

Jiang Ding'an shouted, "This move is suitable for dealing with close-quarters combat..."

The two continued their rehearsal, and Jiang Ding'an's eyes grew brighter and brighter, occasionally letting out strange cries and exclamations.

"Holy crap! Holy crap... You've got it pretty much figured out already. Go practice on your own, I'll just stand next to you and practice. Ask me if you don't understand anything."

"it is good."

Ye Ci practiced the Baoshan Fist alone, and soon his back was soaked with sweat, and his whole body was steaming with heat.

Yang Huaichuan saw all of this, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Jiang Du, what do you think of this junior brother?"

"Congcong...Ming..."

"Unfortunately, his natural talent is lacking, limiting his potential."

"I'm willing to...I'm willing to endure...hardship, I can...I can do it."

Jiang Du said.

Yang Huaichuan glanced at him, realizing he shouldn't have let him speak, so he waved to the center of the arena:

"Qi Wang, come here."

"master."

Qi Wang came over and cupped his hands in greeting.

Yang Huaichuan pointed towards the center of the arena and asked:

"How do you think Junior Brother Ye Ci's training is going?"

Qi Wang glanced at him and said, "He's already showing promise after just one day of learning. Although it's not quite polished yet, with some time to refine it, he'll surely achieve great things. His comprehension is very high, on par with Junior Brother Xiao Hua."

Yang Huaichuan sighed softly: "Their natural talent is too weak, and their family background is too thin."

Qi Wang said, "If Master teaches him his most secret techniques, he will also become a master."