I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

Seeing that Xie An was no longer staring at his face and throat, Zhang Long finally felt more at ease and began to focus on his explanation.

"Standing exercises mainly improve hand-foot coordination, steady breathing, and accurate force exertion. However, to develop the skin, one needs to further explore the body's potential through martial arts training."

"Bajiquan is a superior martial art, originating from Master Wu in Mengcun Town, Cangzhou. A hundred years ago, Master Wu encountered two martial arts masters and learned this style of boxing. Later, Master Wu ventured alone to Shaolin Temple and became famous throughout Jiangnan and the capital. It has been passed down for seven generations and is renowned far and wide. Master Chen of our Yongsheng Martial Arts School is Master Wu's seventh-generation direct disciple. He brought this martial art to Huanglei City."

Upon hearing this, Xie An's heart skipped a beat.

This Bajiquan actually originated from Cangzhou, four thousand miles away?

Isn't that where the Red Serpent Fairy is located?

In other words, Chen Lutang and the Red Serpent Fairy are from the same place...

This made Xie An instinctively feel a little nervous.

But then Xie An realized he was overthinking things.

According to the administrative divisions of the Great Qian Dynasty, below the central government were three levels: prefectures, counties, and provinces. Since the Great Qian Dynasty adhered to Taoism, the administrative divisions were based on the thirty-six heavens of Taoism.

The empire is divided into thirty-six provinces, each with thirty-six prefectures, each prefecture with thirty-six counties, each county with thirty-six townships, and each township with thirty-six villages.

This demonstrates the vast territory of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Because Huanglei City is located near the southeastern border of the Great Qian Dynasty, it has been frequently harassed by the southern barbarians who have migrated from the coast. Therefore, Baiyun County was specially established dozens of miles outside Huanglei City.

In this way, Baiyun County and Huanglei City can form a strategic triangle, facilitating mutual support and defense against bandits and foreign forces.

Cangzhou is far larger than Huanglei City, spanning thousands of miles. Even if Chen Lutang and the Red Serpent Fairy are both from Cangzhou, it doesn't matter.

Xie An recovered his senses and listened as Zhang Long continued to explain the essence of Bajiquan.

"The core of Bajiquan is the Vajra Eight Forms: Supporting Hammer, Subduing Tiger, Subduing Dragon, Mountain Splitting Palm, Horse Probing Palm, Tiger Embrace, Bear Crouch, and Crane Step Push. These eight forms are further divided into three categories: frontal breakthrough, close-range combat, and integrated offense and defense..."

After explaining the general principles of Bajiquan, Zhang Long began to demonstrate the first move.

"The first move, the hammer strike. This is a frontal breakthrough method, a powerful and aggressive attack that emphasizes forcefully opening the gate."

Zhang Long's right fist twisted and shot out from his waist, the muscles of his forearm twisting like old vines, making a crisp "snap" sound in the air, as if the tip of a whip had exploded.

"See that? It's not about using your arms, it's about your waist and hips 'jumping' forward, your fists are like hammerheads, and your body is like a bow handle. The force should be straight and rapid, like shooting an arrow out of a snapped bowstring. Try it."

The moment Zhang Long finished his rehearsal, he immediately looked into Xie An's eyes. Finding that Xie An was no longer staring at his face and throat, he felt much more relaxed.

Xie An imitated throwing a punch.

It seems simple, but it turns out to be all show and no substance.

In an instant, Xie An felt the vastness and difficulty of Bajiquan.

It is indeed vastly different from basic methods like stance training.

Even with 90% progress in the first level of the Sunflower Manual, he still couldn't grasp its essence after several attempts.

Zhang Long walked over, placed his hand on Xie An's side, and gently pushed him the instant Xie An threw a punch: "Go!... That's it, just this one! Remember this feeling, this is the axe used to break through the door. In martial arts, to kill, you have to strike first, hard and fierce enough..."

Under Zhang Long's impatient guidance, Xie An repeatedly adjusted his posture and power techniques, spending more than an hour before he barely grasped a few key points.

Even so, Zhang Long praised Xie An for his quick learning, saying, "Don't rush, this is your first time practicing. It's good that you can grasp some of the key points in an hour. I practiced for several months before I could barely master it."

Xie An nodded: "Senior Brother Zhang Long, could you demonstrate the second move, Subduing the Tiger, for your junior brother?"

Zhang Long scratched his head, his gaze stern: "Beginners shouldn't be too hasty. Master the first move first. That's all for today, I'm going to practice."

After leaving a message, Zhang Long hurriedly departed.

The main problem is that Zhang Long has only mastered the first move and hasn't learned the second move at all. He can only rely on his seniority to save face.

As Xie An watched Zhang Long's departing figure, he felt that the man's walking posture was a bit off, with his waist swaying from side to side.

"I don't know if it's because I have preconceived notions..."

With no one to guide him, Xie An had to figure it out on his own.

They followed Zhang Long's rehearsal details again and again.

A full hour passed without any progress.

This martial art is indeed listed on the panel.

Bajiquan (Supporting Hammer): 0/100

Unlike the Sunflower Manual, which can absorb feedback from others, this is just an ordinary martial arts progress panel.

"Xie An, how are you feeling?" Zhan Ping approached as dusk approached.

Xie An stopped, saying, "Just now, Senior Brother Zhang Long taught me the first move of Bajiquan, 'Supporting Hammer,' but I haven't quite grasped the basics yet."

Zhan Ping chuckled, "Although Bajiquan is an introductory martial art, it is of superior quality. It is far superior to methods like Hunyuan Zhuang. Even a talented student needs one or two months to master it. You can't rush it. Once you've mastered the first move, you can start working on your skin and prepare to break through to the next level. Come with me."

They followed Zhanping to a secluded little courtyard called Jingsi Garden.

Zhan Ping took out a small wooden plaque from inside, which was engraved with Xie An's name, the name of Yong Sheng Martial Arts School, and Xie An's status as a formal apprentice.

"This is your identification tag. You can use this tag to enter and exit the martial arts school through the main entrance."

After saying that, Zhanping took out another oil paper package. "This is the tuition fee you paid earlier. Since you studied in the backyard for almost half a month, it's worth one tael of silver as depreciation. Take this eight taels of silver back with you."

Xie An hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it. "Thank you, Instructor Zhan."

Zhan Ping nodded slightly. "Zhang Long told me you've finished practicing the stance training?"

"Yes."

"Not bad. You've finished practicing the Hunyuan stance in less than half a month. That's several days faster than those ordinary students who are exempt from tuition. It's getting late, so you should go back now. If you encounter any problems with your martial arts in the future, feel free to come to Jingsi Garden to find me."

"Thank you, Instructor Zhan," Xie An said, then suddenly asked as he was leaving, "By the way, will an apprentice like me have any chance to meet Master Chen?"

Chen Lutang's progress on the Sunflower Manual has stalled for more than ten days, and Xie An is extremely worried.

Zhan Ping said, "According to the usual rules of the martial arts school, on the first day of each month, the headmaster will personally teach the students. However, Master was invited by the county magistrate of Baiyun County to suppress bandits more than ten days ago. He has not returned yet. Judging by the time, it will be soon. In seven days, it will be the first day of the eighth month. At that time, you will have the opportunity to see Master's demeanor."

So he went to suppress bandits, no wonder he didn't have time to practice the Sunflower Manual...

Having obtained the information he wanted, Xie An bowed and left.

Having been in the martial arts school for almost half a month, Xie An left through the main entrance for the first time today.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a familiar figure standing under the sycamore tree at the intersection.

"elder brother."

Xie Yu walked over carrying an oil paper package, took Xie An's arm, and showed him the two beef ribs inside. "Sister Qiulan gave them to me. She said they were to congratulate you on entering the front courtyard. Brother, you're really amazing. You've entered the front courtyard in less than half a month, and all the servants and helpers in the back courtyard are talking about you."

Xie An patted Xie Yu's little head: "It's getting dark, let's go home early."

Once inside the red-light district, every household had closed their doors and turned off their lights, and the streets were noticeably filled with more Dragon King Gang bandits carrying knives. One blacksmith shop was broken into by One-Eyed Dragon, and several men were carrying weapons and knives out of the shop.

The blacksmith shopkeeper grabbed One-Eyed Dragon's leg tightly and roared, "Master Eye, these iron tools are my lifeblood! How can you take them all away? How am I supposed to live?"

"roll!"

One-Eyed Dragon kicked the blacksmith away: "My Dragon King Gang needs a batch of weapons to resist the bandits. I'll waive your incense money for two years. What more do you want? It's your good fortune to be able to contribute to my Dragon King Gang."

Xie An pulled Xie Yu along the corner of the wall and quickly walked towards the bookstore. Thinking about Chen Lutang being summoned by the county magistrate to suppress bandits, he suddenly realized something, "Something big must have happened in the Dragon King Gang. Let's go home quickly."