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

Chen Lutang noticed Wei Dian's expression but didn't say anything. He simply patted Xie An on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Junior brother, from now on, this martial arts school is your home. Come with me to your room and meet your sister-in-law."

Xie An followed her back to the main hall of Shougong Hall, and bowed to Lin Xiulan, saying, "Junior Brother Xie An greets Senior Sister-in-law."

"You are a reliable and steady child, well-educated and reasonable. Your sister-in-law liked you from the first moment she saw you." Lin Xiulan was very approachable and beckoned Xie An to her side, then took out a cloth bag and handed it to him.

"This thirty taels is a gift from your sister-in-law for your apprenticeship. Please accept it. You can use it to buy yourself some nourishing food or make yourself a couple of new clothes."

Thirty taels was no small sum for Xie An these days, but he still declined, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is too much..."

"Just take it."

"Then I shall respectfully comply, junior brother." Xie An was "forced" to stuff the money bag into his pocket.

Seeing that Xie An had accepted the money, Lin Xiulan smiled and said, "Rules are for ordinary people. Now that you are my junior brother, you don't need to be so formal. If you need anything in the future, just come to your sister-in-law. We're all family, so don't be shy. If your senior brother is harsh to you, come to me too. I'll always have to give him a scolding."

Judging from this, Lin Xiulan seems to be a strong woman.

Of course, they were just being polite.

"My senior brother treats me very well and would never be harsh on me. If he is harsh at all, it is for my own good. I dare not trouble my senior sister-in-law."

Lin Xiulan liked it more and more as she looked at it. "It's awkward to call you 'sister-in-law' in public, but I can call you 'sister-in-law' in private."

"Yes, sister-in-law."

Lin Xiulan gave a few more instructions, then turned and left with Chen Ling.

After everyone left, only Xie An and Chen Lutang remained in the Shougong Hall.

After a few pleasantries, Chen Lutang got to the point: "Junior Brother, you've just entered the Ming Jin realm, which is certainly a testament to your exceptional talent. But don't let that make you complacent. The path of martial arts is long and arduous, and you've only just begun to understand Ming Jin. Come, let's spar, and I'll see how well you've mastered Ming Jin."

"Yes."

Xie An stood up, raised his right hand, and took Chen Lutang's hand.

Chen Lutang said, "Go all out to unleash your full potential; do not linger."

As Xie An unleashed his Ming Jin (vital energy), he was horrified to discover that Chen Lutang's hand was as thick as a mountain and remained completely still. Even when Xie An pushed his Ming Jin to its limit, he couldn't budge his opponent in the slightest.

Even so, Chen Lutang still showed surprise, "Junior brother has only just entered the Ming Jin realm, but I didn't expect Ming Jin to be so profound and continuous. Even martial artists who have achieved minor success in Ming Jin are not as good as him."

Xie An thought to himself, "Isn't this all thanks to the Sunflower Manual that you, my senior brother, have mastered?"

But he said, "It's all thanks to my senior brother's excellent teaching."

cough.

Chen Lutang stopped, "Don't flatter me. I didn't teach you anything before; it was all your own hard work. But now that you've entered the Ming Jin stage, just practicing Bajiquan isn't enough. Techniques are the branches and leaves; internal strength is the foundation. If you want to go further, you need to cultivate a special method to hone your internal strength."

After saying this, Chen Lutang took out a booklet from the drawer. "This is the Vajra Force, a unique internal cultivation method of my Bajiquan sect that is not passed down to outsiders. Today I will pass it on to you."

Xie An's spirits lifted, and he accepted the booklet with both hands.

Chen Lutang slowly said, "The Vajra Strength, as the name suggests, is about cultivating the two characters 'Vajra.' It is divided into four realms, corresponding to the four major levels of internal strength. Listen carefully."

"The first level is Ming Ti. It concentrates the scattered power of the whole body into the muscles, bones, skin and flesh, making the body as hard as iron and the fists and feet incomparably fierce. When it strikes, it is earth-shattering. Wherever the wind of the fist passes, blue bricks crack and wooden stakes break - this is the ultimate Ming Jin."

"The second level is the Hidden Current. The force shifts from the outside in, converging in the fascia and bone marrow, forming a 'needle hidden in cotton' power. On the surface, it seems like a light and airy palm strike, but inside it contains a penetrating killing intent. This is specifically for cultivating hidden strength."

At this point, Chen Lutang glanced at his palm: "The day you saw my palm strike travel through the table to the ground and shatter the blue bricks, that was the skill of Hidden Flow. The force didn't leak out; it was all injected into the target's interior. There were no visible injuries on the outside, but the internal organs were shattered."

Xie An felt a chill run down his spine when he recalled that scene.

"The third level, Hunyuan." Chen Lutang's voice carried a hint of longing. "Internal and external unity, the whole body becomes a unified whole. The power can be transformed at will, combining hardness and softness, yin and yang. When the enemy attacks, you can neutralize their power for your own use; when you attack, the power can be hard or soft, unpredictable. This level is a method specifically for cultivating the transformation of power."

Xie An grew increasingly astonished as he listened. "What about the fourth level of the Vajra Force?"

Chen Lutang's gaze became distant, as if looking towards an unreachable horizon: "The fourth level is True Essence. The physical body and True Essence merge into one, forming a protective aura that makes one impervious to blades and spears, and unaffected by water and fire. At this level, ordinary weapons cannot harm you in the slightest, and even if surrounded by dozens of people, you can remain undefeated. Only after stepping into this realm can one truly enter the thirteen realms of martial arts. In the martial arts world, it is called the 'First Realm of True Essence.' If one can reach this realm, it is enough to establish a sect in Desolate Thunder City and recruit many disciples. Being recruited by the imperial court, becoming a martial arts examiner, and rising directly to the rank of commander-in-chief are all commonplace. I broke through the Transformation Realm in my early years, and after more than ten years of hard training, I still haven't touched the threshold of the True Essence Realm. However, I have personally witnessed Abbess Cihang demonstrate the techniques of the True Essence Realm."

Xie An has truly broadened his horizons today. "Please explain in detail, Senior Brother."

Chen Lutang suddenly looked at Xie An: "Have you ever heard of the extraordinary skill of making a bird fly from the palm of your hand?"

Xie An was suddenly stunned; he had heard similar stories in his previous life:

It is said that there was a martial arts master in the martial arts world at that time who was extremely skilled in lightness skills and was called "Grasshopper" Master Liu. He heard that Yang Luchan was very good at martial arts and was not convinced, so he wanted to test him.

So Liu Erye specially caught a live sparrow, hid it in his sleeve, and went to the Yang residence to see Yang Luchan.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Master Liu took out the sparrow hidden in his sleeve, pretended it was a gift, and then stuffed the sparrow into Yang Luchan's palm.

Master Liu pondered: if Yang Luchan couldn't hold the sparrow and let it fly away, it would mean that Yang Luchan's skills were not up to par; if Yang Luchan forcefully held the sparrow, it would be bullying the weak and would not be dignified.

As a result, Yang Luchan took the sparrow. His palm seemed ordinary, but the sparrow fluttered its wings in his hand, yet it couldn't fly and could only stay there obediently. Upon seeing this, Master Liu was completely convinced.

But those are all rumors, and we don't know if they're true or false.

"I would appreciate your guidance, senior brother."

Chen Lutang was filled with anticipation: "This is the technique of the True Yuan Realm. The sensitivity of the palm is extremely high, able to instantly sense the slightest change in the force exerted by a sparrow's legs. The moment the sparrow tries to push off, the palm smoothly dissipates the sparrow's point of force. The sparrow misses its target, unable to gain any leverage, and naturally cannot fly. This is the subtle control of the True Yuan Realm. A bird cannot fly from the palm, it is also called 'not a feather can be added, not a fly can land.'"

"I suffered a hidden injury in my early years, falling from the level of Hua Jin to An Jin, and only now am I showing signs of recovery. I only wish to master the ultimate skill of 'the bird cannot fly from the palm' in this lifetime. Junior brother, you are still young, and you may go further than your senior brother in the future."

Xie An accepted the booklet, cupped his hands, and said, "Senior Brother, with your great talent and ambition, you will surely be able to master the skill of keeping birds from flying away from your palm."

"Haha, thank you for your kind words, junior brother. Take this booklet and study it carefully. Remember, Vajra Force is different from ordinary internal strength. It requires the power of Bajiquan as a guide, and you can practice it in every move. When you practice your boxing daily, circulate your breath according to the formula, and you will see results over time."

If you encounter anything you don't understand, just come and find your brother anytime. Also, I've had Wei Xiang clear out a courtyard next to Jingsi Garden, called Baicaotang, which will be your training place from now on. The courtyard is spacious and quiet, fully furnished, and you can also bring your younger sister to stay there, saving you the trouble of traveling back and forth.”

"Thank you, senior brother."

……

Next to Jingsi Garden is Baicaotang.

Not only is the location secluded, but it also has a courtyard for practicing martial arts, a small kitchen, and two bedrooms, making it convenient to stay.

Xie An sat in the pavilion beneath the ancient locust tree in the courtyard. Opening the cover of the Vajra Strength manual, the first line read: "The Vajra Bright Body, its intention is to solidify form. Muscles and bones are the beams, qi and blood are the slurry..."

After quickly reading through all the content, Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

"As expected, it's an internal martial arts secret technique..."

"It seems my estimation was correct. The Sunflower Manual is a method for cultivating internal energy. My martial arts level was not high enough before, so the feedback was very limited. Now that I have entered the Ming Jin stage... I can finally say that I have truly benefited from the Sunflower Manual. When my senior brother has mastered the second level of the Sunflower Manual's mental cultivation method, that may be the time when I enter the An Jin stage."

Having mastered the incantation, Xie An began to practice it. His internal energy immediately surged and flowed...

The snow is still falling.

The snow in the yard was already above ankle-deep.

But Xie An felt as if a fire was burning in his heart.

At noon, Xie Yu, along with Qiu Lan and two maids, brought a sumptuous lunch.

After the meal, Li Shengnan came to visit.

Others are somewhat hesitant when they see Xie An now, but Li Shengnan remains as lively as before.

"Junior Brother Xie An... oh, I mean, Uncle-Master. Are you still going to take up your post at the River and Lake Management Office?"

Xie An put down his book. "Go. We can't just stay in the martial arts school and train hard all the time. It will be more beneficial for us to go out and gain more experience."

"Then let's go. We need to go report."

"OK."

Xie An took his Tang sword and followed Li Shengnan all the way to the riverbank.

Upon arriving at the main gate of the river and lake administration office, Xie An was surprised to see more than twenty river soldiers and auxiliary soldiers lined up neatly, with firecrackers hanging nearby and a large drum prepared. Inspector Zhou Fu and clerk Zhou Wu were even dressed in formal attire, standing ramrod straight at the front of the crowd.

Upon seeing Xie An, Zhou Fu and Zhou Wu hurriedly greeted him with smiles: "Congratulations, Master Xie, on entering the Ming Jin realm and becoming Master Chen's junior brother. Our Hebo Bureau has produced a dragon crossing the river; that's quite an achievement. Zhou Wu, light the cannon."

crackling sounds~

Firecrackers were set off, and drums and music began.

After the firecrackers stopped and the drums and music played, all the river soldiers and auxiliary soldiers bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Xie!"