Body Refinement for Longevity: From Health Cultivation Exercises to Overcoming All Techniques

Winter has passed, Qingming Festival has come and gone, time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

That day at noon, Chen Han was practicing Tai Chi health exercises in the courtyard.

[Tai Chi Health Preservation Exercise +1]

[Skill: Tai Chi Health Preservation Exercise (Beginner) 49/50]

Chen Han walked steadily, lowered his center of gravity, and pushed out lightly with one hand in a bow stance.

Compared to three months ago, he looks much better, and it's hard to tell that he had suffered a life-threatening injury before.

Chen Han's movements were as light as a swallow, his body perfectly coordinated and incredibly mysterious. His massage techniques even had a touch of otherworldly elegance, making it very comfortable to watch.

[Tai Chi Health Preservation Exercise +1]

Tai Chi Health Preservation Exercise (Minor Success) 1/100

A faint barrier, which seemed to exist only briefly, crumbled on its own as proficiency increased, followed by a soft sound of bones twisting and tendons throbbing.

In an instant, Chen Han felt a great change in his body. His movements became more coordinated and comfortable, and he could do whatever he wanted.

The air feels so fresh.

A look of great joy appeared on Chen Han's face.

Then, he got into position and began the next stage of Tai Chi health exercises.

But gradually, he began to feel powerless; the blush faded, and his face turned pale.

But his proficiency level never seemed to increase.

"What's going on? Why has my energy and blood been depleted so much in just a few minutes of practice, and my proficiency hasn't increased at all?"

Chen Han opened a book on Tai Chi health exercises, pondered for a moment, and came up with a possible answer.

He muttered to himself, "My physical condition is much better than before, but I'm still not quite at the level of an average adult male."

According to this book, the first step is to cultivate one's original constitution and nourish one's qi and blood, while a minor achievement may mean the reshaping of muscles and bones and a complete transformation.

In the previous stage, I only needed regular food, but now I need more potent tonics and exotic beast meat to replenish my qi and blood.

After figuring out the cause and effect, Chen Han found it very troublesome.

While the proficiency panel allows him to have boundless comprehension without any bottlenecks, it cannot change the objective reality.

The prerequisite for practicing this stage of Tai Chi health exercises is sufficient Qi and blood; without this prerequisite, it's like building a house without a foundation.

It's impossible to cover it up.

"Medicinal soup and exotic beast meat are both necessities for martial arts practitioners. They are expensive, and it would be a pipe dream to keep supplying them without a lot of money."

Strange beasts are ferocious wild animals that exist in the wilderness. They come in various kinds, including birds and beasts, and are all more ferocious and powerful than ordinary wild animals.

Often, a single one can destroy a village, and it is difficult to kill without the cooperation of several heavily armored cavalry.

Of course, if it were someone who had mastered martial arts, they might only need to fight alone.

The value of this beast's flesh and blood is even greater than that of medicinal soup, and its nourishing effect on qi and blood is far more potent.

In the eyes of ordinary people, it was a rare commodity that they could never even see, and only martial arts schools and martial arts families had the channels to purchase it.

Chen Han is now just an ordinary citizen, so it goes without saying that even if he had money, he couldn't buy it, and besides, he doesn't have any money at all.

"But if I can rebuild my bones and muscles, with my past martial arts skills, I can easily return to my peak. If it's in time..."

Chen Han thought of the family's martial arts competition.

If one can achieve good results at the ceremony, one can enjoy many family privileges.

"Hey Chen, come eat!"

Before he could sort out his thoughts, an elderly woman with graying hair came out of the house and impatiently called out to Chen Han.

"Okay, coming right away."

The old woman was his mother-in-law, and she often gave him the cold shoulder, but Chen Han couldn't argue back.

The elderly couple had no children, and now they finally had this son-in-law who moved in with them, but he spends all his time doing nothing but practicing health exercises, which has even affected their ability to earn money.

But that's bad enough, what's even more infuriating is that he's unwilling to have children.

This could be considered a violation of the elderly couple's taboo.

I've tried to talk to him about this several times, but he always manages to stall me, and I've ended up getting nowhere. Over time, I've become indifferent to him.

Chen Han wasn't being aloof or looking down on his wife after she married him; it was just that the loss of his vital energy was very detrimental to his recovery, so he had no choice but to do this.

During the meal, Chen Han smiled and served his mother-in-law several dishes. Her gaze softened slightly, but she remained indifferent.

The father-in-law and daughter-in-law work as lunch providers, leaving early and returning late.

After the meal, Chen Han set off to his employer's place to begin his day's work. It was a small restaurant located in the inner city, where security was much better than in the outer city.

The restaurant's food and drinks are fresh and taste good; occasionally, wealthy gentlemen will come to dine there.

Chen Han worked as an accountant here. The manager was a relative of the owner, who was shrewd but illiterate, which is why he got the job.

"Mr. Chen."

The old shopkeeper greeted him with a smile, and Chen Han nodded and smiled back, "Shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper was a nice person, very polite to everyone. Chen Han once saw him give the leftovers of the gentlemen to a little beggar in the outer city.

Sitting next to the shopkeeper, Chen Han began to process the bills from last night and this morning.

There are many bills, and sorting them out is quite troublesome.

He didn't finish tidying up until the sun had set.

"Mr. Chen is gone."

Just as Chen Han was about to leave, the shopkeeper called him back.

"Okay, I'm leaving."

"Take this."

The shopkeeper took something out from under the counter and handed it to Chen Han, grinning broadly.

This item was wrapped in oiled paper, on which the two characters "Xu Ji" could be faintly seen. This was a famous flower cake brand in the city.

"Good stuff, given to me by the boss. I'm not used to it, you take it back and try it."

Chen Han accepted it, thanked him with a smile, and then left.

Watching the departing middle-aged man, the old shopkeeper sighed, a look of regret in his eyes.

"He was skilled in martial arts, handsome, literate, and adept at arithmetic. It's a pity that one wrong step led to his eternal regret..."

Chen Han did not go home, but instead came to a small school where his younger sister attended school.

Today is the end of the month, and school is on holiday. He is, on the surface, the most "idle" person in the family, so the task of picking up his younger sister from school naturally falls on his shoulders.

Before long, the school opened its doors, and a group of twelve- or thirteen-year-old children came out.

Their clothes weren't expensive, but they were neat and tidy, without any patches.

Their family's financial situation was relatively good, otherwise their parents wouldn't have sent them to learn to read.

However, children of this age seem to have already passed the stage of learning to read and write, and have begun to learn etiquette and agricultural knowledge.

Chen Han quickly spotted his younger sister among the passersby. Her eyes were very similar to her older sister's, both being watery and large.

The little girl was accompanied by two people, a boy and a girl, who seemed to be her school friends.

Chen Han's gaze lingered on the little boy for a few more moments. He had delicate features, but Chen Han still felt something was off about him.

"Big brother."

The little girl called out to him in a lukewarm tone, indicating that she wasn't very close to him.

At fourteen, she already had her own ideas and a unique personality, which might be what annoyed him about being a live-in son-in-law.

Chen Han naturally didn't care. Feelings can't be rushed; they need to be nurtured slowly. He handed the pastries to the girl and said, "Try some."

"This is... Xu Ji's flower cake. Even my mother wouldn't buy it for me."

Shen Yue exclaimed in surprise, and the two little girls' eyes lit up instantly.

The boy next to the two girls crossed his arms, seemingly unconcerned, and refused to share with them, behaving like a little adult.

Just then, a man drenched in sweat came up to Chen Han. He had regular features, bronze skin, and looked quite muscular.

Chen Han could tell at a glance that this person was a martial artist, perhaps practicing martial arts just now. Judging from his appearance, he should have reached the level of Ming Jin.