After the Great Dao died

Chen Lingxi was taken to the servants' room in the west courtyard by the maid.

Although this place is still the servants' quarters, it is much more spacious and dry than the back room. There is a bed, a table, and a chair, and the windows are intact, so wind and snow cannot easily get in.

After the maid left, Chen Lingxi washed and settled in, then closed her eyes and concentrated, activating the [Seeing and Traveling] supernatural power again, her consciousness sinking into the divine chamber, attempting to spy on Lin Su Ri.

Just a few breaths later, Chen Lingxi opened her eyes, her consciousness returning to reality.

He frowned and let out a soft "hmm".

"Seeing that You Shentong was unable to track Lin Suri down this time..."

Chen Lingxi was a little confused, but then she realized what was going on.

"The shrine's dimensions are three hundred zhang vertically and three hundred zhang horizontally... It seems that the reason the torrent cannot land on Lin Su Ri is because Lin Su Ri is not within the shrine's boundaries today."

He shook his head gently.

For the past two nights, Lin Su had been practicing breathing exercises in the East Hall of the South Courtyard in a peculiar posture. His body was filled with flowing energy and golden light appeared and disappeared, but Chen Lingxi gained nothing from it...

Today, Lin Su Ri is not here again.

"Continue your spiritual practice."

Chen Lingxi banished the many thoughts from her mind, her body arched again, her breathing became a series of pauses and five breaths per breath...

"After three days of rest, I am now able to complete a full breathing exercise, taking in three breaths and five breaths at a time, swallowing a complete 'qi'."

Chen Lingxi dared not be negligent.

After all, this breathing technique was his greatest hope.

The night passed in this way, until dawn broke and the snow cleared and the clouds parted. A servant in green was already waiting outside the room. When Chen Ling came out of the room, he led him to the martial arts academy.

The martial arts academy is located on the east side of the Marquis's residence, with high walls, green tiles, and a wide-open vermilion gate.

Upon entering, one sees a spacious stone courtyard. The snow has been swept away, revealing the dark blue stone surface. Stone locks, wooden stakes, and archery targets are displayed in the courtyard, while swords, spears, and halberds gleam coldly on shelves in the corners.

The east and west wings of the courtyard are pavilions, which house martial arts books and meditation rooms. To the north, a two-story main building stands majestically, with a black plaque with gold characters hanging under the eaves. The three characters "Yanwu Tang" are written in vigorous strokes, exuding a solemn and murderous aura.

At this time, several people in the courtyard were leading the guards in morning exercises. The shouts and the sound of wind breaking intertwined, and the steaming energy made the surrounding chill lessen a bit.

Chen Ling glanced around, her gaze first settling on one of them.

The man appeared to be about forty years old, with a slender build but a large frame, broad shoulders, wide wrists, and protruding knuckles like old bamboo joints. He looked like an iron frame supporting a skin.

He was teaching a boxing style, and his punches were extremely slow. As he lowered his waist, his bones cracked and popped.

It wasn't a crackling sound, but a deep, humming sound, like a bell tolling from underground!

A faint, moonlit silvery-white aura emanated from his body. With a few punches, ripples were even created in the void, demonstrating his extraordinary skill.

"It is He Duan, an instructor in the west courtyard of the Marquis's residence."

Chen Lingxi had already heard of this person's name, so she quietly watched as he taught people martial arts.

A full quarter of an hour passed.

He Duan stopped and stood still.

The others who were practicing with him had their clothes soaked with sweat and seemed to be exhausted. They all sat down on the ground to rest.

He Duan, however, remained calm and said loudly, "In a few days, Jiang Yuan, the new guest elder of the West Courtyard, a person with perfected Silver Bone, will take one of my West Courtyard disciples to teach him his signature martial arts!"

"You have been diligently cultivating these past few days. If you can receive instruction from Jiang Yuan, it will be an immense opportunity for you."

The courtyard was noisy, and everyone was quite pleased.

A disciple brought over a silver basin, and He Duan washed his hands before finally turning his gaze to Chen Lingxi, who was not far away.

Just as Chen Lingxi was about to step forward, the priest turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the main building.

Before long, another young man emerged, carrying several classic books in his arms.

"Chen Lingxi?"

The man approached and handed the books to Chen Lingxi: "Consort He wants you to choose one of these three to take back with you, and leave the rest on that stone block."

After the young man finished speaking, he walked away.

As a government slave in the Baosu Marquis's mansion, Chen Lingxi was already used to the cold looks from others.

His expression remained unchanged as he looked at the three classic books in his hands.

"【Sinking Iron Stakes】, 【Layered Wave Fist】, 【Incomplete Seven Forms of Ceasefire】!"

Chen Ling found a quiet place, opened the preface, and began to read it carefully…

After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

"The Iron Stake is a form of stance training, used to temper the body, melt the blood and qi, and refine the iron body through a hundredfold process."

This skill has no accompanying boxing technique, is virtually harmless, and cannot be used for self-defense.

"The Wave Fist is a pure technique for stimulating qi and blood... I haven't even entered the realm of martial arts yet, so this fist technique is completely unsuitable for me."

It seems He Duan doesn't take me seriously.

Chen Lingxi shook his head, his gaze finally settling on the incomplete scroll of the Seven Styles of Ceasefire.

"This seems to be a rather complex martial art, capable of both strengthening the body and bones and killing enemies, but it is not a complete one."

Even so, even though it seems eclectic, it is the most suitable of these three martial arts manuals for me…”

The three martial arts techniques seem to offer a choice, but in reality, Chen Lingxi can only choose the incomplete Seven Forms of Ceasefire.

Having chosen her training method, Chen Lingxi did not linger in the martial arts hall and returned to the servants' quarters with the young servant.

In the side room, Chen Lingxi opened the incomplete scroll of the Seven Styles of Ceasefire and read it carefully.

Four full hours passed. Except for a bowl of hard, gritty millet mixed with coarse rice and boiled cabbage at the servants' canteen at noon, Chen Lingxi stayed in the servants' quarters, reading and studying the Seven Forms of Ceasefire.

While the Seven Forms of Ceasefire are described as a boxing style, they are actually a general outline for beginners in martial arts.

As the scorching sun gradually set behind the western mountains, Chen Lingxi finally exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Practicing martial arts is so difficult!"

He originally thought that martial arts training was like what he saw on TV in his previous life, practicing punches and kicks step by step. He never imagined that for an ordinary person to enter the martial arts world, there were many things required!

"The martial arts path in the Great Li Dynasty and even the whole world is divided into seven realms."

"Iron body, bronze red, silver bones, golden body, jade aura, nine revolutions, entering the profound!"

"Taking the entry-level Iron Body as an example, one must first undergo a hundred days of intensive foundation-building training before even beginning martial arts practice. This involves external martial arts training combined with dietary supplements, progressing gradually every day to lay the foundation for future cultivation of martial arts classics, so as to avoid lifelong injuries that would prevent one from reaching the Silver Bones and Golden Body levels!"

"After a hundred days of foundation building until one can smoothly practice martial arts classics, one can then [strike] and [hammer] one's body while practicing!"

Initially, they used wooden pestles to pound and refine the metal until it became iron-like, then they switched to iron sandbags.

Chen Lingxi's thoughts were in turmoil.

"It's not enough to just work hard in cultivation; you also need plenty of food. If possible, you can also take body-tempering pills and have a medicinal bath to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and strengthen your muscles and bones."

This book of the Seven Styles of Ceasefire includes a formula for tempering the body!

"Lycium bark, safflower, Clematis chinensis... and even mica!"

He couldn't help but sigh: "This one prescription alone will probably cost several taels of silver. If one dose is taken every day, it will cost one or two hundred taels in just one year!"

As a government slave, Chen Lingxi received no monthly allowance.

In other words, he couldn't even afford a single dose of medicine!

"The book says that martial arts is a wasteful practice. It requires a lot of meat to replenish qi and blood, as well as various medicines and medicinal baths, otherwise it will damage the foundation of the body... As a government slave, I can only eat coarse rice and cabbage every day, and I can't see meat once a month."

"If that's the case, does that mean I can't practice martial arts anymore?"

Chen Lingxi frowned even more deeply.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"I have only been practicing the breathing technique I learned from Lin Suri for four days!"

"But in the four days that followed, I ate only two bowls of coarse rice and cabbage each day, and my stomach did not feel as empty and hollow as it used to."

Instead, I felt a warm energy rising from my dantian from time to time, circulating throughout my limbs and bones, and my skin and bones constantly felt a burning sensation.

Chen Lingxi was already aware of these changes.

Especially after completing his daily morning practice, he felt light and agile, his eyes were clear and bright, and even his five senses and perceptions became much more acute.

"I still have the strength..."

Chen Lingxi stood up and tried to move the elm wood square table in the side room.

Chen Lingxi, who had been working hard every day and was suffering greatly, gritted her teeth and used all her strength, but could only move a few inches.

Now, with a gentle pull of his hand, the corner of the table moved two or three inches!

The weighty texture feels substantial in the palm, yet it doesn't feel strained; rather, it gives a sense of effortless ease.

This feeling...

He suddenly recalled the description in the preface to the "Seven Techniques for Ceasefire"—

"When ordinary people learn martial arts, they should first nourish their stomachs with coarse and simple food, and then practice stance training. After a hundred days, their qi and blood will gradually become stronger, their strength will be like that of a horse, and their joints will crack. Only then can they be considered to have initially established their foundation."

His strength was like that of a horse, and the power that was quietly growing in his muscles and bones, along with his complete energy and spirit, subtly corresponded to the omen of "foundation building being completed" in the book.

Chen Lingxi's heart skipped a beat.

"Could it be...?"

He lowered his head, raised his hand, and opened the incomplete scroll of the Seven Techniques of Ceasefire!

The scroll is old and worn, with some damage to the edges, but the ink marks are still very clear.

He flipped to the general outline diagram and his eyes fell on the nine variations of the first move, "Mountain-Moving Form"!

"Whether you have completed the foundation building of martial arts will be known in a single test!"