From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

Zhu Hong casually held the brocade box in his palm, pressed his thumb against the clasp, and gently pushed it open. With a "click," the lid popped open.

The snow-white white fruit is as smooth and lustrous as jade.

I lie quietly awaiting your picking.

He reached out and grabbed the fruit in his palm, stared at it intently, and muttered to himself, "Although it's not the best time to eat it now, it's a bit of a pity. But the die is cast, so I have to eat it. I just hope this second-grade spiritual fruit won't leave me disappointed."

Thinking of this, he picked up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth.

Soft and delicate, it melts in your mouth. The white fruit is not as sweet as expected. Instead, there is a slight bitterness at first, which lingers on the tip of the tongue and is cool. Then it slowly melts away. After a while, a sweet aftertaste quietly rises from the back of the tongue, leaving a long and pleasant aftertaste.

"boom--!"

Before he could even taste it, a powerful medicinal force suddenly exploded in his stomach.

The medicine was potent, like a river bursting its banks.

Zhu Hong suddenly felt unbearably hot all over, as if his blood was being ignited by a raging fire, surging and roaring in his veins. Even his breathing became heavy and rapid, and cold sweat was already seeping from his forehead, trickling down his eyebrows. It felt itchy, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

He dared not be careless, quickly composed himself, and got up.

Then, the feet spread apart, shoulder-width apart, and the spine rises vertebra by vertebra, as if someone is holding a string above the head, and the whole body sinks down. Then, the arms slowly rise, as if embracing an invisible tree.

Focus your energy in your lower abdomen and concentrate your mind on the Xuan Guan (a point on the lower back).

This is precisely the stretching method for strengthening the fascia in stance training.

"To strengthen the tendons, one must first loosen them. The slight trembling during standing meditation helps to open up the fascia."

Zhu Hongyi copied the model.

Strengthening the muscles and tendons.

A difference of just one word, yet the difference is like heaven and earth.

Those who train their muscles are forging muscle fibers, seeking a kind of "hardness". Muscles are like iron, with fierce and powerful force. A punch can shatter stone and split monuments. However, the power needs to be built up and there is still some momentum when the move is finished. In the end, there is a sense of abruptness, like a dull knife chopping wood, which penetrates but does not go smoothly.

Strengthening tendons is different.

What is being trained is the dense fascia that wraps around the muscles and connects to the bones. Once you enter the realm of tendon training, the tendons are like taut strings, ready to be released at a moment's tension. The moment a thought arises, the force has already arrived, flowing from the soles of the feet to the fingertips without the slightest delay.

This is precisely the dividing line between martial arts apprentices and martial arts students.

Zhu Hong closed his eyes and looked inward, sensing the flow of the medicine within his body.

At first, the medicinal power was like a wild horse running rampant, but under his guidance, it gradually split into two streams. One stream flowed down the meridians, into the dantian, and transformed into a rolling heat current that nourished the qi and blood. The other stream spread to the extremities, like a trickle, seeping deep into the fascia.

"Article 1."

He focused his mind and directed the medicinal power to the Hand Yangming Meridian of his right arm.

The meridian originates from the index finger, ascends to the shoulder, and ends at the head and face. In his daily life, when he draws his sword to kill enemies, this meridian exerts the most force, but it is also the most fatigued. Over time, there have been several stiff spots.

The medicine took effect, causing a sharp pain.

It felt as if a million tiny needles were simultaneously piercing the fascia.

"Well……"

Zhu Hong groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat pouring down his face. But he didn't back down. Instead, he gritted his teeth, focused his mind on the medicinal power, and slammed it hard into the stiff spot.

One wave after another.

Amidst the excruciating pain, suddenly, a "click" sound rang out inside my body.

The stiff fascia jolted violently under the influence of the medicine, then relaxed. A warm current spread along the meridians, from the fingertips to the shoulders, then down the spine and into the dantian, a warm and comforting sensation that was indescribably pleasant.

My strength has increased by ten pounds.

"It's connected!"

A hint of joy flickered in Zhu Hong's eyes, and he felt an inexplicable lightness in his right arm.

The first fascia was relatively simple, but reassuringly, less than a tenth of the medicinal power had been used up, leaving a significant amount to further refine the fascia. He couldn't help but smile to himself: "At this rate, striking a dozen or so shouldn't be a problem."

"continue."

He changed his position and began to vibrate another fascia in a different posture.

Shift your weight between your feet and twist your waist and hips slightly, like an old bear rubbing its back or a willow swaying in the wind, directing the medicinal effects in a new direction.

Time moves very slowly.

The process was indeed not as simple as he had imagined. The second fascia was much more difficult to train than the first, and the continuous pain made him clench his teeth.

Due to the effects of the medicine.

Aches, numbness, swelling, and pain came in turn, as if someone were digging into his flesh with a dull knife. Zhu Hong remained silent, his mind fixed intently on those fascia and tendons.

Sweat streamed down his face from his forehead.

It dripped onto my clothes, spreading into a small patch of dark color.

"clatter."

Several hours, or perhaps half a day, he had long since lost track of the time. He only knew that a soft sound rang out again, and the second meridian was open.

My strength increased by fifteen pounds.

Immediately afterward, while the enthusiasm was still high, I ran forward all the way. From shoulder to elbow, from elbow to wrist, in one day, the fascia of my entire arm was thoroughly worked and opened up.

"Not bad, the medicine is still 70% effective."

Zhu Hong chuckled.

Next are the legs.

From here on, it gets much tougher than the forearms.

The medicine's effects struck him like a punch to water, barely registering the force. The fascia was taut like cowhide soaked in tung oil, unmoved no matter how much he struggled. He tried again and again, over and over.

"A soft knife cuts through flesh, a slow fire simmers the body."

He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and decided not to confront it head-on. Instead, he changed his approach, twisting the medicinal power into a thin, warm stream, letting it seep in little by little, slowly but surely.

Without realizing it.

The sun outside the window moved from east to west.

Until a warm current passed by, my legs felt as if they had been freed from some kind of restraint, and they felt more stable and heavier on the ground, like the roots of an old tree.

However, there is still one fascia left in both legs.

Article 6.

Jueyin meridian of foot.

It runs along the inner thigh, connecting the liver and kidney meridians, and is the deepest fascia in both legs.

The instant the drug's effects hit.

He felt as if he had been punched hard in the lower abdomen, his breath caught in his throat, and his vision went black. Then, a warm sensation rose from deep within his lower abdomen, climbing up his spine vertebra by vertebra, before suddenly exploding when it reached his lower back.

A soft cracking sound came from the entire spine, like bamboo joints growing taller.

"No wonder it's called the dividing line."

Once the first five meridians are opened, one's limbs become more agile and one's strength increases.

Once the sixth line is activated, the entire body connects seamlessly. Power rises from the soles of the feet, travels through the legs, waist, back, and arms, finally concentrating at the fingertips in one continuous flow. Zhu Hong tried to activate it with just one thought.

His right fist clenched tightly with a "snap".

The speed was so fast that even he was a little surprised and startled.

"The medicine is still half effective."

Zhu Hong felt the remaining medicinal effects in his body and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. "I wonder how far I can hold out?"

All twelve fascia were boiled and refined.

He absolutely dared not think of it.

The first six steps consumed more medicinal power than the last, especially the sixth, which, as the first watershed, almost consumed the combined power of the previous five. Not to mention the ever-increasing twelfth step, which is the final and most difficult to temper the fascia.

The Governing Vessel (Du Mai).

The amount of medicinal power lost is probably immeasurable.