Chapter Fourteen: Qi

med to be... a treasureCultivation below the stage of forming a pill cannot use magical artifacts. The烏木劍 (Wumu Jian) is a fragment of a magical artifact, and because it was refined by an artisan, Qin...Yang Zhen's stride was like a dragon's, his gait as powerful as a tiger's. Though he didn't roar, his very presence commanded respect. A single glance from his piercing eyes silenced the entire courtyard.

"You," Yang Zhen pointed to those formal disciples, his voice like a booming gong, shaking the tiles of the house. "Quickly go and fetch the horses, go to the training ground outside the city, today we will assess your martial arts."

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The group of young men scattered, and Qin Sang was still bewildered. A slender youth grabbed Qin Sang's arm and said, "Brother, why don't you ride a horse with me My name is Huang Chen, what do you call yourself"

This Huang Chen is the oldest among them. Seeing that others were also in pairs, Qin Sang followed Huang Chen and said, "My name is Qin Sang, Brother Huang. Where are we going"

"The martial arts training ground is outside the city, and you have to take a horse from the鏢局 to get there."

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The Wuwei Escort Agency was located in the south of Sanwu City. The training grounds were built outside the southern city walls. Qin Sang couldn't ride a horse, so Huang Chen took him there.

Two riders galloped side by side, racing out of the city. As they reached the South City Gate, they saw a squad of well-equipped soldiers standing guard. The soldiers blocked the gate, preventing any civilians from passing. A large crowd was stuck at the city gates.

Everyone could only lead their horses and walk, after asking someone they found out that the King of Water Town was going to pay respects at the Temple of National Security today to pray for the emperor’s well-being, and the procession had already left the palace.

Bao Guo Temple is located on Lu Ma Mountain in the west of San Wu City, fifteen miles from the city. However, the south gate is the main entrance. Such a grand sacrificial event must exit from the south gate.

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They jostled in the crowd, patiently waiting for a while, then they heard drums and gongs announcing the procession. Soon, the Water King's procession from the inner city arrived, with elite soldiers guarding its front and rear. In the middle were a dozen or so exquisitely decorated carriages, shrouded by thick curtains, obscuring the appearance of those inside.

Qin Sang was curious and tiptoed to look around.

A luxurious procession walked out of the city gate, and on both sides of the avenue were crowded with refugee shacks.

At this moment, Qin Sang noticed that the guards of the Prince's palanquin were wearing armor with the character '鎮' written on their backs. Whether it was the color, style, or even font, it was exactly the same as the characters on Bai Jianglan and the others. The only difference was that Bai Jianglan and the others had worn short coats that day with the character '東' on their backs.

Seeing this scene, Qin Sang's heart moved slightly, and she leaned towards Huang Chen to inquire.

Huang Chen didn't doubt him and whispered, "Brother Qin, you don't know, they aren't ordinary soldiers, they are the Wangye's personal guards. The Duality ancestors decreed that a prince could form 500 personal guards by himself, considered as his private army. These prince guards were either selected from the military or recruited from Jianghu heroes, each one was a skilled and elite warrior. They usually guarded the manor, only accompanying the Prince, Prince, or Princess when they traveled. Not just Zhen Shui Prince, other princes have similar guards. Those you've seen before must have been the Dong Yang prince's guards."

Qin Sang seemed thoughtful.

That day, he heard from the Water Monkey that there were eight princes in the Sui Dynasty, and indeed one of them was the Prince of Dongyang, a blood brother of the current emperor. The Water Monkey seemed carefree and loose-lipped, but in reality, he kept his mouth shut tight, not revealing a single secret.

Bai Jianglan turned out to be the commander of the East Yang King's personal guard, a higher position than Qin Sang had imagined. The mysterious young lady was likely either the king's concubine or his daughter.

The prince relied on his past connections, and everyone allowed them to pass through. After leaving the city, they galloped for a while, turning from the main road onto a smaller path that led into the mountains. They arrived at a mountain villa. According to Huang Chen, this place was also owned by the鏢局.

There is a large, level playground in the manor.

A number of young boys lined up in the schoolyard. Yang Zhen divided them into groups, similar to Qin Sang who only learned one martial art, along with three others, they stood together.

Yang Zhen first tested his disciples, allowing them to practice on their own. Then he walked over and imparted martial arts techniques to the four of them.

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The other three people all had tasks to do. Qin Sang was the weakest, and Yang Zhen didn't seem to care much about him.

However, money doesn't come for free. Yang Zhen did indeed live up to his good reputation. He diligently taught Qin Sang the ups and downs of the Tiger-Roaring Fist, and told him he could come every day afterward until he mastered it.

One day, Qin Sang learned the complete seven forms of Fuhu Changquan from Yang Zhen.

To his surprise, the first three forms of the Tiger-Striking Fist taught by Yang Zhen were quite different from those taught by Bai Jianglan. The moves were the same, but Yang Zhen lacked many of the details that Bai Jianglan possessed.

Such details have a tremendous impact on the power of the moves.

Especially since Qin Sang has practiced the first three styles for so many days, this feeling is even more profound.

Yang Zhen was highly renowned, and such a common martial art technique wouldn't be something he would keep secret. Therefore, the difference must lie in themselves.

It is said that Yang Zhen's martial arts skills in Sanwu City could rank in the top ten. It is unknown if he has internal energy. Could Bai Jianglan be a top-tier expert

Anyway, the silver was spent, and the boxing had to be learned. He prepared to try and comprehend the last seven styles based on Bai Jianglan's guidance to him in the first three styles.

Qingyang Guan to Wuyi鏢局's mountain villa was not far, Qin Sang went to learn martial arts every day and soon learned the Fuhuchangquan.

However, he still frequently visited the mountain villa. He would listen to the disciples of Yang Zhen exchange martial arts insights and hear many martial arts anecdotes from them. He also learned how to ride a horse and shoot arrows.

In the third month of spring, grass grows and cuckoos fly.

In past years of hardship, by this time the displaced people would have returned to their hometowns to plant crops. This year, however, it is said that the rebellion in the north is growing worse and the flames of war are spreading. Despite the turmoil, there is still a constant flow of refugees heading south.

Man-made disasters are worse than natural disasters.

The Netherworld Scripture made no progress. Even though Qin Sang kept persuading himself to be patient, he was getting restless. He could only blame his lack of effort and began meditating day and night, nearly going mad.

During the day, he also had to practice boxing, chant sutras, and help the old Daoist priest. As a result, he was almost constantly on the go. Fortunately, meditation practice could also restore his energy, and he didn't find it hard at all.

Moonlight streamed into the stone house. Qin Sang stared blankly out the window. The moon was full and round, a shooting star streaked across the desolate night sky, falling beyond the distant mountains, into an endless, vast world.

After six months of effort and nearly four months of sitting in meditation, he finally felt the qi mentioned in the scriptures within his body!

> What people fear most is not persistence, but persistence without hope.

But the moment the harvest truly arrives, you know all the effort was worth it.

When Qin Sang truly felt that wisp of coolness, he was like dreaming.

That 'qi' was only as thin as a hair, like a mischievous child, running around wildly in the dantian. Qin Sang tried to 'grasp' it and feel it carefully, but found that it was impossible.

According to the Netherworld Scripture, one can only "introspect" after breaking through the second layer of cultivation techniques. All he could do now was urge that qi into his meridians, carefully running it along the prescribed path in the technique.

After a few weeks, nothing unexpected happened, Qin Sang finally put his heart at ease. Just as he wanted to relax and cultivate with all his might, a terrifying wave of pain suddenly surged through his meridians.

>

Qin Sang trembled all over, his entire body suddenly shrinking into a ball, letting out a pained low growl. His clothes were immediately soaked with cold sweat.

> Please note that without any text content within the tags, I can only provide the empty string as a translation. If you have some text you'd like translated, please replace the "..." with your content and I'll be happy to help! Let me know if you have any other requests. longer watching from the sidelines, making a grand appearance!Bai floated in mid-air, his eyes seemed to ignore Ye Lao Mo completely, doing his own thing.His fingers danced like butterflies, a series...