"Practicing martial arts without practicing boxing is like a ship without a rudder."
"To practice the Guanxi Wuji Knife, you must first practice Pile Skill..."
"Pile Skill is the foundation of boxing. When practicing boxing, train the legs first; when training legs, practice Pile Skill first."
"Ultimately, martial arts isn't just about skill; a strong body is key. If your Pile Skill is solid, your legs will be like copper and iron, your lower body stable. When others strike you, it will be like a gentle breeze brushing a mountainside..."
Master Ma didn't directly teach Xu Xing the Swordsmanship routines of the Guanxi Wuji Knife. Instead, he had him practice the Horse Step for seven days. Only once the Horse Step component of Pile Skill was mastered would he begin teaching him the next stage of Pile Skill: the Bow Step.
"Yes, Master Ma."
Xu Xing didn't refute Master Ma's words.
Although his body in this life was reasonably strong, it was far inferior to Master Ma's.
If Xu Xing punched Master Ma, it would feel weak and powerless. But if Master Ma punched him, he could be bedridden for days, or even be left half-paralyzed and die on the spot.
Master Ma teaching him Pile Skill before Swordsmanship wasn't a sign of selfishness or stinginess.
A single sentence of true lineage is worth more than ten thousand scrolls of false teachings.
Guidance in Pile Skill from a great master is more valuable than ordinary Swordsmanship.
In other words, Pile Skill is the foundation of martial arts.
Martial arts are taught systematically; one doesn't simply learn powerful Swordsmanship and suddenly become ranked among the martial arts masters.
Practicing only Swordsmanship without Pile Skill... that's just an empty show, easily shattered with a single poke.
The backyard was open, with a corner full of Wood Piles of varying heights.
The lower parts of these Wood Piles were buried in the ground, while the upper sections rose about three to five feet above it.
These were the Plum Blossom Piles needed for practicing Pile Skill.
Xu Xing followed Master Ma's instructions, standing on a Wood Pile, holding the Horse Step.
As time passed, the sun blazed down, and his bared upper body was soon drenched in sweat.
DRIP! DRIP!
Beads of sweat, like pearls from a broken string, streamed down his body.
It felt as if he had taken a hot bath.
His legs gradually grew weak and powerless, and his head felt dizzy as if he had heatstroke.
Until—the next moment, his center of gravity suddenly destabilized, and his body tilted backward.
Instantly, a jolt went through him, and he planted his feet firmly on the Wood Pile once more.
But at that very moment, his entire body throbbed with pain, his limbs and bones feeling as though ten thousand ants were gnawing at them. His legs trembled violently.
"Chest in! Waist straight! Abdomen tight! Hips tucked! Shoulders down, elbows dropped..."
"What did I just teach you?" Master Ma's gaze was stern as he reprimanded Xu Xing.
"As the boxing adage goes: 'Hands are like two doors; all the striking power comes from the legs.' And legs are Pile Skill... The Guanxi Wuji Knife emphasizes grand and sweeping Swordsmanship. If your Pile Skill isn't up to par, you won't be able to master the Wuji Swordsmanship. When you get to the battlefield, you'll just be throwing your life away..."
He cursed, threw down the black sheathed long knife in his hand, and then, with a light tap of his foot, he soared like a great roc spreading its wings, landing gracefully on a Plum Blossom Pile adjacent to Xu Xing.
"However long I perform the Golden Rooster Stake, you perform it too."
"Until you're too exhausted to move..." Master Ma shouted.
The Golden Rooster Stake, also known as the Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg Stake, is a Pile Skill performed on one foot.
It was much more difficult than the Horse Step.
For him to practice the Horse Step at his level would be bullying Xu Xing.
"Yes, Master Ma," Xu Xing nodded, replying obediently.
The ancients respected their teachers and valued the Way.
A disciple could not have the slightest complaint about what their master instructed.
Besides, Master Ma was doing this for his own good.
Enduring a little hardship was no big deal.
However... even as Xu Xing persisted in holding the Horse Step, Master Ma's earlier words echoed relentlessly in his mind...
If you can't master the Wuji Swordsmanship, when you go to the battlefield, you're destined to die.
Destined?
A Death by Misfortune!
His spirits plummeted.
In one month, it would be the day Xiaoyi Hall was to assassinate the Governor of Qin Province, Fang Yun.
It was an assignment he was eight-tenths likely not to return from.
And to change this fate, relying on martial arts learned at the last minute probably wouldn't be enough.
No matter how advanced one's martial skill, it couldn't stop foreign guns and cannons.
Governor Fang Yun would definitely have foreign gun teams on high alert around him at all times.
Perhaps in this Instance World, some had achieved divinity through the Martial Dao, training to the point of being able to dodge bullets, but that was clearly not something an apprentice with only one month of martial arts training could achieve.
Wait a minute...
Why is it always one month?
In my Main World as well as this one, it's a Death by Misfortune, and both are exactly one month away...
Xu Xing grew suspicious.
He focused his consciousness, and the Bronze Ancient World slowly materialized in his mind.
On the Gold clear Mirror Surface, words appeared: [Note: The body the Mirror Master descends into is that of an 'other-self'. After the Heavenly Order is altered, in accordance with the karmic results of the Mirror Master's gains, it will transform into the Mirror Master's inherent Dao Fruit, which will exist eternally.]
Altering the Heavenly Order?
Xu Xing first frowned, pondering the meaning of these words.
He pieced it together with his own speculations, bit by bit.
Before long, he had a general idea.
Altering the Heavenly Order... in other words, averting Tribulation!
As long as I survive this calamity of Death by Misfortune in the Instance World in the mirror... my Destiny will be transformed accordingly. This means... in the Main World, I will also avoid being executed by the Ministry of Justice a month later and no longer suffer a Death by Misfortune...
He finally understood how to use his golden finger.
It was to venture into Instance Worlds, thereby avoiding disaster and extending good fortune in the Main World...
He held out for another quarter of an hour.
Xu Xing finally succumbed, toppling from the Wood Pile.
Fortunately, Haige, who had been silently watching them practice from the side, caught him the instant he was about to hit the ground.
"Not bad. You lasted for more than one hour."
"Haige, Xu Xing will sleep with you for the time being. When you get back to the room, apply this medicine for him."
Master Ma also relaxed from the Golden Rooster Stake. He glanced at the exhausted Xu Xing with a satisfied nod, then took a small mutton-fat jade bottle from his sash pouch, handed it to Haige, and gave his instructions.
「Late at night.」
In a farmhouse near Jingyang County.
Lying on his side by the light of an oil lamp, Xu Xing had the secret medicine applied to his body by Haige.
"Thanks," Xu Xing forced himself to sit up and thank Haige.
Etiquette could not be neglected.
Speaking of feudalism, gangs were the most feudal. They used various rules (etiquette) to restrain their members; compared to other places, gangs valued etiquette more. Gang members who acted arrogantly in public, swaggering about like ruffians and always calling for fights and kills, were just petty thugs incapable of great achievements. Every true leader was shown great deference, always addressed with titles of respect.
Many of the leaders in the Tiandi Association (Hongmen), during this special period of the Late Qing Country, later became generals and ministers.
The Elder Brother Association of Qin Province had several major powers. Among their Mountain Halls—Taibai Mountain, Tilong Mountain, Qin Fengshan, Dingjun Mountain, Amber Mountain, Helan Mountain, and Tongtong Mountain—it was not uncommon to find halls named Alliance Hall...
(Mountain Hall is the organizational form of the Elder Brother Association, under which are the four pillars of "Mountain and River Fragrance Hall.")
Hearing his words, Haige looked at Xu Xing in surprise.
He had a pure heart, with no cunning to speak of. He just felt in that moment that Xu Xing was very different from the other "brothers" he usually encountered. At least, those brothers would never casually utter the word "thank you."
The "stubborn youths" of Qin Province were well-known; they seldom used pleasantries.
"Mm," Haige replied after a thought.
He didn't quite know how else to respond. So he just made a sound of acknowledgement, an "Mm," then nodded. That was his response to Xu Xing's thanks.