Under the waning moon, the figure emerging from the wild forest casually tossed the blood-stained white fox mask to the ground. The young man raised his eyes to glance at the stars, determined his direction, and headed towards the village.
On his way back, Su Mu pondered a question, replaying the forest battle in his mind repeatedly.
"That villain's power seemed different from mine?"
Su Mu murmured, a hint of confusion appeared on his face. When he clashed head-on with the leading villain Black Bear, the opponent's power was fierce, yet there was a part that felt...
Soft?
A word suddenly popped into Su Mu's mind.
Yes, it was softness. The villain's power was both hard and soft, and that soft power was more troublesome. In the midst of the clash, part of that soft power surged into Su Mu's body.
This part of soft power not only caused a stinging pain in Su Mu's arms but also disturbed the flow of power within his body. In the life-and-death battle, there was no time for Su Mu to think much, but he had already noticed and realized that he could not drag the fight on with the villain, so he chose to break it with force.
"Hard and soft combined?"
Su Mu's eyes brightened, suddenly realizing something. Although he and the villain Black Bear were both ninth-grade martial artists, it was clear that the opponent had gone further in refining force than Su Mu.
The one who succeeds is the master.
Even though the opponent died by his hand, Su Mu believed that even an enemy had aspects worth learning from.
"This might be the subsequent method of cultivating power."
Under the night sky, Su Mu returned home smoothly. Despite the twists during the black market trip, everything was worth it. Su Mu not only obtained two secret manuals but also over three hundred silver coins from the villain, which directly solved Su Mu's urgent needs.
"With this money, life won't be as difficult in the future... I can buy more meat, milk, and eggs to replenish my qi and blood."
Su Mu didn't rush to comprehend the two secret manuals he obtained. Upon returning home, he first took a bath. After a fierce battle, a hot bath relaxed Su Mu's tense muscles and made him let out a pleasant sigh.
"Let's take a look at the lightness skill first."
After this battle, Su Mu became increasingly aware of the importance of lightness skills. Although the Deer Play and Bird Play in the Five Animals Qigong could serve as body technique under the boost of power, they were inadequate if he encountered entry-level martial artists or stronger opponents.
So Su Mu first lit a fire and brewed a pot of Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup. The herbs were already prepared, and now Su Mu was skilled at brewing medicine. During the brewing, Su Mu began to browse through "Startled Sparrow Step."
The Startled Sparrow Step, ninth-grade lightness technique, was inspired by an entry-level martial artist observing mountain sparrows evading hawks for half a year. Its feature is short-distance bursts and dodging, but it's deficient in long-distance travel.
Su Mu first carefully read through this lightness skill, then quickly browsed it several more times. When a realization emerged in his heart, the medicinal soup was ready.
Gulp, gulp.
Su Mu frowned slightly as he gulped down a large bowl of Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup, then stepped into the courtyard to try practicing the Startled Sparrow Step.
Taking a deep breath.
The power within Su Mu's body poured into his feet, gathering at the tips of his toes. Coordinating with the breathing method accompanying the lightness skill, Su Mu tapped his toes on the ground, his knees slightly bent and sinking like a sparrow preparing to leap.
In the next instant.
Su Mu leapt like a startled bird, his form staggered as he landed a distance away.
After one attempt, Su Mu's eyes brightened, his strong comprehension showing its effect at this moment, gradually dispelling the doubts from browsing the secret manual earlier, and realization slowly surfaced in his mind.
"Continue."
The Startled Sparrow Step consists of only three forms: Sparrow Jump Form, Branch-Breaking Transformation, and Jing Yuluo.
Currently, Su Mu was practicing the first form, Sparrow Jump Form. Once mastered, he could leap in any direction more than three times consecutively in an instant. Such continuous explosive movements could not only evade attacks but also disrupt the opponent's judgments on his trajectory.
In the courtyard, Su Mu imagined himself as a sparrow, continuously adjusting his posture and power circulation method, gradually reaching more realizations.
"The great path has three thousand methods, all leading to the same goal... This 'Startled Sparrow Step' and the Bird Play in the Five Animals Qigong have the same ingenious essence."
Su Mu's lips slightly curled up. This was one reason why Su Mu chose this lightness skill, and it turned out his guess was correct.
With a rooster's call, the sky brightened.
As the rooster calls resounded through the village, a hint of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Startled Sparrow Step (Entry-level 1%)
Su Mu wiped the sweat off his forehead, his lips slightly curled. The Startled Sparrow Step appeared on his status panel.
With the foundation of nearly perfect Five Animals Qigong and 9 points of comprehension 'small potential,' plus the support of the Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup, Su Mu successfully entered entry-level in just one night of practice.
"Not bad, not bad!"
Su Mu was quite satisfied. Now, as an entry-level martial artist, he was far more energetic than ordinary people. After a night's practice, Su Mu didn't feel tired. Instead, he felt invigorated due to the successful entry level.
"So hungry... Time to eat something first."
Hunger is a signal of the body's craving for energy, and timely replenishment helps the growth of qi and power. Su Mu returned to the house, chopped a pound of meat, stir-fried it with chili into a bowl of sauce, and then cooked the remaining two pounds of noodles at home.
After devouring a pound of meat and two pounds of noodles in one go, Su Mu exhaled a long breath. Then he practiced Five Animals Qigong and Tiger Subduing Fist in the courtyard, undeterred by wind or rain, before leaving the courtyard.
"Time to go to the iron shop."
In the iron shop, Su Mu greeted Zhou Mountain, Li Xiaohu, and the blacksmith masters, "Good morning."
Even including Zhou Mountain, many of the blacksmith masters faintly felt that Su Mu, who had taken a day off, seemed somewhat different, but no one could say exactly what was different.
Between life and death, there is great fortune.
After experiencing the life-and-death battle last night, Su Mu returned to the forging platform and hefted the forging hammer a few times, then paused in thought. His mind recalled the thoughts from yesterday about the power being 'hard with softness.'
"Let's try it?"
Su Mu infused power into the forging hammer in his hand, attempting to explore that soft power.
Clang!
Nearby, Zhou Mountain couldn't help but frown. Su Mu's hammer sound seemed chaotic, comparable to the apprentices not far away. After just one day away from the shop, even if his hands were unfamiliar, it shouldn't be like this?
Soon, not only Zhou Mountain frowned, but many other blacksmith masters in the forging room cast puzzled glances as well.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Zhou Mountain thought to himself, and just when the morning was almost over, he couldn't hold back any longer and was about to speak when another sound of metal clashing came from the forging platform beside him.
Then Zhou Mountain's steps halted.
Clang, clang, clang!
The heavy forging hammer in Su Mu's hands danced like it was weightless on the forging platform, yet each strike made the entire platform tremble and sparks fly.
"The furnace temperature is low; you two come and pull the bellows for me with all your strength."
Zhou Mountain immediately called two forging apprentices to pull the bellows for Su Mu. The blazing flames reflected the resolute face of the young man, who continued wielding the iron hammer, producing a series of metal clashing sounds that were music to the ears of all the blacksmiths present.
"Amazing, so the kid was trying a new forging art earlier... I wronged him."
Zhou Mountain whispered.
"Su Mu's ironwork is truly a delight to watch; watching him forge is an enjoyment."
"Indeed... You all wonder why the gap between people can be so vast?"
All the blacksmith masters also voiced their admiration. Among them, even the young ones had been immersed in forging for over ten years, with some having over twenty years of hammering experience. Yet they witnessed someone catching up to them within a year and was about to surpass them.
As the morning passed, the light in Su Mu's eyes grew even brighter.
Regarding the subsequent cultivation process of the power being 'hard with softness,' he vaguely grasped some key insights.
...