Guo Wei not only taught Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu Martial Arts but was also responsible for their three daily meals. He was very particular about their diet; although they didn't have meat at every meal, the food was nutritionally balanced. In just over ten days, Chu Lingguang's frame had grown much sturdier.
「The next day.」
Chu Lingguang was still in the backyard, practicing the Heavenward Force.
Guo Wei had him practice continuously until it became muscle memory.
Chu Lingguang did not refuse. He stayed in his corner, repeating each movement over and over.
Hei Hu had wanted to train with Chu Lingguang, but to his surprise, Guo Wei taught him a Saber Technique that day. The master explained the key principles and guided him step-by-step, helping him grasp the essentials of the technique as quickly as possible.
Hei Hu was thrilled about this all day. It wasn't until evening, when he saw Guo Wei prepare another bucket of medicinal water for Chu Lingguang—and tell Hei Hu he could soak in it after Chu Lingguang was finished—that his good mood soured.
The days flew by.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days had passed.
After practicing the Heavenward Force for twenty consecutive days, Chu Lingguang finally lifted the 150-jin Stone Lock over his head. Guo Wei had him soak in a medicinal bath for ten days straight.
Nourished by the potent herbs and protein-rich diet, Chu Lingguang was much more muscular than he had been twenty days prior. He finally felt a bit of confidence when standing next to Hei Hu.
Meanwhile, relying on his superior talent, Hei Hu had managed to learn about ten percent of the Saber Technique from Guo Wei in those same ten days. He could already perform the complete set of moves with decent, coherent form.
Guo Wei told him that if he could practice this Saber Technique to the point of producing a Sword Sound, he could achieve an A Class result at the Daoist Examination.
This fired Hei Hu up completely. He trained from dawn till dusk, day in and day out. Finally, on the eleventh day, he practiced the Saber Technique until he reached a state of utter exhaustion.
To replenish his depleted Qi Blood, Guo Wei prepared a medicinal bath for Hei Hu, just as he had for Chu Lingguang. Hei Hu was so moved he was brought to tears. Thinking of Chu Lingguang, he even suggested to Guo Wei that his martial brother be allowed to use the bath after he was done.
Guo Wei explained that Chu Lingguang had already soaked for ten consecutive days, so a bath from the same prescription would no longer have any effect on him. He told Hei Hu to soak for an extra hour.
"Hah!"
「One month into his discipleship under Guo Wei.」
Chu Lingguang grabbed the Stone Lock and attempted to lift the 160-jin weight. With a sharp grunt, he channeled his Qi Blood, activated the Heavenward Force, and hoisted the 160-jin Stone Lock above his head.
THUD!
Chu Lingguang held the Stone Lock aloft for several breaths before dropping it to the ground.
Hei Hu's expression was a little strained. The weight Chu Lingguang could lift now surpassed his own. Having focused on the Saber Technique these past days, he had fallen behind Chu Lingguang in strength training.
But then he remembered: 'As long as I can produce a Sword Sound with this Saber Technique, I'll get an A Class grade.' With that thought, he resumed practicing around the training post.
Chu Lingguang, on the other hand, checked his status panel.
Favors: None
Iron Mountain Fist (41/100)
Basic Breathing Technique (47/100)
Heavenward Force (25/100)
(Remaining Lifespan: 43)
For the past month, he had focused on practicing the Heavenward Force, making no progress in the Basic Breathing Technique or Iron Mountain Fist. However, nourished by the medicinal baths and his diet, his remaining lifespan had finally recovered to 43, and his Heavenward Force had increased from 21 to 25.
Starting today, he could attempt to lift the 170-jin Stone Lock.
Guo Wei had said that anyone who could lift a 350-jin Stone Lock would earn an A Class grade. 'At this rate,' Chu Lingguang thought, 'I should be able to increase my lifting strength to around 400 jin within two years.'
"Lin Guang, today I will teach you a Saber Technique."
Guo Wei entered the backyard and saw Chu Lingguang successfully lift the 160-jin Stone Lock. He was inwardly pleased, feeling it was time to pass on a Saber Technique to him.
"Thank you, Master."
Chu Lingguang bowed to Guo Wei.
Guo Wei tossed a saber to Chu Lingguang and began to explain the principles of the Saber Technique.
The technique he taught was called the Iron Mountain Saber Technique, created by the same master as the Iron Mountain Fist. Although it was just an introductory Saber Technique, its strengths were its raw power and its wide, sweeping movements. When surrounded or in close combat, executing the Twelve Knife Skills in succession could often carve a bloody path to freedom.
"Your aptitude isn't as high as Hei Hu's, so when you practice this Saber Technique, don't try to copy him. You need to train in a way that feels natural to you. Given time, I believe that just as you did with the Heavenward Force and the Iron Mountain Fist, you will truly master it."
Guo Wei demonstrated the twelve forms of the Iron Mountain Saber Technique for Chu Lingguang several times. Finally, he handed Chu Lingguang a manual detailing its training principles.
He told Chu Lingguang to ask questions whenever he was confused, focus on his training, and not be distracted by the outside world.
"This disciple will remember Master's teachings."
Chu Lingguang said with a grateful bow.
He never harbored any illusions that he could master the secrets of the Iron Mountain Saber Technique in a few short days, as Hei Hu had. 'With my aptitude,' he thought, 'the only way to truly master this Saber Technique, besides pure hard work, is to rely on Favor Points. Unfortunately, I've been so busy training and cooped up in the Martial Arts Hall all day that I haven't had any chance to earn Favor Points.' But he wasn't worried. 'Things like Favors can only be earned once you have enough strength. Right now, I'm just one of Guo Wei's disciples with no influence at all in Baiyang County. It won't be that easy to earn Favor Points by helping people.'
Guo Wei nodded with satisfaction.
Ever since Chu Lingguang had mastered the Heavenward Force and surpassed Hei Hu in strength, Guo Wei's opinion of him had changed. Chu Lingguang might not have Hei Hu's aptitude, but he was mentally tough and tenacious. He could persevere, repeating the same task day after day until he achieved success.
'That patience and diligence alone puts him ahead of most other candidates. He might just be able to pass the exam and become a Martial Scholar one day.'
「Two days later.」
SWOOSH!
A glint of cold light flashed in the corner of Hei Hu's eye.
He quickly ducked behind a training post.
THWACK!
A long saber chopped down diagonally right where he had just been standing.
"Junior Brother, if you keep practicing like this, you'll be the only one of us left to take the exam!"
Hei Hu said through gritted teeth.
This wasn't the first time Chu Lingguang had lost his grip on the saber.
"Senior Brother, I'm sorry! I really didn't do it on purpose. This Iron Mountain Saber Technique is so hard to practice. The more I swing it, the harder it is to keep a grip on the saber."
Chu Lingguang said, embarrassed.
"Master, can we practice somewhere else?"
Hei Hu said to Guo Wei.
Guo Wei stared blankly at the long saber quivering in the ground, starting to wonder if he had been overthinking things a few days ago.
Day after day.
「In the blink of an eye, two months had passed since Chu Lingguang became Guo Wei's disciple.」
In the past two months, Chu Lingguang had mastered the Heavenward Force and learned the Iron Mountain Saber Technique. Unfortunately, the Iron Mountain Saber Technique had yet to be recorded on his panel. Although Chu Lingguang had memorized the moves of the Twelve Knife Skills, he still couldn't perform them fluently, much less use them in a real fight.
'This Iron Mountain Saber Technique seems much more difficult to practice than the Heavenward Force was.'
Meanwhile, although Hei Hu still hadn't produced a Sword Sound, Guo Wei taught him a Spear Technique today. This was a clear sign that Hei Hu had already mastered the essentials of the Iron Mountain Saber Technique; it was only a matter of time before he would achieve the Sword Sound. Guo Wei likely taught him the new technique to keep him from obsessing over when that would happen.
Chu Lingguang let out a long sigh and continued practicing the Iron Mountain Saber Technique.
He circled a specific training post, running through the Twelve Knife Skills dozens of times.