The Spear Technique Guo Wei taught was the basic Thirteen Forms.
They were: Thrust, Pierce, Lift, Deflect, Block, Seize, Bind, Flick, Press, Cleave, Fling, Smash, and Flourish.
Each and every move had a corresponding line in the Spear Formulas.
Guo Wei demonstrated the Thirteen Forms from beginning to end, then passed the Spear Formulas on to the two of them.
"Cyan Dragon Emerges from Water Linked Spear!"
Guo Wei executed a flourish, then thrust three times at a straw dummy. Chu Lingguang felt as if the Long Spear in Guo Wei's hands had become a Poison Dragon Drill; when the spear tip pierced the dummy, it seemed to shred the straw to dust.
"Right Block, Left Intercept, Rushing to the Middle Hall."
The Spear Technique shifted, giving off the air of one man holding a pass against ten thousand.
"Lion's Head Turned Down."
Guo Wei spun and thrust. The spear tip pierced a wooden post, and when he withdrew it, the post split apart from top to bottom.
Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu's jaws dropped.
They both knew Guo Wei was a hidden master whose powerful Qi Blood allowed him to lift a five-hundred-jin Stone Lock without breaking a sweat. But they never expected his Spear Technique to be so fast and vicious. Each and every move held the power of Sweeping Thousand Soldiers.
"Weeding for Snakes, Upward Thrust."
It seemed Guo Wei hadn't taught his disciples like this in a long time. He ran through the Thirteen Forms of Spear Technique three or four times. By the time he tossed the Long Spear back onto the Soldier Landing Platform, Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu were too excited to speak.
"Master, how is it that the same Spear Technique looks so different in your hands? I wonder when I'll ever be even a fraction as skilled as you," Hei Hu said, handing Guo Wei a towel and shamelessly flattering him.
"As long as you study and train diligently, with time, your Spear Technique is sure to surpass mine," Guo Wei said encouragingly.
"Master, for the Spear Technique section, what do we need to do to get an A Class grade?"
Chu Lingguang had not forgotten that Guo Wei said he needed to get A Class in four Martial Arts to pass the examination.
"Formed Spear Technique!" Guo Wei said.
"What do you mean, 'formed'?" Chu Lingguang didn't understand.
WHOOSH!
Guo Wei kicked the Long Spear on the Soldier Landing Platform into the air, shot forward to catch its tail, then spun and brought it down toward Chu Lingguang's face.
Chu Lingguang's eyes widened. It was too late to retreat.
Thankfully, the Long Spear stopped, hovering just above his head.
Chu Lingguang's breathing grew ragged. He felt that he hadn't been able to escape not because his reactions were too slow, but because Guo Wei's strike carried an overwhelming momentum. That momentum had locked down his Qi Blood, making him afraid to move a muscle.
'So is that what "Formed Spear Technique" is? Each move generates an awe-inspiring momentum that first crushes the enemy's spirit, then shatters their body.'
Chu Lingguang didn't know if he was right, but he understood that Guo Wei's strike would have earned an A Class grade even at the Martial Arts Scholar examination.
It would even be an outstanding performance at the Imperial Examination.
Everyone has a Kung Fu they excel at most. Perhaps Spear Technique was Guo Wei's trump card.
BANG!
Guo Wei tossed the Long Spear back onto the Soldier Landing Platform.
"Train!"
Then, he clasped his hands behind his back, sat down to one side, and started sipping cool tea.
"Yes!" Hei Hu replied.
Seeing Chu Lingguang standing motionless, Hei Hu tugged his arm and whispered, "Are you scared stupid? Get to it!"
"Oh!"
Of course, Chu Lingguang wasn't scared stupid. He was simply captivated by the master's last strike. 'Imagine it,' he thought, 'charging on horseback, Long Spear in hand, and bringing it down upon the enemy army... what incredible power would that be?'
He was only a title to change his life and gain a certain status, which would make every Favor he bestowed more valuable.
He had no ambition to achieve great deeds, let alone charge into battle and kill enemies.
He just wanted to gain enough strength, lie low, and carefully manage his relationships to earn the Favor Points he needed from others, ultimately achieving long life.
This lofty goal was something Chu Lingguang could never mention to anyone else. He could only pursue it step by step, growing until he reached the height he desired.
THUNK!
He took a Long Spear of a suitable weight from the Soldier Landing Platform and began practicing thrusting and flicking motions against a straw dummy.
Beside him, Hei Hu started running through the Thirteen Forms.
Guo Wei had taught him the Spear Technique long ago. Now, as he practiced, he was still not quite fluid, but his movements were passable and had a bit of presence.
THUNK!
Chu Lingguang ignored everything else, focusing on the basic movements of the Thirteen Forms. Once he mastered the essentials, he would combine them with the Spear Formulas and try to perform the complete Thirteen Forms of Spear Technique just like Guo Wei.
Guo Wei sat quietly to the side. Seeing Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu choose different training methods, he didn't intervene or correct them. As he spent more time with Chu Lingguang, Guo Wei clearly noticed that although the boy's aptitude was dull and he struggled with Enlightenment, once he grasped the essentials and found the knack for something, his growth rate would quickly surpass Hei Hu's.
This strange quality seemed to be forged through day after day of accumulation.
It required relentless effort, day and night, and an even more indomitable will. Guo Wei admitted to himself that if he were Chu Lingguang's age, he could never have done what Chu Lingguang was doing.
「In the blink of an eye, a month passed.」
Three months had now passed since Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu had become Guo Wei's disciples.
Over the past month, Chu Lingguang used his old trick, focusing his efforts on the Spear Technique. He spent several hours a day on it, then squeezed in another two hours to cultivate his Heavenward Force and Iron Mountain Saber Technique. The time he spent sleeping and resting was even less than the time he spent practicing the spear.
In the past, Chu Lingguang would never have been able to endure this.
Fortunately, the food at the Martial Arts Hall was good. There was unlimited rice with as much lard as one wanted, and even meat to eat. Aided by the Basic Breathing Technique, not only did Chu Lingguang not feel tired, but his Qi Blood even increased by a small amount each day.
In three months, he had grown nearly an inch taller and his frame had filled out considerably. Although he still wasn't as brawny as Hei Hu when they stood together, it was a world of difference compared to before.
"Hah!"
After finishing his Spear Technique practice and resting for a bit, Chu Lingguang tried to lift the two-hundred-jin Stone Lock.
The Stone Lock left the ground, and he successfully hoisted it over his head.
BANG!
After holding it for a moment, he dropped the Stone Lock to the ground.
'With my current Qi Blood, I should be able to lift a two-hundred-and-thirty-jin Stone Lock,' Chu Lingguang thought to himself.
As his Qi Blood strengthened, his Qi Power had increased by another thirty jin in a month. There was now one year and seven months until the Daoist Examination. At his current pace, even if his strength gains slowed down later, Chu Lingguang estimated he should still have four hundred and fifty jin of Qi Power by the time of the exam.
He should be able to achieve a Grade A+ Upper Grade result.
That would place him among the top ranks for the Qiao Pass.
"Junior Brother, are you hiding some secret technique from your Senior Brother?"
Hei Hu was on the verge of a breakdown. Right now, he struggled just to lift a one-hundred-and-seventy-jin Stone Lock.
"Of course not."
Chu Lingguang gave a foolish laugh.
"Lin Guang, after we eat, don't go back just yet. I have something to ask you," Guo Wei said suddenly.
Even Hei Hu thought it was strange, so how could Guo Wei fail to notice something was amiss?