Chen Ku's heart pounded fiercely. A Martial Arts Manual had just fallen into his hands like this.
He couldn't help but touch his nose. What a good nose!
If not for his Skinny Dog Transformation Natural Ability, how could he have smelled the scent of battle from miles away?
He looked at the Martial Arts Manual in his hands as if it were a precious treasure, his eyes burning with passion.
For any ordinary person wanting to learn Martial Arts, the only way was to pay to become an apprentice, join a martial arts school, or find a capable martial master to work under. If the master was in a good mood, they might teach a thing or two.
It was said that even in the martial arts schools of questionable authenticity in the outer city, the recruitment conditions for Disciples—just the tuition for half a year—would cost forty or fifty Silver Taels.
This was just like those who learned art or music in his previous life. Only the wealthy could afford it.
Ordinary folk from places like Snake Fish Town couldn't even dream of saving enough Silver to apprentice under a master, let alone afford the subsequent expenses for medicinal soups and meals required for martial training. These costs were far beyond what an average family could bear.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Chen Ku flipped through the Martial Arts Manual as the sun had not yet fully set.
The manual began with a clear preamble, a passage left by its author.
"As the martial saying goes: Four taels can move a thousand jin."
"Those who do not enter this gate know the 'what' but not the 'why'."
"How can four taels of force move a thousand jin of force?"
"For four taels to move a thousand jin, one must first possess a thousand jin of force. Only then can one transform that force into focused power, enabling four taels to move a thousand jin."
"Therefore, a Martial Practitioner's initial training consists of three stages: Strength Training, Force Transforming, and Inner Qi. Only after these can one achieve a certain rank and be considered accomplished."
"Nourish the body with Strength Training, Whole Strength into Unity of Move and Force, and then Inner Qi begins to emerge."
"Thus, the first stage of Strength Training is precisely to cultivate 'Thousand Jin Force' within oneself…"
"Human strength originates from the contraction and extension, the explosive burst and cohesive action of tendons, bones, and muscles."
"Throughout their lives, most people only utilize ten to twenty percent of their body's potential for muscular contraction and explosive power."
"The Strength Training Method aims to fully awaken the body's potential for muscular contraction and extension, progressively enhanced by nourishing medicinal soups."
"The Ten-Section Brocade: ten sections, ten stances, ten techniques."
"Each section of the Brocade can increase one's strength by a hundred jin."
"Mastery of the Ten-Section Brocade equates to Thousand Jin Force."
After reading this short passage of one or two hundred characters, Chen Ku murmured to himself,
So this is how the strength levels of Martial Artists are classified. Strength Training, Force Transforming, Inner Qi. Only by cultivating Inner Qi can one be considered a true martial master. And this manual… it's a Martial Arts Manual for the First Level, 'Strength Training,' for Martial Practitioners. It could allow one to possess Thousand Jin Force upon achieving great success in cultivation. Thousand Jin Force.
Chen Ku lowered his head to look at the dead Martial Artist, then at the wolf corpses. I don't know how far this deceased expert trained in the Ten-Section Brocade, but I estimate he must have had at least seven or eight hundred jin of strength to kill so many beasts alone.
Chen Ku gazed at the Martial Arts Manual. This Martial Arts Manual must be worth at least Ten Taels of Silver.
He tucked it tightly into his robe, close to his skin. Then, he looked at the man's corpse and the wolf carcasses.
These Wolf Skins are all valuable. But since this man died here, someone will surely investigate. If I take the Wolf Skins back to the village, it'll be evidence. Others will know I saw this person and took the manual from his robes. I can't risk attracting that kind of trouble…
So, despite his reluctance to leave the valuable Wolf Skins scattered on the ground, Chen Ku strode away.
「Back at the village entrance」
A group of idle elders was still sitting around.
"The Chen family's second lad is back," Old Man Sun Dehou chuckled. "Returning so late, what was your harvest in the mountains?"
Chen Ku offered a shy smile. "Not much of a harvest." That was all he could say.
Village folk could be simple, but that was usually when you were worse off than them. Sharing poverty was one thing; seeing someone else get rich often led to more talk and speculation.
On this trip into the mountains, besides the unexpected Martial Arts Manual, the precious Herbal Medicines and ginseng he'd gathered were alone worth Four or Five Taels of Silver.
Earning the equivalent of thousands a day! Even in my past life, that kind of income would make anyone envious, let alone here in the village.
"You're still young, lad," Zhang Xianmin, a burly man from the village, said with a click of his tongue. "Follow Old Li more, broaden your horizons. Supporting your family won't be an issue. If things get really tough, come work at my son's brick kiln. We're short on laborers, and a young, strong lad like you won't go hungry there."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."
Chen Ku smiled, greeted the villagers at the entrance, and headed home. Just as he reached his house, he saw his sister-in-law in the courtyard, washing and starching clothes.
"I'm back."
"Second Uncle! Second Uncle!" Hu Zi cried, running over.
Chen Ku squatted, pinched his chubby nephew's cheek, and said, "Come on, let's go inside."
「Inside the house」
He emptied all the Herbal Medicines, except for the Soul Lost Grass, from his basket onto the floor.
One doesn't flaunt wealth before outsiders in the village. But there's no need to hide from family, especially when they urgently need money. These precious Herbal Medicines, worth four or five Taels, are exactly what Mother and Sister-in-law need to calm their anxious hearts.
"We had a big haul from the mountains this time! Mother, Sister-in-law, take a look!"
"These…" His elder brother, Chen Xin, had been a major harvester of Herbal Medicines. How could his family not recognize the value of such precious herbs?
His sister-in-law, Xu Lan, covered her mouth, surprise bringing tears to her eyes. "This ginseng… it's worth at least several Taels of Silver! Brother-in-law, how… how did you find it?"
"I just happened to find it," Chen Ku reassured them. "Now you can rest easy, Sister-in-law. Our family won't have to sell our children, nor will we sell you. Things will get better from now on."
Xu Lan covered her mouth, on the verge of tears. His mother, however, was more composed. Suppressing her excitement, she said, "Good, good. Hu Zi's mother, heaven has not abandoned our Chen family. Don't cry. I have experience with these precious Herbal Medicines. Go make a meal for Ku'er; he must be tired."
"Yes, yes, I'll go cook for Brother-in-law right away."
"Then I'll go to my room and rest for a bit," Chen Ku said.
Chen Ku watched his mother and sister-in-law get busy. He then went to his room, ostensibly to rest, but actually to find a quiet place to study the Ten-Section Brocade Strength Training Method.
The Ten-Section Brocade… the first section can be learned by an ordinary person in three to five days. This is because an average adult male already possesses about a hundred jin of strength. The difficulty lies in the second section, where one must somehow gain an additional hundred jin of strength on top of that…
Chen Ku began to practice the stances in his room. There are static and dynamic stances. A static stance is motionless, while a dynamic stance involves movement. Neither is superior; it's a difference between tension and relaxation. This is how one stimulates muscles, taps into potential, and increases strength.
Chen Ku first performed the static stance of the first section, then moved through its dynamic stance, spending half an hour in total. He immediately felt fatigued, but he could clearly sense that specific muscle groups had been activated by the first section's postures.
Chen Ku flipped through the manual, planning to try the second section. However, after attempting just one pose, he realized it was several times more exhausting than the first. The difficulty was like the difference between lifting a hundred-jin stone lock and a two-hundred-jin one.
Indeed, the manual is correct. Any adult can practice the first section. The second section is the difficult part. I can't even hold a pose for a minute. If I could perform the movements and Stance Skill of the second section for an hour or so, I'd have two hundred jin of strength. But for that, I need to eat well to replenish the energy this training demands…
Chen Ku felt this half-hour of training had drained him more than an entire day in the mountains. He went to the doorway and saw the food on the stove wasn't ready yet, so he decided to wait a bit longer.
Right, now it's time to see how far these seven strands of Evil Qi can advance my Skinny Dog Transformation's Shape Shifting level.
Chen Ku closed his door and sat cross-legged on his bed, examining the Transformation Diagram in his mind.
[First Transformation - Skinny Dog Transformation]
[Current state: Shape Shifting]
[Shape-shifted: Nose (expending Evil Qi, can continue Shape Shifting)]
Transform!
In a single breath, Chen Ku saw the seven wolf-like shadows shoot like meteors into the diagram, burning and merging with it. They illuminated other parts of the white-furred Skinny Dog in the scroll, like a puzzle being completed… As the changes reflected back onto Chen Ku's body, various sensations arose.
First, Chen Ku felt a change in his eyes. Canine Night Vision! But that wasn't all…
He then felt his leg muscles being painfully torn and reformed. After the intense pain, the newly structured muscles pulsed with terrifying explosive power! The ability to pounce three or four zhang in an instant, just like the white-furred Skinny Dog he'd seen, was now his.