Zhao Tianxing chuckled. "Of course, it's your diligence that's spurred me on..."
"Your foundation may be weak, but your talent for martial arts is definitely no less than mine... During Instructor Cao's lesson yesterday, even those who've been here for a month got whipped once or twice while practicing the Twelve Forms Fist, but you didn't get hit once!"
Chu Fan just smiled but didn't respond.
Zhao Tianxing continued, "With your talent, you're still so diligent in your training... You practiced late into the night yesterday, and today you woke up earlier than anyone."
"If I keep slacking off, you're going to surpass me."
Hearing this, the gazes of the three youths toward Chu Fan changed slightly.
Chu Fan couldn't help but ask, "How many times did you practice?"
Zhao Tianxing raised his right hand and spread his five fingers. "I practiced the complete 'Twelve Forms Fist' five times, and the Monkey Form alone another six times."
'This freak...' A flash of envy couldn't help but cross Chu Fan's eyes.
The three on the other side were so shocked their mouths fell open, their eyes filled with disbelief...
The Twelve Forms Fist placed a huge strain on the body.
For a beginner, practicing it twice in one morning was already the limit for an ordinary person.
Most people couldn't even manage two full repetitions.
It was simply too draining, both mentally and physically, leaving one feeling completely exhausted afterward.
Even Instructor Cao Feng often said that when practicing fists, one must avoid being greedy for more. You had to progress step by step to avoid damaging your foundation.
But Zhao Tianxing had actually practiced the full set five times in one go, plus the Monkey Form six more times. Such a physique was truly frightening!
No wonder Instructor Cao said his Qi and Blood were far superior to an ordinary person's. Such talent was truly beyond comparison for most people.
'People really are different...'
Chu Fan's brow twitched slightly. "Tianxing, that Vermilion-Scaled Blood Python Flesh, is it still possible to get some?"
"Difficult!" Zhao Tianxing shook his head. "I've heard you can find it in Mimeng Marsh."
"But that place is incredibly dangerous. Even veteran hunters don't dare enter it lightly."
"Even I would have to wait until after I start 'Blood Nourishing' before I'd dare to go there."
"I'm currently worried about it myself..."
"How am I supposed to get my hands on some money?"
"If I could be like that Ling Feng and drink two extra bowls of Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup a day..."
"My speed at breaking through to the Blood Nourishing Realm would increase by a huge margin, to say the least!"
At this moment, one of the youths on the other side couldn't help but speak up. "Tianxing, you're a Hunter. Don't you make money from hunting?"
Hearing this, the playful smile on Zhao Tianxing's face vanished in an instant.
A cold glint actually flashed in his eyes!
He snorted coldly. "How could it be that simple?"
"Hunting some wild rabbits and pheasants is fine for getting by."
"But to make big money, you have to venture into the deep mountains and ancient forests to hunt Exotic Beasts..."
"And at that point, we wouldn't just be facing ferocious Exotic Beasts."
"There are also roaming bandits, and even... Demon Fiends!"
"Every single hunt is a life-and-death struggle!"
'Exotic Beasts, Demon Fiends...'
Chu Fan was lost in thought.
His memories contained little information about the world outside the city.
Even when he went fishing on the Black Water River these past two years, he never strayed far from Cyan Yang Ancient City.
But by piecing together various bits of information, he had more or less confirmed one thing...
The beasts of this world were far stronger and more terrifying than those from before his transmigration!
And according to legend, there were all sorts of unimaginable Demon Fiends!
It made sense, when you thought about it...
If humans could cultivate, so could beasts.
Didn't those people from the Moon Worship Sect always say that by worshipping the Blood Moon, one could absorb its radiance and transcend the cycle of reincarnation?
"Demon Fiends?!"
A delicate-featured youth exclaimed in surprise, "I often hear people say there are powerful Demon Fiends in the Wilderness Jungle, but I've never seen one."
"Tianxing, have you encountered one? What do they look like?"
"What do they look like..." Zhao Tianxing opened his mouth, but only spoke after a long moment. "In any case, you wouldn't want to see one..."
"Not many who have seen them have lived to tell the tale."
Chu Fan and the others exchanged glances.
This guy had clearly seen one but was unwilling to talk about it further.
They could even glimpse a trace of unconcealable fear in his eyes!
"But actually..."
Zhao Tianxing narrowed his eyes, a hateful light rekindling within them. "Demon Fiends aren't the most terrifying thing..."
"Demon Fiends aren't the most terrifying?" The three youths stopped chopping wood and, carrying their small stools, gathered around Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing.
They stared at Zhao Tianxing with curiosity.
"The most terrifying thing... is people!"
Zhao Tianxing sighed. "The eight hundred li of Cyan Yang County, the three thousand li of the Black Water River... all the resource-rich territories have long since been carved up by the various powers."
"And the areas that haven't been carved up are either occupied by bandits or overrun by Demon Fiends..."
"If you want to hunt in a relatively safe area, you have to pay 'taxes' to those powers."
"Even if you manage to hunt valuable prey, you have to sell it to them at a low price..."
"If being a Hunter was really that profitable, why would I have needed to join the Seven Stars Gang?"
As he spoke, the fierce light in his eyes grew even stronger.
The hatred could no longer be concealed!
'This guy usually acts so carefree and flippant, but it turns out he has a story too.'
Chu Fan glanced at Zhao Tianxing.
He didn't need Zhao Tianxing to continue; he could already guess the plight of a Hunter.
'I imagine the situation for Hunters is much like it is for fishermen like me.'
In his memories, he had been a fisherman for two years.
The Fisheries controlled by the Blood Saber Sect had already squeezed him dry.
His neighbor, Mr. Zhao, made a living by weaving baskets, but no matter where he set up his stall to sell them, he had to pay protection money to the various gang factions.
In this world, there were actually many ways to make money.
The Black Water River alone supported countless fishermen.
There were even people who had caught a Treasure Fish and become rich overnight.
But without strength, even with a vast fortune, you might not be able to live in peace.
That vast fortune could instead become your death warrant!
Just like that Liu Da. He caught a Treasure Fish and wanted to sell it privately to the Martial Arts Hall, but he ended up being beaten to death in the street by the Fishery Tyrant...
Seeing Zhao Tianxing chatting animatedly with the three youths, Chu Fan stood up and walked toward the Library Pavilion.
'It seems the only way to get money for the Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup now is to sell the ancestral home...'
He calculated as he walked.
Selling the ancestral home should fetch over thirty taels of silver.
The Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup was two bowls a day, which came to six taels a month.
That amount of silver would be enough for several months.
But...
Whether he sold the ancestral home or not.
He would absolutely not let Liu Da and the Huang Family go!
...
The sun was setting in the west.
A few scattered clouds remained in the sky.
On the grassy field of the Martial Arts Arena, Chu Fan began to stretch his arms, squat, and swing his shoulders.
He was practicing the "Soft Skills Twelve Techniques" from the Twelve Forms Fist.
The "Soft Skills Twelve Techniques" were the fundamentals of the Twelve Forms Fist.
Although practicing the fundamentals didn't circulate Qi and Blood...
...it could open the meridians and temper the bones, allowing the entire body to "draw the bow."
And "drawing the bow" was crucial for the Twelve Forms Fist.
Storing Force is like drawing a bow.
Striking an opponent is like releasing an arrow!
If the bow isn't drawn, even with powerful Qi and Blood, many techniques of the Twelve Forms Fist are difficult to execute freely.
Let alone unleash their true power.
After the time it takes to burn an incense stick...
Chu Fan released his "Split" posture.
He got up with some difficulty.
Both his legs were numb...
Loosening the tendons and opening the hips couldn't be achieved in a day or two.
He loosened his shoulders and back, then began to slowly practice the Twelve Forms Fist.
Unlike his previous practice sessions...
This time, he focused on comprehending the Elbow Technique of the Twelve Forms Fist.
This was because that morning, Instructor Cao Feng had focused his lecture on the "Eighteen Cubits" within the Twelve Forms Fist.
The essentials of the Twelve Forms Fist: The heart harmonizes with the intent, the intent with the qi, the qi with the force, the shoulders with the hips, the elbows with the knees, and the hands with the feet.
And the Elbow Technique took these essentials as its key.
The six "mother elbows"—Sinking, Dropping, Poking, Raising, Coiling, and Turning—gave rise to the eighteen techniques.
Kick from afar, strike up close, and wrestle when pressed.
In close quarters, use fierce elbows and brutal knees.
In close-quarters combat, the Eighteen Cubits were the most crucial and the most ferocious form of attack.
As the saying goes, "Better to take ten punches than a single elbow strike."
"An elbow carries the force of a thousand jin" was no empty boast.
If one could condense their Qi Blood Power and infuse it into the tip of their elbow, a single strike could disembowel even a ferocious tiger!
Chu Fan recalled the key principles taught by Cao Feng.
He slowed his movements as much as possible, practicing the Eighteen Cubits repeatedly when he reached that part of the form.
Lock the hips, twist the waist.
The elbow is like the tip of a spear.
The Eighteen Cubits emphasized short-range explosive power and lethality.
Among them, the Poking Elbow was a linear attack technique.
The Turning Elbow, on the other hand, used the force of a twisting waist to counter-attack a target from behind...
Though it was called the Eighteen Cubits, it wasn't restricted to fixed moves.
It emphasized "feinting east to strike west, pointing south to attack north, mixing illusion with reality, and seizing victory from chaos."
By integrating coordinated movements of the fists, knees, head, and other body parts, the actual number of attack techniques far exceeded eighteen.
Every single move and stance of the Twelve Forms Fist was designed to defeat or kill the opponent.
Neutralizing force is like pulling silk.
Unleashing Force is like a clap of thunder.
The Eighteen Cubits were the swiftest and most vicious attack techniques among them.
How could its mysteries be fathomed just by hearing Cao Feng explain it twice?
Chu Fan slowed his movements, polishing them meticulously.
Each move had to be forged a thousand times over before it could truly become one of his own Killing Moves.
Practice a move a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself.
Chu Fan controlled his breathing, corrected his Step Technique, and executed the Twelve Forms Fist one move at a time.
Although his movements were slow, each move carried a fierce, powerful Force!
From the very first time he practiced the "Twelve Forms Fist," Qi Blood Power had been generated within his body.
When his Qi and Blood surged, his every punch and palm strike was something no ordinary person could withstand!
...
At that moment, in the pavilion.
Cao Feng watched the sun set bit by bit, a sense of helplessness and unwillingness welling up in his heart.
He remembered the old days, when he had led his men and forced the Blood Saber Sect and the Iron Armor Sect into full retreat.
But now, he could only nurse his old wounds, relegated to a corner, watching the sun rise and set...
Cao Feng sighed and cast his gaze toward the Martial Arts Arena.
The pavilion he was in sat on a slope, and without even standing up, he had a clear view of the entire, vast Martial Arts Arena.
Soon, Cao Feng's gaze landed on Zhao Tianxing.
Zhao Tianxing had started the Martial Dao relatively late, only beginning to learn the Twelve Forms Fist when he was almost eighteen.
However, his decade-plus career as a Hunter had solidified his foundation.
His blood and qi were vigorous, and his bones and tendons were tough, far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Moreover, the kid was extremely diligent.
A disciple had reported that Zhao Tianxing had practiced the Twelve Forms Fist five times in a row that morning, only stopping when he became a "Soft-footed Shrimp."
This made Cao Feng pay a bit more attention to him.
Watching Zhao Tianxing's movements, Cao Feng nodded in satisfaction.
'Looking at this, perhaps Zhao Tianxing will reach the Entry-Level with the 'Monkey Form' of the Twelve Forms Fist by tomorrow.'
'That kind of speed is several days faster than even Ling Feng, who's called a 'genius'.'
'It's enough to compete with my own niece, Li Qingxue.'
But this alone wasn't enough to determine his talent for the Martial Dao.
After all, reaching the Entry-Level of the Twelve Forms Fist wasn't too difficult.
Those with vigorous Qi and Blood could achieve it just by practicing a few more times.
Cao Feng shifted his gaze, letting it fall on Chu Fan on the other side.
'This kid is also very diligent, practicing his fists whenever he has a free moment.'
'It's a pity he's a bit older than Zhao Tianxing and has a weaker constitution, not much better than a refugee's. He's a far cry from Zhao Tianxing.'
'On the path of the Martial Dao, talent is more important than hard work.'
'Unless his family is rich and he can drink Blood-Nourishing Medicine Soup for several months straight...'
'Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for him to catch up to Zhao Tianxing.'
Wait...
Cao Feng had just turned his head away, but he snapped it back, his gaze locking onto Chu Fan!
'This kid only joined the Seven Stars Gang yesterday afternoon. He probably hasn't even finished learning from the Boxing Manual, so how can he execute the moves so smoothly?'
'I had him practice the Twelve Forms Fist once yesterday, but compared to now, it's a world of difference!'
'In less than a day, such a heaven-and-earth-shattering change?!'
Cao Feng's pupils shrank. He stared at Chu Fan for a moment, his eyes growing wider and wider. "Son of a bitch! In just one day, he's reached the Entry-Level for the Swallow Form and the Bear Form? Even faster than Zhao Tianxing?!"
'His Qi and Blood are clearly weak. From yesterday afternoon until now, he couldn't have practiced that many times.'
'How is that possible...'
Just as he was pondering, Cao Feng's eyes suddenly flew wide open. "He's reached the Entry-Level for the Tiger Form too?!"