Before Li Haomiao could reply, Xu Yunfan turned and walked away. Just as he reached the mouth of the mine, he heard Li Haomiao speak up.
"I can help you survive in this mine—at least for a little while longer. If you work hard enough, you might even be able to get out of here."
Xu Yunfan stopped in his tracks. He thought for a moment, steeling himself.
'Although Li Haomiao has fallen this far, he was once part of the Great Zhou Dynasty's upper crust. He must know a lot. Besides, his reputation throughout Jade Capital used to be excellent.'
'No matter how big a pie in the sky he was painting, at least some of it seemed real.'
'I remember countless young ladies from noble families secretly sending him flirtatious glances. The courier at the Prince Yan's Mansion brought in a huge stack of love letters every single day. My predecessor even delivered a letter for the Jiang Mansion's third young miss.'
'This is a good opportunity. I can negotiate. But I also have to be on my guard. The minds of these upper-class elites are all incredibly devious.'
'In ancient hierarchies, the upper and lower classes were completely separate, as if by reproductive isolation.'
Xu Yunfan turned, walked back into the mine, and stopped, leaning against the wall about five meters away from Li Haomiao. He had the look of a man waiting for the other to speak.
Seeing this, Li Haomiao was slightly surprised, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"How times have changed. To be so cautious, yet without any malice... that's a rare quality in this mine, truly."
Xu Yunfan let the other man's praise go in one ear and out the other. "What guidance does the King of Yan have to offer?" he asked.
Seeing that Xu Yunfan was getting straight to the point, Li Haomiao didn't beat around the bush either.
"You're scrawny, but you have a good frame. I can teach you martial arts."
'Martial arts!'
A flicker of excitement sparked in Xu Yunfan's heart. The shocking image of the Supervisor splitting a man in two with a single crack of his whip was still seared into his memory. Those two words seemed to hold a magical power, rooting him to the spot.
'If I had Martial Power and a strong physique, my ability to withstand the dangers of this world would increase dramatically.'
'My predecessor had always wanted to learn martial arts. The Jiang Family had many guards who practiced on the training grounds daily, but as servants, they weren't allowed to watch.'
'Watching without the master's permission was a crime punishable by having your eyes gouged out.'
'And how could someone like Jiang Yu ever allow my predecessor to watch?'
"What do I need to do?"
Li Haomiao was surprised to see Xu Yunfan's calm expression. He showed no sign of the overwhelming excitement one would expect at the chance to learn martial arts. A look of growing admiration appeared in his eyes.
"Food and water. Just provide me with food and water daily, and I'll teach you."
"That's it?"
"Of course that's it. What else could you possibly offer me in your current state?"
Xu Yunfan nodded. "Fine."
Seeing that Li Haomiao had nothing more to say, Xu Yunfan knew what he wanted. He took a flatbread from his robes, pulled out his waterskin, and tossed them across the gap to Li Haomiao.
Without so much as a flicker of his eyelids, Li Haomiao raised his one good left hand and caught them deftly. He immediately began to eat and drink with large gulps.
Xu Yunfan's eyes narrowed slightly.
'That wasn't something a man with severed tendons should be able to do.'
Li Haomiao chewed up the rock-hard flatbread in a few bites, washing it down with water and swallowing it all in an instant.
After finishing the food in a few bites and downing half the water, Li Haomiao finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Don't give me that look. My tendons were ripped out, but I can still control the muscles enough to barely lift my hand and grip things, just like an ordinary person."
He looked at Xu Yunfan, who stood quietly a short distance away, and said thoughtfully, "I remember you. A servant from the Jiang Family... Xu..."
"Xu Yunfan."
Li Haomiao nodded slowly, thinking for a moment before speaking. "I've watched you. Your stance is solid, your eyes are sharp, and your hands are quick. You swing that Iron Pickaxe with a fluid grace—you have a real talent for mining. I have a technique called the Copper Body Skill. It uses the impact of striking stone to temper the body, making it perfect for you right now. Or rather, perfect for this environment."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yunfan asked, "Does the King of Yan have other Kung Fu?"
Li Haomiao frowned. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. It's better to master one thing than to be mediocre at ten. Besides, with the food shortage here and the constant need to mine, you wouldn't have the energy to support anything else. This Kung Fu is the most suitable for this place."
He studied Xu Yunfan for a moment.
"Your aptitude isn't particularly high. That mining technique of yours... you must have had a lot of practice with it before, right? I do possess many Ultimate Skills, but with your level of talent..."
Li Haomiao left his sentence unfinished, but the meaning was clear.
Your talent was mediocre. You couldn't master a Divine Skill or Supreme Art even if it was presented to you.
'But I have an Attribute Panel!!'
Xu Yunfan screamed internally. He cupped his fist and said, "Please, King of Yan, teach me."
Li Haomiao gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "The Martial Dao of this world is vast and varied, but all paths of Cultivation share a common principle: External Training of Tendons, Bones, and Skin, and internal training of one's breath. These give rise to four realms: Golden Skin and Jade Veins, Mercury Blood and Silver Marrow, Yin Yang Treasure Robe, and Circulation of Qi. Though the names sound grand, they are in truth just the characteristics that manifest after one has trained their tendons, bones, and skin; their muscles, blood, and marrow; and their internal organs and qi to the absolute limit.
All paths of the Martial Dao begin with the tendons, bones, and skin. There is no hierarchy among the three, only a difference in focus. From there, one progresses to the Outer Three Harmonies, connecting the body internally and moving from the external to the internal, eventually achieving Circulation Perfection.
For instance, someone who has achieved Great Mastery of Muscle Training might wish to advance further. Those who seek ultimate perfection can temper their Great Tendons until they are like Dragon Sinew, possessing a jade-white luster. This is known as the sign of the Jade Vein, one of the ultimate characteristics of the four realms, but very few ever achieve it.
The Copper Body Skill I will teach you is a superior Kung Fu within the path of Skin Cultivation."
Li Haomiao had said a lot in one go. He took a sip from the waterskin to wet his throat before continuing.
"Now, listen closely to the incantation.
Crimson copper hides its spirit in the profound abyss,
Fiery breath enters the veins, power Returning to Essence.
Essence and soul guard the apertures, refining what is truly firm,
The whole body as if cast, to withstand a thousand fists…"
Two Hours later, Xu Yunfan was back to mining with his Iron Pickaxe. After digging for a while, he turned his head to look at Li Haomiao, who was lying leisurely to the side.
"Are you sure this Kung Fu can be trained just by mining? That's not what the incantation said."
Li Haomiao said calmly, "To practice martial arts, one must train their strength. To train strength, one must build their foundation. Only when your body is strong enough can you withstand the strain of the techniques. I've already taught you the foundational posture for the Kung Fu. Once you get the hang of the basics, the rest will come naturally."
Xu Yunfan said no more. He adjusted his body into the posture Li Haomiao had shown him and resumed mining, though it felt incredibly awkward.
With every downward swing of the Iron Pickaxe, he could feel the pull and strain on nearly every muscle group in his body. Before long, his shoulders and legs began to ache.
'Your eyes lit up. You slightly shortened the arc of your pickaxe swing and immediately noticed you could shatter the ore with greater precision. Your feel for mining improved, and your mining Skill Level increased.'
'Inspiration struck. While mining, you consciously controlled the height of each swing, creating a staggered rhythm. You soon found that your mining speed increased. Mining Skill Level successfully increased.'
'You…'
'You vaguely gained some insight into the Copper Body Skill. It felt like you were on the verge of grasping something, but in the end, you came away with nothing.'
'…'
As the notifications for mining Skill Level continuously popped up in his vision, a few notifications for the Copper Body Skill were mixed in. Soon after, a new entry appeared on his Attribute Panel: Copper Body Skill (Uninitiated).
This instantly filled him with motivation. Now that it was on the Attribute Panel, achieving the initial level was only a matter of time. Xu Yunfan became completely engrossed, selectively ignoring the aches and pains wracking his body.