Chapter Fifteen: Martial Arts Realms, The Medicine King Swallows the Thunder Chant

Li Hu’s words sent a violent tremor through Chen Yushu’s heart. Though his longing for martial training was intense, what he truly desired most was to master those arcane techniques, like Uncle Zhong’s—methods to confront ghosts unflinchingly, to capture and vanquish them. After all, his spiritual vision enabled him to glimpse those entities; it was certain he would often cross paths with them in the future. Without the proper skills, disaster seemed inevitable. While it was said that, upon reaching a certain level, martial prowess could also bestow spiritual sight and the power to slay ghosts, who knew how long that would take—one year, two, or perhaps ten? He dared not assume he would remain safe in the meantime, never encountering some formidable fiend—one like that sinister force which had slain Grandpa Li Pei, a seasoned ghost-walker. Yet he was also aware that all of this remained Li Hu’s speculation. No one knew for sure whether Li Pei truly possessed the inheritance of a ghost-walker, or whether those so-called magical artifacts even existed. At the very least, Li Hu did not know.

...

“The stages of martial cultivation: first, the Tempering of Flesh; second, Inner Power; third, Elemental Force. The Tempering of Flesh itself divides into External Forging and Internal Refinement. External Forging hones skin, muscles, bones; Internal Refinement strengthens the organs. Only when one has thoroughly trained every aspect—skin, flesh, bone, and the five viscera—can one be said to have established a true foundation and be ready to advance to the next stage,” Qian Qian explained in the training yard at the rear of the house.

He stood before three figures: Chen Yushu, Lü Liang, and a new student, Zhao He. Zhao He, too, was an apprentice from their third room, who had been at the pharmacy for a month and a half. Having seen little progress, he had gritted his teeth and paid a tael of silver for further instruction. It was thanks to his inquiry that Qian Qian elaborated on the stages of martial arts—since they had paid, he was more accommodating.

“Tempering of Flesh, Inner Power, Elemental Force... Even in the first stage, there are subdivisions and directions: skin, muscle, bone, organs. It’s truly a systematic and scientific discipline,” Chen Yushu mused, his eyes gleaming. Once again, he felt the reality of this world.

...

“If one has mastered the preliminary techniques of the King of Medicine’s Stance, does that mean we’re already martial artists of the Tempering of Flesh stage?” Zhao He asked eagerly. He had heard that martial artists of this stage commanded respect—his uncle, for instance, served proudly in the local yamen thanks to achieving that level.

“That’s a long way off,” Qian Qian replied. “A true martial artist isn’t made by a few days of stance training or learning some clumsy tricks. Those who perform acrobatics or show off with weapons on the streets—at best, it’s flowery but useless. Their blows are little more than a tickle. Real martial artists have begun the process of External Forging, strengthening flesh, muscle, bone, even their organs. Even those who’ve only started forging their skin have skin as tough as leather—a small knife would leave only a white mark, unable to cut through.

“But to reach that, you must lay a foundation with stance training. Only when your stance is solid, your blood and energy vigorous, can you move on to learn External Forging techniques and even Internal Refinement methods. Stance work is the root of everything—the higher your level, the deeper your foundation, the stronger your blood and energy, the fiercer your internal furnace.”

His tone was calm and measured.

“What about the techniques for External Forging and Internal Refinement?” Lü Liang could not help but ask.

“Our Liu Family Pharmacy inherits from the Valley of the King of Medicine. All our martial arts are from that tradition. The foundational practice is the King of Medicine’s Stance; the External Forging art is the King of Medicine’s Power-Locking Technique; the Internal Refinement method is the King of Medicine’s Thunder-Swallowing Chant. These three are renowned throughout the northern territories.”

Seeing more questions coming, Qian Qian waved them away. “There’s no use learning more right now. What you need is to master the stance. Only once you’ve done that are you qualified to pursue the next steps—otherwise you’re just being unrealistic.” With that, he resumed his instruction, demonstrating and explaining the King of Medicine’s Stance.

Chen Yushu and the others had no choice but to follow along, correcting their postures, adjusting their breathing, and matching movement to breath under his guidance.

“Though Master Qian Qian is strict and stingy with his teaching, his mastery of the King of Medicine’s Stance is genuine. Under his correction, I’ve found many flaws I never noticed before,” Chen Yushu reflected as he practiced.

...

As Chen Yushu followed along, correcting his stance and adjusting his breathing, he silently compared his results, a look of quiet satisfaction creeping onto his face. The progress was undeniable—his movements and breath control had both improved significantly.

Soon, Qian Qian had explained all thirty-six forms of the stance. After perfecting the final posture, Chen Yushu instinctively glanced at his attribute panel:

King of Medicine’s Stance: Initiate (13/100)

...

“Thirteen percent into the Initiate level? This session alone increased my experience by ten points!” Delight lit Chen Yushu’s face. He remembered clearly—before, his stance experience was only at three percent. Now it was at thirteen, a remarkable improvement, equivalent to saving three days of hard practice.

Of course, there was still a difference between this ‘experience’ and actual physical improvement. Training would convert energy into blood and strengthen his body; the guidance he’d just received mainly boosted his ‘experience value’—a measure of progress, not of immediate physical gain. Still, he was overjoyed, as a higher level meant greater efficiency in converting energy into blood and strength.

At three percent, a hundred units of energy might yield only three points of improvement; at thirteen percent, it became thirteen points. The exact conversion was more complex, but one thing was certain: with each session of stance practice, his gains would be far greater than before. Where yesterday he might have gained a single pound of strength, now he could gain two or three pounds...