7: Chapter 7 Mr. Xuan

The old man called himself "Old Xuan." He claimed that three hundred years ago, he was an Elder of a major power in the Zhongyuan Region. After being plotted against, his cultivation plummeted, and he ended up drifting to Qingzhou in Great Yan, where he lived in seclusion in the back mountains of the Marquis's Estate to heal. This was Old Xuan's own account. Chen Yuanji didn't fully believe it, but there was no need to pry. In the Jianghu, who didn't have a few secrets?

“Kid, show this old man that ‘Crushing Fist’ of yours once more.” Old Xuan sat cross-legged on a large green rock, watching Chen Yuanji with great interest.

Chen Yuanji didn't hold back either. He walked to the clearing and assumed the Three-Body Stance.

“Watch closely.” He pushed off with his right foot, and his waist and hips twisted violently. Power rose from the soles of his feet, passing through his legs, waist, back, and shoulders, finally converging in his right fist. Like an arrow leaving a bowstring, it was thrown out with a roar.

“Bang!” The air exploded, and the fist wind surged. A small tree as thick as a bowl ten feet away snapped and broke.

A sharp light flashed in Old Xuan's eyes. “Good! This punch didn't contain a hint of Yuan Qi; it was purely the power of the Physical Body's muscles and bones. But strangely, the power of this punch is stronger than any Body Refining Martial Artist of the same Realm I've ever seen. And...”

He paused, frowning in thought. “This punch of yours doesn't seem like a simple explosion of power. There's a... vibrational force?”

Chen Yuanji secretly admired him. As expected of an old monster who had lived for three hundred years, he had seen through the essence of Bright Force at a glance.

“Senior has a sharp eye,” he explained. “This punch is called the ‘Crushing Fist,’ one of the Xingyi Five Elements Fist forms. Its essence is not in the magnitude of the force, but in the penetration of the power. When the punch is thrown, the power moves forward in layers like waves. It looks simple on the outside, but inside, it can shatter the internal organs.”

“Shatter the internal organs?” Old Xuan became interested. “You mean, Yuan Qi protection can't block it?”

“That depends on the opponent's Yuan Qi cultivation,” Chen Yuanji said truthfully. “With my current strength, the Yuan Qi protection of the Ningyuan Realm cannot block it. I can barely break through the Early Stage of the Zhenwu Realm, but it would be difficult against the Middle Stage of the Zhenwu Realm or higher.”

Old Xuan stroked his beard, deep in thought. “In other words, what you Cultivate in this art is ‘Jin’ rather than just ‘Force’?”

“Senior hit the nail on the head.” Chen Yuanji nodded. “Most world martial arts pursue the magnitude of power. A punch of a thousand pounds, ten thousand pounds, or even moving mountains and filling seas. But no matter how great the power is, it's useless if it doesn't hit. Internal Family Boxing pursues ‘Jin’—how to exert power, how to borrow power, and how to neutralize power. Power is dead, but Jin is alive.”

Old Xuan was silent for a long time before suddenly letting out a long sigh. “I have lived for over three hundred years and thought myself broad-minded, but today I have been taught a lesson by you kid.” He stood up and walked to the center of the clearing. “Come, hit me with a punch using your strongest power.”

Chen Yuanji was taken aback. “Senior, this...”

“Don't worry. Although my cultivation has fallen, my muscles and bones are still here. This little bit of power from you can't hurt me,” Old Xuan laughed. “I just want to experience for myself what this ‘Jin’ you're talking about really is.”

Chen Yuanji thought for a moment and nodded. “Then be careful, Senior.” He took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing, and his muscles and bones made a faint crackling sound. He stood firm in the Three-Body Stance, his intent condensed: mind aligned with intent, intent with Qi, and Qi with power.

Crushing Fist! With this punch, he used his full strength. The power of the Peak of Bright Force slammed into Old Xuan's chest without reservation.

“Bang!” A dull impact echoed in the valley. Old Xuan didn't budge, not even using Yuan Qi for protection. But the expression on his face changed, shifting from relaxed to solemn.

“Good!” he shouted. “Again!”

Chen Yuanji was not polite either. He used both hands, firing off a series of Crushing Fists. Punch after punch slammed into Old Xuan, each one hitting home with the penetrating power of Bright Force. After twelve punches, Chen Yuanji withdrew his power and stepped back, panting slightly. Old Xuan stood where he was, looking down at his chest. There were twelve shallow fist prints on his robes, each one sunken in, yet the fabric was not torn.

“Incredible...” Old Xuan murmured. “Your power is clearly not that great, but every punch is like a needle, drilling straight into the gaps between the bones. My muscles and bones are a hundred times stronger than yours, yet I faintly feel a sense of soreness and numbness.”

He looked up, his eyes burning as he stared at Chen Yuanji. “Kid, if you practice this art to a profound Realm, could you even break through the protective Yuan Qi of the Faxiang Realm?”

Chen Yuanji thought for a moment. “Theoretically, yes. The highest Realm of Internal Family Boxing is to ‘shatter the void and see the divinity within for indestructibility.’ At that stage, one is immune to all techniques and indestructible.”

“Shatter the void, see the divinity within for indestructibility...” Old Xuan chewed on these words, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. “What bold words, what grand spirit!”

He took a deep breath and sat down again. “I've decided. From today on, I will follow you and learn this art.”

“Senior is too kind. We can exchange pointers and progress together,” Chen Yuanji smiled.

“Then I can't learn from you for nothing.” Old Xuan pulled a thin booklet from his robe and handed it to Chen Yuanji. “This is the ‘Record of Martial Arts Observations in Another World’ that I wrote while traveling the world. It records the martial arts characteristics, Cultivation methods, and some unknown secrets of the major powers. Take it; it will help you when you travel the world in the future.”

Chen Yuanji took the booklet and flipped it open. It was filled with dense, small characters, detailed records, and illustrations.

“Thank you, Senior.”

“Stop calling me Senior; just call me Old Xuan.” Old Xuan waved his hand. “Come, teach me how to do that... stake thing first?”

“Stake Training.” Chen Yuanji walked to the clearing and assumed the Three-Body Stance. “All arts in Internal Family Boxing begin with Stake Training. If the stake is not firm, the ground will shake and the mountains will sway. Old Xuan, first look at my posture...” One old and one young, one teaching and one learning, before they knew it, the moon was high in the sky.

At the same time, in the inner courtyard of the Marquis's Estate, Lady Zhao's room was brightly lit. Chen Yuanlang sat in a chair, his face gloomy. His injuries had been checked by the Family physician. Although the bruising on his chest was frightening, his internal organs were not damaged and he would recover in a few days. But while physical wounds were easy to heal, psychological trauma was harder to mend. He, Chen Yuanlang, the eldest legitimate son of the Marquis's Estate and a famous Genius of Qingzhou City, had been sent flying by a single punch from a useless concubine's son. If this news got out, where would he hide his face!

“Mother, I can't swallow this insult,” he said through gritted teeth.

Lady Zhao sat opposite him, her face calm, but her eyes flickered with a cold, icy light.

“Even if you can't swallow it, you must,” she said calmly. “Your father has already spoken; this matter ends here. If you go looking for trouble with that wretch again, you will be defying your father.”

“So we just let it go?” Chen Yuanlang was unwilling.

“Of course we won't let it go,” Lady Zhao sneered. “But you can't be the one to step forward. You are the eldest legitimate son of the Marquis's Estate, the future Marquis of the Realm. You cannot stoop to the level of a concubine's son. If word gets out, it's the Marquis's Estate's face that's lost, and your father's face.”

“Then what should we do?”

Lady Zhao pondered for a moment. “That wretch has been acting unusually lately. From a submissive waste, he suddenly became capable of fighting. Don't you find it strange?”

Chen Yuanlang was stunned. “Mother means... he has someone backing him?”

“Either someone is teaching him, or... he has a secret.” A sharp light flashed in Lady Zhao's eyes. “Whichever it is, once we find out, we can control him.”

“How do we check?”

“I've already sent people to investigate.” Lady Zhao picked up her teacup and took a light sip. “Qingzhou City is only so big. Where he goes every day and who he meets cannot be hidden from my eyes.”

Chen Yuanlang nodded, his expression softening slightly. “And after we find out?”

“After we find out...” Lady Zhao set down the teacup, killing intent flashing in her eyes. “If someone is just teaching him, then we eliminate that person. If he has a secret himself... then even better. A concubine's son does not deserve to have secrets.”

Chen Yuanlang felt a chill as he looked at the cold light in his mother's eyes. He knew his mother was never as simple as she appeared on the surface. Lady Zhao came from a great clan in Qingzhou and was ruthless. He knew very well how Chen Yuanji's mother had died back then.

“Mother, what about Father's side...”

“Your father is a man who cherishes old feelings; after all, he is his own flesh and blood, and he can't bear to strike,” Lady Zhao said indifferently. “But he is also a smart man and knows who the future of the Marquis's Estate rests upon. As long as no lives are lost, he won't say anything.”

Chen Yuanlang nodded, the gloom in his heart dissipating somewhat.

“By the way,” Lady Zhao said suddenly. “In half a month, the ‘Baicao Hall’ in Qingzhou City will hold an auction. It's said that a ‘realm-breaking pill’ will be auctioned, which is helpful for breaking through to the Guiyuan Realm. Your father has already agreed to let you attend.”

“A realm-breaking pill?” Chen Yuanlang's eyes lit up. He was currently at the third layer of the Zhenwu Realm. If he could get the realm-breaking pill, he could break through to the Guiyuan Realm within three years. Stepping into the Guiyuan Realm before the age of thirty would make him a Genius in all of Great Yan.

“So, use this time to recover well and don't cause any more trouble,” Lady Zhao instructed. “As for that wretch, we'll deal with him after the auction.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Chen Yuanlang took his leave. As he walked out of the room, he glanced back toward the side courtyard, a look of resentment flashing in his eyes. Chen Yuanji, just you wait.

The next morning, in the back mountains. Chen Yuanji was doing Stake Training as usual. Old Xuan stood to the side, imitating Chen Yuanji's posture, assuming the Three-Body Stance.

“Old Xuan, the tailbone must be centered, don't stick it out.” Chen Yuanji walked over and patted Old Xuan's lumbar vertebrae. “Yes, like that. Push the Mingmen back, hollow the chest and pull up the back...” Old Xuan had lived for over three hundred years and had seen all sorts of storms, yet here he was being lectured by a teenage boy, and he didn't feel it was embarrassing at all. On the path of martial arts, the one who attains it first is the Senior. This boy's skills were worth learning.

After standing for half an hour, Old Xuan couldn't help but ask, “Kid, how long do I have to stand in this stake?”

“Three years for basic entry,” Chen Yuanji said calmly. “At least two hours every day. After three years, when the muscles and bones are set and the Qi and blood are full, then you can start practicing boxing.”

“Three years?!” Old Xuan almost jumped. “Where would I get that much time?”

“That's why I said Internal Family Boxing isn't something that can be mastered overnight,” Chen Yuanji laughed. “Old Xuan, your cultivation is profound; there's no need to start from scratch. You only need to learn some techniques for exerting Jin and integrate them into your own martial arts.”

“That's more like it.” Old Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. “Then teach me the techniques for exerting Jin.”

Chen Yuanji thought for a moment. “The core of exerting Jin is ‘Whole-Body Jin.’ So-called Whole-Body Jin is when the power of the entire body is condensed into a single point without any waste. Old Xuan, try punching me.”

“Punch you?” Old Xuan shook his head. “Even though my cultivation has fallen, a single punch from me has ten thousand pounds of force. You won't be able to take it.”

“Then just use one percent of your power.”

“Fine.” Old Xuan took a deep breath and threw a punch. Although he only used one percent of his power, the fist wind was still sharp. Chen Yuanji didn't dodge. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand on Old Xuan's wrist, giving it a light deflect—Taiji Pengjin. Old Xuan felt the direction of his punch shift as his power was led aside by a soft force, causing his body to stagger forward involuntarily.

“Eh?” He widened his eyes in surprise. “What kind of art is this again?”

“Taiji,” Chen Yuanji said. “deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces.”

“deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces?” Old Xuan chewed on those words, his eyes flashing with sharp light. “What a ‘deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces’! Kid, if you practice this art to a high Realm, could you even neutralize the power of the Creation Realm?”

Chen Yuanji thought for a moment. “Theoretically, yes. But the premise is that I must be able to sense the opponent's power. The power level of the Creation Realm is too high. With my current perception, I'd be sent flying before I even touched it.”

“So you're saying that as long as your perception can keep up, you can borrow and redirect the force?”

“Yes.”

Old Xuan took a deep breath, and the way he looked at Chen Yuanji had completely changed. This boy—no, this young man—had things hidden within him that were much deeper than he had imagined. “Kid,” Old Xuan suddenly lowered his voice. “Let me give you a warning. Never easily show these arts of yours in front of outsiders. Especially people from those major powers; once they discover the value of your arts, they will do whatever it takes to get them.”

Chen Yuanji nodded. “I understand.”

“You don't understand.” Old Xuan shook his head. “You think they just want your arts? No, they want you as a person even more. Your yuan pulse is sealed, and a massive amount of power is stored within your body. If someone gets a hold of you and uses an evil method to extract the power from your body...” He didn't continue, but the meaning was already clear.

Chen Yuanji felt a chill in his heart. “Thank you for the warning, Old Xuan.” He cupped his hands. “I will be careful.”

“Being careful is useless.” Old Xuan sighed. “In this world, strength is the foundation. With your current strength, you can't even walk out of Qingzhou City. So, before you have enough strength, keep a low profile and bide your time.”

Chen Yuanji nodded, but he already had a plan in his heart. Low profile? Of course he would keep a low profile. But being low-profile didn't mean doing nothing. He was going to walk the path of Guoshu once again in this world. Bright Force, Dark Force, Transcendent, Dan Power, Gang Energy, God Realm. Every step would be taken with a solid foundation.