Chapter 38 - 37: Six Harmonies Fist

Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Six Harmonies Fist

No one knew what had happened in the mountain forest.

Lu Jing’an sat cross-legged in his bedroom.

By the time he finished Refining the last four wisps of Divine Soul and one Tobacco Pouch in their entirety,

the sky in the East had already begun to lighten to a pale, bluish-green.

Four Divine Souls, plus that heavy Tobacco Pipe Bowl.

Altogether, they had brought him two new entries and 9 Energy Points.

The two entries were [Star Fire Spreads Across the Land] (White) and [Dark Smoke and Miasma] (White).

Both were refined from the Smoke Cultivator’s Divine Soul and Tobacco Pouch.

As for the Divine Souls of the other two Martial Cultivators and the one Ting Xiu, they didn’t form any entries, transforming only into pure Energy Points.

Lu Jing’an wasn’t surprised by this.

Those two Martial Cultivators were old, yet they hadn’t even broken through the Blood Barrier.

Their talent was clearly ordinary.

It was no surprise that he couldn’t refine any entries from them.

After all, an entry was a manifestation of its original owner’s talent.

It was perfectly normal to be unable to refine an entry from such mediocre individuals.

As for why the Ting Xiu didn’t yield an entry,

’Lu Jing’an figured it was because the man’s entry was similar to his own [Cause and Effect Following Sound], but of a lower grade.’

With a slight stir of his thoughts, the descriptions for the two new entries surfaced in Lu Jing’an’s mind:

[Star Fire Spreads Across the Land] (White)

[Description]: Water and fire are the cruelest elements. A single spark, however small, can set a prairie ablaze.

However, when the fire starts, be sure to position yourself in a safe location.

[Dark Smoke and Miasma] (White)

[Description]: Equipping this entry allows you to conjure a domain of poisonous smoke and miasma out of thin air within a twenty-zhang radius.

When the smoke and miasma permeate the area, be careful to distinguish friend from foe.

These were typical Smoke Cultivator techniques. Though they were only white-grade entries, Lu Jing’an was very satisfied.

Both entries were large-scale, area-of-effect abilities.

Their power might be insufficient against other Cultivators.

But against swarms of small fry, they were divine skills for clearing the battlefield.

Lu Jing’an glanced out the window.

The sky was gradually brightening.

He decided to forgo sleep,

and rose to assume a Posture Stance in his room,

substituting Cultivation for rest.

Ever since he’d officially stepped onto the path of a Cultivator,

Lu Jing’an’s Spirit had grown more vigorous with each passing day,

and the monotony and exhaustion he once felt while holding his Posture Stance

had now become a kind of soothing diversion.

He held his stance for an hour, then practiced his boxing for another.

His qi and blood were circulating warmly throughout his body, and only then did he call for someone to prepare water for a bath.

Once he had changed, breakfast was already laid out in the side hall.

Lu Jing’an sent someone to invite Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan had mentioned yesterday that he wanted to discuss the next steps in Lu Jing’an’s Cultivation path.

’I’m also eager to know what path I should take next.’

’The techniques I’m currently practicing aren’t providing much of a boost anymore.’

’At most, they’ll only support me until the Qi Blood Third Transformation.’

’To advance further, I’ll need a new Cultivation Technique.’

Chen Xuan arrived shortly after.

Lu Jing’an saw that Chen Xuan was carrying a book.

The book’s pages were yellowed, its corners frayed with age.

It was one of the Martial Arts texts confiscated from the Qian and Lin Families.

’Seeing the book, I knew I made the right choice back then.’

’If I had tried to look through these Martial Arts books myself, I likely wouldn’t have been able to pick out anything valuable.’

’A job for a professional should be left to a professional.’

"Thank you for your trouble, Master." Lu Jing’an stepped forward to greet him, accepting the book with both hands, his smile warm.

Chen Xuan placed the book in Lu Jing’an’s hands but didn’t rush to explain. "Take a look first, Young Master. See if you can make anything of it."

Lu Jing’an took the book, invited Chen Xuan to sit, and urged him to eat first.

Chen Xuan didn’t stand on ceremony with Lu Jing’an.

There was no need for such formalities between master and disciple.

While Chen Xuan ate, Lu Jing’an held the book with both hands, his focus entirely on reading it.

What Chen Xuan had given Lu Jing’an was a Fist Manual.

It appeared to be the original, not a copy.

The Fist Manual was clearly quite old.

The Fist Skill was called [Mountain-Breaking Fist].

At first glance, it seemed to follow the principle of using brute force to overcome finesse.

It was suited for power-type Martial Artists who were naturally strong.

The Fist Skill’s power was decent, but nothing extraordinary.

Its only redeeming feature was the Mountain-Breaking Force.

Compared to ordinary Powerful Qi, the Mountain-Breaking Force was both steady and heavy, yet it also possessed the explosive momentum of a collapsing mountain.

Thanks to the bonus from his [Master of Boxing] entry,

Lu Jing’an quickly read through it once.

He had already essentially grasped its six core stances.

When he reached the last page,

Lu Jing’an didn’t say a word.

’He didn’t think Chen Xuan’s test would be this simple.’

Lu Jing’an flipped the Fist Manual back to the first page and began reading it again from the start.

This time, he read very slowly.

About an hour later,

Lu Jing’an finished the last page

and closed the book.

As he closed the book, a glimmer of understanding lit up his eyes. He looked up, his voice filled with an excitement he couldn’t contain:

"Master, this Fist Manual is more than it seems!"

Chen Xuan put down his chopsticks and looked up at Lu Jing’an. "Tell me, then. How is it more than it seems?"

Faced with Chen Xuan’s test, Lu Jing’an wasn’t flustered in the slightest. He began to explain in a calm, methodical manner:

"Master, on its own, this Mountain-Breaking Fist appears to be just a Fist Skill for those with innate Divine Power."

"But in truth, it hides a deeper secret."

"Each of the Fist Skill’s stances has five qi apertures."

"If I’m not mistaken, this must be part of a complete set."

"There are six manuals in the full set."

"The qi apertures of the other five manuals are designed to correspond with this one."

"The apertures can be linked together in various combinations."

"Even their respective Powerful Qi can be freely combined."

"The resulting combination of Powerful Qi would be several times more potent than any single one."

As Chen Xuan listened to Lu Jing’an, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

Clearly, Lu Jing’an’s talent for Fist Skills had far exceeded his expectations.

Originally, Chen Xuan would have been satisfied if Lu Jing’an had simply recognized that it was part of a combination Fist Skill.

After all, recognizing it as a combination skill was the minimum requirement to practice it correctly.

But Chen Xuan had never expected

that Lu Jing’an would not only identify it as a combination Fist Skill

but even deduce how many manuals were in the complete set.

Chen Xuan, of course, had seen all this as well.

’But my understanding came not just from my talent in Fist Skills, but also from my vast experience and knowledge.’

’Lu Jing’an, however, clearly lacks that kind of worldly wisdom.’

’And yet, he saw it too.’

’It’s proof that Lu Jing’an’s talent in the art of the fist surpasses even my own.’

’This wealthy disciple I’ve taken in my twilight years has truly given me one surprise after another.’

"Master, was I wrong?" Lu Jing’an asked tentatively, looking at the silent Chen Xuan.

’Even though the entry I possess was inherited from Chen Xuan, I know I’m not nearly as seasoned as my master. It’s entirely possible I made a mistake.’

Lu Jing’an’s question snapped Chen Xuan back to his senses.

"No, Young Master, you are correct. What you’ve described are the very core principles of this Fist Skill."

"As long as you can see these core principles, you won’t go astray when you practice it."

"Originally, I thought it would be enough for you to simply recognize it as a combination Fist Skill,"

"and that you could then begin your Cultivation of it."

"I planned to offer a few pointers while you were Practicing Boxing, just enough to ensure you wouldn’t stray from the right path."

"But now it seems this Fist Skill won’t require my guidance at all."

Hearing Chen Xuan’s words,

Lu Jing’an couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Master, is there a story behind this Fist Skill?" Lu Jing’an asked, voicing his greatest curiosity.

Chen Xuan didn’t answer right away. "Let’s eat first, Young Master. I’ll tell you the story as we eat.

And when I’m done, I can give you a demonstration."

Lu Jing’an had been so absorbed in contemplating the Fist Skill

that he only now realized how famished he was.

Without any order from Lu Jing’an,

servants came forward and replaced all the cold dishes with fresh ones.

The kitchen had kept an identical, fresh set of dishes ready,

so Lu Jing’an didn’t have to wait at all.

In a matter of moments, the table was once again laden with congee, small side dishes, steamed buns, and sauced meat...

As he ate, Lu Jing’an listened to Chen Xuan recount the history of the Fist Skill.

"The true name of this complete Fist Skill is the [Six Harmonies Fist]."

"This Fist Skill was extremely famous during the Great Ming era."

"The Great Ming Boxing Champion, Yue Qingshan, cultivated this very Fist Skill."

"It was with this Fist Skill that the Boxing Champion earned a place among the ten greatest masters of his time."

"Later, the Boxing Champion vanished without a trace."

"And with him, the Fist Skill was lost."

"Later, six seemingly unremarkable Fist Skills appeared in the Jianghu."

"At first, no one paid them any mind."

"Then, someone chanced upon all six manuals. By comparing and studying them together, they discovered it was none other than the Six Harmonies Fist practiced by the Boxing Champion of old."

"After that, the Fist Skill fell into the hands of the Great Ming Royal Family and was hidden away deep inside the Inner Martial Hall."

"It remained there until the former dynasty collapsed and the Imperial Palace was looted. The Fist Manual vanished once more."

"And its whereabouts were once again unknown."

Lu Jing’an was so captivated by the story that he forgot to even move his chopsticks.

Lu Jing’an had read scattered, unofficial histories of the former dynasty.

He knew that the martial traditions of the Great Ming had flourished, that the Martial Cultivators of that era could cleave mountains and part rivers—feats far beyond anything seen today.

’To be ranked among the ten greatest masters in such an age... the significance of this Fist Skill is as weighty as a mountain range.’