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墨書 Inktalez
Xunuo knew that Guo Shujiang had finished dinner and was about to take his shift. He no longer paid attention to anything else and sat cross-legged on the bed, first calming his mind.
After sitting for a while, he suddenly remembered the task of fetching water from earlier that day. Over the past year, Xunuo's body had become much stronger, and today’s performance exceeded his expectations. If he exerted himself fully, he could fill a barrel of water in half a day, giving him extra time for martial arts training. However, such feats could not be achieved all at once; he needed to progress gradually.
He was scheduled to rest every fifth day but could still go to the Outer Sect Disciple's Transmission Room to learn martial arts. In two days, it would be the fifth day, and he needed to prepare himself. He planned to review the three martial arts taught by his senior brother in the Transmission of Skills and determine which one suited him best. If he could learn the Eight Extremes Fist, that would be even better; he was already familiar with it and could take the opportunity to ask about techniques for circulating energy. After contemplating this for a while, Xunuo gradually relaxed his Divine Sense and began practicing the Huayang Classic.
Before he knew it, the fifth day had arrived. Xunuo dressed neatly and made his way to the Transmission Room. The Transmission Room was a large hall with several pillars inside. When Xunuo arrived, there were only three or five people present, but soon after, hundreds more began to arrive, filling the entire room. Those who were familiar with each other started chatting animatedly, making it lively like a marketplace.
After a while, several figures in white garments appeared on the stage at one side of the Transmission Room. The noisy chatter below immediately ceased.
Xunuo focused his gaze and saw that they were several Outer Sect Disciples. It seemed they were the Transmission Disciples. One of them was someone Xunuo recognized—Liu Shishu, who had brought him to see Guo Shujiang.
According to Guo Shujiang's introduction, the Transmission Disciples were rotated among Outer Sect Disciples and were not fixed positions. This Liu Shishu was named Liu Yunfei and was said by Guo Shujiang to be an outstanding talent among the Outer Sect Disciples. He was also quite proud and looked down upon those who relied on connections to enter the Inner Sect. Years ago, Zhang Changzai had used his cousin-in-law, who was the Vice Hall Master of the Outer Hall, to gain entry into the Inner Sect. This had made him arrogant and dismissive of others. However, he had crossed paths with Liu Shishu and ended up in a dispute where Liu Shishu had beaten him severely, nearly breaking one of his legs.
Zhang Changzai's cousin-in-law was also someone protective of his own, but seeing Liu Shishu's actions, he did not make a fuss and instead scolded Zhang Changzai instead. The reasons were twofold: Liu Shishu was a close disciple of the sect leader and favored by him; moreover, he was indeed a martial arts prodigy who had opened two Meridians by the age of twenty—undeniably the best among his peers. Even some current Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters would not have guaranteed victory against him.
On stage, Liu Yunfei scanned the crowd below before speaking: "I am Liu Yunfei. For this month, my fellow disciples and I will be teaching you martial arts. The three sets of Fist Techniques practiced by Outer Sect Disciples are Flowing Cloud Fist, Three Talents Fist, and Tongbi Fist. You may choose any of them to practice; however, I do not recommend mixing all three techniques together but rather selecting one to focus on mastering. As they say, mastering one skill is better than being mediocre at many."
After finishing his speech, he stepped aside.
A girl around seventeen or eighteen years old stepped forward from the stage. Her long hair was tied up with a hairpin securing it in place; her features were delicate. Dressed in a white short shirt with an egg yolk-colored belt around her waist accentuating her figure, she stepped forward and said: "The set I will demonstrate is called Flowing Cloud Fist."
With that, she clenched her fists and began demonstrating her technique.
The beautiful woman on stage gracefully stretched her waist and lifted her feet, showcasing the Flowing Cloud Fist, which was inherently elegant in its movements. Below, a group of disciples watched intently, some unable to contain themselves and drooling. Once the woman finished her demonstration and stepped back, Xunuo's expression darkened.
Next, a senior brother performed the Three Talents Fist, a close-combat technique characterized by short, powerful strikes. After he finished, Xunuo's face grew even more somber.
The last senior brother demonstrated the Tongbi Fist, a technique known for its expansive and forceful movements, appearing quite domineering.
After the Tongbi Fist was completed, Liu Yunfei stepped forward and said, "You have all seen these three Fist Techniques. Choose one to learn and follow the respective senior brother. This hall will be left to my junior sister to teach the Flowing Cloud Fist. Those interested in learning the differences between the Three Talents Fist and Tongbi Fist should practice in the front and back courtyards."
As Liu Yunfei finished speaking, the disciples gradually split into three groups, yet Xunuo remained in place with a gloomy expression. It turned out that after witnessing the demonstrations of the three techniques, Xunuo felt increasingly disheartened. Compared to the Eight Extremes Fist he had practiced, these seemed almost trivial.
He had initially thought that joining a sect would grant him access to profound martial arts techniques, but it appeared that such hopes were dashed. At least at the Outer Gate, it seemed difficult to grasp any advanced martial arts. His mood was understandably sour.
Liu Yunfei noticed Xunuo's demeanor and remarked, "So it's Liu Shizhi. I heard yesterday that you managed to carry water on your first day here; you must possess great strength. You should learn the Tongbi Fist; this technique is most vigorous and suits your innate power."
Xunuo didn't particularly care which technique he learned; all three seemed rather useless in his eyes. However, seeing Liu Shixiong say this, he cupped his fists in salute and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Liu Shishu. I will practice the Tongbi Fist."
Liu Yunfei nodded and added, "It seems Zhang Pangzi assigned you the task of carrying water as a way to bully newcomers again. But this will serve as training for you."
Xunuo chuckled at this and said, "It's no trouble for me. Zhang Changzai ended up getting scolded by Guo Shujiang for it; he must be feeling even more frustrated than I am."
Liu Yunfei let out a light exclamation of surprise. "I didn't expect Guo Chaozi, that cunning fellow, could act so boldly. I misjudged him this time."
With that, he sent everyone off to practice.
Xunuo followed the senior brother who had demonstrated the Tongbi Fist to the back courtyard. To his surprise, this group was the smallest of the three, with fewer than twenty people present. The senior brother began breaking down the first five moves of the Tongbi Fist for everyone to practice. The disciples shouted in unison as they performed the movements in an orderly manner.
Xunuo had only practiced a few times before feeling bored. In fact, after the senior brother demonstrated it once, Xunuo had already memorized the Tongbi Fist techniques, finding them child's play compared to the Eight Extremes Fist he had practiced. So he simply stopped and stood aside, contemplating the practical applications of the Tongbi Fist and how to counter it. Lost in thought, he began to mimic and ponder the movements on his own.
The senior brother from the Transmission of Skills took no notice of him; he had his own ways to deal with such unruly disciples. As noon approached, everyone was drenched in sweat from their training. Only then did the senior brother call for everyone to stop.
He turned to Xunuo, who was still standing aside, and said, "Everyone has practiced for half a day, yet you have not performed any breakdown movements. I suppose you think you have mastered it well enough to show off in front of us. If you do well, I have nothing to say; if not, you can continue practicing here while we go for lunch."
Xunuo shrugged off the comment and responded casually before slightly bending his legs and assuming a starting stance. He then began executing the Tongbi Fist move by move.
Having already committed the Tongbi Fist to memory, Xunuo felt a deep understanding of this set of techniques. Noticing that the Tongbi Fist was somewhat similar to the Eight Extremes Fist—both being straightforward and forceful styles—Xunuo executed it with precision and power. In no time, he completed five moves without pausing, finishing the entire set of Tongbi Fist before retracting his fists and standing calmly aside.
The other senior brothers watched in astonishment, even the Transmission Disciple was impressed. They thought to themselves: It seems this one is indeed a martial arts genius.
After a moment, one of them chuckled and said, "I wondered why you were so arrogant; it turns out you do have some skill. With that performance, even a senior brother like me has nothing to criticize. Let's go eat."
The Transmission Room had its own kitchen, and the Transmission Disciple led everyone to lunch. After eating, they returned to the backyard to continue practicing. The others resumed their tedious breakdown movements.
Xunuo had expected that new techniques would be taught in the afternoon. Seeing that they were still doing monotonous breakdowns, he wandered off again to contemplate on his own. This time, Xunuo focused on how to counter the Tongbi Fist techniques, especially how to respond when facing the Eight Extremes Fist. This was limited by Xunuo's own skills since he had no other fist techniques for reference.
The Transmission Disciple recognized that such talents as Xunuo—much like Liu Yuntian—were inherently rebellious individuals with immense potential for the future; thus, he would not easily offend them. He allowed Xunuo to practice alone at the side. As sunset approached, he called everyone to stop and instructed them to return home for further practice, promising that they would come back in ten days for more advanced techniques.
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