Take "One-Line Pass" for example.
This skill is also called "Water Flying Skill."
It is a technique for crossing water as if threading through it, and walking on snow without leaving footprints.
On the day of mastery,
one can toss a single reed and glide across rivers, a pinnacle of "Crossing the River with a Reed" Qinggong.
Chen Jichuan initially studied the "Land Flying Skill"—renowned for its prowess in Flatland Divine Movement, allowing him to tread treacherous paths like level ground, scaling cliffs as easily as walking on land.
However, in feats of flying along eaves and scaling walls, it fell short of Running Board Skill and Gecko Wall-Climbing Skill.
In leveraging power and moving gracefully while seeming weightless, it was inferior to the Flipping Technique.
In water traversal, it couldn't compare to One-Line Pass.
Every martial technique inevitably overlaps with others, but each also has its specialization. With his foundation in "Land Flying Skill," Chen Jichuan found learning related techniques to be seamless and progressed quickly, further refining his skills in lightweight body techniques.
Not only did he train in cross-training hard skills,
but also lightweight movement techniques.
Chen Jichuan embraced all forms of martial arts, training arm strength, leg power, and fundamental energy.
Take Cupping Skill, for instance, which focuses on arm suspension strength and grip power in both hands. When combined with the Water Dividing Skill, arm strength grew even greater, enhancing archery skills significantly.
The Mountain Pulling Skill, on the other hand, is a purely wrist-centric gripping force capable of crushing an enemy.
Another example is the foot shooting skill: once mastered, in combat, one could unexpectedly kick bricks or stones at distant foes or land a decisive kick to nearby enemies, leaving them helpless.
This technique requires extraordinary leg power and high dexterity of toes.
Thanks to his Lying Tiger Skill, Chen Jichuan had developed toe strength exceeding a thousand pounds. With such a foundation, the only thing he lacked in mastering the foot shooting skill was experience and refinement.
Similarly, leg kick skill resembles yet differs from the Iron Broom Technique. The latter strengthens the legs' resistance to blows, while the former emphasizes leg strength.
"Two legs kick as swift as the wind, leaping high and low with boundless force. Kicking a 200-pound sandbag is but a trifle; strike an opponent and leave no shadow behind."
When paired with the Iron Broom Technique's iron-like legs, the power is simply overwhelming.
As martial artists often say: "Better to take ten punches than a single kick."
Or: "Ten punches won't injure, but one kick decides life or death."
The Tan Sect earned its fearsome Northern martial arts reputation precisely for using its "Ten Road Tan Leg" technique to perfect leg-based combat to a deadly degree.
Their Chain Legs could scatter opponents like ashes.
Chen Jichuan practiced the Iron Broom Technique and leg kick skill while combining the hands, eyes, body, and steps gained through the Golden Blade Changing Palm Technique. If he crossed paths with a Tan Sect Grandmaster of leg techniques, the result of their clash would still be unpredictable.
Unfortunately,
winter journeys are arduous.
Last winter, the Tan Sect Thirteen Grand Protectors crossed Jishui and entered the Great Yann's central regions. Yet, over four months have passed, with spring nearly ending, and the Thirteen Grand Protectors have yet to set foot in Lingnan Territory.
Chances are they won't make it in time.
...
On this day,
as the morning sun rose,
Chen Jichuan lay atop a flat piece of Qingshi stone at the peak of the rear mountain cliff, fully stretched out. His forearms flexed to present fists upward, his feet grounded, and his legs straightened. Then, concentrating strength into his elbows, he pressed against the stone, lifting his entire body off the ground. Aside from his elbows touching the surface, none of his body made contact.
All his body weight
rested on his elbows. Ordinary people would quickly grow exhausted, or their elbows would ache unbearably.
But after months of grueling training, Chen Jichuan was undeterred by pain.
He even had the spare strength to set his left hand on his waist and use only his right elbow against the surface, slowly flipping his body to the right into a side-lying position. When his right elbow began to hurt, he reverted to the original posture, then shifted strength to his left elbow, flipping his body leftward into another side-lying position.
This repetition continued dozens of times.
Only then did he complete his morning routine.
Chen Jichuan finally rose, his elbows already swollen red. He walked back to his quarters, dipped his elbows into medicinal water for cleansing, allowing the medicine to seep deeply, signaling the end of his training session.
"The second layer of Overlord Elbow is nearly done,"
he said to himself.
"In a few more days, I can replace Qingshi with coarser sandstone. Or, to be more drastic, dig a groove in the ground, fill it with a mixture of smooth pebbles of varying sizes, mud, and sand, let it solidify, and train atop the pebbles."
With such gradual progression,
eventually switching to fragments of jagged stone mixed with mud and sand for training, he would no longer feel pain. By then, his elbows would be as solid as forged steel, impervious even to blades and hammers.
Using them to strike opponents would surely pierce through their chests and stomachs.
"Overlord Elbow trains the elbows,"
"and Iron Knee Skill trains the knees."
"For martial artists, skills can never be too many—the more, the better. Training each part of the body reduces potential vulnerabilities and sometimes allows one to subdue an opponent using overlooked techniques."
Chen Jichuan estimated.
At his current martial arts level and physical conditioning, mastering these two techniques would take only three to five years. Without factoring in Source Power, he could achieve them even faster.
Time was always his biggest constraint in the past.
But after escaping the Black Prison, time was now his most plentiful resource.
"Take it slow,"
he thought.
"Three to five years in the Great Yann World is no more than twelve or thirteen days in reality. That's plenty of time for me to master each martial art methodically."
Chen Jichuan felt no hurry.
After finishing his Overlord Elbow training, he typically moved on to studying other martial arts before guiding his disciples in the afternoon.
But today was different.
"The day is breaking."
"I must leave early and settle down quickly."
Looking at the fully risen sun outside, Chen Jichuan began to calculate the time in the real world.
Based on his estimations,
daybreak in reality should also be near.
Chen Jichuan was eager to confront the Tan Sect leg masters but had no intention of delaying matters in the real world or lingering in dangerous situations. There would be ample opportunities in the future for matches with skilled opponents. So long as he stayed alive, it could happen anytime.
...
"Old Master, are you leaving?"
Lul Changshou looked at the venerable Mr. Chen standing before him, momentarily stunned. For months, Chen Jichuan had been relentlessly training at Taiqing Mountain, never descending even once. His enthusiasm to face Tan Sect masters had been unyielding.
Why now—
"I'll return in half a year."
Chen Jichuan smiled.
If it had been Lul Xiong or Lul Zijian—the grandfather and father of Lul Changshou—they wouldn't have questioned it. Decades ago, Chen Jichuan's unpredictable comings and goings had long become a norm in their experience.
But after so many years,
Lul Changshou was unaware of Mr. Chen's "peculiar habit." This left him flustered and worried it stemmed from some fault of his own. Only after hearing the assurance of a six-month return did he relax, respectfully saying, "If Old Master requires anything, Changshou is ready to assist."
"No need."
Chen Jichuan waved his hand, uninterested in fabricating an explanation. "I'll leave today. No need to send me off. Keep this residence intact for my return in half a year."
"I wouldn't dare!"
Lul Changshou responded hastily.
"Train well,"
"but don't pressure yourself."
Chen Jichuan patted Lul Changshou's shoulder in encouragement.
By departing at this hour, traveling during the day, and pausing overnight to re-enter the Great Yann World, at least seven or eight months—or even longer—would pass. By then, the Tan Sect Thirteen Grand Protectors would most likely have reached Lingnan, and he might not be able to make it back in time.
"Rest assured, Old Master,"
"Changshou will safeguard your reputation!"
Lul Changshou's expression was resolute, though his invisible burden only seemed heavier.
Seeing his words backfire, Chen Jichuan lost interest and turned to leave. With a single step, his body light as a swallow, he disappeared into the wooded rear mountains.
...