Qi Blood Fullness, Thoughts Reach Far and Wide.
As his Basic Breathing Technique reached the level of Perfection, Chu Lingguang felt a surge of hot blood course through him, breaking through the fog of Confusion.
He saw Guo Wei and Wang Chao demonstrating the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques before him.
The next day, Chu Lingguang awoke from his dreams.
He glanced around the room and confirmed that he had been the only one home last night. Neither Guo Wei nor Wang Chao had visited.
But Chu Lingguang was convinced that the scenes replaying in his mind from the previous night were no hallucination.
Filled with doubt, he couldn't help but look at his panel.
Favor Points: 63
Iron Mountain Fist (43-100)
Basic Breathing Technique (100-100)
Heavenward Force (42-100)
Iron Mountain Saber Technique (52-100)
Basic Body Technique (37-100)
Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques (3-150)
(Remaining Lifespan: 63)
'The Spear Technique was added!'
When he saw the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques appear on the panel with a value of three points, Chu Lingguang almost cried out in shock.
For over a month, he had been diligently practicing the Thirteen Spear Techniques every day but had never seen it added to the panel. He'd assumed that, like his Saber Technique, he would need to get into a real fight to achieve Enlightenment.
He never expected that cultivating his Basic Breathing Technique to Perfection the night before would be the key.
With Qi Blood Fullness and his Thoughts Reaching Far and Wide, he had instantly found the knack for it.
'Master said that for the Daoist Examination, my Spear Technique has to reach the Form Realm to get an A Class grade. Besides the basic spear assessment, there will also be sections for spear on foot and lance. If I want a good score, I can't afford to slack off on my Spear Technique!'
'Besides, Spear Technique is harder to practice than the other skills.'
Chu Lingguang saw that the peak value for the Spear Technique was 150, surpassing the Breathing Technique, Body Technique, Fist Technique, and Saber Technique.
'I'll just have to spend all my remaining Favor Points on the Spear Technique.'
Chu Lingguang had no other choice.
Favor Points: None
Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques (66-150)
As his proficiency increased, Chu Lingguang grabbed a broom by the door and couldn't resist starting to practice in the courtyard. At last, he could execute the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques fluidly.
But he was still far from reaching the level of Wang Chao and Guo Wei.
Both of them had already refined their Spear Technique to the Form Realm.
Especially Guo Wei. Chu Lingguang now realized that even if Guo Wei's Basic Spear Skill had not reached Perfection, it must be very close.
He practiced the Thirteen Forms of Spear Technique back and forth several times. Although he got progressively faster, he was still unable to reach the Form state. Something was always lacking.
And this missing element wasn't a deficiency in Qi Blood, a lack of strength, or a gap in speed. It was the absence of a certain presence.
As for what kind of presence, Chu Lingguang couldn't say. Even after watching Wang Chao and Guo Wei's demonstrations, he couldn't put it into words. It was something that could only be understood, not explained.
「Time flew.」
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since Chu Lingguang became Guo Wei's disciple. There was now a year and a half left until the Daoist Examination.
Over the past three months, Chu Lingguang had made steady, incremental progress. He gradually let Guo Wei see that he had grasped the knack for the spear technique, eventually becoming able to perform the complete Thirteen Spear Techniques. By the end, he could switch between the forms at will, each move and stance carrying a measure of power.
As a result, Guo Wei had also taught Chu Lingguang two more martial arts over these three months.
Archery and Staff Technique.
Archery was self-explanatory.
Like the Spear Technique test, the Archery portion of the Daoist Examination involved a basic assessment, along with shooting on foot and Mounted Archery. It was a relatively important martial art, and the subject on which all examiners had the strictest requirements.
As for the Staff Technique, this martial art was related to the Spear Technique and also consisted of thirteen techniques. It was the weakest of the skills Guo Wei taught, although its peak value was also one hundred points. But by leveraging his Basic Spear Skill, Chu Lingguang achieved Enlightenment in just half a month, successfully adding it to his panel. Afterward, by spending some scattered Favor Points, he had raised the Staff Technique's value to thirty in the last few days.
Practicing Archery was about more than just accuracy; it was also about training one's Essence, Qi, and Spirit. One must not only draw and nock an arrow in an instant but also hit the target. Your eyes had to be able to lock onto your mark, spot it in a crowd or a forest at a glance, and hit a vital point with a single shot.
For the past three months, Chu Lingguang had taken the dozens of arrow shafts Guo Wei had prepared and shot them repeatedly, dozens or even hundreds of times each day.
By now, he could hit the bullseye, but for some reason, Archery still hadn't been added to his panel. Chu Lingguang had a gut feeling that while he could hit the target, he was still a long way from being a perfect shot. Perhaps perfect accuracy was the foundation for Enlightenment in Archery.
Though this made him a bit anxious, his anticipation grew as his hit rate increased. He felt the day his Archery would be added to the panel was not far off.
THWACK!
He shot the last arrow shaft from his quiver, and it hit the bullseye.
On the three targets at the range, each bullseye held seven or eight arrows, with another five or six stuck just outside it. Only a few strays lay on the ground.
After three consecutive months of practice, even though he had not yet achieved Enlightenment, the chances of him missing the target altogether were minuscule.
Chu Lingguang picked up his quiver and retrieved all the arrow shafts.
"Hah!"
At the edge of the range, Hei Hu grabbed a 230-jin Stone Lock and used Heavenward Force to lift it over his head.
THUD!
After holding it for a breath or two, Hei Hu threw the Stone Lock onto the ground. His chest heaved, and veins bulged on both his arms.
Over the past three months, with the help of the Breathing Technique, Hei Hu's Qi Blood had flourished and his strength had grown by leaps and bounds, increasing at a rate of about twenty jin per month.
And there was still no sign of it slowing down.
At this rate, he would also be able to get an A Class grade in the Qiao Pass event at the Daoist Examination in a year and a half.
Moreover, during these three months, he had also practiced Archery and Staff Technique, and had begun learning horsemanship. He had a preliminary grasp of the skills needed to draw a bow from horseback and to pierce a straw man with a Long Spear.
His talent had always been superior to Chu Lingguang's, and he always achieved Enlightenment more easily when learning the various Kung Fu skills.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the boom of Fist Force echoed from the Inner Courtyard.
Chu Lingguang, who had just placed his arrow shafts in his quiver and was about to resume his Archery practice, couldn't help but put down his bow. He and Hei Hu left the rear courtyard and went to the Inner Courtyard to investigate.
"Quan developed Fist Force!"
"You're amazing, Quan! It took Hu half a year to develop Fist Force, but you did it in less than four months."
"You've made it, Quan!"
"I, Liu Quan, can participate in the Martial Arts Examination too!"
In the Inner Courtyard, a group of new and old students was gathered around Liu Quan. It turned out that he was the one who had just produced the boom of Fist Force.
Chu Lingguang knew Liu Quan was talented, but he never expected him to produce Fist Force in under four months. His aptitude was even more outstanding than Hei Hu's.
"What are you all shouting about?" Hei Hu snorted. "Is developing Fist Force so special? Get back to your training."
"Yes."
No one dared to argue, and the crowd quickly dispersed.
"Hu, I developed Fist Force," Liu Quan said to Hei Hu with a smile.
Three months prior, Chu Lingguang had refused to introduce him to Guo Wei. So his father, Village Chief Liu Lishi, had paid a considerable price to get in touch with Hei Hu. Thanks to Hei Hu's introduction, Liu Quan had managed to leave an impression on Guo Wei and had received some extra attention from him over the past three months.
At the same time, to repay some Favors, Chu Lingguang had also given Liu Quan a few pointers.
And now, he had finally developed Fist Force.