The Thunderbolt Martial Hall was unusually lively that morning.
The wide training grounds were divided into several sections, with hundreds of disciples scattered across them. Some were practicing breathing methods beneath the guidance of instructors, others were repeatedly performing martial techniques while sweat soaked through their clothes, and a smaller group stood motionless in strange postures as they circulated their Qi-Blood through their bodies.
Lou Feng stood at the edge of one of the training grounds with his arms folded across his chest.
His gaze slowly swept across the disciples before him.
He had already been in Thunderbolt Martial Hall for several weeks.
On the surface, he was nothing more than an instructor responsible for teaching External Martial Arts to disciples at the Innate Realm and below.
That identity suited him perfectly.
It allowed him to remain close to the martial artists of Dongtai Prefecture while giving him an opportunity to investigate the movements of the Incense Fire Cult without exposing anything unusual about himself.
Of course, none of the disciples knew his true strength.
As far as they were concerned, Instructor Lou was simply a powerful external martial artist with considerable experience.
That was exactly what he wanted.
"Again."
Lou Feng's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried across the entire training ground.
The disciples immediately straightened.
"The breathing method and the stance aren't separate things."
"Your body is the furnace, your Qi-Blood is the material, and the breathing rhythm is what allows the furnace to continue burning."
"Don't simply imitate the posture."
"Feel what your muscles are doing."
Several disciples immediately corrected their positions.
Lou Feng walked among them, occasionally stopping to adjust someone's shoulders or move someone's feet a few inches.
External Martial Arts appeared simple from the outside.
Stand.
Breathe.
Move.
Strike.
But genuine External Martial Arts was anything but simple.
A complete inheritance required breathing methods to nourish the body, pile stances to refine the foundation, movement techniques to strengthen coordination and combat arts to turn that foundation into actual strength.
Most martial artists outside the major martial halls only possessed fragments.
They might have a pile stance without a breathing method.
Or a combat technique without a proper method to regulate the resulting internal injuries.
Such incomplete inheritances were little more than bootleg martial arts.
Thunderbolt Martial Hall was different.
Its inheritances had been accumulated for generations.
That was one of the reasons Lou Feng had accepted the position.
He could observe how the martial arts of this continent developed while remaining concealed among them.
After correcting another disciple, Lou Feng suddenly heard a commotion from the corner of the training grounds.
"Move!"
"Did you not hear me?"
A young disciple stumbled backward.
He was small.
Too small compared with the other disciples around him.
His clothes were somewhat loose, and his hair was messy from training. He looked no older than ten or eleven.
More importantly...
His skin had not yet entered Skin Refining.
His Qi-Blood was weak.
His muscles were still soft.
Even his breathing was slightly irregular.
Three older disciples stood around him.
One pushed him in the shoulder.
The boy staggered backward.
"Three months."
"Three whole months."
"You still haven't entered Skin Refining."
Another disciple laughed.
"Someone like you should just go home."
"You're wasting the martial hall's resources."
The boy clenched his fists.
"I'll reach it."
His voice was quiet.
The disciple in front of him laughed.
"Reach it?"
"With that root bone?"
"You have Ding-Lower aptitude at best."
"Do you really think the martial hall is going to waste resources on someone like you?"
The boy's face flushed.
His fists tightened even more.
Yet he didn't answer.
Lou Feng quietly watched.
He didn't immediately interfere.
Bullying among disciples wasn't unusual.
The martial world had always been cruel.
Those with talent naturally received more attention.
Those without talent were easily pushed aside.
However...
There was something about this boy that caught Lou Feng's attention.
His stance was wrong.
But his determination wasn't.
The boy had clearly practiced the Quiet Stance repeatedly.
His legs trembled because his muscles weren't strong enough to maintain the posture.
His breathing was also crude.
Yet he hadn't given up.
Lou Feng's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Enough."
His voice wasn't loud.
The three older disciples immediately froze.
They turned around.
Seeing Lou Feng standing behind them, their expressions changed.
"Instructor Lou."
Lou Feng looked at them.
"Why are you bullying your junior?"
One of the disciples quickly bowed.
"We were only teaching him a lesson."
"A lesson?"
Lou Feng's expression remained indifferent.
"Then I'll teach you one."
The disciple's face immediately paled.
Lou Feng pointed toward the training ground.
"Ten rounds."
"Running."
The disciple hesitated.
"Instructor..."
"Twenty."
The disciple immediately lowered his head.
"Yes, Instructor."
The three disciples hurried away.
Lou Feng then turned toward the young boy.
The boy remained standing where he was.
His face was still red.
"What's your name?"
The boy swallowed.
"Chen Hao."
"How long have you been practicing?"
"Almost three months."
Lou Feng nodded.
"Have you reached Skin Refining?"
Chen Hao lowered his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Lou Feng studied him for several breaths.
Then he walked around him.
"Show me your Quiet Stance."
Chen Hao immediately became nervous.
He stepped forward and assumed the posture he had been taught.
His feet were too close together.
His knees were too high.
His spine wasn't straight.
His shoulders were tense.
His breathing was shallow.
Lou Feng quietly watched.
After several breaths, he spoke.
"You've been forcing yourself."
Chen Hao looked up.
"Yes?"
"You're treating the Quiet Stance as if you're fighting someone."
Chen Hao didn't understand.
Lou Feng crouched slightly and adjusted his feet.
"Relax."
"Don't use strength to hold yourself up."
"Let your bones carry your weight."
He adjusted Chen Hao's knees.
Then his waist.
Then his shoulders.
"Now breathe."
Chen Hao inhaled.
"Slowly."
He followed.
"Again."
Another breath.
Lou Feng nodded.
"Feel your Qi-Blood."
Chen Hao closed his eyes.
At first, nothing happened.
Then his expression changed.
A faint warmth slowly appeared beneath his skin.
His Qi-Blood began circulating.
Not strongly.
Not quickly.
But smoothly.
Chen Hao's trembling legs gradually became steadier.
His breathing became deeper.
Lou Feng's eyes flashed.
This child wasn't talented in the conventional sense.
But his body possessed excellent adaptability.
His problem wasn't that he couldn't cultivate.
It was that nobody had taught him correctly.
The martial hall's basic instruction had given him a method, but his body required a different rhythm.
"Remember this feeling."
Lou Feng stood.
"The Quiet Stance isn't about standing still."
"It's about making your body learn how to circulate Qi-Blood without conscious effort."
"One day, you should be able to stand like this while talking, eating, or even sleeping."
Chen Hao's eyes widened.
"Can it really become automatic?"
"Yes."
Lou Feng looked toward the other disciples.
"Movement and stillness are two sides of martial cultivation."
"The Dragon Stance teaches your body to move through explosive changes."
"The Quiet Stance teaches your body to refine itself while remaining still."
"Both are important."
He looked back at Chen Hao.
"But before you learn to move like a dragon..."
"You must first learn how to become as steady as a mountain."
Chen Hao's eyes brightened.
"Then..."
"Can I reach Skin Refining?"
Lou Feng smiled faintly.
"If you practice correctly."
"Why not?"
The boy clenched his fists.
"I'll do it!"
Lou Feng nodded.
"Good."
"Tomorrow, come earlier."
"I'll teach you the complete breathing rhythm."
Chen Hao froze.
"Complete?"
Lou Feng turned away.
"Your current method is incomplete."
"Don't tell anyone."
The boy immediately nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Instructor!"
Lou Feng walked away.
Behind him, Chen Hao immediately returned to his stance.
This time...
He didn't force himself.
He simply stood.
Breathed.
And allowed his Qi-Blood to circulate naturally.
Lou Feng glanced back once.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps...
This was one of the reasons martial halls existed.
Not merely to produce geniuses.
But to give ordinary people a chance to become extraordinary.
----------------
The training session continued until noon.
By then, Chen Hao's legs were trembling again, but he stubbornly refused to stop.
Lou Feng didn't interfere.
He simply watched from a distance.
The boy's progress wasn't fast.
But it was stable.
That was enough.
While other disciples competed over who could advance faster, Chen Hao was slowly building his foundation one breath at a time.
Lou Feng understood that such a foundation could become extremely valuable later.
A martial artist's aptitude was commonly divided into Jia, Yi, Bing and Ding, with each category further divided into Upper, Middle and Lower grades.
Those with Jia aptitude were naturally favoured because they possessed broad compatibility with many martial arts.
But aptitude wasn't absolute.
A person with Ding-Lower aptitude could theoretically possess astonishing compatibility with a particular martial art.
Such cases were rare.
Yet they existed.
Sometimes...
The method simply had to be created for the person.
Lou Feng looked at Chen Hao again.
He didn't know whether the boy would become such an exception.
Nor did he intend to predict his future.
For now...
He was simply a student who couldn't reach Skin Refining.
And Lou Feng was his instructor.
That was enough.
Just as Lou Feng prepared to leave, Chen Hao suddenly stumbled.
His body swayed.
Lou Feng's eyes sharpened.
He appeared beside him instantly and caught his shoulder.
"Don't force the final circulation."
Chen Hao looked embarrassed.
"I thought I could do one more."
"That's precisely how people injure themselves."
Lou Feng released him.
"External Martial Arts isn't about rushing."
"The body has limits."
"You strengthen it."
"You adapt."
"Then you push those limits again."
Chen Hao nodded seriously.
"I understand."
Lou Feng looked toward the distant training grounds.
The disciples there were still practicing.
Some would advance quickly.
Some would remain ordinary.
Some might eventually become powerful martial artists.
Others might never leave Skin Refining.
But regardless of their talent...
Every one of them had chosen the martial path.
Lou Feng quietly walked away.
His expression gradually became thoughtful.
Teaching External Martial Arts was unexpectedly interesting.