217 A Strange Physique
In the small brick courtyard, Lu Qingfeng looked at Jiang Ming who was practicing his fist techniques. For a moment, he seemed to have forgotten that he still had to open his stall.
After a while, Jiang Ming finished a set of fist techniques, stood up, and asked with a smile, “Old Lu, what do you think of my fist technique?”
Lu Qingfeng came back to his senses, his eyes full of amazement. “Although your fist technique is ordinary, you have the most amazing aura I have ever seen for someone your age. You match up quite well in comparison to the old martial artists in the city who have been immersed in martial arts for decades. Are you a martial artist?” Lu Qingfeng asked. He did not believe that a person who could perform such a set of fist techniques could be an ordinary person.
“I can be considered a martial artist!” Jiang Ming nodded with a smile and then sighed. “But now I’m a little vexed, I can’t see the way forward.”
Jiang Ming was telling the truth. After all, after he reached the Foundation Establishment Realm of martial arts, he found that the road ahead was almost cut off, and it was difficult to continue.
If not for that, he would not have made up his mind to stay in Clearwater City.
Lu Qingfeng nodded as if he had experienced it before. “It’s normal for young people to be troubled. You must persevere. You will definitely achieve greatness. Ah, back then, I couldn’t continue. In the end, I could only set up a stall on the street.” Lu Qingfeng stretched his arms and shrugged. He sounded like he was joking.
However, Jiang Ming could see that in the depths of his eyes, there seemed to be a trace of loneliness and complexity. However, he just did not want to show it.
“Stop bragging, Grandpa! You didn’t even sense your blood Qi back then!” Lu Xiaoyu walked out of the house and exposed her grandfather without mercy.
“Then why haven’t you sensed your blood Qi?” Lu Qingfeng’s eyes widened as he was exposed.
“Hmph! I’m just working on my strength,” Lu Xiaoyu said without missing a beat. Before Lu Qingfeng could spank her with his wooden spoon, she had already jumped out of the yard with a scream.
Lu Qingfeng looked at Jiang Ming and hesitated for a moment. He seemed to want to say something. However, in the end, he held back and silently pushed the wooden cart out to set up a stall.
Jiang Ming did not take it seriously. After closing his eyes to rest and ponder for a moment, he continued to practice another set of fist techniques. It seemed to be an ordinary set of fist techniques. However, it was all integrated with his conception of martial arts. He was trying to integrate what he had learned in the past two hundred years and lay a solid foundation for his martial arts.
In the Foundation Establishment Realm, the most important thing was to build a solid foundation. It was the cornerstone of any path, regardless of whether it was immortal cultivation or martial arts. The stronger the foundation, the further one could go on this path in the future.
After a while, Lu Xiaoyu sneaked back, stole the iron sword from the room, and ran out. Jiang Ming just pretended not to see her and did his own thing.
* * *
As the days passed, Jiang Ming’s life in this small mortal city gradually stabilized. He also understood why the grandfather and granddaughter were busy every day.
In Clearwater City, the only way to stand out was to become a martial artist.
The martial arts techniques here did not seem rare. After hundreds and thousands of years of inheritance, many families had their own martial arts techniques. Although most of them were not high-level techniques, it was enough for most people to cultivate to the third class.
However, practicing martial arts was not an easy task. It required a large amount of meat to supplement nutrition. In this remote and barren small city, it was difficult for the poor to have enough resources to support the use of martial arts. Only a few forces like the Black Horse Gang could train martial artists at any cost.
Old Lu woke up early and slept late every day. He wanted to save some money to buy demonic beast meat from the Black Horse Gang so that his granddaughter could successfully sense her blood Qi.
On the other hand, Lu Xiaoyu did not want her grandfather to work so hard. Every day, after work, she would practice her sword techniques in the forest outside the city, trying to sense her blood Qi with pure grit.
However, Old Lu was afraid that Lu Xiaoyu would get injured if she practiced like this. Therefore, he had been against it. Lu Xiaoyu could not refuse him. Thus, she could only practice in secret outside the city.
Jiang Ming would also give Lu Xiaoyu a little guidance from time to time. He even taught her the Tiger Subduing Fist.
When he was in the mortal world, the first proper martial arts technique he practiced was the Tiger Subduing Fist. However, it was only an incomplete technique. If the user practiced it too much, it would hurt their body. After Jiang Ming upgraded the technique, it no longer injured the user’s body. It also had a great auxiliary effect on improving and sensing blood Qi.
* * *
“Yan Chixia, the Tiger Subduing Fist you taught me is really powerful. After practicing it, I seem to be getting stronger by the day,” Lu Xiaoyu ran home and announced in happiness.
Jiang Ming was stunned for a moment. ‘I’m a martial artist at the Foundation Establishment Realm. It should be easy for me to improve a newbie-level technique. However, she shouldn’t be that powerful. She has only trained for a few days and she’s already getting much stronger.’
“How many times do you practice the technique a day?” Jiang Ming suddenly thought of something and asked.
“I’m always busy with work. Therefore, I don’t have much time to practice. I only practice the technique five or six times a day!” Lu Xiaoyu was confused. “However, on my free days, I practice the technique about ten to twenty times!”
“Do you eat any demonic beast meat or any other nourishing food?”
“Of course not! It’s good enough to have a few bites of the dry biscuits at home!” Lu Xiaoyu was speechless.
Jiang Ming was shocked.
By his estimation, this new version of the Tiger Subduing Fist should exhaust a person after three rounds of practice.
He looked at Lu Xiaoyu in shock.
Jiang Ming could not understand. He pressed Lu Xiaoyu’s shoulder and circulated his spiritual energy in her body. However, he did not see anything unusual. Moreover, this girl’s body was indeed much stronger than before she practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist.
“Her aptitude for cultivation is average. However, does she have some genius-level aptitude for martial arts? Alas, I don’t have a method to detect one’s martial arts aptitude.”
Jiang Ming was very curious about Lu Xiaoyu’s situation. Alas, there was nothing he could do now.
However, with Lu Xiaoyu’s condition, there had to be something different about her body.
With such a strange physique, if she continued on the path of martial arts, she would be a powerhouse in the future.
“This is acceptable!” Jiang Ming pretended to be calm and patted her shoulder. “However, you’re still far from perfect. Keep practicing. Maybe one day, you’ll be able to sense your blood Qi.”
“Alright!” Lu Xiaoyu was full of fighting spirit. She waved the iron sword in the yard for a while before hiding it in the corner of the house.
* * *
More than two months later, Lu Xiaoyu suddenly sensed her blood Qi.
Hearing Lu Xiaoyu’s confession, Lu Qingfeng’s mind was also in a daze.
How had she sensed her blood Qi after just practicing a new technique for a mere few months?