Chapter 23: Painting A Canvas in The Rain
Rainy days persisted long after the first, signaling a shift in the weather for the worse. It wasn't entirely unexpected, considering it was autumn, and seasonal changes were a norm even here. Yet, despite the downpour, some constants remained, like the old goat's unwavering gaze as I attempted to read.
Didn't this tea addict have anything better to occupy his time?
He knew I was aware of his gaze, and there was a good chance he did it solely to provoke a reaction from me.
Kids should be enjoying life and acting stupid. What's got you so stuck up? he remarked, bringing me a steaming cup of tea from the second floor before settling opposite my desk.
I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply and entering a meditative state. Every muscle, every subtle twitch, I felt it all. This state of heightened self-awareness allowed me to perceive every nuance within my body.
With the rainy storm affording me some free time, it seemed like an opportunity to explore the development of a method to discern my own statistics without undergoing rigorous testing. It would be akin to crafting a martial technique. A mortal-grade technique allows one to gauge their own physical condition. However, I would require something akin to Qi to manifest the illusion or numbers before my eyes.Read latest chapters at nov(e)lbin.com Only
Name: Liu Feng
Age: 16
Talent: C (fifty-three spirit root branches)
Cultivation: Body Tempering (eight-star)
Strength 8.1 8.2
Agility 8.2
Endurance 8.6 8.9
Qi 0
Techniques:
-Piercing Fang Fist (Mortal Grade)
-Rushing Bull Step (Mortal Grade)
-Turtle Shell Body (Mortal Grade)
I had progressed surprisingly fast, though my endurance continued to outpace other aspects by a widening margin with each passing day.
"Hey! You listening to me, brat?" the old man sighed, but I did not entertain him, prompting him to shake his head, with disappointment etched across his face. "I swear, youngsters these days. Eyes in the books and heads in the clouds. Did you know that back in my day..."
He scratched his chin, fingers threading through his goat-like beard as if contemplating something before blurting out, "You know what, we didnt do things much differently in my days either. The brave ones who faced the world head-on rarely survived and usually met a gruesome end."
"You're talking to yourself, old man. I thought someone your age would catch the social cue that when someone is not responding to you while reading a book, they don't want to talk right now," I retorted.
"You had your eyes closed. You werent reading shit."
"I was meditating and trying to rest my eyes."
"Yeah, too much reading and it'll ruin your eyes."
I had a retort ready, but a sudden thought gave me pause. "Do cultivators even need glasses? I mean, our eyes are enhanced the more we advance."
Even the old guy seemed taken aback. "Huh, you're right. I know some cultivators who wear glasses despite their advanced cultivation levels. Maybe it's just for aesthetics, or perhaps they've worn them since their mortal days. Personally, I think they're just weirdos."
Drawing in a deep breath, I savored the sensation of damp air against my skin and raindrops tracing down my face. Everything felt remarkably clear.
Piercing Fang Fist!
My hands moved almost instinctively.
How many times had I executed the same punch, in the same way? Thousands? Tens of thousands of times? Perhaps even more? Considering Liu Feng's relentless practice of Piercing Fang Fist, this body might have thrown the punch millions of times.
The motion was fluid and direct, executed with a grace seldom witnessed in reality. Though it was my own hand in motion, I couldn't help but admire its precision. My heart quickened its pace, akin to recalling a woman I loved.
Okay, that analogy was a bit weird, comparing martial arts to women. I didn't even want to touch that thought with a ten-foot pole.
Yet, I couldn't describe the sensation any other way. Excitement bubbled within my chest, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.
The air around my arm twisted, as it always did. I had always felt the air move around my arm, but now, with the rainwater, I could actually see the way the air took shape, forming a spiral of water around my limb.
In an instant, the moment passed, and everything returned to normal. The spiraling water fell to the ground, and I returned to my senses. The entire motion of throwing a punch had lasted less than a second, yet it felt much longer than that.
Was I growing delirious? Perhaps the cold rain was affecting me after all. I had executed this punch countless times, so why was I so lost in thought now?
Usually, training felt like a game to me. But now, it was as if I were painting a beautiful canvasI was creating art!
Being able to see something instead of just feeling it was groundbreaking! Some martial arts became visible only after someone awakened their Qi.
Once again, I pulled my fist back and executed the martial technique. The water started to twist around my arm, merging with the wind. At the peak of my knuckle, a fang-like protrusion of water burst forth and shot forward.
I halted, hypnotically gazing at the water. "So that's why the technique is called the Piercing Fang Fist."
I tried it again, this time in a barrage of punches, which formed water fangs around my arm. Though they dispersed a moment later and proved useful only for displaying the air movements. Still, I attempted to craft a more impressive water fang. Though it didn't enhance the technique significantlyit simply looked impressive.
As I continued for some time, I lost track of the passing minutes, the dark rainy clouds obscuring any sense of time. Only when a distant leaf rustled under the wind pressure, did I cease throwing punches.
I tried again, ensuring it wasn't merely my eyes playing tricks on me. Somehow, the pressure from my fists was sufficient to send a gust that caused leaves to rustle about two feet away. There was no mention of such a phenomenon in the Piercing Fang Fist technique manual. Moreover, the technique wasn't some closely guarded secret; it was practiced widely by Liu Clan cultivators as their introductory technique. It wasn't rare enough to be absent from the Blazing Sun Sect library either.
This meant that I had stumbled upon a new application of the technique!
Granted, it could only produce a soft breeze at most, weaker than an electric fan, but it was still fascinating!
Caught in my excitement, I began throwing punches, causing the surrounding leaves to flutter.
"Just when the fire nation attacked, the...." I halted mid-joke, a realization dawning upon me.
Somehow, I had begun using the Piercing Fang Fist more efficiently. Despite executing numerous punches, I felt no fatigue or soreness.
Piercing Fang Fist wasn't typically stamina-intensive or prone to causing injuries with overuse. It was a basic technique, but that didn't imply one could use it endlessly without tiring.
I was tempted to test its effectiveness when combined with the Rushing Bull Step. Small improvements in technique could prove more potent when combined.
However, such considerations ceased when another realization struck me. The old guy had been the one to suggest that I train Piercing Fang Fist in the rain.
Was it all merely a coincidence? How could he have known that training in the rain would enhance the technique's efficacy?
"Just when I thought there was no chance the old man was secretly a formidable cultivator," I muttered under my breath.
