Chương 42: Cultivating Ming Jin

Giant Willow Village. Wu Yi began personally guiding Song Que and Zhong Hong in their stance training. Waiting until the two of them had the posture more or less correct, he nodded:"Hold that position. Now, I will transmit Jin into you. Remember the sensation and the changes within your body!" Saying that, he slapped the tailbone of each of them. Song Que felt his entire body shudder. His joints and muscles tensed up, his pores snapped shut, and every hair on his body stood on end.

"Feel it! And try to control the Jin to release it through your hands!" Wu Yi shouted. The two carefully tried to guide that force toward their hands. Zhong Hong failed; the force only moved slightly before dissipating within his body. Song Que swung his fist forward. He felt an immense pressure surge from his shoulder down his arm, erupting outward following his movement. BOOM! The air in front of him seemed to distort, emitting a loud crack. It startled the other two, as well as Li Xin, who had just returned.

Memorizing the changes in every cell of his body, Song Que was thrilled. Unable to hold back, he laughed loudly:"So this is Ming Jin! It's absolutely incredible!"

"A'Que! How did you do that?!" Zhong Hong shouted excitedly. Wu Yi's eyes revealed clear astonishment as he praised:"A'Que, your talent is truly exceptional to be able to release Jin so quickly! Quickly, memorize that feeling! From now on, practice day and night until your body generates its own Jin! Once you do that, you will have officially stepped into the realm of a martial artist!"

"Brother Yi, thank you!" Song Que hastily closed his eyes to comprehend the feeling. Standing in the stance, his body bobbed slightly, occasionally throwing a punch. Before long, he began to feel the faint emergence of Jin. Although the Jin was weak and as hard to control as a wild horse, it was genuinely 100% Jin! He reluctantly broke his stance and stood up.

"How is it? Did you gain any insights?" Wu Yi asked with concern.

"Thanks for your concern, Brother Yi. I've understood a lot." Song Que smiled, not mentioning that he had already generated his own Jin. Although he didn't know how long it took outsiders to achieve this, they didn't have a 'bug' like him; their speed definitely couldn't compare. It was better not to say anything to avoid scaring people to death. Wu Yi nodded, assuming Song Que had merely gained some insights. If Wu Yi knew he had already generated his own Jin, his eyes would have popped out of his skull!

He remembered back in the day, training through freezing winters and scorching summers, braving wind and rain, with elders guiding him by his side—it still took him several years to release Jin, and even then, he was showered with praise! Song Que effectively helped him protect his fragile self-esteem.

"Now, I will teach you a set of saber techniques: the Wind-Cleaving Saber. This is the basic saber technique unified and taught by the imperial court's constabulary. It's extremely widespread, so you don't need to worry about people questioning its origins."

"However, the Wind-Cleaving Saber is just a simple set of forty-nine moves. All its variations stem from basic strikes: thrust, chop, sweep, pierce, slash... It's very easy to understand. Watch my demonstration carefully." Saying that, Wu Yi drew his saber and performed the technique a few times, starting slow and gradually increasing his speed. By the end, the saber seemed to vanish, leaving behind only ear-piercing whistles. After practicing for a while, a light sweat broke out on his forehead.

Wu Yi sheathed his saber and smiled:"Go home and practice more. If you have time later, come find me, and I'll give you further guidance." This was mainly directed at Song Que. Zhong Hong knew his own aptitude and only said enviously:"I wonder what it looks like when a Ninth-Grade martial artist or a Grandmaster strikes? It must be like a thunderbolt! Probably audible for miles around!" Hearing this, Wu Yi burst out laughing:"Do you really think the louder the noise, the stronger the strike?"

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"Is it not?" Sensing he had embarrassed himself, Zhong Hong asked with a red face.

"Haha, the saying 'an empty vessel makes the most noise' describes this perfectly. Remember this: when you go out and meet a martial artist, the louder their strikes, the less you need to fear them. That's just Ming Jin; as long as you dodge it, you're fine."

"The truly terrifying ones are Second-Tier martial artists who have cultivated 'An Jin'. They strike without a trace. A single touch can leave you dead without you even knowing when or how!"

"My father once investigated a case where a noble offended a Second-Tier martial artist. The martial artist struck him secretly without anyone noticing. A few days later, the noble started pissing blood and died. The autopsy revealed that his internal organs, specifically his kidneys, had been shattered by An Jin! As for the culprit? He was long gone, living freely."

"That terrifying?!" Zhong Hong was horrified.

"It is exactly that terrifying! That's why you must never, ever offend an An Jin expert!"

"Brother Yi, how does one cultivate An Jin?" Song Que asked curiously.

"Ming Jin is used in the First Grade to refine the skin, the Second Grade to refine the flesh, and the Third Grade to refine the tendons. When a Third-Grade martial artist reaches mastery and their tendons are fully refined, they can attempt to generate An Jin. Once An Jin is achieved, they can use it to refine their bones, stepping into the Fourth Grade and becoming a Second-Tier martial artist!" Wu Yi said with a face full of yearning. But those realms were still too far away for him.

The group chatted for a while longer. As the afternoon wore on, Wu Yi and Zhong Hong bid their farewells. Song Que tried to make them stay but failed. He gifted each of them several jars of wine and walked them to the village entrance. Watching the two men mount their horses, pulling two other horses behind them as they left, he finally turned back. Returning to his old house, he woke up Old Zhong, gave Li Xin a few instructions, and hurried back to Mirror Lake. He hastily cooked some food for Husky and Mengmeng.

Shoveling down several bowls of tonic himself, Song Que stepped into the courtyard, focused his mind, and began practicing the Horse Stance. Losing track of time, whenever his body grew exhausted, he used the Tesseract's energy to heal and replenish it. It wasn't until Li Xin arrived that he snapped out of his cultivation state. The results were overwhelmingly bountiful! He had now thoroughly mastered Ming Jin and could release it from both hands at will.

His punches were like howling winds and flashing lightning, echoing with thunderous booms! The Wind-Cleaving Saber was also executed with natural fluidity, his Jin flowing endlessly. While he lacked a bit of the refined mastery of Wu Yi's demonstration, the raw power of his strikes was several times greater! In this little turf of Yellow Leaf Town, I can now walk sideways! Protecting myself and those around me is more than enough! I no longer need to sneak around and look over my shoulder like before!

In high spirits, Song Que found everything pleasing to the eye. Leaving Li Xin to practice on his own, he hummed a little tune, swaying his hips as he went to prepare breakfast. His stomach was rumbling with hunger; he needed to properly reward himself!

"Eh?" Skipping into the room, Grandee Song caught sight of a birdcage out of the corner of his eye. Inside, his new pet, Lightning, was lying there like a dead chicken. Startled, he rushed over to check. Seeing the little guy still had a breath of life, its eyes slightly open but unable to lift its head, Song Que secretly rejoiced. Calculating the time, it had been two days since he brought it back, and he hadn't fed it a drop of water or food. It was a miracle the little guy was still alive!

He hurriedly fetched some raw meat and water for the little creature, but seeing its sluggish state, he thought this might not be the best approach. Song Que attempted to use his Split Soul to communicate with it. The resistance was nowhere near as fierce as before! Grandee Song rejoiced inwardly. His gaze softening, he first fed the little guy a few sips of water. After a long struggle, the little creature finally compromised.

Being so young, it hadn't yet learned the warmth and coldness of human nature, and was quickly seduced and conquered by the Great Demon King! With the symbiotic consciousness successfully established, even though he couldn't completely control the host, he could rudimentarily influence its actions. No longer afraid of Lightning flying away, Song Que happily released it from the cage and personally fed it.

He wanted to use the Tesseract's energy to strengthen Lightning's body, but only then did he realize his energy reserves were completely depleted! Song Que hurriedly rushed into the kitchen to cook. Calling out to Li Xin, Husky, and Mengmeng, the group of humans and beasts stuffed their faces ravenously. With the Tesseract's energy aiding digestion and reinforcement daily, the two beasts' appetites were immense. Li Xin, due to his intense daily training, could also be considered a bottomless rice bucket.

Having eaten his fill, Song Que, in a delightful mood, leisurely picked up Lightning and lay down on a lounger. He transmitted some energy to it, wanting to communicate more with the little creature. Princess Mengmeng was extremely infuriated by this action! She, Mengmeng, was the Great Demon King's Number One Pet! That stupid dog was somewhat sensible, so she bestowed upon it the title of 'Number One Lackey'. Handing off hard labor to it was quite convenient.

Unaware of the fox's disdain, a certain Wolf King—who was increasingly evolving into a pure Husky—saw Princess Mengmeng's "approving" glance and immediately stuck its tongue out and wagged its tail, looking utterly pathetic. What virtue or capability does that golden-feathered bird have to dare usurp this Queen's exclusive position?! Princess Mengmeng instantly puffed up her fur! She swiftly leaped onto Song Que and, without a word, swatted Lightning with her paw!

Enjoying the euphoria of enhancement with its eyes closed, Little Lightning was slapped on the head and naturally became furious! Its sharp eyes glared, and it pecked viciously at Mengmeng! That golden-feathered bird dares to fight back?! Mengmeng was startled. Fortunately, she dodged in time, or else her beautiful fur would be missing a few tufts! When the Queen is enraged, blood flows for a thousand miles! Princess Mengmeng screeched and prepared to launch a full-scale assault on the ignorant Lightning!

Lackey Husky opportunistically ran over, jumping around and cheering them on. The peaceful courtyard instantly devolved into chaos. Grandee Song glared angrily and shouted, forcing the little rascals to stop, though they continued to bare their Yigs and glare at each other. His head pounding, Song Que had no choice but to hug Mengmeng to his chest and place Lightning a bit further away on his arm. He transmitted energy to both of them, finally getting them to quiet down, close their eyes, and enjoy the sensation.

Husky, true to form, didn't fight for attention. Asking for nothing, it lay down at his feet, happily basking in the sun. Am I the master, or am I just a coolie for these beasts?! Song Que grumbled indignantly in his heart.