Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Haoran Breathing Skill
"Fatty Wang?!"
Households Commander Liu and Householder Xiong turned back.
Wang Zhi had, unbeknownst to them, quietly walked up to Chen Sansi's side, his face wearing a friendly smile, and personally helped him up from the ground.
"This Wang,"
Households Commander Liu pointed at the fat man's nose and scolded, "you yourself said that you looked down on this kid's qualifications!"
"Exactly!" Householder Xiong echoed, "I think you are the most shameless!"
"You two brothers are mistaken, what does this have to do with qualifications?"
Wang Zhi shook his head and said, "I, Wang, have always valued loyalty and credibility. Since I have taken the silver, how could I not teach wholeheartedly?"
"Very well, very well!"
Households Commander Liu was so annoyed that his teeth itched, and he unconsciously pressed his hand on the hilt of his saber, "Fat man, you also want to compete with me? Sansi, you better think it through. This fat man cherishes wealth as his life, I could teach you without charging a penny."
"Come with me!"
Without another word, Wang Zhi grabbed Chen Sansi and ran; within a few breaths, the two of them had disappeared.
"Fat man, I will never again be your comrade!"
Householder Xiong and his companion could only curse as they watched the dust settle, helpless to do anything but leave.
Chen Sansi was somewhat slow to react.
From being ignored to being frantically sought after.
It seemed that those who were against him behind the scenes did not have absolute status and power; otherwise, they would not have given him a chance to turn things around.
As for which Households Commander to choose to teach him.
Did he have a choice?
Hundred Households Wang was very strong, nearly pulling his arm out of its socket.
The two stopped only when they reached the entrance of the camp.
Hundred Households Wang released his hand, "Little Stone, come with me."
The moment they entered the tent,
Wang Zhi suddenly turned around and pressed his hand on Chen's shoulder.
Chen Sansi instinctively wanted to dodge, but that hand was like the Five-finger Mountain, inescapable, pressing heavily on his shoulder and causing intense pain in his bones.
Only after feeling Chen's body extensively did Wang Zhi nod in satisfaction, "Ape arms and wasp waist, but most importantly, solid root bone, a truly good foundation."
"Ape arms and wasp waist…"
Chen Sansi nodded,
"In martial arts, talent is most important, followed by root bone."
Wang Zhi sat pompously in front of the desk and explained, "There's no need for me to explain talent, right?
"As for root bone, those practicing martial arts must first withstand much torment, and their bones need to be solid. Moreover, various types of root bone also indicate different specializations.
"Like archers, for example, they generally need to be tall and have long arms to easily draw a full bow, hence your natural aptitude for archery.
"Ape arms and wasp waist, coupled with hard bones, count as excellent root bone!"
Chen Sansi nodded, "Thank you, Hundred Households Wang, for the instruction."
"You have grievances against me in your heart, right?"
Wang Zhi's small eyes gleamed, "You think I took the money and still didn't teach you."
Chen Sansi candidly said, "I dare not."
"Dare not doesn't mean you don't have them.
"Alright, don't feel wronged. Households Commander Liu and Householder Xiong can't give you this."
As he spoke, Wang Zhi pulled out a booklet from his robes and slammed it on the table.
On the surface of the booklet were the familiar terms "Basic Spear Technique for Infantry."
Seeing Chen's puzzled look, he pulled out another Basic Spear Technique for Infantry, "Compare the two, see what differences these two books have."
Chen Sansi did as told.
Both booklets were complete Basic Spear Technique for Infantry, containing Pile Work, spear technique, and Breathing Skill.
Through the text, he learned the importance of the Breathing Skill.
Lacking the Breathing Skill, enduring more torment, and practicing slowly might also allow one to master the spear technique completely, but it would absolutely be impossible to condense Qi-Blood.
The content of the two booklets, regarding Pile Work and spear technique, was exactly the same.
But the Breathing Skill had many different aspects.
The first type of Breathing Skill primarily assisted.
Pile Work and spear technique were too harmful to the body, so a special breathing method was used as lubrication, reducing the pain of Training while slightly increasing the speed of cultivation.
The second type was called the Hao Ran Breathing Skill.
This type of Breathing Skill didn't offer any protection during practice and wasn't faster than the first type, but it was said the cultivated Qi-Blood would be better than that of the first type.
As for how it was better, he did not know.
Fatty Wang peeled peanuts, eating and explaining, "The Qi-Blood cultivated from the Breathing Skill I gave you will be more enduring, tenacious, and robust, just like me.
"As for the other Breathing Skill, although it's faster, it's neither durable nor resilient, just like Householder Xiong.
"I think you should understand what I mean? If not, it doesn't matter; once you cultivate the Qi-Blood, you'll naturally experience it firsthand."
Chen Sansi pondered and asked, "Please enlighten me, Hundred Households Wang, why the same Cultivation Technique would have two different Breathing Skills."
"A castrated version,"
Fatty Wang said, "The Hao Ran Breathing Skill is better, but it's not for everyone. If the root bone is not strong enough, it might ruin the person, and if the talent is not sufficient, it will greatly slow down the Progress. Moreover, this thing is very costly in terms of silver; it's generally only taught in the Eight Camps.
"I have informed you of both options' pros and cons, it's up to you to decide which one to learn."
A Cultivation Technique from the Eight Camps?
Chen Sansi looked at Fatty, then at the Cultivation Technique.
"Are you looking down on me?"
Fatty Wang glared hard, "Don't look at me as just a hundred households now, I was also once a man of the Eight Camps!"
"Hundred Households Wang, you're being too sensitive. I meant no such thing."
Chen Sansi quickly made a decision, "I will practice the Hao Ran Breathing Skill."
"Good lad, I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
Wang Zhi brushed off the crumbs from his hand and called a subordinate to bring an Mei Hua Iron Spear from outside, and started to teach him hands-on.
"Stack Pile, hold the spear, breathe; integrate the three.
"Take a deep breath, however you hold your breath, don't hold it directly in your lungs. Imagine, this breath is the 'Power' stored in your body, use this 'Power' together with each move you make.
"That's not how you breathe, that's normal breathing. You think the Hao Ran Skill is no different?
"You need to use this 'Power' to stimulate your acupoints!
"Yes, yes, that's it!"
"Hiss—"
With the breathing instructions from the Secret Manual and the explanations from Hundred Households Wang, Chen Sansi tried a few times and then mastered the correct way to use the Hao Ran Breathing Skill.
Each of his moves was coordinated with "Qi", which transformed into "Power", stimulating his acupoints and bones even more.
What was originally a dual overlay of Pile Work and spear technique suddenly became a triple overlay.
The discomfort almost made Chen Sansi gag.
At the same time, a panel appeared in front of him.
[Cultivation Technique: Basic Spear Technique (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: (8/100)]
[Utility: None for now]
"Pant-pant—"
After just a few seconds, Chen Sansi felt weakened and almost stumbled.
"That's enough."
Wang Zhi called a halt, "Let's stop here for today. You learned the spear technique overnight. Even an ironclad body has its limits; you mustn't harm your body.
"Especially with food, you must eat at least five pounds of meat daily, wild game is good, fierce beasts even better, best if it's Exotic Beast Meat.
"Once you get the Basic Spear Technique to entry-level, you'll be in the Blood Refining realm, truly becoming a Martial Artist!
"When the time comes, I'll help you find Lord Thousand Households.
"As for the matter with Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy, do you have any grudges with Young Master Liang Zhan?"
"Tianyuan Martial Arts Academy?"
It became clear to Chen Sansi, who then said, "I have absolutely no grudges with the Liang Family."
"Oh?"
Wang Zhi seemed surprised, stroking his chin, his eyes flashing with thoughts, not sure what he was thinking, "I understand, you go and rest."