A moment later, Elder Wu exhaled a long breath. A plume of white mist shot out like an arrow, traveling two or three meters in front of him before slowly dissipating.

Qin Fang stared, utterly stunned.

"See that clearly?"

"This is the Wild Bull Qi Pile."

"Three levels, representing the Mingjin Third Realm."

"When you perform the Standing Pile and your body continuously produces the Skin Membrane Drum Sound, it means you’ve reached the Early Mingjin Stage. When the Muscle and Bone Sound appears, you’ve entered the Middle Stage. And if the Qi and Blood Tide appears... it means your Mingjin has reached its peak."

"Now, you try."

It took a long moment for Qin Fang to come to his senses. He then took a deep breath.

’Skin Membrane Drum Sound...’

’Muscle and Bone Sound...’

’Qi and Blood Tide!’

’I never thought the Mingjin Realm alone would have three distinct stages.’

He let out a long breath, nodded, and then, copying Elder Wu’s movements, began his first-ever Standing Pile.

"Spread your feet slightly wider than your shoulders. Your waist should be relaxed, yet firm. Your back must be erect, as if a string is attached to the crown of your head, pulling your entire body upward..."

Elder Wu began to guide Qin Fang’s movements, making hands-on corrections.

Qin Fang followed his instructions.

Slowly, his Pile began to take form.

Even with just this basic form, what Qin Fang felt was completely different...

It felt as if many muscles and bones he’d never used before were being stretched out by the posture. He could faintly hear his own bones making small sounds.

...Of course, this wasn’t the Muscle and Bone Sound.

It was merely the sound of bones, long inactive, finally being moved.

Elder Wu gave a slight nod. "Next is your breathing. Pay attention—it needs to be slow, deep, steady, and even... Throughout the process, feel your muscles stretch and the flow of your strength..."

Qin Fang began to try.

But it wasn’t simple.

Breathing is a human instinct, and the more instinctual something is, the harder it is to change.

It was a matter of using conscious effort to interfere with an unconscious process... The moment his concentration wavered, he’d forget.

And once he forgot, his subconscious attempt to regain the rhythm would only disrupt it completely.

Elder Wu saw Qin Fang’s struggle but didn’t say much, continuing to guide him patiently.

’...This is perfectly normal.’

’He never expected Qin Fang to succeed at the Standing Pile on his first try.’

’It had taken him two or three months of practicing this Pile Skill just to get the hang of it...’

’If it were that easy, Mingjin Martial Artists wouldn’t be so rare.’ 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’Anyone would be able to achieve it.’

Elder Wu patiently instructed him: when to inhale, when to pause and feel his strength, when to exhale...

...and what to be mindful of during exhalation.

His instructions were meticulous.

「Time passed quietly.」

Before they knew it, two hours had passed.

Elder Wu looked at Qin Fang, who was still struggling with the Standing Pile, his face flushed red with effort. "Don’t be impatient," he said calmly. "Martial Cultivation is never achieved overnight; it’s an incredibly long process. You’ve more or less memorized the key points of the Pile Method. Just practice it slowly on your own from now on."

Qin Fang let out a long breath, relaxed his stance, and nodded seriously.

"The Pile helps you more efficiently integrate, temper, and comprehend Whole Force. But the amount of force you can wield, its overall power, depends entirely on your body’s foundation."

"It fundamentally comes down to two things. First, training. Second, eating."

"During this process, think of your body as a Weapon. Training is also a form of refining. The process of tempering your body is one of removing impurities and keeping the essence. And eating is the fuel for the forge... Meat, Elixirs... that’s all part of ’eating’."

"The Pile Method itself is the ’training’ part. The real key lies in the ’eating’ part."

"To a certain extent, eating is even more important than training."

"For example, the Qi Blood Pills you received earlier? This is the time to use them."

"However, Qi Blood Pills are extremely expensive. Even I can’t provide an unlimited supply. The most I can give you is one or two per month..."

Qin Fang was taken aback. He immediately shook his head. "Master, you’ve already given me more than enough. I’ll figure out how to get resources myself. I can’t trouble you any further."

Elder Wu frowned. "And what do you plan to do?"

"Master, didn’t you say you were looking for some work for me? Once I start working, I’ll have an income..."

Elder Wu’s brow furrowed. He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "How much income can you possibly make from the work you’re able to do now? It’ll be enough to keep you from starving, at best. You want to buy Qi Blood Pills with that? Maybe one a year?"

"Er, I still have over a hundred in silver..."

"That’s only enough for about ten Qi Blood Pills."

His master shook his head and sighed. "The scholar’s path is poor, the warrior’s is rich. Only when you truly walk the path of Martial Cultivation can you understand the weight of that phrase... Say no more. I have my own way of dealing with this."

Qin Fang opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, he could only sigh softly...

’...I owe Master more and more.’

"In any case, the path of Martial Cultivation is long and difficult. Take your time."

"Alright, that’s enough for today. Go and reflect on it yourself. If you don’t understand something, come and ask me."

Having said his piece, Elder Wu put on his padded jacket and prepared to leave.

Qin Fang quickly said, "Master, I’ll make dinner. Why don’t you eat here tonight?"

"No, I still have to go to Huichun Hall... You just focus on your practice."

With that, Elder Wu gave a dismissive wave, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked out of the courtyard.

Qin Fang saw him out, waiting until Elder Wu was some distance away before closing the courtyard gate.

He then returned to the snow-cleared patch of ground, let out a soft breath, closed his eyes, and resumed his study of the Pile Method.

’The ’Martial Arts’ of this World are far more incredible than I ever imagined.’

"’Root and Leaf Skill... training and eating...’"

"’I wonder if the panel can record this Pile Skill...’"

He looked at the panel, a little anxiously.

...He’d been practicing for over an hour, but the panel showed no changes.

But with his master present, he hadn’t been able to fully immerse himself in his Martial Cultivation. That was probably the main reason it hadn’t registered.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Fang cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and began to focus completely on studying the Pile Skill.

’Form...’

’Intent...’

’Breath...’

’Feel the stretch of the muscles and the flow of force...’

His master’s instructions flowed through his mind, one by one.

Qin Fang’s body began to move in accordance with those instructions.

He focused on the key points of every movement: the stretch of his muscles and bones, the rhythm of his heart and breath...

Slowly, gradually, he lost all track of time.

He stood there in the vast, snowy expanse, lost in comprehension.

He had no idea how much time had passed...

Then, at a certain moment, his body seemed to ripple slightly. An instant later, a faint DONG sound echoed from deep within him!

It lasted only an instant, but to Qin Fang’s ears, it was like a clap of thunder.

"Muscle and Bone Sound?!"

His eyes snapped open.

But when he listened again, it was gone.

Stunned, he thought of something and instinctively glanced at the panel.

A new line of text had appeared on the panel.

’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Lower Grade Root) (entry-level): 1/500’

His eyes instantly lit up...

’...The Pile Method... I’ve already reached the entry-level?’

His eyes went wide. Impatient, he took a deep breath to calm his racing thoughts and began the Standing Pile once more...

Soon after, he faintly heard it again: the soft sound of a drum, beating from within his body.

He felt his entire body become like a drawn bow. An unprecedented sense of clarity and connection washed over him...

Muscle and Bone Sound!

Skin Membrane Drum Sound!

Though it was nowhere near as powerful as his master’s "drumming"...

But there was no mistaking it...

Qin Fang’s eyes widened.

In other words, I’ve just...

...achieved Mingjin?