The first rays of sunlight lit up the dark village.
Chen Yiming got up from the bed and put on his brand new training robe. He washed up and tidied his hair, making himself look even more neat and clean.
Today was his first day at the branch school. In order to leave a good impression on his senior brothers and sisters at the school, he, who had never paid much attention to his personal image, also adjusted his appearance.
Chen Yiming checked himself in the mirror before heading downstairs.
In the living room on the first floor, breakfast was already served on the dining table. Chen Yingying was sitting on a chair reading a book.
Breakfast was leftovers from last night. Father Chen and Mother Chen were not around, so Chen Yingying got up early to heat it up for him.
"Where are Mum and Dad? I didn't see them around," Chen Yiming glanced at his sister and asked casually.
"They're still sleeping," Chen Yingying answered quietly, her voice as soft as a mosquito.
Chen Yiming pulled a chair over to sit at the table, then started to eat his breakfast.
With such an obedient and sensible sister, he felt relaxed. His appetite had also increased by quite a bit, and he finished most of the leftovers.
Before he left, he told Chen Yingying to inform his parents that he had gone to the martial arts school when they woke up. Then, he got on his bicycle and left.
…
The Mantis Snake Sword School's eastern branch wasn't far from Chen Yiming's house. It took him less than ten minutes to reach the entrance of the courtyard.
It was only 7:30 am. There was still time before the morning training session at 9 am.
The lock on the courtyard door had already been released, and the sound of swords piercing through the air could be heard. Chen Yiming stepped forward and pushed open the door, and saw that Senior Brother Wang was already doing his morning training.
Wang Bowen did not stop because someone came in. He did not even spare a glance for the person who came in. Instead, he continued his morning training.
Every muscle in his body was tense at times, and relaxed at others. Every time he waved his sword, there seemed to be some kind of special rhythm pulsing through his body. His body seemed to be weighted down by an invisible force, and every movement was trying to break through the restraints imposed by the force.
Chen Yiming recognized that his senior brother was executing the Mantis Snake Sword Technique.
The small figure in his mind automatically broke down the technique into the individual sword moves, and he instantly saw through all the moves of the technique.
It was not until the entire set of sword moves was completed that Wang Bowen sheathed his sword and called out, "Good, you're here early."
"Good morning, Senior Brother," Chen Yiming greeted Wang Bowen.
Wang Bowen picked up the cup of water by the corner of the wall and took a gulp. He steadied his breath and said, "Since it's still early, let me teach you how to practice the Mantis Snake Sword Technique."
Chen Yiming was overjoyed. He quickly brought over a chair for his senior brother.
Wang Bowen glanced at him, seemingly satisfied with Chen Yiming's actions. He sat down and continued, "After watching from the side for so long, did you understand the sword technique I used?"
"Senior Brother, are you referring to the Mantis Snake Sword Technique being a combination of the basic sword moves?"
Chen Yiming replied uncertainly. He followed his intuition and expressed his thoughts.
Wang Bowen's eyes lit up. "That's right. It looks like I don't need to tell you how to practice it anymore. You can learn it by following the murals on the wall. I'll just go straight to telling you what lies at the core of cultivation techniques."
"Right now, the martial arts techniques that are known to the world are actually formed by the combinations of basic sword moves. Thinking of it this way, don't you find it very puzzling? The moves in these techniques don't seem to be complicated. What if others see through them during a fight?"
Chen Yiming said, "Senior Brother, please enlighten me."
Wang Bowen flexed his biceps and showed off his figure.
"In a battle, the true deciding factor is your physical strength. The moves are only to help you bring out the strengths of your body, so the core of the cultivation technique is to temper our bodies."
Upon hearing his senior brother's words, Chen Yiming thought of Liu Qingqing, whom he had met previously. She had mastered many techniques, and each of her moves was polished. However, it was obvious that her physical strength was lacking. According to his senior brother, she must have missed the point when cultivating the techniques.
"Every move of the Mantis Snake Sword Technique involves the integration of physical strength in the corresponding body parts. It uses the power generated by the body to temper the body in turn."
Chen Yiming knew what he was trying to say, and expressed his understanding.
"I get it now. Cultivation techniques essentially integrate our body's strength and use this force to develop and strengthen our bodies. Therefore, the moves mainly teach us how to temper our bodies. Executing the moves beautifully is not the point of practicing the technique."
Wang Bowen felt like he had met a bosom friend. He patted his chest which had filled out his clothes, and said, "That's right. The first stage of cultivation is to temper the body. As long as my body is stronger than yours, no matter how fancy your moves are, it's useless since you can't break my defense. I just need to land one hit on you."
Wang Bowen's muscular strength had been extraordinary since he was young. When it came to fighting, even those two or three years older than him were not as strong as him. When he grew up and entered the martial arts school, although his swordsmanship and understanding of sword techniques were average, his body improved faster than anyone else. His strength ranked second among the core disciples and he was the second senior brother of the school.
Chen Yiming asked again, "Senior Brother, I understand the matter of tempering the body, but how should the strength be divided across the body? After tempering the body to the limit, what's the next step?"
Wang Bowen frowned and said slowly, "I shouldn't be telling you this now, but since you asked, I'll give you a rough explanation."
"According to the standards of the martial arts world, the body of a disciple will undergo nine transformations. The third transformation will have the special effect of becoming impenetrable by blades and bullets. The sixth transformation is to become as hard as steel. The ninth transformation is to become invulnerable to fire and water. After that, it will be at the Master's level, which I'm not sure of either."
There were nine invisible shackles protecting one's body. Every time one shackle was broken, the body would undergo a transformation. After nine times, the body would reach its limits.
Chen Yiming wanted to ask more, but Wang Bowen interrupted him.
"Alright, that's all I have to tell you about cultivation. Let's start with practicing it once and I'll help you with some pointers. You'll have to rely on yourself after that."
Chen Yiming nodded and walked over to the empty space. He pulled out the wooden sword from his back and stood still.
He closed his eyes and calmed himself down. He tried his best to recall the movements his senior brother had executed during his earlier practice. Suddenly, a small figure appeared in his mind, practicing the Mantis Snake Sword Technique.
Every move and stance of the Mantis Snake Sword Technique was automatically broken down and imprinted in his mind. As fast as lightning, he repeated them over and over again, and in an instant, he completely mastered them.
When he opened his eyes again, he already had a clear understanding of the Mantis Snake Sword Technique. This gave him plenty of confidence.
"Let's give it a try," Chen Yiming encouraged himself silently.
He executed a simple opening stance and took a step forward. An opposing force was transmitted upwards from the bottom of his feet, and he received it at his core in the abdomen.
Then, he instinctively twisted his upper body, and layers of accumulated force ran up his arm. Going with the flow, he drew his sword, releasing the force from the tip of his sword.
Before he had the time to reflect on whether he had performed it correctly, the air around a meter in front of Chen Yiming was repelled by the force, creating a loud explosion.
The intensity of the sound was comparable to the explosion from firecrackers, and was extremely powerful. If it landed on an ordinary person, their body might be blown to pieces.
Chen Yiming silently compared this with the hole in the door at home. He realized that the simple addition of the force had resulted in a larger explosion, but the destructive power was lower than with the spinning force.