"It's the same for martial arts. Even if you have the skills, without the right amount of control, you will fail." Guan Feng went on to explain the basics to them.
"The reason why martial artists are divided into the unranked and the ranked is because of their control of force. Only when one can control their force can one circulate blood Qi throughout the body and step into the third-class realm. Only then can one be considered to have truly stepped into the door of martial arts. A third-class martial artist can carry a cauldron with ease and ride a horse with ease. He's invincible in the army, and he's able to move unhindered in Great Cloud City. Any force will treat him as an honored guest."
Jiang Ming had a slight understanding in his heart. No wonder he could not step into the third class; it turned out that he had not entered the "force" stage.
Perhaps he could rely on time to slowly grind and naturally comprehend and break through, but now that a second-class martial artist was personally giving a lecture, it was like pointing out the direction for Jiang Ming to move forward. This time would be greatly shortened.
Wang Dong's big face was swollen like a bun, and he asked longingly, "Master Guan, what's next?"
"Haha, you didn't even sense your blood Qi, yet you dare think so far ahead?" Beside Guan Feng, a few old men who had been here for a long time laughed.
"If you think like this, you'll never advance."
"You've been beaten into a pulp, but you still have dreams."
Guan Feng stretched out his hand and pressed down, suppressing the voices of several people. He pretended not to see Wang Dong's swollen face and said with a faint smile, "It's a good thing to have a goal, so I'll tell you. After learning to control force is the comprehension of 'intent'. As the name implies, the 'intent' is the intent realm. By combining force with technique and storing intent in force, one can control blood Qi to temper the body, making it difficult for blades and spears to penetrate. They are known as second-class martial artists."
"What is intent?" Everyone was at a loss.
Guan Feng smiled and did not say anything. He suddenly looked at Wang Dong.
Wang Dong suddenly screamed, staggered back, and almost fell to the ground, scaring everyone.
"I think… I think I saw a fierce tiger pouncing at me," Wang Dong muttered with lingering fear. He subconsciously touched his chest as if he had really been injured by the tiger's claws.
Everyone was shocked. Were martial artists trained to such a high level that terrifying? With just one look, he could scare off a strong man who had practiced martial arts.
Jiang Ming was also shocked. At that moment, even he felt a chill all over his body, as if he had felt great danger.
"Is this still a martial art? Is it really not immortal cultivation?" Jiang Ming thought to himself.
"This is the intent. When you reach this level, you will naturally understand what you can't do," Guan Feng said simply.
Over the years, the Tiger Hunting Village had recruited hundreds and thousands of people, but only a few of them had become second-class martial artists. It was useless to say more. Such masters could not be trained by teaching.
"Master Guan is amazing! I'm afraid that not many people in Great Cloud City are a match for you," Wang Dong and the rest immediately said.
"Don't talk nonsense. First-class martial artists are the top masters. I'm as weak as a chicken in front of them!" Guan Feng shook his head and said, "But a second-class martial artist is indeed enough to dominate a region. If you can become a second-class martial artist before the age of thirty, you will be considered a real genius. There is a great chance that you will be able to become a first-class martial artist with ease."
"No way!" everyone exclaimed.
They were all people who practiced martial arts, and only by practicing martial arts did they know how difficult it was to walk the path of martial arts. Most of them would find it difficult to become martial artists at all.
Guan Feng laughed, but his expression did not look too good. "Last year in Great Cloud City, Shi Junwei, from the Shi family, proved to be a genius. At the age of 23, he became a second-class expert and broke the record in Great Cloud City. He is almost guaranteed to become a first-class expert in the future. There is even hope for him to advance even further."
The crowd was in a heated discussion. Jiang Ming raised his eyebrows. The Shi family had risen to power too quickly. They had just emerged, and they already had such a genius. However, looking at Guan Feng's expression, it seemed that the Tiger Hunting Village and the Shi family were not on good terms.
Jiang Ming did not like the Shi family anyway.
"Alright, don't aim too high." Seeing that there were still questions, Guan Feng coughed twice and said in a deep voice, "Don't think that you can rest easy after joining us. In a month, I'll take you to the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest to hunt tigers. If anyone dies in there, don't blame me for not warning you today."
Everyone's heart trembled, and they all agreed.
Before they came, they already knew that the Tiger Hunting Village did not teach martial arts for free. During the hunts, they encountered all kinds of danger, and people would die yearly.
Guan Feng nodded with satisfaction. "Next, I will teach you the Leather Tiger Bone Technique. This technique focuses on the momentum of a fierce tiger. Only with the heart of a fierce tiger and an indomitable state of mind can you truly learn it. If you can master it, you can become a second-class martial artist!"
Everyone's breathing quickened. They did not expect the Tiger Hunting Village to be so generous as to teach them a second-class martial arts technique.
Guan Feng could tell what they were thinking and said, "Actually, martial arts cultivation isn't a secret to the major forces. You must always remember that martial arts cultivation is about the person, not the cultivation of the art! If you can't reach the second class, taking this technique is a waste. If you can reach the second class, it's naturally a good thing for Tiger Hunting Village.
Just as everyone was about to praise him for his great setup, Guan Feng continued, "I'll allow you to spread the technique, but I don't recommend it. This method needs to be combined with our village's unique secret martial arts medicine to practice. If you practice it rashly and hurt yourself, don't come to me."
Everyone shook their heads speechlessly. So, this was the condition.
Next, Guan Feng began to teach the external practice of the Leather Tiger Bone Technique and the internal breathing technique.
After Guan Feng had finished teaching, the newcomers began to practice in the square.
Jiang Ming practiced the external fist technique methodically, but he thought to himself, "This technique is somewhat similar to the Tiger Subduing Fist. Maybe the Tiger Subduing Fist is the inferior version of the Leather Tiger Bone Technique."
Jiang Ming's progress was extremely fast with the Tiger Subduing Fist as the foundation. After a few rounds, he gradually entered the best state. Guan Feng also cast his attention on him.
"This kid is a person of great potential!" Guan Feng thought to himself. "However, he still needs to train his temper."
In the past, newcomers had also practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist and thought they were geniuses just because they had some achievements. In the end, they became arrogant and complacent and could only become the disdain of others.
"Peng Lu, exchange moves with them!" As he thought of this, Guan Feng raised his head and shouted, "A bunch of fancy fists and legs! Just looking at them makes me feel annoyed. If you haven't been beaten up, if you haven't been beaten black and blue, how can you stimulate your fighting spirit?"
"Whoever can last ten moves under Peng Lu will be rewarded with a bowl of martial arts secret medicine for breakfast!" Guan Feng coldly snorted, "This was supposed to be something that you can only drink three months later after you have officially stayed in the village."
Upon hearing these words, this group of people's eyes instantly turned red. Each and every one of them howled and charged toward Peng Lu.