"You can't continue practicing like this; it's easy to strain yourself and deviate from the right path," a voice with a faint smile emerged from behind.
Wei Tao lowered the stone lock and saw a tall youth dressed in blue standing in the shade of a tree. The youth had his hands behind his back and observed Wei Tao.
"Whom are you seeking?" Wei Tao cupped his fists together and bowed slightly.
"I am one of the teacher's new disciples," the youth in blue nodded slightly. He reached out and picked up a larger and heavier stone lock.
"The stone lock is not only for developing arm strength but also for enhancing grip strength, wrist strength, waist strength, leg strength, and even skills like footwork, reaction, and the control of qi and blood. By observing and carefully grasping the stone lock, you can learn a lot."
"This is the Traveling Stone Fist I learned during my travels, specifically designed for training with the stone lock. Although it may not possess formidable power, it is highly beneficial for practicing Red Line Fist. Take a good look."
He gently tossed the stone lock into the air.
"The Traveling Stone Fist begins with snatching and swinging,
There are throwing techniques like front throw, back throw, straddle throw, and more,
Involving palm joints, finger joints, arm joints, elbow joints, shoulder joints, and so on,
The key is to sense the force it generates within your body and respond appropriately in an instant, controlling the changes in qi and blood when exerting force..."
The stone lock soared through the air, moving with grace and power, emitting a whistling sound. It blended rigidity and softness, exhibiting a flawless and harmonious beauty.
A moment later, the youth in blue flicked his wrist and firmly dropped the stone lock on the ground. His voice remained steady as he spoke, "This fist technique draws inspiration from stones swimming, rotating, and rolling in the flow of water. If you imagine the water flow as your surging qi and blood, do you understand?"
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Wei Tao regained his senses and bowed once again.
As he stood up, he noticed a circle of people had gathered nearby, all bowing towards the youth in blue and expressing their gratitude for his guidance.
It turned out that this was Tan Pan, the Eldest Senior Brother. Wei Tao had never seen him at the Martial Arts Hall since joining the sect.
"Little Pan is back! How did it go outside?" Master Zhou's voice rang out as he appeared, having seldom left the inner courtyard to visit the Martial Training Stage.
Tan Pan's expression turned serious, "There are a few matters to report to the teacher."
"Very well, let's go inside and discuss them."
Master Zhou cleared his throat and scanned the surroundings before his gaze settled on a tall and muscular man, who was easily noticeable. "Peng Yue, go with someone to the market and purchase wine and food to treat your Eldest Senior Brother at noon," he commanded.
Peng Yue nodded in agreement and, under the eager eyes of the honorary disciples, gestured towards a certain direction. "Junior Brother Wei, you can come with me," he said.
The two of them received money from the Martial Arts Hall manager and went out, quickly arriving at the restaurant where Master Zhou frequented. They ordered a table of noodles and sat by the window on the second floor, patiently waiting.
Adjacent to the restaurant was a spacious bluestone square.
During the first and fifteenth day of the new year, this square would become a bustling gathering place. Various vendors would fill the entire square, extending along the long street.
However, today was not a festive day, yet the bluestone square was still crowded, even more so than during the gatherings.
This peculiar sight immediately caught the attention of the two disciples.
"Gods and Buddhas are born, the King of Ming is born."
"Golden light, red light."
"Those who believe in the purest heart can cure diseases and drive away evil spirits by obtaining holy water."
Faint chants reached their ears, like the sound of silk and bamboo, coming from the open space in the center of the square.
Wei Tao squinted his eyes and observed closely. He saw an elderly man with white hair and a rosy complexion. With the help of several white-clad boys and girls, he distributed pieces of paper to the crowd, eliciting prayers and cheers.
"Who are they? They've gathered and formed such a large association in broad daylight. Aren't they afraid of the city guards suppressing them?" Peng Yue furrowed his brows and gulped down his coarse tea.
At that moment, the restaurant's shopkeeper approached them with two large food boxes. "Master Peng, you may not know, but this old Divine Immortal is said to be the protector of the Red Lantern Society. He has come here and set up an altar to pray for the people of the city," the shopkeeper explained.
"Do you mean this Old Mister possesses extraordinary and refined supernatural abilities?" Wei Tao shifted his gaze and took a sip of tea.
"We dare not speak ill of him," the shopkeeper lowered his voice. "But just this morning, that white-clad Daoist cured a man who was coughing up blood on the spot in front of many witnesses using talisman water. Word quickly spread, and now many people have gathered to request talismans."
Peng Yue asked the shopkeeper, "Do you know who the patient was and where he lives?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't inquire about that. I just observed from a distance, and the crowd was too dense to get a clear view," the shopkeeper replied.
Peng Yue nodded and pulled Wei Tao along, leaving without saying another word.
They returned to the Red Line Martial Hall, with Wei Tao carrying the food box as they entered the inner courtyard with Peng Yue.
Once inside, Wei Tao realized why the honorary disciples looked forward to this errand. As he stood on the sidelines, helping pour wine and set the dishes, he had the opportunity to listen to Master Zhou's conversations with the Official Disciples. It was a valuable experience.
After the meal, Wei Tao headed to the Martial Practice Stage to continue his training, which he had left unfinished in the morning.
He carefully recalled the essential points of Traveling Stone Fist practice mentioned by Eldest Senior Brother Tan Pan. Holding the smallest stone lock in his hand, he made contact with different parts of his body—palms, backs of hands, fingertips, forearms. Each failure was a step closer to success.
Compared to the abstract concept of handling qi and blood, the practice method of Traveling Stone Fist was relatively straightforward. It required continuous practice and familiarity to perform the complete set of movements smoothly.
As the sun set, Wei Tao had mastered several connected movements of power, but he still had a long way to go before fully mastering the technique and integrating it with the Red Line Fist's method of handling qi and blood.
Exhaling a long breath, Wei Tao went to the well to fetch water. He dampened a towel and wiped his body before putting on his clothes. Just as he was about to leave, he froze in place.
A golden symbol appeared before his eyes, accompanied by the seven gold coins he had accumulated. Strangely, there was an additional column of information.
On the left were two lines of small text.
Name: Traveling Stone Fist. Status: Beginner.
On the right was a light blue progress bar.
The progress shown so far was just the beginning, not even reaching ten percent.
Staring at the status bar in front of him, Wei Tao felt a sudden realization. He grasped onto a fleeting memory.
If it weren't for being in the Martial Arts Hall, he would have almost exclaimed.
He had seen the gold talisman and the gold coins before, but they didn't trigger any reaction. However, now that he saw the status bar, he immediately remembered what it was.
Wasn't this a turn-based, casual martial arts mini-game that he had designed and coded before crossing over?
When the game was active on his mobile phone, the user would receive a game gold coin at regular intervals, which could be used to improve the character's cultivation abilities. Starting as a small sapling, the character would gradually grow into a towering tree.
In the game interface, tapping on the character's ID would bring up the status bar, showing the cultivation progress bar for each acquired skill. It was the most familiar feature for Wei Tao and the main reason he thought of this game.
He put down the towel and basin and sat down on the bench next to the well, completely absorbed in the status bar before him.
To his surprise, a line of text appeared in the status bar.
"Would you like to spend a gold coin to increase the cultivation of Traveling Stone Fist?"
Could it be true!?
Wei Tao focused his mind and instinctively tried to tap on the "yes" option.