Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Breakthrough Method, a Martial Artist’s Backbone
’Could this really be a legacy of Prajna Temple?’
Xie Yuan had been studying martial arts at the Iron Cloth Hall for several months now; he was no longer a complete greenhorn.
Although the people in Panlong Town’s small martial arts schools weren’t necessarily worldly, they still knew some stories of the martial world.
After hearing enough of them, Xie Yuan kept coming across the two words ’Prajna Temple’—aside from the "history" between the Iron Cloth Hall and Prajna Temple, the bigger reason was that Prajna Temple was indeed a sacred Buddhist site in the Great Li Dynasty, a top-tier Sect. Its disciples were often involved in major events within the cultivation world.
How could a Cultivation Technique from one of the Great Li Dynasty’s few top-tier Sects possibly appear in a small town’s martial arts hall, one subordinate to a county seat? Did that make any sense?
Xie Yuan shook his head inwardly.
’If this were truly a secret manual from Prajna Temple, then as long as Liu the Monk isn’t a fool, there’s no way he would only be at the Second Training.’
’He most likely trained at some Buddhist temple, received a fragment of a legacy, and then came out to open a martial arts hall. To attract students, he’s deliberately using Prajna Temple’s name to bolster his own.’
’In any case, this place is thousands of miles from Prajna Temple, so he’s not afraid of being exposed. Even if a disciple from Prajna Temple did happen to pass by, monks are compassionate by nature. At most, they would just give him a warning and tell him not to lie.’
Liu the Monk rummaged for a moment before pulling out a blue-covered booklet and handing it to Xie Yuan.
"This contains the methods and insights for breaking through the First Training. Let me explain it to you first."
"The External Training of the Martial Dao can be summarized in five words: ’coagulate Blood Qi, forge the body.’"
"First, you coagulate Blood Qi, then you use that Blood Qi to strengthen your physical body. The four stages of External Training all follow this same principle. The only difference is the parts being tempered, moving from the outside in, from skin to bone, gradually deepening."
"When you first start, you don’t have much Blood Qi. When you use it to temper your body, it gets depleted in no time and needs to be replenished."
"The simplest method is to rest. Blood Qi is like stamina; as long as you eat well, drink enough, and sleep soundly, it will recover. But if you have the support of dietary supplements, medicinal aids, or even nourishing techniques, the recovery is naturally faster."
"Later on, when your cultivation is higher and your Blood Qi is abundant, tempering your body... will still be a massive drain, depleting it quickly. That’s because as your physical strength increases, the consumption also rises to match. Ah, practicing the Martial Dao is a never-ending climb..."
Liu the Monk let out a long sigh, seemingly filled with emotion.
He turned back and asked:
"Any questions about all that? I’m afraid Hodar might not have explained it clearly to you."
"Master, I understand," Xie Yuan said with a nod.
Hodar had explained these fundamentals to him quite clearly, but Liu the Monk’s explanation was more insightful and concise.
Xie Yuan found the analogy comparing Blood Qi to stamina especially helpful. It made the concept feel less mystical and strengthened his foundational understanding of cultivation.
Liu the Monk nodded.
"Good. Now that we’ve cleared up these points, I can explain the breakthrough method to you. Otherwise, if you tried to cultivate and break through with hidden issues, what do you think would happen?"
"Qi deviation?" Xie Yuan asked tentatively.
Liu the Monk scoffed.
"Heh, for someone at your level to talk about Qi deviation... well, that’s a bit premature."
Xie Yuan’s face flushed, and he felt a little embarrassed.
’The term had just popped into my head. But at my level, I don’t even count as a Martial Artist yet. It’s not my turn to worry about Qi deviation.’
Liu the Monk chuckled.
"But it’s a similar idea. For those cultivating Iron Cloth Shirt, rushing a breakthrough without fully understanding the process will, at best, leave you with more weak spots. At worst, it will damage your foundation. Cultivating the Martial Dao is a patient, grinding effort. Haste in this moment leads to a lifetime of regret. Remember that."
His expression and tone grew more serious as he spoke.
Sensing Liu the Monk’s gravity and concern, Xie Yuan’s expression also became serious. He cupped his fist and declared loudly:
"This disciple understands!"
"Good. Then listen closely."
"The method for breaking through in External Training differs for every technique. But at their core, they all follow the same principle: achieving the result of a water drop piercing stone through persistent effort."
"When you train the 3rd Layer to near completion, you’ll find it difficult for your Blood Qi to advance, and the strengthening of your skin will also seem to hit a bottleneck. This is a limitation of your body."
"Your body is a pool, and Blood Qi is the water. If your pool is too small to hold more water, what should you do?"
"You continue to use Blood Qi to temper your skin, to expand the pool, even if you’re already at your limit! A drop of water will eventually wear through stone, but whether it takes a day or a lifetime depends on your personal talent and diligence. Neither can be lacking."
"The Blood Qi of a complete 3rd Layer should be just enough to envelop your entire skin, allowing for a single breath’s worth of tempering. Then, as I said before, your Blood Qi will be consumed. You wait for it to recover, and you repeat the cycle, over and over, until you break through."
"That is the breakthrough method and the principle behind it. It’s very simple, yet it has stumped countless people. Do you have any questions?"
Xie Yuan understood clearly and had no difficulties.
’To sum it up, it’s about quantitative change leading to qualitative change. In the cultivation of the Martial Dao, every drop of sweat counts.’
He thought for a moment, then asked:
"What about medicinal baths and supplements? Are they helpful?"
"Yes. Although medicines are merely supplementary, at least during the External Training stage, they are frankly all topical. The side effects aren’t significant and they won’t affect your foundation. On the contrary, they can aid in Body Forging."
"But during the breakthrough phase, relying on medicine alone is not enough. Just before you break through, your body will undergo a unique change. If you don’t feel for it attentively, you won’t be able to seize that fleeting opportunity. In the end, the path of cultivation must always return to oneself."
"I understand. I will go back and properly comprehend it." Xie Yuan cupped his hands in a serious and grateful gesture.
Everything Liu the Monk had taught him today were fundamental principles of Martial Dao cultivation that couldn’t be circumvented. Truly understanding them would be of immense benefit to his future cultivation.
After leaving, Xie Yuan thought to himself on the road:
’My Blood Qi isn’t at its peak yet. Its coverage... is still missing my heels. Hmm, since Master said the medicinal bath is helpful, I’ll cultivate and digest this for a few days, then take another advanced medicinal bath. I’ll push my progress directly to completion and then ride the momentum to break through!’
Having set his plan, Xie Yuan headed directly home to Xiaoshi Village.
The first advanced medicinal bath was a free trial. He would have to pay for any after that.
Twenty taels of silver was no small sum. It was time to go back to Chopping Wood.
「Two days later.」
After processing all the accumulated wood and loading it onto his cart, Xie Yuan once again arrived at Boss Wan’s shop in Panlong Town.
"Twenty-four taels!" Boss Wan declared with a grand wave of his hand, accepting the wood and handing over the silver.
Xie Yuan was a little surprised:
"Boss Wan, based on the quality of this cartload, it should only be worth around twenty taels. Why so much?"
"It’s not that much, not at all. You’re a celebrity in Panlong Town now," Boss Wan said with a chuckle, folding his hands.
News of that competition had spread throughout Panlong Town. Although Boss Wan didn’t particularly care about the Martial Dao, as soon as he heard the name Xie Yuan, his ears perked up. He now knew that his own wood supplier was no ordinary woodcutter boy.
Xie Yuan was a bit embarrassed:
"Hey, Boss Wan, we’ve always dealt fairly. A small discount is one thing, but this is too much. I feel I don’t deserve it."
"Nonsense, Younger Brother Xie. This old man isn’t just giving you face, I’m also looking at the silver you can bring in."
Boss Wan leaned in, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together with a grin.
"I know many well-off families in town whose children are studying martial arts. Tell me, if I take this wood you’ve chopped, make it into training dummies and weapon racks, and sell it to them... and then add your name to the mix, how much more money do you think I’ll make? Heh heh, you don’t object to me using your name, do you, Younger Brother Xie? This extra silver is your reputation fee."
"Boss Wan, with a head for business like yours, you deserve to make money."
Xie Yuan gave him a thumbs-up, then shook his head.
"It’s just that a reputation... is sometimes more valuable than life itself..."
Hearing this, Boss Wan scratched his head. Just as he was about to say ’forget it then,’ he heard Xie Yuan add:
"You’d better get me a good price, Boss Wan."
Boss Wan was suddenly stunned.
’Is this the legendary integrity of a Martial Artist?’
Tucking the large silver ingot away, Xie Yuan headed happily toward the Iron Cloth Hall.
Just as he stepped through the gate, he saw Cao Shan approaching. Cao Shan paused when he saw him.
"Junior Brother Xie, you actually came today?"
Xie Yuan didn’t understand:
"Senior Brother Cao, what’s wrong?"
"You have a visitor. I told him you weren’t here, but he insisted you would come today and is waiting in the tea room."
’Huh? Who would be visiting me? And how would they know my schedule?’
Xie Yuan asked:
"What’s the visitor’s name?"
"I don’t know his full name. He only said his surname is Zhang, and that he’s a bailiff from the county seat."
