Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 40 - 39: Cultivating Both internally and Externally, Harmonizing Qi-Blood

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Shen Qing learned that the martial arts in the county could now be divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower.

The lowest level of martial arts was like the "Nine Skills," which only focused on nourishing and training Qi and Blood.

This type of martial arts did nothing more than cultivate Qi and Blood, lacking other techniques or training methods.

One could say it was the foundation of the foundations of martial arts.

Even so, this martial art was stronger than those flashy but inferior ones.

As long as one cultivated enough Qi and Blood to reach the realm of Great Perfection, even a slender person could knock down four or five robust men with one punch.

If it didn't have such power, martial arts wouldn't be so valuable, and the court wouldn't be so strict about martial arts practices.

Those in high positions feared most that someone local might use martial arts for power, breaking laws with force.

Hence, in the martial arts disseminated outward, the court added a lot of cryptic language and hidden meanings to increase the cost of practicing martial arts.

Without a sect, one couldn't even get started.

Shen Qing was lucky enough that the "Nine Skills" he had was low-level and mostly consisted of illustrations with minimal text, allowing him to enter the path ingeniously.

Otherwise, even with the Water Ink Panel, he might not have successfully started or mastered any results.

Now he had already grasped the Thousand Character Classic, and with his previous knowledge, he no longer had obstacles reading it.

As soon as he got home, Shen Qing immediately took out the "Nine Skills" martial arts manual to study.

Upon opening the first page, it recounted the introduction of the Nine Skills.

After reading, Shen Qing realized that this martial art was called Nine Skills because it compiled nine stance training techniques for nourishing and training Qi and Blood, hence the name Nine Skills.

Each recorded stance training technique was the most effective verified after much practice across major martial arts schools, making it the best entry method for nourishing and training Qi and Blood.

Among them, the nine stance training techniques increased in difficulty from one to nine, and the more challenging the stance training, the better the effects on Qi and Blood.

Generally speaking, mastering the first four or five stance techniques, or even practicing just one of them alone, could achieve the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood.

As for ultimately training how many techniques, it depended entirely on the practitioner's preference.

At first, he thought this was a complete set of martial arts skills when looking at the album, so he practiced the first four stance techniques intensely and even slightly practiced the last five.

Now it seemed he had taken the hardest path.

However, it didn't matter.

The nine stance techniques in the Nine Skills were all for nourishing and training Qi and Blood and didn't conflict, only differing in the paths taken.

Ultimately, they all led to the same result.

Shen Qing continued reading, and the descriptions of Qi and Blood in the Nine Skills instantly opened new avenues for his practice.

So-called Qi and Blood did not refer to Qi and blood individually but to blood perceived as Qi during its flow.

In the body, the blood flowed but was very weak.

Only occasionally in silence could one hear the pulse or sense the throbbing of the temples.

This made it difficult to mobilize the body's strength.

The purpose of stance training was to detect and control the flow of blood like Qi, directing it to where one wanted it to flow.

The warm current Shen Qing felt during practice was the perceived route of blood flow.

But mere perception was insufficient.

To nourish and train Qi and Blood,

before practicing, one needed to nurture.

Everyone's blood volume and quality vary, which is improved through medicinal and dietary supplements.

In the process of nourishing and practicing simultaneously, cultivating both internally and externally makes one vigorous and energetic.

Once reaching a certain level, when the essence blood across the whole body reaches the physical body's limit, combining Qi and Blood with the mind's intent could form Qi, attaining a new realm.

The Nine Skills referred to this process as—integrating both internally and externally, harmonizing Qi and Blood.

After reading these contents, Shen Qing gained a lot.

No wonder during practice he felt a blockage in his Qi, and his progress was slow—it seemed something was missing.

It turned out to be the lack of a blood-nourishing process.

Lately, he had only been consuming meat, which couldn't keep up with the internal Qi and Blood refinement.

Shen Qing was secretly thankful for his decision to learn to recognize characters and read; without this knowledge, he might have taken a wrong path.

He put his thoughts aside and continued reading.

The rest included various techniques and key points for practicing different stance training techniques.

It involved many cryptic terms such as "running dragon," "An Xue," and "Chong Tian Jiao," which Shen Qing had already mastered during practice.

Having read the entire "Nine Skills" from start to finish, he closed the booklet, still unsatisfied.

Overall, the martial art of the Nine Skills seemed easy to learn but difficult to master, making reaching Great Perfection very challenging.

At that moment, Shen Qing suddenly recalled the medicine gifted by Li Linfeng, which, according to A Fu's account, was quite valuable and meant for nourishing and training Qi and Blood.

When he brought it back, he hadn't taken it lightly.

Now, having understood the essentials of nourishing and training Qi and Blood after reading the Nine Skills, he immediately decided to try it.

Shen Qing set aside the martial arts booklet and retrieved the medicine given by Li Linfeng, preparing a medicine pot to brew it.

As Shen Fang was busy in the kitchen, she quickly approached upon seeing Shen Qing wanting to brew medicine, volunteering to take on the task and driving him out of the kitchen.

Shaking his head helplessly, Shen Qing went to the front gate and focused on practicing his stance techniques.

Time passed quickly.

When night fell, Shen Fang had already brewed the medicine and brought it to the table, "Qingzi, the medicine is ready, cooling a bit, so drink it early before it gets cold."

Hearing her, Shen Qing ended his practice, exhaled a mouthful of foul air, and replied, "Okay, I know."

He went back into the house, picked up the bowl of medicine on the table, and glanced at it.

The medicine soup was dark brown, with tiny bits of herbal residue floating on the surface, exuding a strong and complex aroma.

The dense scents of ginseng and deer antler mixed with other unknown herbal fragrances directly struck his nose.

Without hesitation, Shen Qing tilted his head back and drank it in one gulp. The moment it entered his mouth, a bitter taste filled it, causing his facial muscles to twitch involuntarily.

Damn, it tasted awful.

While Shen Qing was still enduring the bitter sensation, the potent medicinal power suddenly transformed into a series of warm currents, flowing from his abdomen through the Four Meridians and Eight Vessels.

The muscle soreness and weakness from practice moments before significantly eased.

Moreover, moments later, the excess medicinal power surged into his Dantian.

Shen Qing felt heat rising inside him, his Qi and Blood surging, and the previous trickle of warmth grew stronger.

Indeed, the effect of potent medicine was immediate.

No wonder A Fu said, such medicinal essence was precious.

Shen Qing went into the kitchen and said to Shen Fang, "Sis, you didn't throw away the dregs, right?"

"Not yet, why?"

"Add some water, boil it again, then make herbal cakes from the dregs for me."

With such valuable medicine, who knew when he would get another chance, so Shen Qing couldn't waste it.

Martial arts were so profound.

He wanted to refine his Qi and Blood to Great Perfection quickly, and head to the county.

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