Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 57 - 56: Passing the Five Person Stance

In the following days, Shen Qing stayed mostly secluded, spending most of his time hunting in the mountains and practicing the movement of the Wind Facing Finger.

As his Bow Technique and hunting skills continually improved, his hunting abilities grew noticeably stronger.

Every time he went up the mountain, he never returned empty-handed, always bringing back small game like rabbits, pheasants, and badgers; once even a muntjac, all piled up at home.

But strangely, he couldn't figure out why the larger game he used to encounter, like wild boars, elk, and goats, were now so rare.

Shen Qing even started to wonder if his hunting skills had improved so rapidly that he nearly depleted the resource of Shicheng Mountain.

By his calculations, there was less than a month until spring.

Shen Qing could only sincerely hope that the small animals in the mountains could hang in there a little longer.

Just endure a bit more, and winter would soon be over.

...

In the bamboo forest behind the house, Shen Qing crouched down, picked up a stone from the ground, and placed it in his palm, holding it easily.

Dressed in light clothes, his bare arms exposed, with veins faintly visible.

Shen Qing suddenly exerted force, his muscles tensed on his arms, and veins popped.

Cracks appeared on the surface of the stone, and with a "snap" sound, the stone crumbled into pieces in his hand, scattering fragments all around.

He clapped his hands and stood up, his gaze steady.

"Now that my Qi and Blood have reached Great Perfection, the strength in my arms is far beyond that of ordinary people. Five or six people can't stop me. I can even crush stones if I exert my strength seriously. So why can't I pierce a simple wooden board with my fingers?"

Shen Qing looked at the broken wooden board full of marks beside him.

He had been secretly pondering these days and tried a few times, imitating Ouyang Tiezhu's style, but without success.

Li Linfeng's hard skill seemed to rely not just on brute force.

There was a self-consistent logic and training method within it.

Shen Qing had inquired within Linfeng Hall, finding out that Li Linfeng had used this unique technique to counter-kill four martial masters of the Bone Refining Realm, gaining fame after a battle in the county town.

And these martial masters of the Bone Refining Realm could easily overpower five or six people like him with Great Perfection of Qi and Blood; even eighteen or nineteen ordinary strong men couldn't approach these masters.

He couldn't imagine how strong Li Linfeng, now in the Qi Cultivation Realm, must be.

Indeed, the county town hid many talents, challenging to underestimate.

He had to keep practicing diligently.

Shen Qing dismissed his nonsensical thoughts and walked to an old oak tree, treating it as a Wooden Dummy.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and recollected the movements of the three-person stance and five-person stance, which he had etched in his mind countless times.

Once he was sure he had memorized every detail, he suddenly opened his eyes.

Then, his body moved with agility like a released rabbit, practicing a set of fluid, continuous movement techniques around the old tree.

His nimble, silent training left almost no trace on the ground as his toes tapped lightly.

The air seemed to carry the sound of his clothes fluttering, responding to the cold wind in the bamboo forest.

Time passed by bit by bit.

Despite the winter season and wearing light clothes, sweat gradually soaked Shen Qing's back.

His breathing became increasingly heavy and powerful over time, and his movements more smooth and swift.

Certain areas on the old oak tree's rough trunk had become polished due to numerous touches and leverage, evidently differing from other parts.

Shen Qing practiced tirelessly until he nearly exhausted his stamina.

To avoid wasting time, he continued to train with the Nine Skills stance, nourishing and cultivating Qi and Blood, and restoring his energy.

Through persistent training, Shen Qing's understanding of martial arts grew day by day, discovering some misconceptions in the Nine Skills.

For instance, the book never mentioned the concepts of stretching and strengthening, or Skin Tempering and Qi Cultivation.

It only stated that achieving the bodily limits with essence blood and unifying Qi-Blood with thoughts would lead to Qi formation, which seemed exaggerated and unrealistic.

Until now, he hadn't figured out what this "thoughts" meant.

No wonder it was an unknown martial art.

Shen Qing even suspected that Chen Yuan and others were conned out of a lot of money when purchasing this martial art back then.

But it wasn't entirely useless either.

At the very least, the Nine famous stances recorded in it were indeed beneficial, significantly enhancing his Qi and Blood nourishing and training.

Shen Qing didn't keep this martial art to himself but also taught it to Tian Xiaohu and Hu Zi.

All three practiced enthusiastically at home, though they didn't have his monstrous talent, struggling bitterly at the entry level.

After a short adjustment, Shen Qing felt his energy had recovered enough to resume training.

With the influence of the Water Ink Panel, each practice session of his movement technique made him more agile and precise than before.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight days passed, and the mountain goods in Hongshan Village had accumulated substantially, marking the time to head to the county town again.

In the bamboo forest, Shen Qing slapped the tree trunk, completing the last move, and exhaled gently.

He glanced at the Water Ink Panel visible in his sight, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

[Skill: Wind Facing Finger (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 92/100]

[Status: Cannot improve]

After continuous practice and the proficiency boost from the Water Ink Panel, Shen Qing could perform the two-person, three-person, and five-person stances smoothly in one go, considering he had cleared a hurdle.

Unfortunately, since the old tree wasn't a Wooden Dummy, some movements differed, making it harder to progress.

He thought about seizing the opportunity to visit Linfeng Hall to fill in this last bit of progress and see if he could break through a bottleneck.

Shen Qing exhaled the last stale breath, collected his thoughts, and returned home.

At this time, his eldest sister Shen Fang had already prepared a tub of hot water for him to wash his body after training.

After freshening up, Shen Qing changed into new clothes and went straight to Zhang Shuyuan's house without delay, asking him for help with some accounting.

With his current literacy level, he could do simple accounting and arithmetic himself. But for years, Zhang Shuyuan had been handling the village's accounts, and the villagers acknowledged only him.

If he did it himself, the villagers might not accept it, and it could backfire.

So, it was better to stick to a safer, traditional method.

When Shen Qing arrived at Zhang Shuyuan's house and explained his purpose, Zhang Shuyuan agreed right away without pretense or scholarly arrogance, as if afraid Shen Qing would change his mind.

As for Shen Qing not continuing his Thousand Character Classic studies for a long time, Zhang Shuyuan didn't mention it, as if he had forgotten about it.

In his view, learning was largely a matter of personal motivation.

With Zhang Shuyuan, Shen Qing went to a clearing in the center of Hongshan Village.

Tian Xiaohu had already pulled the cart over, waiting early, and other villagers wanting to sell goods also gradually gathered.

Shen Qing approached and clapped his hands.

The crisp sound instantly drew the villagers' attention on the ground.

Shen Qing shouted, "It's time to collect mountain goods, folks, quickly."