strictlysupreme Chapter 28 Master's Passed-Down Fighting Techniques
Chapter 28 Master's Passed-Down Fighting Techniques
As the dawn broke and the night chill dissipated, Yang Jin carefully took out the neatly folded, dark red, and tough badger skin from under the bed and came to Chen Shan, who was lighting the stove.
He spread out the animal hide; the thick leather gleamed with a matte, rock-like sheen in the morning light, and it was cold and hard to the touch, with traces of dried blood and dirt still remaining at the edges.
"Uncle Chen, is this skin...usable?" Yang Jin asked.
He remembered Chen Shan mentioning that he could process the hides of exotic animals.
Chen Shan stopped what he was doing, his withered fingers rubbing the leather, then tapping it with his fingers, making a dull "tap-tap" sound.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "A stone badger? An adult one? These things have thick skin and are quite strong. Although they're not considered particularly powerful among exotic beasts, they're not easy to hunt due to their habits. This pelt is fairly intact; after tanning, it'll be a good piece of meat."
He paused, then looked at Yang Jin: "Do you know roughly what level of martial artist this strange beast corresponds to?"
Recalling his battle with the Stone Badger and Zhao Kun's aura, Yang Jin speculated, "His strength is greater than that of an ordinary Great Perfection Skin Refining Realm cultivator, and his defense is particularly outstanding, but his speed and agility are far inferior to those of martial artists of the same level. In a one-on-one fight, he should be able to defeat an experienced early-stage Skin Refining Realm cultivator if he is careful. If it were a Flesh Refining Realm cultivator, killing him wouldn't be difficult."
"Hmm, your eyesight is decent." Chen Shan nodded. "There are many kinds of exotic beasts, each with different talents, so it's difficult to apply them entirely to martial arts realms, but we can have a general idea. This Stone Armored Badger is considered a 'Mid-Rank Mortal' exotic beast, corresponding to the early to mid-stages of the Skin Refining Realm in martial arts; defense is its specialty. The Earth Fire Centipede, individually, is considered a 'Low-Rank Mortal' beast, corresponding to the Skin Refining Realm, but its swarms and venom make it a headache even for those in the Bone Refining Realm. The 'Mysterious Yin Earth Lizard' they encountered in the mine tunnel, which forced the three martial arts school leaders to join forces to capture, must have been at least a 'Low-Rank Spirit' beast, corresponding to the peak of the Bone Refining Realm or even the Touching the Bone Refining Realm. As for the one guarding the 'Earth Vein Jade Marrow,' it's probably a 'Mid-Rank Spirit' beast or even higher."
Mortal Rank, Spirit Rank... Yang Jin silently memorized this rough division.
It seems that Atu is currently only at the mid-level of the mortal rank, but his advantage lies in his special talent and growth potential.
"Let me process this hide for you." Chen Shan rolled up the hide. "Stone badger hide naturally contains a trace of earth and stone essence, providing good resistance to blunt force and cuts. I'll do some tanning, add some scrap iron pieces and cowhide rope, and make you a simple set of breastplates, arm guards, and shin guards. You can layer two on the key areas. Wearing it, you can basically ignore attacks from the Skin Refining Realm, withstand most of the sword and blade slashes from the early stages of the Flesh Refining Realm, and deflect a lot of the force of blunt force blows. It will also buy you some reaction time when you encounter mid-to-late stages of the Flesh Refining Realm."
Yang Jin was delighted upon hearing this.
This is exactly what he needs! With this armor, combined with his own stone skin, his survivability will be greatly enhanced.
"Thank you, Uncle Chen!"
"Don't thank me yet." Chen Shan waved his hand, but his gaze fell on Yang Jin again, looking him up and down with a hint of inquiry. "Your progress is a bit beyond my expectations. The 'Furnace Breathing Technique' has been integrated into your daily life, and your aura has become much more stable. I saw the palm print on the stone wall behind the mountain. You've grasped the essence of 'Mountain Intent,' although it's still very shallow, but that sense of stability and weight is undeniable. The power exertion of the 'Mountain Splitting Stance' is also quite decent, and the 'Mountain Standing Stance' is even more... How long has it been?"
Chen Shan's eyes deepened with doubt: "Ordinary martial artists, even those with above-average aptitude, need at least several years of hard work, along with guidance from a master and practical experience, to grasp even a trace of 'intention.' You've only been practicing for a little over half a month... Kid, tell me honestly, besides that 'Mountain Splitting Style' manual and my breathing techniques and stance training, what else have you practiced?"
Yang Jin felt a chill run down his spine.
The Demon Ape Visualization Diagram and the Mountain Cauldron are his greatest secrets, and they must never be revealed.
But he was prepared. After a moment's hesitation, he said, half-truthfully, "To be honest, Uncle Chen, I didn't die when I fell off the cliff. Instead, I accidentally ate an unknown crimson fruit at the bottom of the hanging burial cliff. My whole body felt like it was on fire, and I was in unbearable pain. Later, I passed out. When I woke up, I felt that my body recovered very quickly, and my strength had increased a lot. My skin and flesh were also tougher. Later, in the mine, I also luckily obtained some strange beast flesh and blood... Perhaps it was these opportunities that improved my physique and comprehension."
He attributed everything to "serendipity," which is not uncommon in the martial arts world and is the easiest for people to accept.
As expected, upon hearing this, Chen Shan's doubts lessened, replaced by a complex expression—a mixture of realization,感慨, and a barely perceptible regret: "So it's a spiritual object like the 'Vermilion Fruit,' which improves physique and increases qi and blood... Combined with the flesh and blood of a strange beast, no wonder your foundation is solid and your comprehension has soared. This is truly your fortune, and also... your calamity. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; possessing power and aptitude beyond one's own realm is not necessarily all a good thing."
He paused, his tone turning serious: "However, now that you have a basic grasp of 'intention' and power generation, just practicing without actually fighting is ultimately just empty talk. From today onwards, I will teach you fighting techniques."
"Fighting style?!" Yang Jin's spirits lifted.
"Not bad. The training method is to accumulate strength and hone the foundation. The fighting method is to use strength to defeat the enemy." Chen Shan stood with his hands behind his back. Although he was still hunched over, his aura suddenly changed. He was no longer the dejected blacksmith, but like an ancient sword that, though rusted, still exuded the sharpness of its former self.
"First, you need to understand the core of martial arts combat." Chen Shan held up one finger. "First, play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. You have a stone skin, strong defense, a stable lower body, and heavy power—these are your 'strengths.' But you lack combat experience, your martial arts skills are limited, your qi circulation and technique coordination are not yet refined, and your speed is not top-notch—these are your 'weaknesses.' When fighting someone, you must use your 'strengths' to exploit their 'weaknesses,' forcing your opponent to fight in your area of advantage."
"Second, observation and adaptation. What style does your opponent use? Is it forceful or subtle? Are they skilled in fists and feet or weapons? What are the characteristics of their breathing? Do they have any habitual starting stances or weaknesses? When fighting, observe their breathing, eyes, subtle muscle movements, and blood and qi fluctuations to anticipate their intentions and adjust your response accordingly."
"Third, rhythm and momentum. Combat is like forging iron, with its ups and downs, its tensions and relaxations. You must be able to control the rhythm of the battle, attacking fiercely like a raging fire when necessary, and defending as firmly as a rock when needed. Momentum is even more important; in a narrow encounter, the brave prevail. Your 'mountain spirit' can not only be used to exert force, but also integrated into your momentum, overwhelming your opponent and seizing their courage before the battle even begins!"
Yang Jin listened intently; these were valuable pieces of experience that couldn't be learned from books.
"Now, I'll use the Iron Bone Martial Arts School's martial arts as an example to teach you how to deal with it." A cold glint flashed in Chen Shan's eyes, clearly indicating that he was very familiar with the Iron Bone Martial Arts School's martial arts. "The core technique of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School is the 'Iron Bone Strength,' which emphasizes tempering the bones and developing strong blood and qi. Most of its moves are straightforward and use brute force to overwhelm opponents. Its signature martial arts, the 'Iron Bone Fist' and the 'Breaking Edge Saber,' are both like this."
"The advantages are obvious: great strength, explosive power, and formidable head-on confrontation. The disadvantages are equally obvious: lack of variation, slightly stiff transitions between moves, and high requirements for the finesse of waist and hip rotation. Once the rhythm is disrupted or the attack is deflected, it is easy to create openings."
Chen Shan began to simulate the starting stance and common combos of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School. His movements were not fast, but he clearly analyzed the fierce intent and possible subsequent changes.
"Take this move, 'Iron Bones Mountain Splitting,' for example. It's powerful and full of force. But it requires extremely high stability in the lower body and strong power from the waist. The way to deal with it is twofold: First, avoid its sharp edge by sliding to the side and attacking its vulnerable ribs. Second, if you are confident in your defense, you can use the 'Mountain Stance' to block it, while simultaneously using the 'Mountain Splitting Stance' to counter-attack its wrist or elbow joint. When its move is old, this is precisely the point where its qi and blood are shifting, and being hit here will surely throw it off balance!"
"Now look at this move, the 'Triple Slash to Break the Edge.' The sword strikes are continuous, each one faster than the last. However, its footwork follows a fixed pattern. When the third strike comes down, the center of gravity leans forward the most, and the momentum has ended, with no new force generated. If you seize the opportunity, avoid the first and second blades, and sneak in, a heavy palm strike to the side of the blade or the arm holding the sword can break its momentum and even disarm it!"
Chen Shan's explanations were insightful yet easy to understand, covering not only the weaknesses of the moves but also the circulation of qi and blood, the principles of power generation, and psychological warfare.
Yang Jin listened with rapt attention. Combining his own experience fighting Zhao Kun, many of the dangers that he hadn't understood before suddenly became clear.
"Of course, this is just theory." Chen Shan stopped the demonstration, slightly out of breath, his face a little pale. Clearly, the demonstration had been a burden on his battered body. "In real combat, everything changes in an instant. You need to integrate these principles into actual combat and form your own combat instincts."
"As for the strange beasts..." Chen Shan caught his breath, took out a thin, yellowed, and stained old booklet from his pocket, and handed it to Yang Jin. "This is a collection of common strange beast illustrations and tips for dealing with them that I jotted down during my travels in my early years. It's not comprehensive, but it should be of some use to you now. Strange beasts don't know any martial arts; they fight entirely on instinct and talent, so you need to be extra careful."
Yang Jin solemnly accepted the document, opened it, and saw that it contained simple yet vivid lines depicting various strange creatures, accompanied by text explaining their habits, weaknesses, and danger levels.
Although hastily written, these are all valuable experiences.
"There are too many kinds of strange beasts to generalize. But remember a few key points: birds are mostly agile and good at pouncing with their claws and beaks, and their weak points are often their abdomen and eyes; land animals vary in strength and defense, so you need to observe their attack methods (pouncing, ramming, biting, scratching) and find their blind spots or gaps in their shells; insects and snakes often carry venom or acid, so you need to be wary of their sneak attacks and wide-range spitting, and attack their head, joints, or core organs..."
Combining the illustrations, Chen Shan also focused on explaining several strange beasts that Yang Jin might encounter, including the habits of the Fire Centipede (afraid of dryness, strong light, and acidic liquids, which can be protected with thick cloth or leather armor in advance), the weakness of the Rock Piercing Earthworm (the ring-shaped nerve ganglion three inches behind its mouthparts), and the hunting techniques of the Stone Armor Badger (exhausting its stamina and attacking its relatively soft abdomen and joints).
For several days in a row, Yang Jin continued to work and practice his skills during the day, and at night he followed Chen Shan to learn fighting techniques and study the illustrations of exotic beasts.
He combined what Chen Shan had taught him with his own characteristics, constantly simulating battles with different enemies, martial artists, and strange beasts in his mind.
That night, Chen Shan handed over the pre-tanned and cut badger skin components to Yang Jin.
The leather has been treated to become more flexible, but it remains sturdy. Thin, polished iron plates are embedded in key areas and connected by oil-soaked cowhide cords, allowing it to be worn flexibly inside clothing.
Yang Jin tried it on. It covered vital areas such as the heart, shoulders, elbows, knees, and shins, and his movements were not greatly affected, but it brought a sense of security.
"Alright, I've taught you the basic fighting techniques, and you have the armor. Next, it's time for practical experience." Chen Shan looked at Yang Jin, who was fully dressed and whose aura was becoming increasingly composed, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes. "However, the Black Mountain Pass is currently in a state of high alert, so it's not a good time to go out and find strange beasts to practice against. We... perhaps we can find some 'suitable' opponents first."
Yang Jin's eyes flashed: "Uncle Chen means..."
"Aren't there a few skilled fighters with some basic knowledge among the Sun family's guards, and two instructors who have just entered the Skin Refining Realm?" Chen Shan's tone was calm, yet chilling. "They usually act as accomplices to evil, so their hands are probably not clean either. The three major martial arts schools are all focused on the mines, and the Sun family's internal defenses are at their most relaxed. When it's late at night and everyone is quiet, 'invite' them out to 'instruct' you on your fighting style, and incidentally... collect some interest, gather some information, wouldn't that be perfect?"
Yang Jin clenched his fist, and beneath the stone skin, his blood and qi flowed faintly.
The fangs have been initially sharpened; it's time to draw blood.