Chapter 73: Chapter 51: Hidden Meridian Speculation

Zhao Rui watched He Zhiyan, who was teaching the Cultivation Technique with a serious, dedicated expression, and couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated.

’Did this guy really forget, or did he do it on purpose?’

’If he did it on purpose, what could he possibly gain from it?’

’And if he really did forget, what could have disturbed him so much that he’d overlook something so fundamental?’

However, they had already reached this critical juncture, and there was no point in overthinking it. Zhao Rui quickly cast aside his distracting thoughts and began to seriously learn the Mimicry Fist.

This Cultivation Technique was different from ordinary ones. It took an unconventional path, primarily working by opening a Hidden Meridian and using one’s own Inner Strength to replicate the Cultivation Techniques of others.

’It’s not very useful, but its advantage lies in… hmm, it doesn’t really have any great use either.’

’Only in modern times, an era where Martial Arts flourish, could it be used for something like being a training partner. Back in the day, when every Sect guarded its secrets jealously, who would’ve bothered practicing this stuff?’

First form: Assume the posture of an old pine. Guide your Inner Qi from the Shaoyin meridian of the foot up to your chest and abdomen. As you do, surge your True Qi for ten breaths, but do not let it linger. You must disperse it throughout your entire body…

He Zhiyan was serious in his instruction and just as serious in his corrections. He personally went over to adjust every single one of Zhao Rui and Zhang Kui’s movements, only stopping when they met his standards.

They trained like this for over two hours, by which point the two of them had barely managed to memorize all the techniques and the Qi Circulation Method.

“Do you both understand?”

“If so, practice diligently and try to master this Cultivation Technique as soon as possible… Zhao Rui, this Five Ancestors Fist is incredibly powerful. Are you confident you can do it?”

After he finished teaching, He Zhiyan looked at the two of them and posed the question.

“Leader, I can’t say I’m confident at all. I’m being thrown in at the deep end here. I’ll do my best.”

Zhao Rui spoke the truth. It was the first time he’d ever seen this fist style; how could he possibly learn it in such a short amount of time?

Seeing this, He Zhiyan turned to Zhang Kui and asked:

“What about you? The Eight Trigrams Palm is relatively simpler. Don’t feel pressured. When the time comes, I’ll explain things for you.”

Zhang Kui grimaced, cursing He Zhiyan a hundred times in his head, but things had already come to this, and there was no point in saying anything more.

He would just have to bite the bullet.

“I’ll do my best, too.”

“You two had better get practicing!”

He Zhiyan sighed, and after saying this, he left the training room to go study the Martial Arts Heart Method he had received.

The Martial Arts mastered by students of the Martial Arts Academy are roughly divided into two categories: Inner Martial Arts and Public Martial Arts.

Inner Martial Arts, also called Inner Sect Techniques, could only be learned by students who had received the approval of a certain Sect, organization, or powerful figure, and they could not be passed on to outsiders without permission.

Public Martial Arts were the various Cultivation Techniques that the Court publicly promulgated after spreading Martial Arts throughout the land, as well as those that circulated spontaneously among the populace.

There were no restrictions on who could practice these Cultivation Techniques. Not only were manuals sold in bookstores, but there were also instructional videos for these Martial Arts on the internet.

Many content creators gained massive followings by teaching various Martial Arts, becoming huge internet celebrities on par with movie stars.

An ordinary Martial Arts Student, without a powerful background or a heaven-sent opportunity, would most likely only learn the Martial Arts available on the open market.

This was mainly done through two methods: school instruction and teaching at a Martial Arts Hall. Those with exceptional talent might be noticed by a teacher at school, who would pull some strings to introduce them to a powerful figure.

Alternatively, they might be noticed by an expert at a Martial Arts Hall, taken in as an Inner Disciple, and taught secret Martial Arts.

Those with average talent could only follow the standard path of attending school and taking ranking exams, practicing only the Public Martial Arts available on the market, and then arduously cultivating one step at a time.

They would gradually learn the Advanced Martial Arts of higher-level academies in hopes of breaking through their own limitations.

The six Martial Arts that Zhao Rui and the others had been assigned were all Public Martial Arts, ones made available to everyone by the Court.

They were also some of the conventional Martial Arts practiced by the exchange students who were visiting.

The visiting students certainly knew more than just these Public Martial Arts, but any insight gained was better than none at all.

Coach Wang and the others surely had more targeted training and countermeasures planned, but that wasn’t something for training partners like Zhao Rui to worry about.

Once He Zhiyan had left, Zhao Rui opened the door to a Quiet Chamber and stepped inside.

The Quiet Chamber was not small, about the size of a bedroom. Inside, there was nothing but a meditation cushion.

There was plenty of room to practice his martial arts.

Zhao Rui closed his eyes and sank into contemplation, trying to comprehend the newly learned Mimicry Fist.

’It doesn’t matter whether I complete the mission or not, but I have to learn this Martial Art. This is an excellent technique for concealing a Celestial Secret.’

He decided to start practicing at once. ’Since it’s a Hidden Meridian, it’s definitely not one of the Twelve Main Meridians or the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.’

’I just don’t know how this Martial Art manages to activate the Path of the Hidden Meridians—a path only briefly mentioned in Ancient Texts and not considered part of the conventional way of Martial Arts.’

’Logically speaking, such an incredible Cultivation Technique shouldn’t have been reduced to something so mediocre, and it definitely shouldn’t have been given such a lame name.’

Following He Zhiyan’s instructions, Zhao Rui began to channel his Xuanguan True Qi. He assumed the proper posture for the Mimicry Fist and started his Cultivation.

’The sages of old established their measures in correspondence with Heaven and Earth. Thus, as Heaven has its constellations and the Earth its rivers, so too does man have his Meridians.’

Zhao Rui meticulously circulated his True Qi. Following the method He Zhiyan had described, he continuously gathered and released the Inner Qi within his Meridians, causing his acupoints to thrum with energy.

’This feeling…?’

Zhao Rui frowned in concentration. ’How is this feeling so similar to when I opened my acupoints and activated my Innate Body?’

’It’s like… resonance!’

A glint appeared in Zhao Rui’s eyes. ’Could it be? Does this Martial Art work by surging my own True Qi to form a field that resonates with the Hidden Meridian? And does it then use the Path of the Hidden Meridians to bypass normal circulation and simulate other Martial Arts?’

’If that’s really how it works, then it would explain why it can only mimic the forms without any of the power.’

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