Chapter 13: Golden Ape Stance Training
“Fifty taels of silver include two months’ worth of herbal medicine for tempering the body, dispensed every five days. If you miss it, come find me. After two months, whether successful or not, the medicine money must be recalculated separately. One dose of body-tempering herbal medicine costs one tael of silver.”
‘One tael of silver, for ordinary mountain hunting with little harvest, this would probably take six or seven days of work. And this is just for tempering the body.’
Su Yan listened to Gao Zheng’s introduction, sighing inwardly at how expensive practicing martial arts was. Without some foundation, it would be extremely difficult to achieve anything noteworthy.
“Don’t underestimate this herbal medicine.”
Seeing Su Yan silent, Gao Zheng mistook it for dampened spirits and said, “Although some people can’t achieve anything, with this herbal medicine to temper the body, plus three to five basic techniques, even ordinary people can’t fight them. The fighting skills of some ruffians come from this. Your bone structure is good, and with Hundred Herbs Hall behind you, breaking through to Skin Refining Realm shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Skin Refining?”
Su Yan looked at Gao Zheng in confusion. Gao Zheng explained, “The first realm of martial arts is Body Tempering Realm. The Body Tempering Four Realms are Skin Refining, Muscle and Bone, Blood Moving, and Spirit Nurturing. Each pass is like a mountain. If you break through to Muscle and Bone Realm, you’ll be a somewhat notable figure in Yun Cang Town.”
Entering Body Tempering Realm versus not entering it is like heaven and earth.
Just the Skin Refining Realm alone allows ordinary practitioners to develop skin and flesh as tough as cowhide and rhinoceros hide, with strength of several hundred to a thousand jin. Ordinary chops from knives or axes can’t kill them.
With such skills, even entering the deep mountain old forest, they’d be like tiger leopards in the mountains. The mountain hunting harvest goes without saying.
Moreover, at Skin Refining Realm, without mountain hunting, finding an excellent job in the city is extremely easy.
Among thousands practicing martial arts, it’s really just about achieving ranked status and changing one’s fate.
Su Yan’s eyes brightened slightly. He finally knew the martial arts realms. That means Skin Refining is the entry to martial arts. It probably corresponds to the Yin Water Centipede’s ranked status?
With this guess in mind, he could verify it slightly in the future.
“Senior Brother Gao, I see your build resembles a tiger or wolf, your aura surpassing bear, with a subtle sense of oppression. Could you be a Spirit Nurturing Realm expert?”
People carry sedan chairs for each other. Su Yan directly gave Gao Zheng a high hat.
Gao Zheng laughed heartily but shook his head: “You sure know how to talk. I can’t claim Spirit Nurturing Realm expert status. I’m merely at Muscle and Bone Realm Great Accomplishment.”
Su Yan asked, “Senior Brother, I once had the fortune to see a big shot from Little Mountain Association point and kill a giant tiger. His form had wolf shadows accompanying it. What realm was that?”
Hearing this, Gao Zheng’s expression grew more serious: “That’s Little Mountain Association’s Vice Leader Lin Tianlang, a True Intent Realm big shot.”
“True Intent Realm?”
“Don’t aim too high. In our martial arts school, only Master Bai is a True Intent Realm Martial Artist.”
Gao Zheng said no more. The two had already arrived at an open ground.
“Junior Brother Su, I’ll teach you Golden Ape Stance Training and Monkey Fist.”
Gao Zheng stepped forward, shrugged his shoulders, muscles and bones moving together, standing in a stance resembling an ape.
“Practice with me.”
Su Yan immediately mimicked the pose, feeling his muscles tense up, not as relaxed as it appeared on the surface.
“Inhale into the abdomen, body moving in unison. Exhale like an ape, integrate this tremor and breathing into your muscles and skin.”
Gao Zheng demonstrated while giving pointers.
Perhaps seeing Su Yan start imitating, he straightened up and pointed at Su Yan’s back and shoulders.
“Position is off. Bend more. Muscles must exert force. Inhale and exhale rhythm must differ from usual, deep into the lungs, feel the qi and blood flow.”
“Muscle tremor isn’t just this spot. Power starts from the back, extending to the whole body.”
For a full hour, as Su Yan constantly adjusted his form with Gao Zheng’s guidance, his whole body muscles began trembling continuously, undulating like an ape, exhaling like mist.
A stream of qi and blood warmth rose from the spine, following the meridians, spreading throughout the body.
He let out a light hum from his mouth. Gao Zheng’s eyes widened: “You found the feeling?”
Exhausted, Su Yan relaxed his movements, big drops of sweat sliding down his forehead. He nodded: “It feels like qi surging through the meridians, spreading to the whole body and integrating.”
“Good, good!”
Gao Zheng praised: “Feeling the qi and blood surge in such short time, your bone structure is indeed good.”
“Rest for half an hour first. I’ll fetch your first batch of herbal medicine and test the effect after taking it.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Gao.”
Gao Zheng strode away. Su Yan sat down to rest.
【Tier 1 Insect Master:5/100】
【Insect Realm:1 cubic meter】
【Body Tempering Realm: Skin Refining 1/100（Beginner）】
【Golden Ape Stance Training 5/100(Beginner）】
【Mountain Hunting:37/200（Minor Accomplishment）】
【Basic Archery 104/200（Minor Accomplishment）】
【Herbology 21/200(Minor Accomplishment）】
【Yin Water Centipede 63/200(Growth Stage）】
The attribute panel had changed when he felt the qi and blood earlier, adding a martial arts realm division.
Though only Skin Refining Beginner, not even a qualitative change yet, he was indeed different now.
‘Muscle tremor and breathing condense surging qi and blood, thereby strengthening skin and flesh. Is this the way of martial arts? But the consumption is really high.’
In the tempering process, it constantly extracts body energy, turning it into qi and blood to strengthen skin, flesh, muscles, and bones.
Just that earlier stance training had fully digested today’s food, leaving his stomach empty and even his body faintly feeling a sense of emptiness.
This qi and blood comes not easily. Without medicinal potency supply, he’d probably refine himself to death.
“Mountain treasure plants, water treasure fish, rare strange beasts, and Hundred Herbs Hall’s medicine—each is extremely valuable. The few taels of silver I have left probably won’t last a few times. Truly, the poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts.”
While regulating his breathing, Gao Zheng brought the herbal medicine—a pitch-black bowl, its bitter smell detectable from afar.
“Drink it. There are many martial arts supplements, and Hundred Herbs Hall’s Qi and Blood Pill is good, but this herbal medicine pairs with Golden Ape Stance Training, no less effective.”
One bowl of herbal medicine down, bitterness lingering on the taste buds. Su Yan suppressed the nausea and immediately stood into Golden Ape Stance.
In this stance, his muscles trembled actively, breathing like an ape. The medicine entering his abdomen heated up, absorbed by the body, turning into surging qi and blood power throughout.
‘This second time, still entering the stance so accurately, exhaling like an ape.’
Gao Zheng was secretly shocked. Everyone practicing martial arts knows that preliminarily mastering a martial art or move often takes more than one or two tries.
Only through much practice can that learned feeling become body instinct—that’s the key.
Beginners usually need multiple adjustments to find the feeling themselves.
But Su Yan was different. No wonder Hundred Herbs Hall recommended him.
Gao Zheng decided inwardly to befriend him, unaware it was the Fierce Insect Cauldron’s panel effect.
Though not directly adding experience points, this real-time progress display let Su Yan know what was right and wrong, with extremely stable performance.
After beginner level, he wouldn’t forget the posture. If opportunity arose, he could keep adjusting to the most suitable subtle state.
The more accurate the state, the faster experience increases.
After half an hour like this, Su Yan’s body was flushed red from medicine and stance training, sweat soaking his clothes, but his muscles and bones grew tighter and stronger.
“Hoo”
Su Yan exhaled long, the breath faintly misty.
【Body Tempering Realm: Skin Refining 10/100(Beginner）】
【Golden Ape Stance Training:20/100(Beginner）】
‘Herbal medicine gives such progress, no less than the Bamboo Jade Tooth treasure plant’s growth back then. And truly, I might not have fully utilized that Bamboo Jade Tooth’s treasure plant effects.’
Sensing his body changes, Su Yan couldn’t help thinking: ‘What if it were Insect Yuan?’
“Congratulations, Junior Brother, on Skin Refining Beginner.”
Gao Zheng saw his skin and flesh redness fade, yet tight like leather, momentarily stunned.
This breathing had already entered Skin Refining. Though just initial, he could truly practice martial arts now. With a bit more tempering, even just these two months of medicine, he’d be vastly different from ordinary people.
“It’s all thanks to Senior Brother’s guidance. Still need Senior Brother to look after me more.”
“Too modest.” Gao Zheng smiled back: “Your aptitude is good. Outer Disciple is temporary. Cultivate well. If you reach Minor Accomplishment by month’s end and compete, you might catch Master Bai’s eye and enter Inner Sect early.”
“Month’s end?”
Su Yan showed confusion. Gao Zheng said, “End of month is Master Bai teaching martial arts and examining skills. Don’t overthink. I’ll teach you Monkey Fist first.”
Though Monkey Fist has “monkey” in name, amid agility, it adds ferocity.
Gao Zheng demonstrated the Eight Forms of Monkey Fist once. Su Yan followed suit, practicing several full sets until just before dusk, finally learning it.
At this hour, Su Yan naturally couldn’t rush back to the mountains, so he spent money to stay at the martial arts school.
Instructing a servant to take Su Yan for dinner, then leading him to the outer disciples’ dorms.
Called dorms, but really side rooms on both sides of the middle courtyard—large rooms with big shared bunks, each housing several outer disciples.
“Young Master Su, this room has fewer people and is quieter. If you need anything, just call. Our servants’ room is at the end.”
Servants were slaves bought by the martial arts school. Only a few had free status. For entered disciples, they called them Young Master.
“This room then.”
With Su Yan’s approval, the servant knocked, then entered.
Inside were four or five youths, all fifteen or sixteen, the oldest not over eighteen or nineteen, similar ages.
Seeing Su Yan enter, they all sized him up.
The servant tidied the bedding, instructed to call if needed, then left.
Just as the servant went out, a youth on the next bunk spoke: “I’m Zhou Yong. Which village are you from? How come I haven’t seen you in the front courtyard?”
