In the spacious courtyard, Bai Qing looked at the Chen An in front of her, with a smile on her face.
Seeing that Chen An didn't move, the smile on her face became even more intense. "What, feeling shy?"
"Not really," Chen An sighed, but finally obediently took off his upper garment.
His sturdy body was immediately exposed, and the patterns on it looked very clear.
"Indeed, tiger patterns," Bai Qing looked at Chen An seriously, making a judgement, "Master Song."
"Miss," the old man that Chen An had seen before said respectfully, standing next to Bai Qing.
"Go and give it a try," Bai Qing said directly, "Don't hold back."
"Yes," Master Song didn't hesitate at all, directly stepping forward and rushing towards Chen An.
The whole process was fast, and by the time Chen An reacted, a pair of iron fists had hit him.
Bang!
A faint sound echoed, and at a critical moment, Chen An twisted his body, raising his right arm high to block the punch.
Despite blocking it, the force transmitted from the fist was still shocking.
Chen An couldn't help but continuously retreat, even taking several steps back before slowly stopping.
He shook his fist.
There was a continuous sense of pain in the palm of his hand, faintly aching.
The opponent's power was simply unbelievable, not at all like what a normal old man could possess.
According to common sense, even if a master of body refining reached a certain level, as they aged, their strength would gradually weaken as their body decayed.
The saying "a punch fears the young" explained this.
But the old man in front of him seemed to be defying common sense.
Chen An stood in place, silent for a moment, then decisively countered.
He drew his long knife, his body's strength bursting out in an instant, swinging a heavy blow.
The blade fell, with an unparalleled momentum rushing forward, as if attempting to cut the person in half.
Unfortunately, despite the swift strike, it ultimately missed.
A powerful force landed on him.
Beside him, the figure of the old man had already appeared, hitting Chen An's chest with a punch, landing another blow.
"So fast!" Chen An's pupils contracted, subconsciously wanting to swing his knife, but the opponent seemed to have anticipated it, evading before he could react.
Chen An had never seen such a fast speed before.
"That's enough," Bai Qing's voice came from not far away.
She stood up, looking at Chen An in front of her, who had stopped fighting, with a satisfied expression on her face. "Truly the Five Tigers Knife Technique."
"Young man, have you not practiced any other martial arts before?" she asked Chen An.
"No," feeling Bai Qing's gaze, Chen An sheathed his long knife, shook his head, and said, "I come from a poor family since childhood, and my family couldn't afford to send me to a martial arts school."
"Even this Five Tigers Knife Technique was only taught to me because Master Mei valued me."
"It's a pity," Bai Qing smiled, "Master Song is getting old too."
"Such a talented person like you, only being taught such a basic martial arts like the Five Tigers Knife Technique."
"No wonder in recent years, the Sanhe Gang has been declining more and more."
She seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of mockery appeared on her face.
"Master Song," Bai Qing turned to the old man beside her, then said, "He will follow you during this time."
"Teach him something suitable," she continued, "Let's see what you can do."
"Yes," the old man remained calm and nodded silently, showing no reaction to Bai Qing's words.
Chen An breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Thank you for nurturing me, Miss Bai."
"Don't thank me too early," Bai Qing smiled and continued, "I have a good intention for you, hoping that you can help me with something."
"I will probably stay in Fengcheng County for about three months."
"After three months, I will have you do something for me. If you can satisfy me, there will be benefits for you."
"But if I am not satisfied," she paused, staring at Chen An, then burst into a series of inexplicable laughter.
Chen An couldn't help but tense up.
From the looks of it, if his performance in three months doesn't satisfy her, it might lead to another situation.
"I understand," he stood there, silent for a moment, then nodded to show that he understood.
After that, he left.
Bai Qing watched Chen An's departing figure and couldn't help but smile, "He's quite an interesting young man."
"Master Song, what do you think?" she asked the old man.
"It's hard to say," Master Song shook his head, "To reach the mastery of the Five Tigers Knife Technique at such a young age is commendable. If he reaches this level in just half a year, his talent is terrifying. There are few people in our clan who can match him."
"The only regret is that he's a bit too old," he added.
"Yeah," Bai Qing nodded with regret, "Such a genius, if discovered earlier and nurtured, would at least reach the stage of Inner Qi Mastery in the future, with the potential to even reach the Gang Qi realm."
"But starting martial arts at this age is a bit late," she spoke with evident regret.
In this world, it's best to start martial arts training from a young age.
Families like the Bai family, where people are immersed in medicinal baths from the moment they can remember, consuming various ancient medicines to nourish their bodies.
Elders even use pure internal energy to cleanse their bones and marrow from a young age.
Under these conditions, as long as the aptitude is suitable, most can reach the stage of Inner Qi cultivation, with the more talented ones achieving mastery in Inner Qi.
However, once the age advances and the bones have already set, it becomes much harder to cultivate internal energy and advance to the True Qi realm, limiting future achievements.
This is also why the Sanhe Gang doesn't value martial arts disciples.
Because at the ages of these gang members, it's unlikely for them to have significant achievements in the future.
In this world, true elites are always cultivated from a young age.
Even if they are true geniuses, once they miss the best time, it's difficult for them to make a comeback.
"Despite being considered a bit late due to his age, judging from his exhibited talent, he should have no problem reaching the peak of the Body Refinement stage," Bai Qing smiled and then looked at Master Song, "Please take care of him during this time, Master Song."
"Doing favors for Miss is what I should do," Master Song bowed his head respectfully.
The next day, as soon as the day broke, Chen An stepped onto the martial arts field.
Master Song was already waiting there.
"You have practiced the Five Tigers Knife Technique, bearing the tiger patterns, and your strength is already good, but the only area lacking is defense," Master Song stood in place, looking at Chen An, and said seriously, "Although the Five Tigers Knife Technique in its mastery makes your body strong and resistant to blades, it's only effective against ordinary people."
"If they are truly skilled, even those close to your level won't be able to stop them, not to mention someone like Miss."
Chen An nodded in agreement, having realized this during previous fights.
After reaching mastery of the Five Tigers Knife Technique, forming tiger patterns and claiming to resist blade slashes, he found that even ordinary people with knives could breach his defense.
If it were someone like Mei An wielding a weapon, his defense would probably be non-existent.
"I have a technique called Tiger Leopard Cross-Training here, after mastering it, your body will be like steel, with a robust strength akin to that of nine tigers and leopards interwoven, perfect for your current situation," Master Song said finally.
Chen An's eyes lit up.
In the spacious courtyard, Bai Qing looked at the Chen An in front of her, with a smile on her face.
Seeing that Chen An didn't move, the smile on her face became even more intense. "What, feeling shy?"
"Not really," Chen An sighed, but finally obediently took off his upper garment.
His sturdy body was immediately exposed, and the patterns on it looked very clear.
"Indeed, tiger patterns," Bai Qing looked at Chen An seriously, making a judgement, "Master Song."
"Miss," the old man that Chen An had seen before said respectfully, standing next to Bai Qing.
"Go and give it a try," Bai Qing said directly, "Don't hold back."
"Yes," Master Song didn't hesitate at all, directly stepping forward and rushing towards Chen An.
The whole process was fast, and by the time Chen An reacted, a pair of iron fists had hit him.
Bang!
A faint sound echoed, and at a critical moment, Chen An twisted his body, raising his right arm high to block the punch.
Despite blocking it, the force transmitted from the fist was still shocking.
Chen An couldn't help but continuously retreat, even taking several steps back before slowly stopping.
He shook his fist.
There was a continuous sense of pain in the palm of his hand, faintly aching.
The opponent's power was simply unbelievable, not at all like what a normal old man could possess.
According to common sense, even if a master of body refining reached a certain level, as they aged, their strength would gradually weaken as their body decayed.
The saying "a punch fears the young" explained this.
But the old man in front of him seemed to be defying common sense.
Chen An stood in place, silent for a moment, then decisively countered.
He drew his long knife, his body's strength bursting out in an instant, swinging a heavy blow.
The blade fell, with an unparalleled momentum rushing forward, as if attempting to cut the person in half.
Unfortunately, despite the swift strike, it ultimately missed.
A powerful force landed on him.
Beside him, the figure of the old man had already appeared, hitting Chen An's chest with a punch, landing another blow.
"So fast!" Chen An's pupils contracted, subconsciously wanting to swing his knife, but the opponent seemed to have anticipated it, evading before he could react.
Chen An had never seen such a fast speed before.
"That's enough," Bai Qing's voice came from not far away.
She stood up, looking at Chen An in front of her, who had stopped fighting, with a satisfied expression on her face. "Truly the Five Tigers Knife Technique."
"Young man, have you not practiced any other martial arts before?" she asked Chen An.
"No," feeling Bai Qing's gaze, Chen An sheathed his long knife, shook his head, and said, "I come from a poor family since childhood, and my family couldn't afford to send me to a martial arts school."
"Even this Five Tigers Knife Technique was only taught to me because Master Mei valued me."
"It's a pity," Bai Qing smiled, "Master Song is getting old too."
"Such a talented person like you, only being taught such a basic martial arts like the Five Tigers Knife Technique."
"No wonder in recent years, the Sanhe Gang has been declining more and more."
She seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of mockery appeared on her face.
"Master Song," Bai Qing turned to the old man beside her, then said, "He will follow you during this time."
"Teach him something suitable," she continued, "Let's see what you can do."
"Yes," the old man remained calm and nodded silently, showing no reaction to Bai Qing's words.
Chen An breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Thank you for nurturing me, Miss Bai."
"Don't thank me too early," Bai Qing smiled and continued, "I have a good intention for you, hoping that you can help me with something."
"I will probably stay in Fengcheng County for about three months."
"After three months, I will have you do something for me. If you can satisfy me, there will be benefits for you."
"But if I am not satisfied," she paused, staring at Chen An, then burst into a series of inexplicable laughter.
Chen An couldn't help but tense up.
From the looks of it, if his performance in three months doesn't satisfy her, it might lead to another situation.
"I understand," he stood there, silent for a moment, then nodded to show that he understood.
After that, he left.
Bai Qing watched Chen An's departing figure and couldn't help but smile, "He's quite an interesting young man."
"Master Song, what do you think?" she asked the old man.
"It's hard to say," Master Song shook his head, "To reach the mastery of the Five Tigers Knife Technique at such a young age is commendable. If he reaches this level in just half a year, his talent is terrifying. There are few people in our clan who can match him."
"The only regret is that he's a bit too old," he added.
"Yeah," Bai Qing nodded with regret, "Such a genius, if discovered earlier and nurtured, would at least reach the stage of Inner Qi Mastery in the future, with the potential to even reach the Gang Qi realm."
"But starting martial arts at this age is a bit late," she spoke with evident regret.
In this world, it's best to start martial arts training from a young age.
Families like the Bai family, where people are immersed in medicinal baths from the moment they can remember, consuming various ancient medicines to nourish their bodies.
Elders even use pure internal energy to cleanse their bones and marrow from a young age.
Under these conditions, as long as the aptitude is suitable, most can reach the stage of Inner Qi cultivation, with the more talented ones achieving mastery in Inner Qi.
However, once the age advances and the bones have already set, it becomes much harder to cultivate internal energy and advance to the True Qi realm, limiting future achievements.
This is also why the Sanhe Gang doesn't value martial arts disciples.
Because at the ages of these gang members, it's unlikely for them to have significant achievements in the future.
In this world, true elites are always cultivated from a young age.
Even if they are true geniuses, once they miss the best time, it's difficult for them to make a comeback.
"Despite being considered a bit late due to his age, judging from his exhibited talent, he should have no problem reaching the peak of the Body Refinement stage," Bai Qing smiled and then looked at Master Song, "Please take care of him during this time, Master Song."
"Doing favors for Miss is what I should do," Master Song bowed his head respectfully.
The next day, as soon as the day broke, Chen An stepped onto the martial arts field.
Master Song was already waiting there.
"You have practiced the Five Tigers Knife Technique, bearing the tiger patterns, and your strength is already good, but the only area lacking is defense," Master Song stood in place, looking at Chen An, and said seriously, "Although the Five Tigers Knife Technique in its mastery makes your body strong and resistant to blades, it's only effective against ordinary people."
"If they are truly skilled, even those close to your level won't be able to stop them, not to mention someone like Miss."
Chen An nodded in agreement, having realized this during previous fights.
After reaching mastery of the Five Tigers Knife Technique, forming tiger patterns and claiming to resist blade slashes, he found that even ordinary people with knives could breach his defense.
If it were someone like Mei An wielding a weapon, his defense would probably be non-existent.
"I have a technique called Tiger Leopard Cross-Training here, after mastering it, your body will be like steel, with a robust strength akin to that of nine tigers and leopards interwoven, perfect for your current situation," Master Song said finally.
Chen An's eyes lit up.
