Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Cried Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Cried Before a moment on the training ground, Zheng Fa had his eyes closed, not knowing how long he had been standing.
While practicing the Songhe Stance, the semi-visible flow of energy within his body would occasionally move, most noticeably felt from the roots of his thighs to his toes and along the inner sides of his shoulder blades.
Each time the energy flowed through these areas, there was a sensation of itchiness spreading from the bones to the skin.
Zheng Fa seemed completely unaware, standing motionless, constantly recalling the postures of birds from documentaries, especially those actions similar to the ones in the “Spiritual Crane Heart Scripture”.
Magically, whenever an action resembling his thoughts emerged in his mind, the internal energy would tremble, giving him a miraculous cool feeling.
“Visualization method?” A conjecture surfaced, and the flowing energy in his body stopped pulsating.
He sank back into deep concentration, stopping any further thoughts.
The itchiness in his shoulder blades and pelvis grew intolerably, almost driving Zheng Fa mad and nearly causing him to lose the posture of the Songhe Stance.
As the itchiness reached its peak, it suddenly disappeared.
At the previously itchiest part, the shoulder blades, it felt as though a new organ had formed.
Zheng Fa suddenly realized— he had grown wings, crane feet, and his body was covered with feathers!
Or rather, the images of the birds he visualized had gradually merged with him, turning him into the bizarre Birdman from the “Spiritual Crane Heart Scripture”!
And his consciousness seemed to have entered this Birdman’s body.
Despite his eyes being tightly closed, the pitch-black before him was broken by a fantastical scene:
He was flapping his wings, soaring through Cang Kong, reaching toward the clonds as if to ascend into the infinite azure.
Underneath him, a boundless sea of white clouds tumbled and rolled, his feathers reflecting the red sun at the horizon, their edges tinged with golden brilliance.
The trembling and growing energy within him grew more restless, surging uncontrolled until it burst through his throat, transforming into a loud and clear sound.
The clouds parted and the sun set; Zheng Fa slowly opened his eyes, still seeing the familiar training ground before him, everything feeling like a dream.
It was getting dark, Mr.
Xu in his clothes, was leaning by a stone bench nearby, asleep, seemingly awakened by the cry of the crane issued by Zheng Fa.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked at Zheng Fa with a hint of confusion.
Oh, have you finished practicing?” His gaze slowly moved to Zheng Fa’s feet, slightly surprised: “You’ve mastered the Songhe Stance?”
Zheng Fa looked down to his feet and found that the bluestone underneath was shattered, forming numerous cracks— an indication of mastering the Songhe Stance.
The secret manual of the Songhe Stance says: “Body like the clouds of nine heavens, feet with nine deep roots.”
At the pinnacle of this stance’s practice, a slight press of the thumb could crush the type of bluestone beneath Zheng Fa’s feet.
Unknowingly, while comprehending the “Spiritual Crane Heart Scripture”, he had also mastered the “Songhe Stance”, proving that the “Spiritual Crane Heart Scripture” indeed formed the core of the “Spiritual Crane Body” martial art.
“How long have I slept?” Mr.
Xu eyed the surrounding twilight, as if to confirm if he’d been dreaming for a thousand years like in the tales.
Upon seeing the familiar scenery, he turned his head back to Zheng Fa and frowned deeply, muttering: “It can’t be, no matter how talented you are, you can’t achieve mastery this quickly!”
He thought of the crane cry he had heard earlier, his gaze trembled slightly as he looked at Zheng Fa, opening his mouth as if to ask something, yet not daring to.
He seemed to have thought of something, but his expression told Zheng Fa that he himself could hardly believe his own guess.
Just as Zheng Fa was about to explain, Mr.
Xu suddenly leaped up, charging forward like a galloping horse, his fist shooting out like a meteor, aiming for Zheng Fa’s face.
Zheng Fa, caught off guard, instinctively raised his hands to block.
Though master and disciple had sparred before, with Zheng Fa’s talent being great, he couldn’t match Mr.
Xu’s lifetime of martial arts.
Thus, their sparring had always been more about demonstrating moves, with Mr.
Xu barely using a tenth of his strength.
Xu’s punches today were like moving mountains and seas, seemingly striking with full force.
Zheng Fa moved and realized he was not the same as before; the energy within him, still fine and weak, had become continuous and vibrant, flowing everywhere in his body in response to his movements, giving him a newfound extraordinary reactivity.
He felt as if he had just walked out of the sea onto the shore, experiencing a liberating sense of exhilaration.
The most important thing was that he felt as if there was a strange power in the space around him, flowing with his movements, which greatly increased the force behind each of his techniques.
This had never happened before.
In such a state, Zheng Fa not only managed to avoid being at a disadvantage but also matched Mr.
Xu blow for blow, showing equal standing.
Xu’s tiger-like eyes shone brightly, and his movements suddenly changed, forcing Zheng Fa to respond accordingly.
After a few exchanges, Zheng Fa suddenly realized that his current technique was the “Spiritual Crane Cloud-piercing Hand” from the fourth volume of the “Spiritual Crane Body”!
Xu was still feeding moves, but deliberately guiding Zheng Fa to use the “Spiritual Crane Cloud-piercing Hand”.
Although he had not mastered the “Spiritual Crane Body,” he had been immersed in this martial art for twenty years, and every move and stance was nothing less than familiar to him.
“You’ve mastered it!” Mr.
Xu saw that although Zheng Fa’s “Spiritual Crane Cloud-piercing Hand” was unpolished, each move had great force, causing him to be somewhat flustered and unwilling to forcefully resist, which would be impossible without the blessing of the “Spiritual Crane Heart Scripture”.
He was not discouraged, instead he laughed heartily while repeating, “You’ve mastered it!
The laughter echoed through the night sky, gradually turning deep, with a hint of choking.
His smile broadened, showing his teeth, almost losing himself in laughter.
At the same time, tears streamed down his face.
Outside the training ground, Gao Yuan and Mr.
Xu’s nephew were walking towards the ground, arm in arm, carrying a lunch box.
Xu’s nephew was still apologizing to Gao Yuan: “I didn’t realize it was this tough for you, I misunderstood you, senior brother.”
“Senior brother, you don’t understand what it’s like to be next to a genius, I’ve deeply felt it.
Alas, I thought I was used to it.” Gao Yuan spoke somewhat dejectedly: “But encountering a person as empathetic as you, senior brother, these grievances still need to be spoken to feel relieved.”
Xu’s nephew patted Gao Yuan on the shoulder: “Although Zheng Fa is talented, I have a way to resolve your frustrations.”
“Please teach me, Senior Brother!”
Xu’s nephew patted his chest: “I am the favorite student and direct disciple of your instructor!
And also his nephew, the only male in the next generation of the Xu Family!”
“I plan to talk to my uncle.
Since Zheng Fa is such a genius, the standards should be set higher, demands stricter, and in the future, let Zheng Fa train more.
For us, they should encourage more, the most important thing is not to compare us with him!”
isn’t it too unambitious?” Gao Yuan looked conflicted: “Shouldn’t we aspire to emulate the virtuous?”
“No, this is called being practical!” Seeing his expression, Mr.
Xu’s nephew said with a smile: “What good does it do to compare us with Zheng Fa?
Isn’t that an insult to his talent?
Are we even comparable?”
“…” Gao Yuan opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.
“Comparing with him, what would we gain aside from losing sleep every day?”
Hearing this, Gao Yuan couldn’t help but nod, clearly resonating, finding it quite reasonable.
“So, the problem isn’t with us, it’s with your young master, my uncle!
They are the ones using Zheng Fa’s standards to judge us!” Seeing him agree, Mr.
Xu’s nephew patted his shoulder: “We need to persuade them not to compare the three of us!”
“It seems no persuasion is needed.” Gao Yuan suddenly said.
Xu isn’t insane, he won’t compare us to Zheng Fa anymore.”
Xu’s nephew looked puzzledly at Gao Yuan, clearly not understanding why he said this.
was reduced to tears by Zheng Fa.” Gao Yuan pointed to the two people sparring in the training ground, paused, and added: “Yeah, cried bitterly.”