19: Chapter 19 A First Glimpse of the Secret Manual

The night, like silk steeped in ink, silently wrapped around the world.

Even the wind seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, without a trace of movement.

Yun Song paced inside Wang Zihao's Grass Hut, his gaze sweeping over the mottled, yellowing walls.

Besides the wooden bed in the corner and a low table, there were no other furnishings in the room, making it appear simple and somewhat desolate.

He gently picked up the two Secret Manuals with both hands and carefully placed them back into the old wooden box.

Then, bending over slightly, he exerted strength with both arms and steadily carried the wooden box out of the Grass Hut.

Upon returning to his own simple Grass Hut, Yun Song couldn't wait to set down the wooden box and take out the Secret Manuals once again.

Inside the room, the night-luminescent pearl emitted a soft, faint glow.

By this faint light, he focused his entire attention on studying the subtleties within the Secret Manuals.

"Breaking Earth, Horizontal Slash, Diagonal Cleave, Lifting..."

He softly recited the names of the Moves from the Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe, constantly outlining the details of the force exertion for each movement in his mind.

The Moves depicted by the little figures had long been deeply imprinted in his heart, and he deduced them over and over, perfecting them time and again.

"These Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe are actually quite compatible with my labor in the Mine Cave."

He muttered to himself, a glimmer of realization flashing in his eyes.

"When swinging the mining hoe, I can simultaneously practice arm strength, waist strength, and leg strength; the high-lifting and downward-smashing movements are exactly the same as the force exertion techniques in the Moves."

He turned his attention to the Gale Leg Secret Manual, his brows furrowing slightly.

"It's just that the 'Gale Leg' Moves are expansive and sweeping; they require an open space to be executed."

"The space inside the Mine Cave is too narrow; I fear it will be difficult to practice there."

"It seems I can only find a secluded, open spot outside the cave to practice diligently after finishing my daily mining tasks."

Throughout the night, he was immersed in the world of martial arts.

He closed his eyes, his expression focused, his breathing rising and falling with the rhythm of the Moves.

At times, he would frown, pondering the secrets of force exertion, and at other times, he would nod, grasping the essence of the Moves.

Each Move was repeatedly deduced in his mind, and he had long forgotten the passage of time.

When the first ray of morning light pierced through the cracks in the Grass Hut and spilled softly onto him, he slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes flashed with a firm light, and he already had a clear plan in his heart.

He placed the Secret Manuals and Wang Zihao's identity token together into the wooden box and carefully hid it under the bed.

Then, he picked up the night-luminescent pearl and the mining hoe, and pushed open the door to leave.

The morning breeze brushed across his face, bringing a hint of coolness that dispelled the fatigue of the night.

Yun Song looked at the dark, looming Mine Cave in the distance, silently calculating in his heart that only ten days remained until the task submission.

He needed to seize the time to complete the Spirit Stone quota while also finding any spare moment to practice the Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe; he absolutely could not waste a single moment.

Walking into the Mining Site, everything was as usual.

The busy figures of the Miners and the sound of mining hoes striking rock made the dangers of yesterday seem like a fleeting dream.

Relying on the ore-finding techniques previously taught to him by the Thin Man, he quickly found an excellent excavation spot deep within the Mine Cave.

He squatted slightly, steadied his stance, and assumed the starting posture of the Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe.

"Downward Smash!"

The mining hoe descended fiercely with the momentum to split mountains and crack rocks.

"Horizontal Slash!"

The movement was like a Dragon flicking its tail, sweeping away all the loose stones.

When performing the "Diagonal Cleave," he skillfully leveraged his strength, and the mining hoe precisely cut into the mine wall, with the hard rock cracking in response...

Each and every Move was perfectly in sync with the Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe.

The process of mining had unexpectedly become the best opportunity for practice.

Ten days passed quietly amidst the repetitive yet power-filled movements.

He clearly felt his own transformation:

His shoulder joints became increasingly flexible, and his force exertion flowed without obstruction;

His elbow joints became the key pivots for power transmission, with every strike weighing as much as a thousand jun;

His wrist joints could precisely control the direction of the mining hoe, retracting and extending with ease;

Even his hip, knee, and ankle joints became more coordinated and powerful, making his lower stance as stable as a rock.

Finally, he stopped his movements and wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead.

He placed the newly excavated Spirit Stones together with those he had accumulated previously, the colorful glow of the Spirit Stones reflecting on his tired yet excited face.

"More than two hundred!"

The moment he finished counting the Spirit Stones, he couldn't hide the excitement in his heart, and the corners of his mouth lifted uncontrollably.

He carefully packed away the Spirit Stones and hurried towards the plaza where the tasks were submitted.

Looking from afar, the queue for submitting tasks was already very long.

And at the front of the queue, that steward was still lying leisurely on the grand master chair, resting with his eyes closed.