350: Chapter 350 Ming Jin?

[Of course, although you have little contact with the outside world, it doesn't mean your knowledge of it is lacking.]

[The Temple Master of Qingfeng Temple, Daoist Qingwei, places great importance on your technical and cultural education.]

[In the temple's scripture room, besides Daoist classics like the 'Dao De Jing' and the 'Nan Hua Zhen Jing', there are also nearly ten years of middle school textbooks, the 'Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance', and 'An Introduction to Science' neatly arranged.]

['A person who cultivates the Dao must understand the principles of the world,' Daoist Qingwei often says.]

['The Dao is within all things, and also within the Mortal World. If you only know how to chant sutras and meditate without knowing the changes in the human world, then that is the Dao of withered wood, not the Great Dao of endless life.']

[In your memory, Daoist Qingwei would give you a two-hour lecture every day, ranging from the basic principles of mathematics, physics, and chemistry to the succession of historical dynasties and the operational rules of modern society.]

[In Daoist Qingwei's plan, you will be specially recruited into the Daoist Academy at the age of twenty to have your name registered, and then you will inherit Qingfeng Temple.]

[Although special recruitment into the Daoist Academy mainly focuses on knowledge of Daoist classics and ritual ceremonies, some basic knowledge is still necessary.]

['You will have to go down the mountain eventually,' Daoist Qingwei said one evening while sitting across from you drinking tea.]

['The Legacy of Qingfeng Temple cannot be broken, but Legacy is not about staying stubbornly in the deep mountains. You must enter the world, integrate the Daoist methods into modern life, and cultivate your heart in the Mortal World before returning to the mountains to comprehend the Dao. Only then is it a complete cultivation.']

[After almost finishing sorting through your memories, you tidy up your robes, push open the door, and step out. Before you is the familiar scenery of Qingfeng Temple.]

[Although Qingfeng Temple currently only has a Master and a Disciple, its scale is not small.]

[According to Daoist Qingwei, this temple was built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty and has a Legacy of nearly five hundred years.]

[During its peak, there were nearly a hundred Daoist priests in the temple, and pilgrims came in an endless stream. Every time there was a Dharma assembly, the mountain paths were crowded with commoners coming to pray for blessings.]

[The entire temple is built according to the mountain's terrain, divided into three courtyards.]

[The front yard has the mountain gate and the Hall of the Spiritual Official. In the courtyard stands a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree; in autumn, golden fallen leaves cover the stone steps.]

[The middle yard is the main hall, the Hall of the Three Purities, enshrining the three supreme deities: Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing. Although the murals in the hall are mottled, the exquisite craftsmanship of the original painters is still visible.]

[The back yard consists of the scripture room, guest rooms, the vegetarian hall, and the living quarters for the Master and Disciple. There is also a side hall enshrining the memorial tablets of the Ancestral Masters of Qingfeng Temple.]

[However, in modern times, fewer and fewer people are willing to live in the deep mountains for quiet cultivation.]

[Few people can endure the hardships of living on the mountain, so now, the entire Qingfeng Temple consists only of Daoist Qingwei and yourself.]

['Master, morning.']

[When you reach the front yard, Daoist Qingwei is sweeping the ground under the ginkgo tree.]

[The old man's movements are slow and relaxed, each stroke of the broom carrying a certain unique rhythm. The fallen leaves gather into a pile following the broom's trajectory, with not a single leaf drifting outside the circle.]

['Morning.' Daoist Qingwei doesn't even look up, continuing his movements.]

[After greeting him, you walk to an open space in the courtyard, strike a pose, and following your daily habit, begin practicing the Qingfeng Fist.]

[In your memory, you have practiced this set of fist techniques every day since you were six years old, for a total of ten years now.]

[It must be said that there is something to this Qingfeng Fist.]

[When you first started learning, you only felt the movements were slow and boring, vastly different from the martial arts you had imagined.]

[But as you grew older, you almost never got sick. Even in the depths of winter, you only wore a single layer and didn't feel cold, and your physical strength grew stronger and stronger.]

[Your current body, while not exactly otherworldly, far exceeds that of a high school senior athlete.]

[You can walk a round trip on several kilometers of mountain paths without losing your breath.]

[At this moment, you calm your heart and mind, starting from the opening stance, unfolding each Move one by one.]

[Whether it's because Transmigration has changed your Aptitude or not, you are practicing more and more smoothly.]

[There are thirty-six forms in the Qingfeng Fist, which you have long known by heart. Usually, it takes the time of an incense stick to finish a set, with movements as smooth as flowing clouds and water.]

[But today, your movements gradually speed up unconsciously.]

[It's not a deliberate pursuit of speed, but rather your body seems to have found a smoother path on its own.]

[Muscles, bones, and skin vibrate slightly with the movements, your breathing perfectly synchronized with the Moves. Between each breath, the strength flows naturally.]

[That feeling is like a previously blocked riverbed suddenly being cleared; the water flows without any further obstruction.]

[You are immersed in this wonderful Realm, your consciousness seemingly drifting away from your body, looking down at yourself practicing the fist from a height.]

[You see every one of your movements is incredibly precise, see the contraction and relaxation of your muscles perfectly synchronized with your breathing rhythm, and see a warm current within your body flowing through your entire being with the momentum of the fist.]

[Halfway through the third set of the fist, a sudden change occurs.]

[As you sink your waist into a horse stance and your right arm bursts out from your waist, striking directly at the empty space ahead—]

['Pa—!']

[A crisp, short explosive sound, like a firecracker bursting or a bamboo joint snapping, is exceptionally clear in the silent morning courtyard.]

[That wasn't the sound of a fist or foot hitting a physical object, but the sharp crack produced by the fist's strength penetrating outside the body and tearing the air.]

[You even feel a sense of substance as the air in front of your fist is compressed and punched through.]

[You pull back into a standing posture, looking at your right fist, stunned.]

[This?]

[Memories of being an internet novel enthusiast in your past life instantly flood your mind.]

['How is this situation so much like the so-called Obvious Jin in the Chinese martial arts novels from my past life? Have I transmigrated into a world of Chinese martial arts?']

[While you are still in shock and doubt, hurried footsteps come from the front yard.]

[Daoist Qingwei appears beside you almost instantly. The old man's eyes, usually half-closed, are now wide open, a sharp, lightning-like light flashing in his cloudy pupils.]

[His gray eyebrows are arched high, his face filled with an expression of disbelief, and his gaze is like a torch as he looks you up and down.]

[You feel a bit uncomfortable under this gaze and are about to speak, but you see your Master slowly raise his hand, signaling you not to talk.]

[After a long while, Daoist Qingwei finally speaks, his voice carrying a hint of trembling that he himself hasn't noticed.]

['...That punch you just threw, it made a sound?']

[You collect your thoughts and bow according to the etiquette of Master and Disciple: 'Yes, Master. Your Disciple was just practicing the fist, and somehow, it just became like this.']

[Daoist Qingwei takes a step forward, stretching out a withered but steady right hand, gently pressing it against your shoulder and arm.]

[His fingertips probe slightly with force and then withdraw. In that touch, you feel a warm power seep into your body, circulating once before quietly receding.]

[The old man's expression changes.]

[The initial shock turns into deep disbelief, and in those eyes that have seen all the affairs of the world, a ripple actually appears.]

[Finally, all emotions slowly settle, turning into a sigh as if from another lifetime. He strokes his snowy long beard, looks up at the sky, and sighs softly.]

['A single sound is worth a thousand pieces of gold... A Realm that so many martial artists spend their entire lives failing to reach, I didn't expect that you, at only sixteen, would achieve it with just a set of health-preserving fist techniques.']

[Seeing that you have already entered the gate of the Martial Dao, Daoist Qingwei also begins to tell you about the general situation of the Martial Dao in this world.]

[It's much as you guessed; that sound you just punched out is the power of Obvious Jin.]

[And the Martial Dao of this world is divided into Obvious Jin, Hidden Jin, and Neutralizing Jin.]