Chapter Fourteen: The Arrest

“Stop right there! Put down your belongings, hands on your head, don’t move!”

A harsh command rang sharply in his ears, causing Gu Feng’s hair to stand on end. His lifted foot froze mid-step, unable to move forward.

Suddenly, more than a dozen figures burst out from the forest, brandishing weapons aimed directly at him.

“Why is it that these past few days no one appeared, yet today I run into so many?” Gu Feng wondered, perplexed.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

Suppressing his fear, Gu Feng mustered his courage and asked. Though he couldn’t clearly see their faces in the moonlight, the posture and vague outlines of their weapons made him instantly recognize what they held.

Because of this, dread surged through him. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as a chill gripped his heart, terrified that a careless move might trigger those dozen black barrels to spew fire.

Thump, thump...

At that moment, Gu Feng could hear his own heartbeat pounding fiercely, rapid and powerful.

The armed men said nothing in response, instead encircling him tightly, their gazes icy and unyielding.

Feeling the grave danger, Gu Feng’s heart raced and his muscles tensed.

“Kid, don’t play dumb! Put down your stuff, hands on your head,”

Seeing no room for negotiation, fearing their patience would run out, Gu Feng hastily dropped his bag, placed his hands on his head, and crouched down.

The dozen or so men exchanged looks of surprise. They hadn’t expected someone from the Worship Sect to be so cowardly. Shaking their heads, they quickly grabbed Gu Feng.

He felt himself lifted off the ground, terror overwhelming him as his body trembled uncontrollably.

“Hey, brothers! You’ve got the wrong guy, haven’t you?” Gu Feng struggled, pleading.

“Hmph! Caught red-handed. You’re the one we want,” one man sneered, eyeing the things on the ground.

Gu Feng saw that even as they lifted him, the guns still pointed straight at him, sinking his heart deep into despair. He knew he was in serious trouble—very serious.

“What do you want to do with me?”

Suppressing his fear, Gu Feng asked anxiously.

Though they gave no explanation, Gu Feng suspected it had something to do with the book he had seen.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” came the cold reply.

Before he could grasp their meaning, they bound him tightly.

Wang An, watching the captured Gu Feng, breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the package on the ground.

He quickly retrieved it, glanced through it roughly, and confirmed it was exactly what they had been searching for.

His heart leapt with joy as he turned and shouted to the others behind him:

“We’ve found it. Take him back.”

“Make sure there are no mistakes!”

With Wang An’s orders, the dozen men bound Gu Feng securely and dragged him away.

...

Time passed swiftly; the first week was drawing to a close.

On this day, before the sun dipped low, Chen Xian stood on the balcony, practicing his stance.

After several days, his body had undergone a complete transformation. He had gained a solid understanding and control over the Ming Energy. The cultivation method of the Dragon-Tiger Pill Scripture concerning Ming Energy had also become clear to him. Now was the time to shift to practicing the Dragon-Tiger Pill Scripture.

On the balcony, Chen Xian’s posture subtly changed, shifting from the familiar White Crane stance to the Dragon-Tiger stance unique to the Dragon-Tiger Pill Scripture. Though the change was slight, it altered his aura dramatically.

The previously light and graceful, crane-like spirit vanished abruptly.

Instead, a tempestuous vigor, like a roaring dragon and tiger, surged forth, pressing outward like a tide rushing in all directions.

It was as if a fierce tiger was howling and clawing within the modest balcony, ready to break free at any moment and tear its enemies apart with a single swipe.

Chen Xian stretched out his arms, muscles knotting and veins bulging. His skin, once bronzed from half a holiday in the sun, now glowed a deep crimson.

Under the influence of extraordinary power, the surging vitality flowed ceaselessly within his body.

“Huff, puff...”

As time passed, Chen Xian’s breathing grew stronger, his joints crackling.

“Indeed, this level of cultivation far surpasses the White Crane Fist in terms of energy and blood flow,” Chen Xian realized, feeling the circulation within.

During his White Crane stance training, the extraordinary power’s energy and blood force couldn’t be fully absorbed and refined by his body in a short time. The unrefined energy accumulated inside him, allowing him to go days without food after just one day of training.

If this energy could be refined, his cultivation speed would increase several times over.

Now, having switched stances to the Dragon-Tiger Pill Scripture, the stored energy flooded through his body like a wild stallion, coursing like the Yangtze River through his muscles and bones.

This change meant the Dragon-Tiger stance refined energy and blood far more effectively than the White Crane stance, and its physical conditioning surpassed it as well.

For Chen Xian, this was wonderful news.

“No wonder the great martial sects’ legacies emphasize circulation of energy and blood far beyond other stances. One day’s training now equals ten days’ worth, and a year’s training could rival ten years of others,” Chen Xian marveled.

“Incredible. A year’s cultivation equating to a decade’s worth of polishing. Does that mean in two years, I could catch up with martial artists my age?”

“No, now that I’m a Ming Energy martial artist, maybe it won’t even take two years,” he thought, hope rising in his heart.

“At this stage, disciples of great martial sects must be seeking the Way of Energy Transformation. Perhaps some have already stepped into it,” Chen Xian mused, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“Hoo~”

Suddenly, Chen Xian stopped his stance practice, took a deep breath, and began throwing punches.

Each punch carried a surge of strength.

As his fist cut through the air, his internal energy and blood boiled like a stormy sea, flowing constantly through his body.

The way of martial arts is not only about stillness but also motion. The integration of movement and stillness is the true path.

Stance training is a form of stillness practice, aimed at promoting the circulation of energy and blood, refining muscles, bones, and flesh, transforming the body, and enhancing physical quality.

Fist techniques are dynamic, focused on controlling one’s power.

Training stance without training fists results in brute strength without finesse, mere raw force.

Training fists without training stance is skill without strength—a fruitless endeavor in martial cultivation.

The Dragon-Tiger Pill Scripture says, “Stillness is nature, motion is intent, subtle use is spirit.”

Thus, combining stillness and motion, cultivating both internally and externally, is the ultimate truth.