Central district of the Walled City—the Kowloon Grand Arena, the A Thin Strip of Sky Teahouse.
Li Xiuwen wore a duckbill cap, its brim pulled low.
On the gambling-match stage, the two boxers announced their backgrounds and names to each other, then set to fighting in a flurry of blows.
In the past, Li Xiuwen would have whooped with delight, green with envy. Now, watching again... it was nothing special. If he stepped into the ring himself, he could do the same.
After watching a while, Li Xiuwen made his way to the Mire Ring—the gambling ring for Second Gate experts. He sipped tea and studied the fighters, wandering to and fro, and only left once the great ring closed for the night.
As for the Third Ring, its fighters were all Tiger Elephant experts; even if it had been unlocked for him, he wouldn't have been able to make out anything of note, so he didn't bother.
Back home, he hurried into sleep and went to the Illusionary Realm.
"Kowloon Grand Arena, you should have appeared by now."
Li Xiuwen came out of Four Seas Martial Arts Hall and headed straight for the Kowloon Grand Arena in the central district. The way was clear and unobstructed—no "air wall."
A stretch of continuous buildings appeared before his eyes—it was the "Kowloon Grand Arena."
He came to the A Thin Strip of Sky Teahouse, where all the fighters who had appeared over these past days now stood upon the rings. Like rows of Terracotta Warriors, silent and resolute.
"All my daily wandering these past days wasn't wasted—it's finally unlocked."
"This is the First Gate's New Blood Ring. I'll go check out the Second Gate's Mire Ring."
He came to an open-air plaza lined with food stalls—this was where the Second Gate's gambling ring stood, likewise unlocked. Those standing here were all the gambling-ring boxers Li Xiuwen had watched over these past days, their cultivation ranging from Snake Muscle to Flood Dragon Muscle.
Besides the "gambling rings," the First Grand Ring's "challenge ring" platforms and the guardian masters upon them also appeared one by one, standing in silence.
This meant that Li Xiuwen needn't go to some crowded, prying place to challenge the great ring—he could test his own strength right here in the Illusionary Realm.
"Once I kill Za Jiu, I'll come here and trade blows with the experts on the great ring, and get a clear read on their schools and routines. Using myself as the benchmark, I can gauge everyone's rough strength... then when I gamble on the matches, I'll know who's most likely to spring an upset."
...
The next day, four in the morning.
At Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, Li Xiuwen arrived early. At this hour no one else was on the second floor. Huang Sihai had gotten up early too, and said with a yawn, "Teaching you a skill—wore me right out."
Li Xiuwen said sheepishly, "Sorry to put you to the trouble, Master."
"Your cultivation—before the challenge visit, it really is best kept secret. Heh heh, I'm going to give Old Man Ye a big surprise.
...By the way, I heard that before you came to my Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, you went to the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall first. Is that so?"
Li Xiuwen paused, then said, "There was. After all, in terms of reputation... the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall is a notch stronger. Fortunately they didn't take me, and so I met my esteemed master!"
Huang Sihai knew it was flattery, but it pleased him all the same. With a heh, he said, "Come. Today I'll pass on to you an advanced training method—its name is the Sleeping Shark Art."
"The Sleeping Shark Art... that name." Li Xiuwen muttered under his breath.
"What's wrong with the name? My Sea Sand style prizes plainness and substance—real fighting comes first! Flashy show that can't fight—what use is it?"
"The founding grandmaster's wife really should have come up with a few more names..." Li Xiuwen sighed inwardly. "Thousand Waves Floating Light—that sounds so lovely. A completely different style from these."
Huang Sihai took out a blue booklet, handed it to Li Xiuwen, and said mildly, "This is the Sleeping Shark Art's secret manual. First get familiar with it and work through it once on your own."
Bowing, Li Xiuwen took the secret manual and flipped through it on the spot, his gaze clear; after reading it through, he seemed lost in thought.
The Sleeping Shark Art imitated the great sharks of the deep sea, and prized a single principle: "The spirit hidden in the abyssal sea, the qi sunk to the ninefold dark, dull without, thunder within."
These sixteen characters were the Sleeping Shark Art's guiding formula.
Likewise, this training method was divided into four levels.
Entry corresponded to Snake Muscle—muscles lithe and mobile, shifting and changing. Since by this point martial artists had usually already crossed the Second Gate, the effect of entry was to consolidate and deepen one's realm.
Minor mastery corresponded to Python Muscle—muscles like great pythons, coiled and knotted, with immense, crushing strength.
Great mastery corresponded to Flood Dragon Muscle—flesh like a flood dragon, able to grow great or small, to rise or hide, harboring overwhelming, thunderous power.
Perfection was the very peak of Flood Dragon Muscle—reaching the limit of the Second Gate, able to attempt the Three Gates.
"How does it feel?" Huang Sihai asked.
"It feels quite similar to the Sea Sand Stake in many ways," Li Xiuwen answered honestly.
Huang Sihai nodded. "As I said before, the Sea Sand Stake is the foundation of every training method and fighting technique in my Sea Sand style. With that groundwork laid, entry won't be hard."
Huang Sihai estimated that, with Li Xiuwen's comprehension and innate physique, he could reach entry within three days.
Li Xiuwen at once began to circulate his qi and work on his breath, following the guidance of the Sleeping Shark Art manual. Between each breath there was, of its own accord, a wondrous rhythm.
Before he knew it, the morning sun rose and day broke. The dim Walled City brightened a little.
Li Xiuwen looked toward the incense burner—a fresh stick of incense had appeared there, at some point he couldn't say.
The body that had transformed yesterday now met with another small transformation today. He clenched his fist slightly; the strands of muscle and sinew locked together—a burst, a tightening, a release—and out burst even greater strength.
Characters surfaced.
[Sleeping Shark Art: Entry (10%)]
[Stage: Snake Muscle (10%)]
Because he had already crossed a gate, the Sleeping Shark Art, the moment it reached entry, stood at 10% progress. He had skipped straight past the greenhorn stage and stabilized his Snake Muscle realm.
Huang Sihai carefully observed the changes in Li Xiuwen. Suddenly his eyes narrowed—he saw the muscles of Li Xiuwen's arms and back begin to swim nimbly, as if hundreds upon thousands of water snakes were writhing beneath, each rub giving rise to a surge of force.
And when these forces gathered together, it was the absolute power of a Snake Muscle expert—enough to crush and kill one at the very peak of the Black Membrane!
Below the Second Gate, only those who had cultivated hard qigong could barely put up a resistance. For anyone else, a single touch—if it didn't kill, it would gravely wound.
With muscles like a swarm of snakes guarding his body, even if a mortal wielding a blade managed to break through his skin membrane, the blade would be caught and wrapped by the intertwined serpentine muscles, unable to pierce deep.
That was why, in gang turf wars, there was one rule everyone followed without needing to say it aloud: soldier against soldier, general against general, the same rank against the same rank.
If the strong preyed on the weak, it would be a completely one-sided massacre; in the end, a turf war like that would leave no winners—every side would lose.
Steadying himself, Huang Sihai asked, "You've reached entry?"
Li Xiuwen opened his eyes and let out a stale breath. "Master, I think so—I can control the movement of my muscles within a small range."
A major sign of entry into the Sleeping Shark Art was precisely that control over one's muscles.
Huang Sihai smiled. "Controlling muscle groups within a small range to unleash a concentrated burst of power—that's only one part of it.
As you are now, you should be able to take the first steps in keeping your aura in check and stopping the qi and blood around your body from leaking out.
Having cultivated the Sleeping Shark Art, your body will spend most of its time in a state of 'sleep'—drawing no attention, like a hibernating old turtle. This is the so-called breath concealment.
The whole world knows my Sea Sand style is mediocre and plain, with nothing to set it apart. They think that aside from endurance, my Sleeping Shark Art is utterly unremarkable.
But what they don't know is that the marvel of the Sleeping Shark lies in its dormancy, in its storing up of power, in its silence. Even an ordinary Tiger Elephant would struggle to see through the depth of your cultivation.
And breath concealment—to the Sleeping Shark Art, that's merely a minor trick.
In days to come, if you can reach great mastery and perfection, you'll be like the flood dragon of the nine heavens—able to hide and vanish, to swell great or shrink small.
That means you'll be able to freely control the tensing and slackening of your skin membrane and muscles, and temporarily alter your frame and appearance—that is, the legendary... bone-shrinking disguise.
The Sleeping Shark Art holds many more marvels. Go home tonight and slowly work them out for yourself."
Li Xiuwen performed a full, formal salute and said gravely, "This disciple, Li Xiuwen, thanks Master for passing on this art!"
Huang Sihai yawned and waved a hand. "The master leads you through the door; the cultivation rests with the individual. If you want to join the Crossing River Meet, within half a year you'd best reach great mastery."
Chapter 69