Chapter 4: Minor Success in Refining Essence, Song Wan Comes to Visit

To refine the essence, generally speaking, is to strengthen the body.

If we break it down, there are skin, flesh, tendons, bones and internal organs, but the human body is a whole. If the body is not strong enough, there is no such thing as separate practice.

Only after achieving a small success, differences in individual abilities appear due to different methods of cultivation.

Some people have mastered the art of skin refining, with a body covered with a golden bell and wrapped in iron cloth, and their defense is amazing;
Some people have trained their muscles to such an extent that they can pull up mountains and uproot weeping willows, with boundless strength.

Some people have mastered the muscle training to the point where they are as swift as the wind and as fast as thunder, with terrifying explosive power.
Some people have achieved great success in bone training, with bones as strong as iron and as proud as a lion, and their recovery ability is enviable.

For example, skin, flesh, tendons and bones are considered external skills in refining essence. The methods of cultivation are simple, and they include standing in a horse stance, lifting weights and keeping fit. As long as you work hard and maintain adequate nutrition, you will achieve success.

"Practice" and "eating" are the key to external skills.

Hence the saying that the poor are good at literature and the rich are good at martial arts.

However, refining the internal organs belongs to internal energy.

External skills are easy to practice, but internal skills are difficult to achieve.

The method of cultivating the five internal organs is a true secret among all schools and sects, and is never easily shown to others.

Only the three Ruan souls were so extraordinary, with their own cultivation methods, that they were able to comprehend such profound skills without a teacher.

For ordinary country folk who want to practice cultivation, the best place to go is the army.

For example, the instructor of the 800,000 imperial guards is responsible for teaching martial arts.

Before we knew it, it was already winter. Although Liangshan Lake was not frozen, the water was already freezing cold.

On this day, cold air moved southward. At dawn, only willow catkins were blown by the wind. In less than an hour, the sky was covered with goose feathers, forming a curtain of sky and enveloping the whole area.

The fierce cold wind seemed to be scraping bones and cutting flesh, ghosts were howling and wolves were howling, and all living things were terrified to silence and all animals disappeared.

Cultivation is much more difficult than one might expect.

Train hard in the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter.

Although the coach Ruan Xiaoqi is cheerful and unrestrained all day long, he is extremely strict when it comes to training.

Practice for two hours every day, and even thunder, snow, and even knives cannot stop it.

During the time they spent together, Cao Jie had already figured out the personalities of the three Ruan brothers: they were all generous people, chivalrous, hated evil, and loved to stand up for the weak.

But the three brothers are a little different. Ruan Xiaoer is fierce but calm, Ruan Xiaowu is ruthless and has the desperate nature of a gambler, and Ruan Xiaoqi is straightforward and humorous.

The one who can really have fun is Xiaoqi.

"The river flows eastwards, and the stars in the sky are like the Big Dipper."

"Hehe, Shen Beidou! A bowl of wine for a friend of life and death!"

"Let's go if you say so~ You have it, I have it, we have it all~"

The boat sailed towards Liangshan Lake, and Ruan Xiaoqi sang loudly in the heavy snow.

He was extremely satisfied with the song Erlang had taught him. He couldn't sleep well unless he chanted it three times a day.

This song really touched his heart. In one's life, one should speak out when seeing injustice, take action when necessary, and rush through the country.

Only in this way will your life in this world be worthwhile!
When the song was over, the boat had already landed on the water, and the sky and the earth were covered in white.

Ruan Xiaoqi had his fill of microphone mastery and felt refreshed: "Erlang, I see that you have a talent for internal organ training. Your lungs are almost complete."

"Seventh Brother, you taught me well!"

Cao Jie took off his coat early, leaving his upper body naked, and slowly wiped his skin with snow until it turned red.

"Haha, this is also my first time teaching someone to practice. It seems that I have the talent to be a coach. Erlang, you have already mastered the water skill. How about I teach you water fighting today?"

"It's very good!"

The two men stretched their bodies and jumped into the lake with two "plops".

The water surface swayed slightly, and three lines of words faintly appeared:
[Soul aspect: Fisherman (fishing with nets and cages, a little knowledge)]

[Experience: Level 4 (800/800)]

[Talent: Water ability LV4 (can identify undercurrents, dive into the abyss, and play with the waves)]

In addition to practicing for the past two months, with the help of Ruan Xiaoqi, Cao Jie has caught countless big fish in the water and has gained a lot of experience as a fisherman.

Perhaps it is because the status of fishermen is too humble that their level is stuck at LV4 and cannot be broken through.

This talent [Water Nature] naturally stopped growing.

Fortunately, the foundation has been laid firmly, and with the breathing method passed down by Xiao Qi, my ability to hold my breath while diving has been greatly improved.

As soon as he entered the water, Cao Jie immediately felt endless cold water pouring into his ears and nose, squeezing every pore on his skin.

Especially in his lungs, the pressure was so great that it seemed to squeeze out all the air in his lungs, causing him to suffocate.

After he practiced the "Living Yama" breathing method, the uncomfortable feeling gradually disappeared and he felt like a fish in water.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed across the front left.

It looked like a big fish as long as a person. That was Ruan Xiaoqi.

"Hiss, what level should this water quality be?"

Every time Cao Jie saw Ruan Xiaoqi making waves in the water, he would exclaim in amazement from the bottom of his heart.

The sayings "dragon in the river" and "white shark in the waves" are probably no more than this!
After "fighting" in the water for more than ten minutes, Cao Jie felt that he had reached his limit.

If he were to hold his breath while diving, he could probably do it for half an hour, but this kind of fighting was exhausting his energy and he couldn't hold on.

He gestured to Ruan Xiaoqi and was about to surface when suddenly a big hand grabbed his ankle.

'Fuck! '

Cao Jie's eyes widened and he kicked hard with both feet.

But no matter how he struggled, Ruan Xiaoqi always managed to keep him under the water.

One minute, two minutes...my lungs are about to explode...

My life is over!

After about ten minutes, Cao Jie finally emerged from the water, breathing heavily like a bellows.

"Erlang, don't blame me for being ruthless. If you don't push someone, how can you know your limits?"

Ruan Xiaoqi poked his head out, stepped on the water and raised himself up, and unexpectedly most of his body was out of the water, with only his calves under the water.

"I almost died!" Cao Jie was still in shock.

"With me here, you won't die. And only between life and death can you break through. Erlang, you have succeeded in refining your internal organs."

Inside the boat, Cao Jie took a sip of strong liquor to warm his body, then sat lazily.

"Seventh Brother, from what you said, I have made some progress in refining essence?"

Ruan Xiaoqi was holding a long pole at the stern of the boat, his hat whitened by the heavy snow, and a few large fish that he had caught were frozen at his feet. This was tonight's appetizer:

"It can be considered as a step into the minor success! As long as you strengthen your body step by step, your skin, flesh, tendons, and bones will be able to break through smoothly. When you have broken through all of them, you will have truly achieved minor success in refining your essence. In the martial arts world, you will be considered a skilled practitioner."

It’s a pity that I haven’t developed a combat-type soul aspect yet!
Don't worry, now is not the time to rebel, just lay a solid foundation.

"Seventh Brother, what realm are you in now?"

Cao Jie was very curious about what realm the three Ruan people were at. Comparing them with his current strength, there was no comparison.

"We!"

Ruan Xiaoqi showed off his bronze muscles, and his two rows of white teeth flashed a cold light as he grinned: "Iron skin and steel bones, strange flesh and dragon tendons, and demons hidden in the internal organs. Even if it's about cultivating qi, I've already entered the door."

"Brilliant!"

You need strength, you need strength; you need loyalty, you need loyalty.

San Ruan is a real thigh!
Practicing, working as a barefoot doctor, working as a chef, drinking and chatting with the three Ruan brothers, these days are fulfilling and happy.

In a blink of an eye, the spring river water warms up and all things come back to life.

On this day, Cao Jie was doing the horse stance in the yard when a familiar figure appeared in his sight through the lush bamboo forest.

The man was so conspicuous. He was seven feet tall and stood out among the crowd.

"My benefactor, I came here uninvited, I hope you won't blame me."

A group of people walked to Cao Jie's house. Song Wan bowed his head and his younger brothers behind him carried a few jars of wine, some cloth, and some game. It was a lively and lively scene.

"Brother Song Wan, have you found a place to stay?" Cao Jie returned the greeting and asked even though he knew the answer.

"Thanks to the guidance of my benefactor, I was able to join Liangshan. Now the leader of the mountain is Wang Lun, a scholar in white. I have won over a group of brothers and am the second leader. There is also Du Qian, who is as powerful as me and is the third leader."

Song Wan smiled naively: "I have no time, so I came to see my benefactor. What are you all standing there for? Bring the gifts in."

changed!

In the original book, Song Wan was the third leader!

I didn't expect that because of a word I said, I went up the mountain early and got promoted to a higher position.

Of course, the second and third chiefs, even the big chief Wang Lun, are actually nothing.

He has no ability, no strength, and no character.

But it must be said that these three are indispensable if Liangshan is to become so powerful in the future.

They still have to build this infrastructure!

Cao Jie kept his thoughts to himself without revealing them: "Brother Song Wan, congratulations!"

In broad daylight, a group of strangers came to the village, how could they hide it from San Ruan?

Before long, the three Ruan brothers came in together with big strides.

"Erlang, where did this hero come from? Please introduce him to us..."

(End of this chapter)