Chapter 5: Growth

Iron Wire Fist consisted of eighteen forms, not particularly difficult, and Lu Yan had grasped the basics within two days. The real challenge lay in coordinating the forms with the proper breathing technique, practicing tirelessly until he could sense the flow of qi and blood in his twelve principal meridians, moving them in harmony with each technique.

After three days of instruction, seeing that Lu Yan could continue on his own, Lu Qingshan returned to the mountains to hunt. He explained that once one began to study martial arts, their appetite would grow dramatically, so he needed to stockpile more food for Lu Yan.

Originally, Lu Yan had planned to accompany Lu Qingshan on his hunts, but now, having stepped onto the martial path, he had to devote all his energy to practice, leaving hunting for later.

In the bamboo grove, Lu Yan’s body moved with agility, each punch executed with growing finesse, the movements becoming almost a spectacle. At first, each technique required conscious thought, but after days of diligent training, his moves began to flow together naturally.

Each punch seemed to make the book of the Dao in his mind flash with light.

Meanwhile, the archery avatar continued its practice whenever energy was available, pausing when depleted, independent from the Iron Wire Fist training.

Lu Yan surmised that once he truly mastered the Iron Wire Fist, he would be able to manifest an avatar dedicated to it as well.

Time flew by, and twenty days passed with Lu Yan still unable to reach entry-level mastery.

That evening, Lu Qingshan returned very late—only after night had fallen did he come home. As soon as Lu Yan opened the door, the scent of blood met his nose, and he saw a bloody wound on Lu Qingshan’s shoulder.

"You’re hurt—is it serious? Did you run into a large beast?" Wang Cui asked anxiously, her voice trembling with worry.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Qingshan replied with a cheerful smile. “Look what I brought back.”

He opened a bundle of firewood to reveal a roe deer, easily weighing forty pounds—worth ten wild rabbits.

“Father, did you go deep into the mountains?” Lu Yan asked.

The outskirts of Lying Ox Mountain rarely harbored large beasts, but the deep woods were a different matter—dangerous for any ordinary man.

“Yes, Yan’er. Once you master martial arts, you’ll be able to refine your body with qi and blood, and your appetite will grow. I wanted to make sure we had enough meat for your training,” Lu Qingshan said, pretending to be at ease.

“Father…” Lu Yan’s fists clenched, nose tingling with emotion. He knew Lu Qingshan’s casual words belied the true danger he’d faced—his wound spoke for itself.

“Father, please don’t take such risks anymore. I’d rather progress slowly than see you in danger. If something happened to you, what would become of Mother and me?” Lu Yan said heartfelt, sincerity in every word.

Now, he truly regarded Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui as his family.

“Yes, he’s right,” Wang Cui agreed. “If something happened to you, neither of us could go on.”

“All right, I promise, unless I’m absolutely sure, I won’t take risks again. Now, take the deer and clean it. Use wild pepper powder to preserve the meat,” Lu Qingshan said.

Wild pepper was a local spice, hot and salty, dried and ground into powder to preserve meat for months. With no money for salt, wild pepper would have to suffice.

“Father, let me tend to your wound.”

“And, Yan’er, if you master Iron Wire Fist, tell me at once so your mother can prepare more meat for you.”

That night, Wang Cui cooked three pounds of venison in a large pot. The aroma was intoxicating, and Lu Yan ate two pounds himself.

Two pounds of venison fueled significant progress in archery. Over the past twenty days, his archery skills steadily advanced, now approaching perfection—a notable improvement.

“A few more days, and I’ll master Iron Wire Fist and bring archery to its peak as well,” Lu Yan thought, anticipation swelling within him.

Three days slipped by in a blur.

As expected, his archery skill broke through to perfection first.

In the bamboo grove, Lu Yan punched tirelessly, heat radiating from his body, his skin flushed, qi and blood surging through his twelve main meridians.

After a long session, Lu Yan stopped and focused his mind inward.

On the book of the Dao in his mind, a new human silhouette appeared, separating from the book to become another "Lu Yan."

Above its head, the words appeared: "Avatar, Iron Wire Fist, Entry-level (1%)"

“So my guess was right. Mastering Iron Wire Fist really does create an avatar for it,” Lu Yan thought, studying this new form with curiosity.

The Iron Wire Fist avatar resembled the archery avatar—naked, transparent, with muscles, meridians, bones, even organs visible. Yet there were differences.

The Iron Wire Fist avatar practiced with full concentration, repeating all eighteen forms. As it punched, crimson qi and blood visibly flowed through its twelve main meridians.

Yet soon, it halted, motionless.

Lu Yan’s stomach rumbled.

It was nearly dusk, so he stopped his practice and returned home, just as Lu Qingshan came back from hunting.

“Father, I’ve mastered entry-level Iron Wire Fist,” Lu Yan announced.

“You have? Good, very good,” Lu Qingshan praised, a smile on his face.

He was pleased, though slightly disappointed. Given Lu Yan’s talent in archery, he had expected him to master the fist sooner.

For an average person, it took about a month to master a third-rate martial art. Lu Qingshan himself had taken twenty-four days; Lu Yan had taken twenty-three—slightly better, but only above average, not the martial prodigy he’d hoped for.

But there was no turning back. Having set Lu Yan on this path, he was committed to seeing it through.

“Now that you’ve mastered it, it’s time to build up your qi and blood. I’ll have your mother prepare more meat for you each day,” Lu Qingshan said.

That evening, Wang Cui cooked two pounds of meat, all for Lu Yan.

Lu Yan did not refuse. The sooner he improved, the sooner their family would never lack food, and life would only improve.

With two pounds of meat, the Iron Wire Fist avatar resumed its dedicated cultivation.

Lu Yan shifted his focus to fist training, and the archery avatar ceased absorbing energy.

The avatars’ cultivation was unlike anything a normal person could achieve. Humans were plagued by stray thoughts and distractions, but the avatars were free of such hindrances, utterly devoted to training.

By the time the Iron Wire Fist avatar stopped, dawn was breaking, and progress had risen twenty percentage points to Entry-level (21%).

Calculating, Lu Yan realized that for the same amount of meat, the Iron Wire Fist avatar’s progress was much less than that of the archery avatar.

At entry-level, two pounds of meat would give the archery avatar a sixty percent boost, but only twenty percent for the Iron Wire Fist avatar.

Clearly, martial arts required far more energy than simple archery—the same quantity yielding much smaller improvements.

At breakfast, there was still meat, about a pound.

Lu Qingshan instructed Wang Cui to prepare meat for Lu Yan each morning, noon, and evening—about a pound per meal.

After eating, Lu Yan went straight to the bamboo grove to practice.

As he punched, the faint sound of breaking air could be heard, qi and blood moving through his twelve meridians, increasing ever so slowly.

After three hours, he stopped. “Progress increased only five percent and then halted,” he noted.

According to yesterday’s pattern, shouldn’t a pound of meat yield a ten percent increase?

He quickly realized the reason.

When practicing, moving and accumulating qi and blood also required energy. The meat he ate was split—half absorbed by the Dao book to fuel the avatar, half by his body for nourishment and qi and blood enhancement. With energy divided, progress naturally slowed.

“It’s not enough—the meat just isn’t enough,” Lu Yan sighed.

For now, there was no better solution. Only after growing stronger and joining Lu Qingshan in hunting could he secure more meat.

Sharpening the axe would not delay the cutting of firewood.

Lu Yan returned home.

These days, the villagers of Koshany Village all wore smiles. It was potato harvest time. With regular rain and sun, the potatoes had grown large and plump—a bountiful season.

After paying taxes, every family still had plenty left. With this harvest, surviving the winter would not be difficult.

Once winter passed, they would plant other crops, creating a virtuous cycle and a better life.

Everyone was filled with hope.

“The people of this era ask for so little—just to be full is happiness,” Lu Yan thought.

Four and a half days later.

“I’ve finally reached Minor Success,” Lu Yan rejoiced.

Four and a half days, three pounds of meat each day, yielded about fifteen percent progress daily, plus other grains for an extra two percent.

Of course, practicing himself brought some improvement, though far less than the avatar.

With Minor Success in Iron Wire Fist, he’d opened the eighteen branch meridians of his arms and hands, linking them to the main twelve. The speed of accumulating qi and blood increased significantly.

As qi and blood spread through these branches, his arms and hands were further tempered, their strength increasing.

Other parts of his body also benefited, though not as much as the arms and hands.

When he activated Iron Wire Fist, faint black lines appeared on his fists, resembling iron threads—the technique’s namesake.

The avatar, too, showed change: the eighteen branch meridians in its arms and hands were visible, qi and blood flowing just as in the real body.

However, after reaching Minor Success, when both he and the avatar practiced together, a pound of meat only yielded a two-and-a-half percent increase. Progress was slowing.

Another month and a half flew by.

The Iron Wire Fist avatar had reached Proficiency (1%).

Originally, at the previous rate, it would have taken just over a month to reach Proficiency, but their meat stores ran out, and even with Lu Qingshan hunting tirelessly, game was not always plentiful. Lu Yan’s daily meat intake dropped from three pounds to a pound and a half, so it took a month and a half to reach this point.

Still, it equaled ten years of hard practice for an ordinary person.

Lu Yan noticed a pattern: with each level of martial arts mastery, the same amount of meat yielded half as much progress as before.

“Father, I want to go hunting with you,” Lu Yan said.

His progress in fist training had been rapid, and the speed of accumulating qi and blood had increased. He’d grown taller, now standing at one meter seventy—when he first arrived, he’d been under one meter sixty.

His strength now surpassed that of an ordinary strong man, and with Proficiency in Iron Wire Fist, his combat ability was considerable—it was time to enter the mountains.

This was only natural; most people spent months struggling to reach entry-level, their branch meridians unopened, able to circulate qi and blood only in the main twelve. Their progress was snail-paced compared to Lu Yan.

But at Proficiency, seventy-two branch meridians had been cleared.