Chapter 42: Movement

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Liu Jin closes his eyes and concentrates. With every breath he takes, Qi flows through his body. It goes from his lower dantian to his middle one to his upper one. With every breath he takes, Qi reaches every part of his body.

At least, that is how things should be.

Nine-Headed Snake God’s poison has taken its toll on Liu Jin. As long as he keeps it under control, it won’t kill him. However, the modifications Liu Jin has made to his Qi flow in order to keep that balance are undeniable. It is those modifications that have kept him in the Inner Realm for over two years. While Liu Jin has learned to cope with these differences, they still remain an obstacle to the way he controls Qi.

Every time Liu Jin uses his Qi, he needs to take these modifications into account.

This time is no different. Liu Jin carefully guides Qi through his body, molding it to suit his needs. He needs to be extra careful today. Even though he has gotten used to eating, sleeping, and even fighting with Nine-Headed Snake’s poison flowing through him, there is no such thing as being too cautious, especially when trying something new.

Liu Jin opens his eyes and takes a step.

A hundred yards go by in an instant. Liu Jin manages to come to a stop with a faltering step. A wide-eyed Su An grabs him by the shoulders to steady him. The gesture is unneeded, but Liu Jin appreciates it all the same.

“How was that?”

“How was that?” Su An echoes, disbelief colors her voice as she lets him go. “Boss just covered a hundred yards in an instant! I never imagined Boss would pick up the technique so quickly!”

Months have passed since Su An first offered her services to him, more than enough time for Liu Jin to get a solid grasp of her as a person. He is reasonably sure Su An is not someone with evil designs towards him. She merely wants to stay in his good graces, which suits him just fine.

That is why he is comfortable enough to be outside Eastern Port City with her.

The two are in a plain a few miles away from the city walls. While Liu Jin would prefer to train inside the Xiao Sect’s compound, there are way too many eyes on him there for him to feel comfortable. If he asked Xiao Nan, it’d be easy to arrange a private training room just for him, but that is not a privilege Liu Jin feels he has earned.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Boss already knew Ground Contraction.”

Ground Contraction.

The Xiao Sect’s signature movement technique. For a few days now, Su An has been showing it to him. As an Outer Disciple, Liu Jin does not really have any right to learn it. However, Liu Jin is no longer just a mere Outer Disciple. He is Patriarch Xiao Zheng’s son-in-law, something Su An rightly pointed out to him a few days ago.

“Nothing so convenient,” Liu Jin replies, feeling the flow of his Qi. Using Ground Contraction doesn’t seem to have caused him to lose control. Good. He’ll practice a few more times to get the hang of doing a hundred yards before trying for a longer distance.

“I have seen Elder Brother using the technique a few times, so I already understood the theory of it.”

Back then, Xiao Nan had wanted to teach Ground Contraction to him. However, Liu Jin hadn’t yet married into the Xiao Clan. It wouldn’t have been proper to learn such techniques. While Liu Jin sometimes wonders how it would have felt like to be taught by Xiao Nan, it is better that he isn’t needlessly inconveniencing him.

From what he has heard, Xiao Zheng has Xiao Nan doing all sorts of tasks nowadays. It is a good week when Liu Jin manages to see him once or twice.

“Besides, the technique is not that complicated.”

All things considered, Ground Contraction is fairly simple.

“Not that complicated!”

Su An cannot stop herself from raising her voice.

“Boss, with all due respect, that’s just not right. The technique may sound simple in theory, but there is a myriad of things to take into account when using it. Focusing Qi on the legs to create a burst of speed is the easiest part of it. However, to use it effectively, one must carefully reinforce other parts of the body to compensate for the sudden acceleration. If only the legs are reinforced, you’ll just trip and fall. Similarly, if the entire body is reinforced equally, the boost will be substandard.”

Su An nods vigorously as she says this, likely reliving the memories of countless failed attempts.

“In other words, Ground Contraction is a technique that requires reinforcement of specific bones and muscles to work to its full potential. The exact level of reinforcement varies depending on the speed used and the distance covered. Furthermore, one must be ready to cancel or alter the technique in an instant lest an enemy takes advantage of its linear nature. Ground Contraction is deceptively complex.”

Liu Jin supposes she’s right. He did have to take into account all those things. However, compared to keeping Nine-Headed Snake God’s poison at bay, doing such things is an easy task.

“Those who are first learning Ground Contraction often get cocky and end up hurting themselves. It is the biggest cause of injury among Inner Disciples. It took this Su An months until she was confident enough to try a Fifty-Yards-Step.”

Liu Jin hums and nods. “That sounds reasonable.”

Su An’s face grows redder as she throws her arms up

“Boss has only been learning Ground Contraction for four days!”

“I have tried my best to be careful,” Liu Jin says, deliberately missing the point. If he explained why his control is so good, it’d just cause more questions, and he doesn’t feel like trusting Su An with such information just yet.

Stolen novel; please report.

Besides, it is kind of fun seeing her overreact.

This is probably why his Master does the things he does, Liu Jin realizes.

“Let’s keep training. I want to try the technique a few more times before I try to cover a larger distance.”

The two do as Liu Jin says. Liu Jin covers a hundred yards twenty more times that day, Su An always ready to catch him in case something went wrong. Nothing does. Instead, Liu Jin’s mastery of the movement technique just keeps growing. By the end of the day, Liu Jin feels confident enough to try a Hundred-and-Fifty-Yards Step. He manages to pull it off, though he stumbles a bit at the end. Nevertheless, it earns him another wide-eyed stare from Su An.

“This one has to ask… is Boss really just in the First Level of the Inner Realm?”

“My Qi is exactly as you feel it. There is nothing else to it,” Liu Jin replies. It is true enough as far as he’s concerned. Until he sees Nine-Headed Snake God again, he’s stuck in the Inner Realm.

“I think this has been enough Ground Contraction training for now. Let’s move to the next part.”

Su An makes a face.

“Must we, Boss? I think it would be better if Boss keep practicing Ground Contraction rather than that weird technique.”

Even as she says it that, her body is already settling into position.

“Weird as it may seem to you, it is important to me,” Liu Jin says, assuming a combat stance. “Attack me.”

Su An does. She doesn’t even use half of her true speed, yet Liu Jin can barely make out her form as she rushes at him. Liu Jin reaches his Qi and carefully molds it in the blink of an eye. He feels the flow of the energy around him.

A single step is taken.

Su An’s finger strikes his forehead.