At night, Li Tan had already retired, while Yue Fan sat alone on the kang bed.

He gently stroked the small stone around his neck for a while, and then began to cultivate his spiritual power and control his Yuan Qi.

Since his injury last time, Yue Fan had deeply felt that he was not strong enough. How could he protect his loved ones and friends in this way?

For power, Yue Fan decided to work hard to train himself and make himself stronger.

...

The next morning, Yue Fan came to the residence of Mr. Wan and told him his thoughts.

After a moment of deliberation, Mr. Wan said, "In the martial arts world, the cultivation of internal and external skills is emphasized. Unfortunately, you cannot rest your internal strength... The only way is to rely on the cultivation of external skills to make yourself stronger."

"Mr. Wan, how should external skills be trained?"

"External skills are generally divided into two categories: one is the cultivation of moves, and the other is the cultivation of the body. There is a sect in the martial arts world called Shaolin Temple. There are many hard-working monks there who use external force to hit all parts of their bodies, making their physical strength and body resistance constantly increase, thus achieving the purpose of cultivation and building a diamond body that cannot be broken. However, it is difficult to reach the peak of martial arts just by practicing external skills, so they always run the inner force after practicing to regulate their recovery."

Yue Fan never thought about reaching the peak of martial arts. He only hoped to have enough ability to protect the people around him.

"There is a saying in the martial arts world that 'all martial arts can be broken, but speed cannot be broken, and there is no move that can be broken'. It means that there are vulnerabilities in every move. The more moves there are, the more vulnerabilities there are. The simpler the move, the faster it is. There is no move in the martial arts that cannot be found like a gazelle hanging up a horn. Others cannot break it. This is the highest level of martial arts moves: 'using no moves to defeat moves'."

Alas..." Mr. Wan sighed and said, "Unfortunately, I cannot teach you martial arts. Moreover, when I traveled the Jianghu, I did not collect any martial arts secrets other than medical texts. So everything depends on yourself.

Seeing Yue Fan's slightly disappointed expression, Mr. Wan smiled and said, "Xiao Fan, don't be too disappointed. Although I cannot guide you in martial arts, I can give you a direction. Whether you can succeed depends on you."

At this, Yue Fan's spirit was suddenly refreshed, looking at Mr. Wan and listening earnestly.

Mr. Wan continued, "The ascetic monks of Shaolin Temple meditate after practicing their martial arts. The main reason is that their physical endurance is limited. If they do not properly rest and recuperate, they may sustain serious injuries or even leave hidden dangers. However, you are different. Although you have no internal energy in your body and cannot cultivate Qi in the future, when it comes to physical recovery and resilience, I dare say that no one in the martial arts world can surpass you, including the master martial artists. Therefore, you can also continuously temper your body like the ascetic monks and continue to enhance your physical strength, and the effect will definitely be far better than theirs. Maybe you will even become the first person to reach the peak of martial arts through external cultivation." With a little excitement, his voice got louder and his face flushed.

Calming down, he continued, "As for moves, I really have nothing to teach you. However, you can start with the most basic movements, such as horse stance, weight training, climbing, etc., and keep practicing until you collapse due to exhaustion. I believe that any effort will pay off."

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After hearing these words from Mr. Wan, Yue Fan's heart was filled with excitement, holding back his excited mood, and gratefully said, "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Wan."

Mr. Wan combed his beard and smiled, "You don't need to thank me. Everything still depends on yourself. I hope you will succeed! Come on, let me check your pulse and see how you are now."

...

At this time, Yue Fan suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Mr. Wan, after returning home last time, I waited for my father at the hillside intersection. Under the blazing sun, I practiced for a while, but suddenly felt like I was integrating with the surrounding environment. My thoughts could fly down the hillside and when I saw my father later, I suddenly woke up. The whole feeling was like dreaming. If my father hadn't really come back, I would have thought it was a dream." Do you know what happened?

"Hahaha -"

Mr. Wan heard this and burst out laughing. After a while, his mood returned to normal, and he exclaimed, "Xiao Fan is truly endowed with exceptional talent. At such a young age, he can comprehend the universe and achieve the state of unity with nature that all martial artists aspire to. It seems that your future prospects are limitless."

Then he teased, "If the martial arts community knew that you considered unity with nature as a dream, I think they would chase after you with their swords raised. Hahaha~~~"

Yue Fan did not pay attention to Mr. Wan's teasing, but instead asked curiously, "What is the state of unity with nature?"

Mr. Wan said, "When your state of mind reaches a certain level, the speed of your cultivation will increase more rapidly. There are five states of cultivation: the state of serenity, the state of no thoughts, the realm of emptiness and clarity, the state of unity with nature, and the state of Taoism.

The state of serenity and the state of no thoughts are when the mind is calm and free of distractions. This is something that most martial artists can achieve. To reach the realm of emptiness and clarity, one must eliminate all thoughts and focus very intently, so it is difficult for ordinary martial artists to do so. The state of unity with nature is to merge with the universe and become one with nature. To comprehend this state, one must rely on personal comprehension and cannot find a solution. As for the state of Taoism...only those who have truly comprehended it know...

Those who can comprehend the state of unity with nature are all masters of the generation. If you cannot cultivate Qi, otherwise you would definitely become the youngest master in the world. It's a pity! Alas~~~"

Yue Fan did not pay attention to these words. His gaze was bright, and his eyes were full of determination, hope, and self-confidence for the future. He believed that through his efforts, he would definitely become stronger.

...

After bidding farewell to Mr. Wan and Xiaoya, Yue Fan returned home and immediately began to formulate a general plan for his own cultivation according to Mr. Wan's advice.

Inside the small hut on the hillside, Yue Fan sat on the kang bed thinking.

"External training is divided into practicing stances and physical exercises, and for stances, I feel very good when practicing the simple sword technique, so there is no need to practice other techniques, and I also don't know any other martial arts stances. As for physical training, climbing mountains, swimming, and weight training should be fine every day. As for practicing resilience, it's not easy to hit yourself, and Grandpa Wan is too old...

He's too old, and my father's body is not well... Xiaoya? Let's forget about it!"

...

"Hitting... hitting... Yes, the waterfall." With a sudden spark of inspiration, Yue Fan felt excited: "How could I forget about it? I used to go there to play before. Thinking about the waterfall, it must have a force of ten thousand kilograms. I wonder if it can withstand it."

After formulating a series of cultivation plans, Yue Fan went to his father to discuss them. After all, his father had more combat experience.

The next day, Yue Fan went to the city to ask for Su Fanghao's help. He got some solid lead weights and made a new heavy sword. Of course, Yue Fan didn't like to be indebted to others, so he still paid for it. However, Su Fanghao scolded him for being too formal, but he knew Yue Fan's temperament and accepted it without difficulty.

At first, Su Fanghao didn't understand why Yue Fan asked him for help getting these lead weights and a big sword. But when he heard that Yue Fan said he would tie them on his body to practice weight training, even this experienced and unflappable old man couldn't bear it. He thought "abnormal" in his heart.

You know those lead weights are several hundred kilograms heavy. If a normal person tied them all on their body, they would be able to stand up, let alone run around in them. And that big sword weighs over a hundred kilograms. Even if someone can lift it up, who can swing it? Of course, for martial arts experts who have high internal strength, these weights are not a problem. But in Su Fanghao's eyes, Yue Fan was only a child of twelve or thirteen years old. Seeing him use these things to exercise himself, it was no wonder that he called Yue Fan "abnormal".