Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Starting with the Infinite Form
"No matter what kind of martial arts, achieving proficiency is never an overnight matter, especially for you now, apart from mastering archery, you know nothing about anything else."
"So, you need to start with the basics. Once you've mastered the basics, I can teach you the fist techniques. This training is very tedious, even more so than practicing archery. It might take you a few years, or even a lifetime to achieve success. Are you mentally prepared for this?"
The man with the crippled leg asked.
Chen Fan took a deep breath and replied without hesitation, "I am."
"Good, I hope by then you can really stick it out."
He spoke in an unruffled tone, but inwardly he thought, with this kid's perseverance and talent, perhaps he might indeed bring a surprise.
"Uncle Zhang..."
Zhao Feng, who stood nearby, gathered his courage and said, "I also want to learn the fist techniques from you."
"Me too."
"Uncle Zhang, I..."
The rest all hurriedly echoed.
Who wouldn't want to possess power and live a better life?
The man with the crippled leg wasn't surprised and said blandly, "Teaching one is teaching, teaching several is also teaching. The only fear is that you all might not be able to persist."
Everyone became excited immediately and swore to heaven.
Compared to the others, Zhao Feng was much quieter, with a determined fire in his eyes.
"Alright."
The man with the crippled leg waved his hand, "Since you all want to learn, let's start then."
"Gulp."
Even Chen Fan swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Are we really starting now?
"No matter what martial arts are practiced, it all starts from the most basic posture stance. Without the posture stance, your legs will be weak, and your posture will deform when you strike, ultimately making the efforts futile. Therefore, to build power and solidify your foundation, you must practice posture stance."
The crowd nodded intensely like chicks pecking at rice, eyes filled with anticipation.
"Posture stance is the foundation, and what I will teach you next is the basics of posture stance, called the Infinite Stance. Only with Small Success in Infinite Stance can you practice the Tai Chi Stance. Once Tai Chi Stance is mastered, you can formally learn the Tai Chi Fist. "
If unsatisfied, you can continue learning the Three Body Stance, which is the start of all variations in stance techniques. As the saying goes, all changes stem from the Three Body Form. Mastering the Three Body Form stance allows you to learn Xingyi Fist. Not only Xingyi Fist, techniques like Five Animals Qigong, Eight Trigrams Palm, and others can be learned."
The crowd appeared troubled upon hearing this.
You have to train Infinite Stance first, then Tai Chi Stance, followed by Tai Chi Fist?
And to learn Xingyi Fist, you still need to practice Three Body Stance after Tai Chi Stance?
How long will that take?
"What, you already find it difficult?"
The man with the crippled leg snorted coldly, "This is inner strength, the most crucial aspect. Training in martial techniques without inner strength is futile when old. Not to mention, you haven't even started with the basic hand seals, basic leg techniques, and basic step techniques. You must begin from scratch with these! It is still not too late to regret now."
Saying this, he glanced at everyone, "Those who still want to continue, step forward."
Chen Fan stepped forward cheerfully.
Zhao Feng followed closely.
After exchanging glances, Wang Ping and the others also stepped forward.
"Heh."
The man with the crippled leg smiled meaningfully, "Nobody's quitting? Good, then let's start with standing in the Infinite Stance for an hour. Once you've done that, I'll teach you the basic hand seal."
Infinite Stance: the practitioner stands upright with both hands naturally hanging down, head held steady, chin slightly retracted, breathing naturally, imagining themselves merging with nature.
Chen Fan took advantage of the moment to glance at the attribute panel, as expected, there was an additional small line under the skills column.
[Infinite Form: lv0 (0%)]
He felt elated inside, he had learned a new skill. What kind of trait would unlock once it reaches Level 1?
"Keep calm and don't think random thoughts!"
At this moment, the man with the crippled leg walked past and glanced at him.
Chen Fan felt a bit embarrassed. This Uncle Zhang has sharp eyes, doesn't he?
The atmosphere was unusually quiet. Occasionally, someone would pass by, looking puzzled at the few standing upright.
Time ticked away slowly, from the initial "Isn't Infinite Stance just standing like a soldier?" to "Oh my, my legs are so sore, my head is so itchy, is there something crawling on it?" to "Help, I really can't hold on any longer, how much longer for the hour to be over?"
"It's only been less than ten minutes? Can't hold on?"
The man with the crippled leg sneered, "If you can't persist, give up honestly. Not everyone can become a martial artist. Learn to face reality."
Chen Fan twitched his mouth upon hearing this. Uncle Zhang's sharp eyes are matched by a sharp tongue.
But actually, he felt okay, perhaps due to an extraordinary constitution, he felt relatively relaxed.
Another ten minutes passed, finally, someone couldn't hold on anymore, feeling ashamed to the core.
"Go rest."
The man with the crippled leg waved his hand and looked at the others, "One person couldn't bear it, if the rest feel unable to continue, step out."
No one responded.
A few more minutes passed, and gradually, others chose to give up.
Ten more minutes later, Wang Ping also reached his limit, blushing as he retreated.
Only Chen Fan and Zhao Feng remained.
Zhao Feng gritted his teeth; no matter what, he had to persist!
Having lost to Chen Fan in archery once, he couldn't lose again this time!
He, Zhao Feng, is not weaker than anyone!
"The skill level increases incredibly slowly, doesn't it?"
Chen Fan looked straight ahead, his attention on the attribute panel.
At least forty minutes had passed, yet the skill level for Infinite Form had only increased by about 4%, meaning ten minutes of stance training merely added 1% to the skill level.
To reach Level 1, it would require at least 1000 minutes of stance training, about 16 hours!
On the surface, it seems easier than Basic Archery; standing still for 16 hours, two days would suffice. But in reality, the fatigue is immense. Previously, only his arm was sore; he could enjoy massage services, albeit from a foot-scratching enthusiast.
But now, it's full-body soreness, truly torturous.
He seriously doubted if he could manage another session after this hour. What about the third session? Probably close to his limit, right?
Thus, just upgrading Infinite Form to Level 1 would take four to five days? This is just the beginner level, isn't it? Uncle Zhang mentioned Infinite Form requires Small Success before learning Tai Chi Form; Tai Chi Form must be mastered before learning the proper Tai Chi Fist.
Dammit, how long would this take?
Additionally, standing stance is the foundation, along with basic hand seals, basic step techniques, and basic leg techniques. Following procedures step-by-step diligently is bound to take years?
When will he truly start practicing Tai Chi Fist?
Time waits for no one!
Thinking of this, his focus shifted to experience points. He gathered 17 experience points from hunting this morning, which could only increase the skill level of Basic Archery by 17%.
Using it on Level 0 Infinite Form shouldn't disappoint, right?