After taking in Zhao Yiyao, Yan Shouyi considered his entanglement with the Zhao family to be at an end.
For the upcoming half-month of closed-door cultivation, Yan Shouyi needed to find a quiet place. He thought long and hard, finally recalling the old Liu family residence nestled deep in the mountains.
Liu Jingkang had long since disintegrated, leaving only a few minor spirits in the old house, who continued to live under A Gong's protection.
So, Yan Shouyi bid farewell to A Gong and Old Master Liu. The latter immediately sent a car to pick up Yan Shouyi and his companions, who included Long Feicheng, A Gong, Luo Ning, and Zhao Yiyao.
Upon arriving at Guling, Yan Shouyi and the Liu family exchanged pleasantries. Afterwards, led by Liu Jiaren, they found a bamboo grove.
This bamboo grove was rarely visited by outsiders and was close to the ancient Liu family residence, allowing Yan Shouyi and the others to return to the old house for rest at any time.
Thus, Yan Shouyi's closed-door cultivation began.
In the bamboo grove at dawn, Yan Shouyi arrived to see San Long standing with his hands behind his back, facing away from him.
"Uncle San Long," Yan Shouyi greeted.
San Long turned around and said with a smile, "Your Uncle Pang and I have agreed. We will each teach you for seven days. I will teach the first seven days, and he will teach the latter seven. In these half a month, how much you learn depends entirely on your own comprehension and fortune. We will leave after half a month."
Yan Shouyi nodded and asked curiously,
"What will you teach me?"
"As a descendant of Lu Ban, you already know a great deal. Your Uncle Pang and I cannot teach you all of our skills, as it would disrupt your own Dao Heart. Therefore, we will each teach you only one ultimate skill."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi's expression turned serious. He had witnessed the skills of San Long and Lai Litou, and even if he could not learn everything from them, even one or two ultimate skills would be enough to greatly enhance his strength.
San Long asked, "Do you know of the Shaolin Temple's Eighteen Bronze Men?"
Yan Shouyi immediately replied, "The Shaolin Eighteen Bronze Men are famous throughout the martial world and renowned far and wide. How could I not know of them!"
"Then tell me, what are the Eighteen Bronze Men?"
"To prevent Shaolin disciples, whose martial arts were not yet perfected, from being defeated after descending the mountain and thus disgracing Shaolin's reputation, the Shaolin Temple placed eighteen bronze statues before the temple gates. If a Shaolin disciple could defeat the bronze men, it signified their martial arts were exquisite, and they were permitted to descend the mountain for training. At the same time, the Eighteen Bronze Men served as the facade of the Shaolin Temple. Anyone wishing to forcefully enter the mountain had to pass the test of the Eighteen Bronze Men formation. One could say the Eighteen Bronze Men are the great gate of the Shaolin Temple; whether one wishes to go out or come in, they must break through the Eighteen Bronze Men formation."
San Long nodded with satisfaction, "Well said. Then, do you know who I am?"
"Were you once one of the Shaolin Temple's Eighteen Bronze Men?" With things having come to this point, if Yan Shouyi still couldn't guess, he would be no different from an idiot.
"You've answered half correctly," San Long said. "I was once the leader of the Shaolin Temple's Eighteen Bronze Men, known as 'The Strongman'."
No wonder Zhao Zhenghao had called out "The Strongman" when he saw San Long. It was for this reason.
However, Yan Shouyi still had no clear understanding of San Long's abilities and could not guess what skills he intended to teach him.
San Long led Yan Shouyi to a thick bamboo stalk. He felt the hardness of the bamboo with his hand, then assumed a stance and said, "Watch closely."
San Long drew his breath to his dantian, let out a sudden roar, and punched the bamboo in front of him!
The bamboo trembled, and the leaves above fell, instantly engulfing Yan Shouyi and San Long in falling foliage.
When Yan Shouyi came to his senses, he saw that the bamboo before him was unharmed. He couldn't help but feel surprised – what skill did Uncle San Long intend to teach him?
"Look up," San Long prompted.
Yan Shouyi looked up and was stunned. He saw that all nine bamboo stalks behind them had snapped!
The scene was like a hurricane passing through, utter devastation!
"This is... Internal martial arts, 'Internal Force Through Obstacles'?!" Yan Shouyi exclaimed in astonishment.
"You haven't been wandering the martial world for nothing, you recognized it at a glance," San Long chuckled. "To be precise, this is called 'Tou Jin' (penetrating force)."
"Is this the ultimate skill you're going to teach me?"
"What, you don't want to learn?"
Yan Shouyi quickly nodded, "Of course I do!"
"Then let's begin."
San Long stepped aside, allowing Yan Shouyi to take his position. While correcting Yan Shouyi's movements, he began to explain the principles and techniques of Tou Jin.
"You've studied the 'Book of Changes,' so you should know that all things are connected. A slight disturbance in one part affects the whole. Tou Jin requires you to find the connection between all things, and then use subtle force to transfer your strength to other objects... This might be difficult to explain, so let's start with the fist techniques."
San Long was not only a powerful individual but also a good teacher. Under San Long's guidance, Yan Shouyi rapidly absorbed knowledge about Tou Jin.
Time flew by. The two practiced from morning until sunset. During this time, Yan Shouyi did not drink a drop of water, but his clothes were soaked through again and again. He couldn't count how many times he had punched the bamboo before him. The soreness and pain in his arms no longer mattered; he only wanted to absorb as much of San Long's teachings as possible within the limited time.
When the sun set, San Long saw that Yan Shouyi had no intention of resting and voluntarily suggested,
"Tou Jin requires not only practice but also quiet contemplation. I practiced for over thirty years and only reached 'Nine Penetrations,' meaning one punch can pierce through nine enemies. It took me three years to achieve even one penetration, so you cannot rush this. Why don't you go back to rest tonight, meditate on it properly, and we'll continue tomorrow?"
Yan Shouyi replied,
"Uncle San Long, I am a Heavenly Corpse Puppet. It's fine for me not to eat, drink, or sleep for days. Since you are still in Rongcheng, I must seize the time to practice more."
San Long was speechless for a moment. Seeing Yan Shouyi's diligent efforts, he could only cease his persuasion and return to rest.
He had barely walked a few steps when he encountered Lai Litou roasting a wild rabbit in the bamboo grove. San Long, who had been hungry all day, couldn't help but approach and snatch a rabbit leg from Lai Litou.
Lai Litou took out a bottle of Erguotou and tossed it to San Long, asking, "How is Shouyi learning?"
"This kid has the same resilience as Big Brother, and he's also ruthless with himself," San Long said with a wry smile. "He relies on being a Heavenly Corpse Puppet and practices his punches like he's not afraid of death."
Lai Litou chuckled, "That's why Big Brother went to great lengths to make Shouyi encounter Zhong Qi, isn't it?"
San Long unscrewed the cap of the Erguotou bottle, downed half of it in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and said,
"Right now, I don't know Shouyi's true talent. After all, it took me three years to achieve one penetration. With my guidance for these seven days, it would be great if Shouyi could grasp the feeling of Tou Jin."
Lai Litou took a bite of the rabbit leg and said, "The skill I'm going to teach is simple. How about I give you three days?"
"That's not out of the question."
San Long was about to take his second drink when, as his bottle reached his lips, it suddenly exploded with a bang!
The Erguotou splashed all over him. Startled, San Long jumped up and angrily exclaimed, "Who's playing dirty from the shadows!?"
Lai Litou also became vigilant, carefully observing their surroundings.
However, Yan Shouyi emerged from the bamboo grove. Seeing the shattered bottle, he said apologetically to San Long,
"Uncle San Long, I'm sorry. I just achieved one penetration, but I can't quite pinpoint the direction of the force."
San Long blinked, "Wait, what do you mean? You're saying you've achieved one penetration? You were the one who broke my bottle just now?"
"Y-yes," Yan Shouyi scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
San Long's face was filled with disbelief, and he repeatedly shook and waved his hands.
He was already a once-in-a-century genius of the Shaolin Temple. Achieving one penetration in three years was a record that no one in the Shaolin Temple had yet broken.
Yet Yan Shouyi had only practiced for one day!
"Demonstrate it now!" Lai Litou said.
Yan Shouyi obediently found a bamboo stalk, took a deep breath, and precisely threw a punch.
Bang!
The bottle in Lai Litou's hand also shattered with a crash!
Lai Litou looked at the broken bottle, now only half remaining, and was momentarily stunned.
San Long was utterly disheartened.
He had practiced for three years, and this kid had practiced for one day. Was it possible that what he had been practicing was fake Tou Jin?!
This was a blow of no small magnitude!
Yan Shouyi, not yet realizing San Long's discomfort, frowned and pondered his own problem, "I still can't find the focal point."
San Long took a deep breath, walked forward, patted Yan Shouyi on the shoulder, and said,
"Perhaps you're tired, and your hands are numb, making it difficult to grasp the subtle details. Why don't you go back and rest tonight? We'll meet here again tomorrow morning, and I'll guide you on how to control the direction of the focal point."
Yan Shouyi didn't overthink it and readily agreed. He then walked back to the old Liu family residence.
After he left, Lai Litou couldn't help but say, "Shouyi's talent is truly rare, once in ten thousand years. Not only do I now understand why Big Brother wanted him to become a Heavenly Corpse Puppet, but I also understand why he values him so highly! San Long, why didn't you directly teach him the subsequent content?"
San Long drooped his head and said mournfully,
"I originally thought it would be good if he could comprehend one penetration. I never expected to teach him more, nor did I plan how to teach him further... I told him to go back, not because he couldn't learn, but because I couldn't teach!"
Lai Litou's mouth gaped in surprise.
Then, the two couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Our folk sects are truly about to produce an unprecedented genius... With Shouyi, it's only a matter of time before Xuan Shan prospers!!"