Chapter 26: Tai Chi Stance
After an hour or two, Chen Fan examined his skill panel with satisfaction:
Wuji Stance: Lv2 (0%), Trait: Strong Body Lv2
Basic Hand Techniques: Lv1 (0%)
Basic Leg Techniques: Lv1 (0%), Trait: Strength Lv1
Basic Footwork: Lv1 (0%), Trait: Agility Lv1
The Strength trait mirrored "Exceptional Arm Power," granting +1 strength per level, while Agility provided +1 agility per level. Basic Hand Techniques had leveled up without unlocking new traits, instead flooding his mind with crisp muscle memory—surprisingly cheap at just 1 experience point. Basic Leg Techniques, Footwork, and Wuji Stance each demanded 2 points to advance from level 0.
Spending 10 experience points had netted him not only these memories but also +2 constitution, +1 strength, and +1 agility. A solid trade.
Chen Fan suspected these foundational skills might lack level caps, offering infinite growth—and potentially limitless stat gains. Yet he worried their returns would diminish compared to advanced stances like Tai Chi or Three Bodies, which promised greater rewards for their difficulty. Hence, he’d stopped at level 1 for each, reserving 7 points to test his theory.
"Enough," interrupted the limping man’s voice. He eyed the group’s strained faces. "You don’t need to memorize everything today. I’ll demonstrate daily until it sticks. These are the bare basics—if you can’t master these, quit martial arts now."
The chastisement worked.
"Uncle Zhang, we’ll remember!"
"It’s not that hard!"
"Beats studying any day!"
Chen Fan suppressed an eye-roll. Uncle Zhang’s reverse psychology never failed.
"Today ends here. Practice spear drills. Chen Fan, stay."
The others shuffled off, envy palpable.
"Uncle Zhang, teaching me Tai Chi Stance now?" Chen Fan grinned.
The man snorted. "How’d you grasp Wuji Stance in one try?"
"Not sure." Chen Fan scratched his head. "Felt natural—effortless, like my mind emptied. Sort of…smoking?"
"Smoking—" Uncle Zhang’s tongue flicked his lips reflexively.
"—has nothing to do with it," he snapped. "Your talent’s passable. Focus, and you’ll grasp Tai Chi Stance in a week, like the rest of us."
Chen Fan nodded eagerly.
"Tai Chi arises from Wuji," Uncle Zhang intoned, demeanor shifting. "It births Yin and Yang. All things hold duality. Stances divide into static and dynamic. Master static first—Wuji—before dynamic: Tai Chi."
A new entry flickered in Chen Fan’s panel:
Tai Chi Stance: Lv0 (0%)
Unlock Requirement: Wuji Stance Lv2 (Met)
So prerequisites governed progression. Without meeting them, ordinary learners stalled—or in his case, the system barred advancement.
The stance began like Wuji, then diverged: knees bent, arms arcing into a chest-level circle. Within minutes, his shoulders burned.
"Rest one minute after every five," Uncle Zhang advised. "One hour total."
Chen Fan sagged in relief, massaging his arms. Tai Chi Stance dwarfed Wuji’s strain—Three Bodies would be torture. His panel updated:
Tai Chi Stance: Lv0 (0.05%)
Five minutes for 0.05%? His jaw dropped. 10,000 minutes to level up? A full week nonstop! He side-eyed Uncle Zhang. Did this man even sleep?
"Tai Chi Stance underpins all routines. Master it, and the rest follow." With that, Uncle Zhang left to drill the others.
Chen Fan resisted spending experience points. Progress after five minutes was alarmingly fast—better wait. His enhanced constitution allowed quick recovery, at least.
When Uncle Zhang returned an hour later, Chen Fan’s posture drew a nod. "Enough for today. Rest. Archery after."
Gasping, Chen Fan agreed. His Basic Archery neared 60%—by tonight, level 5 would grant 90% accuracy via the mounted archery trait. No antelope would dodge his first shot. Stance and fist training aimed to strengthen him for heavier bows.
He noticed Zhao Feng practicing archery nearby. "Inspired by you," Uncle Zhang remarked. "If he succeeds, the village benefits."
Chen Fan agreed. Stronger allies meant less pressure—though his own growth mattered most.
"Tomorrow’s hunt," he mused. Hiding his strength felt unwise when death lurked every trip. Survival trumped secrecy.
Time to invest in Tai Chi Stance
