Fierce Tiger

Towards the Southeast of the city was a mountain known as Mount Star. that was where the Star Temple was built at.

As it was hot during the summer, there weren't many people climbing the mountain to get to the temple.

However, on either side of the stairs were lush green plants. The place gave off a celestial vibe.

"Can I get an incense stick?" Chi Qiaosong noticed a practitioner selling incense sticks when he entered the temple. In a temple, those who were going through cultivation were ranked by householders, priests, and masters, while those who weren't cultivating were simply known as practitioners.

The robes that these different ranks wore were visibly different as well.

The practitioner, reading a newspaper, didn't even raise his head and said, "It's 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 dollars each from left to right."

"I'll get a 1 dollar one."

The young boy took out two five cents bill to purchase the cheapest incense stick.

He lit the stick with the lighter on the table and prayed before sticking it into the cauldron surrounded by white smoke. The smoke inside the temple was so dense that Chi Qiaosong's eyes almost turned red.

"Excuse me, but can I know if Priest Liu Chun is here or not?"

"Oh? You are looking for Senior Brother Liu?" The practitioner lowered his newspaper a little to show his eyes.

"Yes. I'm his student. I need to see him."

"Is that so?" the practitioner nonchalantly replied and raised his newspaper back up. "I don't know where he is."

As the Star Temple was managed directly by the city, even a practitioner was a governmental official. It was almost impossible to join the temple if one's family wasn't prominent enough. That was why them treating commoners rudely was a common sight.

Chi Qiaosong frowned and headed straight into the hall to search for his instructor.

After asking around, he finally found Liu Chun in the Talisman Hall. The instructor was making a talisman at the moment. Although Taoist priests possessed Qi in their bodies, they weren't able to manifest it outside of their bodies. However, they could create talismans and infuse their Qi into them.

The talismans made by a householder could last for three to five days.

One made by a priest could last for ten days to half a month.

And the master's talismans could preserve their effects for almost half a year.

"Who are you again?" Liu Chun was wholly focused on making his talisman that he wasn't even interested in his guest.

"Sir, my name is Chi Qiaosong. I'm a student at the Military Academy who has just reached the Wrestler Plane. I happened to be able to sense energy fluctuations when I was practicing the Yu Sword Skill."

Liu Chun raised his head to study the student in front of him. "Oh? You can sense energy fluctuations?" His eyes were judging the young man.

There were two reasons why a Taoist priest like Liu Chun would teach at the Military Academy. One was that the commander established the academy, and the temple could not reject sending a priest to teach there. And the other was because Liu Chun had a lover, and he needed the extra income.

As for the Purple Cloud Serenity, he never thought there would be a student who could master it.

Many wealthy and powerful families sent their children to the temple to learn inner strength, but only a handful could master it. The requirement for getting inner strength was much harder than external skills.

"Yes. I can."

"Don't lie to me." Liu Chun put his brush down as his gentle expression was replaced with a serious one. "Although our One Word Qi can't leave our bodies, it won't be hard for us to detect if you can detect energy fluctuations or not."

"There's no reason for me to lie, Mr. Liu." Chi Qiaosong took his Wrestler Plane ID out of his pocket and showed it to the priest. "I'm already in the Wrestler Plane."

"I see..." Liu Chun was still not convinced. "Then, tell me, what does energy fluctuation feel like?"

Chi Qiaosong then told the instructor in detail about how he sensed the fluctuation and what it felt like.

"Looks like you really can sense it. Energy fluctuation is the first step to achieving Qi. What you need to do now is follow the flow of the fluctuation and slowly cultivate it. You'll be able to gain your One Word Qi with that."

"Thank you, sir." The truth was that he had already generated his own One Word Qi and was now in the Novice Plane. However, he found no reason to disclose that.

"Also, your external skill training is going in the right direction since you've already achieved the Wrestler Plane," Liu Chun said. "I suggest you don't give up on that too. Come to me if you find your external skill blocked by energy fluctuation. And when you finally gathered your own Qi, register yourself with the Star Temple."

Chi Qiaosong then continued to chat with Liu Chun for quite a while in the temple, mainly focused on internal strength.

Unfortunately, the young man could not find an excuse to learn another internal strength skill. Instead, Liu Chun insisted that he focus on the Purple Cloud Serenity as, unlike external skills, jumping from one technique to another was not recommended for internal strength.

That was because everyone had a single path to direct their skills. Mixing other paths would cause a conflict in one's Qi.

It could cause one to lose their path.

"You'll be able to learn a higher-level technique once you have cultivated your One Word Qi," Liu Chun said. "Purchase a Cloudy Bookbag Seven Slips from the temple on your way out. Learn how to create talismans and rites to prepare yourself for the future."

"Okay."

On his way out, Chi Qiaosong purchased the book as his instructor had recommended.

It cost him 25 dollars and eighty cents, and he still managed to convince himself to make the purchase.

After heading down from the temple, he was about to head home when he noticed a bookstore. He entered the store, and it only took him a few minutes to find the same Cloudy Bookbag Seven Slips published by the same publisher.

However, it was priced at six dollars and fifty cents.

After comparing the contents, he concluded that both were the same.

He immediately rushed back up to the temple and found the practitioner in charge of selling the books. "I want a refund!"

"No refunds!"

"What? This book is priced at six dollars 50 cents at the other places, and you're selling it for 25 dollars and 80 cents!"

"You only noticed the price difference, huh? I guess you don't know that all our books are blessed by a master. Reciting this book will bring peace to your family." The practitioner flipped the book to the first page, with a talisman pattern on it. "This is the Family Protection Talisman made by our abbot."

Chi Qiaosong was slightly shocked when he saw the talisman.

Although weak, he could feel Qi from the talisman, proving that it was real.

However, he still felt like he was scammed for buying a Family Protection Talisman for more than 19 dollars.

"Fine! I'll at least show my instructor some respect. I'll return once I learn how to make my own talisman!" Chi Qiaosong clicked his tongue before he left.

"Like you can learn that!" The practitioner couldn't help but secretly scoff as he watched the young boy leave.

"Since the Crazed Bull Heavy Fist mimics the bull, you can guess that a tiger inspires the Fierce Tiger Heavy Fist. That's why these two skills are different."

He Bozhao finally found time on a Wednesday to teach Chi Qiaosong and explain the skill to him.

As a Knight Plane martial artist, he could mimic a tiger with every punch. It was as if he had a tiger's soul in him that would manifest whenever he threw his punch out.

The young boy only had time to memorize the movements before the class ended.

He Bozhao checked his watch and said, "I have a meeting on Friday, so you'll have to practice on your own. Your first homework is to master the movement."

"Yes, sir." Chi Qiaosong paused for a second. "Sir, can I ask Mr. Xu Jingyang to help me with the skill too?"

The chief instructor frowned. "What? Do you think that I can't teach you?"

"Not at all. It's just that you are an extremely busy person, Mr. He. There's no way I can trouble you with all the small detail." Chi Qiaosong truthfully replied, as he never liked relying on the instructors too. "I can practice on my own once I get my basics right, and I'll only come to you if there's a problem I can't solve myself."

Chi Qiaosong wanted to understand the fundamentals of every skill instead of relying on the instructors' teachings.

After a moment of hesitation, He Bozhao nodded."Makes sense. I do need to handle all the lessons here. Even half of my time is spent on meetings. I'll let Xu Jingyang know."

"Thank you, sir."

"You don't need to thank me. You're my student, after all."