Chapter Thirteen: The Demon-Subduing Fist

It was as if Fang Xiao had plummeted from the clouds in an instant.

He had just grasped the subtlety of the Dragon-Tiger Stance technique. Yet before he could savor it, that profound state slipped away from him. Shock, regret, disappointment—all surged through his heart at once. Utterly vexed.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Fang Xiao pressed his hand to the Scarlet Sun Codex and once more allocated experience points to the Dragon-Tiger Stance. Instinct told him that only by elevating this fundamental martial art to a higher level could he truly comprehend its mysteries.

[Dragon-Tiger Stance (Mastery): 0/40]
[Experience: 7]

In the next instant, Fang Xiao re-entered the extraordinary state he’d just experienced. Within his mind, he trained ceaselessly in the Dragon-Tiger Stance without rest or sleep. Seasons changed in a blur, and Fang Xiao could no longer remember how many days had passed.

His mastery of the stance deepened with each passing moment, the dragon-tiger vital force within him growing stronger. His muscles and bones became ever more resilient, able to unleash power several times greater than before. The transitions between the Rising Dragon and Crouching Tiger forms flowed seamlessly, and he gained a wealth of insights into the martial path.

When Fang Xiao finally withdrew from this state of enlightenment, he no longer felt the earlier frustration and discontent. The results of two rounds of experience allocation had not only pushed the Dragon-Tiger Stance to the mastery level, but also bestowed upon him countless invaluable lessons.

He let out a long breath, his heart swelling with elation. Clenching his fists, he gave a forceful swing.

“Fang Xiao!”

At that moment, the rough, grating voice of Daoist Pang sounded from outside the kitchen. “I told you to take a bath, not to get lost in there! If you’re still alive, make a sound!”

Fang Xiao flushed with embarrassment and hurried out the door. He didn’t know what ‘getting lost in there’ meant, but he understood he’d spent quite some time in the kitchen, leaving Daoist Pang waiting impatiently.

“Eh?” Daoist Pang, who was standing in the courtyard, frowned as soon as he saw him. “Not clean yet?”

Fang Xiao stared, then quickly wiped his face—only to find his hand covered in greasy grime.

“I’ll wash again.”

At a loss for how to explain, he rushed back to the kitchen, emptied the dirty water from the tub, fetched another half bucket of clear water, and bathed once more. At last, he managed to clean himself thoroughly.

When Fang Xiao returned to the courtyard, Daoist Pang regarded him with a meaningful look and said, “Now that you’ve grasped the basics of the Dragon-Tiger Stance, you can begin learning the Demon-Subduing Fist.”

Both the Dragon-Tiger Stance and the Demon-Subduing Fist were foundational techniques of the Qianyang Dragon-Tiger Art. Complementary to each other, they formed the orthodox groundwork of martial study. Unlike the stance-based practice of the Dragon-Tiger Stance, the Demon-Subduing Fist was formidable and could be directly applied in combat.

“Alright!” Fang Xiao hurried to his room to fetch the manual for the Demon-Subduing Fist and began to study it earnestly.

The Demon-Subduing Fist was considerably more complex than the Dragon-Tiger Stance. The set comprised nine moves in total, incorporating numerous techniques for breathing, channeling energy, and exerting force.

Following his usual method, Fang Xiao prepared to memorize the entire manual, diagrams and all, before beginning entry-level practice to explore its secrets.

Throughout this process, Daoist Pang offered him valuable guidance.

Yet at this very moment, Fang Xiao was unaware of the deep conflict within the heart of the little Jing Mountain temple’s abbot. Daoist Pang was a true Daoist of the orthodox tradition. Though he had practiced martial arts in his youth to strengthen his body, his path was not one of martial ascension. Therefore, he could only impart the basics of martial practice to Fang Xiao—guiding him into the martial way was already his limit.

Initially, Daoist Pang had planned to let Fang Xiao study further techniques on his own after completing his body tempering. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Fang Xiao would awaken the dragon-tiger manifestation during his rebirth—a talent so extraordinary, how could he bear to let it go to waste?

Thus, Daoist Pang’s intentions had changed.

Three days slipped by in a flash.

Fang Xiao grew ever more aware of the benefits the mastery-level Dragon-Tiger Stance brought him. He had grown notably taller; his lean, agile body brimmed with vigor at all times, and no amount of exertion could tire him easily. His strength had increased dramatically—each punch and kick now carried the force of a tiger, every movement radiating power. His senses had grown sharper, his sight clearer than ever before. Most importantly, his flexibility had improved immensely—actions that were once impossible now came with ease.

This made his study of the Demon-Subduing Fist far more effective; in just three days, he found himself on the verge of breaking through.

But to Fang Xiao’s surprise, it was at this time that Daoist Pang declared he would be leaving the temple for a while.

“I’ve already spoken to Madam Qin,” Daoist Pang said. “Starting tomorrow, she’ll keep bringing your meals—so you won’t go hungry!”

Fang Xiao scratched his head. “Alright.”

Truth be told, Daoist Pang’s decision was so sudden that Fang Xiao felt caught off guard. Still, he knew he owed the Daoist a great debt and did not want to be a burden. There was surely a good reason for Daoist Pang’s actions.

“No need to worry,” Daoist Pang continued. “I’ve cleared out the area around the temple—no minor demons will dare disturb you. As long as you stay put and don’t wander, you’ll be perfectly safe here.”

“But if you do encounter danger you can’t handle…”

“Run, and run fast!” Daoist Pang had thought of everything. He led Fang Xiao to his own room and lifted the floorboard, showing him how to open the entrance to a hidden tunnel.

It turned out the Daoist had dug a secret passage from the temple all the way to the foot of the mountain—for emergencies.

Fang Xiao was genuinely impressed. He certainly didn’t want Daoist Pang to think him a coward, so he straightened his back and declared, “Don’t worry, Master—I’ll take good care of myself!”

Daoist Pang nodded and reiterated, “Don’t run off, and above all, don’t go into the mountains. Remember that!”

After giving a few more reminders, the Daoist picked up his horsetail whisk, took no luggage whatsoever, and departed the temple with a leisurely stride—vanishing from Fang Xiao’s sight in the blink of an eye.

The afternoon after Daoist Pang’s departure, while practicing the Demon-Subduing Fist, Fang Xiao was suddenly struck by inspiration. In a single leap, he crossed the threshold of that martial art.

The Scarlet Sun Codex instantly displayed:

[Demon-Subduing Fist (Initiate): 0/10]

Yet there were only 7 experience points left in this life-bound treasure—not enough to upgrade the Demon-Subduing Fist to the proficient level.

This made Fang Xiao think longingly of the little grass sprites. Those little monsters really were walking experience points—one crack of the belt, and one would fall, experience points pouring in. Nothing could be more gratifying!

But now that Daoist Pang had cleared out the area around the temple, and he couldn’t venture into the mountains, there were no more monsters to farm for experience.