077 Stealing the Secrets of Heaven and Two Draws of the Lottery

“Silly bird, you caught the wrong thing!” Du Ruo used his other hand to push the kestrel aside, watching as it swiftly flew back to its nest. This time, Du Ruo no longer placed the minced beef in his palm, but simply left it atop a stone.

With a sudden swoop, the kestrel darted out of its nest once more, clutching the beef with its sharp talons. As before, it immediately flapped its wings and returned to the nest.

“Heh, truly a foolish bird,” Du Ruo chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. No longer content to sit on the rocky outcrop and admire the scenery, he began to climb upward.

Though the cliff was steep, Du Ruo ascended with greater speed. His legs dangled in the air; only his fingers and arms propelled him, gripping the protruding rocks one after another until, in a few swift movements, he reached the top.

At the summit of the cliff, Du Ruo discovered lush vegetation, not only grass but also pine trees and brambles. Yet beyond this ravine, another sheer wall rose above him.

Du Ruo glanced at it but had no intention of climbing further. Instead, he returned to the spot where he had just arrived.

Facing the direction of the precipice, Du Ruo observed for a moment, then turned sideways to the edge and began to set his stance, practicing the most familiar Xingyi Five Elements Fist.

At that moment, his left hand was toward a ravine thick with pine trees, and to his right towered the hundred-meter stone cliff. Standing at the cliff’s edge, he gazed upon endless mountain peaks, as if a single misstep could send him plunging into the abyss.

It was the first time Du Ruo practiced martial arts in such a setting. He dared not perform the wide-ranging moves of the Xingyi Twelve Animals; instead, he focused his mind and spirit, concentrating fully on the more compact movements of the Five Elements Fist, careful not to misstep.

With his mind so sharply focused, he began cautiously, even though he was certain that his Ba Gua Palm’s muddy-walking step and the balance techniques of the Natural School were highly advanced—he was unlikely to slip or fall. Yet the tension in his heart could not be dispelled.

Again and again, Du Ruo performed the Five Elements Fist, his heart growing ever calmer. He executed the splitting, crushing, cannon, drilling, and crossing techniques, each in turn.

In this state of intense concentration, his understanding and application of these forces improved rapidly. Meanwhile, on the attribute panel he rarely had time to check, the experience for Xingyi Fist was climbing swiftly.

With a long breath, Du Ruo finished another round of the Five Elements Fist, lowered his stance, and looked once more at the cliff. He stood as steady as a pine, his eyes serene and untroubled.

“So this is stealing Heaven’s secrets? There’s some real merit to it, though it’s not something one should attempt often—far too dangerous.” He murmured, and the fear of the precipice vanished from his eyes; he no longer felt uneasy standing at its edge.

While practicing, Du Ruo had kept his mind highly focused to prevent falling, but it limited his movement; his form was somewhat distorted, the fear in his heart interfering.

A martial artist must cultivate openness and freedom of mind; if bound by fear, the power of the fist cannot be fully expressed, and the energy will not flow smoothly. It was just like when Du Ruo coached Qiangzi on the sandbag—if one’s hand hurts, the punch will instinctively be restrained, and the force cannot be unleashed, the energy blocked, reducing the punch’s strength by thirty percent.

But as Du Ruo continued, he gradually relaxed, realizing his footing was secure and he would not easily twist an ankle or step into the void. As his movements loosened, standing at the threshold of life and death, his concentration heightened, and his comprehension of the fist deepened.

At home in the courtyard, he could never achieve such intense focus.

Confidence is built this way—faced with the unknown, ordinary people lack self-assurance and constantly question themselves. If one hesitates or feels timid, self-doubt increases.

But after trying and discovering he could do it easily, and succeeding time after time, his confidence grew ever stronger. It was also a victory over himself, making his heart more resilient and emboldening him to attempt more next time.

At this thought, Du Ruo smiled and summoned his attribute panel.

Today, the experience for the Natural School technique and Ba Gua Palm was about to level up. He had climbed the cliff to test whether “stealing Heaven’s secrets” truly worked; otherwise, he would not have risked it, since he could have reached the summit by following the ravine—a bit longer, but far safer.

Name: Du Ruo
Age: 31
Essence: 9.55
Qi: 9.54
Spirit: 9.54
Attribute Points: 0.06
Skills:
Xingyi Fist LV2 (281/500)
Natural School Technique LV2 (5/500)
Ba Gua Palm LV2 (3/500)
Tongbei Fist LV1 (36/200)
Special Skills:
Throwing Techniques LV2 (10/500)
Two lottery draws available. Would you like to draw skills?

“A double blessing indeed!”

Du Ruo felt a rush of excitement at the two lottery draws displayed on the panel.

He had barely practiced the Natural School technique since first acquiring it, as most of its basics overlapped with those of other styles. Thus, Du Ruo allowed it to grow passively, gaining experience only occasionally while practicing other basics.

He hadn’t expected it to level up simultaneously with Ba Gua Palm.

“It seems stealing Heaven’s secrets not only accelerates force comprehension, but also greatly boosts experience in other martial skills. Too bad frequent practice is harmful, and accidents are hard to avoid—otherwise, it would be a perfect method for training.”

Du Ruo saw that the experience for Xingyi Fist, Natural School, Ba Gua Palm, and even the recently acquired Tongbei Fist had all soared, his heart surging with excitement. Yet recalling the dangers of “stealing Heaven’s secrets,” he quickly dismissed any thoughts of continued practice in that manner.

“All skills, draw now.”

To banish those dangerous ideas, Du Ruo decided to draw twice and calm himself.

Skill acquired:
Fujian Bronze Man Technique LV0 (0/100)
Eight Extremes Fist LV0 (0/100)

Du Ruo silently recited the draw in his mind, and two new skills appeared on his attribute panel.

Before the knowledge could enter his mind, the skill panel shifted once more.

Fujian Bronze Man Technique LV1 (0/200)

The Fujian Bronze Man Technique had automatically increased by a level.

“What’s going on? What exactly is this Bronze Man Technique?” Du Ruo was utterly baffled, never expecting a skill to upgrade itself upon acquisition.

Previously, new skills always started at zero experience. Even if he could level them up quickly, it required half a day or more of diligent practice to see rapid progress.

Du Ruo hurriedly examined the knowledge relating to these two newly acquired skills in his mind.