With the Dao Fruit aiding in 'storing and sealing' the body, switching between the real world and the Great Yann World could be done at will.
"In this case,"
"I can completely spend an hour training in the real world, then stay in the Great Yann World for a whole month."
Chen Jichuan contemplated secretly.
Immediately after,
he recalled his objective for entering the Great Yann World this time—
"The Iron Bull Skill and Jade Belt Skill are strong."
"But to escape from the Black Prison, they're still not enough."
Chen Jichuan had achieved small success but wasn't complacent. Armed with basic martial prowess, his immediate thought for escaping the Black Prison was: "Lightness skill!"
In Langning City,
'Thousand-mile Chasing Wind' Yang Qing, the head of the city's captor squad, was one of the top Qinggong masters in Langning Mansion.
...
At the Drunken Immortal Pavilion,
one of the finest taverns in Langning Mansion,
'Thousand-mile Chasing Wind' Yang Qing and 'Divine Doctor' Chen Jichuan sat side by side.
Speaking of Yang Qing,
he was once a prominent figure on the Green Forest path in Langning Mansion, comparable in fame to 'Wave Chasing Silk' Ruan Mu, the second-in-command of the eighteen bandit gangs of Taiqing Mountain.
One claimed to be the fastest on land, while the other was known as the first in water.
But their fates were entirely different.
Ruan Mu turned to a life of banditry. With his unparalleled mastery of the 'Wave Wrapping Skill,' he thrived in the intricate water network of Taiqing Mountain, making him untouchable no matter who pursued him.
Thus, he firmly held the second chair among the eighteen bandit gangs.
"Sink like a thousand-pound stone in still water; leap like a Flood Dragon in combat across water."
This proverb aptly described the second-in-command.
As for Yang Qing, who rivaled Ruan Mu in fame, he wasn't just a boastful name. From a young age, he had cultivated his 'Land Flying Skill,' capable of swift movement across a hundred miles in one go, as fast as lightning.
In his earlier years, he was promoted by an Assistant Judge in Langning Mansion to become a city captor.
Yang Qing performed his duties zealously and diligently.
Over a decade, he caught dozens of major fugitives, outlaws, and river pirates. His 'Land Flying Skill' and peerless archery prowess terrified the Green Forest underworld, earning him widespread infamy. Many even cursed him, calling him a 'Court Dog.'
But Yang Qing was unfazed.
Most people didn't understand why someone as exceptional as Yang Qing would be so drawn to the role of a mere captor.
Until last year,
when rumors emerged that Langning Mansion's current Assistant Judge had recommended Yang Qing for the position of prison warden in Langning Mansion, overseeing the apprehension and management of prisoners.
This was a Ninth Grade official position.
If this were achieved, Yang Qing would officially become a court official, marking a clear distinction from his current role.
With his accomplishments over the past decade and the backing of two Assistant Judges,
his appointment as prison warden,
seemed all but assured.
For this reason, the forty-year-old Yang Qing felt a measure of self-satisfaction, drinking and feasting heartily as he enjoyed a lively conversation with 'Divine Doctor Chen,' who had gained widespread fame in Langning Mansion over the past year.
"Doctor Chen's medical skills are extraordinary, hailed as divine, yet you're interested in the rough martial arts of us crude folk?" Yang Qing slurred, surprised when 'Divine Doctor Chen' expressed interest in learning his 'Land Flying Skill' and 'Water Dividing Skill.'
"Medicine and martial arts are interconnected."
"My medical progress has stagnated, so I wish to study martial arts in hopes of a breakthrough,"
Chen Jichuan explained to Yang Qing while pulling two ingots of silver from his pocket and placing them in front of him.
Yang Qing glanced at them.
He immediately beamed with delight.
Twenty taels of silver was no small amount. Moreover, cultivating a good relationship with a famed Divine Doctor carried significant advantages, leaving Yang Qing no reason to refuse.
...
After drinking and dining to his heart's content,
Chen Jichuan left the Drunken Immortal Pavilion with Yang Qing.
The next day,
Chen Jichuan sought out Yang Qing to begin training in the 'Land Flying Skill' and 'Water Dividing Skill.'
The former was a lightness skill,
specialized in rapidly running and moving techniques.
"Master the Land Flying Skill, and it takes eight years to achieve success. Once mastered, you can move as swiftly as lightning, traveling in any direction—east, west, south, or north."
Like the Iron Bull Skill and Jade Belt Skill,
practicing this skill required persistence, steady progress without recklessness, neither overworking nor slacking. Only through unwavering dedication and long-term practice could one achieve success.
Having endured six years in the Black Prison, Chen Jichuan was anything but lacking in perseverance.
Every morning,
he first practiced the 'Iron Bull Skill.'
Then, tying sandbags to his legs and donning a sand suit, he trained in sprinting techniques. Each leg carried a one-pound sandbag, while the sand suit was filled with two pounds of sand.
This sand had been specially prepared by Yang Qing using a secret method,
highly mysterious,
yet Chen Jichuan discerned its preparation method with a single glance.
It was actually simple:
The sand was first heated in a pot and then soaked in vinegar overnight. Afterward, it was dried and packed into sandbags.
In this way,
it could prevent harmful gases from causing skin abrasions and ulceration.
The total sand weight combined was four pounds. Each training session involved running thirty miles, with two sessions per day—one in the morning to the South Suburb Forest outside the city, and one in the evening back to his residence in the city.
A total of sixty miles a day.
When he reached the forest,
he would train in the 'Jade Belt Skill' and 'Water Dividing Skill.'
The former needed no further explanation,
while the latter was also one of Yang Qing's trump cards.
The technique, named 'Water Dividing,' wasn't actually related to water but drew from the imagery of water, focusing on arm strength.
In the initial stages, wide open spaces were chosen where a row of thick bamboo, about a dozen stalks, was planted. Iron chains secured the top and bottom ends, binding them tightly together to form an unbroken wall.
Chen Jichuan began by inserting his palms between two bamboo stalks at the center, exerting his full strength to separate them.
Bamboo, being flexible and elastic, could slightly bend under force even if tightly packed. By applying force to part them, small gaps could gradually form. Inserting his arms, he would push hard to open a path. Initially, he could only create small slits.
With daily practice,
the tiny slits expanded over time until they became wide enough, akin to a doorway, allowing a person to pass through.
Next, more large bamboo stalks were added, starting with a dozen and gradually increasing to several dozen, until he could freely open passages even through many layers—by then, his skills were halfway mastered.
Adding just one bamboo stalk increased the weight by at least one hundred pounds.
With thirty stalks, this multiplied arm strength to well over a thousand pounds.
Eventually, fine sandbags or rammed-earth walls like the mud walls of rural villages were substituted. Using arms to penetrate and divide through these walls, he trained until his motions were smooth and unified in the sand, with no dust billowing. At that point, his technique was perfected, achieving ultimate mastery.