“Frank Henry had already mastered the Sword Gang in his thirties, which made him an exceptional genius in the The Henry Family. It’s a good thing he died at my hands, otherwise, in another ten years or so…”

“That would be unimaginable!”

“Heh heh!”

“Enough, let’s not talk about this. I’ll first teach you the Hunyuan Stance.”

Evelyn Spencer felt a surge of excitement and didn’t care whose martial arts he was learning. He hurriedly called out, “Thank you, Master, for your kindness in teaching me.”

Edward Miller laughed heartily, very satisfied with his new disciple’s cleverness, and first taught Evelyn Spencer the three sets of stance techniques.

While instructing Evelyn Spencer on the stances, he hadn’t expected this new disciple to have such extraordinary comprehension and to learn so quickly. After correcting just a few minor flaws, Evelyn Spencer had already mastered the three sets, which filled Edward Miller’s heart with joy. He thought to himself, “I took him in out of pity, but I didn’t expect his aptitude to be so good. This fate was not in vain.”

Edward Miller told Evelyn Spencer that his martial arts were passed down in the family and could not be easily taught to outsiders, but he didn’t mention that the The Henry Family’s martial arts were also never passed on to outsiders, and that secretly learning another family’s skills was a grave taboo in the martial world.

Following Edward Miller, Evelyn Spencer continued to practice for over a month, fully mastering the The Henry Family’s thirty-six Hunyuan Stance techniques. He cultivated this set of stances according to his master’s guidance, gradually gaining strength in his limbs, moving with greater agility, and his health improved significantly. Realizing the extraordinary nature of this martial art, he devoted himself even more diligently to practice.

One day, Edward Miller left his disciple at the inn, saying he was going to visit a friend.

Evelyn Spencer had little interest in this ancient world; everywhere seemed like a big countryside, not even as prosperous as a modern rural area. Even the famous cities of Daliang were just so-so.

After Edward Miller left, he didn’t go out either, instead cultivating in the inn for two or three hours. Suddenly, his tailbone grew hot, a surge of heat rushed up his spine to the crown of his head, circled briefly at the Baihui acupoint, then turned into a cool sensation that poured down along his brow, nose, throat, and chest, finally settling in his dantian. This faint stream of energy circled rapidly in his dantian, then connected back to his tailbone, creating a cycle of hot and cold within his body, rising and falling in turn.

Evelyn Spencer was overjoyed, exclaiming inwardly, “Have I produced true qi?”

With Edward Miller’s guidance, although surprised and delighted, he remained calm and motionless, letting the true qi gradually grow, thread by thread, until after more than half an hour, the true qi settled in his dantian, and he finished his Hunyuan Stance practice.

Evelyn Spencer pressed his dantian quietly and suddenly had a thought: “Master said, after standing in the stance for a few years, true qi will naturally develop, and then he can teach me the Demon-Dispelling Sword Technique. I should ask Master how long it usually takes to cultivate true qi. If I progress too quickly, I’d better hide it for now, lest I draw unwanted attention.”

“But if I hide my progress and it delays my learning of more advanced martial arts, wouldn’t that be counterproductive?”

He was conflicted, and that night, Edward Miller did not return.

Evelyn Spencer waited two or three more days, but still there was no sign of Edward Miller. He grew worried for his master, and also feared losing this valuable connection, so he couldn’t resist the urge to go out and look for news.

Edward Miller hadn’t said which friend he was visiting. As a transmigrator, Evelyn Spencer was quick-witted and thought to himself, “Master’s friends are probably martial artists too!” He asked the innkeeper about any famous martial artists in the area and got seven or eight names, which gave him some direction and kept him from feeling completely lost.

Evelyn Spencer quietly left the inn, just in time to see a group of gang members hurrying past him into the inn. His heart stirred, and he turned into a nearby alley.

After a moment, that group of gang members rushed out and chased down the main street.

Chapter 5 Blood Stains the The Spencer Family

Evelyn Spencer didn’t know who these people were, but they were almost certainly after him. He thought to himself, “These people must be connected to Master. I just don’t know if he’s run into enemies or friends. Are they here to eliminate witnesses, or to invite me as a guest?”

Curious, he quietly followed them, not forgetting to disguise himself a bit along the way. He snatched a hat from a household by the roadside, changed into some half-worn clothes, and smeared some black mud on his face.

Evelyn Spencer had only just cultivated internal true qi for two or three days, and didn’t feel much different yet. But as he quietly tailed those gang members at a brisk pace, he found his movements unusually strong and agile. Many things he couldn’t do before now came easily, a stark contrast to before. He thought to himself, “If I get so many benefits just from newly cultivating true qi, then those who have trained internal skills for decades—if they were in my world—wouldn’t they all be like superheroes?”

“At the very least, a Wolverine, or Captain America…”

The gang members soon gave up their search, turned down a few streets, and entered a large mansion.

Evelyn Spencer glanced at it and saw the words “The Spencer Family” written above the gate. He thought, “With so many martial artists under his command, and the surname Sun, this must be the Xiangzhu Howard Spencer of the Liuyang Gang that the innkeeper mentioned!”