Chapter 371: Chapter 268: Pursue! Overtake! 6th Realm Ladder Cloud Jump!
"The Flying Crane movement is the most graceful, spreading wings and leaping into the air; releasing force with shaking arms, breathing out with a long cry to aid power."
"Is this brother by any chance ’Snow Flying Cranes’ Liu Guanlan?"
Liu Guanlan inhaled deeply and lifted himself up like a flying crane, extending his arms like a crane, and with one powerful motion, he leaped over a dangerous obstacle, successfully advancing another four hundred feet, feeling secretly pleased, believing his "Flying Crane Skill" had advanced another step. Just then, he suddenly heard a voice greeting him near his ear from only a few feet away, startling him so much that he nearly slipped and fell.
"Brother Liu!"
Yan Chuan saw that he had startled someone and quickly reached out to assist.
"Whew!" Liu Guanlan, still recovering from the scare, turned his head to see a stranger’s face just an arm’s length away. He patted his chest and said with a bitter smile, "Brother, you nearly scared me to death!"
He had just been concentrating fully on using his "Flying Crane Skill," completely unaware of other matters, and didn’t know when this person had caught up with him, almost costing him his life.
A moment of lingering fear.
There was also a bit of displeasure in his heart.
But in the middle of this three to four hundred feet high cliff, he didn’t dare to hold grudges or start enmities, so Liu Guanlan quickly adjusted his mindset, smiled at Yan Chuan, and said, "Indeed, I am Guanlan; may I know your name?"
"It really is Brother Liu!"
Yan Chuan was delighted.
This man is the thirty-eighth ’Snow Flying Cranes’ Liu Guanlan from Nizhou, practicing a skill called "Flying Crane Skill," which combines inner strength, boxing, swordsmanship, qinggong, and movement techniques, truly formidable.
Yan Chuan, upon catching up with the second group, first encountered Liu Guanlan.
"I am Yan Chuan, pleased to meet you." Yan Chuan cupped his fist to Liu Guanlan.
Yan Chuan?
The eighty-first ’Hidden Dragon,’ a savage from Jian Province.
A little rogue.
"Pleased to meet you." Liu Guanlan smiled back at Yan Chuan, appearing friendly but not saying much more: "Brother Yan, shall we talk further on the mountain?"
"Sure thing."
"Brother Liu, please go ahead."
Yan Chuan stepped aside to make way.
"See you later!" Liu Guanlan, not standing on ceremony, lifted both arms and leaped towards higher ground.
"Inhaling through the nose, exhaling through the mouth. Lifting both arms with the momentum of crane wings striking water waves, truly a splendid ’Flying Crane Skill’."
Hearing Yan Chuan’s voice behind him, praising his "Flying Crane Skill" with a voice like a booming bell, Liu Guanlan was almost startled again, silently exasperated. He had little regard for such loud and boisterous people, but since Yan Chuan was after all praising him and the "Flying Crane Skill," he couldn’t just scold him back. Liu Guanlan just considered him a lunatic, ignoring him and continued to climb, putting more effort into it.
He initially thought that after a single compliment there would be no response and it would be over. Unexpectedly, even though he didn’t engage in conversation, Yan Chuan was neither embarrassed nor angry and continued to flatter his "Flying Crane Skill"—
"The crane, a yang bird, travels in yin, its body clean, thus its color white. Its voice reaches the heavens, thus its head is red. Eats in water, therefore its beak is long. Dwells on land, therefore its legs are high. Soars among the clouds, thus its feathers are lush and its flesh sparse. Large throat to expel, long neck to intake new, so its lifespan is immeasurable. The superior appearance of a crane, with long nose and short mouth, sleeps less; high legs with spaced joints, are stronger; eyes exposed with red pupils, see far; wings like a sparrow, like to fly; tortoise shell back, tortoise belly, can produce; light front, heavy back, is good at dancing; large hips, slender toes, is able to walk."
"Brother Liu’s practice of this ’Flying Crane Skill’ can strengthen the body, prolong life, enable flying and dancing, it is truly marvelous."
Yan Chuan continued chattering on.
Liu Guanlan only felt Mo Yin’s voice penetrating his ears, "I can’t afford to provoke, but I can avoid it!" He silently increased his speed, trying to leave Yan Chuan behind.
But Yan Chuan’s voice remained always below and behind, still loud and persistent, continuing to prattle about the "Flying Crane Skill"—
"In the ’Flying Crane Skill,’ the arms are crucial, symbolizing the crane’s wings. When Brother Liu makes a move, the muscles in his arms are highly tense, his hands constantly emit a vibrating force, producing a long cry, the sound aids the force, practicing ’Flying Crane Skill’ down to the bones, capturing the essence. At this realm, whether boxing, swordsmanship, or qinggong movement technique, they can all reach superior level."
"Brother Liu is amazing!"
"The crane’s path resonates, inside cooperates with outside!"
"Awesome!"
"Is this possibly the lightweight absolute skill ’eight-step’ from the ’Flying Crane Skill’?"
"Inhaling raises the pure, through qi circulation increases clarity, harmonizing qi and veins, qi cultivation stores strength, swallowing essence moistens, exhaling cleanses turbidity, circulating qi relaxes muscles, vibrating qi energizes, holding breath stabilizes, opening sound intimidates!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"It truly is the ’eight-step’!"
"Thank you Brother Liu for demonstrating Absolute Skill to Yan!"
...
Liu Guanlan nearly spat out old blood listening to the voice behind him.
He was clearly annoyed by Yan Chuan’s persistent voice, wishing to increase his speed and shake him off. That’s why he used the ’eight-step’, a lightweight absolute skill of the "Flying Crane Skill", but how did it become in Yan Chuan’s words as if he was intentionally demonstrating and flaunting it?
Liu Guanlan almost laughed from anger.
He said nothing, held his breath, and kept climbing, hands and feet moving faster, just to shake off Yan Chuan’s entanglement.
With this thought in mind, the flying and climbing techniques within the "Flying Crane Skill" were naturally executed without reservation and with full effort.
What he did not realize was—
This made Yan Chuan overjoyed—
"Flying with a meal of rest, inhaling and exhaling float and sink, horizontal vertical the mountain top, rubbing lifting knocking, jumping pouncing intersecting, washing wings shaking feathers!"
"Brother Liu!"
"Great skill!"
"Yin and Yang combined, maneuver flexibly, hands like bow and arrow, steps like wind!"
"The ’Flying Crane Skill’ is indeed mysterious."
"There is a saying in boxing: practice boxing, stand in the stance first, practice martial arts, train the skill first. Brother Liu has practiced the ’Pile Skill’ in ’Flying Crane Skill’ to the Transformation Realm, rooting with his feet, able to move freely."
"Sinking roots when falling, lifting when floating, giving a sense of flying, movements are light and agile."
"The method of lightening the body emphasizes breathing."
"Arrive like a storm, leave like wind sweeping away clouds, this is the method of using qi for force."
"Eh?"
"Not right!"
"Inhale~Exhale~"
"How come Brother Liu’s breathing method now has such a strange rhythm? Appearing chaotic, rapid, and difficult to discern, totally different from the concepts of ’Flying Crane Skill’, could it be a unique method created by Brother Liu?"