The Hunyuan Stance

"Master, is Sun Wuji truly formidable?" Huo Xuan asked guiltily upon hearing Hua Buyi's decision to intervene.

"He wields esoteric tricks," Hua Buyi smiled thinly. "But no match for your master's walking stick."

By midday, they'd moved to the courtyard. Hua Buyi assumed a stance—feet parallel, chest slightly concave, shoulders relaxed, palms cupped before dantian.

To Huo Xuan's eyes, his master resembled an ancient pine—supple yet rooted, embodying yin-yang equilibrium through relaxed tension.

"This is Hunyuan Stance," Hua Buyi explained. "Fuses essence and strength into primordial energy—foundation of Taiji practice."

"Why teach me martial foundations?" Huo Xuan frowned.

"Physicians traverse wolves' dens," Hua Buyi countered. "This stance will root you when knives flash in dark alleys."

"But who'll teach advanced techniques?" Huo Xuan pressed, envisioning roof-hopping prowess.

"Ten days to master this stance," Hua Buyi decreed. "When I return in two months, prove you're worthy of their attention."

Huo Xuan swallowed questions about the mysterious "they"—obedience preceded enlightenment.

Mirroring his master's posture, Huo Xuan activated X-ray vision. Tendons and Qi channels glowed like celestial maps beneath his skin.

"Hips three millimeters too high," Hua Buyi critiqued instantly. "Shoulders petrified as stone lions."

"Gaze pierces distant mountains. Chest cradles moonlight. Shoulders melt like spring snow." The master's corrections flowed poetically precise.

Golden light illuminated micro-adjustments. Within thirty minutes, Huo Xuan's stance achieved textbook perfection—a feat requiring years for ordinary disciples.

Hua Buyi's eyebrows arched in surprise. "The Hunyuan Stance is elementary, yet grasping its essence so swiftly? You're cut from martial cloth."

Observing Huo Xuan's corrected posture, Hua Buyi initiated the esoteric teachings. "Heart Methods direct Qi-blood flow. Ten practitioners, ten variations—each yielding distinct potency."

"This Green Emperor Heart Method," Hua Buyi intoned, "is the Shennong Sect's forbidden scripture. Fail this, and you'll never touch our Nine Medical Forces or Daluo Divine Needles."

"Our pinnacle techniques demand Green Emperor mastery as their bedrock."

Golden light unveiled the dance of Qi-blood through Hua Buyi's meridians—every capillary pathway illuminated.

Two hours of meticulous instruction later: "Sensing Qi-blood currents takes years. Imprint the theory first—epiphanies follow patience."

Though currently Qi-blind, Huo Xuan's golden sight had mapped every vascular route. Physiological mastery was inevitable.

Hua Buyi slashed the tutelage period from ten days to three. The disciple's preternatural assimilation rendered extended guidance redundant.

"Perfect this stance in my absence," Hua Buyi commanded during the final inspection.

"Understood, Master."

Zhang Wu's hospitality covered Jinlong Hotel's presidential suite for daytime cultivation. Nights were reserved for Lin Yue's urban sanctuary.

Lin Yue's early return radiated triumph—the jewelry empire's bureaucratic gauntlet conquered.

"Permits conquered, Sister Yue?" Huo Xuan grinned, recalling surrendering his ID card days prior.

She fanned out stamped documents like a winning hand. "Now we hunt for the perfect retail battlefield."

Huo Xuan marveled at the bureaucratic labyrinth. "This paperwork marathon must've drained you."

"At least your conscience isn't completely fossilized," she retorted, rotating stiff shoulders.

"The competent inherit burdens," he chuckled. "I'd still be lost in red tape purgatory."

"And what earth-shattering feats did our young master accomplish today?" Her eyes rolled theatrically.

"Attained cosmic harmony through stationary enlightenment," he deadpanned.

"Absurd martial arts whims," she scoffed, thrusting her shoulders forward. "Xiao Huo! Your empress demands royal treatment."

His fingers worked miracles on her trapezius muscles. "Liquidate the warehouse jade for capital infusion."

"Five emperor-grade jades stay as our flagship treasures," she decreed. "My 500 million yuan war chest covers initial operations."

"Your empire, your edicts." Huo Xuan surrendered with princely grace.

"I return to my ancestral home tomorrow," he announced. "Once familial duties are settled, we storm the jewelry world."