Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound, Internal Strengthening and Ultimate Softness of an Infant

It had been half a month since Tai Yuan and Lin Pingzhi bid farewell to the Ziyang Academy.

Tai Yuan walked ahead at a leisurely pace, while Lin Pingzhi followed closely behind.

Looking closely, one would find that Lin Pingzhi was walking in a bizarre posture, cradling a grey-and-black striped cat in his arms. He would take a few steps, then pause for a moment, his body trembling slightly, accompanied by a faint, almost imperceptible sound.

At times, his face would flush red, a sign of surging Qi and blood. At other times, his hands would clench tightly, as if grasping at empty air.

Occasionally, they would encounter traveling merchants or woodcutters carrying firewood along the road, who would cast their gazes upon Lin Pingzhi.

"This young lad, could he have some hidden ailment?"

"Indeed! So young and handsome, what a pity!"

"Looking at his gait, could it be epilepsy?" someone speculated.

Even though Lin Pingzhi had experienced his share of ups and downs, he was still choked by these people's wild gossip.

He was practicing his martial arts, practicing!

As soon as his mind wavered, he could no longer maintain his previous bizarre gait.

"Pingzhi, quiet your mind. Let Mount Tai collapse before you without changing color; let a deer run on your left without blinking. This master does not expect you to reach this level yet, but amidst the clamor, you must achieve a state of single-minded focus, completely free of extraneous thoughts."

As soon as Lin Pingzhi's movements faltered, Tai Yuan noticed it.

Lin Pingzhi showed a look of embarrassment. "Yes, Master."

After speaking, he resumed his previous bizarre posture.

In truth, this was the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound Internal Strengthening Method that Tai Yuan had recently imparted to him.

Qi originates from the One and divides into two, namely the Hun and Po, the Yin and Yang. The Hun Qi is pure Yang, bright and light, capable of being empty or real, hard or soft, circulating and changing, divine and subtle, to the point of being formless and silent—this is the exquisite use of Yang Qi.

The Po Qi is pure Yin, simple and heavy, capable of being strong, fierce, and unyielding. Its mighty force can shatter the strongest defenses, and its robust Qi can pluck mountains—this is the exquisite use of Yin Qi.

Relying on his dozen-plus years of foundation, Lin Pingzhi had completed the process of External Training and Qi Circulation in a mere few months. What he was now pursuing was Internal Strengthening and Qi Nourishing.

External training tempers the tendons and bones, strengthens Qi and blood, and unlocks the five core joints of the body: hips, shoulders, elbows, ribs, and spine.

This was equivalent to completing the "Three External Harmonies"—the harmony of hands and feet, elbows and knees, and shoulders and hips.

The so-called Harmony meant that during movement, the entire body from top to bottom coordinated in perfect unison. The range of motion, speed, force, and relative positions of the limbs were all perfectly balanced, with no excess or deficiency. Only then could one achieve balance, stability, and agile, swift movement, making it easy to exert force.

And the so-called "Qi Circulation" meant utilizing breathing to temper the body's functions, thereby fully mobilizing all the sources of energy hidden deep within.

This "Qi" was formed by the fusion of Innate Qi, the Qi of Food and Water, and Natural Clean Qi.

After "External Training" came "Internal Strengthening"; and after "Qi Circulation" came "Qi Nourishing."

The "Internal Strengthening" method Tai Yuan taught Lin Pingzhi was a type of "Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound" that was easy to learn but difficult to master.

Many believed that the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound referred to the roaring of tigers and leopards, but that was not the case.

The so-called "Thunder" was not a sudden, explosive clap of thunder!

Rather, it was the low, continuous rumbling and humming that echoed through a valley before a lightning strike, identical to the sound generated inside the bodies of tigers and leopards. This was the true Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound.

This sound was extremely low, not roared from the mouth, but produced by the constant vibration of strong, resilient bones.

One can imagine a tuning fork; when struck, it vibrated continuously, producing a humming sound. This was the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound.

The rumbling of thunder echoing in a valley was the same!

Since Lin Pingzhi could not easily pet a tiger or a leopard, Tai Yuan had him buy a cat to hold in his arms, so he could constantly feel its posture.

Usually, when a cat purred, a continuous vibration could be felt in one's hands. Cats, tigers, and leopards all belonged to the feline family and shared this similarity, making this the true way to learn the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound.

In martial arts, once one practiced fist techniques to a certain level, the bones and muscles would become agile and solid. At this point, the martial skill had to penetrate inward, soaking into the internal organs.

But this step was extremely difficult. Thus, one had to use sound to bridge the gap—sound traveling from the inside out, and force traveling from the outside in. With internal and external cooperation, the skill could be achieved.

This was the technique Lin Pingzhi was currently practicing. When he exerted force, his entire body coordinated, forming vibrations that produced a similar sound. It was not as loud as a roar from the mouth, but it truly existed!

However, because Lin Pingzhi had only recently been taught, his cultivation time was too short. He could not yet coordinate his entire body in unison at any time and place to create resonance, which was why he looked so bizarre.

According to Tai Yuan's estimation, it would take Lin Pingzhi about three years to truly complete this process of "Internal Strengthening and Qi Nourishing."

But once he achieved great success, Lin Pingzhi would be equivalent to reaching the realm of the "Three Internal Harmonies."

The Three Internal Harmonies referred to the combination of Mind, Intent, and Qi—namely, the harmony of Mind and Intent, Intent and Qi, and Qi and Force.

Combined with the previous "Three External Harmonies," he would reach the realm of the "Six Harmonies."

If he truly reached that level, Lin Pingzhi could easily master any fist, elbow, palm, finger, leg, or knee technique in the world. Because no matter how difficult the technique or how bizarre the move, he could easily replicate it and quickly grasp the trick of exerting force within it.

"With just one glance, I can learn the skills you spent decades mastering."

...

In fact, Harmony was a human instinct, born with us, not something new.

For example: when walking, when stepping forward with the left foot, one naturally swings the left hand backward; when pushing forward with both arms, the feet naturally press backward; when pulling back with both arms, the upper body naturally leans back while the feet press forward; when the hips drop backward, the upper body naturally leans forward; when raising the hands, the lungs naturally inhale, and when lowering them, they exhale; when storing force, one inhales, and when releasing force, one exhales...

In short, when moving, humans naturally place themselves in the most stable state based on innate instinct, adopting the posture best suited to the movement at that moment.

Therefore, Harmony was natural Harmony, comprehensive Harmony, including the combination of internal and external, top and bottom, left and right, front and back...

It was by no means limited to the "Six Harmonies" alone!

It was just that Lin Pingzhi had only recently begun practicing the "Three Internal Harmonies." His movements were unfamiliar and his mind was tense, which ironically caused him to lose his natural Harmony. If he could strike naturally, "Spitting Qi Like an Arrow" would easily lead to the exquisite state of natural Harmony.

As for why one should strengthen the internal organs?

Naturally, it was to have a healthier physique!

There was a reason why internal cultivators in the martial world looked down on external cultivators; even those external cultivators themselves desired an internal cultivation manual.

Most who practiced external arts were actually training their muscles. Over-developing and over-exerting muscles caused the tendons and bones to become sore and stiff, which was actually a sign of stagnant Qi and blood, leading to blocked meridians.

Even with the aid of medicinal baths, over time, the body would inevitably accumulate hidden injuries.

Just like the modern athletes Tai Yuan knew of in his past life.

Athletes exercised a lot and should have been very healthy and long-lived, but in reality, many died young and appeared older than their peers. The reason was that they only trained their muscles, and did so excessively.

The traditional Chinese way of training was to temper the Essence, Qi, and Spirit, known as "externally training the tendons, bones, and skin; internally training a breath of Qi."

If we look at ancient Chinese martial arts—Five Animal Frolics, Baguazhang, Tai Chi, Baduanjin—these movements all shared a common feature: they were coordinated with breathing, making the breath deep and long through practice.

Deep breathing moved the diaphragm up and down, providing a gentle massage to the internal organs and stimulating them. This was the true meaning of sinking Qi to the Dantian.

It did not mean that a breath of air remained static in the Dantian, but rather that Qi was guided inward to promote the circulation of Qi and blood in the organs, massaging them from within. This made the Dantian feel full and robust.

The first point of "Internal Strengthening" was having strong internal organs. Through various methods, the organs were put into motion, making them strong and resilient, no longer weak and easily bullied by illness.

Of course, this strength did not mean tempering the organs to be as hard as stone.

Quite the contrary, we train toward softness—the harder something is, the less vitality it has. Once the body stiffens, health declines. The bodies of the elderly are stiff, while the bodies of infants are soft.

An outward manifestation of Internal Strengthening was a soft body and supple tendons and bones.

When the body was soft, Qi and blood could circulate and relax. If one used brute force, the limbs would stiffen, and Qi and blood could not flow. When Qi and blood did not flow smoothly, illness would arise.

Therefore, Laozi said: "Man is born gentle and weak, at his death he is hard and strong. Green plants are tender and fragile, at their death they are withered and dry. Therefore, the stiff and strong are disciples of death, the gentle and weak are disciples of life. Thus, a strong army will be destroyed, a stiff tree will be broken. The strong and great occupy the lower position, the gentle and weak occupy the upper position."

Another meaning of Internal Strengthening was a strong inner self and a strong mind.

Traditional Chinese Medicine says that the Heart houses the Spirit. Only a strong inner self can withstand the chaotic mortal world. How can the mind become strong? It is through a tranquil spirit. If every little thing disturbs one's mind, and one's heart is filled with chaotic thoughts, it is very difficult for the body to remain healthy.

The root cause of this lay in Qi. Traditional Chinese Medicine says: "Anger rises Qi, joy relaxes Qi, sorrow dissipates Qi, thinking knots Qi, fear lowers Qi, fright confuses Qi." When a person's emotions fluctuate, their Qi is unstable, rising and falling abruptly.

Therefore, Chinese people liked to speak of Qi and Spirit together—steady Qi and a relaxed Spirit. When the Spirit is clear, one is cool-headed. A person with such a mindset can remain stable, calm, and composed when facing any situation.

Internal Strengthening referred to these two aspects: one was strong internal organs; the other was a strong mind.

These two shared a cause-and-effect relationship. When the organs were strong and Qi sank to the Dantian, Qi and blood flowed smoothly, making the Dantian full.

In this way, all the Qi of the body gathered inward, and one would not feel anxious or restless, maintaining a good mindset. Conversely, if a person's mind was tranquil and their mindset was good, their body would also improve.

As the saying goes: "One knows one's own illness in one's heart; to cure a bodily illness, one must first heal the mind. When the state of mind is tranquil, the body is also still; when thoughts arise, illness is born."