Reunion with Wang Shuo, A Bowl of Blood Nourishing Soup Every Three Days

Wang Yue and Xu Li walked towards the other side of the training ground, where the Martial Academy was located, close to the training field.

However, it was very far from the disciples who hadn't entered the academy yet in the back courtyard, so far it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

As soon as Wang Yue pushed open the large doors of the Martial Academy, he was captivated by the scene before him.

On both sides were neatly arranged individual rooms, each with a small window. Simple sundries were placed on the windowsills, clearly the living quarters of the disciples. Seeing the private rooms, Wang Yue couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. Back in the back courtyard, he and Xu Li had shared a room, which was incredibly cramped.

Walking further in, there was a training ground twice the size of the back courtyard. Scattered across the ground were bluestones, sandbags, and other tools for strengthening the body. Over a dozen disciples were already practicing. Some were lifting bluestones to temper their strength, veins bulging on their foreheads.

Some were repeatedly practicing punches against wooden stakes, their fist winds sharp, the wooden stakes covered in fist imprints.

Others were practicing footwork, their movements as agile as wildcats.

The atmosphere here was completely different from the back courtyard. There was no idle chatter, no slacking off. Everyone was diligently advancing their martial arts, even their breathing exuded a tense focus.

"Wang Yue? Xu Li?"

A clear, cold voice called out. Wang Yue turned his head and saw Jiang Peiling standing in the center of the training ground, retracting her stance.

She wasn't wearing the loose black clothes from before, but a fitted, light gray martial arts uniform that accentuated her lean figure. A thin sheen of sweat on her forehead trickled down her cheek, adding a touch of vibrancy that was usually absent.

The several female disciples beside her stopped practicing upon seeing them, their gazes falling on Wang Yue and Xu Li.

One of them, a round-faced female disciple, suddenly giggled, her tone teasing, "Peiling, you're actually wearing face cream these days? You're someone who never even touched rouge or powder before. Don't tell me you've taken a liking to one of these two new disciples?"

The surrounding female disciples joined in the laughter. Jiang Peiling, however, remained unfazed, merely casting a faint glance at the round-faced disciple. "Stop the nonsense and practice. It's a good opportunity for me to see if you've improved over the past half-month."

The round-faced disciple didn't refuse and immediately adopted the starting stance of the Harmonious Flow Fist, smiling as she lunged forward. "Come on, I'm sure I can take ten of your moves this time!"

The sound of fists and palms colliding soon echoed. Wang Yue withdrew his gaze and saw a tall, sturdy disciple emerge from the crowd, walking directly towards him.

This person was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a resolute face and steady eyes. The fluctuation of Qi and Blood emanating from him was even more robust than Jiang Peiling's, clearly indicating he was also an outstanding individual in the Blood Condensation Realm.

"You are Wang Yue?" The tall disciple stopped in front of Wang Yue, cupped his fist in greeting, and spoke politely, "The instructor specifically instructed that when you arrived at the Martial Academy, I was to bring you to see him. My name is Wang Daoling."

After speaking, he turned to look at Xu Li and added, "Junior Brother Xu, Uncle-Master Wang Hu is waiting for you in the side room. You can head straight there."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Wang." Xu Li quickly cupped his hands in thanks and walked towards the side room with his package.

Wang Yue followed behind Wang Daoling, but his heart stirred. He had heard of Wang Daoling's reputation when he was in the back courtyard.

This person was the son of Wang Changyun, the younger brother of Clan Head Wang Hezheng. Not only was his background prominent, but his root bone talent was also a rare top-grade, placing him alongside Jiang Peiling as the pinnacle of root bone talent in the Martial Academy. He was recognized by the clan as a "pillar of the future."

Wang Yue pondered inwardly, his gaze fixed on Wang Daoling's retreating back. Top-grade root bone talent, coupled with the clan's resource allocation, Wang Daoling's martial progress might be even faster than his own!

Wang Daoling seemed to sense his gaze and glanced back at him, speaking calmly, "Martial Brother Wang, many people in the Martial Academy have heard from Peiling about your feat of killing Zhang Li at Lianmang Mountain. Your Harmonious Flow Fist has reached minor completion, showing true mastery. However, in the Martial Academy, mere mastery isn't enough; you also need to withstand pressure. The people training here are all carefully selected from the clan, and the competition is much fiercer than in the back courtyard."

Wang Yue nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. I understand."

Wang Daoling said no more.

He led Wang Yue through the training ground, all the way to the last row of rooms at the innermost part of the Martial Academy, and then stopped in front of a door.

He raised his hand and knocked, his voice respectful, "Great-Uncle, Wang Yue is here."

A deep "En" came from inside the room, it was Wang Shuo's voice.

Wang Yue pushed the door open and saw Wang Shuo sitting on a large pear wood chair. He had changed into a black training jacket, his sleeves rolled up to reveal his strong forearms. He held a cup of steaming tea, the aroma wafting gently.

Wang Daoling outside the door did not enter, but simply called out loudly to bid farewell, "Then I will go practice my punches. I won't disturb Great-Uncle."

"Go ahead." Wang Shuo waved his hand. After the sound of footsteps faded, he put down his teacup and suddenly stood up.

Wang Yue felt a blur before his eyes as Wang Shuo's figure appeared in front of him. The next moment, a rough palm grasped his shoulder, and a strange, immense force, similar to the one during the training ground assessment, surged into his body.

The force circulated through his meridians, carrying a gentle probing intent, yet without any sense of oppression. After a moment, it quietly dissipated.

Wang Yue's heart tightened, "Could this be the martial realm after the Blood Condensation Realm?"

Wang Shuo released his hand, returned to his chair, and sat down, a smile on his lips. "Medium-high grade root bone talent, not bad, not bad."

Wang Yue was confused and scratched his head, asking, "Master Wang, my medium-high grade root bone talent isn't considered top-tier in the Martial Academy, why do you still say it's not bad?"

In the Martial Academy, there were people with top-grade root bone talent like Jiang Peiling and Wang Daoling, as well as many disciples with high-grade root bone talent. His medium-grade root bone talent could at most be considered "above average," certainly not "not bad."

Wang Shuo took a sip of tea and put down the cup, explaining, "Precisely because your root bone talent isn't top-tier, yet your progress is so rapid, I can confirm that your comprehension talent is high enough."

He paused, his expression becoming serious. "Comprehension talent and root bone talent are two different things. Both are indispensable in practicing martial arts. Some people are born with excellent root bone talent, but they can't even grasp the techniques or methods of practice, and can't even solidify their basic stances. What use is their high root bone talent? You were able to reach minor completion in Harmonious Flow Fist and condense six strands of Qi and Blood with limited resources. This comprehension talent is far superior to those children with top-grade root bone talent."

Wang Yue finally understood. It turned out that what Wang Shuo valued wasn't his root bone talent, but his comprehension talent.

At this moment, Wang Shuo picked up a yellowed, thread-bound booklet from the table and handed it to Wang Yue. "This is the original Harmonious Flow Fist secret manual of our clan. It records the complete practice method of Harmonious Flow Fist from entry to completion, as well as my and my teacher's cultivation experiences from back then. Absolutely do not spread it outside; just read it secretly yourself."

"Don't thank me yet." Wang Shuo waved his hand. "The Clan Head specifically instructed that your reward, in recognition of your previous contribution in offering the secret manual of the Zhao Kingdom's spies, would be decided by me. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Wang Yue looked up, meeting Wang Shuo's smiling gaze. He didn't beat around the bush and said with a smile, "Master Wang, I feel that the one bowl of Blood Nourishing Soup per month in the back courtyard wasn't enough. It would be best if it could be changed to one bowl per day."

"You rascal!" Wang Shuo rolled his eyes upon hearing this and scolded with a laugh, "This isn't just climbing a pole; you're trying to start a rebellion! One bowl of Blood Nourishing Soup per day? It takes at least three taels of silver worth of medicinal ingredients to brew one bowl of Blood Nourishing Soup. Forget about it!"

The smile on Wang Yue's face froze. Just as he was about to negotiate, he heard Wang Shuo continue, "However, it's not impossible to discuss. Three days a bowl, this is the greatest concession I can make."

He changed his tone and became serious, "But there's a condition. I will conduct routine checks on your progress multiple times each month. If you dare to be complacent and lazy in your practice, don't blame me for stopping your monthly allowance and Blood Nourishing Soup, and sending you back to the back courtyard to slack off with the other disciples!"

Wang Yue's eyes lit up. Three days a bowl of Blood Nourishing Soup was ten times more than the previous one bowl per month. This was already a tremendous benefit!

He had only made a slight probe, never expecting such a huge surprise to fall upon him.

He quickly cupped his hands, his tone excited, "It's a deal! Thank you, Master Wang! Your disciple definitely won't be lazy!"

"Get lost, get lost, you brat. Don't be an eyesore here. Hurry back and study the Harmonious Flow Fist secret manual." Wang Shuo waved his hand, an unconcealable smile on his face.

Wang Yue turned with the secret manual in hand. Just as he reached the doorway, the booklet in his arms suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light. Though it flashed only for a moment, it illuminated the entire room.

Wang Yue's eyes widened, and he instinctively clutched the secret manual to his chest.

He didn't dare to linger, quickly quickening his pace out of the room, stuffing the secret manual tightly into his embrace, his heart still pounding: "It contains extractable spirit!"

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