Outside.
The cold wind whistled past, bringing a chill with it and blowing away some of Xu Yuan's melancholy—not because of Wang Huan, but because he was reflecting on himself and Li Shan.
From laborers to martial artists, after spending these days together, compared to Sun Rong, he felt more attached to Li Shan.
Li Shan truly was a decent man, the typical nice guy. At first, it was easy to become friends with him.
But after knowing him for a long time, one would discover that while he was approachable, he was difficult to become deeply acquainted with, because he treated everyone with the same generosity and kindness, even those close to him.
Just like what had happened today: regardless of whether Li Shan's intentions had been good or bad, he had ultimately taken a side, favoring Wang Huan, whom he had not known for long. Xu Yuan might as well give him some face and let the matter pass.
After all, if Xu Yuan had acted with his current strength, Wang Huan would not have escaped a vicious beating tonight.
"Forget it. Those who abandon me—why should they be worth dwelling on?"
Xu Yuan shook his head slightly and focused on washing up with the others.
Time flew like an arrow, and six days passed in the blink of an eye.
It was now the afternoon of December twenty-ninth, the end of the month.
As far as Xu Yuan was concerned, the string of troubles caused by Thunderclap Fist's entry stage had already passed.
He still practiced tirelessly every day, focusing on Stone Platform Stance Practice and striving to break through to the Second Meridian Realm, so he could obtain the qualification to choose his own assignment for half a year.
Inside a quiet room at the training grounds.
Xu Yuan silently circulated his stance practice. He swallowed another dose of Meridian Nourishing Powder and a Blood Activating Pill, and a swelling sensation arose around the Governing Meridian within his body.
At the same time, a barrier like a bamboo joint stood at the connection between the Ren Meridian's blood and qi and the Governing Meridian, causing a slight obstruction as it circulated.
[Skill: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Accomplishment 3%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Minor Accomplishment 97%) Thunderclap Fist (Minor Accomplishment 2%)] [Potential: 9 (Exceptional Bones)]
"By now, even a single increase in potential has sped up my stance practice considerably. Added to the foundation accumulated from Thunderclap Fist entering the beginner stage, only this bottleneck remains."
Xu Yuan drew a deep breath, mobilized his blood and qi, and once again surged toward that bamboo joint.
This time, the bottleneck that had remained utterly unmoved suddenly trembled faintly, as though a sliver of a gap had been chiseled into the foundation of a city wall.
Though it was small, it had already begun to rot from within. There was hope of a breakthrough.
"Today..."
Xu Yuan's gaze deepened. He casually wiped the sweat from his brow, then, once the medicine's effects had run dry, picked up the precious medicine beside him and swallowed it.
Ordinary martial artists would never dare pour medicine into themselves as though it cost nothing. Most would squeeze every last drop of medicinal strength dry, then wait another two days before taking more, calling it: drops of water forming a river.
Xu Yuan did not care about any of that. He was only one step from the Second Meridian Realm. Why should he stop here merely to save some silver?
Time drifted by.
By the time stars hung low in the night sky and all sounds had fallen silent.
The quiet room was already pitch-black.
Xu Yuan stood in his stance, his posture as steady as a boulder. Large beads of sweat dripped continuously, kicking up little puffs of fine dust.
The blood and qi within him circulated and surged forward as usual. But this time, just like when he had broken through the first meridian, it pierced an invisible barrier. His blood and qi flowed unimpeded into the Governing Meridian, completing the recurring circulation through both meridians.
The Second Meridian Realm had been achieved!
[Skill: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Accomplishment 3%) Stone Platform Stance Practice (Major Accomplishment 1%) Thunderclap Fist (Minor Accomplishment 2%)] [Potential: 11 (Exceptional Bones)]
"The System Panel increased by two points, but this time, the potential evaluation did not improve at all..."
Xu Yuan stroked his chin in thought. It seemed that in the future, he would need breakthroughs in several skills to stack together before the evaluation could change.
Still, while two points were not much, the changes they brought were far from insignificant.
If he had to start over and break through to the Second Meridian Realm again, his speed would nearly double!
Xu Yuan's heart surged with excitement. He suppressed his joy and thought to himself:
"Now that I have broken through to the Second Meridian Realm, I can be considered a martial arts master. In the Shangyang Family, that makes me a Second Pattern Household Guard, with a basic monthly allowance of three taels of silver."
Three taels of silver!
Even for an ordinary household in the outer city, if spent sparingly, that would cover more than half a year's expenses. Yet now, it was merely his monthly pay.
Xu Yuan might still have quite a bit left on him, but martial artists' expenses were enormous. Without new income to support them, it would all be depleted before long.
Moreover, because of time constraints, he had broken through so quickly and used medicine without counting the cost, spending two or three times as much as others.
"There's probably around thirty taels left in my hands now."
Xu Yuan calculated silently. The consumption of those two precious medicines alone had cost nearly six taels. Added to the fact that most of his meals consisted of meat dishes, the expense was naturally substantial.
"Now that I've broken through to the Second Meridian Realm, I'll use medicine faster too. During the First Meridian Realm, one dose each of Meridian Nourishing Powder and Blood Activating Pill lasted three days. At the Second Meridian Realm, it will only last two. That means seven taels and five mace a month... This spending is too outrageous."
Xu Yuan swallowed hard. Next month, he had to be more frugal.
A moment later.
He opened the quiet room's door and stepped outside, feeling as though even the air had become fresher.
Feeling the sweat on his body, sticky and clammy, he went to the washroom and took a hot bath.
When he returned to the dormitory.
Most of the others had already washed up and were sitting on their beds chatting.
When Chen Sanli saw him enter, he was the first to greet him. "Brother Xu, you're back?"
Xu Yuan nodded. Even though he knew the man's thoughts and character, Chen Sanli's choice of sides earlier had still earned some of his favor, and they had become noticeably closer in their daily interactions.
Tian Yang, Xiao Sheng, and Gao Yuan also greeted him one after another, and Xu Yuan responded to each of them.
Wang Huan sat on the innermost bed, watching the scene with cold eyes. He felt rather bitter. Once upon a time, only when he entered would he receive such treatment.
What a bunch of fair-weather turncoats!
Wang Huan grumbled inwardly, then cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice. "The end of the month is nearly here. I wonder how everyone's training has been going?"
Before his words had even faded, he added smugly, "I feel that the bottleneck to the Second Meridian Realm has already begun to loosen. It should happen within the next day or two."
Li Shan also looked somewhat energized. "I think I'm close too. I can control my force for a little while now."
"What about Yang?" Wang Huan continued.
Qin Yang coughed dryly. He had not wanted to answer, but seeing the expectant look on Wang Huan's face, he could only say with some dejection:
"I don't think I'll make it."
It was not that Qin Yang could not learn the fist technique. In truth, he could feel that if he had a little more time, he would certainly be able to enter the beginner stage.
But the trouble was that he had been too playful at the start and wasted a great deal of precious time. Now, regret came too late.
"What about Yuan?" Wang Huan shook his head slightly, feeling a faint sense of superiority as he continued asking.
"I entered the beginner stage with the fist technique this afternoon," Gao Yuan replied calmly.
The moment those words came out, everyone looked over, and naturally, congratulations followed.
Wang Huan's expression darkened slightly. He had wanted to find some sense of presence among them. Who wanted to hear whether Gao Yuan had broken through to the beginner stage?
"How is Xiao Sheng doing?" Wang Huan coughed a few times, steering everyone back to the main topic.
Xiao Sheng hesitated. "I can't say for sure. I have a bit of a feeling, but I don't know whether I can make it in the next couple of days."
Wang Huan's expression eased somewhat. He swept his gaze around and asked seemingly casually, "What about Tian?"
After the question fell, no answer came for a long while. He turned his head and saw Tian Yang looking at Xu Yuan, as though asking him with his eyes.
Wang Huan's expression sank, and he instinctively continued, "What about Sanli?"
Chen Sanli merely smiled without speaking and lowered his head to pick at his toenails.
Wang Huan's face looked even worse. Taking a deep breath, he finally asked, "Then... what about Brother Xu?"
Xu Yuan glanced at him. Thinking that this was probably the last time their dormitory would compare their progress, he said, "Soon, I suppose."
Wang Huan had not expected him to answer. He was startled at first, then a deep disdain rose in his heart.
What are you bragging about?
I'm publicly acknowledged as the most talented person in this dormitory, and I've practiced from the beginning of the month until now just to barely reach the point of breaking through. Do I not have more authority to speak on this than you?
To be fair, how long had you even been practicing stance work?
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