The Only One!

"Brother Xu, confidence is a good thing." Wang Huan immediately laughed, replying in a strange, mocking tone. The meaning was plain enough.

As soon as he finished speaking, perhaps because Xu Yuan had spoken up, Chen Sanli suddenly raised his head and said with a beaming smile:

"I'll probably break through in the next couple of days. Training with Brother Xu has truly benefited me immensely!"

"When I was practicing just now, my force manifested outwardly, and my fist technique has also entered the beginner stage."

Tian Yang added calmly, no longer carrying the smug, boastful tone from before.

"You..." Wang Huan suddenly looked at the two of them, his face shifting between green and white.

When he questioned them, they had played deaf and dumb. Yet the moment Xu Yuan finished speaking, they opened their mouths. They had not left him the slightest shred of face.

But the others no longer paid him any attention. Instead, they gathered around Gao Yuan and Tian Yang to offer their congratulations.

Among them, Qin Yang, standing on the outskirts, regretted things the most.

Everyone in his dormitory had either entered the beginner stage already or was about to. The pressure in his heart abruptly surged.

What puzzled him even more was that Chen Sanli had tagged along with him every day to mooch off his practice. How was he about to enter the beginner stage too?

The next morning, the mist had yet to disperse.

Chen Ze arrived at the training grounds as usual. After leading everyone through a set of Thunderclap Fist, he answered several Martial Students' questions.

Just as Xu Yuan and the others were preparing to go up, a figure stepped ahead of them and blocked his path.

The newcomer was tall and straight, with a neat crop of short hair. She was Zhou Yu, the leader of Sun Rong's dormitory.

Her gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Xu Yuan. "You're Xu Yuan?"

"And you are?" Xu Yuan looked at her curiously, recognizing her as the woman who had reported entering the beginner stage in Thunderclap Fist before him.

"My name is Zhou Yu." The short-haired woman slightly raised her chin, her voice cool and clear. "You're quite good... to have entered the beginner stage in fist techniques on the same day as me."

"And I rather agree with your thoughts on fist techniques. However, though your comprehension is good, your aptitude is somewhat lacking. You likely won't be able to break through the Second Meridian this month..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xu Yuan frowned. Her lofty, condescending tone made him uncomfortable.

"Nothing. I'll break through the Second Meridian tomorrow, but I'll remember you. At least when it came to fist techniques, you once stood at the same position as me." Zhou Yu still wore an arrogant expression. After speaking, she turned and left, crisp and decisive.

"What is wrong with that woman?" Xu Yuan found her utterly baffling.

"Brother Xu, do you know her?" Tian Yang asked at that moment.

Xu Yuan shook his head. "Forget about her. Let's go tell Master Chen."

Chen Ze was still answering the Martial Students' questions and had not left yet when Xu Yuan, Tian Yang, and Gao Yuan walked up together.

Behind them, Li Shan, Qin Yang, and the others had only just learned that Xu Yuan had already broken through the Second Meridian. They all looked at the group with envy.

Chen Sanli, however, did not think much of it. He was about to enter the beginner stage himself, probably tomorrow. Yet after learning that Xu Yuan had broken through, he became even more certain that Xu Yuan was a thick thigh worth clinging to.

In the distance, Zhou Yu was just about to pass through the crowd when she caught sight of Xu Yuan and the others heading toward Master Chen from the corner of her eye. Her heart gave an inexplicable jolt. Could he be...

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

Her aptitude ranked among the best of all the Martial Students. There was no reason a Laborer with ordinary aptitude could surpass her.

"No, even if he broke through, there wouldn't be so many people around him, would there?" Zhou Yu hurriedly shook her head. "They must have run into problems in their cultivation and gone to ask Master Chen."

"That's right, it must be that..."

She quietly consoled herself.

But things often went against one's wishes. After Xu Yuan and the others said only a few words, Master Chen suddenly burst into laughter, instantly drawing the entire training ground's attention.

"You broke through the Second Meridian?" After Chen Ze checked Xu Yuan's pulse point to confirm it, he clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "Haha, excellent!"

"There are two people in this group of Martial Students who have reached the Second Meridian. Including those two, there are also seven who have entered the beginner stage in fist techniques. But so far, you are the only one who has accomplished both!"

To make progress in both cultivation and martial skills within a single month—such talent was enough to draw the attention of the higher-ups.

And because of his excellent teaching, Chen Ze would receive an additional reward as well. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Afterward, he explained the matter of monthly pay to Xu Yuan. Promotions in the household guard ranks were also handled on the first day of every month and could only be completed after verification.

After all, the Shangyang Family had so many Martial Students. One never knew when someone might break through in cultivation and need to be assigned work or study martial skills for a month.

The times and places differed. If everyone came to seek promotion whenever they pleased, it would consume tremendous manpower and resources.

After hearing this, Xu Yuan was not in a hurry. There were only two days left in the month, so waiting a little longer did not matter.

Once Chen Ze left, the training grounds immediately erupted in discussion.

Zhou Yu unconsciously stood with her mouth open, her face filled with astonishment.

She had never imagined that he would break through even faster than she did!

Had Huang Lihong not said that it had taken him more than fifty days just to break through the First Meridian, and that his aptitude was exceptionally mediocre?

How was this aptitude mediocre?!

The moment she recalled her earlier "declaration," a wave of burning embarrassment rose across Zhou Yu's usually cool face.

"No, that's impossible..." Zhou Yu still refused to believe that he was truly stronger than her. "He must have used some precious medicine!"

She stared at Xu Yuan in the distance, a flash of unwillingness passing through her eyes. "Even if you were lucky enough to reach the Second Meridian before me, what about the Third Meridian? I refuse to believe you can still surpass me!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yu gave Xu Yuan a long look before pacing away.

Among the crowd, some also recognized Xu Yuan as the person who had previously entered the beginner stage in fist techniques. Now that they heard his cultivation had broken through as well, they could not help sighing at the gulf between people.

Elsewhere, hearing the clamorous noise from the training grounds, Wang Huan emerged from a quiet chamber.

He was in quite a good mood today. Judging by his current progress, he would be able to break through the Second Meridian tomorrow!

"What happened?"

Seeing the dense crowd ahead and unable to make anything out, Wang Huan asked someone beside him.

"Someone broke through the Second Meridian, and apparently his fist technique has entered the beginner stage too. He can now obtain six months of work assignments of his own choosing!" The envy on that person's face was nearly tangible.

"He accomplished both?" Wang Huan could not help freezing for a moment. Then he sighed that there was always someone beyond someone else, and someone more talented would always emerge.

"Xu Yuan is probably still in some quiet chamber, scratching his ears and cheeks in frustration, isn't he?"

Wang Huan glanced around, as though he could see Xu Yuan stuck at some obstacle without making any progress, wearing a worried, miserable expression. He could not help laughing aloud.

"Hey, Brother Wang, what has you so happy?"

At that moment, Chen Sanli had somehow sidled over, a strange smile on his face.