Alone

"Brother Xu, it's good to have confidence," Wang Huan said with a strange, mocking tone, his meaning obvious.

As soon as he finished speaking, as if prompted by Xu Yuan, Chen Sanli suddenly looked up and said with a smile, "I'm probably only a day or two away. Practicing with Brother Xu has truly benefited me immensely!"

"When I was practicing just now, my inner energy manifested externally, and I've also grasped the basics of my fist technique,"

Tian Yang added calmly, no longer possessing his previous smug and boastful tone.

"You guys..." Wang Huan stared at the two abruptly, his face turning pale.

They had feigned deafness when he questioned them, but now they spoke up right after Xu Yuan, completely disregarding his authority.

However, the others ignored him at this moment, instead gathering around Gao Yuan and Tian Yang to offer congratulations.

Among them, Qin Yang, standing at the periphery, regretted it the most.

Everyone in his dorm was either already at the verge of mastering their techniques or had already done so, putting immense pressure on him.

What he couldn't understand even more was Chen Sanli. He had been leeching off him for sparring sessions every day, and now he was about to master his technique too?

The next morning, the mist had yet to dissipate.

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

As Xu Yuan and the others were about to step forward, a figure blocked his path first.

The person was tall and slender, with neat short hair. It was the leader of Sun Rong's dorm, Zhou Yu.

Her gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on Xu Yuan, and she said coldly, "You're Xu Yuan?"

"Who are you?" Xu Yuan looked at her strangely, recognizing this woman as the one who had reported her progress on mastering Thunderclap Fist before him.

"My name is Zhou Yu," the short-haired woman said, lifting her chin slightly, her voice crisp and cold. "You're quite good... to have your fist technique master the basics on the same day as me."

"And your insights on fist techniques, I also quite agree with. However, while your comprehension is good, your aptitude is somewhat lacking. It's unlikely you'll break through the Second Meridian this month..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Xu Yuan frowned. The condescending tone of the other party made him uncomfortable.

"Nothing much. I'll break through the Second Meridian tomorrow. But I'll remember you, at least for having stood at the same position as me in terms of fist techniques." Zhou Yu maintained her arrogant demeanor, then turned and left decisively.

"What's wrong with this person?" Xu Yuan felt utterly bewildered.

"Brother Xu, do you know her?" At this moment, Tian Yang also asked.

Xu Yuan shook his head. "Don't mind her. Let's go tell Master Chen."

Chen Ze was still explaining things to the Martial Artists and hadn't left yet. Xu Yuan, Tian Yang, and Gao Yuan walked up to him together.

Behind them, Li Shan, Qin Yang, and the others had just learned that Xu Yuan had broken through to the Second Meridian, and they looked at the trio with envy.

Chen Sanli, however, was unfazed. He was also close to mastering his technique, estimating it would happen tomorrow. But after learning of Xu Yuan's breakthrough, he became even more certain that the latter was a powerful figure worth relying on.

In the distance, as Zhou Yu was about to pass through the crowd, her peripheral vision caught sight of Xu Yuan and the others walking towards Master Chen. Her heart skipped a beat inexplicably: "He wouldn't be..."

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

Her aptitude was among the best of the Martial Students. There was no reason why a mere Laborer with average aptitude could surpass her?

"No, even if he broke through, there wouldn't be so many people, right?" Zhou Yu quickly shook her head. "He must have encountered a problem in his cultivation, which is why he's going to ask Master Chen."

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

She comforted herself.

But things often don't go as planned. As Xu Yuan and the others spoke a few words, Master Chen suddenly burst into laughter, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"You've broken through to the Second Meridian?" Chen Ze confirmed by checking Xu Yuan's pulse, then clapped his hands and laughed, "Haha, excellent!"

"In this batch of Martial Artists, there are two who have reached the Second Meridian. Including the two of them, there are seven who have mastered their fist techniques. But you're the only one who has achieved both!"

Being able to make progress in both cultivation and martial skills within a month was enough talent to attract the attention of higher-ups.

And Chen Ze would receive additional rewards for his effective teaching, a win-win situation.

Afterward, he explained the monthly salary issue to Xu Yuan, and that the promotion of Household Guards also occurred on the first of every month, only after verification.

After all, with so many Martial Artists in the Shangyang Family, one never knew when they might break through their cultivation, requiring assignments or a month of martial skill study.

The time and place varied. If everyone came to get promoted at once, it would be extremely labor-intensive.

After hearing this, Xu Yuan wasn't in a hurry. There were only two days left in the month, so waiting a little longer was fine.

After Chen Ze left, the training grounds erupted in discussion.

Zhou Yu's mouth hung open unconsciously, her face filled with astonishment.

She truly hadn't expected him to break through faster than her!

Didn't Huang Lihong say that it took him over fifty days to break through the First Meridian, and that his aptitude was exceptionally mediocre?

How was his aptitude mediocre?!

Recalling her previous 'announcement,' a blush of embarrassment spread across Zhou Yu's usually cold face.

"No, this is 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 flicker of unwillingness in her eyes. "Even if you were lucky enough to surpass me in reaching the Second Meridian, what about the Third Meridian? I don't believe you can still surpass me!"

After taking a deep breath, Zhou Yu gave Xu Yuan a profound look before pacing away.

Meanwhile, some people in the crowd recognized Xu Yuan as the one who had previously mastered his martial arts. Hearing that his cultivation had now broken through, they couldn't help but sigh at the gap between individuals.

On the other side, Wang Huan emerged from his quiet room upon hearing the commotion from the training grounds.

He was in a rather good mood today, contemplating his current progress, which would allow him to break through the Second Meridian tomorrow!

"What's happening?"

Unable to see clearly due to the crowd, Wang Huan asked the person next to him.

"Someone broke through the Second Meridian, and it's said he's already mastered his martial arts. Now he'll get to choose his duties for half a year!" The envy on that person's face was almost palpable.

"Both things happened?" Wang Huan was also taken aback for a moment, then mused that indeed, there's always someone better, and a more talented person will always appear.

"Thinking about Xu Yuan, he's probably still scratching his head in some quiet room right now, isn't he?"

Wang Huan glanced around, seemingly picturing the other man's distressed face, stuck at some point and unable to make progress. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, Brother Wang, what's got you so happy?"

Just then, Chen Sanli appeared out of nowhere, a strange smile on his face.