Stepping into the Postnatal First Level

After dinner, Huang Shaojie went to the rear garden for a walk among the chrysanthemums.

It was the height of golden autumn, and chrysanthemums bloomed throughout the garden, a truly pleasing sight.

It was not that Huang Baiwan enjoyed growing flowers. Rich people simply liked to adorn themselves with elegance. With such a large residence, naturally they had to plant seasonal flowers to embellish the rear garden.

Gazing at the chrysanthemums in full bloom, Huang Shaojie could not help clasping his hands behind his back and reciting with a sway of his head:

"When autumn came on the eighth day of the ninth month, when my flowers bloomed, a hundred flowers died."

"A soaring fragrance pierced Xi'an; the whole city donned golden armor."

"Wow, Young Master, you can recite poetry too?"

Xiao He, who had been following behind Huang Shaojie, heard her young master actually reciting poetry and could not help widening her eyes in curiosity, as astonished as if she had seen ivory spat from a dog's mouth!

And the poem sounded quite imposing too, nothing like something he had made up on the spot.

One had to know that her young master's mouth had previously been full of crude phrases like "fuck!" "fuck your mother!" and "damn it!" When had she ever seen him act so refined?

Huang Shaojie glanced back at Xiao He and chuckled. "What is so difficult about writing poetry? With this young master's talent, any poem I casually compose would be enough to make my name live on for eternity."

He was merely copying down famous works. Who could not recite a few dozen well-known poems and lyrics?

Xiao He covered her mouth and burst into laughter. "Young Master, you studied for twelve years, and Master hired dozens of tutors for you. Yet you still never even passed the child scholar examination, and you have the nerve to boast here."

"No, you little girl, do you even know how to talk? Why poke at the sore spot?" Huang Shaojie grabbed Xiao He's delicate pointed chin. "Looking to get smacked?"

"I'm sorry, Young Master. My mouth was foul, and I upset you!"

The little maid spoke timidly and raised her hand to slap her own cheek. It was clear that she was usually somewhat afraid of the original owner. She had only spoken so freely because she had been happy in the moment.

"Who told you to slap yourself?"

Huang Shaojie seized her frail, fair wrist and said with a light laugh, "Let this young master do it himself."

As he spoke, his other palm gently swatted her snowy, pretty cheek a few times.

Those few motions seemed somewhat ambiguous, and the young girl's pretty face immediately flushed scarlet with heat and embarrassment.

Seeing the little maid's shy expression, Huang Shaojie found it rather amusing.

Teasing a pretty little maid now and then—life as a young master in ancient times really was quite pleasant!

After taking the little maid on a round of the rear garden, Huang Shaojie returned to the small eastern courtyard where he lived.

The sky had dimmed slightly by then, and a bright moon hung overhead.

Huang Shaojie returned to his room, took out the saber issued by the yamen, and began practicing basic saber techniques.

After practicing for a while, he could not resist trying out the Wind God Leg moves.

"Wind God Leg, First Move: Catching Wind and Shadows!"

With a low shout, Huang Shaojie pushed off with both feet and leaped into the air. He kicked several times in succession midair before his strength gave out and he fell.

There was no helping it. He did not possess a shred of internal force, so he simply could not unleash the true Catching Wind and Shadows.

"Wow! Young Master is amazing!"

Xiao He, who had been watching nearby, exclaimed in admiration and clapped her hands.

The little girl did not understand martial arts. She only knew that her young master's consecutive airborne kicks had looked exceptionally dashing.

"Wind God Leg, Second Move: Strong Grass in the Wind!"

Huang Shaojie shouted again, sprang into the air, and kicked out three times with legs like a gale.

It was still all flash and no substance.

It would be more than enough to kick an ordinary person who had never trained in martial arts, but against even a Postnatal First Level martial artist, he probably would not be able to injure them.

"Wonderful!" Xiao He clapped with all her might, hopping and jumping.

"Wind God Leg, Third Move: Violent Storm!"

Huang Shaojie drew a deep breath, twisted his body, and shot into the air. His legs lashed out like wind and rain.

Yet after fewer than five kicks, he dropped from the air, clutching his aching lower back and panting heavily.

The true Violent Storm was a leg technique in which one's legs became a raging tempest, unleashing hundreds of powerful kicks in an instant, leaving opponents unable to block or evade.

But Huang Shaojie had no true qi whatsoever. Kicking five times had nearly drained all his stamina.

"Wow, Young Master, I never imagined your martial arts were this amazing! You're seriously badass!"

Xiao He came to her young master's side, smiling as she gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

Naturally, she had learned such crude language as "badass" from the original owner.

And phrases like "fuck, badass!" had been the catchphrases of Xiang Yu, the founding emperor of Great Chu.

Over the past thousand years, they had become common expressions among the people.

At that moment, Ah Gui, the worker from the woodshed, approached and respectfully said to Huang Shaojie, "Young Master, the hot water is ready. Please bathe."

"Got it."

Huang Shaojie nodded, then reached out and gave Xiao He's rounded backside a pinch. Smiling, he said, "Xiao He, come soak in the bath with this young master!"

"Young Master, you're being improper again." Xiao He's pretty face reddened as she brushed away Huang Shaojie's wandering hand. "I'll go prepare a change of clothes for you."

With that, she scampered away in a puff of smoke.

Huang Shaojie laughed heartily and strode toward the bathhouse.

After soaking in the bath and getting dressed with Xiao He's assistance, he returned to the bedroom in the side room.

"Young Master, rest early! You still have to report to the Imperial Guard yamen for duty tomorrow!"

Xiao He made up Huang Shaojie's bed, then withdrew from the room and shut the door.

Huang Shaojie removed his outer robe, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began circulating the Wind God Leg internal cultivation method.

Wind God Leg was a Peerless Martial Art, containing three major categories: an internal cultivation method, Lightness Skill, and combat moves.

And the internal cultivation method was the foundation of all martial arts.

Without internal cultivation as a supporting foundation, everything was a castle in the air, crumbling at the first touch.

Although the Wind God Leg internal cultivation method was profoundly mysterious, the system had directly instilled it into Huang Shaojie. Thus, he understood everything completely and was able to begin right away.

After circulating one major cycle, Huang Shaojie felt a faint thread of true qi emerge within his Dantian. As he circulated the cultivation method, it slowly flowed through the meridians in his body.

After several more major cycles, the true qi in his Dantian gradually increased. If it had been only a drop of water before, it was now a bottle cap's worth.

Pop!

The true qi in Huang Shaojie's body suddenly seemed to break through some barrier, filling him with incomparable comfort. At the same time, his true qi circulated somewhat more smoothly.

Congratulations, Host. You have stepped into the Postnatal First Level of martial artist.

"I've entered the Postnatal First Level martial artist realm already?"

Huang Shaojie was somewhat surprised. He had cultivated the internal cultivation method for less than two hours, yet he had officially entered the martial artist realm.

Though he was only at the Postnatal First Level, he was still a martial artist, wasn't he?

The Postnatal First Level is the entry point for martial artists. As long as one cultivates even a small amount of true qi within the body, one can reach it, the system explained.

Wind God Leg was a Peerless Martial Art, and it had been directly instilled by the system. Thus, Huang Shaojie's cultivation progressed at a tremendous pace, more than a hundred times faster than ordinary people cultivating common internal cultivation methods.

"System, how are martial artist ranks divided in this world?"

Huang Shaojie finished his cultivation and sat properly, asking the system.

The martial artist ranks in this high-martial world are divided into four major realms.

Postnatal Levels One through Nine.

Xiantian Realm Levels One through Nine.

Grandmaster Stage Grades One through Nine.

Great Grandmaster Realm, divided into Beginner Great Grandmaster, Intermediate Great Grandmaster, Advanced Great Grandmaster, and Peak Great Grandmaster.

"Then are there any higher realms beyond Great Grandmasters?" Huang Shaojie asked.

A Great Grandmaster can shatter mountains with a palm and sever rivers with a sword. They are the most powerful martial artists beneath this heaven and earth. There are no stronger beings.

Shattering mountains with palms, severing rivers with swords!

Fuck, that was terrifying!

Huang Shaojie clicked his tongue inwardly.

With his current strength, compared to those Great Grandmasters, he was simply an ant before a god.

It seemed he still needed to cultivate diligently.

He yawned, blew out the candle, and fell asleep.

In the silent streets and alleys deep into the night, the watchman's bronze gong sounded the third watch.

PS: Let me explain the Internal Cultivation rewarded by the system.

One year of Internal Cultivation refers to the internal cultivation an ordinary martial artist would gain through one year of practice.

If someone is an exceptionally gifted genius and cultivates a Peerless Martial Art, then the advancement of their cultivation can be dozens of times, or even more than a hundred times, faster than that of an ordinary martial artist.

This is a high-martial world, so—

Entering the Xiantian Realm requires at least fifty years of Internal Cultivation.

Entering the Grandmaster Stage requires at least two hundred years of Internal Cultivation.

Entering Beginner Great Grandmaster requires at least one thousand years of Internal Cultivation.

Great Grandmasters are existences comparable to Land Immortals.