Essence Flame Perfection

Just as expected!

Meng Yuan's heart settled when he saw Nie Yannian sending people away.

The youths whose names were called finally understood. They had been slacking off in training, thinking they could continue to muddle through, but they hadn't expected Nie Yannian to eliminate them.

"Master Nie, Master Nie..."

Seeing that there was no longer a possibility of learning martial arts, Liu He panicked. He knelt down and shuffled forward, hugging Nie Yannian's leg and pleading, "Master Nie, please keep me! I will study hard!"

Tears streamed down his face, and he was clearly terrified, having evidently been placed with high hopes by his parents.

The other people whose names were called also knelt down, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Nie Yannian was amiable, smiling as he said, "For a person to rise, it's either through studying or practicing martial arts. You can't study, so you can only practice martial arts. On this path of ours as martial artists, either you have outstanding talent, or you are diligent and hardworking. But you possess neither, so what the hell are you learning? All you think about is being lazy and cunning, without any self-control. Can you endure the hardship of training in the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter?"

"I can endure it, I can endure it! I'll change! I'll definitely change!" Liu He kowtowed repeatedly on the ground, crying and begging, "Master Nie, please, for the sake of my father, give me another chance!"

"It's precisely for your father's sake that I'm telling you so much. A person has to make something of themselves. Your bones and temperament are not suited for learning martial arts. There's no reason to waste your time." Nie Yannian still smiled warmly, "Anyway, with your father around, whether you go to a farm or do something else in the future, even if you become a male prostitute, you won't starve."

Seeing that Nie Yannian's tone was amiable but he had no intention of changing his mind, Liu He slumped to the ground.

"Get out, quickly! Stop wasting your days, be careful the days don't waste you." Although Nie Yannian was scolding them, his tone was encouraging.

Seeing that Liu He's pleading was useless, the youths whose names were called couldn't help but cry. They all hung their heads in dejection, retrieved their belongings from the dormitory in a daze, and then slowly left.

Liu He's eyes were vacant. He stopped at the main gate of the training ground and looked back at the people who remained. He saw Hu Qian looking as usual, as if she had known this day would come. Wu Changsheng and Zhao Tie Niu both had uncontrollable joy on their faces, while Meng Yuan was expressionless, without even a hint of mockery after victory, and too lazy to even glance at him.

"To be distinguished in front of others, one must suffer behind the scenes. This principle is the same no matter what line of work you're in. From now on, what you have to practice and learn will be ten times harder and ten times more tiring than now."

Nie Yannian scanned the people who remained, pointed at Liu He who was far away at the training ground gate, and asked, "Does anyone want to switch with him?"

No one responded.

"Good, you're all good!" Nie Yannian was very pleased. He walked forward with a smile, patting the boys on the shoulder and the girls on the head. After praising them in turn, he said, "Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. The Princess Consort has sent meat. There will be plenty for lunch today!"

There had never been a lack of oil in the training ground's meals, but the youths had never eaten large pieces of meat. Upon hearing Nie Yannian's words, they all started smacking their lips.

"However, before noon, I will teach you a method of breathing." As Nie Yannian spoke, he lowered his body, his feet parallel and shoulder-width apart, quite similar to a horse stance.

"This is the Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art. You need to keep your body upright and your spine straight. Relax your shoulders and sink them down, and hold your hands in front of your chest as if embracing a plump girl."

Nie Yannian spoke very slowly. After the youths assumed the same posture, he continued, "Exhale long and inhale short. Your body must be stable, and your mind must be calm. Imagine yourself in the mountains and forests, or in a beautiful flower garden, and then feel the changes within your body."

Then he moved his arms lightly, as if kneading a large ball.

After completing the entire set of movements, Nie Yannian taught it two more times before finishing.

This so-called Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art was not difficult to learn. The movements were simple, and the three most important points were the rhythm of breathing, as well as calmness of mind and imagination.

"I know you're wondering why I'm teaching this useless Nourishing Essence Art instead of actual combat techniques."

Nie Yannian stood with his hands behind his back and said word by word, "I'm telling you, on our path of martial arts, we need to combine tension and relaxation. Lately, everyone has been diligently practicing and building up strength, which is tension. So what is relaxation? Nourishing qi and nourishing the mind is relaxation, calming the mind and calming the qi is relaxation. This Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art is relaxation."

He casually corrected the movements of a few students, his mouth still moving, "One relaxation and one tension, one opening and one closing, one fast and one slow. This is the method for advancing in martial arts. You started late, only this way can help open the acupoints within your body."

"Master Nie, what is opening acupoints?" Wu Changsheng asked boldly. This was also what the other students wanted to ask.

"You'll know when the time comes," Nie Yannian said with a smile.

"What happens after opening acupoints?" Meng Yuan also came to ask.

"Opening acupoints means entering the ranks. Only then can you truly embark on the path of martial arts," Nie Yannian said with a smile, "At that time, the sky will be high and the sea vast, with endless wonderful uses!"

"What is entering the ranks?" Tie Niu asked ignorantly.

However, Nie Yannian was clearly not a qualified teacher, nor was he patient. He said unhappily, "Ask, ask, ask. Are you going to ask me how to sleep even after you get married?"

"Then will you teach, Master Nie?" Tie Niu asked.

"Hiss..." Seeing that the person didn't understand the dirty joke at all, Nie Yannian couldn't help but take a deep breath. He bared his teeth and smiled helplessly, saying, "Things after entering the ranks, we'll talk about after opening acupoints. From now on, practice the Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art once each in the morning, noon, and evening. If you're tired, practice it again. If you feel uncomfortable, or feel warmth somewhere, come and tell me."

"This afternoon, everyone can rest. If you want to go find your mother for milk, go. If you want to sleep in, sleep. Just don't go whoring! We'll get serious tomorrow!" Nie Yannian didn't explain what opening acupoints was, nor did he mention what wonderful uses there were after opening acupoints. He just muttered a few words and then patted his butt and left.

Everyone practiced a few more times, and then it was time for dinner.

Today's meal in the mess hall was newly braised beef and a basket of hot steamed buns.

Cattle were used for farming, and the Qing Kingdom strictly prohibited killing cattle. Slaughtering sick or injured cattle also required reporting to the government, so it was rare for ordinary families to eat beef.

"Don't snatch!" Meng Yuan shouted, putting on a righteous appearance. He first grabbed a steamed bun, tore open a seam, stuffed in several large pieces of hot, oily beef, and then handed it to Tie Niu.

"Brother, you're so good!" Tie Niu took it and took a big bite, almost in tears. "It's so fragrant!"

Meng Yuan had been drooling for a long time too. He quickly picked up a hot steamed bun, stuffed it with beef, and ignored the look of anticipation on Hu Qian's face, only stuffing it into his own mouth.

He hadn't eaten meat in large bites for a long time. This feeling was simply addictive.

He swallowed one whole. A trace of nutrients was intercepted by the Essence Flame, which was several times stronger than eating cabbage and tofu!

"This is the first time I've eaten beef..." Coming to this world, Meng Yuan was truly eating such delicious meat for the first time. He ate seven steamed buns with meat in one go before he had time to sigh with emotion.

"Brother, you forgot, you've eaten bull testicles. Hic..." Tie Niu corrected him.

"..." Hearing this, Meng Yuan couldn't help but think of the little girl at Pasture Manor. He wondered how she was doing.

He had to work hard quickly. He didn't ask to achieve great fame, but at least he could let Old Man Jiang and Jiang Tang live comfortable lives!

Thinking of this, Meng Yuan stuffed more into his mouth.

Overeating is not something martial artists should do, but they were all young people without restraint, and once they started eating, they couldn't stop, all getting completely stuffed.

Even Hu Qian rubbed her belly with a satisfied look.

This time, there were a total of twenty-seven students. Sixteen were sent away, leaving only eleven, six men and five women.

For those who stayed, today was a great day. After eating their fill, everyone chatted and told jokes in the dining hall, chirping and happily comparing who could eat the most and who was the strongest.

In the end, Meng Yuan was judged to be the biggest eater, and Tie Niu the strongest.

When it came time to judge who was the most beautiful, Hu Qian pulled a face and said that martial artists don't look at beauty or ugliness, and there was no need to judge a beauty queen.

In fact, among the female students here, she was the best looking.

Hu Qian didn't say anything more and went straight out of the training ground.

All the students had also been holding back. Those with family in the city went back to visit, and those without family went out to relax.

Meng Yuan had no desire to go out and wander around, because after eating a large meal of beef, the Essence Flame had already enveloped his entire body.

Moreover, it was no longer growing, clearly having reached its limit and become complete.

Meng Yuan felt that as long as he had a thought, the energy contained within this Essence Flame would return to him in some way.

However, Meng Yuan had no idea what would happen then.

Returning to the dormitory with Tie Niu, Tie Niu started to wash clothes. "Brother, how did your clothes get another hole?"

As the two of them were tidying up, they saw Hu Qian and a female student come to the dormitory. "Meng Yuan, Tie Niu, someone is looking for you two!"