Entering the Ranks

By evening, the trainees who had been out wandering all afternoon gradually returned.

The evening meal was slightly worse, consisting of pork stewed with cabbage and plain steamed buns.

As they ate, everyone talked about their outings. Some had taken hot baths, some had visited relatives, and others had simply strolled around.

Being together day and night, Meng Yuan's changes were also noticed by everyone, but they didn't find it strange. They just thought he looked a bit more handsome than usual, and his eyes were more spirited.

Meng Yuan didn't talk much with others, just buried his head in his food.

Now, the Essence Flame was only the size of a soybean. After eating a meal of pork stewed with cabbage, the Essence Flame still absorbed nutrients and grew slightly, but it grew slower than before.

It seems that nurturing the Essence Flame to grow will be a bit more difficult than before. I need to eat more meat, Meng Yuan secretly summarized the use of the Essence Flame.

This Essence Flame, he didn't know where it was stored in his body, could be nourished through diet. When the body was weak or injured, it would also feed back to itself.

Moreover, as the Essence Flame reached completion and was absorbed by the body, it would impact the acupoints within the body, having a certain body-tempering effect.

Now it has only reached completion for the first time and helped me open acupoints. It will be even harder to nurture it to the next completion. Will the effect be stronger then?

Also, I ate less meat before, so the nurturing was slow. I need to find a way to eat more meat in the future...

Meng Yuan couldn't help but think of Grandmother and wondered if he could try Demons. After all, they were also born of nature, containing essence and spirit.

Of course, he still had to be cautious. Meng Yuan planned to ask Master Nie for advice and learn more about martial arts.

The next day, before the chickens crowed, Meng Yuan got out of bed.

After morning exercises and breakfast, it was time for the morning training.

It wasn't until halfway through the morning that Nie Yannian arrived late.

As soon as he arrived, he called Wu Changsheng to move a lounge chair from the training field warehouse, wash it clean with water, then casually gave a few pointers, telling the young men to increase their training volume. After that, he lay down directly in front of the trainees and rested.

Meng Yuan thought it over and over and decided to ask.

Now was not the time to hide his abilities. He should appropriately show his edge, strive to learn more, and know more. After all, he was still wearing the clothes tailored by that little girl, and he had to bring her over soon.

Finishing his practice, Meng Yuan walked up, squatted beside the lounge chair, and whispered, "Master Nie, I think I've opened an acupoint."

Nie Yannian didn't even open his eyes and asked lazily, "Oh? Opened an acupoint? Whose girl's acupoint did you open?"

Why did this person always talk about dirty things!

"Not some girl's," Meng Yuan said honestly and seriously, "Master Nie taught the Embracing Stake Art yesterday and said that combining tension and relaxation helps open acupoints. When I practiced in the afternoon, I felt a surge of energy rush straight to my Crown of the Head, as if it had opened something."

Nie Yannian finally opened his eyes. He tilted his head, saw Meng Yuan was serious, and asked, "What else do you feel?"

"I just feel clear-minded and not easily irritable. My eyes, nose, and ears are also much sharper. Before, I could see the target a hundred paces away, but now I can even see a leaf a hundred paces away," Meng Yuan said.

Hearing this, Nie Yannian straightened his back and sat up, grabbing Meng Yuan's wrist.

Meng Yuan immediately felt a warm current pass through his wrist, then up his arm, then sweep through his entire body, and then suddenly withdraw.

Nie Yannian's expression changed, looking both happy and surprised. He carefully examined Meng Yuan, as if he had seen some treasure.

"How old are you this year?" Nie Yannian asked.

"Just turned seventeen after the New Year," Meng Yuan replied.

"You really haven't learned martial arts before? Have you learned anything like the Embracing Stake Nourishing Essence Art?" Nie Yannian asked again.

"No, I didn't know about these things before," Meng Yuan replied.

Nie Yannian believed him. He had seen Meng Yuan practice boxing and training. Although he was intelligent and learned quickly, he was indeed a novice.

"Have you eaten anything? Like some strange herbs, or rare meat?" Nie Yannian asked again.

"I haven't left the training field. I eat the same as everyone else," Meng Yuan answered.

"So, you've only been practicing for about a month?" Nie Yannian pointed at Meng Yuan's nose and cursed with a smile, "Hey! Then you're really a damn genius!"

"..." Meng Yuan was speechless.

"But you're so fair and tender, and your face is very pretty, you don't look like someone who practices martial arts. You have to keep your pants on straight, and I'll introduce you to a business later!" Nie Yannian rubbed his hands gleefully, not looking like he was joking.

"Master Nie, what business?" Meng Yuan thought of Nie Yannian's usual behavior and felt a little scared for no reason.

"You know, some lonely widows are afraid of not being able to keep their money, so they need to find someone to guard their homes," Nie Yannian said with a serious face, not like he was joking, and whispered, "We can go and help with this."

So he still wanted him to sell himself! What kind of guarding and settling down, it was like being a prostitute and still putting up a memorial arch! I just made a little progress, and you don't praise me, but you want to lead me astray? You just praised me as a genius, and this is how you treat a genius? Does the Princess Consort know you're taking private jobs?

"I only guard the Princess Consort." Meng Yuan only felt life was boring. He, a dignified eight-foot man, selling himself as a slave was already a last resort, and now he had to sell his body? Anyone with a little ambition wouldn't do such a thing!

"You little brat, you're quite ambitious!" Nie Yannian cursed, then comforted him, "Actually, they're not ugly, and they're well-maintained. Forty or fifty years old is still young! Besides, I'm letting you sleep with a woman for free, and you're still being coy? If I were ten years younger, would it be your turn?"

Why did this martial arts teacher start pimping as soon as he showed up? I learned martial arts so I wouldn't have to go out and sell myself! Meng Yuan hadn't fallen to that point yet!

A martial artist must have backbone!

"A thousand taels a night, we'll split it fifty-fifty!" Nie Yannian whispered.

"Then I'll try?" Meng Yuan was truly afraid of being poor.

"A promising student," Nie Yannian patted Meng Yuan's shoulder with great satisfaction.

"Master Nie, does this count as entering the ranks? What should I do next?" Meng Yuan realized he had been led astray by Nie Yannian and had forgotten to ask about the important matter.

"You've indeed entered the ranks, but don't be arrogant. You've only just asked for directions to the brothel, you're still far from entering the alley!" Nie Yannian casually made a comparison, then clapped his hands, signaling everyone to stop.

"Come, come!" Nie Yannian beckoned to the young men.

The group of students gathered around, looking at Meng Yuan inexplicably, then all turned to look at Nie Yannian.

Nie Yannian retracted his legs and sat cross-legged on the reclining chair. He scanned the group and said, "I thought it would take at least three or four months before someone opened their acupoints. I didn't expect someone to stand out so quickly!"

All the young men looked at Meng Yuan. Although they didn't understand what Opening Acupoints meant, it must be extremely difficult if it usually takes three or four months for an ordinary person to achieve it.

For a moment, some were surprised, some were envious, but most were still bewildered.

Hu Qian also looked surprised. She examined Meng Yuan, thinking, This kid asks me for advice on stance and movement every now and then, how did he succeed so quickly? Is it related to the person who brought him something yesterday? But that person was just an ordinary farmer, nothing special.

She then looked at Zhao Tie Niu, only to see Tie Niu grinning foolishly, as if he himself had opened his acupoints.

"Envious? If you're envious, you need to practice hard!"

Nie Yannian chuckled and said, "You are either from a refugee background or children of the Royal Residence's old retainers. More or less, you've heard about cultivation, but you probably don't understand it very well."

Hearing this, Meng Yuan pricked up his ears and listened attentively.

"I was planning to talk about this in a few days, but since the Little Gelder is promising today, it's not enough to just explain it to him alone and waste my spit. So, let everyone listen together."

Nie Yannian finally looked a bit like a teacher. His expression became much more serious, and he continued, "We are walking the path of a martial artist, which is one of many paths. It starts from the Ninth Rank and goes up to the First Rank. And the so-called entering the ranks is Opening Acupoints, which is the starting point of truly stepping onto the path of a martial artist."

"Master Nie, do you mean there are other paths?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Naturally. Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism have been passed down for thousands of years, and they each have their own paths of advancement, all from the Ninth Rank to the First Rank. They are vastly different from our path of a martial artist. You will understand the mysteries within them when you see the world later."

Nie Yannian smiled slightly, with a hint of pride, and continued, "Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism naturally have their merits, but our path of a martial artist is the oldest, the most mature, and also has the largest number of practitioners. This is because this path can be learned by everyone, from peddlers and commoners, rural demons, to princes and nobles. Entering the ranks is not considered difficult."

"Master Nie, besides Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, are there other paths?" Wu Changsheng asked.

"There are, but they all belong to the miscellaneous schools. Fewer people practice them, so they cannot be considered the Great Dao," Nie Yannian said.