First Meeting Elder Ping

Jiang Qinghe followed Zhao Guangyi through the long corridor, neither of them speaking.

He vaguely guessed the purpose of this trip. Most likely, he was going to meet the mysterious Elder Ping.

He could not help but feel somewhat curious about this elusive old man, who showed his head but never his tail.

From chatting with Gong Jie some days ago, he had learned that Elder Ping always kept a low profile and rarely ventured out.

In the nearly year since the latter had come to the martial academy, he had seen Elder Ping only enough times to count on one hand.

At the deepest part of the martial academy stood its sole detached two-story pavilion. Several verdant pines had been planted before it, swaying gently in the wind.

"Master."

Zhao Guangyi stopped before the door and knocked lightly.

"Guangyi, come in."

An aged yet vigorous voice came from within.

Pushing the door open, Jiang Qinghe found the room brightly lit, its furnishings simple and antiquated.

A huanghuali wood table stood in the center, while several landscape paintings and calligraphy pieces hung upon the walls, exuding an air of understated elegance.

A lean old man with figure-eight eyebrows, white hair and beard, and a dark blue cotton robe was reclining halfway in a lounge chair.

He held a rosewood smoking pipe in his right hand, leisurely exhaling ring after ring of bluish smoke into the air.

Had they not known his identity, anyone would have taken him for nothing more than an ordinary old man cooling himself by the roadside.

When Elder Ping saw Jiang Qinghe behind Zhao Guangyi, his narrowed eyes lifted slightly, revealing a trace of scrutiny.

Zhao Guangyi quickly walked to Elder Ping's side and whispered a few words into his ear.

After hearing them, Elder Ping's pipe paused slightly between his fingers. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes as he swept his gaze over Jiang Qinghe.

Jiang Qinghe immediately felt as though he had been targeted by a savage beast, and a sheen of cold sweat instantly formed across his back.

He forced himself to remain calm and respectfully bowed.

"Disciple Jiang Qinghe pays respects to Elder Ping."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

Elder Ping nodded faintly and lightly turned the pipe in his palm.

"Come closer."

Hearing This, Jiang Qinghe took a deep breath and slowly walked to Elder Ping's side.

Whoosh!

Elder Ping's figure abruptly vanished! Only a few wisps of lingering smoke remained above the chair.

Jiang Qinghe's pupils constricted sharply. Before he could react, he felt several blasts of wind slash toward him like blades, leaving afterimages in the air.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Elder Ping's knuckles moved faster than lightning, tapping several major acupoints around Jiang Qinghe's body in rapid succession.

Each time his fingertips touched Jiang Qinghe's robes, Jiang Qinghe felt a strange current of warmth burrow into his body.

All of this had taken place within merely a few breaths!

By the time the lingering phantoms before Jiang Qinghe's Eyes had faded and his breathing had steadied again, Elder Ping was already reclining in his lounge chair once more, his pipe raised to his lips as though he had never moved at all.

At this moment, he looked over and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Your foundation is quite solid..."

Then he took out a small celadon bottle from his robes and casually tossed it over.

Jiang Qinghe hurriedly caught it. The bottle was cool to the touch, and two fiery red pills lay quietly within, faintly giving off a medicinal fragrance.

Elder Ping's voice drifted over.

"Boy, remember to divide each pill into five doses. Judge your condition before each dose, and leave at least three days between them."

"Come back here once you have cultivated to the perfected realm."

After saying this, he waved a hand, placed the pipe back between his lips, and began puffing out clouds of smoke again, as though he had lost interest in Jiang Qinghe.

"Go on, go on."

Suppressing his turbulent emotions, Jiang Qinghe respectfully bowed once more before turning with Zhao Guangyi and leaving the pavilion.

After the sound of their footsteps had completely faded, Elder Ping muttered to himself.

"Reaching major achievement in the first realm within a month, and capable of lifting a thousand jin... Could he possess some special physique I failed to see? Or perhaps he once accidentally ate some kind of spiritual fruit?"

He then shook his head, an unreadable expression passing through his eyes.

"Forget it. Whether he is a dragon or a snake, I shall watch him for a while longer."

On the way back, Jiang Qinghe stroked the porcelain bottle in his hand, his heart full of doubts.

His first meeting with Elder Ping had lasted no more than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea. They had barely exchanged a few proper words before he had been dismissed, and he could not help casting Zhao Guangyi an inquiring look.

"Senior Brother Zhao, what is this?"

"Junior Brother Jiang, what you have there is a Bear Tendon Pill!"

A trace of envy flashed through Zhao Guangyi's eyes as he said with feeling.

"Though Master does not speak much, he truly treats you well. Back then, we never received such treatment—taking such precious pills during the body-tempering stage."

Good heavens! Isn't this the precious pill A-Jie mentioned, worth twenty taels of silver each? Elder Ping gave me two just like that—equivalent to forty taels of silver.

Jiang Qinghe's heart trembled, and a trace of warmth welled up within him.

"Junior Brother Jiang, cultivate diligently. Do not squander your talent. Strive to reach the realm where skin and flesh merge, the perfected realm, as soon as possible."

Zhao Guangyi rarely revealed a smile. He blinked and said.

"When Master takes you as his disciple, I will have a little junior brother as well. From then on, I will no longer be ranked last, haha!"

"Mm."

Jiang Qinghe was briefly stunned and responded instinctively.

He had not expected the seemingly steady Fifth Senior Brother to have such a humorous side.

"Alright, Junior Brother Jiang, I will return to cultivate first. That is my residence."

Zhao Guangyi pointed at an exquisite detached courtyard not far away, half-hidden among emerald bamboo.

"If you encounter any difficulties in cultivation, you may come find me at any time."

With that, he turned and strode away.

After returning to the training ground, the Martial Disciples immediately surrounded Jiang Qinghe.

"Brother Jiang, did Senior Brother Zhao give you private instruction?"

"Brother Jiang, did you just go meet Elder Ping?"

"Sixth Senior Brother! We will have a Sixth Senior Brother from now on!"

When someone was only slightly better than others, they might draw jealousy and hostility.

But when that person stood far ahead, on an entirely different level from everyone else, they would instead earn admiration and reverence.

Seeing the eager gazes of everyone, including Gong Jie, Jiang Qinghe could not help sighing inwardly.

He merely mentioned meeting Elder Ping, then brushed it aside in an Understated manner.

Most of the crowd had only gathered out of curiosity. Seeing that the person at the center of it all did not wish to say more, they dispersed and returned to their own practice.

As dusk gradually deepened, only Jiang Qinghe and Gong Jie remained on the training ground.

Bang! Smack!

Their figures crossed as they exchanged several more moves.

During these days at the martial academy, Gong Jie had taken great care of him, patiently feeding him moves and sharing his insights. The two had long since become quite familiar with each other.

Yet now, both of their Rock Crushing Palms had reached Minor Accomplishment.

Jiang Qinghe could clearly feel that sparring while deliberately keeping their strength at the same level had become minuscule in its effect on improving his martial skills—almost nonexistent.

After several dozen exchanges, the two stopped in Tacit Agreement and walked to the stone benches at the edge of the grounds to rest.

"Qinghe, congratulations!"

Gong Jie looked at the youth before him with complicated feelings. Since first entering the martial academy, Jiang Qinghe had cultivated diligently, and now he had earned Elder Ping's favor and was about to soar through the Azure Cloud.

"A-Jie, why be so formal?"

Jiang Qinghe wiped the sweat from his forehead and tilted his head back to drink several mouthfuls of water.

He turned to Gong Jie, hesitated for a moment, then asked.

"By the way, your time at the martial academy is almost up, isn't it?"

Hearing This, Gong Jie sighed.

"Yes, it is time to leave... With the little talent I have, I might be considered fairly good among ordinary people, but I still fall short of entering Elder Ping's tutelage."

After pausing, he said in a low voice.

"I can only return to the Escort Agency and inherit my father's trade."

As he spoke, Gong Jie looked around the training ground, his eyes full of reluctance.

"It is just that... once I leave, I will be escorting goods and guarding cargo, eating In The Wind and sleeping in the open. I fear I will rarely have the time to return here and have a proper practice session again."

Jiang Qinghe remained silent, unable to find any words.

He understood the longing in the other's heart—the persistence to remain at the martial academy, enter Elder Ping's tutelage, and continue climbing the peak of martial arts.

Gong Jie's cultivation talent was naturally far beyond that of ordinary people.

Yet Elder Ping's requirements for accepting disciples were simply too stringent, so Gong Jie had never gotten his wish.

At this moment, any words of comfort would have seemed pale and powerless.

Jiang Qinghe could only pat Gong Jie on the shoulder and say no more.