Introducing the Blind Date

Sun Ningxiang had spoken, and though Lin Yue was unwilling, he couldn't push back any further. Qi Yun and Zhao Wenzheng could only reluctantly nod and say, "Then let's do as Junior Sister Ningxiang suggests."

Liu Maolin breathed a sigh of relief at this and a smile appeared on his face.

Lin Yue glanced at Yang Jing, who was practicing his punches alone in the distance, then at Sun Ningxiang beside him, his brow furrowing even tighter.

He had always liked Sun Ningxiang, and seeing her speak up for Yang Jing at this moment ignited an inexplicable anger and disgust within him.

A fool with mediocre Talent/Aptitude, and he's worthy of Ningxiang speaking up for him?

Liu Maolin excitedly walked towards Yang Jing's location.

In a corner of the front courtyard, Yang Jing was repeatedly practicing his stances, his fist winds steady, his fist imprints deepening on the wooden post.

"Junior Brother, I have something to tell you," Liu Maolin walked over and patted Yang Jing's shoulder.

Hearing the voice, Yang Jing stopped punching, turned, sweat beading on his forehead, and looked at Liu Maolin beside him, asking in confusion, "Senior Brother, what is it?"

"We're planning to form a small team to spar with Weiyuan, Iron Fist, and the other martial arts schools as a warm-up for the Parade Ground Trial. I suggested you participate in this sparring match as well. Junior Sister Ningxiang also spoke up for you, and the others don't object."

Liu Maolin continued with a smile, "This is a great opportunity. More actual combat experience might lead to some insights and help you break through the bottleneck of Hidden Strength."

Yang Jing was stunned for a moment, not expecting his Fourth Senior Brother to be talking about this. He asked, "Sparring with other martial arts schools? Are we going to their schools?"

"Yes, it'll probably take about half a month, going back and forth between the schools," Liu Maolin said.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jing frowned, pondered for a moment, and shook his head, "Wouldn't that mean running around every day? It would delay my fist practice. Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brother, but I won't be joining this sparring team."

He was now pouring all his focus into breaking through Hidden Strength, meticulously planning every moment of his day, and truly didn't want any distractions.

Liu Maolin hadn't expected him to refuse and was taken aback. He quickly said, "Actual combat is also a part of martial arts training. More sparring can broaden your horizons, and you might gain some insights that would benefit your breakthrough."

Little did he know that with the System Panel, Yang Jing's cultivation path was destined to be different from others. As long as he trained to his limit, he could break through naturally, without any bottlenecks.

If he were to actually join this so-called sparring team, it would only delay his cultivation progress.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brother," Yang Jing said sincerely, "But I still want to practice my punches diligently on my own."

Liu Maolin persuaded him a couple more times, but seeing Yang Jing's firm stance, he knew he couldn't convince him. Although he felt regretful, he could only give up. "Fine, as long as you have your own ideas. Since you don't want to participate, I'll go back and tell them."

Yang Jing nodded and watched Liu Maolin leave.

He knew Liu Maolin meant well, but he had his own path to walk, and his martial arts journey was destined to be different from others.

Then, Yang Jing turned back to the wooden post, and the sound of his fist winds echoed again as he continued to focus on practicing Mountain Collapse Fist.

For him, nothing was more important than breaking through Hidden Strength right now. As for those sparring matches, they were secondary.

Meanwhile.

Liu Maolin returned to the group and sighed softly, a hint of helplessness on his face. "Junior Brother Yang... he refused. He just wants to practice his punches alone and doesn't want to participate in sparring."

After Liu Maolin spoke, everyone was stunned, surprise flashing across their faces.

After all, this was a great opportunity.

Sparring with other martial arts schools, performing well could bring fame, build their reputation in Yuhe County, and even lead to insights that would greatly benefit future cultivation.

Even if they didn't perform well, they could at least accumulate some combat experience, which might play a crucial role later on. Perhaps this combat experience would help them pass the Parade Ground Trial.

In short, joining this sparring team was all upside and no downside. And Yang Jing actually refused?

After a brief moment of astonishment, everyone quickly reacted.

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow, a cold smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "He has some self-awareness, at least. He knows he'd be embarrassing. Even if he went with us, when he spars with the experts from other martial arts schools, he'd lose too badly. Not only would he shame himself, but we'd be dragged down with him, and the martial arts school's image would be affected."

Her impression of Yang Jing sometimes lingered on his desperate attempts to curry favor with her in the past. She had looked down on him, thinking a mere nobody from the countryside, how dare he be my follower?

Even after breaking through Bright Strength, he was still a nobody.

Or rather, what truly displeased Qi Yun about Yang Jing was that after breaking through Bright Strength, he stopped trying to curry favor and flatter her.

If Yang Jing had continued to serve her hand and foot like before after breaking through Bright Strength, she wouldn't have minded having a Bright Strength martial artist as a follower.

This stark contrast in Yang Jing's behavior was what truly infuriated Qi Yun.

After Qi Yun finished speaking, Lin Yue snorted dismissively and turned to Sun Ningxiang, his tone deliberately firm, "See? I told you he was no good. Now he doesn't even have the ambition himself. Rotten mud can't be plastered onto a wall. Even if given an opportunity, he can't seize it. We don't need to worry about people like him anymore."

He said this not only to Sun Ningxiang but also to everyone present, especially since he knew Liu Maolin was close to Yang Jing.

Sun Ningxiang frowned slightly, a flicker of disappointment crossing her mind.

She had thought that Yang Jing, being so diligent, would cherish such an opportunity. She hadn't expected him to refuse. Was he truly unmotivated? Perhaps, as Lin Yue said, he lacked ambition.

Liu Maolin, listening from the side, couldn't help but say, "I still feel it's a pity. With more actual combat, perhaps his chances of breaking through Hidden Strength would be greater."

"Heh--" Lin Yue scoffed dismissively. "Senior Brother Liu, you're also a Hidden Strength martial artist. You should know how difficult it is to break through Hidden Strength. To think that mere sparring could lead to a breakthrough... I think that's even more wishful thinking."

Liu Maolin frowned.

At this moment, Zhao Wenzheng patted Liu Maolin's shoulder and said softly, "Forget it. Everyone has their own aspirations. Since he doesn't want to, we'll just find someone else. The sparring team was arranged by Master, and we've already spoken with the heads of the other two martial arts schools. We can't delay."

"There are plenty of people willing to join," Qi Yun said.

The group immediately stopped discussing Yang Jing and began deliberating on new candidates.

Only Liu Maolin occasionally glanced at Yang Jing's focused figure as he practiced his punches, still harboring some regret.

Just as Lin Yue had said, he was a Hidden Strength martial artist and had gone through that bottleneck himself. He knew too well how difficult it was to break through the bottleneck of Bright Strength.

His Talent/Aptitude was on the higher end of average, yet breaking through to Hidden Strength was still so difficult.

For Yang Jing, whose Talent/Aptitude was considered mediocre even among the low-grade ones, the hope of breaking through that insurmountable bottleneck was too slim. Unless he could get incredibly lucky again, like when he broke through to Bright Strength before. Liu Maolin shook his head with a bitter smile. How could that be possible?

Two days later, early in the morning.

Yang Jing ate a pound of tiger meat with a side dish and prepared to go to the martial arts school to practice his fists.

Every day, Master Sun Yong would offer some guidance. Although it wasn't much, his insights were profound, bringing great rewards to Yang Jing. This was the meaning of the saying, "True teachings are a few words, false teachings are ten thousand books."

However, before he could leave the house, he received a message from the Liu family's medicine shop: a batch of medicinal herbs needed to be delivered to the neighboring Jinshan County. It was a round trip that could be completed within a day, returning by evening.

Upon receiving the news, Yang Jing immediately changed into a neat short outfit, a short knife for self-defense tucked into his waist, and arrived at the Liu family's medicine shop on time.

More than ten guards had already gathered at the entrance, all looking capable and strong. Among them, a dark-skinned man had a steady aura, clearly another expert at the Bright Strength level.

"Brother Yang, with you here this time, our journey will be much safer," the leading guard greeted with a smile.

Yang Jing responded with a few polite words and then obediently waited for instructions.

He received silver and bear meat from the Liu family every month, and he didn't have many tasks, only going on two or three missions a month. He always felt uneasy if he didn't do more.

Once the medicinal herbs were loaded onto the carts, the convoy set off.

The journey was relatively smooth. They easily dealt with a few bandits who had turned into refugees.

In the evening, they successfully delivered the medicinal herbs to the branch in Jinshan County, loaded up the return cargo of medicinal herbs, and headed back to Yuhe County.

By the time they returned to the county town, it was deep into the night.

The old master of the Liu family's medicine shop finished counting the medicinal herbs and handed Yang Jing a paper-wrapped package, saying, "Brother Yang, this contains two taels of silver and three catties of bear meat. Thank you for your hard work on this trip."

Yang Jing knew this was customary and didn't refuse. He took the package, tucked it away, and as he turned to leave, he saw Liu Maolin entering from outside. He carried a faint scent of alcohol, but his steps were steady, indicating he was only slightly tipsy.

"Junior Brother?" Liu Maolin was surprised to see Yang Jing, then smiled, "Just got back?"

"Yes, I just finished delivering the medicinal herbs," Yang Jing replied with a nod.

"You've worked hard, returning so late," Liu Maolin patted Yang Jing's shoulder.

"It's my duty," Yang Jing smiled and shook his head. Then his gaze fell on Liu Maolin's face. Seeing the relaxed expression in his eyes, he asked, "Brother, is there some good news? You seem to be in a good mood and have had a few drinks."

The two stood at the entrance of the Liu family's medicine shop, the evening breeze carrying a hint of coolness.

Liu Maolin touched his nose, his face flushed with a slight blush from the alcohol, and he said with a hint of embarrassment, "There is something. I'm going to add another person to my household."

Yang Jing was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding. Looking at Liu Maolin, who appeared somewhat embarrassed and even shy, he suddenly understood and asked in a low voice with some confusion, "Brother, haven't you already been married?"

After he became familiar with Liu Maolin, he had visited his home several times and had naturally met his gentle wife.

The blush on Liu Maolin's face deepened, and his voice lowered, "Junior Brother, you know, my main wife has always been frail and hasn't had any children. My family has been urging me, so I have no choice but to... take a concubine. It's also for the continuation of our Liu family's lineage."

He then chuckled, with a hint of helplessness.

Yang Jing suddenly understood and quickly cupped his hands, "Congratulations, Brother."

Liu Maolin waved his hand and then looked at Yang Jing, "Junior Brother, speaking of which, you're not young anymore. You can't stay single forever. Practicing martial arts is important, but you can't neglect starting a family and a career, can you?"

Hearing Liu Maolin mention him, Yang Jing couldn't help but recall his grandfather's words from his recent visit home. He fell silent for a moment and said, "My mind has been entirely on practicing fists lately; I haven't thought about that."

"Even practicing martial arts requires balance," Liu Maolin patted his shoulder. "After I'm done with this matter, I'll keep an eye out for you. If there's a suitable girl, I'll introduce you?"

Yang Jing didn't immediately agree or refuse, just vaguely replied, "We'll see."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, mostly about trivial matters concerning the martial arts school and their families.

Seeing that it was getting late, Yang Jing took his leave.

Walking on the road back to Tongyi Ward, the evening breeze blew, and he recalled Liu Maolin's words, dismissing them as drunken ramblings and not taking them to heart.

For him now, breaking through to Hidden Strength was the top priority. Everything else was still too early.

The next day, early in the morning.

Yang Jing arrived at the martial arts school, put down his cloth bag and water flask in the front courtyard, and began practicing horse stance, lifting stone locks, and striking wooden stakes.

After a warm-up session of Tempering Qi and Blood, he officially began practicing Mountain Collapse Fist.

Time ticked by, and more and more disciples filled the courtyard.

Yang Jing paid no attention to others, focusing solely on his own practice. The shadow of his Mountain Collapse Fist unfurled in the morning light, each punch delivered with a solid, heavy force.

Sun Yong strolled out from the inner courtyard, his plain long robe swaying slightly in the morning breeze.

His gaze swept over the disciples practicing in the front courtyard. Seeing that a few ordinary registered disciples had loose stances, he casually offered some pointers like "sink your shoulders" and "drop your elbows." When he encountered a few official Bright Strength disciples, he paused for a moment to correct their deviations in applying force.

He stopped when he reached Yang Jing's side.

Watching him complete a set of Stone Splitting Stance, his punches were powerful, but there was a slight, unnecessary stiffness when he retracted his fist. Sun Yong spoke, "When retracting your fist, your Qi should flow smoothly, and your intent should be grounded. Don't let the force get stuck in your shoulder socket."

As he spoke, he demonstrated. With a slight turn of his wrist, a smooth force was naturally retracted. "In the later stages of Bright Strength, one must understand 'containment,' not just continuous outward projection."

Yang Jing's heart tightened upon hearing this. He adjusted according to the instructions, and when he practiced again, it was indeed much smoother. He quickly bowed, "Thank you, Master, for your guidance."

Sun Yong nodded slightly, said no more, and turned towards a few figures in the center of the courtyard, who were Xu Hong, Qi Yun, and Lin Yue.

Currently, only Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, Liu Maolin, and Lin Yue remained as Hidden Strength disciples in the martial arts school. Among them, the senior disciple Xu Hong, the second senior sister Qi Yun, and Lin Yue spent most of their time at the school. The third senior brother Zhao Wenzheng and the fourth senior brother Liu Maolin had already begun taking over their family businesses and would still come to the martial arts school almost every day, but their time was much less than before.

Sun Yong came to Xu Hong's side and guided his breathing rhythm. Then he went to Qi Yun and corrected the angle of her punches.

Finally, he stopped beside Lin Yue.

Lin Yue was practicing the Mountain Collapse Fist at the Hidden Strength level. Sun Yong watched for a moment, then personally demonstrated the transitions of the moves to Lin Yue, while also quietly explaining the methods of internal energy circulation. Occasionally, he would have Lin Yue strike so he could meet the blows with his own fists, meticulously pointing out the crucial details.

The patience and meticulousness Sun Yong showed when teaching Lin Yue far surpassed his treatment of other disciples.

Many disciples looked in Lin Yue's direction, their eyes unable to hide their envy. If only they could receive such dedicated instruction from the master. But this was just wishful thinking. Ultimately, it all came down to Talent. Lin Yue had High-grade root bone, so naturally, the master valued him.

Yang Jing glanced at Sun Yong's figure as he broke down the moves for Lin Yue, then withdrew his gaze. He lowered his stance again, and within the wind of the Mountain Collapse Fist, a new level of unwavering focus emerged.

"Peak Bright Strength, almost there."

PS: Thank you to the book friend [Qingshan Liushui] for another generous reward of 100 Qidian coins!