Apprenticeship

Li Yi had entered fantasy time.

All sorts of bizarre thoughts surfaced in his mind. He had experienced too many strange things lately, and for a moment, he began to doubt whether any of this was real. He even wondered if he had been possessed by a ghost, and whether everything happening before his eyes was merely an illusion.

Seeing Li Yi standing there foolishly without moving, Zhao Ge immediately gave two soft coughs. "Li Mengde, could it be that you think I, Zhao Ge, am not qualified to be your master?"

Li Mengde?

Who was that?

Oh, right. He remembered now.

Mengde was actually himself.

Li Yi immediately cut short his fantasy time and hurriedly replied, "Uncle Zhao, it's not that. You saved my life, and I'm deeply grateful. Besides, you want to take me as your disciple for my own good. I haven't even had the chance to repay you—how could I think you're unqualified to be my master? It's just that I have some personal reasons, so I hesitated."

Hearing this, Zhao Ge immediately understood. He slapped his forehead. "I nearly forgot. You came from Ghost Street, and your clothes and appearance are completely different from ours. You're probably not from Xingzhou. You can't let go of your own affairs and are still thinking about how to return, aren't you?"

"My parents fell unconscious for certain reasons and have been bedridden for six years. They're still waiting for me to care for them. I can't stay away from home for too long, or my parents will starve to death there. So I must find a way to leave Ghost Street and return home," Li Yi said seriously.

"I didn't expect you to be another unfortunate soul. It's rare for you to possess such filial devotion. I can't force you into anything," Zhao Ge said with a sigh.

He had originally planned to take Li Yi back to his Martial Arts School after their trip to Ghost Street, teach him martial arts, and pass on his legacy. Although Li Yi's identity was unknown, that did not matter to him. With talent like this, Li Yi was worth cultivating at any cost. That was why he had become carried away and overlooked Li Yi's concerns.

But filial duty came first. If he forced the matter, then he would be in the wrong.

Still, watching such a peerless jade slip through his fingers filled Zhao Ge with regret. Perhaps in a few days, he would toss and turn at night, unable to sleep. He might even remember this matter on his deathbed and carry the regret for the rest of his life.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ge spoke again. "For us to meet in Ghost Street is an immense stroke of fate. Although we may part here and perhaps never meet again in this lifetime, I still can't bear to see talent like yours buried. I still want to take you as my disciple, but I won't force you. If you're unwilling, forget it."

His savior had already spoken to this extent. If Li Yi refused again, he would seem utterly ungrateful.

He immediately knelt down. His nimble mind quickly recalled a speech he had seen online, and he said, "I, Yi, have wandered for half my life, only regretting that I never met a worthy master. Today, Uncle Zhao has not abandoned me, and I am willing to acknowledge you as my master. From this day forth, a master for one day is a father for life. Should I violate these words, may Heaven strike me dead."

After saying this, Li Yi immediately knocked his head against the ground three times.

My wording and etiquette should be fine, right?

After all, that was how people accepted disciples in television dramas.

As a martial artist, Zhao Ge was first stunned. Then tears of excitement welled in his eyes. He hurriedly reached out with a slightly trembling hand and helped Li Yi up. "Good, good, good disciple, get up quickly. You're too straightforward, child. How could you make such a grave oath? We're family from now on, so don't speak so distantly."

In Zhao Ge's eyes, this was no mere apprenticeship. Li Yi was practically acknowledging him as his father. The ceremony had been far too weighty.

In Zhao Ge's world, accepting a disciple did not require kowtowing—only serving tea. Making an oath was even more serious, because anyone who violated one would suffer a terrible retribution.

Thus, when a disciple kowtowed during the apprenticeship ceremony, it was equivalent to acknowledging the other party as his adoptive father. If he also made an oath, it meant he could never violate it for the rest of his life. And the greater a martial artist's achievements, the more fiercely the oath bound him.

So when kowtowing, entering the apprenticeship, and swearing an oath were combined, and the master accepted such a grand ceremony, that disciple's weight in his heart became greater than even that of a biological son. After the master's death, the disciple could even inherit the family estate just like a biological son.

What was more, Li Yi's words—"a master for one day is a father for life"—filled Zhao Ge with the joy of having a son in his old age.

Li Yi could not understand Zhao Ge's feelings at all. He only felt that Zhao Ge had saved his life, and that he ought to kowtow a few times, both emotionally and reasonably. After all, he might never have the chance to repay him in the future. As for agreeing to become his disciple, that was merely to fulfill Zhao Ge's wish.

Zhao Qian, standing nearby, was also delighted by the scene. When she looked at Li Yi, she immediately became much more familiar with him, as though he were an elder brother she had not seen in many years.

"Father, don't just stand there celebrating. We don't have much time left to remain in Ghost Street. We still have many things to do during this period, so we can't waste any more time." Seeing her father gripping Li Yi's arm in excitement for so long, Zhao Qian finally reminded him.

Only then did Zhao Ge come back to himself. He glanced at the Soul Guiding Incense and saw that more than half of it had already burned away. It would be completely consumed within an hour at most. At that time, he would have no choice but to leave Ghost Street ahead of schedule, and he would be forced to part from his newly accepted disciple.

"It's a pity we don't have enough time. Though we have deep ties as master and disciple, fate has kept us apart. During this period, Master will do everything he can to impart the essence of the Martial Way to you. Mengde, learn as much as you can."

After noticing the time, Zhao Ge began pacing anxiously in place. What should he teach Li Yi?

The methods for tempering sinews and bones and refining qi and blood?

No, that would not do.

There was too little time. If he failed to teach it completely, he might instead harm his disciple and lead him astray.

The secret arts of controlling qi and blood and sending force into the acupoints?

That would not work either. His disciple had not even entered the threshold. Teaching him those things would be useless.

As time ticked away, even Zhao Ge, a martial artist who had mastered qi and blood, began sweating from anxiety.

Zhao Qian was a clever, perceptive girl. Seeing her father's distress and urgency, she immediately reminded him, "Father, teach Big Brother Yi how to punch. Let him use his fists to train his force. Once his force grows stronger and his foundation stabilizes, perhaps he'll open an aperture one day."

"How could that work? Without qi and blood to support it, Punch Force can't be driven through. His stamina will also run out easily, leaving him weak and powerless." Zhao Ge instinctively rejected the idea.

To practice the fists, one first practiced qi. To practice qi, one first nourished the blood. Qi and blood were the foundation of every martial artist.

Li Yi was a fledgling who understood nothing. Without tempering qi and blood, he could not hold a proper Punch Stance. In a life-and-death battle, he would be nothing but an ornamental display—useless.

Zhao Qian said, "Father, don't forget that Big Brother Yi possesses innate divine strength and a robust physique. Even if he can't refine qi and blood, his own strength is enough to develop his punches. If we get the chance to meet again in Ghost Street, it won't be too late to teach him how to temper his qi and blood."

Her words immediately awakened Zhao Ge.

"Right, right, right. Ordinary people establish their foundation before practicing the fists. Mengde has Dragon Sinew, Tiger Bone, and innate divine strength. His foundation is already exceptionally solid, strong enough to support him in developing Punch Force. Good, we'll teach him the fists."

Zhao Ge gathered his thoughts, abruptly stopped, and looked toward Li Yi. "Mengde, are you willing to learn boxing?"

"I'll learn whatever my master teaches," Li Yi replied.

"Good child." Zhao Ge grew emotional once more. This child truly trusted him so deeply. It seemed the oath he had made earlier was certainly no empty promise.

A master for one day was a father for life.

What child would ever doubt his parents?

But time was pressing, and Zhao Ge had no time for lectures. He immediately said, "To practice boxing, you must first get moving. I'll let you see Punch Force, then teach you how to practice Standing Meditation and Feeling the Force."

Then he looked around, picked up a stool, and used his hand like a blade to shave away its wooden legs, leaving only a thick wooden board.

"Watch carefully." After speaking, Zhao Ge tossed the wooden board out, then raised his hand and punched.

Bang!

A deep, explosive crack rang out.

Strangely, the wooden board neither flew away nor split apart. Instead, it stuck to Zhao Ge's fist.

The sight completely defied common sense.

Zhao Ge removed the wooden board from his fist and saw a clear Fist Print left upon it. "This is Punch Force. When an ordinary person throws a punch, the board will either fly away or split apart, because their force is scattered. Martial artists who practice boxing are different. Their force is twisted into a single strand, gathered without dispersing. When they strike, their force looks like this."

"If my punch advanced another inch, this board would be pierced with ease. Force like this cannot be deflected by an enemy, and a single strike can kill."

As he demonstrated, he also explained everything seriously, revealing the essence in only a few words.

This was true transmission.

"Impressive." Li Yi's eyes widened, finding it utterly inconceivable.

Although the punch appeared simple, it was profound beyond measure.

"Mengde, you possess immense strength, but your force is soft, scattered, and useless because your skin, sinews, and bones have not been forged into one. But it doesn't matter. I'm teaching you to punch so you can mobilize the force of your entire body. Once you master it, whether fists or legs, everything will flow as one."

"Watch my Punch Stance."

Zhao Ge then stood there in a slightly crouched posture. He raised his arms and clenched his fists. His form seemed relaxed and loose, yet it was poised to erupt, carrying a hint of mystery.

"Power rises from the ground. It travels through the feet, knees, waist, the great dragon of the spine, the arms, elbows, and finally the fist. Feel the force pass through layer by layer, then erupt in an instant. That is how your Punch Force takes shape."

"Now begin learning."

Zhao Ge finished the exercise and gestured for Li Yi to start learning.

Li Yi's cultivation and evolution, along with the awakening of his Spirit Medium, had improved his memory as well. After closing his eyes and thinking for a moment, he immediately imitated Zhao Ge and raised his Punch Stance.

"No, your waist is too crooked. When you exert force, your waist bones will be damaged. Over time, this will leave hidden injuries. When you grow old and your qi and blood weaken, your lower body will become paralyzed."

"Straighten your knee a little more, or the force won't rise."

"Raise your fist a little higher. Your gaze and fist must align, or your punch won't be straight and you'll easily strike crooked."

Zhao Ge spotted all sorts of flaws and problems in Li Yi at a glance, then directly adjusted his Punch Stance with his own hands.

This kind of instruction by word and deed was worth several months of arduous training for anyone else after just ten minutes.

Li Yi learned quickly and adjusted quickly as well.

In less than three minutes, his Punch Stance was nearly identical to Zhao Ge's.

"Good, the Punch Stance is fine now. Hold this posture and let your body remember it." Zhao Ge looked at Li Yi, a complicated expression in his eyes.

No matter how talented someone was, they still needed time to temper themselves. Although Li Yi had established the Punch Stance perfectly under his guidance this time, without his instruction next time, the stance would collapse immediately. Li Yi himself would not even know where he had gone wrong.

If he learned it incorrectly, practicing boxing would leave him riddled with illness.

In the end, he could only rely on his tough physique to endure it.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ge felt a wave of guilt. Was he teaching his disciple, or harming him?

"Master, how long do I have to hold this posture?" After several more minutes, Li Yi asked curiously.

Zhao Ge returned to his senses and immediately replied, "If time weren't pressing, you would stand for as long as you could. But now, Master doesn't know how long you should stand either. You must rely on your own feelings. You have to sense that your body has remembered this state."

"But it must not exceed half an hour. That is all the time Master has to teach you."

Li Yi scratched his head. "I see."

"Mengde, why did you release your Punch Stance?" Zhao Ge immediately glared. "Your body can't remember it in such a short time. All your previous effort has gone to waste."

"I'm sorry, Master. I wasn't paying attention. I'll continue right away." Li Yi lowered his body and once again raised his Punch Stance.

But Zhao Ge's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Li Yi's Punch Stance had perfectly replicated his previous state. It was steady and balanced, without the slightest difference.

Had his body already remembered it?

What kind of joke was this?

He had not even tempered his sinews and bones. How could an outsider with no training hold a Punch Stance in an instant?