Blades and swords had always been the most common weapons among martial artists.
Of the remaining half of the Martial Arts Academy disciples, half chose swords, forty percent chose sabers, and the last ten percent chose spears, staffs, or hammers.
One disciple even chose the same weapon as Li Jingzhong: an iron whip.
Quite a few people present looked at that disciple as though watching a joke.
They were only academy apprentices now. What they could learn was not Li Jingzhong's true core martial art.
Li Jingzhong had only one true core martial art: the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.
But the White Ape Through-Arm Fist was not something anyone could learn just because they wanted to.
From each batch of disciples, only the single most outstanding one was qualified to learn the White Ape Through-Arm Fist.
By then, he would no longer need to call Li Jingzhong Academy Master. He would have to call him Teacher.
Though it was not a true master-disciple inheritance, it was still far closer than the relationship he had with disciples like them, who would leave after studying for a year or two.
That fellow had chosen such an obscure weapon as an iron whip. Did he really think he would stand out in the end?
If he failed to learn the White Ape Through-Arm Fist, then he would have chosen this weapon for nothing, and all his effort would go down the drain.
Though Li Jingzhong's teaching was strict, he was also responsible.
After roughly explaining the common details of weapons to everyone, he carefully elaborated according to the differences between their respective weapons.
When he came before the disciples who had chosen sabers, Li Jingzhong suddenly stopped in front of Han Zheng.
"Han Zheng, have you ever seen someone killed?"
Han Zheng nodded. "I've seen beheadings."
That was the truth. In Han Zheng's memories, his father had taken him to watch beheadings when he was young.
Thinking about it now, his father in this life had been quite the character.
He had actually taken his own son to watch people being beheaded. Was he not afraid the child would be traumatized?
But in a small place like Black Stone County, whenever the County Yamen executed criminals, plenty of people would gather to watch.
"A saber is meant for slaughter. You must possess the sharpness to press forward without hesitation, along with killing intent.
"I can teach that, but you will not truly learn it. Only martial artists who have genuinely experienced deadly combat can comprehend its essence.
"Watch closely!"
Li Jingzhong grasped a long saber and suddenly slashed out. Its icy edge and startling killing intent rushed straight at them, making the faces of the many disciples turn pale.
"Now, visualize me unleashing that slash with all my strength. One at a time."
The academy disciples took turns making their moves, but Li Jingzhong merely shook his head slightly each time, somewhat dissatisfied.
The disciples still remaining in the academy had all opened more than fifty acupoints and one set of meridians. They could already be considered Early Acquired Stage martial artists.
They possessed some presence, but lacked practical combat experience. They simply had no way to grasp that sort of aura.
When it was Han Zheng's turn, he gripped his Wild Goose Feather Saber. His blood and qi surged as strength suddenly burst from his waist and hips!
The saber flash arrived in an instant—swift and vicious—and it even carried a current of murderous intent within it.
Li Jingzhong gave a soft sound of surprise and stared fixedly at Han Zheng.
Han Zheng's slash might not have carried ten out of ten of that aura, but it was at least a strike that could truly be taken into a life-and-death fight against an opponent.
"Have you fought other martial artists before?"
Han Zheng shook his head. "No. But I imagined that the person standing before me wanted to kill me. Either you die or I perish. Naturally, the saber in my hand carried killing intent."
"Not bad. That is also a good method.
"Remember this: the path of martial arts has never been set in stone.
"Your enemies will not fight you according to the routines of the martial arts you have learned.
"Han Zheng did very well. You should all learn more from him.
"With the level of that slash alone, he could go out right now and serve as a guard warrior for those wealthy merchants and landlords with more than enough to spare."
Hearing Li Jingzhong praise Han Zheng so highly, some disciples looked at Han Zheng with envy, some with jealousy, though most were jealous.
Han Zheng did not care. He had done it deliberately.
Sometimes, it was fine to hide one's strengths, but one could not hide one's stupidity.
Keep a low profile in life, but act with high profile in work.
There were nearly fifty disciples in the Martial Arts Academy. If he did not reveal exceptional talent before Li Jingzhong, how could he obtain more knowledge of martial arts?
In fact, Han Zheng had deliberately held back and had not revealed too much killing intent.
He had not merely fought people before. He had truly killed people.
Sure enough, after Han Zheng displayed his talent with that slash, Li Jingzhong gave him even more attention.
Li Jingzhong had already formed some impression of Han Zheng last time.
His acupoints had opened at a rapid pace, second only to those wealthy disciples who soaked in medicinal baths.
Moreover, he had mastered the Vajra Fist quite well. It could even be said that his talent was exceptional.
Combined with today's slash, Li Jingzhong could confirm that Han Zheng was absolutely a promising seedling.
He could even be called one of the most outstanding among this batch of disciples.
A promising seedling like this was absolutely worth more of his attention.
If Han Zheng went out from his Martial Arts Academy in the future and rose to prominence, Li Jingzhong's own face would shine as well.
Today was a major class. After the noon break, they would still practice the saber in the afternoon.
Li Sancheng bit into a dark rye bun and squatted beside Han Zheng, his face full of worry.
"Did I choose wrong by choosing the saber? I didn't feel a single thing all morning, and the Academy Master scolded me several times."
Han Zheng had already finished eating. As he sipped his vegetable soup, he said, "It's only the first day. What are you worried about?
"When you practice the saber this afternoon, imagine that the person before you is Ma Gui. He bullied you and even wanted to steal your money. Wouldn't that make you feel like splitting him alive?"
"I'd eat his heart raw!"
Li Sancheng viciously bit into his dark rye bun.
"Right. Just practice with that state of mind."
Li Sancheng patted Han Zheng on the shoulder and said enviously, "Brother, you really stole the limelight today. With that word from the Academy Master, even if you left the Martial Arts Academy now, you would not need to worry about food or drink. The wealthy households in Black Stone County would definitely scramble to hire you as a household guard."
"Oh? The Academy Master's words carry that much weight?"
"Of course! Why is our Zhenwei Martial Arts School so famous? Why is the tuition three hundred taels of silver? It is because disciples who come out of our academy have guaranteed strength.
"Three hundred taels may sound like a lot, but as long as you stay in the academy for a full year, you count as having successfully completed your training. Once you leave, you can earn that silver back within a few years.
"Of course, trash like Ma Gui and those disciples eliminated before do not count as having successfully completed their training. They also cannot use the academy's banner when traveling outside in the future."
"So what do disciples from our Martial Arts Academy generally do outside?"
Han Zheng was rather curious about this.
Those great heroes in martial arts novels seemed never to need to worry about silver.
In reality, the poor pursued literature while the rich pursued martial arts. Cultivating martial arts consumed the most money. Without some family wealth, one truly could not endure it.
Li Sancheng counted on his fingers. "There are plenty of options. Most become Guard Warriors for wealthy households, or join an Escort Agency to escort goods.
"The world is chaotic now. Any wealthy household with even a little money will hire guards.
"Ordinary guards are just thugs and hired hands with a bit of strength. Only people like us, who have truly cultivated internal energy techniques, count as Guard Warriors.
"By Black Stone County's rates, it is around ten taels of silver a month. I heard the provincial capital pays more—fifteen to twenty taels."
Han Zheng was slightly surprised. That price was truly not low.
His father had worked as a clerk at the County Yamen, yet his monthly wage had only been three taels.
"Being a guard warrior is relatively leisurely and safe. After all, those wealthy households cherish their lives and will not run around recklessly.
"Escorting goods earns more. The pay is based on the value of the cargo. A qualified escort can earn three to five hundred taels a year without issue.
"But escorting goods is also more dangerous. The world is far too chaotic now.
"Run into Demons and lose your life; run into bandits and lose your money.
"I have heard Escorts from those agencies say that few stay in this line of work for long. They make quick money for a few years, then immediately change professions."
Han Zheng narrowed his eyes. "They are all jobs that sell your life to others. Does no one want to go further on the path of martial arts?"
"To go further, you need the ability for it."
Li Sancheng sighed. "Some choose to join the army, but the imperial court is suppressing rebellions everywhere right now, and there is war at the borders too. You die even faster after entering the military.
"Others roam the martial world, hoping to join those great sects. But the disciples of those great sects begin training at just a few years old. Every one of them has excellent talent and bone structure. Why would they ever think highly of us?
"Some drift through the martial world for years and end up utterly destitute. In the end, do they not still return to serve others as guards?"
Han Zheng patted Li Sancheng on the shoulder. "Who knows what the future holds? Perhaps you will travel farther on the path of martial arts than others."
Li Sancheng swallowed the dark rye bun in his hand with difficulty. "I haven't thought that far ahead. Right now, I only want to know when I can replace dark rye buns with white flour buns.
"I eat dark rye buns at the Martial Arts Academy, then return home and eat dark rye buns again. I'm about to puke from them."
Though he said that, Li Sancheng's body did not look at all like that of someone about to vomit from hunger.
He was a whole size fatter than when he had first arrived at the Martial Arts Academy. Of course, with his abundant blood and qi, even his fat was the sturdy kind.
Han Zheng was also considering that he ought to find a way to make money.
Of the ten taels of silver he had gotten from Ma Gui, half had already been spent, almost all of it on food.
The poor pursued literature while the rich pursued martial arts. Even if one did not soak in medicinal baths or consume pills while cultivating martial arts, one could not starve oneself, could one?
Han Zheng's appetite was now several times that of an ordinary person. Every meal had to include meat to keep up with the drain on his strength, so his expenses were much greater.
"Ah, these days, being born into a good family is what matters. We are here agonizing over whether to become guards or Escorts, yet perhaps in the future we will simply be selling our lives to others."
With seven parts bitterness and three parts jealousy in his voice, Li Sancheng gestured with his chin toward a small group in the distance.
There were fewer than ten people in that group, and their training uniforms were all made from high-quality breathable silk.
They did not remain at the Martial Arts Academy to eat after morning lessons. During major classes, servants also brought them all kinds of dishes, making them seem utterly out of place among the other academy disciples.
From childhood, their resources had surpassed those of poor disciples like Li Sancheng by more than one realm.
Some of the stronger ones were not even twenty, yet had already opened three sets of meridians.
These people all came from wealthy households. Though they were not martial arts families, this was an age of chaos, and they all understood the importance of strength. That was why they sent their family's younger generation to the Martial Arts Academy to learn martial arts.
Another reason was that Great Zhou had been founded on martial might, and martial arts held an exalted status.
As long as you possessed strength, power, influence, wealth, and honor were all within easy reach!