Stance Training Strengthens the Body, Vital Energy Opens the Martial Path

What he had said earlier sounded quite impressive, but that last comparison...

Didn't that mean they had no real standing?

Xie Yuan grumbled inwardly, but he definitely did not dare say it aloud.

After all, among Coiling Dragon Town's three martial arts schools, Iron Clothes Gate ranked only third.

Most people who wanted to learn martial arts had restless hearts. Compared to Iron Cloth, which meant taking a beating, fist techniques and saber techniques were surely far more popular.

Still, Xie Yuan understood what the disciple meant. Iron Clothes Gate had many disciples and no small reputation, wielding considerable influence in Coiling Dragon Town;

while Prajna Temple was a major power throughout the Great Li Dynasty, one of the top sects.

He remembered the name. This was the first time he had learned anything about the upper echelons of power in this world.

The welcoming disciple was still talking without pause:

"...Master Liu has deep ties to Prajna Temple, which is why he learned this Iron Cloth that contains Buddhist charm, made a name for himself, founded this martial arts school, and recruited disciples far and wide.

"Brother, if you learn Iron Clothes Gate's Iron Cloth, you'll have learned a little of Prajna Temple's Golden Bell Cover too. Joining Iron Clothes Gate is practically the same as joining Prajna Temple!"

...Could you really make an equation like that?

Yet it somehow got his blood pumping!

Xie Yuan felt that this disciple truly had a silver tongue. Stationing him at the entrance to welcome guests counted as Iron Clothes Gate making good use of the right man.

"Whatever ties, whatever Buddhist charm—it's probably mostly boasting. If Sect Master Liu really were a disciple of Prajna Temple, even only a lay disciple, having entered a top sect, he could not possibly be merely at the Second Level of Practice and running a martial arts school in this backwater.

"But boasting or not makes no difference. Since he can open a school and take disciples, this martial art must have something to it. The first step in martial arts is Skin Tempering. Perhaps Iron Cloth offers some advantage in getting started. In any case, I've already made up my mind."

Xie Yuan thought to himself.

He had asked enough and had already made his decision, so he cupped his fists toward the disciple.

"May I ask what the process is for joining your school to learn martial arts?"

The gray-clad disciple's eyes lit up.

"Simple. Come with me!"

He led Xie Yuan into the main courtyard. Inside was a vast open space used as a Martial Arts Field, where quite a few disciples were practicing.

Xie Yuan and the gray-clad disciple walked past the Martial Arts Field and deeper into the courtyard. As Xie Yuan curiously studied the practicing disciples, the gray-clad disciple asked:

"Brother, my name is Cao Shan. How should I address you? Where are you from?"

"Greetings, Senior Brother Cao. My name is Xie Yuan, and I'm from Small Stone Village."

"Small Stone Village? That isn't too far."

Cao Shan brought Xie Yuan into a study, had the accountant register his name, and collected eleven taels of silver.

When Xie Yuan handed over the large silver ingot, his heart ached terribly. But thinking that it would let him come into contact with martial arts, he let it go.

He had saved money in the first place to learn martial arts and change his fate.

"All right, Junior Brother Xie. You're now a disciple of Iron Clothes Gate. The process really wasn't difficult, was it?"

Cao Shan patted Xie Yuan and smiled.

"It... was indeed quite simple."

Xie Yuan said. He had expected some sort of apprenticeship ceremony, but it turned out paying money was enough. It was so convenient that it made him uneasy, as though he had been scammed.

Cao Shan seemed to know what he was thinking and explained:

"Junior Brother Xie, we of Iron Clothes Gate have three kinds of disciples: Registered Disciples, Core Disciples, and personal disciples.

"People like you, who pay eleven taels of silver to become apprentices and learn martial arts, are all Registered Disciples. You understand—this is essentially paying to learn martial arts. There aren't many real restrictions, so naturally there aren't too many rules.

"Core Disciples also pay, but not much. It mostly covers daily food expenses, supports the martial arts school's operating costs, and pays for medicinal baths and tonics. You won't need to spend large sums on learning martial arts anymore.

"Core Disciples are chosen by Master. They have a certain degree of talent and are willing to cultivate at Iron Clothes Gate. Once they enter, their fortunes rise and fall with the school's. I am a Core Disciple.

"As for personal disciples, there's no need to say much. They are all the Sect Master's personally taught disciples. He is their master, not merely an instructor. In the future, they will inherit the Sect Master's mantle and provide for him in old age and bury him after death, no different from sons. Their martial training, food and drink, tonics, and medicinal baths are naturally all provided by their master. Not to mention the Sect Master's true arts—those are taught only to personal disciples.

"But becoming a personal disciple requires both cultivation talent and personal character. Neither can be lacking, and even that may not be enough—you must also suit the Sect Master's tastes in talent and temperament."

Cao Shan's tone was full of feeling, and the envy in his voice was impossible to hide.

Xie Yuan nodded. The structure of this organization was very clear and reasonable.

If he could become a Core Disciple, or even a personal disciple, he would save quite a bit of money...

But everything had its price. Though Core Disciples and personal disciples could learn martial arts for free, the responsibilities they bore would naturally be greater as well.

He stopped dwelling on it and asked Cao Shan:

"Senior Brother Cao, when can I begin learning martial arts?"

"Come back the day after tomorrow. A group of Registered Disciples will be joining then, so you can start together."

Cao Shan said.

Xie Yuan nodded and cupped his fists.

"All right. Then, Senior Brother Cao, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first."

"See you the day after tomorrow, Junior Brother Xie."

After seeing Xie Yuan to the entrance and watching him leave, Cao Shan stood there thinking:

"This Junior Brother Xie is polite and quite handsome. He doesn't look at all like someone raised in a mountain village. He leaves a good impression.

"But with a background like his, the hope of turning his life around through martial arts is slim... Learning martial arts is no easy matter, but the school relies on people like them for income, so I can't say too much... Seeing how he picked through those bits of silver, ah, I won't recommend the side-room medicinal soup to him either.

"I only hope that when Junior Brother Xie leaves the school three months from now, he won't stubbornly keep training because he can't let go and ruin his body. When the time comes, I'll explain it properly to him."

Two days later.

Xie Yuan arrived at Iron Clothes Gate early in the morning and saw four other people in the Martial Arts Field, all looking excited.

The four were dressed quite plainly as well, no better off than he was. Even the best-dressed among them looked like he came from nothing more than an ordinary household.

Xie Yuan understood that they were all new Registered Disciples.

He wondered how many of them had emptied their family coffers, only to have their wishes fulfilled in the end.

Besides the five of them, Cao Shan and another burly man stood in the Martial Arts Field.

The burly man wore a fitted black outfit that was not thick. On a winter morning, it even looked somewhat thin. Yet his complexion was rosy, and he seemed utterly unaware of the cold.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Cao Shan called out:

"Junior Brothers who have newly joined the school, let me introduce you. This is the Senior Brother of our Iron Clothes Gate, Senior Brother Huo Da. He is Master's personal disciple, has achieved Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering, and is a first-level martial artist. Master will guide your cultivation regularly in the future, but most of the time, Senior Brother Huo will be teaching you."

A first-level martial artist!

This man before them, who did not even look particularly old, was actually a martial artist.

Their expressions turned solemn, and they all greeted him.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Huo!"

Huo Da appeared somewhat sparing with words. He nodded, and when he spoke, his voice boomed like a great bell:

"All of you Junior Brothers have only just entered the school, so I imagine you do not yet understand the martial path very well.

"At the beginner stage, martial artists temper themselves and nourish their essence and vitality. They then strengthen skin, flesh, tendons, and bones; from the outside inward, they further fortify their vital energy and blood, cycling again and again as they climb without cease.

"You may not understand much of that yet. It doesn't matter. Martial arts are practiced, not explained. We will train first and explain afterward. If you encounter any difficulties later, ask Senior Brother Cao or me at any time.

"Now, I will teach you the method of practicing our Iron Clothes Gate's Iron Cloth. We begin with Stance Training: Three Static Three Dynamic, six forms in all. I'll demonstrate once. Watch carefully."

Huo Da took up his stance, twisting his waist and setting his horse stance as he moved through all manner of postures.

At times, he stood rooted like hard bridges and firm horses, utterly motionless; at others, he raised his hands and lifted his feet, turning and shifting without end.

Xie Yuan and the other disciples hurriedly copied him, committing each movement to memory with great care. Cao Shan watched at the side, constantly helping them raise their arms and kick their legs so that incorrect postures would not injure them.

By the time Huo Da had finished demonstrating the sequence once, the disciples were already drenched in sweat. They panted and groaned:

"So hard!"

"This posture is impossible to do!"

"My waist—my waist is twisted..."

Xie Yuan was equally awkward on his first attempt and deeply sympathized.

"My body has never trained before. It's far too stiff. Trying to get started in a short time will probably be difficult.

"I thought training Iron Cloth meant ramming trees and taking blows from sticks or something. Instead, Stance Training is the entry point. Use Stance Training to strengthen the body and vital energy and blood, then, as he said, use vital energy and blood to reinforce the body and temper skin, flesh, tendons, and bones? Taking beatings is merely external training, while the latter is the true path of a martial artist?"

He pondered this and gained a basic understanding of the martial path.

Just then, words appeared before his eyes.

Vital energy and blood strengthen the body, opening the path of martial arts. You have gained insight.

Iron Cloth · Beginner: (1/100)

A horizontal external art, Buddhist Charm Hidden Within.