Selection

The days passed one by one.

Because Lin Yin often went hunting in the mountains, the family's supply of meat had improved.

He had even given his mother the silver he had previously obtained from Li Sihhu.

One day, when Lin Yin arrived at the Fist Manor, he was surprised to find Shi Zhong and the others already waiting there for quite some time.

"Senior Brother Lin..."

"Morning, Senior Brother Lin."

Shi Zhong and the others stepped forward to greet him one after another, and Lin Yin nodded to each of them in return.

After spending this period of time together so attentively, their relationships had grown increasingly close.

Though they were competitors, Lin Yin's mild temperament and careful guidance had made Shi Zhong and the others feel a few degrees more respect for him from the bottom of their hearts.

Lin Yin had originally intended to go off by himself and practice his Stance Skill, but the group's strange behavior quickly caught his attention.

Rather than hurriedly ascending the stakes for Martial Arts Practice or chatting, they all craned their necks toward the courtyard gate, looking as if their eyes were about to pierce through it.

It seemed something was about to arrive.

Just as he was about to ask, footsteps sounded from the arched gateway between the Staking Ground and the outer courtyard. Faint laughter and conversation could also be heard.

"Senior Brother Lin, come quickly. They're choosing Living Stakes."

Noticing Lin Yin, Shi Zhong hurriedly called out to him.

"Next, the senior brothers and sisters from the Inner Court will select Living Stakes. Once chosen as a Living Stake, you might have a chance to rise to the next level."

As he said this, Shi Zhong's face brimmed with excitement.

Why had he worked so hard, sweating away at the Staking Ground? To become a true martial artist!

Only by becoming a martial artist could one have hope.

Whenever he thought of his second uncle, who had mysteriously vanished while hunting in the mountains, Shi Zhong's heart clenched with fear. In these times, even Hunters who lived off the mountains could no longer hold on.

People only said that Hunters made a fortune hunting in the mountains, never knowing the dangers within.

With his second uncle's fate as a warning, Shi Zhong had made up his mind never to become a Hunter.

Looking at Shi Zhong before him, flushed red and bursting with excitement, Lin Yin felt inexplicably stirred.

Living Stakes...

He had nearly forgotten. Strictly speaking, he was not yet a disciple of this Fist Manor, but a Living Stake.

Before long, that group of disciples arrived at the Staking Ground. They all wore fitted azure uniforms, standing in stark contrast to the gray cloth shirts worn by Lin Yin and the others.

At the sight of these senior brothers, Shi Zhong and the others, who had been standing loosely and sloppily, immediately straightened up one after another. They held their chests high and heads raised, perfectly displaying their Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Amid them, Lin Yin remained as calm as ever.

One could become an official disciple upon entering the Stance Skill, and reach the realm of a Ming Jin Martial Artist upon achieving Minor Accomplishment. At his level, he presumably would not be among the weaker ones even within this group of "senior brothers," so he had no interest whatsoever in the little implicit guidance that being a Living Stake could bring.

Soon, the selection of Living Stakes began.

Under Xu Chang's direction, Shi Zhong and the others took the stage one by one. Their fists and kicks whistled through the air as they displayed the inner stance forms they had cultivated recently to the fullest extent.

"Eh... Senior Brother Xu, you said they entered the manor half a month ago?"

Among the Fist Manor Disciples, someone revealed a look of Surprise.

Shi Zhong and the others' performance had somewhat astonished him. In the past, after half a month, Living Stakes might only have managed to roughly imitate the complete set of Stance Skill.

Yet most of the Shi Zhong and the others before him had already mastered the entire set of Stance Skill. The only thing they might lack was Qi and Blood Circulation and Breathing Rhythm.

Once they perfectly fused their Blood Qi and Breathing Rhythm into the Stance Skill, they would have entered the art. Such progress was far from slow.

"Yes, I even heard Senior Brother Wan say before that this year's Living Stakes were of extremely poor quality. Seeing them today, I'm truly surprised."

"That one called Shi Zhong? None of you junior brothers are to compete with me for him..."

In just a moment, these previously silent young disciples began discussing among themselves.

Not to mention the disciples who had come to select Living Stakes—even Xu Chang was greatly astonished at this moment.

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During this time, he had been tempering his Blood Qi in preparation for a second Tempering, neglecting the Staking Ground.

Yet after not seeing them for a while, Shi Zhong and the others had made astonishing progress.

But he quickly thought of the anomaly behind this and instinctively turned his gaze toward Lin Yin, who appeared especially "low-key" amid the crowd.

"Could it be him..."

His heart skipped a beat. The more Xu Chang thought about it, the more he felt that he might have discovered the truth.

Beside him, the Inner Court disciples whispered among themselves. Before him, Living Stakes took the stage one after another to demonstrate their forms. Xu Chang's thoughts raced, and he suddenly made up his mind.

"Everyone... I think I probably know the reason."

"Hm? Senior Brother, tell us quickly."

"If there were a way to let disciples grasp cultivation techniques quickly, it would greatly benefit the entire Lingyun Martial Arts School."

The disciples whispered among themselves, voicing their agreement again and again, each looking more excited than the last.

Most of them came from commoner backgrounds, though a very few hailed from wealthy families that even trained Martial Artists within their households.

If such a method existed, it would undoubtedly raise their families' foundational strength by another level.

"I have someone to recommend. If you junior brothers find him suitable, you may choose him first."

Having seemingly settled on his decision, and recalling the other party's daily performance since arriving at the Fist Manor, Xu Chang decided to lend him a hand while he was at it.

On the path of martial arts, how could one improve without striving?

"Lin Yin, ascend the stake and give your fellow junior brothers a demonstration."

Looking at the "scrawny" figure hidden among the crowd, Xu Chang called out directly.

The moment they heard Xu Chang call for him, Shi Zhong and the others, who had been practicing their punches with meticulous precision, erupted into an instant uproar. They turned sideways and cast their gazes toward the youth standing calmly at the back of the field.

With so many eyes converging on him, the corner of Lin Yin's mouth twitched despite his originally leisurely composure.

Why is this coming at me...

"This..."

"Why is the person Senior Brother Xu Chang favors so scrawny?"

"His steps are unsteady..."

Over on the other side, the surging enthusiasm of the interested Fist Manor Disciples seemed to be doused by a basin of cold water in an instant.

Even Xu Chang wore a strange expression.

Watching the youth slowly make his way toward the wooden stake below, seemingly no different from before, Xu Chang began to have doubts as well.

In truth, Lin Yin was not particularly scrawny. It was simply that, compared to Shi Zhong and the others—burly and visibly muscular—he appeared far less imposing.

As for claims that his steps were unsteady, how could a group of disciples who had yet to train their Stance Skill to Minor Accomplishment possess his discerning eye?

In his view, Lin Yin's pace was swift, but every step was incomparably steady.

Even so, as he watched Lin Yin climb upward slowly and methodically, hugging the stake with both arms, a trace of embarrassment still flickered across his face.

Compared to the "fierceness and swiftness" Shi Zhong and the others had displayed, Lin Yin's performance was indeed a little too ordinary.

Did I guess wrong?

His bone structure truly is poor. Though his comprehension of cultivation techniques is extremely profound, is it exceedingly difficult for him to go any deeper?

Listening to the doubts around him, Xu Chang began questioning his own judgment as well.

After all, no one could have imagined that someone would be so unwilling to "strive upward"!

Feeling the gazes from the figures below the stake—some questioning, some disdainful, some even contemptuous—

Lin Yin's heart remained without the slightest ripple.

The moment he climbed onto the top of the stake, he planted one foot against it and soared into the air. While his body was still suspended midair, his trailing leg followed, kicking out an afterimage in the air.

It was precisely the first form of Cloud Stance Attack... Flying Cloud Treading Swallow.

The instant the move was unleashed, the clamor below came to an abrupt halt!