Martial Lecture Hall Exterior

The spring source behind the mountain is half a li north of the martial arts school. The mountain path is steep, and even more slippery after snow.

By the time Li Xuan reached the spring with his empty buckets, the sky had just turned the color of fish belly.

He filled two buckets, each weighing about fifty jin. The carrying pole pressed down on his shoulders, heavy.

He took a deep breath and lifted the buckets.

The mountain path was steep; he had to keep his balance.

Li Xuan slowed his pace, ensuring each step landed firmly.

The carrying pole trembled slightly on his shoulders, splashing water.

After fifty steps, the status panel showed no reaction.

Wrong. Carrying water isn't just walking; it's moving with a load.

The key isn't "walking," it's "carrying."

He adjusted his posture. His back straightened, shoulders dropped, and the weight of the carrying pole distributed evenly across both shoulders.

His breathing synchronized with his steps: one breath in, one breath out per step.

Another twenty steps—

The status panel flickered: [Potential: 0.001]

It worked!

Li Xuan's eyes lit up.

By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, the status panel displayed: [Potential: 0.005].

The efficiency is higher than chopping wood. Is it because carrying water is more tiring? Does it consume more energy? Or...?

Li Xuan didn't know, but the numbers didn't lie.

He sped up.

One trip, two trips, three trips.

By the fourth trip, the sun had already risen.

Passing the edge of the front courtyard, he overheard a few outer disciples talking under the side corridor of the training hall.

"Did you hear? Something happened in the Trial Forest again."

"A pack of Ironhide Pigs went berserk? Didn't you guys clear them out last month?"

"Clear them out, my ass. Coach Wang only took people to kill three. There are at least a dozen more in the forest, and even deeper..."

Li Xuan slowed his steps, the carrying pole swaying slightly on his shoulders.

"One Ironhide Pig, how many Contribution Points is that worth?"

"Fifty? You're dreaming. A complete pig hide, tusks, and heart's blood combined, that's at least one hundred and fifty points."

"What if you killed one..."

"Kill one? You? Ironhide Pigs have tough hides. If you haven't reached Great Perfection in the Body Tempering Realm, one hit will break your bones. You need Inner Qi Realm senior disciples to lead a team, and you'll need iron nets, poison..."

The voices faded as the disciples walked away.

Li Xuan stood frozen, his heart pounding like a drum.

Trial Forest? Demonic beasts? Contribution Points?

What about potential? If hunting wild beasts can grant potential points, then hunting demonic beasts... how much would that be?

The thought made his breathing quicken.

But then he shook his head.

Even the outer disciples had to form teams and bring equipment. He was just a handyman...

Going there would be suicide.

He suppressed the thought and continued carrying water.

Li Xuan carried the water through the courtyard and poured it into the kitchen's water vat.

"Kid, you're quite diligent."

The old handyman squatted by the kitchen door, eating porridge, and looked up at him.

Li Xuan wiped the sweat from his brow. "I want to finish early so I can rest early."

The old handyman didn't reply and continued eating his porridge. But Li Xuan could feel the old man's eyes following him.

By noon, he had made eight trips. The status panel displayed: [Potential: 0.04].

Moreover, he could feel the strength in his shoulders, waist, and legs growing.

At lunch, Li Xuan ate an extra steamed bun.

As he was eating—

"Clang—clang—clang—"

The bell chimed from the front courtyard, its sound deep and long.

All the handymen in the woodshed courtyard looked up.

"The Martial Lecture Hall bell," the old handyman said, putting down his bowl. "The first day of each month, the outer court lectures. All handymen, gather in the front courtyard."

Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

Outside the martial arts hall in the front courtyard, over thirty handymen were already standing.

They all wore grey cloth tunics and shorts, heads bowed, not daring to look around.

In the open space before the hall stood over twenty outer court disciples, all in identical grey martial arts uniforms, black belts around their waists, standing ramrod straight.

Li Xuan stood at the back of the handyman formation, looking up.

The martial arts hall doors were wide open. Inside, a statue of the Martial Ancestor was enshrined, incense smoke curling around it. On the steps before the hall stood a middle-aged man in his forties.

Master Zhou, the outer court instructor, True Qi Realm.

Li Xuan had heard his name—one of the three great instructors of the Iron Fist martial arts school, specializing in teaching the basics to outer court disciples.

"Silence."

Master Zhou spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

The entire place fell silent.

"Today's lecture is on the 'Three Essentials of Body Tempering'."

Master Zhou descended the steps and walked onto the open ground.

He was eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Standing there, he was like a wall.

"The first essential: vital energy and blood."

He raised his right fist slowly.

His arm muscles bulged, veins popping, and his skin surface flushed a faint red.

"When vital energy and blood are abundant, Strength is born. How to nourish vital energy and blood? Eat, train, and nurture."

"Eat sufficiently, train fiercely, and nurture steadily."

[Detected external energy circulation trajectory...]

[Analyzing...]

[Obtained vital energy and blood circulation fragment (0.3%)...]

[Recorded as: Unknown Body Tempering Method (Incomplete, Rating: Mortal Low-grade)]

On his status panel, the "Cultivation Method" field was finally no longer "None," but had changed to:

[Cultivation Method: Unknown Body Tempering Method (Incomplete, Mastery: 0%)]

Li Xuan's heart pounded, but his face remained impassive.

"The second essential: sinews and bones."

Master Zhou retracted his fist, bent his knees slightly, and assumed a horse stance. His knees sank slightly, his back remained straight, and he looked like a stake hammered into the ground.

"When sinews and bones are strong, Stamina is robust. How to strengthen sinews and bones? Stretch, press, and vibrate."

"Stretching should be slow, pressing should be steady, and vibration should be thorough."

He suddenly lifted his foot and stomped on the ground—

The bluestone ground vibrated slightly, kicking up dust. Where his foot landed, fine cracks appeared on the stone slab.

The outer court disciples gasped, and the handymen trembled in fear.

Li Xuan stared intently at Master Zhou's movements.

[Detected sinew and bone exertion trajectory...]

[Analyzing...]

[Unknown Body Tempering Method completeness increased to 0.7%...]

"The third essential: skin and membrane."

Master Zhou recovered from his horse stance, brought his right hand to a finger knife, and sliced it across his left arm—

His sleeve split open, revealing his forearm. His skin surface took on a grayish-white hue, like it was covered in a layer of cowhide.

His finger knife passed over, leaving only a white mark, not even a red trace.

"When skin and membrane are tough, resistance to blows is high. How to toughen skin and membrane? Grind, medicate, and circulate energy."

"Grinding should be prolonged, medication should penetrate, and energy circulation should be thorough."

The status panel fluctuated for the third time:

[Detected skin and membrane strengthening trajectory...]

[Unknown Body Tempering Method completeness increased to 1.2%...]

After explaining the three essentials, Master Zhou began demonstrating basic stances.

"Iron Fist Three Forms—Charge Power, Punch, Grasping Stance."

He slowly got into his stance. His movements were slow, but every detail was incredibly clear: how his feet were positioned, how his waist turned, how his shoulders moved forward, how his fist struck out.

Li Xuan's eyes didn't blink.

The status panel flickered wildly, text scrolling line after line:

[Recording charging stance...]

[Recording punch power trajectory...]

[Recording grasping stance breathing rhythm...]

[Unknown Body Tempering Method completeness: 3.1%... Mastery: 0%...]

After finishing the three forms, Master Zhou concluded his stance.

"That's all for today. The handyman can leave, disciples stay to practice the forms."

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The bell rang again.

The handymen lowered their heads and retreated, Li Xuan following the crowd towards the backyard. But his mind was entirely on the status panel.

[Cultivation Method: Unknown Body Tempering Method (Incomplete, Completeness 3.1%, Mastery 0%)]

A line of small text appeared below the panel:

[Can consume potential to increase mastery. Current 0%→1% requires potential: 0.1]

Potential could increase cultivation method mastery!

Li Xuan's breathing quickened.

[Potential: 0.04], only enough to increase mastery by 0.4%.

Should I try?

Back in the woodshed courtyard, the other handymen continued their work. Li Xuan found a corner and pretended to rest.

He silently recited in his mind, "Use 0.01 potential to increase mastery."

[Potential: 0.04]→[Potential: 0.03]

[Mastery: 0%]→[Mastery: 0.1%]

A surge of warmth flowed into his limbs, moving along a specific route: starting from his lower abdomen, it split into two paths upwards to his shoulders, then downwards to his legs, finally returning to his lower abdomen.

It was the cultivation method's circulation route!

Even with only 0.1% mastery, the route was blurry and unclear, but Li Xuan could feel his body memorizing it.

Where the warm current flowed, his muscles slightly swelled, and his bones creaked faintly.

Pain! It felt like countless tiny needles piercing his muscle fibers.

Li Xuan gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.

Three breaths later, the pain subsided.

He moved his arm, and there were no obvious changes. 0.1% was still too little.

But on the status panel, a new annotation appeared after "Unknown Body Tempering Method":

[Mastery 0.1%: Initial perception of vital energy and blood circulation route]

Li Xuan stared at the line, his heart pounding.

Cultivation methods were the foundation of martial arts.

He now had 0.03 potential, enough to increase mastery by another 0.3%.

But he didn't dare to add more. The pain from that 0.1% was already quite intense; adding more might cause trouble.

"Kid."

The old handyman's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Li Xuan startled and turned around.

The old man was standing behind him without him realizing it, squinting at him.

"You heard the lecture just now, how much did you understand?"

"...I didn't understand much." Li Xuan lowered his head.

The old handyman stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Master Zhou demonstrated the 'Iron Fist Three Forms,' did you see it clearly?"

"I saw it clearly."

"Did you remember it?"

"I remembered a little."

The old handyman nodded and turned to leave.

In the evening, Li Xuan continued to carry water.

This time, he deliberately tried to follow the qi and blood route with 0.1% mastery while carrying water, breathing and exerting force.

When his waist and back straightened, the qi and blood moved upwards from his waist.

When his shoulders sank, the qi and blood moved downwards from his shoulders.

His breathing synchronized with his footsteps, and the qi and blood circulated slowly within his body.

After integrating it into the Cultivation Method's circulation, the potential gained from carrying water increased from 0.001 to 0.002.

Although it was only 0.001 more, it was a qualitative change.

By the time he finished work at dark, the status panel showed:

[Li Xuan]

[Strength: 0.68]
[Agility: 0.57]
[Stamina: 0.90]
[Spirit: 1.4]

[Cultivation Method: Unknown Body Tempering Method (Incomplete, Mastery 3.1%, Comprehension 0.1%)]

[Potential: 0.05]

Zero point zero five potential in one day. Plus zero point one percent comprehension of the Cultivation Method.

The progress was tiny, but the direction was clear.

At night, in the communal sleeping quarters of the woodshed.

Li Xuan lay by the wall, his eyes closed, but he wasn't asleep.

Today, the status panel recorded 3.1% of the Cultivation Method. Although it was incomplete, it had a circulation route.

He wanted to try and see if he could improve his comprehension without using potential points, purely through his own cultivation.

He guided his breathing according to the vague route.

As he inhaled, he imagined the airflow rising from his lower abdomen, splitting into two paths upwards to his shoulders.

As he exhaled, the airflow moved from his shoulders down to his legs, returning to his lower abdomen.

It was slow and difficult. The route was blurry, the airflow weak, like fumbling for a thin thread in the dark.

But it was effective.

He could feel that with each circulation, the qi and blood route became a tiny bit clearer. Although it was minuscule, he was indeed progressing.

This was true cultivation.

Using status panel points was like a sudden bestowal, fast but superficial. Cultivating on his own was like laying a foundation, slow but solid.

He immersed himself in this slow but steady progress.

The sound of the watchman's clapper echoed outside the window.

First watch.

Second watch.

Third watch...

Snoring rose and fell in the woodshed. Li Xuan's breathing was even and slow, but his ears were perked, listening to every sound.

Suddenly--

A very faint sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

It wasn't one person. It was two.

The footsteps stopped at the woodshed door.

Li Xuan's muscles tensed.

The door was gently pushed open a crack.

Moonlight leaked through the gap, illuminating two faces--

It was the old handyman and a masked man behind him.

The masked man wore night-blooming clothes, revealing only his eyes. Those eyes scanned the sleeping area in the darkness, finally settling on Li Xuan.

The old handyman pointed at Li Xuan and nodded to the masked man.

The masked man stepped inside and walked towards Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's heart pounded like a drum, but he didn't move.

The masked man reached the sleeping mat and looked down at him for three breaths.

Then he reached out, his fingers resting on Li Xuan's wrist.

A faint stream of vital energy and blood flowed into his body along his wrist, circulated through Li Xuan's meridians, and lingered specifically on the path his vital energy and blood had just traversed.

Li Xuan's heart tightened.

Was I discovered?

But the masked man quickly withdrew his palm and nodded at the old handyman.

A flicker of surprise flashed in the old handyman's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

The masked man turned and left, and the old handyman followed.

The two silently exited the woodshed, and the door gently closed.

The sound of footsteps faded away.

Li Xuan lay on the bed, his back drenched in cold sweat.

What were they sensing?

Why the nod?

Were they testing cultivation aptitude? Or vital energy and blood strength?

Was someone in the martial arts school's handyman ranks looking for talented individuals?

Why were they looking? And for what purpose?

Li Xuan didn't know.

But he knew one thing: he had passed.

This meant he had been chosen.

Chosen for what? Something good or bad?

He didn't know.

But at least, it wasn't bad for now. If it were bad, they would have acted already.

He recalled the rumors among the handymen: some outstanding handymen were transferred to work elsewhere and never returned.

Some said they were taken in as outer disciples.

Others said... they died.

Li Xuan opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

He had to become stronger, faster.

Fast enough to deal with any changes.