"Little brother, you've been peering at the entrance for quite a while. Have you come to learn the saber from Master Zheng?"
Lu Chuan turned around and saw a broad, burly man. He nodded. "I have."
The big man introduced himself with a hint of pride:
"Then you've come to the right place! Our Mountain Splitting Saber emphasizes domineering force and fierce strength. Around Qinghe County, it's a name that rings loud and clear!"
Listening to the big man boast about how formidable his saber technique was, Lu Chuan didn't rain on his parade. His face showed considerable agreement.
"Of course. I've heard of Master Zheng's reputation too."
The big man patted him on the shoulder.
"Good eye! By the way, let's get the ugly part out of the way first. To become a disciple and learn here, you have to pay tuition. It's collected every six months—Ten Taels of Silver. Did you bring it?"
"I naturally came prepared." Lu Chuan patted his robe.
"Good! Come with me. I'll take you to pay respects to Master." The big man turned and led the way.
The two of them crossed the noisy Training Ground.
They went around the front courtyard and arrived at a relatively quiet Backyard.
Several old trees grew here, with a reclining chair beneath them.
A sturdy old man who looked to be around fifty lay in the chair. His beard and hair were slightly grizzled, and his eyes were closed as he rested.
"Master," the big man stepped forward. "Someone else has come to become your disciple today."
Old Zheng slowly opened his eyelids. Only then did his gaze fall on Lu Chuan, scanning him from head to toe before he spoke.
"Where are you from? A local from Qinghe County, or from somewhere else?"
Lu Chuan cupped his hands. "Master Zheng, this junior is Lu Chuan, from Kaoshan Village, more than ten li from the county seat."
"Kaoshan Village... What about your family?"
"My father is a hunter."
At that, the fat Senior Disciple Brother beside them imperceptibly furrowed his brows.
"Mm." Old Zheng showed no particular reaction. He asked Lu Chuan his age and about his family circumstances, and Lu Chuan answered each question one by one.
Only after finishing his questions did Old Zheng slowly sit up from the reclining chair.
"Come here." Old Zheng beckoned to Lu Chuan.
Lu Chuan stepped forward several paces.
Old Zheng said nothing more. He extended both hands and began feeling Lu Chuan's body directly.
His fingers pinched and pressed, moving from the shoulders to the arms, from the chest and abdomen to the waist and back, and then to the joints of both legs.
Lu Chuan merely felt his bones being pinched until they ached faintly.
A moment later, Old Zheng stopped. He frowned slightly. "Mid-to-low-grade Bone Root. You can barely learn martial arts."
Lu Chuan's heart sank somewhat at those words.
Mid-to-low-grade Bone Root... It didn't sound like a term for anything impressive.
Before coming, although he had warned himself not to harbor any fantasies, he was still a youth at heart. What boy had never dreamed of becoming a martial arts prodigy?
"Master," Lu Chuan couldn't help asking, "what exactly does Bone Root refer to?"
"It's not that mysterious." Old Zheng lay back down.
"Put simply, it's the structure of a person's bones at birth, and the width of their meridians."
"The ancients discovered that some people were born with extraordinary bones and broad, unobstructed meridians. Tempering their bodies was simply faster than it was for others. That is an Upper Grade Bone Root."
"But you... don't take it too seriously. What's wrong with a mid-to-low-grade Bone Root? As long as you're willing to put in deadly effort, you still have a chance to step onto the Martial Way!"
"For ordinary people, if they don't learn martial arts, what chance do they have to turn their lives around?!"
Lu Chuan felt that Old Zheng had added that last sentence because he was afraid of failing to collect his Ten Taels of Silver.
Still, Lu Chuan truly wasn't discouraged by having a mid-to-low-grade Bone Root.
He had the Collection System as his reliance, so he had never placed all his hopes on talent.
His expression immediately turned solemn, and he cupped his hands toward Old Zheng. "This disciple will work hard to practice martial arts!"
Old Zheng nodded. "Since you've made up your mind to come learn the saber from me, you know the rules, right? What about the tuition?"
Lu Chuan nodded. He took out the Ten Taels of Silver he had prepared long ago and presented it with both hands.
Old Zheng accepted it, weighed it in his hand, then took out five taels and tossed them to the big man beside him.
"Mo Bai, take this disciple to the front and teach him for now."
The fat, burly man called Mo Bai hurriedly caught the silver, his face splitting into a grin. "Yes, Master!"
Lu Chuan took it all in and understood.
It seemed his ordinary talent had failed to catch Master Zheng's eye enough for him to personally instruct him.
He wasn't discouraged, though. Having somewhere to learn and a Senior Disciple Brother to teach him was already quite good.
Chen Mo Bai slung an arm around Lu Chuan's shoulders.
"Let's go, Junior Brother Lu. I'll show you around first. By the way, my surname is Chen—Chen Mo Bai. I'm the first Inner Disciple under Old Zheng."
As he led Lu Chuan outside, he began introducing the Martial Arts Hall as well.
"Our Martial Arts Hall has been around for quite some years in Qinghe County. As for the number of people practicing martial arts, it stays above fifty year-round."
Chen Mo Bai pointed toward the figures sweating like rain on the Training Ground.
"But look—among all these people, there are only eight who have truly been accepted as Inner Disciples by Master, including me."
"The rest, including you, Junior Brother, are merely Outer Disciples. You have to pay every six months, and you can learn some basic saber techniques."
"As for Inner Disciples, not only do they no longer have to pay tuition, they can also receive considerable help from Master."
Lu Chuan listened silently, gaining an increasingly clear understanding of the Martial Arts Hall's structure.
The Outer Disciples were the foundation on which the Martial Arts Hall survived.
The Inner Disciples were its hope of passing down the legacy.
"However, if you perform well enough, Junior Brother, and can enter the Martial Way early, it isn't impossible for you to be accepted as an Inner Disciple..."
After drawing Lu Chuan a grand pie, the Senior Disciple Brother began explaining the Martial Arts Hall's rules.
The first and foremost was to respect the master and honor the Dao. Whenever they saw Master or any of the Senior Disciples, they had to be respectful.
Second was to study diligently and train hard. The hall opened at the beginning of Mao Hour each day and closed at the end of Shen Hour. Being late or leaving early was forbidden.
Third, private fights were strictly prohibited. If there was a conflict, it could be settled on the arena, but only to the point of victory without causing serious injury.
The two of them returned to the edge of the Training Ground.
Chen Mo Bai pointed to a row of wooden racks in the corner, on which lay Thick-backed Chopping Knives of varying ages.
He told Lu Chuan to pick out a practice saber that felt right for him.
Lu Chuan stepped forward to choose one. Looking them over, he saw that none of the sabers had been sharpened, and every one was covered in scars. Clearly, their quality was not high.
He casually picked one up, and information about the long saber immediately appeared before him.
[Weapon: Long Saber] [Quality: Mortal Tier, Low Grade] [Description: A practice saber specially used for the Mountain Splitting Saber. Its blade is thick and heavy and has not been sharpened. It is intended specifically for basic stance and strength training. Long-term use can temper arm strength and familiarize the user with the nature of the saber.] [Collection Effect: Obtain Mountain Splitting Saber · Initiate insight] [Collect?]
Although he wanted to collect the long saber right then and there, Lu Chuan still held himself back.
The rewards obtained through collection were related to the weapon's quality. This Mortal Tier, Low Grade long saber could only provide Initiate-level insight.
Lu Chuan had only two Collection slots left for the time being, so of course he had to save them for something better.
After picking through them, he finally selected one decent-looking saber from the dozens of long sabers on the rack.
[Weapon: Long Saber] [Quality: Mortal Tier, Mid Grade] [Description: A practice saber specially used for the Mountain Splitting Saber...] [Collection Effect: Obtain Mountain Splitting Saber · Minor Success insight] [Collect?]
Before you continue