Luo Lianbo continued explaining things to Su Mo. Once he'd paid the fifteen taels of silver for his apprenticeship, he would become a disciple of Guande Martial Arts School and could stay there free of charge for one month.
After that, however, if he wanted to keep living at Guande Martial Arts School, he would have to pay an additional five taels in lodging fees each month.
If he stayed at the school for five months straight, they could offer him a discount and charge only twenty-four taels in lodging fees—one tael less.
Of course, the money wasn't for nothing. In addition to providing three regular meals a day, the school would also prepare medicinal soups and ointments that benefited cultivation, such as Bone Strengthening Soup.
If he felt those medicines weren't effective enough, there was no need to worry. He could pay the school's physician to prepare better ointments, or even pills.
But first, he had to be able to afford them.
In short, as long as you had money, Guande Martial Arts School was your home.
If you had no money, or not enough, then your conviction to practice martial arts still wasn't strong enough.
After hearing Luo Lianbo's explanation, Su Mo had a general understanding of Guande Martial Arts School. Then he asked the question he cared about most. "Senior Brother, after we pay the apprenticeship fee, how long will it be before we can practice a body-tempering cultivation technique?"
"Senior Brother knows you young people are eager to learn a body-tempering technique, but don't rush. Once you've paid the apprenticeship fee, Master will teach you the technique right away."
Luo Lianbo patted Su Mo on the shoulder, telling him not to worry. Once the school had finished recruiting disciples for the day, their master would personally come out and teach them a martial arts cultivation technique.
Hearing this, Su Mo felt that Guande Martial Arts School seemed reliable. After they paid the apprenticeship fee, the old martial artist at the Tendon Changing Realm would personally teach them a body-tempering cultivation technique.
After all, the old man was said to be very advanced in years. He had suffered a severe injury in his youth, and his qi and blood had declined badly. Even so, he was still willing to personally teach them the technique. Su Mo felt that was pretty good.
His talent for comprehension was astonishing. Even without guidance, he was confident he could master a body-tempering technique. But the other disciples didn't have his talent for comprehension, and the old man's personal instruction would naturally make a world of difference.
After all, he was a powerhouse at the Tendon Changing Realm!
Soon, Su Mo was led to a hall in the school. After he sat there for a while, the newly recruited disciples began to file in. There were both men and women. Most had been brought in by Senior Brother Luo Lianbo, while others had been led in by different senior brothers and sisters.
He noticed that every one of the senior brothers and sisters guiding them was a martial artist. Nearly all of them were at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, and there were even martial artists at the Meridian Opening Realm. It was quite an impressive showing.
What surprised Su Mo was that Senior Brother Luo Lianbo was a martial artist at the Meridian Opening Realm. He hadn't paid much attention earlier, but now that he looked closely, Guande Martial Arts School was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It had several martial artists at the Meridian Opening Realm.
But that made sense. Old Yu Guande was a martial master at the Tendon Changing Realm. His disciples couldn't all be at the Body Tempering Realm; naturally, some had reached the Meridian Opening Realm.
Those disciples at the Meridian Opening Realm had probably been brought back by the old man from Anyuan County Town.
Time passed. Guande Martial Arts School recruited a total of twenty disciples that day. According to Senior Brother Luo Lianbo, these junior brothers and sisters all had firm convictions. Those whose convictions weren't firm had already been turned away by the school.
Once recruitment for the day was over, the senior brothers and sisters of Guande Martial Arts School also entered the hall.
The twenty newly recruited disciples, Su Mo among them, waited for the old man, Yu Guande.
A moment later, a thin, elderly man in his seventies walked in.
He wore a black robe patterned with clouds. Though his hair was white, it was neatly combed, and his eyes were bright and alert. He slowly entered the hall, his sharp, aged gaze sweeping over everyone inside.
This old man was Yu Guande, the master of Guande Martial Arts School!
A powerful expert at the Tendon Changing Realm!
"Greetings, Master!"
The moment Yu Guande entered, Luo Lianbo and the other senior brothers and sisters rose to their feet. Su Mo and the other new disciples followed suit.
Many people said Yu Guande was too old and had suffered a severe injury that had caused his qi and blood to decline badly. But as his gaze swept over those in the hall, every one of them felt as if a ferocious tiger had fixed its eyes on them. A chill ran down their backs.
Su Mo sighed inwardly. Experts at the Tendon Changing Realm were truly terrifying.
"My name is Yu Guande, and I am the master of Guande Martial Arts School. I know that you have come here today because you want to practice martial arts and believe you can become martial artists. But there are rules of propriety, and the Way is not lightly imparted."
Yu Guande sat in the seat of honor at the head of the hall. His deep, aged voice rang out clearly in every disciple's ears. As soon as he finished speaking,—
Luo Lianbo told the new disciples to take out their apprenticeship fees. Su Mo also took out the fifteen taels of silver required to become a disciple, and soon a senior sister came over and collected the money.
With that step complete, the apprenticeship was formally underway.
"Master, please have some tea!"
Then the newly admitted disciples stepped forward one by one to offer tea to Yu Guande, who sat at the head of the hall. This was the tea ceremony for becoming his disciple.
Yu Guande accepted each cup, took a small sip, and set it aside.
Senior Brother Luo Lianbo had said that once they paid the apprenticeship fee and served the tea, Master Yu Guande would teach them a body-tempering technique.
"Master, please have some tea!"
Su Mo stepped forward and offered the apprenticeship tea. Yu Guande accepted it and, just as he had with the others, took a small sip before setting it aside.
Soon, the tea ceremony was over, and the twenty newly admitted disciples returned to their places.
Next came the main event.
The transmission of the technique!
Su Mo had waited this long for this very moment. He wasn't the only one feeling eager; the newly recruited disciples around him were even more visibly excited. Many of them had been sent to Guande Martial Arts School by families who had sold everything they owned to afford it.
That was why so many wanted to learn a body-tempering technique. Only then would they have a chance to become martial artists, ease the burden on their families, and make something of themselves.
As for the children of wealthy families, they had already joined Guande Martial Arts School. Many of the children practicing in the training yard outside came from wealthy families.
At the head of the hall, Yu Guande looked around for a moment, then shook his head slightly. There were almost no promising martial arts candidates here, but that was perfectly normal.
Most talented candidates had already been chosen by the major sects in Anyuan County Town. When Yu Guande had come to Qingshan Town, he'd heard that the Black Eagle Sect had recruited a batch of promising candidates with excellent constitutions near Qingliang Mountain.
Yu Guande didn't care too much about that. The Azure Origin body-tempering method of Guande Martial Arts School placed less emphasis on constitution and more on talent for comprehension.
"Though our Guande Martial Arts School is the foremost martial arts school in Qingshan Town, our body-tempering technique is no worse than those of the other schools in the major towns under Anyuan County Town. In fact, it ranks among the best."
"The body-tempering technique I'm going to teach you is called the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art!"
Yu Guande explained that the body-tempering technique of Guande Martial Arts School ranked among the best, even when compared with those taught in many of the major towns under Anyuan County Town.
The Azure Origin Body Tempering Art couldn't compare to the cultivation techniques of the major sects and minor clans in Anyuan County Town. But there were many major towns under Anyuan County Town, and some of them were prosperous enough to have martial arts schools of their own.
Compared with the schools in those other major towns, Guande Martial Arts School's Azure Origin body-tempering method was no worse. In fact, it ranked near the top.
Hearing Master Yu Guande say this, the newly admitted disciples in the hall felt they had made the right choice.
Once you mastered a powerful body-tempering technique, you'd be stronger than ordinary martial artists after becoming one.
Just as everyone thought Master Yu Guande was about to teach them the technique—
Yu Guande instead rose to his feet. A senior sister from the school then came to the front of the hall and began teaching them the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art.
Though Yu Guande wasn't teaching them personally, the senior sister instructing them was no ordinary person. She was a martial artist at the Meridian Opening Realm.
Su Mo had heard from Senior Brother Luo Lianbo that her name was Lin Yutong.
"The Azure Origin Body Tempering Art emphasizes the interaction of form and intent, the Azure Origin Xuanxuan, and holding firm to the Zhou Gang..."
Lin Yutong began explaining the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art to Su Mo and the others. First she went over the cultivation formula, then the accompanying techniques and moves, explaining everything in great detail.
She even demonstrated all the moves that went with the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art, allowing the new disciples to observe and comprehend them.
Though Lin Yutong explained everything slowly and carefully, the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art was still extremely difficult for many of those present. Some looked troubled, feeling as if they were listening to the heavens' own book. They could just barely understand the moves, but the cultivation formula might as well have been written in an unknown language.
At least half of them couldn't understand it.
The remaining few could just barely follow along, but their understanding was limited.
Many of them actually had decent talent and comprehension, yet even they found the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art obscure and difficult to grasp, with no idea where to begin.
Seeing this, the senior brothers and sisters of the school, led by Luo Lianbo, thought it was perfectly normal. Guande Martial Arts School might charge high fees, but the Azure Origin Body Tempering Art taught by their master was worth every tael.
Once mastered, it would let a martial artist fight far better than those who practiced other techniques.
It was just that it wasn't easy to get started.
The Azure Origin Body Tempering Art did place some importance on constitution, but not as much as other major sects' body-tempering methods. Unlike them, this technique truly valued the cultivator's talent for comprehension. As long as their comprehension was strong enough, they could understand everything from a single point.
That was why Guande Martial Arts School dared to do away with age restrictions and open its doors wide.
Before you continue