Hope

Seeing that everything was settled, Jiang Minghai cupped his hands in a salute to take his leave.

Before departing, he walked up to Jiang Tian, a smile on his face, and gave Jiang Tian's shoulder a heavy pat.

There were no words in his eyes.

But Jiang Tian still understood the meaning behind his older brother's gaze.

Just do your best, don't push yourself too hard.

Yuan Long sat back down in his grand armchair, picked up the cup of tea that still held a trace of warmth, and drained it in one gulp. He smacked his lips, cleared his throat, and only then looked at Jiang Tian, asking unhurriedly, "Kid, why do you want to practice martial arts?"

"I want to become stronger!" Jiang Tian's expression was calm, but his eyes were exceptionally firm. "In this world, might makes right!"

Mostly—if I don't practice martial arts, I'm truly done for.

Yuan Long nodded slightly, a flicker of satisfaction passing through his eyes.

Not bad.

Although his Grade C Bone Structure was a bit lacking, this spirit of his was quite good.

"You're right. In this world, might makes right."

His voice was not loud, but every word was steady and heavy.

"We martial artists have never practiced for the sake of longevity—the martial path has always been a technique for killing."

"To make your strength greater, your body more agile, and your fists more ferocious! This is the goal of practicing martial arts, the core of it all!"

When he heard the words "longevity," Jiang Tian's eyes flickered slightly.

Wasn't that one of the reasons he came to learn martial arts? Now... he had finally seen a glimmer of hope!

He walked forward silently, reached out to pick up the teapot, and respectfully refilled the tea.

Only after Yuan Long finished speaking did he ask, seemingly nonchalant, "Master Yuan, they say that practicing martial arts can prolong one's life. So... what level must one reach for that to happen?"

"Hmm?"

Yuan Long looked up at Jiang Tian, his eyebrows knitting together imperceptibly.

This kid! He just said he wanted to practice to become stronger, so why is he bringing up longevity again?

However, he still patiently began to explain it to Jiang Tian.

"This relates to what I am about to tell you."

He held up four fingers and pressed them down one by one.

"Body Tempering, Hidden Energy, Manifest Energy, and Transformation Energy are the four realms of the martial path."

"If you can reach the realm of Transformation Energy, you can extend your life—by sixty years."

Transformation Energy?

Sixty years?!

Jiang Tian's eyes lit up fiercely, as if two flames were burning in his pupils.

A storm surged within his heart. If he could cultivate to the realm of Transformation Energy, wouldn't that solve the life-span problem currently looming over him?

Seeing him in this state, Yuan Long shook his head and smiled, his tone carrying a hint of amusement: "Kid, what are you thinking about?"

"Transformation Energy—is it really as simple as you imagine?"

He didn't say anything more, and without turning his head, he called out, "Zhang Ergou!"

"Disciple is here!"

As soon as the voice fell, a sturdy youth with a round face hurried over.

He looked honest and simple, with a smile plastered on his round face that made people feel at ease.

"Take Jiang Tian to temper his blood and energy. Start with the most basic training."

"Understood."

Although Yuan Long was the master of the Five Animals Martial Hall, he did not handle every little thing himself, nor did he personally teach ordinary disciples.

He only guided those with top-tier bone structures and outstanding comprehension, or those whose realms caught his eye. For someone like Jiang Tian, with his Grade C Bone Structure, it wasn't his turn to step in.

"Come on, I'll take you to change your clothes first."

Zhang Ergou led Jiang Tian to a side room, rummaged through a cabinet, and pulled out a well-fitting cotton jacket to hand to him.

The jacket was black, and on the back, five types of animal patterns were embroidered with white thread: tiger, bear, ape, deer, and bird.

The stitching was fine and dense, looking vivid and lifelike.

"You must take good care of this jacket," Zhang Ergou instructed.

"If you can't stay at the martial hall, you have to return this clothing, and it cannot be damaged. If you ruin it, you'll have to pay for it."

Jiang Tian nodded, quickly put on the jacket, and followed Zhang Ergou back to the courtyard.

"Senior Brother Zhang," Jiang Tian asked as they walked, "Are you going to teach me the martial arts of the Five Animals Martial Hall today?"

He had read quite a few webnovels before and guessed that the martial arts at the Five Animals Martial Hall were likely Five Animals Play or something similar to Five Animals Fist.

"Haha." Zhang Ergou laughed, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"You've only just arrived on your first day, how could I possibly teach you martial arts? Your main task today is to learn Post Standing. Only when you can stand for three hours will I pass on martial arts to you."

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"Post Standing?" Jiang Tian was taken aback.

"Correct." Zhang Ergou put away his smile and explained earnestly, "Martial arts require a massive amount of blood and qi to support them. You can only learn martial arts once you have accumulated enough blood and qi in your body. Otherwise, forcing yourself to learn now will only damage your health."

As he spoke, he walked over to a wooden post.

With a light tap of his feet, his figure drifted effortlessly onto the post, his movements clean and crisp, landing without a sound.

He struck a strange pose on the post; it looked like a horse stance, yet it was different. His hips were slightly lowered, his spine as straight as a pine, and his arms circled as if embracing the moon. His entire person resembled an old tree that had taken root.

"Watch every one of my movements carefully and commit them to memory." Zhang Ergou maintained the pose while patiently explaining, "Post Standing..."

He spoke in a measured, step-by-step manner, though he was secretly pondering to himself.

I wonder how long it will take this scholar-like junior brother to learn Post Standing?

Back in the day, it took his senior brother a full half-day to teach him, and he had only barely grasped the basics; many details remained muddled.

It took him three full days to truly master it.

Zhang Ergou exhaled a breath of stale air, leaped lightly off the post, and clapped his hands. "Alright, you give it a try."

"Don't be afraid of making mistakes, just try boldly. If there's anything not quite right, I'll point it out for you."

"Alright."

Jiang Tian's eyes flashed.

Under the blessing of his Innate Wisdom Root, every movement and detail Zhang Ergou had just performed was etched into his mind as if carved into stone by a chisel.

Even the rhythm of the other man's breathing and the exact moment his center of gravity shifted were perfectly clear.

He climbed onto the post, took a deep breath, and followed the image in his mind, mimicking the form exactly.

Hips sunk, chest hollowed, back straightened, arms circled.

The stance was established.

Zhang Ergou turned to pick up a water bottle to the side and gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold water.

When he wiped his mouth and turned back to look at the post, "Pfft—"

He sprayed all the water out.

"Cough, cough, cough! Cough!"

Zhang Ergou was choked until his face turned bright red, bending over in a fit of violent coughing, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.

Seeing this, Jiang Tian scratched his head and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong, Senior Brother Zhang? Did I do something wrong?"

"Hmm..."

Zhang Ergou wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth, straightened up, and stared at Jiang Tian on the post, a stormy sea rising in his heart.

This junior brother... his comprehension seems a bit too high!

Could it be... that this newly arrived junior brother is a genius?

Although there were still a few minor areas that weren't quite right—the connection between his shoulders and hips was slightly stiff, and his breathing rhythm hadn't fully synced up—to be able to reach this level after watching him demonstrate it only once...

This could no longer be described as just "learning fast."

Zhang Ergou suppressed the shock in his heart, cleared his throat, and spoke with feigned composure, "Continue. You still have a few small movements that aren't quite right; let me guide you."

"Alright."

By the end of the day, Jiang Tian was sore all over, every muscle in his body sending signals of exhaustion.

Yet, his mental state was surprisingly good.

He could clearly feel that as the number of times he practiced Post Standing increased, a warm current of air within his body was slowly wandering through his limbs and bones like a gentle spring breeze.

Wherever that spring breeze passed, his aching muscles felt like snow in early spring meeting the warm sun, slowly loosening up bit by bit.

The martial hall provided two meals, lunch and dinner; breakfast was not provided.

Lunch contained a little bit of meat—not much, just a few thin slices floating on the surface of the soup, but it was a rare bit of fat and oil.

Dinner was a bowl of thin porridge, two mixed-grain buns, and a small dish of pickled radishes.

Disciples from wealthy families did not eat this dinner, and they didn't even look twice at the lunch; they had their own food boxes, which, when opened, were filled with chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

Jiang Tian did not care about that.

As long as he was full, it was enough.

After the meal came the medicinal bath.

It was strange to say, but that medicinal soup was pitch black, emitting a bitter, steaming heat, and smelled as if an entire apothecary had been overturned.

Yet, after soaking for a quarter of an hour, his originally sore and stiff body would completely relax, and his footsteps would even feel a bit lighter.

Jiang Tian climbed out of the wooden tub, dried himself off, and put on the black cotton garment with the Five Animals embroidered on the back, feeling that faint, lingering warmth flowing within his body.

He looked down at his palms; thin as they were, they had become different, as if the pulsing veins on the back of his hands were filled with strength and vitality.

"Twenty taels of silver..." he muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

It was money well spent.

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