Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall

"To comment on a fellow disciple's foundation upon our first meeting is disrespectful. As punishment, you will practice the basic stake training for an extra two hours today," Yuan Shan said.

Yuan Lingling pouted, but said nothing.

Yuan Shan turned his gaze back to the new disciples.

"Are you all here? Good."

He placed his teacup on a wooden table to the side with a soft clack. This simple action caused the new disciples to straighten their postures instantly.

"Upon entering my Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, remember: the martial way lies in the heart, not the bones. Bone structure is the soil, while ambition is the seedling. Even if the soil is barren, a resilient seedling can still reach the heavens. I hope you all practice diligently and do not waste your time."

His gaze swept across the new disciples, calm and rippleless, pausing only for a moment on Li He.

"Now that you have entered the sect, you must first pay respects to the founder."

Walking into the inner room, Yuan Shan signaled for everyone to stand in place. Before the altar where the founder's tablet was enshrined, he lit three sticks of incense and inserted them into the burner.

The incense smoke curled upward, carrying a faint scent of sandalwood.

Yuan Shan stood before the altar, his voice solemn: "Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall disciples Li He, Jin Yongsheng, Sun Ao, Shi Lei... today you enter the sect, pay respects to the founder!"

Following his lead, everyone bowed to the founder's tablet.

The ceremony concluded.

Yuan Shan turned, his eyes sweeping over the four of them: "From today on, you are disciples of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall. We do not have many rules: first, respect your teacher and the way; second, do not harm one another. Those who violate these will be expelled from the sect at best, or have their martial arts crippled and be purged from the sect at worst."

At the last four words, Yuan Shan's voice turned chillingly cold, and the fierce, dormant aura in his eyes was fully revealed for a moment.

"We will remember, Master," the group replied in unison.

Yuan Shan nodded slightly: "Lin Feng."

"Disciple is here," Lin Feng quickly stepped forward.

"Take them to familiarize themselves with the martial arts hall. Return here later, and I will teach them the basic stake training, the Ape Standing Stake."

After giving his orders, Yuan Shan said no more. He picked up his teacup and walked back into the inner room.

Only after he had completely left did the tense atmosphere in the hall relax slightly. Yuan Lingling immediately returned to her playful self: "Senior Brother Lin, Master told you to show the junior brothers around, so I'll come along to help."

Lin Feng said helplessly: "Very well, but Lingling, mind your manners. Don't go acting rudely again."

"I know, I know!" Yuan Lingling replied with a grin, trotting over to Li He's side. "Sorry about earlier. Come on, let me show you around the hall as an apology."

The group began to walk through the martial arts hall.

"This is the main training ground."

Lin Feng pointed to the spacious hall.

"Daily stake training, fist techniques, and footwork practice all happen here. Once the Master finishes his business, we'll return here later."

He pointed to several pieces of equipment in the corner: "That is the strength training area. There isn't much equipment, but it was all personally selected by the Master and is sufficient for building a foundation."

Leading them deeper into the hall, he pushed open a side door: "This is the medicinal bath room. Our hall's unique medicinal bath formula has miraculous effects on recovering from fatigue and tempering the muscles and bones. However, the ingredients are precious, so you will need to purchase them yourselves."

He pushed open another door: "This is the meditation room, used for sitting in stillness, regulating your breath, and contemplating techniques. The walls are soundproofed; it is absolutely quiet." The space inside was small, containing only a few cushions and soft lighting.

"The kitchen is in the back; you can use it yourself, but you must provide your own ingredients... The hall has welfare rooms, and there are dormitories on the second floor. If you want to live here, you can apply, though you will need to pay rent... One floor of the neighboring residential building is our Scripture Pavilion. A martial uncle guards it, but he has a bit of a temper, so it's best not to go there casually..." Lin Feng explained one by one.

It was all basic information.

When the Scripture Pavilion was mentioned, Li He's heart stirred.

Given the heritage of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, the Scripture Pavilion should contain many ancient martial arts manuals, which might become a place for him to farm vitality.

"Finally," Lin Feng led them back to where they started, "you are all familiar with this place now. It is the Founder's Hall. You must offer incense and pay respects every morning and evening to show respect for your teacher and the way, and to never forget our heritage."

Yuan Lingling added from the side: "Our founder of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall once watched spirit apes fight in the depths of the Yellow Mountain and drank Monkey Wine to achieve enlightenment, creating the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist. That family of white apes guarding the old site are the descendants of those very spirit apes."

Sun Ao, who had been silent and followed the group with his arms crossed, asked: "Senior Brother Lin, I have a question. Why is such a large martial arts hall, aside from us new disciples, only home to you and Senior Sister Yuan? Where are the other senior brothers and sisters?"

The smile on Lin Feng's face stiffened for a moment, then he looked slightly awkward, subconsciously rubbing his nose: "Uh... well..." He glanced at Yuan Lingling.

Yuan Lingling immediately interjected: "Junior Brother Sun is very observant! It's a good time to tell you: our hall emphasizes the unity of knowledge and action. Master often says, 'Practicing a fist ten thousand times is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.' Most of our senior brothers and sisters are out traveling to broaden their horizons. For example, our third junior brother and fourth junior sister are currently training on the front lines of the Abyss. They are all very powerful martial artists."

Sun Ao listened, his face expressionless; it was unclear whether he believed Yuan Lingling's tall tale.

However, the other new disciples were not as composed as Sun Ao, and their eyes showed varying degrees of disdain.

Li He felt nothing.

It was a fact that the hall was sparsely populated, but combined with the wine-making spirit apes at the old site and the unfathomable aura of Master Yuan Shan, what Yuan Lingling mentioned about traveling might not be entirely an excuse.

Just as the atmosphere grew slightly subtle, Yuan Shan walked over. He had changed into a crisp gray training robe.

His appearance dispelled the awkwardness in the room.

"Since you have entered my sect, you must understand the importance of a foundation. Today, I will first teach you the introductory stake training of our Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall: the Ape Standing Stake."

Li He focused his attention. Regardless of the size of the martial arts hall, the martial arts taught by the master before him were the true purpose of his visit.

Yuan Shan led the group to the training ground.

"Watch closely."

Without any unnecessary explanation, Yuan Shan immediately assumed his stance.

His feet were spread slightly apart, shoulder-width, but they were not parallel; instead, his toes were turned slightly inward, gripping the ground like the claws of an ape, and his body leaned forward, presenting a posture ready to spring into action at any moment.

A sudden image of the White Ape leader flashed through Li He's mind, looking exactly like Yuan Shan before him.

"This stake is called the Ape Standing Stake, capturing the essence of a spiritual ape standing upon a perilous cliff—steady as a boulder, yet swift as thunder when it moves," Yuan Shan began to explain the key points.

A moment later.

"Now, experience it for yourselves." After saying this, Yuan Shan stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly fixed upon the four of them.

The disciples spread out and took their stances.

Jin Yongsheng followed the pattern exactly, his movements standard and striving for physical resemblance, attempting to find the internal feeling by imitating the external form.

Sun Ao's movements were perfect, and more importantly, he had captured the intent within the stance; his posture was steady and his breathing long and rhythmic, and although he seemed slightly unrefined, he exuded a sense of solid strength.

Shi Lei was somewhat clumsy, his posture crooked and swaying, but he adjusted bit by bit as a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead, sliding down his dark cheeks; he seemed not to notice, his eyes filled with an unyielding tenacity.

Li He stood rooted to the spot, replaying every detail of Yuan Shan's movements in his mind.