Ape Standing Stake

Li He constructed the posture of the Ape Standing Stake in his mind, and a blurred image of himself appeared on the system panel.

A moment later, he slowly assumed the stance. His movements were not perfect, and his center of gravity was likely off, but he imagined himself as an old ape standing on a mountain cliff—feet rooted to the ground, yet his body light and agile, ready to pounce at any moment.

On the system panel, the blurred text suddenly solidified.

[Ape Standing Stake: Novice (0%)]

A line of clear text appeared in the bottom right corner of Li He's field of vision.

Li He's stiff movements instantly adjusted into place. His toes naturally curled slightly, like an old ape gripping the earth. Power rose from the ground, his waist and back straightened, his spine arched like a bow, and a latent, restrained force began to circulate within him.

His blood and qi began to flow through his meridians along a specific path. His breathing became long and steady; from a mere beginner a moment ago, he suddenly possessed three parts of the spirit of Yuan Shan!

Yuan Shan stood to the side with his hands behind his back, observing the state of his disciples. When his gaze swept over Li He, he paused slightly.

"Lin Feng, Lingling, go help your seven junior brothers adjust their stances."

"Yes, Master."

Lin Feng responded respectfully and immediately turned, ready to fulfill his duties as the senior disciple.

He walked toward Li He first, as in his view, Li He had the highest aptitude among this batch of disciples; with a little guidance, he would see results.

When he reached Li He and his gaze fell upon him, the smile on his face instantly froze.

His standing posture was as steady as a mountain, his breathing as deep as an abyss, and his relaxed yet poised demeanor carried a sense of agility ready to erupt. His movements were impeccably standard—there was no need for guidance here; he had clearly already grasped the essence!

Lin Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.

This was his first time learning it, his first time standing in it. He, the senior disciple, hadn't even explained the details yet, so how had he managed to stand like this on his own?

Wait, Master just said to help the seven new disciples adjust their stances, not eight!

Lin Feng hurriedly turned his head to look at his master, Yuan Shan.

Yuan Shan had a smile on his lips and nodded slightly, everything understood without a word.

Yuan Lingling had originally intended to walk toward Sun Ao, but seeing Lin Feng frozen in front of Li He with a look on his face as if he'd seen a ghost, she glanced over out of curiosity.

At this look, her large, lively eyes instantly widened, and she almost cried out in surprise. But she reacted quickly and immediately shut her mouth. "Hmph, so what if you have a bit of aptitude?" she muttered under her breath.

Lin Feng stopped looking at Li He and walked toward Jin Yongsheng, who was closest to him. "Junior Brother Jin, lower your center of gravity a bit more. Don't be so tense; relax."

On the other side, Yuan Lingling walked up to Sun Ao to provide guidance. However, the moment she reached him, she was astonished to find that Sun Ao's posture was approaching perfection at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He was constantly adjusting his stake stance, pondering every detail repeatedly, and within just a few minutes, he had reached the novice level.

At the same time, his gaze occasionally flickered toward Li He, feeling somewhat surprised.

This person's aptitude is even better than mine, grasping the spirit so quickly. And he only has fifth-grade bone structure? Interesting, he thought to himself.

Before they knew it, the sun had set. The disciples had all returned home, leaving only Yuan Shan, Yuan Qingqing, and Lin Feng in the hall.

Yuan Shan sat in a rattan chair, an old-fashioned projector placed in front of him, facing a relatively clean wall of the training ground.

The projector's beam cast onto the wall, clearly playing a recording.

In the recording, Li He's figure appeared. He followed the scent of wine, pushed open the wooden door of the side room, and saw a group of White Apes sharing Monkey Wine. The troop then erupted in a frenzy, surrounding him.

"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..." Yuan Shan began to cough violently. An unnatural flush surged onto his face, and the veins on his forehead became visible.

"Grandpa!" Yuan Lingling cried out in alarm, her small face turning deathly pale. She lunged toward Yuan Shan in one swift motion.

Lin Feng's expression changed drastically. He grabbed a thermos from a nearby table, unscrewed the lid, and handed it over. "Master, drink some water quickly."

Yuan Shan waved his hand.

"It's nothing, just an old ailment. Keep watching."

The footage continued to play. Li He analyzed the situation calmly, loudly stating his identity and purpose, and successfully caught the keyword "Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall," which allowed the old ape to let him pass.

The recording switched to the scene of Jin Yongsheng entering the old site, taking out some beautifully packaged energy bars to try and bribe the apes. However, the apes remained unmoved and became even more vigilant.

Jin Yongsheng began to try and report the name of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, his tone filled with probing and obsequiousness. The old ape let him pass as well, but there was a hint of contempt in its movements.

Next was the footage of Sun Ao. He chose to engage the apes in a direct fight. His footwork was agile, his fist techniques well-rounded, and he actually managed to trade blows with the troop.

However, the troop was numerous and coordinated well. In the end, relying on their numerical advantage, they pinned Sun Ao to the ground. It was only thanks to Lin Feng's timely appearance that the apes were called off.

Sun Ao climbed up from the ground, swept a cold glance at the apes, and left in silence.

Shi Lei's reaction was the clumsiest. When he was surrounded by the apes, he was clearly startled, but he didn't retreat, nor did he try to curry favor. Instead, he stood there like a post, staring at the old ape.

The two sides stared at each other without blinking.

Some of the apes couldn't take it anymore, scratched their butts, and chose to slip away. The old ape was also helpless and waved his hand to let Shi Lei pass.

Shi Lei, as if granted a reprieve, ran away quickly.

The recording ended, and the image on the wall vanished.

"Do you all understand now?" Yuan Shan's voice carried a trace of exhaustion, yet remained steady.

Yuan Lingling immediately stepped forward, a look of pride and expectation on her small face, and said crisply, "I saw it all clearly, Grandfather!"

"Jin Yongsheng has more than enough adaptability, but his character is lacking; he relies too much on external factors and schemes, and he cowers when facing someone stronger."

"Sun Ao has decent talent, but he is arrogant and conceited, his edge is too sharp, and he is prone to taking things to the extreme."

"Shi Lei has mediocre aptitude, but his character is simple and honest, and he is firm and unyielding—he has the most potential!"

"The other four performed averagely, with nothing special to note."

"As for Li He, he is calm and sharp, with an excellent temperament." When she mentioned Li He, her tone paused slightly, as if she were somewhat reluctant, yet she tried to evaluate him as objectively as possible.

Yuan Shan leaned back in his rattan chair, his gaze resting on his granddaughter, his eyes showing neither reproach nor immediate affirmation of her critique.

"Lingling." Yuan Shan's voice was low and steady, "Your observations are accurate, and your critique of the four's strengths and weaknesses is quite fair."

Hearing her grandfather's affirmation, Yuan Lingling's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curled upward slightly.

Yuan Shan immediately shifted the tone of the conversation: "But when you critique others, have you ever looked clearly at yourself?"

The pride on Yuan Lingling's face froze instantly, and she looked somewhat bewildered.

"You critiqued Sun Ao for being too sharp and prone to extremes. Then, when you first met today, you exposed Li He's background in public—what was the reason for that? Was it just being outspoken, or could you not stand to see a newcomer outshine you, wanting to suppress him?"

Yuan Lingling's small face flushed red instantly, and she instinctively wanted to retort: "Grandfather! I... I was just..."

"Enough." Yuan Shan waved his hand to interrupt, "The path of martial arts is long and perilous; one must have the breadth of mind to embrace all rivers and the ambition to emulate the virtuous. If you only fixate on the shortcomings of others and cannot tolerate someone else's talent surpassing your own, then you are drawing a circle on the ground to imprison yourself. With such a mindset, how can you go far? How can you carry on the legacy of our Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall?"

Yuan Lingling lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her shirt, and she remained silent.

Lin Feng listened quietly from the side, feeling a sense of awe in his heart. These words from his master seemed to be a lesson for Lingling, but were they not also a wake-up call for him? As the senior disciple, when he saw Li He's extraordinary comprehension, did he not also harbor an indescribable, complex feeling in his heart?

Seeing his granddaughter with her head bowed in silence, Yuan Shan knew she had taken his words to heart, so he said no more, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the rattan chair, rocking slightly.

On Li He's side, he did not know the evaluation Yuan Shan and the others had made of him, nor did he know that the seemingly careless senior disciple had actually set up a small test under the director's arrangement.

He was wearing the training uniform of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, walking on his way home.

The surrounding street scenes were becoming increasingly familiar.

He reached the street where the Pine Listening Courtyard was located; it was sandwiched between his home and the martial arts hall, and he passed by it every day.

Because of the demolition, many people in the nearby streets, especially those near the small commodity market and the grain and oil stores, were rushing to buy supplies.

They carried large and small bags filled with daily necessities like rice, flour, grain, and oil.

Long queues formed in front of several shops, the clerks sweating profusely, while the nearby clothing and appliance stores had their doors tightly shut, with "Closed for Business" signs posted on the rolling shutters.

On several abandoned walls waiting to be demolished, Li He saw some strange graffiti painted in red, with vague scribbles like "The Abyss is coming" and "Only the True God can save us."

"What are they up to now, resisting the demolition?" Li He remembered that these graffiti weren't there when he passed by yesterday; he guessed it was some religious organization taking advantage of the situation to spread panic.

He shook his head, not paying much attention, and walked quickly toward his home.

Squeezing into the narrow street.

Li He heard his mother Zhang Xiujuan's voice: "Oh, Sister Zhang, there's really no need, our family doesn't believe in this..."