Monkey Wine

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, spent standing in the stance day after day.

Li He stood in the middle of the training yard, his breathing long and steady.

His stance came naturally, the feeling of relaxation and rootedness etched into his bones. With every breath, the Tiger-Leopard Sound within him rang out with perfect clarity.

This was the mark of Ape Standing Stake reaching minor mastery.

[Proficiency +1]

[Ape Standing Stake: Minor Mastery (0%) → Minor Mastery (1%)]

Though his proficiency had increased by one, Li He furrowed his brow.

Too slow!

He had spent a full five hours standing in the stance, from morning until night, yet his proficiency had only risen by one point.

"Just like before." Li He opened his status panel.

[Name: Li He]

[Vitality: 12.9 (↑1)]

[Skill: Federation Body Forging Fist: Minor Mastery (1%) (↑82%)]

[Skill: Old Ape Stretches Arms: Minor Mastery (1%) (↑1%)]

[Skill: Cloud Hand Eighteen Forms: Minor Mastery (1%) (↑1%)]

[Skill: Wild Goose Eight Steps: Minor Mastery (1%) (↑1%)]

[Skill: Turtle-Crane Health Stance: Minor Mastery (1%) (↑1%)]

[Skill: Silk-Reeling Power: Minor Mastery (1%) (↑1%)]

[Skill: Ape Standing Stake: (Minor Mastery) (1%) (↑201%)]

All five Ancient Martial Arts were at 1% progress after reaching minor mastery. He tested them and found that no matter the martial art, once it reached minor mastery, its rate of improvement became extremely slow.

It often took four or five hours of practice just to gain a single point.

Li He didn't know whether his roots were the limiting factor, whether his vitality was too low to supply enough blood and energy, or whether it was both.

But he knew what to do: find a way to earn money and buy Exotic Beast Meat, piling on resources to raise his proficiency—or seek out new martial arts to increase his vitality.

While Lin Feng was drinking water,

Li He sat beside him and asked bluntly, "Senior Brother Lin, when do you think we can start learning new techniques, like footwork or boxing?"

"Junior Brother Li, your stance training has progressed at an astonishing pace. In just seven days, you've reached minor mastery and built a solid foundation. I understand wanting to learn something new. But..."

His gaze swept across the others in the training yard.

"The other junior brothers are still consolidating their foundations. Teaching them new techniques too soon would leave them on shaky ground. Practicing like that would do them no good and might even lead to injury. As for you, trying to learn too much at once may not be wise either."

He patted Li He on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Master Yuan often says that a towering building starts from the ground. If the foundation is weak, the whole structure will shake. Be patient a little longer. Once everyone's foundations are steadier, we'll naturally teach you the next techniques."

His reasoning made sense.

The martial arts hall wasn't there for Li He alone. Hall Master Yuan Shan had to consider the students' overall progress and what they could handle.

But Li He knew the real reason.

The martial arts hall was short-staffed. They simply couldn't spare anyone to teach him one-on-one.

Hearing Lin Feng's words, Sun Ao was just as unhappy. Why should he be held back because someone else was progressing slowly?

He looked at Li He with more than just a competitive glint now; there was also the irritation of someone who felt they were in the same boat.

"Hmph. What's the rush? You haven't even mastered the stance yet. Learn as many techniques as you like, and they'll still be nothing but fancy moves. Once your foundation is solid, you'll be able to learn." He sounded as though he were speaking to Li He, but more than that, he seemed to be comforting and encouraging himself.

Shi Lei went off to one side and picked up a dumbbell, his gaze growing more determined. He knew he was the furthest behind and would have to work twice as hard to keep from being left behind.

Dusk.

Today's training had ended.

Li He put away the equipment and was about to leave.

Lin Feng beckoned him over. "Junior Brother Li, come with me for a moment."

Li He stopped what he was doing, puzzled, but silently followed. They left the martial arts hall, crossed a narrow path through the bamboo grove, and arrived at the old site of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

Several White Apes were sunning themselves in the courtyard. When they saw Li He enter, they lifted their eyelids and gave a few low grunts, but didn't surround him warily as they had the last time.

The side room also looked nothing like the scene he'd seen before, when the apes had gathered to drink. Instead, clay jars of all shapes and sizes stood neatly arranged inside. Some still had fresh dirt on them; they must have been brought in recently.

Several White Apes quietly wiped down the jars, looking for all the world like warehouse attendants.

Hall Master Yuan Shan sat on a stone stool. On the table before him stood an opened clay jar and three small porcelain cups.

"Master." Lin Feng bowed respectfully.

"Hall Master." Li He bowed too, surprised that the hall master had personally been waiting for him in the depths of the old site.

"There's no need for ceremony. Sit." Yuan Shan pointed to the stone stool opposite him.

Li He sat as instructed.

Yuan Shan picked up the clay jar and filled his cup with wine.

"This wine is made from the mountain's wild fruit, gathered by the White Apes and left to ferment naturally in a cave deep beneath the old site, where the cool earth and spiritual energy nurture it."

Yuan Shan's voice was calm as he stroked the Old Ape beside him.

"This wine contains spiritual energy. It benefits the tempering of bone and sinew, nourishes the blood and energy, and invigorates the meridians. Disciples of the martial arts hall whose foundations are solid and whose performance is outstanding may receive a cup each month to aid their training."

Li He understood. The hall master approved of his talent and hard work and was giving him special treatment.

"Thank you for this generous gift, Hall Master."

Yuan Shan nodded slightly. "You reached minor mastery in your stance training in seven days. Such aptitude is rare."

Li He didn't answer, waiting for him to continue.

"However," Yuan Shan said, changing tack, "the martial path rests on one's roots and takes flight on one's insight. Without sound roots, you can't bear the weight of a towering building. And if your insight is too great but your mind restless, you'll be like a rootless duckweed, easily led astray."

He lifted his cup and swirled the wine.

"This Monkey Wine can nourish your blood and energy, strengthen your bones and sinews, and may help you break through your current bottleneck. But external aid is still external aid. It can't overcome the limits of your roots for you, nor can it replace the hard work of daily practice."

Li He could only laugh helplessly.

The hall master was clearly giving him a stern warning, thinking that he had become proud and restless on the strength of his extraordinary insight and might stray from the right path and ruin his foundation. Yet Li He couldn't explain the truth.

The hall master meant well. Li He wasn't blind to the kindness behind his words, and he accepted it with gratitude. "I understand, Hall Master. Thank you for your guidance. I'll guard against pride and impatience, stay grounded, and live up to your expectations."

"Good." Yuan Shan smiled with satisfaction.

At that moment,

the sunset was at its most brilliant. Sunlight slanted through the old wooden window and spilled across the room, bathing it in a warm orange glow.

The sunset also shone over the imposing training yard of the Evergreen Martial Arts Hall.

Equipment stood in rows, and the grounds stretched wide.

Dozens of disciples in matching training uniforms were undergoing intense training. Their shouts rose and fell, and Wang Hao was among them.

Deep within the martial arts hall, in a quiet room,

Chen Changqing sat in the seat of honor, his posture straight as a pine tree and his features resolute. He had just finished a short retreat, and a trace of his former sharpness still lingered between his brows.

"Hall Master, here are the final results of this round of entrance assessments."

Zhao Xiong handed over the report with both hands.

Chen Changqing took it and quickly scanned the names and scores. His gaze lingered briefly on a few of the highest-scoring names before settling on one he recognized.

"Li He." Chen Changqing murmured the name, then asked, "He failed the assessment? Tell me what happened."

Zhao Xiong gave Chen Changqing a detailed account of Li He's performance and the circumstances of his rejection.

Chen Changqing frowned slightly and pondered for a moment.

"A pity. His roots were lacking; it was fate. I'll explain things to Old Master Wang."