After hearing him out, Zhang Xiujuan was deeply relieved and readily agreed.
That also lifted a heavy weight from Li He's heart.
At seven that evening, his father called right on time.
His mother, Zhang Xiujuan, handed the phone to Li He.
They chatted about how things were going. When Li Jianguo learned that Li He had already reached the middle stage of a First-Rank Martial Artist, he was greatly pleased.
As they were about to hang up, Li He asked, "Dad, how are things on your end? Is the project nearly finished? Are you coming home soon?"
According to the original plan, his father would be home in about a week.
There was a pause on the other end of the call. "Uh, Xiao He, something came up on my end. The project's been delayed, so I'll have to stay a little longer."
"Delayed? Dad, what happened?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing. There's just a line that we can't get connected, no matter what. Don't worry about it. It'll only take another week or two." Li Jianguo hurriedly finished speaking, then hung up, seeming afraid Li He would ask more.
Listening to the busy signal, the smile froze on Li He's face.
His father had made it sound like nothing, but an unexplained delay didn't seem like a minor issue.
He had struggled so hard to set foot on the path of martial arts and finally glimpsed a little hope. How could he let his family risk their lives out there?
After a moment's thought, Li He made up his mind.
"Mom." Li He turned to his mother with a gentle smile. "Dad said something came up, so he'll be home later than planned. But it's nothing serious; he's doing fine. Don't worry. I'll handle the move."
Zhang Xiujuan looked at her son's calm face. She was somewhat worried about her husband's delay, but seeing how steady and dependable her son was made her feel more at ease.
The next day.
Li He didn't train in an open area outside the martial arts school.
Instead, he went to the special training ground behind the school, reserved for practicing footwork.
Unlike the Ape Demon Steps, the Ape Trace Steps were a proper martial art taught by the school. He could train here without worrying about Senior Brother Lin Feng nagging him.
On the Plum Blossom Stakes, Li He moved freely and nimbly.
His goal for the day was clear: bring the Ape Trace Steps to the proficient level and push through to the late stage of a First-Rank Martial Artist.
He moved effortlessly across the wooden stakes of varying heights. Though his movements lacked the imposing force of the Ape Demon Steps, they had a lively grace all their own.
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency +1]
[Ape Trace Steps: Beginner (99%) → Proficient (0%)]
[Vitality: 16.5 → 17.0]
Time flew by as he trained.
After an unknown amount of time, Li He brought his movements to a halt.
He went to the edge of the training ground, picked up his water bottle, and took several gulps.
"Late stage of a First-Rank Martial Artist, and proficient in the Ape Trace Steps!" Li He thought with satisfaction. "With the Ape Demon Three Styles, I'll be able to handle anything that comes my way in the assessment!"
Just then,
a burst of praise came from nearby.
"Excellent! Senior Brother Sun's Ape Trace Steps keep getting more refined!"
"Yeah, he moves across the Plum Blossom Stakes as if they were flat ground, turning and changing direction at will. His footwork must be close to the minor mastery stage, right?"
"Looks like Senior Brother Sun is a shoo-in for second place in this assessment."
Li He looked in the direction of the voices.
The hatch of a silver-white Holographic Combat Pod slowly opened.
Sun Ao stepped out of the pod. Hearing the other disciples praise him, he showed no sign of pride. Instead, his expression was a little cold.
The holographic screen outside the pod replayed his recent performance in the Virtual Battlefield.
In the footage, several virtual enemies had surrounded Sun Ao!
His steps were light and nimble, like an agile ape climbing. He darted and leaped through the narrow alley, his movements unpredictable. Every dodge was perfectly timed.
As he evaded their attacks, he also used Old Ape Stretches Arms. His movements seemed slow but were actually swift, his arms lashing like whips as he struck the joints and vital points of the enemies surrounding him with pinpoint accuracy.
His movements flowed seamlessly between offense and defense, and his attacks were astonishingly powerful.
The footage ended with Sun Ao lightly tapping a metal beam with his toes, then drifting down to land gracefully on the ground.
"I hesitated for a moment when I threw that punch. That performance was nowhere near good enough. I'd be better off sparring with a real opponent." Sun Ao wasn't satisfied with his performance.
His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on Li He. Seeing him practicing the Ape Trace Steps, Sun Ao's slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
"Hmph." He gave a soft snort, his meaning unclear.
"So you've finally decided to turn over a new leaf? Looks like you took at least some of what I said to heart. Hurry up and catch up."
Sun Ao got up to leave, turning to give Li He a look that was both encouraging and challenging.
What Sun Ao didn't realize was that the hangers-on who had attached themselves to him mistook his look for mockery.
"Li He's wasting his talent by slacking off!" That saying had already spread throughout the martial arts school. No one knew where it started, but almost no one disagreed with it.
When these disciples had first joined, Li He had been the quickest to grasp the lessons and the fastest to train.
But after bringing each martial art to minor mastery, he would rush off to learn something new. He spent all day in the Scripture Pavilion, neglecting his training. Everyone had seen it.
By contrast, Sun Ao, who had joined at the same time, had already brought both the Ape Standing Stake and Old Ape Stretches Arms close to the major mastery stage. His Ape Trace Steps were also nearing minor mastery.
Compared with the two of them, Sun Ao, who focused on the White Ape Martial Way, was like someone who had started training as a child.
The strength of training from childhood lay in how, during adolescence, the muscles and bones grew and developed along specific lines of force. Starting after reaching adulthood could never achieve quite the same results.
In their eyes, Li He had trained in a hodgepodge of martial arts. His muscles might be big, but they were useless show muscles, and he wouldn't get far.
"Li He's only just started practicing the Ape Trace Steps? What's he been doing all this time? He's hogging the Plum Blossom Stakes. How are the rest of us supposed to train?"
"He knows he's taken the wrong path, so now he's trying to stop us from training. That's quite the bright idea."
"Heh, he's got a fifth-grade bone structure. Maybe he's stronger than us now, but what about the future? He must be bitter about it."
For a while, a buzz of discussion filled the air.
"Why are you all standing around? Shouldn't you be training?"
Senior Brother Lin Feng strode over, his face dark with anger.
"Those practicing stances, get back to your stakes. Those practicing footwork, get back to it. If I catch anyone gathering to gossip and disrupt training again, don't blame me for being harsh!"
Lin Feng was usually gentle with people, but now that he was angry, his presence was intimidating.
At Lin Feng's glare, the disciples who had been gossiping scattered at once and returned to their training spots, not daring to say another word.
Only then did Lin Feng turn his attention to Li He, who stood calmly at the edge of the training ground, utterly unaffected.
The anger on his face eased a little. He walked over to Li He and lowered his voice. "Junior Brother, are you free tonight? Let me buy you dinner."
Li He had been tilting his head back to drink. At that, he paused, lowered the bottle, and looked surprised. "Sure. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Time passed in a flash.
Night fell.
In a somewhat noisy alley, smoke billowed over an open-air barbecue stall, and the place teemed with voices. Lin Feng had deliberately chosen a quieter table in the corner.
"Junior Brother, care for a drink?" Lin Feng picked up a bottle of beer and offered.
"No, thanks, Senior Brother." Li He picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip. He took good care of his health and abstained from smoking and drinking. He avoided anything that might affect his training.
Lin Feng didn't press him and poured himself a glass.
"Junior Brother." Lin Feng raised his glass to Li He, and they clinked glasses. "I invited you to dinner today because I wanted to have a proper talk with you."
"Go ahead, Senior Brother," Li He said.
"Then I'll be blunt. The things those disciples said at the school today were harsh, but they weren't entirely wrong."
"In martial arts, quality matters more than quantity. I've told you that countless times. Don't hold it against me for nagging."
"I asked you out to dinner today because I want to know: from now on, will you listen to me and focus on one system of martial arts, or keep doing what you used to and cobble together a mess of different styles?"
Faced with Lin Feng's questions,
Li He sighed inwardly. He had long suspected that his senior brother might use dinner as an excuse to bring this up. Now that things had come to this, he might as well speak openly.
"Senior Brother," Li He said, "I appreciate your concern."
"But I'm different from you. On the path of martial arts, there's only one way forward for me, from beginning to end: learn from a hundred schools and forge all their methods into one!"
"Only by constantly absorbing the essence of different martial arts, broadening the foundation of my martial path, and tempering my blood, muscles, and bones can I carve out a future for myself with a fifth-grade bone structure."
When Lin Feng heard that, all the color drained from his face.
"Junior Brother, you're being foolish! Every martial arts system emphasizes training the body in a specific way. Only when you've trained to the limit and your bones, muscles, and blood work as one can you unleash the greatest power. That's a truth that's held for thousands of years."
"If you train in this and that, your blood will become muddled, and your muscles and bones won't know how to respond. It's like building a house without a main beam: no matter how many bricks and tiles you have, they're useless. That's not learning broadly; you're destroying your foundation!"
Li He lowered his head and remained silent.
Lin Feng lost heart too.
Silence fell over the table for a moment. Then Lin Feng suddenly opened a bottle of beer and drained it in one go.
"Junior Brother! Today, I'm going to tell you a secret."
Before you continue