Training the Body Meant Cultivating the Heart

After Fang Can was completely placed under the care of the sect members, he was dragged off to complete his entry procedures.

Along the way, after holding it in for a while, the sect member handling his paperwork finally could not help asking, "How did this little brother get to know Hall Master Li?"

As he asked, the sect member, a man in his early thirties, was also filled with curiosity toward this older, short-haired disciple who had gotten in through the back door.

After all, eighteen was not considered late for martial arts training. It only meant one foot was already in the grave. Yet even so, Li Fengtian had still chosen to bring Fang Can into the sect. It was simply a case of being powerful enough to do whatever he wanted.

No matter what, someone who could enter through a Hall Master's connections was not someone he could afford to offend. It could not hurt to get on his good side.

Knowing that the man was probing into his background, and that it might affect his reputation within the sect from now on, Fang Can remained utterly confident.

"Hall Master Li and I hit it off at first sight. He believed I possessed astonishing talent, and to keep such a talent from being lost, he strongly urged me to join the sect."

The corner of the sect member's mouth twitched slightly. He found the young man somewhat speechless, but he did not ask further. Soon, he laughed heartily.

"Then once you've established yourself in the sect, little brother, make sure to look after your old brother here. If you run into any trouble later, come find me. My name is Liu Yue. You can call me Old Liu from now on."

"Alright, Old Liu." Fang Can nodded earnestly, without the slightest hint of modesty, like a completely guileless youth.

The two chatted as they walked, though Fang Can was mainly the one asking questions, all of them basic matters of common knowledge.

Although he did not know why Fang Can was asking such things, Liu Yue still told him everything he knew in full detail.

It was also from Old Liu that Fang Can learned the country they were in was called Great Yan. It was vast in territory, and there were countless powerful sect forces like the Tiger Fiend Sect, which dominated an area spanning hundreds of li.

Listening to Liu Yue's explanation, Fang Can felt that Great Yan was doomed sooner or later.

After all, a nation where every patch of land had its own king represented weak control by the imperial court. Either the Great Yan Emperor was playing some grand game, or there was something seriously wrong with him.

The Tiger Fiend Sect they belonged to was the strongest force within a hundred li. They did not usually do good deeds, either. Their main business was collecting protection fees. They held shares in places such as gambling dens and brothels, and occasionally escorted goods or robbed travelers.

In short, within this territory, the Tiger Fiend Sect was practically the local emperor. Nothing could be done without its permission. It was the sort of villainous force that should have been wiped out by the protagonist in a novel.

Led around by Old Liu, Fang Can also memorized the locations of the sect cafeteria, library, Martial Arts Hall, dormitories, and other places.

After briefly registering his information, Fang Can was officially employed.

At the same time, he received two sets of introductory uniforms in black and red, with a Tiger Devour emblem printed over the chest. He also obtained a private dorm room and a monthly allowance of three taels of silver.

Through Old Liu's explanation, Fang Can learned that the lowest-status people in the Tiger Fiend Sect were not new disciples like him, but rather the servants and laborers.

Daily chores such as cleaning and feeding horses were handled by them, and more than a dozen people had to squeeze into a single room to sleep.

If disciples like Fang Can failed to show any martial arts talent or prove their value after a period of time, they would either be expelled from the sect or demoted to servants.

After all, in these times, even getting a meal was not easy. Who knew how many people wanted to kneel and beg for the chance, only to have no way in.

After wandering about for roughly half an hour and finishing everything that needed to be explained, Liu Yue returned to stand guard, leaving Fang Can alone to face his private dorm room.

The room was located in a remote area and measured around twenty square meters. Its furnishings were fairly tidy as well: one table, one chair, one bed, and one blanket.

"So this is where I'll be living from now on." Placing his pajamas at the head of the bed, Fang Can could not help sighing. Living in this kind of environment would probably take a long time to get used to.

"And there are no phones or computers. Even if I train martial arts to the peak someday, aside from Cao Pi, my quality of life still feels worse than in modern times."

Fang Can muttered to himself, wondering whether martial arts could reach the level of immortality found in fantasy novels.

If it could, then once he became an immortal old bastard someday, he could work a little harder and see whether he could rebuild the technological tree of the Industrial Revolution. Then, while he was still alive, he could watch some exciting movies again or something.

"Forget it. I'll set a small goal first: become immortal, then watch a movie." Fang Can set his first small goal for himself.

Lying on the hard wooden bed, Fang Can forced his somewhat restless mind into sleep in preparation for the Martial Arts Hall lesson that afternoon.

At noon, Fang Can opened his eyes after sleeping lightly for half an hour. Once he realized where he was, he got up and prepared to head toward the Martial Arts Hall.

But before he left, Fang Can suddenly stopped. He turned back and took a packet of transparent pills from between the folds of his neatly folded pajamas before heading out again.

The journey passed without incident. From far away, Fang Can could already hear shouts from the Martial Arts Hall as people exerted their strength.

The moment he drew near, Fang Can felt a wave of heat hit his face. The entire Martial Arts Hall before him was overflowing with thick male hormones.

Across the Martial Arts Hall, which covered the area of four or five football fields, hundreds of bare-chested men of varying ages displayed their skills during the cool autumn harvest season.

Some, like Wu Song reborn, casually tossed around millstones weighing several hundred jin. Others moved like swimming fish across Plum Blossom Stakes four or five meters high, their shifting steps leaving afterimages.

Even children of fourteen or fifteen could swing broadswords weighing thirty or forty jin with fierce force.

"Damn." Looking at these groups of humanoid monsters, Fang Can felt he had really come to the right place.

Just as he was watching intently, an aged voice came from beside him. "You're the disciple Hall Master Li brought into the sect today, aren't you?"

Fang Can turned and saw a middle-aged man in his forties approaching. The man had a square face and a fierce expression.

Seeing Fang Can acknowledge it, the middle-aged man nodded coolly.

"My name is Yang Lie. I'm an instructor at the Martial Arts Hall."

"Little Liu told me about your situation. You've never trained in martial arts before, and you won't be able to keep up with the lessons of disciples your age. I'll start explaining things from the beginning."

Fang Can nodded. He had already prepared himself for this. First be a grandson, then become a master.

"Good. Now, don't think about anything else. Remember every word I say next."

Yang Lie stared fixedly at Fang Can. "The most important thing in martial arts training is cultivating the heart. Only when your heart believes will the wonders of martial arts manifest in your body."

"Cultivating the heart?" Fang Can froze for a moment, feeling that martial arts was rather different from what he had imagined.

"You don't need to understand why. You only need to know that what I say is absolutely correct. As long as your will is firm enough and your convictions devout enough, the entire world will clear a path for you."

Yang Lie's tone was incomparably certain, as though he were running a pyramid scheme and forcefully instilling his words into Fang Can.