Senior Brother Yan, I'll Borrow This Money from You, Extreme Seal, and Foundation Training Still Unmastered

Shi Wen sized the man up and immediately nodded. "Hello, I'm here to become a disciple."

The young man was around seventeen.

His family must have been quite well-off. He could afford to wear a short training jacket made of fine cotton while practicing martial arts. The collar and cuffs were even edged with brocade, and his shorts had specially fitted cuffs. He wore soft-soled leather boots, a brocade sash to secure his clothes, and leather guards on his wrists and knees. There was even a forehead guard.

Judging by the cost of that outfit, his family would have to work for ten or eight years without eating or drinking to afford it.

"Come on in and have a seat, kid. I'll go tell Master Li."

Yan Kai smiled, then jogged all the way to the Inner Courtyard.

A while later, he came back out with a smile. "Master Li says you can go see him in the Inner Courtyard."

"Sure, thank you, Senior Brother!"

Shi Wen clasped his hands and said, "My name is Shi Wen. May I ask what I should call you, Senior Brother?"

"Hahahaha, there's no need to be so polite. I'm Yan Kai, and I've only been studying under Master Li for half a year myself. Come on, I'll take you to see him."

Shi Wen followed Yan Kai into the courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious and open, with sandbags, stone locks, and other training equipment set out in designated spots.

Most of the people in the courtyard were practicing stances or throwing punches.

No one supervised them here.

Practice if you felt like it; if you didn't, you could go cool off under a tree. No one would even care if you skipped training altogether.

The emphasis was on freedom and doing as you pleased.

Compared with the forty or fifty people in the Outer Courtyard, there were fewer than ten in the Inner Courtyard.

Every one of them was strong and powerful, their eyes sharp, their punches landing with unusual force.

There were also many more training weapons in the Inner Courtyard than in the Outer Courtyard. Shi Wen even spotted a weapon rack.

The blades and weapons on those racks were all sharp.

"Master Li, this young man has come to become your disciple today," Yan Kai hurriedly said.

Quite a few Inner Courtyard disciples glanced over, then turned their attention away.

They went right back to training, too lazy to bother with disciples who came and went like water.

Only after tempering their qi and blood and entering the Inner Courtyard could they be considered true disciples, and learn true martial arts!

Beneath a tree,

a tall, lean middle-aged man sat on a stone stool. He had an ordinary face and a thin mustache, and there was nothing especially remarkable about him.

He was smoking a pipe, puffing out smoke. "Come over and let me have a look at you."

"Yes!"

Shi Wen hurried over.

Li Heshan rose and walked toward him, smoking as he looked him over.

Only when Li Heshan stood did Shi Wen realize how tall the unremarkable-looking man was—nearly a meter ninety. He was thin, but his sharp eyes were like knives. They sent a chill through Shi Wen, as if a beast had fixed its gaze on him!

Suddenly, Li Heshan struck.

Shi Wen didn't even see what he did. He only felt pain all over his body.

It turned out Li Heshan was testing his bone structure.

"Fifteen, right? Fifth-grade bone structure. Pretty average. If you're serious about training, you might learn a few moves to defend yourself."

Li Heshan sat back down on the stone stool and smoked his pipe. "Yan Kai, take him to your senior sister in a bit and have him pay his tuition. Then show him the basics for two days."

The Inner Courtyard disciples nearby looked over.

But soon, they turned their attention away again.

An average bone structure—not particularly good or bad.

In Black Cloud County, with a population of four or five hundred thousand, there were plenty like him. He wasn't anything special.

Besides, at fifteen, he had no great advantage in martial arts.

Perhaps someone with enough perseverance and determination might manage to temper their qi and blood.

Unfortunately, such people were few and far between. You could search a thousand and still struggle to find one.

Most people who began learning martial arts at this age came from poor families with no other way forward. They scraped together what little savings they had and tried their luck, hoping to make something of themselves.

But few had the patience to keep learning.

And even if they did, without money for medicinal supplements or meat, it was hard to temper their qi and blood.

True dragons rarely rose from the wild grass!

"Yes! This disciple understands."

Yan Kai took Shi Wen to a room in the Inner Courtyard.

Inside, a young woman in the bloom of youth was doing the accounts.

She was quite tall, around 175 centimeters. She stood half a head taller than Shi Wen, who had only just arrived. She wore a pale green ruqun and had simply pinned up her hair with a hairpin.

Unlike Li Heshan, her face was neither ordinary nor sharp.

She was pretty, gentle, and sweet.

She had the air of a senior sister Shi Wen had imagined.

"Senior Sister Li, someone else has come to become a disciple today."

Before entering, Yan Kai even straightened his clothes. His voice grew much softer, as if he were afraid of offending her.

"Mhm, I know."

Li Qianqian glanced over Shi Wen's clothes and seemed to sigh silently.

She opened the disciple register and said gently, "Tell me your name and age."

"Hello, Senior Sister Li. My name is Shi Wen, and I'm fifteen."

"Mhm. Master Li takes new disciples for a two-month term. Lunch is included during those two months, along with a bowl of medicinal soup in the afternoon. The fee is nine strings of coins. Is that all right with you?"

Li Qianqian looked him in the eye.

"Senior Sister, that's fine with me."

Shi Wen nodded.

He had come to learn martial arts from Li Beheader because the tuition was cheap.

Studying under other martial arts instructors would cost more and come with more conditions.

Besides, Li Beheader was well-known in Black Cloud County.

Just recently, during a tournament match,

he had defeated several well-known martial arts instructors in a row and won quite a few silver rewards!

"Since that's settled, pay the fee."

Li Qianqian nodded. Shi Wen took the money out of his basket and set it on the table, one string at a time, along with quite a few loose copper coins.

Li Qianqian and Yan Kai's expressions shifted slightly.

They could both see that the boy before them was staking everything on this.

But the path of martial arts was hardly easy.

People who came to seek instruction often arrived full of hope and left disappointed.

"Treasure Coins? We don't accept Treasure Coins here."

Li Qianqian shook her head.

Treasure Coins had to be exchanged on the black market, at a rate of twenty to one. There was no way to get nine strings of coins for them. Who would want Treasure Coins?

Shi Wen had been counting them, but beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

He was at a loss.

He had thought the money from selling the land, together with his savings, would be enough for the tuition.

He hadn't expected them not to accept Treasure Coins.

Seeing the boy's embarrassed expression, Yan Kai pulled two strings of copper coins from his robe and smiled. "Senior Sister Li, his coins should be worth about seven strings. I happen to have two strings here. That makes nine altogether. Could you count them and see if it's enough?"

Li Qianqian looked at Yan Kai, then silently wrote Shi Wen's name into the register.

After that, she took two sets of clothes from the cabinet. "From this moment on, you're a disciple of our courtyard."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Li."

Shi Wen took the clothes, turned around, and said earnestly to Yan Kai, "Senior Brother Yan, thank you. I'll pay you back once I have the money."

"It's nothing, just a little money. Come on, junior brother. I'll teach you the basics."

Yan Kai smiled and put an arm around his shoulders. "Come to think of it, you're a pretty good-looking kid. Seeing you reminds me of my little brother back home. When I saw your expression just now, I couldn't help feeling sorry for you, so I gave you a hand. Don't feel burdened by it. This little bit of money is nothing to me."

Shi Wen quietly listened to Yan Kai ramble.

He kept the kindness in his heart.

The money might not amount to much to Yan Kai, but to him, it had been a lifeline in a snowstorm.

He would never forget this debt of gratitude!

Li Qianqian suddenly spoke. "Junior Brother Yan, come over for a moment."

Yan Kai paused, then told Shi Wen to go ahead and stayed behind. "Senior Sister Li, what is it?"

"There's really no need for you to help these people. You've helped quite a few over the past six months. What good has it done besides wasting your money?"

Li Qianqian's expression turned stern. "You'd be better off spending that money on meat."

"You've helped plenty of people, haven't you? In the end, how many of them even remember your kindness?"

"There's no loyalty in this little courtyard. Once people leave, the loyalty goes with them. Stop wasting your money, all right?"

"Stop reading those martial arts stories. The jianghu is full of deceit and treachery, not brotherly loyalty. If I remember right, you've been in the courtyard for six months, Junior Brother Yan, but you're still only in the early stage of Blood Tempering, aren't you? Junior Brother Wei Shan entered a month after you. His bone structure is the same as yours, but he's already reached the middle stage of Blood Tempering."

"You're seventeen this year. If you can't break through to Blood Coagulation by the end of the year, cultivating will only get harder from then on..."

Under Li Qianqian's stern scolding,

Yan Kai lowered his head, shame showing on his face.

After repeatedly promising her he would listen,

he finally left.

"Come on, Junior Brother Shi. Your senior brother will teach you the basics now. Once you've learned them, you can decide whether you want to go home and rest today or come back tomorrow to practice. Either is fine."

"I'll show you the ropes for the next two days. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me."

Yan Kai stepped out and called Shi Wen.

Shi Wen had been waiting outside and had heard every word of their conversation.

He nodded without saying anything, then followed Yan Kai away.

They went to the Outer Courtyard, where Yan Kai led him to an open space and began teaching him.

"The Outer Courtyard teaches Baji Fist Introductory Foundation. Don't underestimate this foundation training. Once you've mastered it, you can handle three or five people without a problem."

"If you can temper your qi and blood with Foundation Training, even a dozen or so strong men won't be enough to take you on!"

"Once you've tempered your qi and blood and become a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist, you can enter the Inner Courtyard. Inner Courtyard disciples get plenty of other benefits, too."

"Only after you become an Inner Courtyard disciple will Master Li teach you the true Six Harmonies Baji Fist. I can't overstep my place and teach it to you now. Outer Courtyard disciples who haven't tempered their qi and blood aren't allowed to secretly practice Inner Courtyard martial arts. If you do, Master Li will issue a martial world-wide kill order against you, and there'll be nowhere left for you to survive in Black Cloud County."

Shi Wen listened and nodded seriously. "I understand, Senior Brother Yan."

"Junior Brother, watch closely. Baji Fist Introductory Foundation centers on the Yin-Yang Stance and the Charging Step. Sink your shoulders and drop your elbows, draw in your chest and round your back. Once your lower body takes root and your strength begins to flow, you'll be able to gather all your scattered power into a single force, just like your senior brother. Let it course through your whole body and focus it all on one point, unleashing several times your strength—or even more!"

"The Prop Punch, Mountain-Splitting Palm, Face-On Palm, Silk-Reeling Crushing Punch, Heart-Piercing Elbow, and Mountain Leaning Strike are the foundation training's core killing moves."

"Don't let the six moves fool you. If you master them, a strong man can be killed with one blow. The Baji Fist taught by Master Li is about explosive, unrelenting power. A force no wider than an inch can shake a thousand catties!"

"Once you can hold the Yin-Yang Stance and walk the Charging Step, practice slowly from a fixed stance to find your strength, then practice fast with moving steps to unleash it."

"The key is to start from the feet and channel your strength through them. The waist is the pivot, and the force reaches the extremities. That's how you set your blood and qi in motion, driving every muscle in your body to explode at a single point!"

Yan Kai performed a set of foundation moves on the spot.

The training sounded ordinary enough, but as Yan Kai practiced, he roared like a beast. When he moved, a stream of heat seemed to rise from the top of his head.

Every move was fierce and powerful!

The easygoing man suddenly turned fearsome, like a猛虎 charging down a mountain.

Shi Wen watched without blinking.

"These are the few moves. Once you've got your stance down and can walk the Charging Step, start practicing them. As long as you train diligently, you can temper your qi and blood with the foundation moves, just like your senior brother, and become a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist!"

As he spoke,

a proud smile appeared on Yan Kai's face. "Back when I started, it only took me a month and a half of practicing Foundation Training to become a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist!"

"If you can't temper your qi and blood after two months of practicing the foundation training, you might not have much potential."

"Practicing martial arts looks impressive, but a lot of people can't endure the hardships. I've seen plenty of junior brothers start out full of enthusiasm, then train for ten days or so, start slacking off—three days fishing, two days drying the net—and eventually disappear without a trace."

Yan Kai sighed.

Then he began teaching Shi Wen the Yin-Yang Stance, the Charging Step, and the six killing moves, guiding him by hand.

After a few more instructions, he went off to train himself.

Perhaps Li Qianqian's words had made him feel ashamed.

Yan Kai found a new burst of drive. He lifted two hundred-catty stone locks and practiced his stance with his arms held parallel to the ground. His legs were as unmoving as ancient pines gripping the earth!

Shi Wen recalled the movements he had just seen.

Then he began trying them out himself.

It was one thing to watch Yan Kai make it look easy. When Shi Wen tried it himself, he realized how difficult it was.

The Yin-Yang Stance had to be held for at least half an hour to count as effective training.

He gritted his teeth through the Charging Step, stumbling and swaying for a long time, his posture awkward. Only then did he finish half an hour of stance training.

Once he finished the stance practice, he trained the Charging Step again.

Then he tried to link the six killing moves together.

All morning,

Shi Wen practiced until he was drenched in sweat and panting for breath. Only then did he manage to complete the entire set of foundation moves once.

His strikes were crooked and awkward, with no power behind them and none of the essential techniques.

It was obvious.

Shi Wen had no great talent for martial arts.

"I wonder... if it worked."

Shi Wen lowered his head and looked at the center of his left palm, anticipation rising in his eyes.

Soon, a line of text appeared on his palm.

[Extreme Seal]

[Martial art Baji Fist Introductory Foundation detected. Convert to data?]