Poor People Don't Deserve to Practice Martial Arts? A Chance to Be Seconded; What If I Reach Minor Accomplishment?

For five days straight.

Shi Wen had been living the same three-point-one routine.

He got up early to practice at the Fist Academy, ate more dishes at noon, practiced, went home to eat, then practiced again, working hard to improve his proficiency.

At first, things were fine.

But over the next two days, the rate at which his proficiency increased began to slow.

It wasn't because he was lazy.

Whenever he practiced, it felt as if a fire were burning inside him, scorching his organs.

His hunger had also multiplied.

It was as if countless steel needles were stabbing his intestines, leaving him drenched in cold sweat!!

If he forced himself to practice, he would become dizzy and weak, with no strength in his limbs.

Not only had his increasing proficiency failed to make him stronger,

it had made his already frail body even thinner.

His face had grown pale, and his cheeks, forehead, and the skin around his eyes had become sunken. He looked like a starving scarecrow.

There was nothing Shi Wen could do about it.

Fortunately, the Dining Hall didn't limit how many meals he could have.

Every noon, Shi Wen wolfed down food like a starving wolf, trying his best to fill his stomach.

Basically,

he practiced his basic techniques several more times each day while full and after drinking medicinal soup.

He'd heard that the genius Qin Heng, who had joined the Fist Academy a day after him and possessed eighth-grade bone structure, had nearly perfected the Basic Techniques. Master Li had made an exception and rewarded him with a Blood-Nourishing Pill.

Once he refined the Blood-Nourishing Pill, he would become a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist!

The Blood-Tempering Realm was a level countless Outer Courtyard disciples dreamed of reaching. Yet that genius disciple had only joined a few days ago and had already glimpsed its threshold.

It had left countless Outer Courtyard disciples disheartened.

Compared to talent, hard work seemed worthless!

The arrival of this talented junior brother seemed to have made the Fist Academy more lively, too.

Junior Brother Qin Huan came and went surrounded by Inner Courtyard disciples, and his clothes had changed from coarse-cloth garments to fine silk.

Even his bearing had quietly changed.

Clearly,

quite a few Inner Courtyard disciples thought Junior Brother Qin Huan would become a prominent expert in the future, and they were placing their bets on him.

The story of the genius disciple Qin Huan nearly becoming a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist in six days

spread like wildfire throughout the Outer Courtyard.

The Outer Courtyard disciples were green with envy!

They wished they could take his place!

During the seven days since joining the Fist Academy to practice martial arts,

Shi Wen had also learned quite a bit about martial cultivation.

Once a person had tempered their body and refined their qi and blood, they were called a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist.

The Inner Courtyard disciples were all martial artists at the Blood-Tempering Realm or above. They could seek affiliations with merchant associations and gangs in Black Cloud County.

They didn't have to go every day. They only occasionally went out to help resolve problems, and the merchant associations and gangs paid them a fixed affiliation fee every month. They also received extra money after handling a job.

Besides that,

some martial artists with good aptitude would be backed by merchant associations and gangs in Black Cloud County. They'd be given large sums of money and medicinal ingredients to help them build up their resources quickly in the early stages.

Naturally, if the faction backing them got into trouble in the future, those who had received its support would have to resolve it.

That was an unwritten rule.

As for Outer Courtyard disciples,

they were those who hadn't managed to temper their qi and blood. But they still had options.

For example, several Outer Courtyard disciples had decent talent, whether in comprehension or bone structure. With support from Inner Courtyard disciples, they were close to tempering their qi and blood.

People like that could only work under the Inner Courtyard disciples who supported them in the future.

Yan Kai had backed a junior brother named Wei Shan. The latter had since become an Inner Courtyard disciple and had been working under Yan Kai ever since.

Shi Wen hadn't been there long.

He was diligent,

but years of malnutrition had left him only 170 centimeters tall, and his bone structure was mediocre.

After days of practice, he looked like a starving scarecrow. No one was willing to bet on him, much less support him.

Yan Kai hadn't come by for the past few days. Perhaps he'd been busy with something.

But that afternoon,

as Shi Wen practiced his stance in a corner, he spotted a familiar figure.

Yan Kai always wore a smile. He greeted quite a few Outer Courtyard disciples along the way, then called excitedly to Zhou Heling, "Senior Sister Zhou, it worked!"

"It really worked?" Zhou Heling looked surprised. A smile appeared on her dark face. "You really came through, Junior Brother Yan!"

"Come on, let's go tell Senior Brother Sun and the others and discuss how many people we'll need. We'll meet at Ruxiang Pavilion tonight. Oh, and let's report it to Master Li, too. This is a chance to bring fame to our Fist Academy!"

Yan Kai hurriedly pulled Zhou Heling toward the Inner Courtyard.

Before long,

loud laughter rang out from the Inner Courtyard.

Shi Wen knew none of this had anything to do with him. He lowered his head, glanced at the Extreme Seal, and continued practicing.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Beginner (47/50)]

"Phew..."

Shi Wen let out a deep breath, unable to hide the worry in his eyes.

Practicing martial arts wasn't as simple as he'd imagined.

Over the past few days, he'd asked some veteran Outer Courtyard disciples who were close to tempering their qi and blood.

He'd learned a cruel truth about martial cultivation.

The poor weren't fit to practice martial arts!!

Why was that?

Because every martial art was meant to temper the body, refining it until qi and blood were born. But qi and blood didn't appear out of thin air.

They were born inside your body.

To put it bluntly, they were a more refined form of blood. Qi and blood were tempered by pushing the whole body to its limits, and they could then nourish the body in return, allowing you to unleash several times your normal strength!

If your body couldn't keep up, it would consume your reserves.

Practicing martial arts meant eating bowls of rice and mouthfuls of meat, buying medicinal powders to nourish the body, and soaking in medicinal baths to strengthen the physique. That was how you kept your body from suffering backlash as it was tempered to produce qi and blood.

But the poor couldn't even afford the rice and meat needed to maintain their bodies.

They could easily deplete their bodies while trying to produce qi and blood.

By then, before they could even refine qi and blood, they'd suffer a backlash from their depleted bodies and might even die!

Shi Wen, too, was confused about his own condition.

Ordinarily, one needed to cultivate the basic techniques to the major or even perfect stage, then diligently temper the muscles and bones, before having a chance to refine qi and blood. Only during that process did one need various tonics to prevent the body from being depleted.

That was how one ensured that qi and blood could be successfully produced.

But what about him?

His current condition felt just like the process of refining qi and blood.

Because his body was depleted.

The problem was...

His basic techniques were only progressing toward minor accomplishment.

How could he possibly produce qi and blood...

"Junior Brother Shi, had you rested enough? Want to practice together?"

A young man approached from not far away.

He looked about eighteen, with a square face and a height of well over 180 centimeters. He wasn't especially muscular, but his build was well-proportioned. His skin was dark, and his face was covered in thick flesh. He looked like someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

"Senior Brother Li, I've rested enough."

Shi Wen nodded to him and stood up to loosen his limbs.

Li Tiezhu was one of the few Outer Courtyard disciples who had joined over a month ago, already cultivated his basic techniques to major accomplishment, and was about to temper his qi and blood.

His family was fairly well-off. His father managed a large restaurant, so he never had to worry about food or drink.

A few days ago, he'd cultivated the Basic Techniques to perfection.

Impressed with him, Zhou Heling had introduced him to a gang in the city, and he'd received their support.

He'd been nourishing his muscles and bones and tempering his body for the past few days.

Once the time was right, he'd refine qi and blood and become an Inner Courtyard disciple!

Li Tiezhu and Shi Wen had met by chance, and they got along well. They'd been practicing moves together lately.

Li Tiezhu practiced with Shi Wen because the newcomer's punches looked well-formed, and he seemed like the honest, diligent sort. Perhaps he'd have a chance to make something of himself someday.

That had made Li Tiezhu want to befriend him.

Shi Wen practiced moves with Li Tiezhu for a few reasons.

First, he wanted to get familiar with the moves in the Basic Techniques and turn them into muscle memory.

Second, his body couldn't withstand the adverse effects of practicing continuously.

Third, he was preparing to kill someone.

The two sparred for a while. It was a little strange to watch.

Shi Wen had only just reached the beginner level in the basic techniques, yet when they practiced moves, his movements flowed and connected almost as smoothly as Li Tiezhu's.

If they had the same physique, it was hard to say who would win.

As they practiced,

Shi Wen silently grew more familiar with the moves, trying to make them instinctive.

The two chatted as they went.

"Junior Brother, I looked into what you asked about. There's been a gang of tough guys called the Robbery Gang making waves lately. They're fighting the Thief Gang for territory in Peace Lane. I hear the fights have been brutal, but the Thief Gang can't match them and has been losing ground recently."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Don't mention it. It was just a bit of news. Whoa, Junior Brother, that Heart-Piercing Elbow was vicious! You can use it like that? If you hit any harder, you'd knock my front teeth out."

"You were holding back, Senior Brother."

"Like hell I was. I swear you're practicing a different martial art from me. Why are your moves so smooth? You can even break down my moves and use them. Once I break a move down, I can't fight anymore..."

The two sparred, drenched in sweat.

Both felt they'd gained a lot.

Suddenly, an Outer Courtyard disciple ran over to find Li Tiezhu. "Senior Brother Li, Senior Sister Zhou from the Inner Courtyard wants you to come see her."

"Senior Sister Zhou wants to see me?"

Li Tiezhu was startled, and the two stopped practicing.

"Hahahaha, that felt great! Sparring with other people isn't nearly as satisfying as sparring with you, Junior Brother Shi. As long as you keep at it, you'll definitely temper your qi and blood. Keep it up!"

Li Tiezhu patted Shi Wen on the shoulder, then ran toward the Inner Courtyard.

Shi Wen sat on the ground to rest, savoring some of the moves they'd practiced earlier.

At the same time, he pondered the Thief Gang.

For some reason, San Qingzi had been hanging around near his home lately, like a poisonous snake. That cold, sinister gaze had filled him with murderous intent.

He planned to find a chance to kill San Qingzi!

A long while later, Li Tiezhu came out of the Inner Courtyard.

His face was lit up with delight. He called Shi Wen aside. "Junior Brother Shi, I've got some good news!"

"What good news?" Shi Wen wiped away his sweat, quite puzzled.

"Several Inner Courtyard senior brothers took the lead and got in touch with some of the Boat Gangs at the docks. In a couple of days, the Inner Courtyard senior brothers will affiliate themselves with the Boat Gangs. They'll also need some Outer Courtyard disciples to back them up!"

"You'll be stationed there for half a day at a time, fifteen days a month. They need ten people. Everyone gets all the food they can eat, plus five strings of cash a month. If anything happens, you'll have to step in, but with Master Li's name behind us, nothing much should happen. The gangs can handle ordinary problems themselves..."

Li Tiezhu excitedly explained.

Shi Wen's heart stirred.

Five strings of cash a month could be exchanged for 100,000 Treasure Coins.

For an ordinary person like him,

that was an astronomical sum!

And with meals included, he'd only have to go fifteen days a month, for half a day each time. He'd still have plenty of time to practice.

It was a job well worth taking.

Judging from what Li Tiezhu had said,

the affiliation was mostly a formality. The goal was to give the Blood-Tempering Realm disciples in the Inner Courtyard experience dealing with outsiders and provide them with a source of resources.

The disciples stationed there would be the ones actually handling things.

Someone like Li Tiezhu, who was close to tempering his qi and blood, would definitely get a spot.

That meant there wouldn't be many openings.

The positions being offered

would be selected from among the Outer Courtyard disciples. The competition would surely be fierce.

"If I can raise my proficiency to minor accomplishment in a short time, maybe I can get one of those spots."

Shi Wen thought to himself.