Do the Poor Not Deserve to Practice Martial Arts? A Chance for a Sidelined Position, If I Can Reach Minor Accomplishment

Five days in a row.

Shi Wen had been living a rigid, three-point routine.

He would wake up early to practice at the Fist Academy, eat a hearty lunch, practice, return home to eat, practice again, and strive to increase his proficiency.

It was fine at first.

But by the last two days, the rate at which his proficiency increased had slowed down.

It wasn't that he was lazy.

It was because every time he practiced, it felt as if a ball of fire were burning inside him, scorching his internal organs.

His hunger was also doubling.

That hunger felt as if countless steel needles were stabbing at his intestines, the pain causing cold sweat to stream down his face!!

If he forced himself to continue practicing, symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, and weakness would emerge.

The increase in proficiency had not made his body stronger.

On the contrary, it had made his already frail body even thinner.

His complexion was pale, his cheeks, forehead, and eye sockets were sunken, giving him a gaunt, skeletal appearance.

Faced with this situation, Shi Wen had no way to change it.

Fortunately, the Dining Hall did not restrict how many meals one could eat.

Every noon, Shi Wen would wolf down his food like a starving wolf, struggling to keep his stomach full.

Basically.

He spent every day taking advantage of the state of being full and having consumed his medicinal soup.

He would squeeze in a few extra sessions of basic training.

Word had it that Qin Heng, the genius with Grade 8 aptitude who had joined the Fist Academy one day after him, had brought his Basic Technique to the verge of perfection and had been exceptionally granted a Blood-Nourishing Pill by Master Li.

As long as he refined the Blood-Nourishing Pill, he could become a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist!

The Blood-Tempering Realm was a realm that countless Outer Courtyard disciples dreamed of, yet that genius disciple had only joined for a few days and was already peering at the threshold of this realm.

It left many Outer Courtyard disciples feeling utterly dejected.

Hard work, it seemed, was worthless compared to talent!

The arrival of this genius junior brother seemed to have made the Fist Academy a bit more lively.

Junior Brother Qin Huan came and went, surrounded by Inner Courtyard disciples, his attire having changed from coarse linen to fine silk.

His temperament was also quietly changing.

Clearly.

Many Inner Courtyard disciples felt that this Junior Brother Qin Huan would become a big shot in the future who practiced internal energy, and they were all placing their bets on him.

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

Was spreading like wildfire throughout the Outer Courtyard.

The Outer Courtyard disciples were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred!

They wished they could take his place!

In the seven days since he had joined the Fist Academy to practice, Shi Wen had also learned quite a bit about martial arts.

After polishing the body and tempering blood and qi, one was known as a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist.

Those Inner Courtyard disciples were all martial artists at the Blood-Tempering Realm or higher, capable of finding chambers of commerce or gangs in Black Cloud County to affiliate with.

They didn't need to go every day; they would occasionally go out to help solve problems, and the chambers of commerce or gangs would provide a fixed monthly retainer, with additional bonuses for resolving specific issues.

Besides that.

Some martial artists with good aptitude would be backed by chambers of commerce or gangs in Black Cloud County, who would gift them large amounts of money and medicine to help them accumulate resources quickly in their early stages.

Of course, in such cases, if the sponsoring faction ran into trouble in the future, the sponsored individual was obligated to resolve it.

This was an unspoken rule.

Outer Courtyard disciples.

Those were the disciples who had failed to polish their blood and qi, though they did have paths forward.

For instance, among the Outer Courtyard disciples, there were several with decent aptitude—either their comprehension or their bone structure was not bad—who were nearing the point of polishing their blood and qi thanks to the sponsorship of Inner Courtyard disciples.

Such people would only be able to follow and work for the Inner Courtyard disciples who sponsored them in the future.

Yan Kai had sponsored a junior brother named Wei Shan; the latter had now become an Inner Courtyard disciple and had been following Yan Kai ever since.

Shi Wen had not been here long.

Even though he was diligent.

Yet, due to long-term malnutrition, he stood at a mere 170cm, and his aptitude was mediocre at best.

These days of training had left him gaunt and haggard; no one was willing to bet on him, let alone provide financial support.

For the past few days, Yan Kai had not appeared, perhaps busy with some other matters.

But on this afternoon.

While Shi Wen was practicing his stance in the corner, he saw a familiar figure.

Yan Kai always wore a smile on his face, greeting many Outer Courtyard disciples along the way, and even excitedly shouted toward Zhou Heling, "Senior Sister Zhou, it's done!"

"It really worked?" Zhou Heling was somewhat surprised, a smile appearing on her dark face, "It really had to be you to step in, Junior Brother Yan!"

"Let's go, let's find Senior Brother Sun and the others now to discuss the headcount, and meet at Ruxiang Pavilion tonight. Hmm, we should also report this to Senior Brother Li; this is a chance to make a name for our Fist Academy!"

Yan Kai hurried off, pulling Zhou Heling toward the Inner Courtyard.

Not long after.

Loud, hearty laughter erupted from the Inner Courtyard.

Shi Wen knew none of this had anything to do with him; he lowered his head to glance at the Extreme Seal and continued practicing his fist techniques.

[Extreme Seal]

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

"Hoo..."

Shi Wen exhaled deeply, a flicker of irrepressible anxiety hidden in his eyes.

Martial arts were not as simple as he had imagined.

Over the past few days, he had asked some veteran disciples in the Outer Courtyard who were close to refining their blood-qi.

He learned a cruel truth about martial arts.

That is, the poor are not fit to practice martial arts!!

Why say so?

Because no matter the martial art, it is all about honing the body to the point of generating blood-qi, and blood-qi does not appear out of thin air.

It is born from within your own body.

To put it bluntly, it is a more refined blood, tempered by honing the entire body to its absolute limit to produce a wisp of blood-qi; this wisp can then nourish and temper the body in return, allowing you to unleash explosive power many times greater than normal!

If your physical functions cannot keep up, it will consume your very foundation.

Practicing martial arts requires eating big bowls of rice and large chunks of meat, buying medicinal powders to nourish the body, and soaking in medicinal baths to strengthen the physique, all to ensure the body is not backlashed during the process of refining blood-qi.

But the poor cannot even afford the most basic rice and meat to maintain their physical functions.

It is highly likely that in the process of generating blood-qi, they will hollow out their bodies.

By the time they fail to produce blood-qi, they will have already suffered a backlash due to physical depletion, or even died!

And Shi Wen felt very lost regarding his own current state.

Logically speaking, only after cultivating foundation techniques to the Great Success or even Perfection stage, and diligently honing one's tendons and bones, does one have a chance to refine blood-qi; it is only during this process that various supplements are needed to avoid physical depletion.

This ensures that blood-qi can be successfully born.

But what about him?

His current state felt as if he were in the middle of refining blood-qi.

Because his body was depleted.

The problem was...

His foundation technique was only in the process of advancing to Small Success.

How could he possibly be generating blood-qi...

"Junior Brother Shi, how is your rest? Want to practice together?"

A young man walked over from not far away.

He was about 18 years old, with a square face and a height of over 1.8 meters. He wasn't the type with exaggerated muscles, but his build was well-proportioned, his skin dark, and his face full of tough, rugged features—one look and you knew he was not someone to be trifled with.

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

Shi Wen nodded at him and stood up to loosen his joints.

Li Tiezhu was one of the few Outer Courtyard disciples who had joined over a month ago, had already cultivated his foundation technique to Great Success, and was on the verge of refining blood-qi.

His family background was quite good; his father was a manager at a large restaurant, so he never had to worry about food or drink.

A few days ago, because he had practiced his Foundation Technique to the point of Perfection.

He gained the appreciation of Zhou Heling, who acted as a bridge to connect him with a gang in the city, securing him financial support.

He had been spending these days nourishing his tendons and bones, honing his body.

He was just waiting for the right moment to refine his blood-qi and become an Inner Courtyard disciple!

He and Li Tiezhu had met by chance, and since their temperaments matched, they had been practicing moves together during this period.

Li Tiezhu practiced moves with Shi Wen because he felt that this newcomer's boxing looked quite professional, and since he was the type to practice diligently, he might have a chance to get ahead.

Thus, he developed the intention to befriend him.

As for Shi Wen practicing with Li Tiezhu.

First, he wanted to familiarize himself with the moves of the Basic Techniques and turn them into muscle memory.

Second, his body could not withstand the negative effects of continuous solo training.

Third, he was preparing to kill.

The two practiced together for a while, and it was quite a strange sight.

Even though Shi Wen had only just mastered the basics, his flow of movement and the seamless transition of his techniques were only slightly inferior to Li Tiezhu's during their sparring.

If the two had the same physical constitution, it would be hard to say who would win.

During the sparring.

Shi Wen was also silently refining his moves, attempting to transform them into physical instinct.

In the meantime, the two chatted.

"Junior Brother, I went to ask about what you wanted to know. Recently, a group of thugs called the Robbery Gang has emerged out of nowhere, fighting the Thief Gang for territory in Peace Lane. I heard it's been quite brutal, but the Thief Gang is no match for them and has been retreating steadily."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

"It's nothing, just a bit of news. Wow, Junior Brother, that Heart-Piercing Elbow of yours is ruthless! Can it really be used like that? If you had a bit more strength, you could've knocked my teeth out."

"You were holding back, Senior Brother."

"Holding back my foot! I keep feeling like you and I aren't practicing the same martial art. How are your moves so fluid, and how can you break them down and use them individually? Once I break my moves down, I don't know how to fight anymore..."

The two sparred, both drenched in sweat.

Both sides felt they had gained a great deal.

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

"Senior Sister Zhou is looking for me?"

Li Tiezhu was startled, and the two stopped their sparring.

"Hahaha, that was great! I've never had as much fun sparring with anyone else as I have with you, Junior Brother Shi. As long as you keep at it, you'll definitely be able to temper your blood and qi. Keep it up!"

Li Tiezhu patted Shi Wen on the shoulder and turned to run toward the Inner Courtyard.

Shi Wen sat on the ground to rest, ruminating on the moves he had just practiced.

At the same time, he pondered the situation with the Thief Gang.

For these past few days, San Qingzi had been lurking around his home for some unknown reason, like a venomous snake. That cold, chilling gaze made his killing intent spread.

He planned to find an opportunity to kill San Qingzi!

A long time later, Li Tiezhu emerged from the Inner Courtyard.

A look of immense surprise on his face, he pulled Shi Wen aside, "Junior Brother Shi, I have good news for you!"

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

"Several senior brothers from the Inner Courtyard have taken the lead and made contact with some Boat Gangs at the docks. In two days, the Inner Courtyard brothers will be affiliating with the Boat Gangs, and they need some Outer Courtyard disciples to go and hold down the fort!"

"It's a daily shift of half a day, fifteen days a month. They need ten people. Everyone gets all the food they can eat and five Guan of money a month. You have to step in if something happens, but with the reputation of the Li School, nothing usually happens. The gangs handle minor issues themselves..."

Li Tiezhu spoke excitedly.

Shi Wen's heart stirred.

One must know that five Guan of money a month could basically be exchanged for 100,000 Treasure Coins.

For an ordinary person like him.

That was an astronomical figure!

Plus, with meals provided and only needing to work half a day for fifteen days a month, he would have enough time to practice his martial arts.

This was a job well worth doing.

And according to Li Tiezhu's words.

The affiliation was just a formality; the goal was to train the Inner Courtyard disciples in the Blood-Tempering Realm to interact with outsiders and to secure a source of resources.

The ones actually doing the work were the stationed disciples.

Disciples like Li Tiezhu, who were close to tempering their blood and qi, would certainly have a spot.

Looking at it this way, the number of spots wasn't very high.

The spots being released.

The selection among the Outer Courtyard disciples would surely be fierce.

If I can raise my proficiency to the Minor Accomplishment stage in a short time, I might be able to secure one of these spots.

Shi Wen secretly pondered.