Strength Awakens, Desire Follows!

Early the next morning.

The sky had yet to brighten fully, and the Martial Academy still slumbered in bluish-gray silence.

Yet Jiang Ye had already risen in high spirits and pushed open the narrow gatekeeper's door.

The morning wind, crisp and biting, rushed against his face. He took a deep breath.

The icy air poured into his lungs. Not only did he not feel cold, but his blood and qi stirred faintly throughout his body, bringing an unprecedented sense of clarity.

After breaking through to Bright Strength last night, his aged body seemed like an old tree sprouting anew, brimming with life once more.

Jiang Ye lowered his head for a look.

Mm, even his masculine vigor had returned!

"But at my age, even if my vigor has returned, I fear there is nowhere to put it to use..."

As his thoughts wandered, a face suddenly flashed through his mind without warning.

Cool as snow, with features like a painting—especially those pure eyes, like icy lotuses... It was Liu Yiyi, who had returned from bathing last night and seemed briefly puzzled by the change in his complexion.

The image had come far too abruptly, without the slightest reason.

"No... what am I thinking..."

For once, Jiang Ye's old face reddened.

He hurriedly took several deep breaths of the freezing morning air. Its biting chill was like ice water dumped over his head, finally suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

Once his thoughts had settled somewhat, Jiang Ye shook his head, helpless yet faintly enlightened.

"Sure enough, once one possesses strength, desire rises on its own..."

He recalled a crude saying he did not know where he had heard. Turning it over now, he found it exceptionally fitting—perhaps even carrying a trace of martial profundity.

When people were driven into desperate straits, they only wished to survive. Once they had food and warmth, stray thoughts began to breed.

His blood and qi were abundant, his sinews and bones revived. The instincts that had lain dormant for too long seemed to have awakened as well, becoming... less than obedient.

Fortunately, the state of mind tempered through seventy years of storms, coupled with the clarity gained from first glimpsing the martial path, allowed him to quickly suppress this sudden surge of emotion.

"Since it's still early, rather than indulge in wild thoughts, I may as well practice a little."

His gaze sharpened, and he simply stopped dwelling on it.

The morning chill was at its strongest, making it the perfect time to loosen his sinews and bones and stabilize his cultivation.

Right there in the open space before the door, he slowly assumed the opening stance of the Five Animal Fist.

Tiger Crouch, Deer Dash, Bear Lean, Ape Climb, Bird Soar!

The true intent of the five forms circulated through his mind. His newly born Bright Strength slowly coursed through his broadened meridians, nourishing the acupoints struck open last night and consolidating his newly formed foundation.

His movements were relaxed yet steady. With every inhale and exhale, he seemed to faintly harmonize with the cold morning light and air around him.

About the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

Jiang Ye slowly withdrew his stance, his arms hanging naturally at his sides. His aura was smooth and stable, with only a fine sheen of warm sweat on his brow.

With a thought, he looked at the system panel.

Martial Art Mastered: Five Animal Fist [Minor Mastery, 57/500]

"Mm, the progress is good. As long as I nourish myself properly, I should soon be able to break through to Dark Strength."

A trace of satisfaction flashed through Jiang Ye's eyes.

By then, the sky had brightened. It was time for him to be the old gatekeeper, and let his body rest a little besides.

Before long, hurried footsteps approached from outside.

To Jiang Ye's surprise, the first person to arrive at the Martial Academy today was not Shi Lei, who was usually so diligent he was practically rigid about it, but a tall, skinny Outer Courtyard disciple.

This disciple surnamed Sun caught sight of Jiang Ye sitting beside the gate. His indifferent gaze merely swept over him, clearly without any intention of greeting him, and he strode directly through the Martial Academy gates without stopping.

Second by second, the Martial Academy gradually filled with the shouts and footsteps of its young disciples.

Even Lin Xiaohe had arrived. She kept her head lowered, her steps more hurried than usual, while the bruises on her face seemed to have faded somewhat.

Jiang Ye's gaze lingered briefly on her somewhat flustered retreating figure before calmly moving away.

"It seems likely that something happened to that boy Shi."

Still, he had no intention of asking aloud. After all, he was merely an observer.

Only in the depths of those old eyes, so accustomed to the ways of the world, flashed a nearly numb understanding.

At noon, he still went to the small kitchen on time.

Huang Xiyu's expression seemed a little gentler than yesterday. She did not make things difficult for Jiang Ye again, and even ladled the soup more quickly.

When she saw Jiang Ye's rosy complexion, a strange light flashed through her beautiful eyes. Somewhat stunned, she asked, "Old Jiang, is this medicinal soup really so nourishing?"

She occasionally drank a bowl of Blood Strengthening Soup herself, but she had never experienced such effects.

"Thank you, Madam."

Jiang Ye accepted the soup and bowed slightly. "Perhaps this old man's body was simply too weak and depleted. Once the medicinal soup entered my stomach, it felt exceptionally beneficial."

Hearing this, Huang Xiyu nodded thoughtfully, not suspecting anything else.

Gulp...

Jiang Ye carried the bowl to his usual spot, turned his back, and drank it down in quick, small sips.

The medicinal soup entered his belly, and warmth spread through him.

He could clearly sense that the medicinal power in today's bowl of soup seemed easier to absorb than yesterday's. It faintly echoed with the newly born Bright Strength within him, making its nourishing effects more efficient.

This was probably one of the benefits brought by improved bodily functions after a breakthrough.

Setting down the empty bowl, he thanked Huang Xiyu once more and slowly left the small kitchen.

As he passed through the Outer Courtyard, the discussions of the Outer Courtyard disciples—full of sympathy, speculation, and even a trace of schadenfreude—fell clearly upon his eyes and ears:

"Why hasn't Junior Brother Shi Lei come today?"

"I heard Junior Brother Shi Lei tried to play the hero yesterday and offered to escort Junior Sister Lin home..."

"I suppose he ran into trouble with those people from the Wild Wolf Gang."

"Tsk, tsk. Those Wild Wolf Gang people are vicious when they strike..."

"I hope he hasn't been seriously injured."

"He practices so diligently, and his fist technique is almost at the entry level. If he gets injured at such a critical moment..."

"That would be such a pity."

"That's why they say beauty brings disaster..."

Jiang Ye's gaze seemed to casually sweep over one of the centers of those discussions—Lin Xiaohe.

There she was, calmly holding her fist stance, her expression focused, as though all the surrounding whispers had nothing whatsoever to do with her.

The world was cold, and people's hearts were thin as paper.

Shi Lei had stood up for her, and now his whereabouts were unknown, his life and death uncertain. Yet she could continue practicing her fist technique so "calmly," as if none of it concerned her.

Jiang Ye was not surprised by such coldness. He even felt the detached indifference of someone who had long seen through it all.

A cold sneer passed through Jiang Ye's heart, but his expression did not change in the slightest as he walked straight through the Outer Courtyard.

He had intended to practice the Five Animal Fist while the medicinal power within him was still being digested, but unexpectedly, a brother and sister who wished to learn martial arts arrived.

"Old sir, pardon the disturbance. My younger brother wishes to take a master and learn martial arts. Could you please introduce us to the Academy Master?"

The elder sister spoke first.

She stood tall, around twenty years old, dressed in a plain-colored long dress that had been washed until it had faded somewhat but remained very clean.

Though her clothing was simple, every gesture carried a decisiveness and resilience unlike that of an ordinary village girl. She seemed to have weathered some storms, yet had not been crushed by them.

Her younger brother behind her appeared far more reserved, with obvious unease on his handsome face.

"This lad should be around sixteen or seventeen."

Jiang Ye's sharp gaze appraised the youth.

Seeing Jiang Ye's gaze repeatedly sweep over him, the elder sister seemed to think of something. She carefully took a worn coin pouch, washed pale with use, from her robes and presented it before Jiang Ye with both hands. Her voice softened, but every word was clear:

"Old sir, we have money to pay the tuition."

Jiang Ye's gaze paused briefly on the coin pouch, then passed over the siblings' tense faces. At last, he slowly nodded, his voice still even.

"Come in. I'll take you to see the Academy Master. As for whether you can stay..." He glanced at the youth with his head lowered. "That will depend on whether your brother has the aptitude for martial arts."

With that, he turned and signaled for the siblings to follow.