Giant Elephant Speaks of Martial Arts

Three days later.

Jinglong District, Like-Elephant Martial Hall.

Li Beichen was dressed in brocade, his shoulders broad and waist narrow, his pectoral muscles solid. He stood like a pine, upright and resilient.

The Hall Master, Meng Juxiang, sat upon a specially crafted armchair; an ordinary chair could not accommodate his frame.

Behind him stood Zhang Meng, Yuan Dazong, and four other inner-hall disciples.

Yet, in Li Beichen's eyes, even while seated, Meng Juxiang was taller than Fang Meiqin and Han Fengqi, and on par with the other disciples.

Only the senior apprentice, Zhang Meng, stood a head taller.

In the [Like-Elephant Martial Hall], martial artists who had attained a grade, regardless of gender, were exceptionally burly.

Especially as their kung fu deepened, their muscles grew larger.

Among them, Li Beichen possessed the smallest muscle dimensions.

As for outer-hall disciples like He Keji, they could only watch the ceremony from the periphery.

Amidst their envious gazes, Li Beichen stepped forward.

He took the apprenticeship tea from Xiao Wu, bowed, and offered it to Meng Juxiang.

"Master, please drink!"

Meng Juxiang took the tea from Li Beichen and drained it in one gulp.

Then, he raised Li Beichen's arm high.

"From this day forth, Li Beichen is my, Meng Juxiang's, seventh disciple!"

"Good!"

The senior apprentice, Zhang Meng, took the lead in applauding.

The other disciples began to cheer along.

For those in the martial hall, the rules were simple.

With this, Li Beichen's apprenticeship ceremony was considered complete.

Ordinarily, he would have needed to pay five hundred taels of silver for the annual inner-hall tuition, but Meng Juxiang had waived the first year for him directly.

However, Li Beichen had taken the wolves he had hunted previously and hired a craftsman to turn them into a wolf-fur robe, which he gifted to Meng Juxiang.

Aside from the Strange Pig meat, this was the most precious item in his possession.

After the ceremony concluded, Li Beichen followed Meng Juxiang to the backyard.

Passing through a corridor and pushing open a wooden door, a courtyard Li Beichen had never visited before came into view.

Only today did he discover that, beyond the outer and inner halls, the [Like-Elephant Martial Hall] contained a hidden, smaller courtyard.

Within this courtyard stood only a single room with red bricks and green tiles.

Meng Juxiang opened the door and stepped inside.

"Come in!"

"Yes, Master."

Inside, wisps of blue smoke curled upward.

A Bronze Elephant was enshrined upon an altar.

"Li Beichen, do you remember the opportunity I spoke to you about before?"

Meng Juxiang lit three sticks of incense, placed them before the Bronze Elephant, and looked at Li Beichen.

"This disciple remembers."

"To live wantonly in this world, one must be strong—stronger than others—only then do you have the qualifications to survive."

"In a small place like Ram City, a true dragon cannot emerge."

"The opportunity I give you is the chance to witness a broader world, but the more opportunities there are, the more blood and storms will naturally follow."

"Li Beichen, are you willing to venture out?"

Li Beichen had not expected the opportunity Meng Juxiang mentioned to be this.

He did not hesitate, meeting Meng Juxiang's gaze, and spoke with resonance.

"This disciple is willing!"

"Good!"

Meng Juxiang reached behind him and produced an Elephant-Shaped Bronze Talisman, handing it to Li Beichen.

"Li Beichen, my martial arts originate from the Giant Elephant Sect, a major sect in Jiangnan. Although I am in Ram City, I am permitted to recommend talent to the sect."

"Next spring, you may accompany me to Dongting Lake. With this talisman and my recommendation, you shall enter the major sect and practice profound martial arts."

"As for how far you will go in the future, that depends on your own fortune."

"Before then, just focus on practicing martial arts with me!"

Li Beichen suppressed his excitement and took the bronze token.

He had not expected his master to have such deep roots; with Meng Juxiang's recommendation, he could leap from a mere martial arts hall student to a disciple of a major sect.

No wonder Yuan Dazong was so concerned about what Meng Juxiang had said to him.

It seemed the answer lay right here.

"This disciple thanks you, Master!"

"Cultivate diligently. If you cannot step into the Eighth Realm before the start of spring next year, I will revoke this qualification."

"The bronze token is merely a proof of identity. Without my personal recommendation, the Giant Elephant Sect will not accept you."

"So that is how it is."

The excitement in Li Beichen's heart instantly calmed, and he suddenly understood.

No wonder Meng Juxiang gave me the token so easily. Without his recommendation, this bronze token is just a piece of scrap metal—a pie in the sky that I can only eat if I truly meet the requirements.

However, this was normal. If anyone could join a major sect just by holding a bronze token, the sect would be as porous as a sieve.

"Master, is the Giant Elephant Fist I am currently practicing the martial art of the Giant Elephant Sect?"

"Correct! The Giant Elephant Fist is the entry-level martial art of the Giant Elephant Sect. Only by mastering this foundation can you support your progress toward the Middle Three Realms, or even the Upper Three Realms!"

Li Beichen nodded, and taking this opportunity, he asked another question that had been on his mind.

"Master, I once heard the senior apprentice brother say that the Giant Elephant Fist belongs to external arts. Since there are external arts, are there internal arts? Are there other paths in the Nine Realms of Martial Arts?"

"Very well. Since you have asked this, I shall tell you about the martial arts of this world."

"Come, sit."

Meng Juxiang sat on a prayer mat beneath the Bronze Elephant, and Li Beichen followed suit, sitting cross-legged.

"Of all the martial arts in the world, the most common are external arts. They refine the body to enter the martial path, moving from the outside in to achieve a body of diamond-like perfection."

"Ninety percent of martial artists in the pugilistic world walk this path."

"It is simple to enter and has low requirements for talent."

"The Giant Elephant Sect also only has external arts that can reach the Upper Three Realms."

At this point, Meng Juxiang suddenly pointed to the terrifying scar on his face.

"The scar on my face was left by an expert of external arts. He might even be in the Fourth Realm by now."

"Master..."

Li Beichen opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

"It is all ancient history, not worth mentioning."

Meng Juxiang smiled dismissively and returned to the topic.

"External arts are easy to learn, but internal arts are hard to come by. Only a small portion of martial artists are qualified to practice them."

"So-called internal arts refine essence into energy and are also known as True Energy martial arts."

"Not only are the manuals precious, but the requirements for natural talent are high. Those with narrow or blocked meridians cannot practice internal arts. In my many years of wandering the pugilistic world, I have rarely seen an internal arts expert."

"The Giant Elephant Sect possesses some internal art manuals that can only reach the Middle Three Realms; they are secret techniques not to be passed on, accessible only to a very few core disciples."

Li Beichen thought Meng Juxiang had finished, but he did not expect Meng Juxiang's gaze to turn distant as he slowly continued.

"There is another method of cultivation, rare beyond measure, which is known as spiritual martial arts."

He paused.

"In ancient times, this method of cultivation was also called Dao cultivation, or spirit cultivation."

"Spiritual martial arts? Dao cultivation?!"

Li Beichen's eyes narrowed.

"Master, have you seen it?"

"When I was still in the Giant Elephant Sect, I once followed my elders on a campaign. At that time, a flying sword descended from the blue heavens, decapitating a Third Realm marrow-refining expert with a single strike. After shattering the enemy sect, it soared back into the heavens."

"I saw the sword, but not the person. Only later did I learn that this was a spirit-cultivation martial artist who had achieved great success."

"However, Beichen, treat these as mere legends of the pugilistic world. In reality, such spirit-cultivation martial artists are extremely rare, and even if you were to cross paths with one, you would not be able to recognize them."

Only now did Li Beichen truly see a glimpse of the foundation of this pugilistic world; it was unexpectedly mysterious and unfathomable.

"External arts refine the body, internal arts refine energy, and spiritual martial arts refine the spirit. So that is how it is."