A teacher was one who imparted the Way, taught knowledge, and resolved doubts.
Li Beichen had just broken through to Eighth Rank, and he had many questions on his mind. As it happened, Meng Juxiang had been staying at the Like-Elephant Martial Hall lately.
So he went straight out and headed to the martial hall.
After mastering the complete Giant Elephant Fist and reaching the Threshold of Mastery, Meng Juxiang had stopped requiring the Inner Courtyard disciples to train at the martial hall.
Instead, he had become much more flexible.
After all, a master could lead one through the door, but the rest of the journey depended on the student.
Once the fist technique reached the Threshold of Mastery, further progress depended on a martial artist's diligent practice.
Most of the time, Li Beichen trained in the martial hall's Inner Courtyard in the morning, then returned to his own residence to practice in the afternoon.
When he found Meng Juxiang, the man was drinking tea in the Inner Courtyard's reception hall.
In front of Meng Juxiang,
a stick of sandalwood incense burned.
Faint wisps of smoke drifted through the entire room,
giving it a fresh and elegant air.
Combined with Meng Juxiang's mountain-like, imposing frame and the terrifying scar on his face,
it lent him an additional air of wild abandon.
"Master..."
Li Beichen entered through the half-open nanmu door and respectfully saluted with clasped fists.
"So, Beichen, you're here."
"Master, there's something I'd like to ask you about."
Meng Juxiang set down his teacup and nodded.
"Go ahead."
"You once said that Eighth Rank Muscle Refining involved using refined force to penetrate the entire body's fascia during training."
"I've found that when this refined force is released outward, it makes no sound, yet its penetrating power is astonishing."
"It can be said that its might shows itself in silence."
At first, Meng Juxiang's expression had been calm when Li Beichen mentioned using refined force to temper his muscles. But when Li Beichen said he could release that force outward, Meng Juxiang immediately shot to his feet.
His expression turned grave. He sprang up and closed the distance to Li Beichen in an instant, reaching out to examine his muscles and bones.
"What's wrong, Master?!"
Li Beichen was bewildered.
He saw how grave Meng Juxiang looked.
But the tension in Meng Juxiang's face gradually eased.
After a long moment, he let go.
"An Eighth Rank martial artist is called a Muscle Refiner because he can temper his fascia until it is as tough as a tiger's or leopard's."
"The silent force you described is called Hidden Force. It can unleash tremendous power without making a sound, and it is truly fearsome."
"But this kind of force places an enormous strain on the fascia. Even a martial artist who has fully mastered Muscle Refining can only deliver a few such strikes."
"If you haven't fully mastered Muscle Refining and force out Hidden Force, you can easily injure yourself and damage your fascia."
"I was negligent as your master. I didn't expect you to break through to Eighth Rank so quickly."
"Fortunately, you haven't damaged your foundation."
Li Beichen hadn't expected Hidden Force to have such a crucial detail.
However, when he had used it to shatter a cobblestone, he hadn't felt the slightest discomfort.
My Hidden Force comes from my innate talent. It's probably quite different from that of ordinary Eighth Rank martial artists.
But since Hidden Force puts such a heavy strain on the fascia, I'll need to explore it carefully.
Li Beichen's thoughts flashed by. Naturally, he couldn't tell Meng Juxiang about the panel.
He could only test his theory in private.
Still, Li Beichen was grateful for Meng Juxiang's concern.
He cupped his hands toward Meng Juxiang.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I'll be careful from now on."
Meng Juxiang sat back down.
He picked up his teacup again and took a sip.
"Li Beichen, you're very impressive. When I examined your fascia just now, I found that its strength was already comparable to that of an experienced Eighth Rank martial artist."
"Your talent really is exceptional. No wonder you managed to comprehend Hidden Force."
"When spring comes next year, come with me to Dongting Lake. I'll recommend you to join the Giant Elephant Sect!"
He was very pleased with Li Beichen and had officially confirmed his place.
"Beichen, thank you, Master!"
Just as Li Beichen and Meng Juxiang were talking,
Knock, knock, knock!
The room's door suddenly sounded.
Zhang Meng's usually booming voice now carried a note of gravity.
"Master, something's happened!"
"Come in!"
With a creak, Zhang Meng pushed open the ajar door and strode into the room. He glanced at Li Beichen, then turned his attention to Meng Juxiang, seated in the place of honor.
Seeing this, Li Beichen stepped forward.
"Master, Senior Brother has something important to discuss with you, so I'll take my leave."
"No need. You've already broken through to Eighth Rank, and when spring comes next year, you'll go to the Giant Elephant Sect with Zhang Meng. You're one of the martial hall's most important disciples now. You can stay and hear whatever comes up."
After speaking to Li Beichen, Meng Juxiang looked at Zhang Meng.
"What happened?"
Zhang Meng shut the door first, then spoke with a grave expression,
explaining the matter.
"The Tea Guild sent word that Second Brother killed Yan Fu in the Lingnan Mountains."
"Then... outside Ram City, he killed Huang Shan, the son of Huang Baitao of the Thunderbolt Martial Hall, in front of everyone."
"Now no one knows where he's hiding."
"Lin Xiong and Mo Changkun of the Thunderbolt Martial Hall are leading people in a search for Second Brother."
Li Beichen listened from the side, his eyelid twitching.
He hadn't expected Yuan Dazong to be so reckless.
Killing the Tea Guild's president in the mountains was one thing. From what Zhang Meng had said earlier, with Meng Juxiang backing him, all he needed to do was lie low outside the city until things cooled off.
But he had killed Huang Baitao's own son in front of everyone.
The son of a Sixth Grade Bone Refiner.
Meng Juxiang frowned in his chair, too.
"What's gotten into him? Why would he kill Huang Baitao's son?!"
"I can't make head nor tail of it either."
"According to the Tea Guild's message, Second Brother killed Yan Fu yesterday at Ten-Mile Slope in the Lingnan Mountains."
"Ten-Mile Slope is more than five hundred miles from Ram City. After killing Yan Fu, Second Brother must have raced back to Ram City overnight without stopping, then intercepted Huang Shan outside the city."
"After killing him, he went into hiding."
Seeing how grave Zhang Meng looked, Li Beichen couldn't help asking,
"Senior Brother, wasn't Second Brother an Attendant of the Tea Guild? Why did he kill Yan Fu? Did he have some kind of grudge against Huang Shan?"
"Yan Fu... That part's possible. I vaguely remember that he had a wager with Yan Fu. He'd been away for so long because he hadn't finished settling it."
"If something else happened between them in the meantime, it's possible he killed Yan Fu."
"But Huang Shan..."
Zhang Meng shook his head.
"I've never heard that the two of them had any grudge."
"Besides, even if they were enemies, there'd be no need to kill the son of a Sixth Grade martial artist in front of everyone."
"From what I know of Second Brother, he'd never do something so foolish."
Hearing this, Li Beichen suddenly remembered that when he had first reached Ninth Grade, Yuan Dazong had warmly invited him to join the Tea Guild.
He had even had Yan Fu offer an Attendant's pay far higher than what a newly promoted Ninth Grade martial artist would normally receive.
Now that he thought about it, Yuan Dazong must have intended to make him a scapegoat.
At that thought, Li Beichen's eyes turned cold, and he said no more.
Zhang Meng was still pondering the matter.
A moment later, he spoke with some uncertainty.
"The only thing that could make Second Brother risk making a mortal enemy of a Sixth Grade expert... is the hope of advancing further in martial arts."
"If that was the reason, Second Brother might have done it."
"But he shouldn't have handled it so clumsily. That's not like him."
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