Teaching the Cultivation Method

Inside the private room of the branch, Su Xin sat upright in his chair, sipping tea. Before long, Huang Bingcheng pushed the door open, bringing Li Huai along with him.

"Boss."

"Boss Su."

That "Boss Su" came from Li Huai, which left Huang Bingcheng quite astonished.

When he had first met this fellow, he had been incredibly arrogant, even stating outright that he wouldn't take orders from Su Xin. How had he come to call him Boss Su now?

However, Huang Bingcheng didn't dwell on it. His own boss possessed formidable methods; it wasn't strange that he could subdue someone like Li Huai.

"Sit down, both of you. Don't just stand there. I called you here to discuss a few matters."

Su Xin gestured for the two to sit and asked, "What do you think of the men I have under me right now?"

Li Huai had never cared for such things, but Huang Bingcheng said excitedly, "To put it simply, in four words: the people's hearts are ready for use!"

Su Xin laughed and scolded, "Don't misuse idioms. If the government officials hear you say that, be careful they don't throw you in jail."

Huang Bingcheng chuckled, "Anyway, that's the gist of it. Boss, you are generous and open-handed; the brothers under us earn more money than those in the War Hall.

Plus, the fact that you were willing to risk your life against the top leaders of the Green Bamboo Gang for the sake of your brothers has those lads moved to tears. Even if you ordered them to attack Yongle District right now, they would grab their blades and go."

Su Xin tapped his fingers on the table and said, "True, the morale is indeed good, but it's not enough."

Huang Bingcheng was a bit confused. In his view, Su Xin's subordinates were already outstanding enough.

Most of the men under other minor leaders were old, seasoned loafers who were barely passable when it came to extortion or brawling, but once things got real, they were guaranteed to hide in the back.

Su Xin's men, however, were all young, daring, and eager to fight. They had long since been won over by Su Xin, and even the few older ones had gradually integrated into this atmosphere.

If Su Xin were to go to war with someone now, he was certain they would charge in howling. In the Flying Eagle Gang, such spirit was likely only found in the well-compensated War Hall.

Su Xin shook his head. "I originally thought it was pretty good too, but when I went to the main hall last time, you saw the War Hall disciples at the entrance. With the less than two hundred men I have, the other side would only need ten people to wipe them all out."

Huang Bingcheng was dumbfounded. "It can't be that exaggerated, right? Twenty against one, and they still can't win?"

He knew the War Hall disciples were strong, but he never imagined they could be that strong.

Su Xin shook his head. "You haven't practiced martial arts, so you can't feel the powerful blood energy and the chilling murderous intent they possess. To put it bluntly, the greenhorns under me who haven't seen blood are just trash compared to them."

Li Huai, who had been silent, spoke up. "Boss Su is right. Those War Hall disciples are very strong. If I fought them, I could take one, but I couldn't take three."

Huang Bingcheng's eyes widened. He hadn't seen how strong the War Hall disciples were, but he knew exactly how formidable Li Huai was.

This man had once been the top enforcer under Third Master Hu, and the number of rival gang members who had died by his hand was in the double digits.

Furthermore, Li Huai had accompanied Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong, and the two had fought their way out of the Green Bamboo Gang's territory. One could imagine his level of strength.

Yet, even with Li Huai's prowess, he couldn't defeat three War Hall disciples?

Li Huai said calmly, "The War Hall disciples are hand-picked by the Flying Eagle Gang. They are physically strong and are trained from childhood. They eat beef and eggs at every meal, five meals a day, and soak their bodies in medicinal herbs at night to strengthen their blood energy.

They don't have to patrol territory; the only thing they do is practice martial arts. They even receive personal guidance from the War Hall Master, Lin Fuhu, and sometimes the Gang Leader himself comes down to teach.

But that doesn't even count as a true War Hall disciple. Only those who have killed more than ten people in gang wars and survived are qualified to become true War Hall disciples."

Huang Bingcheng asked curiously, "How do you know all this so clearly?"

"Because I once wanted to join the War Hall, but I was rejected."

"Even with your strength, brother, you were rejected?"

Li Huai said in a flat voice, "Back then, both my parents had died, and my uncle had seized our family property and abused me for a year. By the time I escaped and wanted to join the War Hall, I was already sallow, thin, and frail. Of course, I was rejected."

This was the first time Huang Bingcheng had heard about Li Huai's family background, so he couldn't help but ask, "And what happened to that uncle who seized your property?"

"Killed him!"

Huang Bingcheng shrank his neck, silently cursing his own loose tongue. He should have known that would be the result.

Su Xin tapped the table. "Enough, stop gossiping. I called you here today to discuss a way to enhance the strength of our brothers. My men cannot lose to the War Hall!"

"That's difficult," Li Huai shook his head.

Huang Bingcheng protested, "Isn't it just eating meat every meal? We have plenty of money now; are we short a few meals of meat? We can expand the training ground in the back of the branch and have the boss teach them personally."

Li Huai sneered, "Martial arts cannot be mastered in a day. Training like that will only produce flashy moves, not the kind of experts in the War Hall who can take on dozens at once."

Huang Bingcheng was about to say more, but Su Xin waved his hand. "Li Huai is right. The people in the War Hall are the result of the Flying Eagle Gang's investment over several years. If we want to reach that level in a short time using the same method, it's simply impossible."

"Li Huai, have you ever learned internal energy?" Su Xin changed the subject abruptly.

"Of course not."

Although Li Huai was the top enforcer under Third Master Hu, even Chen Dao, the former foster son of Third Master Hu, hadn't been qualified to learn the Third Master's internal energy, so it was even less likely for him.

"If I gave you an internal energy manual now, how many times do you estimate your strength would increase?" Su Xin asked.

"At least ten times!" Li Huai's eyes lit up instantly.

Li Huai's strength had already reached a bottleneck. He had been in the Flying Eagle Gang for several years, and as the top enforcer under Third Master Hu, he never lacked for food or drink; his own tendons, bones, and blood energy were already tempered to a very high level.

But for Li Huai, this was a limit. He didn't have the natural-born strength of someone like Dai Chong; his current power had reached a point where no amount of physical training could increase it further.

Only by practicing internal energy, using internal force to nourish his blood and open his meridians, could he take the next step.

"If your strength can increase tenfold, then even if the ordinary gang members aren't as strong as you, they can still increase their combat power several times over after practicing internal energy. Therefore, my method is to have my men practice internal energy!"

Su Xin took out the Quanzhen Sect Basic Internal Skill he had transcribed the previous night and tossed it onto the table.

"Internal martial arts manual!"

Li Huai shot up from his chair, giving Huang Bingcheng, who was sitting nearby, a massive fright.

He had never seen this man act so agitated before.

"Is this for us to cultivate?" Li Huai asked.

Su Xin nodded; he seemed to detect a hint of tremor in Li Huai's voice.

Yet, Li Huai certainly had reason to be excited; internal martial arts were something he had dreamed of his entire life.

Without internal martial arts, the current Li Huai had already reached the limit of what he could achieve in this lifetime; he was merely a gang member, a slightly better fighter than the rest, nothing more.

Although he knew the Gang Leader and the three Hall Masters understood internal martial arts, and even big bosses like Third Master Hu knew them, he had never dared to hope they would teach him.

To those in the jianghu, internal martial arts were closely guarded secrets, let alone in a small gang like theirs.

Even Chen Dao, the foster son of Third Master Hu, had never been taught internal martial arts by him; what right did he, Li Huai, have to be taught?

Later, when he went with Su Xin to assassinate Dai Chong, he knew Su Xin must also possess internal martial arts, but he had no ulterior thoughts about it.

His relationship with Su Xin was not close, and he had even spoken harshly to him in the past; it was already magnanimous of Su Xin not to hold a grudge, so how could he dare to covet internal martial arts?

He had not expected Su Xin to simply toss out a precious internal martial arts manual today, generously allowing him to cultivate it.

"What, is there something wrong with it?" Seeing Li Huai's reaction, Su Xin asked with a smile.

Li Huai raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Internal martial arts manuals are closely guarded secrets. Even in jianghu sects, one must formally apprentice before being allowed to study them. In our Flying Eagle Gang, no one has ever taught internal martial arts to ordinary gang members."

"And do you know why that is?" Su Xin asked.

Li Huai replied, "Because internal martial arts are precious?"

Su Xin sneered, "Precious my foot! No matter how precious this thing is, it's not a consumable item where one person learning it prevents another from doing so. The Gang Leader and those big bosses don't teach internal martial arts to their subordinates because they are afraid!"

Huang Bingcheng and Li Huai were both stunned. Afraid? What were they afraid of?

"What is internal martial arts? It is the watershed between an ordinary person and a martial artist. Only by learning internal martial arts does your future hold infinite possibilities; otherwise, you will spend your whole life struggling in this tiny corner of Changning Prefecture.

Third Master Hu has cultivated internal martial arts for over a decade and hasn't even managed to open thirty-six acupoints. What if one of his subordinates learns internal martial arts and becomes stronger than him? Wouldn't he have to step down and yield his position?

Although the Gang Leader and the three Hall Masters are stronger, they fear the exact same thing. Once people have strength, their ambitions grow, and naturally, they become harder to control."

"Then are you not afraid?" Li Huai asked, looking up.

Huang Bingcheng glanced at him; this guy really dared to ask anything.

Su Xin smiled. "I am not."

"Why?"

"Because I will go much further than any of you."