Blood and Qi Deficiency

The surroundings erupted into an immediate uproar.

"What's going on? Why is there only a single wisp?"

"Exactly! That Di Hao from just a moment ago filled more than half of the stone sphere."

"Even the worst of the people before him had seven or eight wisps. How could he only have one?"

The expressions of Feng Zhan and the other two men at the head of the hall turned grim and uncertain.

Unlike the disciples waiting to be tested, the three of them were different.

As martial artists in the Body Tempering Realm, they were capable of sensing and absorbing the essence of heaven and earth even without the aid of a formation.

From the moment Lu Cheng increased his absorption of essence, they had already sensed it.

The commotion he caused was no less than that of Di Hao; logically, at least half of the essence in the stone sphere should have been filled.

But the current situation could only point to one conclusion: Lu Cheng was unable to retain the essence.

Feng Zhan and his two companions began a conversation that no one else could hear, and this time, it lasted for quite a while.

The murmurs around them grew louder, and the little fatty and his two friends had already helped Lu Cheng down from the stone platform to rest.

The little fatty, assuming Lu Cheng was hungry, opened a bag of pork knuckles:

"Lu Cheng, you aren't out of strength because you're hungry, are you? Hurry up and eat some pork, then test again."

Lu Cheng shook his head. He was indeed a bit hungry, but it had no impact on the test.

It was just that the suddenly appearing "leak" was truly bizarre.

However, fortunately, it seemed he had already managed to fill it up.

After resting for a while and testing again, there shouldn't be any problems.

But before Lu Cheng could speak, Feng Zhan at the head of the hall spoke up, his tone carrying a clear sense of pity:

"Lu Cheng, this situation of yours has happened before. If I'm not mistaken, your primordial blood essence is depleted, which has caused issues with your integration of innate essence."

"Bone structure, meridians, and blood essence are all mutually dependent."

"Bone structure affects physical strength, meridians affect the circulation of heaven and earth essence, and blood essence determines how much of that essence you can ultimately absorb."

"When a martial artist practices, they first refine their strength. Once strength is formed, they can control their blood essence within the meridians to blend with the heaven and earth essence, subsequently tempering the physical body to prepare for what comes next."

"This blood essence does not refer to the physical blood currently in your body, but the innate primordial blood essence you carried from the moment you were born."

"Only this innate primordial blood essence, which shares the same origin as the heaven and earth essence, can blend with it."

Having said that, he pointed to the stone sphere that had already fallen onto the surface of the platform:

"Since your innate primordial blood essence is severely depleted, you are like a container with a wide mouth but no bottom. The essence is like flowing water; no matter how much enters your body, it cannot be retained."

"Your progress in the Body Tempering Realm will be extremely difficult in the future."

Seeing Lu Cheng keeping his head down, Feng Zhan sighed inwardly.

Falling from grace as a genius in such a short time—anyone would inevitably feel dejected.

Just as he was about to offer a few words of comfort, Lu Cheng raised his head:

"Many thanks to the Third Escort Leader for the clarification. In that case, does this disciple still have the qualifications to join the Long Wind Escort Agency?"

"Hmm?" Feng Zhan looked at Lu Cheng in surprise, not expecting the young man to adjust his mood so quickly.

Little did he know, Lu Cheng hadn't felt much of anything from start to finish.

Whether it was the criticism of others or their praise, it could neither harm his life nor protect his safety, so why bother caring?

So what if his primordial blood essence was depleted? Was he supposed to just give up on martial arts?

Take the Fish Gang, for example—they were the most immediate and lethal threat.

If he didn't join a sect, it was hard to say if he would even have a tomorrow.

Moreover, it wasn't as if he truly couldn't blend even a shred of essence.

What Feng Zhan described still differed slightly from his own situation.

The "leak" within his body didn't seem to be that severe.

At the very last moment, the heaven and earth essence had already begun to flow rapidly toward the stone sphere.

It was only because his energy was exhausted that he couldn't continue.

Looking at it this way, if he could increase his energy, the "leak" caused by the depletion of primordial blood essence might not be impossible to compensate for.

At the very least, during the entry and early stages of the Body Tempering Realm, he would still rank among the geniuses.

As for what would happen after the Body Tempering Realm?

That would depend on how much potential the [Heavenly Mandate] in his sea of consciousness held!

Before Feng Zhan at the head of the hall could react, the man sitting in the middle said in a deep voice:

"Of course you can. The Long Wind Escort Agency prioritizes character and integrity when accepting disciples."

Then, he shifted the tone of his speech:

"However, the rules must be applied equally to all. Regardless of who you are, if you fail to cultivate internal power within three months, you will be expelled."

Lu Cheng cupped his hands in a salute:

"This disciple understands."

The man nodded:

"Good. Go and register your name; the others may continue."

The tuition for the first three months at the Long Wind Escort Agency is ten taels of silver, with an additional two taels required for room and board.

Twelve taels of silver is indeed a sum that an average family cannot afford.

Fortunately, there were the contributions from You Lanchuang and the fish market.

Only after seeing his own name written in the disciple registry did Lu Cheng finally breathe a sigh of relief.

With this, the trouble stemming from You Lanchuang was essentially resolved.

Before long, the three from the little fatty's group also finished their Tendon Measurement and Bone Weighing, standing beside Lu Cheng with dejected expressions.

The little fatty kept complaining about the little girl's jinxing mouth.

It turned out that Liu Wan'er was right; all three of them possessed only the aptitude of "commoners," with Liu Wan'er being slightly better, though still far from the higher-tier "fine jade material."

Liu Wan'er was the girl among the three.

Afterward, no particularly exceptional aptitude appeared.

Let alone a "Human Hero" or a "Peerless Di Hao," there wasn't even anyone close to "fine jade material."

However, the three brothers who had previously caused a conflict unexpectedly struck up a conversation.

Aside from not giving the little fatty a pleasant look, they greeted Lu Cheng and the thin, bamboo-like youth, introducing themselves to one another.

The eldest is Hu Liang, the same age as Lu Cheng.

The second, Hu Ming, is fifteen.

The third, Hu Guang, is fourteen.

The second brother, Hu Ming, did almost all the talking throughout the process, so Lu Cheng paid a bit more attention to him.

This man was not as sturdy as the eldest or the youngest, but he was clearly more clever than both.

His words lacked no sincerity, and he seemed like someone worth befriending.

Lu Cheng's group of four had arrived relatively late, so it wasn't long before the remaining twenty or thirty people were admitted.

Counting men and women, there were one hundred and thirteen people in total.

Looking at it this way, the Long Wind Escort Agency could earn over a thousand taels of silver every three months!

No wonder they stopped running escorts.

Whether for the sake of brevity or laziness in preparing tea, there was no step for formal tea-offering to masters.

Over a hundred people knelt neatly in the plaza, listening to the admonitions of Feng Zhan and the others.

The man in the center spoke up:

"My name is Feng Qi; you may address me as Head Escort."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

The crowd immediately responded in unison:

"Greetings, Head Escort!"

Over a hundred voices cut through the air above the escort agency in unison, startling the birds in the branches into taking flight.

"The one on my left is the Second Head Escort, Feng Ji. Everything within the agency regarding clothing, food, and daily necessities, including rewards and punishments, is executed by him."

"Greetings, Second Head Escort!" ×113

"The one on my right is the Third Head Escort, Feng Zhan. From now on, he will be responsible for teaching and assessing your martial arts."

"Greetings, Third Head Escort!" ×113

The three "greetings" rose in waves, each louder than the last.

Feng Qi nodded with satisfaction and continued:

"Today you have entered my sect, and from now on, you must uphold our code of conduct."

"Respecting your masters and valuing the path, as well as maintaining unity among fellow disciples, goes without saying."

"Beyond that, there is one more point I must warn you about; listen well."

"In the future, if you possess great ability, you may join the Great Fortune Martial Guard to capture bandits, suppress thieves, or guard a region; even if I were to see you then, I would have to cup my hands in salute."

"Those of lesser ability may serve as guards in the mansions of high officials and nobles; that, too, is a respectable profession that ensures you will never go hungry."

"If you do not wish to be bound by such constraints, you may enter the martial arts world like the three of us—opening a school to teach disciples or running escorts and transporting goods—which is also a form of master-disciple inheritance."

"The worst-case scenario is that you fail to make a name for yourself, and after three months, you end up as a mere peddler or laborer."

"With these three months of martial arts training under your belts, even the local thugs and ruffians will not dare to bully you lightly."

"Regardless of what happens, the bond between master and disciple will never be severed."

"But if anyone harbors evil intentions, relying on their skills to commit unrighteous acts, or even stooping to murder, arson, or highway robbery..."

At this point, Feng Qi paused, his tone then sharpening into a stern command:

"Hmph, then do not blame me for disregarding our past ties and striking you down!"

He had poured his internal strength into that final word, "kill."

As it left his lips, it was as if a thunderclap had struck from a clear sky above the crowd, causing everyone standing in the training yard to shudder.

"Do you all understand!"

The heads of over a hundred people buzzed from the impact. It took a long moment for them to recover their senses, after which they immediately shouted in unison:

"We understand, Master!"

Feng Qi swept his gaze across the crowd, his tone softening considerably:

"That said, this is not to make you timid or hesitant. If you encounter injustice, you may act with righteousness; if you face provocation from base scoundrels, you must never shrink back in fear."

"Our Long Wind Escort Agency still holds a fair bit of reputation within the borders of Yangcheng County."

The final sentence was delivered with a hint of pride.

Just as Feng Qi's voice faded, a calm, unhurried voice drifted in from outside the courtyard:

"Splendid, truly splendid. Head Escort Feng is indeed benevolent and peerless; the Long Wind Escort Agency is well-deserving of its reputation as the pillar of the martial arts world in Yangcheng County."