Poor Scholarship, Rich Martial Arts

"Me?"

"Correct."

"Could Senior Sister Yu elaborate?"

"Within two years, cultivate Bright Force, and serve me for one year. Otherwise, serve me for five years!"

This move by Yu Qingqing was a guaranteed win.

Assuming Li Yun cultivated Bright Force within two years, it was equivalent to using three hundred and sixty taels of silver to buy one year of service from a Bright Force martial artist, or five years from a Body Tempering Realm martial artist.

Someone without the confidence to reach Bright Force might truly have agreed.

What Yu Qingqing called "favor" was no lie. Three hundred and sixty taels could not buy a year of service from a Bright Force martial artist.

A pity.

To Li Yun, silver was merely a means to accelerate his martial path. With his talent so exceptional and lacking any bottlenecks, there was no need to "take out a loan" on his future time to practice martial arts. Furthermore, there were too many uncertain factors during the period of service. It was unnecessary.

"Many thanks for your kindness, Senior Sister Yu, but my foundation is so poor that I likely won't break through in two years. I shouldn't waste your resources."

Yu Qingqing's eyebrows arched slightly: He was different from the others. This price was higher than any previous investment, as she truly favored Li Yun for his dedication to the martial path. She hadn't expected to be refused.

"Very well. If you change your mind within a month, you may come find me."

Li Yun did not agree, and Yu Qingqing did not force the issue. Leaving behind those words, she turned and walked away.

"She's long gone, and you're still looking~"

A teasing remark came from behind. Li Yun turned his head to see: "Senior Brother Lu, don't talk nonsense, or I won't have an easy life in the future."

Subduing Tiger Martial Hall did have a few female disciples, but apart from Yu Qingqing and Liu Lingyan, the rest were mostly rather... robust. It was a case of many wolves and little meat. People who practiced martial arts were full of vigor, so naturally, they would strut like peacocks, vying to please the two of them. Li Yun did not want to attract hatred for no reason.

Lu Kuan walked over and patted Li Yun on the shoulder with a lecherous expression: "Don't worry, I understand."

Li Yun rolled his eyes and didn't reply. This guy was a social butterfly; he had attached himself to Li Yun yesterday afternoon while Li Yun was practicing his punches. It was he who had pointed out Yu Qingqing to him.

"So, did you accept Senior Sister Yu's sponsorship?"

"No, the price was too high; I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to pay it back."

"Oh?"

Lu Kuan stepped back two paces, putting on a show as he looked Li Yun up and down. His somewhat round face, paired with small eyes, made him look rather unreliable: "Not bad, not bad. To be able to resist Senior Sister Yu's temptation—your heart for martial arts is very firm. How about this: I'll sponsor you one portion of Blood Replenishing Powder every month, how about that?"

"What are the conditions?"

Lu Kuan hadn't mentioned this to him yesterday. Li Yun had assumed the other party didn't think much of his talent and hadn't asked.

"No conditions. Just purely making a friend. When a friend is in trouble, help if you can; if you can't, don't force it."

Lu Kuan did not just sponsor anyone at random.

Either they had great talent, or they were someone he could get along with.

From their brief time together, he felt that Li Yun had a steady temperament and was not greedy for petty gains.

He was worth the investment.

However, while the Body Tempering Realm was decent, it was not enough to warrant such a heavy investment.

He would start with one portion of Blood Replenishing Powder and see how it went.

If he proved worth further investment later, he would increase the stakes.

If he had misjudged him, he would just treat it as making a friend.

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Lu."

Although they had just met, Li Yun had a fairly good impression of this slightly chubby Senior Brother Lu.

Most importantly, accepting this sponsorship did not require him to do much, so he would not waste too much time and lose the big picture for the sake of small gains.

"Don't be so polite. More friends mean more paths.

When you achieve great success in martial arts in the future, I'll be able to bask in your glory.

Come, come, it's still early, let's spar a bit."

"Alright."

Li Yun had no reason to refuse.

Don't let Lu Kuan's somewhat flighty demeanor fool you; he was a genuine Bright Force martial artist.

Seeing Lu Kuan take his stance, Li Yun stomped his feet hard against the ground, his body launching forward like a cannonball.

With a "Fierce Tiger Pounces on Prey," he threw himself straight at Lu Kuan's chest with an unstoppable momentum.

Facing this fierce punch, Lu Kuan stood his ground, neither dodging nor evading, taking it head-on.

Bang!

Li Yun was knocked back several steps, while Lu Kuan only swayed slightly before steadying himself.

"Your force is still lacking."

Lu Kuan commented, his footwork moving rapidly as he pursued like a shadow.

His left fist struck straight at Li Yun's face, while his right fist swept toward his waist; the attacks were fast and fierce, each one targeting a vital point.

Li Yun dared not be careless, twisting his body to dodge while keeping his hands in front of him, relying on his solid waist and leg strength to maneuver through Lu Kuan's onslaught.

He did not show weakness either, waiting for an opening to counterattack, alternating between Fierce Tiger Probes with Claws and Tiger Tail Sweeps the Floor.

After dozens of moves, Li Yun was forced back by a punch from Lu Kuan.

Li Yun shook his hands and cupped his fists:

"Many thanks for feeding me moves, Senior Brother."

"Tsk tsk, you only entered the Inner Courtyard yesterday, right? You feel much stronger than I was back then.

Again!"

The commotion of the two sparring also attracted the attention of several people nearby:

"Junior Brother Li is quite tenacious. Even though Senior Brother Lu is holding back, being able to parry so many moves is impressive!"

"Indeed, Senior Brother Lu's force is no joke. Look at that fist wind; I wouldn't have been able to hold out for long!"

Practicing fist techniques alone only increased his experience by a little at a time.

Now that he had a sparring partner, as Li Yun's understanding of the Tiger Subduing Fist deepened, it increased bit by bit.

The more they fought, the more exhilarating it became.

Although the force hitting his body was painful, it was a painful joy.

[Tiger Subduing Fist: +1]

Seeing that Li Yun, despite grimacing in pain, had no intention of stopping, Lu Kuan did not stop either.

Dozens of breaths later, Li Yun was knocked down by Lu Kuan's "Tiger Tail Sweeps the Floor."

He lay on the ground, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

He didn't even want to move a muscle.

"You're really not bad, Junior Brother, but compared to me, you're still far off~"

Li Yun rolled his eyes at Lu Kuan, too lazy to even acknowledge the guy.

Having just opened his blood and qi channels not long ago, and after such a long session of high-intensity sparring, he had no energy left to spare for conversation.

"You rest up, I'm heading back first."

"I'll have someone send over the Blood Replenishing Powder later."

"Save it for tomorrow when you practice the Tiger-Subduing Stance; it'll be more effective then."

Lu Kuan straightened his disheveled clothes and left the Martial Hall.

Taking advantage of the break, Li Yun checked his panel.

[Tiger Subduing Fist (Uninitiated): 940/1000]

A serious fight was worth two days of bitter training.

It seemed he needed to change his approach.

After practicing his stance, he should find more people to spar with.

Fighting techniques—the very word implied that one had to fight to quickly master the method.

A short while later.

Fully rested, Li Yun approached a senior disciple who had recently entered the Inner Courtyard:

"Senior Brother, let's spar."

"Alright."

"Come."

The next day.

At the first light of dawn, Li Yun arrived early at the Inner Courtyard.

He drank the Blood Replenishing Powder and assumed his stance.

The Blood Replenishing Powder tasted slightly bitter, but carried a warmth that slid down his throat into his belly, dissolving instantly.

He dropped his shoulders and elbows, tucked his chest and straightened his back, slightly retracted his chin, and raised his hands to his chest with palms facing down as if pressing on a tiger's head, slowly beginning his abdominal breathing.

Within moments, the medicinal effects of the Blood Replenishing Powder took full hold.

A warm current flowed through his waist and abdomen, then spread downward to his limbs and bones.

Driven by the powder, the blood and qi throughout his body became increasingly full and dense.

[Tiger-Subduing Stance: +1]

[...]

[Tiger-Subduing Stance (Initiated): 40/5000]

One dose of Blood Replenishing Powder was worth three days of bitter cultivation.

If he could drink a bowl every day, it would only take one hundred and fifty-six days for his Tiger-Subduing Stance to reach minor completion.

Seven hundred and eighty taels.

The saying that literature is for the poor and martial arts for the rich was truly accurate.

He was still short on money.