"Me?"
"That's right."
"Senior Sister Yu, could you explain in a little more detail?"
"Within two years, cultivate Bright Force, then work for me for one year.
Otherwise, work for me for five!"
Yu Qingqing's offer was a sure thing for her.
Suppose Li Yun cultivated Bright Force within two years.
It would be like paying three hundred and sixty taels of silver for one year of service from a Bright Force martial artist, or five years from a Body Tempering Realm martial artist.
Someone who lacked confidence in cultivating Bright Force might actually agree.
Yu Qingqing's claim that she thought highly of him wasn't empty talk.
Three hundred and sixty taels couldn't buy a year of service from a Bright Force martial artist.
Unfortunately.
To Li Yun, money was merely a way to speed up his progress in martial arts.
With talent as good as his, and no bottlenecks to hold him back,
there was no need to "borrow" against his future by trading away his time.
Besides, there were too many uncertainties in working for her.
It wasn't worth it.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Senior Sister Yu. My constitution is so poor that I probably won't break through in two years, so I won't waste your resources."
Yu Qingqing raised an eyebrow. He was different from the others.
The offer was more generous than the ones she'd made before, because she truly thought highly of Li Yun, who was so devoted to martial arts.
She hadn't expected him to refuse.
"All right. If you change your mind within a month, come find me."
Li Yun didn't agree, but Yu Qingqing didn't press him.
She left him with those words, then turned and walked away.
"She's already gone, and you're still watching her~"
A teasing voice came from behind. Li Yun turned around.
"Senior Brother Lu, don't go spreading rumors, or I'll never hear the end of it."
There were a few female disciples at Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, but aside from Yu Qingqing and Liu Lingyan, most of the others were... rather sturdy.
Too many wolves, too little meat.
Martial artists were full of youthful vigor.
Naturally, they strutted like peacocks, vying to please the two women.
Li Yun didn't want to attract anyone's hostility for no reason.
Lu Kuan came over and patted Li Yun on the shoulder, wearing a lecherous grin.
"Don't worry. I understand."
Li Yun rolled his eyes and didn't reply.
The guy was a real extrovert. Yesterday afternoon, while Li Yun was practicing his punches, Lu Kuan had come over and struck up a conversation.
He was the one who'd introduced him to Yu Qingqing.
"So, did you accept Senior Sister Yu's sponsorship?"
"No. She offered too much. I was afraid I couldn't pay it back."
"Oh?"
Lu Kuan took two steps back and pretended to size Li Yun up and down.
His slightly rounded face and tiny eyes made him look a little unreliable.
"Not bad, not bad.
You managed to resist Senior Sister Yu's temptation. Your dedication to martial arts is admirable.
How about this? I'll sponsor one packet of Blood Replenishing Powder for you each month. What do you say?"
"What are the conditions?"
Lu Kuan hadn't mentioned this yesterday.
Li Yun had assumed he didn't think much of his talent, so he hadn't asked.
"No conditions. I just want to be friends.
If a friend's in trouble, you help if you can. If you can't, no one's going to hold it against you."
Lu Kuan didn't sponsor people just because.
They either had good talent, or they were people he got along with.
In their brief time together, he'd found Li Yun steady-minded and not one to chase after petty gains.
He was worth investing in.
Still, although the Body Tempering Realm was decent, it wasn't worth putting down a huge sum.
He'd start by giving him one packet of Blood Replenishing Powder and see how it went.
If Li Yun proved worth investing in, he could put in more.
If he'd misjudged him, he'd just consider it the cost of making a friend.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lu."
They'd only just met, but Li Yun had a pretty good impression of this slightly chubby Senior Brother Lu.
More importantly, accepting the sponsorship wouldn't require him to do much, so he wouldn't waste too much time and end up picking up sesame seeds while losing a watermelon.
"Don't mention it. More friends mean more paths.
When you become a great martial artist someday, I'll bask in your glory too.
Come on, it's still early. Let's trade punches."
"Sure."
Li Yun had no reason to refuse.
Lu Kuan might've been a little flighty, but he was a genuine Bright Force martial artist.
Seeing Lu Kuan take his stance,
Li Yun dug his feet into the ground and launched forward like a cannonball.
With a move called "Fierce Tiger Pounces on Prey," he charged in with unstoppable momentum, slamming straight toward Lu Kuan's chest.
Facing the fierce punch, Lu Kuan stood his ground, neither dodging nor retreating, and met it head-on.
Bang!
Li Yun was sent stumbling back several steps. Lu Kuan swayed slightly, then steadied himself.
"Your strength still needs work."
Lu Kuan said, then rushed after him with quick footwork, sticking close like his shadow.
His left fist shot toward Li Yun's face while his right swept toward his waist. His attacks were fast and fierce, each aimed at a vital point.
Li Yun didn't dare let his guard down. He quickly twisted aside to evade, both hands raised in defense. Relying on his solid waist and legwork, he dodged and weaved through Lu Kuan's assault.
He wasn't about to back down either. Whenever he saw an opening, he counterattacked, alternating between Fierce Tiger Probes with Claws and Tiger Tail Sweeps the Floor.
After dozens of exchanges,
Li Yun was forced back by one of Lu Kuan's punches.
Li Yun shook out his hand and cupped his fists.
"Thank you for the pointers, Senior Brother."
"Tsk, tsk. You only entered the Inner Courtyard yesterday, right? You're a lot stronger than I was back then.
Again!"
The noise of their sparring drew the attention of several people nearby.
"Junior Brother Li's got grit. Senior Brother Lu was going easy on him, but he still managed to trade so many moves. That's impressive!"
"Yeah, Senior Brother Lu's strength is no joke. Look at the force behind those punches. I'd have crumpled already!"
When Li Yun practiced the fist technique alone, his experience only increased a little at a time.
Now he had someone to spar with, and as his understanding of Tiger Subduing Fist deepened, it increased bit by bit.
The more he fought, the more exhilarating it became.
The force of the blows hurt like hell, but it was pain and pleasure all at once.
[Tiger Subduing Fist: +1] [...]
Seeing that Li Yun was grimacing in pain but showed no sign of stopping,
Lu Kuan kept going too.
A few dozen breaths later,
Li Yun was knocked down by Lu Kuan's move, "Tiger Tail Sweeps the Floor."
He lay on the ground, drenched in sweat and panting.
He didn't feel like moving a muscle.
"Junior Brother, you're pretty good, but you've still got a long way to go before you can match me~"
Li Yun rolled his eyes at Lu Kuan. He couldn't even be bothered to answer.
He'd only opened his qi and blood not long ago. After such a long, intense spar, he didn't have the energy left to talk.
"Get some rest. I'm heading back.
I'll have someone bring the Blood Replenishing Powder over later.
Save it for tomorrow, when you practice Tiger-Subduing Stance. It'll work even better then."
Lu Kuan straightened out his rumpled clothes, then left the Martial Hall.
Taking advantage of the break, Li Yun checked his panel.
[Tiger Subduing Fist (Not Yet Initiated): 940/1000]
One serious sparring match was worth two days of practicing alone.
Looks like he'd have to change his approach from now on.
After practicing his stance, he should find people to spar with.
A fighting style was forged through fighting. The more he fought, the faster he'd master it.
A short while later,
Li Yun had rested enough. He went to find a senior brother who'd only recently entered the Inner Courtyard.
"Senior Brother, want to trade punches?"
"Sure."
"Come on."
The next day,
Li Yun arrived at the Inner Courtyard early, just as dawn broke.
He drank the Blood Replenishing Powder, then stood in his stance.
The powder tasted faintly bitter, but carried a warm sensation as it slid down his throat into his stomach, where it immediately dissolved.
He relaxed his shoulders and lowered his elbows, hollowed his chest and straightened his back, drew in his chin, and raised his hands to chest level, palms down as if pressing on a tiger's head. He slowly began abdominal breathing.
In just a moment, the medicine's effects took hold.
A warm current first flowed through his waist and abdomen, then spread downward through his limbs and bones.
With the Blood Replenishing Powder's help, the qi and blood throughout his body grew increasingly abundant and robust.
[Tiger-Subduing Stance: +1] [...] [Tiger-Subduing Stance (Initiated): 40/5000]
One packet of Blood Replenishing Powder was worth three days of hard practice.
If he could drink a bowl every day, Tiger-Subduing Stance would reach the minor mastery stage in just 156 days.
Seven hundred and eighty taels.
The saying that the poor studied while the rich practiced martial arts had never been truer.
He was still short on money.
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