Taking a Disciple

The next day.

Inside the martial arts hall.

After delivering the meat shipment, Li Yun was sparring with Zhuo Yong.

"Hah!"

Zhuo Yong let out a loud shout and launched the first attack.

With a slight shift of his shoulders and his elbows tucked, his right fist struck out like a Fierce Tiger Probes with Claws, whistling through the air straight toward Li Yun's face.

The force of the punch was condensed, carrying a faint sense of piercing through the air; he was clearly using his full strength.

Facing the fierce offensive, Li Yun's face showed no trace of panic.

He shifted his feet slightly, unfolding the Crouching Tiger Mountain Climbing Step, his figure moving with the agility of a tiger to dodge the edge of the fist.

At the same time, he twisted his waist, his right leg sweeping out as swiftly as a steel whip.

The tip of his foot carried a gust of wind; it was the Tiger Tail Sweeps the Floor from the Tiger Subduing Fist.

He aimed directly for Zhuo Yong's lower stance, the transition between offense and defense executed with absolute precision.

Fists and legs collided, followed by a series of dull thuds.

The two traded blows, their techniques wide and forceful.

Zhuo Yong's fist wind was fierce and overbearing, each punch carrying heavy, thick power as he attempted to suppress Li Yun with his advantage in blood-qi.

Li Yun, however, moved flexibly, his techniques flowing like moving clouds and flowing water.

Although his blood-qi was not as thick as Zhuo Yong's, he could always calmly evade the onslaught and counterattack in stride.

After only a few moves, Li Yun seized a flaw in the connection of Zhuo Yong's techniques.

He suddenly sank his waist and dropped his breath, striking straight to the heart with a Tiger Roar Rending Fist, accurately hitting the soft spot on Zhuo Yong's waist.

"Ugh."

Zhuo Yong let out a muffled groan, feeling a piercing numbness in his waist as his blood-qi instantly stagnated.

Tap, tap, tap.

Clutching his waist, he stumbled back, retreating four or five steps before steadying himself.

He then shook his head with a bitter smile and cupped his hands to Li Yun in defeat:

"Junior Brother Li, I concede."

When the two sparred over a month ago, Zhuo Yong could still steadily suppress Li Yun, forcing him into a purely defensive position.

Yet, in just over a month, the situation had completely reversed; Li Yun had managed to take down Zhuo Yong within a few moves.

A sense of indescribable bitterness welled up in Zhuo Yong's heart.

The hard work Li Yun put in at the martial arts hall was plain for all to see.

He practiced stake work all day and frantically sought people out to spar.

He just hadn't expected the other man to progress so quickly.

He himself had been in the inner courtyard for nearly two years, yet he appeared so vulnerable before Li Yun.

This disparity left him feeling unsettled for a moment.

Li Yun retracted his fists and stood still, wanting to say something to comfort him.

But he felt that whatever he said would be inappropriate.

So, he said nothing.

Just then, movement came from the open space near the backyard.

"Haha, good, very good!

Blood-qi is full, force is generated from the bones, and the punch breaks the air.

You have truly condensed Bright Force."

Hearing the sound erupt from Zhuo Daqi's body, Fu Huaixing could not hide his joy.

His entire face was glowing, and his voice rose by several octaves.

The others in the courtyard had been focused on their own training, but this sudden noise caused everyone to stop what they were doing and look over in unison.

Fu Huaixing's words were like a thunderclap on a clear day, instantly leaving everyone present dumbfounded.

Their faces were filled with disbelief.

"Junior Brother Zhu... has already cultivated Bright Force?" someone muttered subconsciously, their tone full of shock.

"He's only been in the courtyard for half a year, entered the Body Tempering Realm in just over a month, and cultivated Bright Force in just over four months!!!"

"Is the difference between people really that vast?"

There was a world of difference in strength between Bright Force and the Body Tempering Realm.

That is why there is the saying, "A thousand gold cannot buy a single sound."

This refers to Bright Force.

Zhuo Yong, standing beside Li Yun, had not yet recovered from the dejection of his recent defeat and was already feeling depressed.

Hearing now that Zhu Daqi had cultivated Bright Force in just half a year, the contrast made him feel as if a giant boulder were pressing against his chest, leaving him unable to catch his breath.

This intense sense of disparity nearly shattered the conviction he had held onto for so long.

A wave of despondency welled up in his heart:

"Junior Brother Li, tell me, is there still any hope for me on the path of martial arts?"

Hearing this, Li Yun did not answer immediately.

The path of martial arts is inherently rugged and difficult to traverse.

With the road ahead shrouded in fog, no direction for improvement in sight, and efforts yielding no feedback, anyone would eventually feel the urge to retreat.

Li Yun was different.

He possessed a proficiency panel; every punch thrown and every stance held could be converted into tangible strength.

This foundation ensured he never once harbored thoughts of giving up.

Li Yun had spent a fair amount of time with Zhuo Yong and they were on good terms, so after a moment of contemplation, he spoke to offer comfort:

"Senior Brother Zhu has Grade 4 bone structure.

Since entering the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, he has been personally instructed by the Master.

Before the Body Tempering Realm, he had a bowl of Muscle and Bone Soup every day, and during the Body Tempering Realm, a portion of Blood Replenishing Powder daily.

It has never been interrupted.

There are also Senior Brother Lu Kuan and Senior Sister Yu Qingqing, who occasionally gift him aged medicinal herbs.

It is only natural that he could cultivate Bright Force.

Are there not many apprentices in the outer courtyard who fail to open their blood-qi channels and step into the Body Tempering Realm?

Therefore, Senior Brother Zhuo, do not belittle yourself."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Yong's expression shifted.

A moment later, he let out a deep sigh:

"Sigh~"

Just then, Fu Huaixing clapped his hands and announced loudly:

"From this moment on, I have decided to take Zhu Daqi as my closing disciple!"

A closing disciple?

This statement was even more shocking to the crowd than learning that Zhu Daqi had cultivated Bright Force.

In the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, disciples were divided into ranks.

Those in the outer courtyard paid fees for instruction; they were not considered disciples, merely apprentices.

Only by opening the surface blood-qi channels and stepping into the Body Tempering Realm to enter the inner courtyard could one barely be considered a registered disciple.

There were about a hundred such disciples in the inner courtyard, such as Li Yun and Zhuo Yong.

Those who cultivated Bright Force could be considered core disciples of the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall.

People like Lu Kuan, Yu Qingqing, and Chen Bin could occasionally receive personal instruction from Fu Huaixing.

The final category was that of personal disciples.

The Subduing Tiger Martial Hall currently had only three personal disciples.

The eldest senior brother, Qi Wenxuan, who was known by name but rarely seen; the second senior brother, Xiao Shun, who attended to the Master's every need; and the third senior sister, Liu Lingyan.

Now, one more was to be added: Senior Brother Zhu Daqi.

A closing disciple was essentially another term for a personal disciple, yet more special than the ordinary ones.

A closing disciple was regarded as a "prized protégé" who would eventually "inherit the mantle."

It also meant that, barring any accidents, Zhu Daqi would be the last personal disciple Fu Huaixing would ever take.

How could such an honor not be surprising?

As soon as Fu Huaixing's voice fell, a brilliant smile instantly bloomed on the face of Zhu Daqi, who stood beside him, and he bowed respectfully:

"Thank you, Master."

"I... I will surely train diligently in the future and not let Master's cultivation go to waste."

The crowd spoke up, congratulating Fu Huaixing on taking in such a prodigy, and congratulating Zhu Daqi on becoming a disciple of the master.

Watching this scene, Zhuo Yong's eyes were filled with undisguised envy.

He sighed softly, his voice low, tinged with melancholy and reluctance:

"I dare not hope to be taken as a personal disciple; if I can just cultivate Bright Force in this lifetime, I will be content."

Over these years, in order to accumulate vitality, he had poured all his family's wealth into the martial path.

He trained day and night, yet he could never touch the bottleneck of Bright Force...

The other disciples also whispered among themselves, some envious, some jealous...

Li Yun did not join in, simply returning to the corner to continue practicing his fist techniques.

At a time like this, he doubted anyone was in the mood to spar.

Only Li Yun remained as usual.

Because for him, heaven rewards diligence is no empty talk.