Fourth-Rank Bone Structure

"Master, my name is Zhu Daqi, sixteen years old. My family runs a meat workshop where we slaughter pigs."

"Come here."

Zhu Daqi walked forward obediently and stood straight as a ramrod.

Fu Huaixing performed the bone-reading on Zhu Daqi just as he had done before.

Unlike Wang Xiaofei, Zhu Daqi didn't make a sound the entire time, as if he felt nothing at all.

Fu Huaixing, who had maintained a detached expression, suddenly paused the moment his fingertips touched Zhu Daqi's waist.

His brows arched slightly, and the casual laziness in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a trace of imperceptible surprise. He even increased the pressure of his fingertips.

His movements were several times more thorough than they had been with Wang Xiaofei.

After a few more breaths, Fu Huaixing finally withdrew his hand, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes.

"Not bad, a Grade Four root bone!"

As soon as he spoke, he didn't wait for Zhu Daqi to recover; he stepped half a pace closer, staring at him with burning intensity, his previous laziness entirely gone:

"Zhu Daqi, is it? Are you willing to take me as your master?"

"I am willing."

Zhu Daqi was no fool; seeing Fu Huaixing act this way, he agreed immediately.

Wrinkles of laughter appeared on Fu Huaixing's aged face.

However, he did not forget Li Yun:

"You, come here."

"Yes, Master."

When it was his turn to step forward, Li Yun truly realized that Wang Xiaofei's earlier shrieking had been no exaggeration.

The pain of this bone-reading was bone-piercing and heart-wrenching.

When Fu Huaixing's withered, thin palm rested on his shoulder, Li Yun felt a surge of brute force strike him; the palm seemed to possess a suction force, embedding itself firmly into his flesh.

As the knuckles traced down his shoulder blade, every press and every rub felt like it was scraping directly against his periosteum. A mixture of soreness, numbness, swelling, and pain spread through the gaps in his bones to his limbs and organs.

After a dozen breaths.

"How old are you? What does your family do for a living?"

Li Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the lingering pain from the bone-reading:

"Reporting to Master, I just turned eighteen this year. I have no family left, and I usually make a living by hunting in the mountains and gathering wild goods."

"Eighteen..."

Hearing this, Fu Huaixing's brows knit together involuntarily, and he shook his head slightly:

"You are also a Grade Seven root bone. At this age, and with no one to support you—

The path of martial arts requires money at every turn, and you have to split your time to make a living. With your focus and energy divided, wanting to push forward...

It's difficult."

Li Yun did not think it was that difficult.

He believed in his own talent.

"Master, you know how this world is. I still want to give it a shot."

Fu Huaixing nodded, saying nothing more.

He gave instructions to the disciple beside him and prepared to leave with Zhu Daqi:

"Xiao Shun, take them to get familiar with the grounds, and then teach them the Tiger-Subduing Stance."

The disciple beside him stopped keeping a straight face and revealed a wide smile:

"Come on, follow me.

I am Master's second disciple, Xiao Shun.

Although you are only apprentices in the Front Courtyard and not Master's official disciples, you may still call me Second Senior Brother."

"Second Senior Brother."

"Second Senior Brother."

Xiao Shun led Li Yun and Wang Xiaofei, and they began to walk through the martial arts hall:

"The martial arts hall is roughly divided into four sections.

The Front Courtyard is where apprentices train daily, the Inner Courtyard is where official disciples cultivate, and the Back Courtyard is Master's residence—do not enter without permission.

The Side Courtyard contains the Storage Room, Dining Hall, Dormitory..."

Though the sparrow is small, it has all the vital organs.

Xiao Shun brought the two to the Storage Room and collected two martial arts hall uniforms, each embroidered with the characters "Tiger-Subduing."

While changing, Li Yun took the opportunity to hand thirty taels of silver to Xiao Shun:

"Second Senior Brother, this is my fee."

Seeing this, Wang Xiaofei also took ten taels of silver out of his small cloth bag.

However, unlike Li Yun's solid silver, Wang Xiaofei's was all in silver shards and copper coins.

After accepting the money and changing his clothes, Xiao Shun led the two toward the Dining Hall:

"It's getting late. Let's go eat first, and this afternoon I will teach you the Tiger-Subduing Stance."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaofei opened his mouth as if to speak, then hesitated.

Xiao Shun was sharp-eyed and saw through his embarrassment at a glance. A gentle smile appeared on his face, and his voice softened:

"You have just joined the hall. As your senior brother, I'll treat you to a good meal today to welcome our new junior brothers."

"Hehe, then thank you, Senior Brother. I've been traveling for half a day and was already so hungry I could eat a horse."

Li Yun also noticed Wang Xiaofei's predicament and, fearing he would remain frozen in place, was the first to laugh and pick up the conversation.

With Li Yun smoothing things over, Wang Xiaofei breathed a sigh of relief, quickly raised his head, and cupped his hands toward Xiao Shun:

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

After the meal.

Following a short rest, Xiao Shun brought the two to the Outer Courtyard to prepare to teach them martial arts:

"If you want to practice martial arts, you must first know what it is we are practicing.

We polish the tendons, bones, and skin, and open the channels of qi and blood across the body's surface.

We strengthen the muscles, bones, and fascia, eliminate internal blockages, and allow qi and blood to flow smoothly through the limbs and bones.

When the strength of the physical body breaks through the limits of an ordinary person and the qi and blood are full without stagnation, you will be able to 'strike with the wind and leave marks with your steps.'

At that point, you will have reached the first realm of a martial artist:

Body Tempering Realm."

As he spoke, Xiao Shun began to move.

His feet were spread shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead.

He bent his knees into a squat until his thighs were parallel to the ground, his knees not extending past his toes.

He raised his hands to his chest, palms facing down, fingers spread as if pressing down on a tiger's head. His back was straight, his chin slightly tucked, and his eyes fixed forward:

"The Tiger Subduing Fist imitates the Fierce Tiger Pounces on Prey, Mountain Crouching, and Tail Clipping postures.

It takes 'Foundation Establishment through ferocity, concealing sharpness with soft power, and returning to simplicity through harmony' as its core.

This Tiger-Subduing Stance is specifically designed to polish the physical body and condense qi and blood.

The tiger form must be authentic, and the power must be heavy.

The stance must be steady, and the breathing must be even."

Li Yun and Wang Xiaofei hurriedly tried to imitate him.

The seemingly simple posture actually required every muscle in the body to move in coordination.

It was fine at first, but with every passing breath, the pain doubled.

Thump~

Wang Xiaofei fell straight onto his backside.

Li Yun managed to hold on for a moment longer, but as he was about to collapse, he hurriedly straightened his body.

"The key points of the Tiger-Subduing Stance are sinking the shoulders and dropping the elbows, hollowing the chest and pulling up the back, and using abdominal breathing.

When you can stand for an hour at a time, you will be considered to have entered the gate."

Signaling for Wang Xiaofei to stand up, Xiao Shun continued the lesson:

"In addition to the stance training to temper qi and blood, there are also basic fist and leg techniques to stretch the tendons and bones.

Follow my lead."

Li Yun immediately followed behind him, mimicking his every move.

A quarter of an hour later.

[Tiger-Subduing Stance: +1]

[Tiger-Subduing Stance (Not yet entered): 1/1000]

Before he could see clearly, Li Yun swayed and nearly fell over.

Seeing this, Xiao Shun turned and walked toward the Dining Hall.

Not long after, he returned with a bowl of soup of unknown origin:

"Come, this is Muscle and Bone Soup.

It nourishes the liver and kidneys, strengthens the muscles and bones, and relieves the soreness in your waist and legs from the Tiger-Subduing Stance and practicing the fist.

Your condition shows that you have truly trained effectively, and this is just a temporary lack of adaptation.

Few people reach this level on their first try; your comprehension is quite good."

As the Muscle and Bone Soup entered his stomach, a wave of warmth flowed into his limbs and bones.

His numb muscles gradually regained their strength.

"Many thanks, Second Senior Brother. This Muscle and Bone Soup..."

"This is brewed from secret medicines used by the martial arts hall. One bowl costs one tael of silver, but newcomers can try one bowl for free.

Continue training. Once your physique strengthens, this situation will no longer occur."

"Yes."

This Muscle and Bone Soup was truly extraordinary. In just this short while, Li Yun felt his previous exhaustion swept away.

Taking a deep breath, he began to practice the Tiger Subduing Fist once more.

[Tiger-Subduing Stance: +1]

[...]