Body Tempering Realm

"Senior Brother, take a look at my Fierce Tiger Probes with Claws. Is my form correct?"

Time flew by.

Li Yun was now considered a "veteran" of the Martial Hall.

Occasionally, newcomers would come to ask him for guidance.

Li Yun did not hold back; he taught whatever he knew.

After all, every time he taught, his own understanding of the Tiger Subduing Fist improved by another notch.

"When throwing the punch, extend your arm, but don't lock the elbow. Let the rotation of your waist and back drive the force."

Li Yun rose from his Tiger-Subduing Stance, stepped forward with his left foot into a bow stance, and pulled his left fist back to his waist.

As he exhaled, he thrust his right fist straight forward, fist-eye facing upward, the power originating from his waist, traveling through his shoulder and arm to the surface of his fist.

He then switched to a right bow stance and thrust his left fist forward:

"Just like that, practice alternating sides."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

Having finished a set and answered the newcomer's question, Li Yun sat down to catch his breath.

Someone approached him from the side:

"I heard that Zhu Daqi is accumulating blood-qi at a rapid pace. It won't be long before he develops Bright Force!"

Li Yun turned his head to glance at Wang Xiaofei.

This guy had fainted several times while practicing his punches.

He claimed that his nutrition couldn't keep up, and the more he practiced, the more depleted he became.

"Everyone has their own fate; just focus on yourself.

Though, if you keep practicing like this, it won't be long.

You'll die."

Wang Xiaofei showed no reaction upon hearing Li Yun's words.

After a moment of silence, he replied in a very flat tone:

"If I don't practice, there's no difference from being dead."

"..."

Ever since he joined the Martial Hall, Li Yun had lived and eaten entirely within its walls.

It could be said that he turned a deaf ear to the world outside, focusing his heart solely on the Tiger-Subduing Stance.

From the conversations of the apprentices, he learned that another wave of refugees had arrived in the south.

The population of the Outer City was surging.

With it, the problems that followed were also increasing.

The most direct issue was that the price of grain had skyrocketed to twenty wen per catty, with a trend of rising even further.

If you can't eat your fill, you can't survive.

Once people are on the verge of not being able to survive...

Li Yun said nothing more. Once his breathing stabilized, he stood up to continue practicing his punches.

Words were hollow; only strength was real.

Watching the valiantly advancing Li Yun, it was impossible for Wang Xiaofei not to feel envious, and he felt even more jealousy toward Zhu Daqi.

The three of them had joined the Martial Hall at the same time.

Zhu Daqi had gained the favor of the master, becoming a direct disciple without needing to pay tuition, and was even frequently given extra training.

Although Li Yun's aptitude was the same as his own, he had extra silver to pay for his meals, so even if he wasn't perfectly nourished, he at least wasn't suffering from depletion.

As for himself, not only had he failed to grasp the essence of the techniques, but he had also ruined his own health.

Thinking of his sister at home, Wang Xiaofei gritted his teeth and began practicing the Tiger-Subduing Stance once more.

Another month passed.

When one's mind is completely immersed, time passes extremely quickly.

Li Yun was fully absorbed in the Tiger-Subduing Stance.

Just as he finished a full set of basic punches and exhaled at the moment of closing his stance, a surge of heat suddenly erupted within his body; the transformation broke out without any warning.

Li Yun clearly sensed that the blood-qi channels within his body had been blasted open by a warm and resilient force.

Like a riverbed that had been silted up for years suddenly breaking its dam, the surging blood-qi rushed along his meridians, instantly connecting his limbs and bones, leaving his entire body feeling incredibly comfortable.

The muscle soreness and stiffness in his joints from his earlier training melted away like snow under the sun, fading almost entirely in the blink of an eye, leaving only a faint, tingling sensation coursing through his skin and flesh.

His heart skipped a beat, and as he instinctively looked up, his vision suddenly brightened.

The world before him had undergone a complete transformation!

He could clearly see two green caterpillars on the leaves of the jujube trees atop the distant courtyard wall.

Beside him, Wang Xiaofei sat slumped on the ground, his heavy, ragged breathing audible, while the sounds of fists and feet striking during training drifted in from afar.

Everything was incredibly clear.

[Tiger-Subduing Stance (Entry): 1/5000]

"I've reached the entry level?"

Li Yun slowly clenched his fist. The moment his knuckles tightened, surging blood energy flowed through his meridians to his fist, carrying a scalding and solid force.

His heart warmed, and he strode toward the Force Testing Stake.

The stake was as thick as a bowl, its surface covered in fist marks of varying depths.

It was a wooden post specifically set up by the Martial Hall; anyone who could snap it with a single punch proved their strength had reached a thousand catties.

Li Yun's actions did not attract much attention.

Every day, people who believed their strength had improved came to test themselves, but most left in vain, so the others continued to chat in groups or practice their forms.

Li Yun took a deep breath.

He planted his feet shoulder-width apart, grinding his soles firmly into the ground, dropping his shoulders and elbows, and hollowing his chest while straightening his back—the foundation of the Tiger-Subduing Stance was perfectly natural.

The next moment, his waist twisted violently, and the force erupted from the soles of his feet like a thunderclap, transmitting layer by layer through his legs, waist, shoulders, and arms, finally pouring entirely into his right fist!

"Hah!"

With a low shout, his right fist struck the wooden stake like a cannonball!

"Bang!"

A muffled sound exploded like a thunderbolt.

As wood chips flew, the hardwood stake cracked and splintered on impact.

The previously noisy Outer Courtyard suddenly fell silent, and every apprentice turned their gaze toward him.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother."

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on entering the Body Tempering Realm."

"..."

The Inner Courtyard disciple responsible for leading the apprentices' daily training was the first to speak up and offer his congratulations after seeing Li Yun's performance.

This broke the surrounding silence, and the atmosphere shifted instantly.

It became lively.

The new disciples, without exception, all looked at the Senior Brother before them with envy.

As for the veteran disciples, besides envy, there was a hint of reluctance and jealousy.

That was the realm they had been dreaming of.

Li Yun felt a bit happy himself.

Once in the Body Tempering Realm, one could officially be accepted into the Martial Hall, take on outside duties, and earn money to support their own martial arts practice.

Hearing the commotion in the Outer Courtyard, Xiao Shun, who was practicing in the Inner Courtyard, also walked out to offer his congratulations:

"Congratulations, Junior Brother."

"Many thanks, Second Senior Brother," Li Yun replied with a cupped-fist salute.

"Let's go, I'll take you to see the Master."

"Alright."

Li Yun followed Xiao Shun through the Moon Gate into the Inner Courtyard, where they found Fu Huaixing instructing Zhu Daqi.

The two did not interrupt, waiting to the side for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Only then did Fu Huaixing turn his head and ask:

"Xiao Shun, what is it?"

"Master, Junior Brother Li Yun has opened his surface blood energy channels and entered the Body Tempering Realm."

Hearing this, Fu Huaixing finally looked at Li Yun.

He scanned him up and down for a long moment, then seemed to realize something:

"You joined the Martial Hall on the same day as Daqi, right?

Three months or so—standard progress. Keep working hard."

"Yes, Master."

Aside from the day he first joined the hall, Fu Huaixing had never spoken to Li Yun.

After reciting a few formulaic words, he had Xiao Shun take Li Yun to practice boxing, while Fu Huaixing turned back to continue instructing Zhu Daqi.

Li Yun didn't think much of Fu Huaixing's behavior.

The day he entered the hall, Fu Huaixing had made it very clear.

This was merely a transaction.

Even though he had entered the Inner Courtyard, he was nothing more than an ordinary disciple.

There was no intimacy to speak of.

Li Yun's silence might have caused Xiao Shun to misunderstand:

"Don't be discouraged. Work hard on your cultivation, and when the time comes for you to step into the Bright Force, as long as you are willing, Master will take you in as a core disciple and teach you personally."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother, I was just thinking that I'll have to trouble you again to teach me the training methods for the next stage."

"Haha, it's nothing. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."