The next day.
At daybreak.
The inner courtyard disciples began arriving in the yard one after another, stretching and preparing to practice their fists.
But they discovered that someone had already started.
It was Li Yun.
Before long, Xiao Shun arrived too.
Seeing how diligent Li Yun was, he decided to spar with his junior brother and give him some pointers.
"Junior Brother, let's trade some blows."
"Sure. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Li Yun knew Xiao Shun meant well.
He held nothing back. As soon as Xiao Shun assumed his stance, Li Yun attacked.
He drew a deep breath, ground his foot against the bluestone paving, and twisted his waist sharply. Strength surged from the soles of his feet through his legs, waist, and shoulders, then shot from his right fist straight toward Xiao Shun's chest.
Xiao Shun's gaze sharpened, but he remained calm.
Just as the fist was about to reach him, he raised his left hand lightly and pressed his palm against Li Yun's fist. His wrist sank with the motion as he shifted his waist slightly to one side.
He diverted the force of Li Yun's punch.
Li Yun felt as though his fist had struck cotton. It slid along Xiao Shun's arm, and he stumbled half a step forward.
Li Yun reacted swiftly. Using that momentum, he followed with his left fist. His technique shifted into Tiger Roar Stone Splitter, and he chopped down hard at Xiao Shun's shoulder!
"Nicely done!"
Xiao Shun praised him. His right hand shot up like lightning, his arm taut as iron, and he blocked the downward strike by sheer force.
The instant fist and arm collided, Li Yun felt a steady force coming from Xiao Shun's arm.
Xiao Shun wasn't simply resisting him. He sank slightly with the force of Li Yun's strike, then suddenly rebounded.
A force surged through Li Yun's fist. His arm went numb, and his blood and qi churned.
"So strong!"
But instead of feeling afraid, Li Yun grew even more excited.
His feet moved swiftly as he launched into the Crouching Tiger Mountain Climbing Step, circling Xiao Shun at speed. His fists struck in alternation, sometimes driving straight in with fierce power, sometimes attacking from the side with tricky angles. He brought the Tiger Subduing Fist he had just learned into full play.
The sounds of fists and feet colliding rang out across the yard without pause.
Li Yun's punches grew faster and fiercer.
Xiao Shun remained as steady as a mountain, his feet planted in a balanced stance.
As his hands opened and closed, he always managed to catch Li Yun's attacks precisely, deflecting or blocking them. Every so often, he would lightly tap a flaw in Li Yun's technique with a finger. The force was slight, but enough to make Li Yun's moves falter for an instant.
"Not bad, not bad.
"You've got a solid grasp of the basics.
"I only just taught you that way of fighting, yet you can already break it down and use it fluently.
"Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd been practicing for half a year."
After they finished, Xiao Shun showered Li Yun with praise.
Li Yun's fists were exceptionally well practiced. When sparring, he didn't rely on rigid moves; he knew how to adapt.
That made Xiao Shun's eyes light up.
"You flatter me, Senior Brother. I've just practiced a lot, so it comes naturally.
"I can't even make you take a single step back."
Li Yun wasn't some martial arts master.
Still, he knew that he couldn't just memorize moves by rote; he had to adapt.
A fist technique that could hit its target was a good one.
"Haha, you're only at the Body Tempering Realm. If you could make me budge, wouldn't that make my Dark Force worthless?"
"Senior Brother, could you tell me about the differences in strength between martial artists? It'd help me know what to watch out for."
Li Yun wanted to learn more about martial artists' strength while he had the chance.
"All right." Xiao Shun nodded.
"I'll give you a general overview, and you can use it as a reference.
"You've experienced the Body Tempering Realm for yourself, so I'll skip that and start with Bright Force.
"Bright Force is hard strength, fierce and domineering.
"Power springs from the bones, and the body follows the force.
"With a single punch, you can easily break half a meter of bluestone.
"If your blood and qi are abundant enough to reach nine bursts, taking on ten people at once in the Body Tempering Realm is no great feat."
As he spoke, Xiao Shun tensed his entire body. In an instant, his muscles and bones rang out together.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack.
Nine sharp bursts sounded in succession.
"Dark Force is soft strength. It's hidden within, penetrating without a trace.
"It's supple and tricky. Even through clothes or armor, it can shake and injure the internal organs.
"As for Transforming Force, you have to unite Bright Force and Dark Force, balancing hardness and softness until your power flows in a perfect circle.
"I don't know exactly what it's like.
"Only Master and Senior Brother have reached that level in the courtyard."
Xiao Shun continued explaining:
"The Tiger-Subduing Stance trains your blood and qi; it's the source of your strength.
"The Tiger Subduing Fist is the method for putting that strength into your strikes."
"I see. Thank you for explaining, Senior Brother."
"Mm. Keep practicing. I have something to take care of, so I'm heading out for a bit."
"Take care, Senior Brother."
Li Yun clasped his hands in thanks and watched him leave.
Afterward, he focused on his training again.
After lunch.
Li Yun rested for a while, then went to a corner to stretch his muscles and bones before practicing his stance.
He planted his feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead, and bent his knees until his thighs were parallel to the ground, keeping his knees behind his toes.
He raised his hands to chest height, palms down, fingers spread as if pressing on a tiger's head. He held his back straight, tucked his chin slightly, and gazed forward.
He lowered his shoulders and elbows, expanded his chest and drew his back up, breathing from his abdomen.
[ Tiger-Subduing Stance: +1 ]
[ Tiger-Subduing Stance (Beginner): 8/5000 ]
"Too slow.
"I need to find a way to get some money.
"Tomorrow, I'll seek out Second Senior Brother and ask him. If that doesn't work, I'll go back to Mountain-Back Village and hunt.
"As for He Xiuyong, I need to find a way to deal with him once and for all."
After finishing his stance practice, Li Yun sat to the side and rested.
Looking at the panel in his mind, he made up his mind.
Just as Li Yun was about to resume practicing his fists, a gentle, melodious voice called out:
"Junior Brother Li Yun? Could I have a chat with you?"
The newcomer had delicate features, but what drew the eye was her ample bosom.
A slender frame, bearing such generous fruit.
Her martial arts outfit only emphasized her figure, stretching it almost out of shape.
This was the Yu Qingqing Xiao Shun had mentioned.
Li Yun had noticed her before.
"Senior Sister Yu, is something the matter?"
Yu Qingqing smiled brightly, folding her hands across her chest.
"I heard that a 'Martial Fanatic' had joined our inner courtyard. Apparently, since entering the academy, he'd spent every waking moment practicing martial arts.
"So I came to have a look."
A Martial Fanatic?
Li Yun had no idea that people were saying that about him.
"I only have seven-grade bone structure, and no other advantages.
"If I want to make progress in martial arts, all I can do is work hard.
"I was lucky enough to open my qi-and-blood channels and enter the Body Tempering Realm.
"I hope I haven't made you laugh, Senior Sister."
Yu Qingqing neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Reaching the Body Tempering Realm in a little over three months is impressive. With support, you have a good chance of developing Bright Force within two years.
"Have you thought about it, Junior Brother?"
With support, developing Bright Force within two years was what one could normally expect from someone with seven-grade bone structure.
Hearing Yu Qingqing say that, Li Yun felt his talent wasn't so bad after all. Without support, developing Bright Force in a little over six hundred days seemed perfectly acceptable.
"Second Senior Brother said that to build up your blood and qi and develop Bright Force, two parts come from training and eight from eating.
"I've already asked Second Senior Brother to help me find a job, so I can earn some silver, buy Blood Replenishing Powder, and build up my blood and qi faster."
Yu Qingqing nodded. She didn't waste time beating around the bush and went straight to the reason she had come.
"Your diligence has impressed me, so I'd like to invest in you.
"I'll give you three doses of Blood Replenishing Powder a month. How does that sound?"
That was a lot.
One dose of Blood Replenishing Powder cost five taels of silver.
Li Yun's first thought was that the conditions would be steep.
"What would I have to do in return?"
"You."
...?
Before you continue