Aptitude and Talent

The next day, Lu Zhen rose at dawn.

Instead of going out to pull a cart as usual, he drew a bucket of well water and scrubbed himself clean.

He changed into a patchless set of blue cotton short clothes and put on the new black cloth shoes he had stitched yesterday.

After tucking the silver dollars close against his body, Lu Zhen left Pig Cage Alley and headed straight for South City Old Street.

At the end of the old street stood the "Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall."

Its frontage was not large. Two black-lacquered wooden doors stood wide open, with a pair of hitching posts planted outside.

The signboard was somewhat old, but the four characters upon it seemed to pierce through the wood with force, carrying an unyielding spirit at a glance.

A burly woman in a gray sleeveless vest leaned against the doorframe, picking her teeth.

She was built broad and thick, her arms a full circle thicker than an ordinary man's thighs.

When she saw Lu Zhen approach, the woman put on no airs. She merely lazily lifted her eyelids.

"What do you want?"

Lu Zhen stopped and clasped his fists. "Senior Sister, I want to learn boxing."

The burly woman gave Lu Zhen a once-over.

Standing so close, Lu Zhen could even clearly see the tuft of nose hair in her nostrils quivering slightly with each breath.

Though he was not particularly imposing, his frame was broad and his palms were covered in calluses. One look was enough to tell that he came from a hard life of manual labor.

Of the people who came to Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, eight out of ten were this sort.

Either they carried loads at the docks or pulled carts, all hoping to learn a few practical fighting skills and find work as estate guards for wealthy households.

The woman did not make things difficult for him. She stepped aside, made way, and casually pointed inside.

"Go in. Master is drinking tea in the back courtyard."

"Thank you."

Lu Zhen stepped over the high threshold.

The front courtyard was a large Training Ground, its floor paved with compacted yellow earth, hard beneath one's feet.

Several dozen men were practicing there.

Some were bare-chested, their muscles knotted like twisted dragons as they lifted stone locks weighing dozens of pounds, doing presses with loud huffs.

Others held horse stances, their legs rooted to the ground. Even in the bitter cold, white vapor rose from their foreheads.

Several more gathered around a large vat, fiercely slapping the iron sand within with their palms, producing sharp crackling sounds.

The stink of sweat mixed with the pungent bite of medicinal wine for bruises and injuries, rushing straight into his nostrils.

Lu Zhen did not linger over the sight. He crossed the Training Ground and entered the back courtyard.

The back courtyard was far quieter.

A bamboo reclining chair sat beneath the eaves.

A wiry little old man half reclined upon it, cradling a purple clay teapot and taking an occasional sip.

This was the hall master, Yan Tieqiao.

He looked somewhat slovenly, less like a master and more like a wealthy old gentleman basking in the sun.

Lu Zhen stepped forward and respectfully bowed.

"Master Yan."

Yan Tieqiao did not even raise his eyelids. "You want to learn boxing? At your age, are you learning it so you can go be a foreigner's punching bag and die?"

Lu Zhen froze for a moment, but did not get angry. He simply answered honestly, "I want to learn some skills to protect myself."

"Skills for self-defense? Do you think the true arts of Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall can be learned by bones like yours?" Yan Tieqiao snorted coldly.

This string of malicious barbs rained down like a barrage, leaving Lu Zhen somewhat bewildered.

He could not help wondering, He is the master of a martial arts hall, so why does he speak with no bearing at all, more like a street ruffian?

But he had already faced life and death. His temperament had long been honed into extreme steadiness, and naturally, he would not fly into a rage over a few insults.

He simply looked at Yan Tieqiao.

Seeing that Lu Zhen remained unruffled by honor or disgrace, Yan Tieqiao finally gave him a proper look. His tone returned to normal.

"Do you have enough money?"

Lu Zhen obediently took out the packet of silver dollars from his chest and offered it with both hands. "Enough."

"The apprenticeship fee is eight dollars. That is incense money for the patriarchs. Once paid, it will not be refunded."

"After that, eight dollars every month. That covers your food and medicine."

At the mention of eight dollars, Lu Zhen's heart skipped. He had heard it was four dollars a month.

The price had gone up. Fortunately, he had made some gains yesterday, so he could barely afford it.

Yan Tieqiao extended a finger and tapped the table.

"The doors open at six in the morning. You train until noon."

"We provide one meal at noon. All you can eat, with meat."

"Every ten days, you receive a bowl of Blood Qi Soup. It will nourish your body and build your strength."

Having said that, he looked at Lu Zhen. "If you can endure hardship, put down the money. If you cannot, turn around and walk out. I do not keep people who want to leave."

Lu Zhen considered it.

This arrangement was perfect.

He could practice boxing in the morning and even get a good meal at noon, saving on expenses at home.

He could pull carts in the afternoon and at night. It would be more tiring, but it would not interfere with earning money to support his family, nor would it delay the Daily Settlement.

"I'll learn."

Lu Zhen said nothing more. He counted out sixteen silver dollars and stacked them neatly on the table.

Yan Tieqiao glanced at the stack of silver coins, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the silver dollars on the table vanished without a trace.

"Good. You're a straightforward one."

Yan Tieqiao reclined in his chair again and shouted toward the front courtyard.

"Xiong Yue!"

"Yes, Master!"

The burly woman who had been picking her teeth outside strode in like a black bear.

Yan Tieqiao pointed at Lu Zhen. "This is the newcomer, Lu Zhen. He has paid. Take him under your wing for now. Teach him how to stand the stance first, then get him a set of clothes."

The woman named Xiong Yue grinned and beckoned Lu Zhen over.

"Let's go, Junior Brother."

Lu Zhen clasped his fists and bowed to Yan Tieqiao once more, then turned and followed Xiong Yue.

After leaving the back courtyard, Xiong Yue led Lu Zhen into a side room and tossed him a set of coarse cloth training clothes.

After changing, Lu Zhen came back out.

The clothes were somewhat loose and carried the scent of old soapberries, but the fabric was sturdy and breathable, excellent attire for training.

Xiong Yue leaned to one side, watching Lu Zhen with a grin as she explained, "Junior Brother, Master's words in the back courtyard were harsh just now, but don't take them to heart." As she spoke, those unruly nose hairs in her nostrils twitched again.

Without changing expression, Lu Zhen shifted his gaze away and asked in confusion, "Master was just..."

"Master was deliberately testing you!" Xiong Yue patted his shoulder with a palm the size of a cattail fan, nearly sending Lu Zhen staggering. "These times are chaotic. Most people who practice martial arts want to fight and show off their ferocity. Master was judging your character.

"If he meets someone who flies into a rage at the first insult, someone impulsive who cannot control their temper, then no matter how high their aptitude is, our martial arts hall would not dare accept them!"

Xiong Yue sighed. "A violent temper easily causes trouble. Once someone relies on a few moves of martial arts to act rashly and stir up trouble, not only might they lose their own life, they could bring heaven-sized trouble upon the martial arts hall and all of us.

"You managed not to turn hostile or lose your temper. That proves your temperament is steady. You passed Master's test in his heart."

After hearing this, Lu Zhen suddenly understood and then asked.

"Senior Sister Xiong Yue, to be honest, when I attended school years ago, I followed an instructor and practiced a few days of practical fighting skills. If we are talking about foundations, I do have a little."

Xiong Yue grinned, revealing a row of sturdy teeth.

"You've trained before? That's great."

She slapped the stone lock beside her, making dull booming sounds.

"Since you have entered Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall, it does not matter what flashy, ornamental moves you learned before. Once you are here, you follow our rules.

"We do not bother with empty show here. Everyone who enters starts from the Early Force Refining Realm."

Lu Zhen nodded respectfully, then asked.

"Senior Sister, what methods does our hall mainly teach?"

Xiong Yue straightened up and planted her hands on her hips, like an iron tower. A hint of pride appeared on her face.

"Our Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall relies on two unique arts."

"One is a 'method,' called the Coiling Dragon Stake. It is used to stand the stance, set your roots, and circulate your qi and blood. Once mastered, your lower body will be as steady as an old tree with roots coiled deep."

"One is a 'strike,' called the Iron Wire Fist. It is a hard bridge, hard horse art, training these two arms. Once mastered, your arms will be as hard as raw iron, and splitting steles or cracking stone will be nothing."

At this point, Xiong Yue's smile faded. Her eyes turned serious as she raised two thick, stubby fingers and waved them before Lu Zhen.

"But remember this, Junior Brother. The master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on the individual."

"You have two months."

"Two months?" Lu Zhen frowned slightly.

"That's right, two months." Xiong Yue said in a deep voice, "During those two months, whether it is the Coiling Dragon Stake or the Iron Wire Fist, as long as you can train either one to Mastery, you will pass."

"Or..."

Xiong Yue paused, her gaze sweeping over Lu Zhen as if weighing his measure.

"Or if you can thoroughly train your body and directly break through from the Early Force Refining Realm to the Mid Force Refining Realm, that counts as skill too. You can stay all the same."

Lu Zhen began calculating inwardly.

In the Force Refining Realm, each level was a world apart.

There were as many martial artists in the world as hairs on an ox, but among ten of them, perhaps only one or two could fully refine their strength and advance from the early stage to the middle stage.

That required work as steady as water wearing through stone, tempering oneself day after day. At best, it took three to five years; at worst, seven or eight.

Breaking through in two months?

Unless one was a once-in-ten-thousand martial arts prodigy, or drank precious medicinal soup like water.

For someone of poor birth like him, this path was harder than climbing to heaven.

Seeing Lu Zhen remain silent, Xiong Yue assumed he had been frightened. Her tone softened, and she patted his shoulder again, her voice carrying a note of temptation.

"Don't think Master is too harsh. As long as you pass this trial, you can become an Initiate Disciple of our martial arts hall."

"At that point, Master will truly treat you as one of his own and personally teach you the real thing."

"And..." Xiong Yue lowered her rough voice, "once you become an Initiate Disciple, you can eat and live in the hall. You will not need to pay a single cent in tuition, and you will even receive a monthly silver dollar stipend!"

Lu Zhen's eyes lit up.

No need to pay money, money would even be given to him, and he could learn genuine skills.

This was what he wanted.

As for breaking through realms, that was a matter for the distant future. It could not be rushed.

For now, the safest path was to grind away at either the Coiling Dragon Stake or the Iron Wire Fist over these two months and make certain he reached Mastery.

Only once he had entered the door and become a true disciple could he truly plant his feet firmly.

Lu Zhen took a deep breath and heavily clasped his fist toward Xiong Yue.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister. I understand."

"Please teach me, Senior Sister!"

"Watch carefully."

Xiong Yue walked to an open patch of the Training Ground and took a deep breath. Her casual expression instantly vanished.

She stomped both feet down fiercely. The soles of her feet seemed to grow roots, gripping the ground tightly.

"This is the Coiling Dragon Stake. Its principle is: 'The body is like a roaming dragon, its roots planted in the Nine Springs.'"

Xiong Yue's back arched slightly. With each breath, her great spine seemed to come alive, subtly rising, falling, and writhing.

The muscles of her thighs tensed, stretching her trouser legs taut. She looked less like someone standing and more like a giant python coiled up, ready to spring.

Then Xiong Yue gave a low shout and sank her qi into her dantian.

"Hah!"

Her thick arms shot out like two iron whips cracking through the air.

"This is the Iron Wire Fist. Hard bridge, hard horse; strength rises from the ground and force runs through the fingertips."

"Smack! Smack! Smack!"

Three punches in succession. With every punch, a crisp explosion burst through the air, the sound of sleeves snapping and force piercing outward.

After the demonstration, Xiong Yue withdrew her stance and exhaled. Her face was not red, nor was she short of breath.

She pointed to several new apprentices nearby, drenched in sweat, and said to Lu Zhen.

"Look at them."

Lu Zhen turned to look.

Those apprentices were standing stances as well, but their bodies were either stiff as boards or shaking like sieves.

When they punched, they had nothing but brute strength. Their strikes looked fierce enough to stir the wind, yet had no method at all. After only a few blows, they had to stop and gasp for breath.

"Can you see it?"

Xiong Yue said gravely, "What they are doing is called 'training blind.' They have nothing but empty forms."

"What I did just now, with the skin and flesh surging and the fist producing sound, that is called Mastery."

"Only when you can produce that crisp sound have you truly trained your force into one whole."

Lu Zhen nodded, his expression solemn.

The gap between them was obvious at a glance.

"Enough. You try it too." Xiong Yue stepped aside.

Lu Zhen had only just walked into the open space and assumed the posture of the Coiling Dragon Stake when he saw a frail apprentice in coarse cloth training clothes like his own standing nearby, hovering around several disciples who had entered earlier.

The youth's waist and back were drawn tight. He seemed to want to ask something, but after holding it in for a long while, he finally stammered out in a trembling voice.

"Se... Senior Brothers, this... this waist... waist force, how... how do you bring it together?"

When the disciples heard him, none reacted. They treated the youth as if he were air.

One of the men merely lifted his eyelids and glanced at the youth, then casually turned away and continued discussing what liquor to drink that evening with the person beside him.

Thinking they had not heard him clearly, the stammering youth awkwardly gestured with both hands. "I-I'm standing... n-not right. My spine... won't sink d-down..."

"Enough, enough." Another man wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel, his brow slightly furrowed and his tone distinctly impatient. "Everyone has their own comprehension. Figure it out yourself, slowly. Can't you see everyone's worn out?"

After saying that, the men exchanged an obscure look.

Song the Stutterer's face flushed bright red as he froze where he stood.

Lu Zhen witnessed the whole scene. The boy probably stuttered and was being subjected to cold violence.

But he said nothing.

A martial arts school was a place where real skill spoke. No one had money in their pockets, and no one was obligated to protect another person's self-respect.

A clay Buddha crossing the river could barely save itself. What he needed to worry about most was whether he could stay.

Lu Zhen took a deep breath, recalled Xiong Yue's movements from earlier, and walked to the middle of the open space.

He first tried the Coiling Dragon Stake.

He spread his feet apart and bent his knees slightly, trying to imitate that feeling of a spine like a dragon.

But the instant he sank down, his entire body felt awkward.

Years of pulling carts had long since stiffened the muscles in his waist and back. Forcing them to twist now only brought unbearable soreness; he simply could not coil himself up.

Before even the time it took to drink half a cup of tea had passed, his legs began to tremble.

Lu Zhen gritted his teeth and held on for a while, then changed from the stance to fists and tried a set of Iron Wire Fist.

"Huff! Huff!"

His fist wind was fairly strong, thanks to his Early Force Refining Realm foundation.

But his movements were stiff, his force clumsy. Forget crisp cracks—even his form looked crooked and warped, no different from the new apprentices around him.

After finishing the set, Lu Zhen was slightly out of breath, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He stopped and looked toward Xiong Yue.

There was no surprise on Xiong Yue's face. She still wore that cheerful expression.

"Not bad. For your first time, being able to put together the whole form is already pretty good."

She walked over and patted Lu Zhen's shoulder. "Martial arts can't be rushed. Memorize the movements first, then think them over more when you go back."

"Practice by yourself for now. I'll go take a look over there."

With that, Xiong Yue offered no further guidance and turned, heading toward the stone locks with heavy steps.

Lu Zhen was not discouraged either.

He knew exactly what he was worth right now.

Without the Panel's boost, he was only an ordinary person who was a little stronger than most.

Backyard, beneath the eaves.

Yan Tieqiao was not resting with his eyes closed as he had been earlier.

Holding a purple clay teapot in his hand, his old eyes, seemingly clouded, were watching Lu Zhen on the Training Ground from afar through the gap in the entry hall.

It was his habit.

A new disciple's performance during their first time practicing fist arts could often determine the prospects of their entire life.

Some people were born with supple muscles and bones, learning as soon as they were taught; others possessed extraordinary comprehension, understanding with the slightest hint.

Yan Tieqiao watched Lu Zhen's stiff stance work and clumsy fist technique. His brows creased faintly, then quickly smoothed out again.

"His form is too rigid, his waist and stance don't work together."

"After all, he's old. A thirty-year-old 'old scholar'—even the gaps in his bones have grown shut."

"His background is pulling carts. He has strength, but it's all stiff force. Turning it lively will be harder than climbing to heaven."

He silently judged in his heart... mediocre to below average.

Forget two months. Even if he were given two years, he might not amount to anything.

"Whatever. I'll treat it as collecting one more share of meal money."

Yan Tieqiao took a sip of tea, closed his eyes again, and no longer concerned himself with the affairs of the front courtyard.