Mastery, Apprenticeship

"Kill, kill, kill..."

A surge of intense killing intent welled up from the depths of Chen Zhuo's heart, crashing against his mind like a raging tide.

When he raised his eyes, everything before him was a sea of scarlet.

He saw Yan Ming.

Amidst the crimson mist, the corners of Yan Ming's mouth were split all the way to his ears, and he was grinning at him with a sinister expression.

What right do you have to laugh?

What qualifications do you have to laugh?

I'll slaughter you!

Chen Zhuo could barely suppress the overwhelming killing intent in his heart. Just as he was about to rise, a powerful force of will descended, forcing him to regain a brief moment of clarity.

Everything before his eyes returned to normal.

"No, it shouldn't be like this..."

"Kill, kill, kill..."

Chen Zhuo cycled between brutality and clarity countless times until the sky began to brighten and the first cockcrow rang out, at which point he snapped back to his senses.

"What just happened to me... how could I suddenly feel such violent killing intent?"

As Chen Zhuo's eyes regained their clarity, this question immediately surfaced in his mind.

What on earth was that liquid poured into the pool?

Filled with doubt, Chen Zhuo scanned his surroundings, but he could not find any sign of Yan Ming.

The Blood-Strengthening Soup in the pool had turned cold, yet he remained in his fist-posture, not having moved an inch.

Just as he was about to stand up, a line of small text suddenly floated before his eyes, causing his eyelids to twitch violently.

[Iron Cloth Shirt +3]

Wait, it just added three points directly?

Chen Zhuo's breath hitched.

"Something isn't right."

Chen Zhuo suddenly sensed something strange about his body.

He tried pressing his skin; the moment it indented, it immediately sprang back.

It was incredibly resilient, and its thickness had increased at least several times over.

He felt the changes in his body profoundly.

Chen Zhuo stood up, the soup dripping slowly from his chiseled, statue-like physique and splashing into the pool.

As he tensed his arm, thick veins bulged beneath his skin.

A strange and powerful force surged from within his body.

He felt as though he could kill a bull with a single punch.

With a thought, the panel appeared.

[Realm: Body Refining (Tendon Forging)]

[Practice: Iron Cloth Shirt: (88/150) (Proficient)]

As if struck by an electric current, Chen Zhuo froze in place.

His pupils slowly constricted, then gradually dilated.

After checking repeatedly, he was certain he hadn't misread it.

"In just one night, the Iron Cloth Shirt has surged by over a hundred points."

Chen Zhuo clenched his fists, his well-defined knuckles popping.

It felt like a bowstring pulled to its limit.

This power...

There was no mistake.

In just a few short days, his Iron Cloth Shirt had jumped from uninitiated to proficient.

Chen Zhuo cupped his hands together, scooping up the soup from the pool.

Watching the liquid slip through his fingers, he felt as if a lifetime had passed.

"What exactly was the liquid poured into the Blood-Strengthening Soup?"

Chen Zhuo stared blankly at the soup at his feet, muttering in confusion.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a stubbly beard pushed the door open and walked in.

"Your capacity is not bad at all."

Yan Ming locked onto the main point the moment he stepped inside, showing no surprise at the progress in Chen Zhuo's martial path.

"We're both men; are you small?"

Chen Zhuo snatched up his clothes and pants, wiped himself off casually, and was fully dressed in a flash.

Yan Ming glanced downward but didn't dwell on the question, turning to push the door open. "Let's go. Time to pay respects to our master."

"Huh? Where is the old master?"

Chen Zhuo tilted his head.

"Right here in the yamen."

Yan Ming offered no further explanation, stepping over the threshold and heading straight out.

Chen Zhuo watched his back, following along with a thoughtful expression.

After only a few steps, the two arrived at a side room adjacent to their own.

It looked even older than the main room, yet the steps, doors, and windows were spotless, clearly cleaned on a regular basis.

Chen Zhuo had already begun to guess the truth.

When Yan Ming opened the door and he followed him inside, the furnishings confirmed his suspicions.

Upon entering, he saw an incense altar set in the center, with a portrait hanging on the wall.

The man in the portrait was young, wearing a scholar's cap and holding a feather fan, looking every bit the intellectual.

Beneath the portrait sat a spirit tablet inscribed with the two characters: "Ling Yun."

He hadn't even been apprenticed yet, and his master was already gone.

"Kneel."

Yan Ming's voice was calm. Without a second thought, Chen Zhuo dropped to his knees with a thud and bowed low.

Thud, thud, thud.

He pressed his forehead firmly to the ground three times.

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

Since his senior brother had already spoken the words last night, he had officially entered the sect; there was no turning back.

Regardless of whether the man was still among the living, he was Chen Zhuo's master.

A hint of satisfaction appeared on Yan Ming's face as he urged with a smile, "Don't just keep kowtowing; you must offer incense."

Chen Zhuo followed the rites, offering a stick of incense to the master he had never met.

As the smoke curled, he noticed three smaller spirit tablets beside his master's.

"Who are the other three?"

"They are your senior brothers."

Chen Zhuo offered three sticks of incense to each of the other three tablets, then turned to Yan Ming and bowed. "Senior Brother."

"When Master was alive, he took in twelve disciples in total. Aside from me and the three on the altar, you can consider the rest dead."

"You are the thirteenth."

"As you can see, the old master has already passed on. If you want to regret this now, it's too late."

Yan Ming stood up and helped Chen Zhuo to his feet, then turned to look at the scholar in the portrait, his eyes flickering as he spoke.

"Having entered this sect, you must uphold the master's grace. With Master gone, I, as your senior brother, will naturally pass on everything I know to you. As for how much you can learn, that depends on your own ability."

Chen Zhuo nodded, though he hesitated to speak.

Seeing the confusion written all over his face, Yan Ming walked to the altar, lifted one of the table legs, and pulled out a small, square booklet.

Whoosh...

He blew the dust off the booklet and handed it to Chen Zhuo.

"All your questions can be answered within this volume."

Chen Zhuo took the booklet, his gaze falling upon the cover.

The mottled marks of time were etched firmly into it, and from the weathered surface, he could faintly make out two characters.

"Heaven Gate."

"Iron?"

Chen Zhuo rubbed it with his finger in surprise, but found the booklet was neither gold nor iron, yet exceptionally hard; he couldn't tell what material it was made of.

"One more thing."

Yan Ming patted Chen Zhuo on the shoulder, his expression solemn. "The name of our sect must not be revealed to others for the time being."

"Wh—"

Chen Zhuo opened his mouth, then immediately shut it.

He realized he had been about to ask a very foolish question.

There is only one reason why the name of a sect cannot be spread abroad.

Enemies?

Chen Zhuo immediately felt as if he had walked into a den of thieves.

At this moment, a rough voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"Is Master Yan in?"

Yan Ming glanced at Chen Zhuo, then walked straight out.

Chen Zhuo put away the booklet, bowed to his master, and followed him out.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw that the visitor was actually Dunzi Xiao Liu from the kitchen.

"Master Chen is here too."

Xiao Liu smiled and waved at Chen Zhuo, then turned his head and said, "Master Yan, it is time for the Morning Assembly. As it happens, Master Chen is here as well, so we can all go together."

"Me? Do I have the qualifications to attend the Morning Assembly?"

Chen Zhuo felt puzzled.

To be precise, even Dunzi Xiao Liu, who stood before him, did not have the qualifications to attend.

The Morning Assembly was just like the morning meetings at his company in his past life; usually, only officials and official yamen runners were allowed to participate.

"This morning's assembly is different. Lord Liu specifically ordered that everyone in the yamen must attend."

"I heard it concerns the Autumn Hunt."