Mastery and Apprenticeship

"Kill, kill, kill..."

A fierce killing intent surged up from deep within Chen Zhuo, like raging waves battering at his mind.

When he looked up, everything before him had turned crimson.

He saw Yan Ming.

In the crimson haze, Yan Ming's mouth stretched all the way to his ears. He grinned at Chen Zhuo with an eerie smile.

What gave you the right to laugh?

What made you worthy of laughing?

I'll kill you!

Chen Zhuo nearly lost control of the overwhelming killing intent in his heart. Just as he was about to rise, a powerful will descended and forced him back into a brief moment of clarity.

Everything before him returned to normal.

"Something's wrong. It shouldn't be like this..."

"Kill, kill, kill..."

Chen Zhuo cycled between savagery and lucidity countless times. It wasn't until dawn broke and the first rooster crowed that he finally snapped fully awake.

"What... Why did I suddenly feel such a savage urge to kill?"

As his gaze cleared, this was the first question that surfaced in Chen Zhuo's mind.

What exactly was the liquid poured into the pool?

Puzzled, Chen Zhuo scanned his surroundings, but Yan Ming was nowhere to be seen.

The Blood-Strengthening Soup in the pool had gone cold. Chen Zhuo was still holding his fist stance, without having moved an inch.

He had just started to get up when a line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes, making his eyelids twitch violently.

[Iron Cloth Shirt +3]

Wait, it went up by three points just like that?

Chen Zhuo's breath caught.

"Something's not right."

Chen Zhuo suddenly felt something strange about his body.

He pressed a hand against his skin. The moment it sank beneath his touch, it sprang right back into place.

It was remarkably resilient, and at least several times thicker than before.

He could clearly feel the changes in his body.

Chen Zhuo stood up. The soup trickled down his chiseled frame, splashing into the pool in tiny ripples.

He tensed his arm slightly, and thick blue veins bulged.

An unfamiliar yet powerful force surged through him.

He felt as if he could kill a bull with one punch.

At a thought, his status panel appeared.

[Realm: Body Refining (Tendon Tempering)]

[Training Method: Iron Cloth Shirt (88/150) (Mastery)]

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

His pupils slowly contracted, then gradually widened.

He checked again and again. He definitely hadn't been seeing things.

"In just one night, Iron Cloth Shirt has shot up by more than a hundred points."

Chen Zhuo clenched his fist. His clearly defined knuckles crackled.

The tension was like a bowstring pulled to its limit.

This strength...

There was no doubt about it.

In just a few short days, Iron Cloth Shirt had gone from not even initiated to mastery.

Chen Zhuo cupped his hands and scooped up some of the soup.

Watching it slip through his fingers, he felt as if an entire lifetime had passed.

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

Chen Zhuo stared blankly at the soup at his feet and murmured in confusion.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a face full of stubble pushed open the door and walked in.

"You've got a decent build."

Yan Ming had gone straight to the point as soon as he entered. He didn't seem surprised by Chen Zhuo's progress in martial arts.

"We're both men. Are you small?"

Chen Zhuo grabbed his clothes and trousers, casually wiped himself down, and quickly got dressed.

Yan Ming glanced down but didn't pursue the question. He turned and pushed open the door. "Come on. It's time to pay your respects to your master."

"Huh? Where is the old master?"

Chen Zhuo tilted his head.

"At the Yamen."

Yan Ming said no more. He stepped over the threshold and walked out.

Watching him go, Chen Zhuo followed thoughtfully.

They hadn't gone far before they reached a side room beside the one they'd just left.

It looked older than the main room, but the steps, doors, and windows were all spotless, as though someone cleaned them regularly.

Chen Zhuo had already begun to guess what was going on.

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

An altar stood in the center of the room, with a portrait hanging on the wall.

The person in the portrait looked young. He wore a scholar's headscarf and held a feather fan, making him look like a scholar.

Beneath the portrait sat a spirit tablet bearing the name "Ling Yun."

His master was already dead, before Chen Zhuo had even paid his respects.

"Kneel."

At Yan Ming's calm command, Chen Zhuo dropped to both knees without hesitation and bowed.

"Bang, bang, bang."

He knocked his head firmly against the floor three times.

"Your disciple pays his respects to Master."

His senior brother had called him that last night, so he had already entered the sect. There was no turning back.

Whether his master was still alive or not, Ling Yun was his master now.

A hint of satisfaction crossed Yan Ming's face. Smiling, he urged, "Don't just kowtow. You need to offer incense too."

Following the proper rites, Chen Zhuo offered a stick of incense to the master he had never met.

Through the drifting smoke, he noticed three smaller spirit tablets beside his master's.

"Who are the other three?"

"They're your senior brothers."

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

"Master took twelve disciples in all while he was alive. Apart from me and the three on the altar, you can consider the rest dead."

"You're the thirteenth."

"As you can see, Master has passed away. If you want to regret this now, it's already too late."

Yan Ming helped Chen Zhuo to his feet, then turned to look at the scholar in the portrait. His eyes flickered as he said:

"Now that you've entered the sect, you must carry on your master's legacy. With Master gone, I, your senior brother, will naturally teach you everything I know. How much you learn depends on your own ability."

Chen Zhuo nodded, but hesitated as if he wanted to say something.

Yan Ming saw the questions written all over his face. He went to the altar, lifted one of its legs, and pulled out a small, square booklet.

"Phew..."

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

"You'll find answers to all your questions in this booklet."

Chen Zhuo took it and looked at its cover.

The marks of time were deeply etched across it. Through the decayed cover, he could just make out two characters.

"Heaven Gate."

"Iron?"

Chen Zhuo rubbed it with his finger in surprise, but the booklet was neither metal nor iron. It was unusually hard, and he couldn't tell what it was made of.

"There's one more thing."

Yan Ming patted Chen Zhuo on the shoulder and said solemnly, "For now, no one must learn the name of our sect."

"Why..."

Chen Zhuo started to speak, then immediately shut his mouth.

He felt foolish for asking.

There could only be one reason the sect's name couldn't be revealed.

They had enemies?

Chen Zhuo suddenly felt like he'd joined a den of thieves.

Just then, a rough voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Is Master Yan there?"

Yan Ming glanced at Chen Zhuo, then went straight outside.

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

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

"Master Chen is here too."

Xiao Liu waved at Chen Zhuo with a smile, then turned to Yan Ming. "Master Yan, it's time for Morning Assembly. Since Master Chen is here too, we can all go together."

"Me? Am I allowed to attend Morning Assembly?"

Chen Zhuo was puzzled.

To be precise, even Dunzi Xiao Liu, standing before him, wasn't qualified to go.

Morning Assembly was like the morning meetings at his old company. Normally, only officials and regular Yamen runners could attend.

"This morning's assembly is different. Lord Liu specifically ordered everyone at the Yamen to attend."

"I heard it has something to do with the Autumn Hunt."