Anju Inn On the second floor, the window is half open.
Chen Jianghe sat cross-legged on the bed, eyes slightly closed, breathing long and slow.
[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence, you will succeed]
[Current skill: Vajra Skill (entry)]
[Progress:20%]
Since checking in yesterday, he has practiced <Vajra Skill> from beginning to end seventeen times.
This horizontal training method obtained from Lei Zhenshan takes a fierce approach, emphasizing the use of Qi and blood to temper the muscles, bones and skin. When practiced to the depths, one can withstand swords and become extremely powerful.
It's just that it's quite painful to practice. Every time you go through it, the bones all over your body feel like they've been hit by a hammer, and the tendons seem to be torn and stretched.
"Dong dong."
There was a gentle knock on the door.
Chen Jianghe slowly withdrew his power and opened his eyes. "Please come in."
The steward of the inn opened the door and walked in with a kind smile on his face. He held a wooden plate in his hand, with a bowl of porridge, two plates of side dishes, and three steamed buns on it.
"Young Hero Chen, it's time for breakfast." The steward placed the wooden plate on the table and did not leave immediately. Instead, he rubbed his hands and hesitated to speak.
Chen Jianghe got out of bed and walked to the table, picked up the steamed bun and took a bite. He raised his eyes and looked at him. "Do you have something to say, steward?"
The steward looked around and lowered his voice. "Young Hero Chen, there is another news this morning - Cangming Court has selected five people, Flame Chen Court has selected four people, and Thick Earth Court has selected three people. In addition to the six people selected by Golden Pivot Court yesterday, there are already eighteen candidates for this session of inner sect."
Chen Jianghe chewed for a moment, then returned to normal.
He picked up the porridge bowl, took a sip, and then said, "How many people are left undecided?"
"Including you, there are seven people." The steward's voice was even lower. "In addition to you, there is that Lin Yan, and the other five----all have bones below Four Forms, and are basically over 20 years old, I'm afraid----"
He didn't say anything further, but the meaning was already obvious.
He is low-born and old, but Court Master from the Fifth Academy has such a high vision? How could he choose a disciple like this?
Chen Jianghe nodded, with a calm expression. "I'll let you know if you can."
Seeing how calm he was, the steward was secretly amazed.
Ordinary young warriors would be anxious if they knew that they had not been selected by the Five Academy.
But this Young Hero Chen is still as calm as ever.
"Then---you can take it easy. Call me if you need anything." The steward bowed and retreated, gently closing the door.
Chen Jianghe Continue to have breakfast.
After eating, he put away the dishes, walked to the window, and opened the window.
The morning light poured into the room, making it warm.
In the courtyard of the inn downstairs, several candidate disciples who had found a place to go and were going up to the mountain to be hospitalized today had gathered together and were chatting excitedly.
"Senior Brother Zhao has entered Golden Pivot Court! That is the first of the five colleges! The future is limitless!"
"Shen Qingyan is even more powerful. Golden Pivot Court and Cangming Court competed for it. In the end, she chose Cangming Court----Tsk, tsk, Seven Forms Root Bone, it's really extraordinary."
"I heard that Golden Pivot Court and Shen Court Master personally spoke and said that if Junior Sister Shen joins Golden Pivot Court, she can directly become his disciple and receive the true inheritance----but she actually chose Cangming Court?"
"Everyone has his or her own ambitions. Cangming Court majors in swordsmanship. Junior Sister Shen might prefer kendo."
Chen Jianghe listened quietly, with no joy or sadness on his face.
He glanced past the high-spirited young faces, then turned to the corner of the inn, where a thin figure was squatting alone under the wall, with his head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking.
It's Lin Yan.
Chen Jianghe looked at him for a moment, then turned around and walked back into the house, picked up the piece of paper Elder Zhou gave him yesterday, then opened the door and went downstairs.
In the courtyard, when the several candidate disciples who were talking saw Chen Jianghe coming out, their voices suddenly became quieter, and their eyes glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally, with a bit of curiosity and a bit of scrutiny.
Chen Jianghe turned a blind eye and walked straight towards Lin Yan under the wall.
"Brother Lin."
Lin Yan raised his head and saw it was Chen Jianghe, with a forced smile on his face, "Chen----Brother Chen."
Chen Jianghe squatted down beside him, took out the plain paper from his arms, and unfolded it. "Brother Lin, do you know that there is a trail in the back mountain of Anju Inn that leads directly to Green Rock Mountain halfway up the mountain? There is a pavilion there with a great view."
Lin Yan was stunned for a moment, took the plain paper, looked at it, and nodded. "I know. The deacon mentioned it yesterday."
"Let's go for a walk together?" Chen Jianghe asked.
Lin Yan was silent for a moment and nodded slowly. "Okay."
The two got up, walked around the main building of the inn, and walked along a winding path paved with bluestones towards the back mountain.
The paths are lined with green bamboos, which rustle when the wind blows.
After walking for a while, my eyes suddenly became clear.
A hexagonal pavilion was built on the edge of the mountain cliff. Standing on the edge of the pavilion, Changxi Prefecture has a panoramic view of most of the city.
The buildings are continuous, the streets are crisscrossed, the city wall is towering in the distance, and Jianghe is like a belt in the distance.
What a prosperous city.
Chen Jianghe stood by the pavilion, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the scene in front of him quietly.
Lin Yan stood beside him, holding the corners of his clothes tightly with his hands, his knuckles turning white.
After a long time, Lin Yan whispered, "Brother Chen——Aren't you anxious?"
Chen Jianghe turned to look at him. "What are you anxious about?"
"The selection of the five academies----only today is the last day left."
Lin Yan's voice was dry, "If there is no news today, you and I can only go to the mountain as ordinary inner disciples. Although we are not handymen, we have to figure out all the cultivation resources by ourselves, including elixirs, exercises, medicinal baths, and weapons. The disciples of the fifth academy have resources distributed by the academy every month; but we--have nothing."
Chen Jianghe turned his eyes to the distance again. "What is Brother Lin's plan?"
Lin Yan gritted his teeth, and a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes. "I——My home is Lin Family Village, three hundred miles away from Changxi Prefecture. My parents died early, and I only have one younger sister left.. I have been weak since I was a child, with only Four Forms in my bones, so my cultivation is several times slower than others. But I am not willing to accept it----so I practice hard, and it took me eight full years, and finally this year I got a breakthrough by luck----"
He paused and his voice became even lower. "But only when I came to the Xingyi Sect did I know that Four Forms has a bone and becomes strong at the age of nineteen——
Here, there is nothing. The fifth hospital Court Master won't even look at me."
He raised his head and looked at Chen Jianghe: "Brother Chen, you are better than me. Five Forms Root Bone, you have gained strength at the age of eighteen. But here----it's still not enough. Do you know why?"
Chen Jianghe shook his head.
Lin Yan took a deep breath. "I have made inquiries in the past two days. Among the candidate disciples this year, there are nine with Six Forms and above, and fifteen with Five Forms Root Bone. The Fifth Academy recruits disciples every year, and the number of places is limited. There are many monks and few, so naturally we have to choose the best."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "That's it."
Lin Yan Seeing that he was still calm, he couldn't help but said, "Brother Chen, are you really not in a hurry at all? If you can't enter the Fifth Academy, you have to earn all the resources yourself! Without the aid of elixirs, the cultivation speed is as slow as a snail; without the guidance of exercises, you can only practice the most basic things; without medicinal baths to temper the body, the foundation cannot be laid! If this continues, the gap with the disciples of the Fifth Academy will only get wider and wider!"
Chen Jianghe turned to look at him. "Brother Lin, is there anything you can do?"
Lin Yan was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "Yes----but it only applies to one person.
"Want to hear the details."
"Soaring Wood Court." Lin Yan spat out three words, with a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes, "Among the five academies, Soaring Wood Court specializes in healing alchemy, light kung fu and hidden weapons. This academy recruits disciples, which is different from the other four academies - in addition to looking at talent, it also looks at one thing."
Chen Jianghe's eyes moved slightly. "What is it?"
"Money." Lin Yan said one word at a time, "Or in other words, resources."
He explained, "Soaring Wood Court's study of medical alchemy requires a large amount of medicinal materials and rare treasures for research. Therefore, there is an unwritten rule - if the disciple can pay enough resources, he can be admitted to the hospital as an exception."
Chen Jianghe knew clearly. "How much?"
Lin Yan shook his head. "I don't know. It is said that it varies from person to person. The better the bones are, the less is needed; the worse the bones are, the more is needed. But at least----it will cost a thousand taels of silver."
Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment and asked, "Brother Lin knows this method, why don't you try it?"
"I can't afford to try." Lin Yan said calmly, "My family is poor and I can't afford that much money. Even if I scrape together everything and join Soaring Wood Court, I will still bear all the resources needed for subsequent practice. I can't afford it. Although Soaring Wood Court can use money to pave the way, after being admitted to the hospital, everything still has to depend on oneself. If there is no significant improvement in cultivation within a year, Court Master will be persuaded to quit - by then, the money will be spent and the future will be lost."
He smiled bitterly, "When I left home, I only took a hundred taels of silver with me. I spent all my money on the journey, and now I only have twenty or a thousand taels left - I have never seen so much money in my life."
He looked at Chen Jianghe and said sincerely, "Brother Chen, I think you have a calm demeanor and are not from an ordinary background. If you have money, you might as well try Soaring Wood Court. This is the last way."
Chen Jianghe did not answer immediately.
He turned his gaze back to the prosperous city at the foot of the mountain, thinking quickly in his mind.
Money, he has it.
Master Li Chengyue was seriously injured and in a coma. He was dying and needed urgent treatment.
And he came to the Xingyi Sect not only to find a spiritual path for himself, but also to seek a chance of survival for his master.
If you can't even get through the inner door, how can you talk about seeking medicine? How can you talk about saving people?
The status of an ordinary inner disciple----too slow and uncontrollable.
He couldn't afford to wait, and Master couldn't even wait.
Must be admitted to hospital.
We must get in touch with the core inheritance of the Xingyi Sect as soon as possible, improve our strength as soon as possible, and find a way to save the master as soon as possible.
Besides, if money can solve a problem, it's not a problem!
With this thought, the last trace of hesitation in Chen Jianghe's eyes disappeared.
He turned to look at Lin Yan and said slowly, "Brother Lin, what are your plans for the future?"
A trace of sadness flashed in Lin Yan's eyes. "I----I will go down the mountain today. In Changxi Prefecture, there is Martial Dao family Chang Family, who is recruiting talents. Although I have a low base, I have used my strength and cultivation to find a job there. First establish a firm foothold, and then slowly plan for the future."
He paused and said with a wry smile, "It's better than being an inner disciple with limited resources here and wasting time."
Chen Jianghe nodded, took out a fifty-tael silver note from his pocket, and stuffed it into Lin Yan's hand.
Lin Yan was stunned. "Brother Chen, what are you——"
"A little thought." Chen Jianghe said calmly, "Brother Lin told me frankly, and Chen is grateful. I'm going to the Chang Family. I'm new here, so it's inevitable that I'll have some money. Just accept it."
Lin Yan looked at the fifty-tael banknote in his hand, his lips trembled and his eye circles turned red.
Fifty taels of silver.
To him, this is a huge sum of money.
"Brother Chen----this----this is too valuable----I can't accept it----" Lin Yan's voice trembled.
"Take it." Chen Jianghe's tone was unquestionable, "If Brother Lin succeeds in something in the future, it won't be too late to return it to me."
Lin Yan clutched the banknote tightly for a long time before nodding heavily and bowing deeply to Chen Jianghe: "Brother Chen is so kind, Lin Yan will remember it in my heart! If he has the chance, he will repay you generously!"
Chen Jianghe helped him up. "It doesn't have to be like this. The world is far apart, so everyone takes care of themselves."
The two stood for a while longer before Lin Yan said goodbye and went down the mountain.
Chen Jianghe stood alone in the pavilion, watching his thin but straight back gradually go away, and finally disappeared around the corner of the mountain road.
"Chang Family----"
He whispered to himself in a low voice, with a flash of thought in his eyes.
Changxi Prefecture is one of the two Martial Dao families with profound heritage.
Lin Yan Going here may be a way out.
But this path is not suitable for him.
Chen Jianghe turned around and looked towards Green Rock Mountain where it was higher up. The clouds and mist shrouded the palace, which was the inner mountain of the Xingyi Sect.
Soaring Wood Court----It's over there.
He no longer hesitated and stepped down the mountain, returning to Anju Inn.
In the afternoon, Chen Jianghe found the steward of the inn, asked for the direction of Soaring Wood Court, and then went up the mountain alone.
Soaring Wood Court is not on the main peak, but on a partial peak on the west side of Green Rock Mountain.
This peak is named "Hundred Herb Peak". The mountain is gentler than the main peak. Along the way, you can see continuous medicinal fields, where disciples shuttle, watering and fertilizing, or picking medicinal materials, creating a busy scene.
Chen Jianghe Walked up the stone steps, and after about half an hour, you saw a courtyard with green tiles and white walls built against the mountain.
The courtyard door is open, and a plaque hangs on the lintel with the words "Soaring Wood Court" written in it. The font is clear and elegant, conveying a sense of vitality.
There is no one at the door.
Chen Jianghe Stepping in, the layout of the courtyard is elegant, with various exotic flowers and herbs planted, and the aroma of medicine is fragrant.
The main hall door was open, and sitting inside was a forty-year-old deacon in green robe with a thin face, looking down at a thick account book.
Chen Jianghe walked to the front of the hall, cupped his fists and saluted. "Disciple Chen Jianghe, please see Court Master."
The deacon raised his head, looked at him, and said calmly, "Court Master is in retreat, and there are no outsiders. What do you want?"
Chen Jianghe said bluntly, "This disciple wants to enter Soaring Wood Court to practice."
The deacon raised his eyebrows slightly. "Candidate disciple for this year?"
"Yes."
"What shape is the root bone?"
"Five shapes."
The deacon put down the account book and leaned back in his chair, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes. "Five Forms Root Bone----Golden Pivot Court,
Cangming Court, Flame Chen Court, Thick Earth Court, none of them chose you?"
"Yes."
"Then do you know that when I, Soaring Wood Court, recruit a disciple, besides looking at the bones, what else should I look for?"
Chen Jianghe nodded. "This disciple knows a thing or two."
The deacon smiled and stretched out a hand, "In that case, let's follow the rules. Soaring Wood Court Entry fee: Those with five bones and five shapes need to pay resources."
Chen Jianghe's expression remained unchanged, he took out a gold ticket with a face value of one hundred taels from his arms and placed it on the table.
The deacon picked up the gold ticket, checked its authenticity, and his eyes flashed with surprise.
The deacon nodded, put away the gold ticket, took out a roster from under the table, and wrote down, "Chen Jianghe, eighteen years old, Five Forms Root Bone, early stage of energy transformation. After paying one hundred taels of gold, he is admitted to Soaring Wood Court."
After writing, he closed the roster and looked at Chen Jianghe with a more solemn expression. "The dead wood is springing up, and you are born towards death. You can exchange resources for admission qualifications, which coincides with my Soaring Wood Court principle of mastering life" - everything in the world has a glimmer of life. Financial resources are vitality, perseverance is vitality, and opportunity is also vitality. If you can grasp this thread, it is your destiny."