Guidance

Sunrise gave way to sunset, morning bells to evening drums.

Two months passed. When the first ray of dawn appeared in the east as always, Shen Xiu was already standing in the courtyard, practicing the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art.

They said that when the sun rose in the east, the first light of morning was the gentlest on the heart and lungs. Shen Xiu did not know why, but he found practicing in the morning more invigorating than at night.

With every movement, his momentum gradually rose as he smoothly performed the Thirteen Stances in sequence, like drifting clouds and flowing water.

As Shen Xiu moved, his robe snapped in the fierce wind, whistling without end. The muscles across his body bulged, and his hands and feet carried a chilling force. He was beginning to faintly display a few traces of Instructor Duan's bearing.

After finishing a round of practice, Shen Xiu slowly drew in his breath and settled it.

[Host: Shen Xiu]

[Cultivation: None]

[Talent: Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Martial Arts: ▼]

[Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art: Second Level, Initial Glimpse of the Doorway 26.8%]

[Clone: Nine Transformations Golden Cicada (First Transformation, Satiety 8.0%)]

Looking at the progress on the panel of light, Shen Xiu smiled in satisfaction. Over this period of cultivation, his Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art had grown increasingly proficient, and he had ground its progress all the way to the second level.

There was nothing—

More satisfying than seeing a little progress every day.

The muscles on his body had also begun to bulge slightly with the tempering of his physique, giving him the beginnings of a sturdy build.

After two months, the initial excitement had faded.

There were no longer so many disciples practicing martial arts in the courtyard. One reason was the daily drain on their stamina, while another was the despair that came from seeing no progress for so long.

The large courtyard, once packed to the brim with people training in martial arts and so crowded it was difficult to move, had now become sparse and empty.

Even the friction caused by competing for training space had disappeared.

The main reason was an incident seven days ago that had chilled the hearts of many Labor Disciples. One of them had been a training fanatic, practicing morning, noon, and night, desperately training whenever he had time.

The purely external Vajra Palm was incomparably fierce and consumed enormous energy. Even those wealthy Registered Disciples who had paid to enter and constantly supplemented themselves with nourishing food did not dare train that way. Yet he had injured his tendons and crippled one leg, then been directly thrown out of the martial arts school.

What path to survival could a half-baked youth with a crippled leg have in this cruel age? Shen Xiu still vividly remembered the sight of him lying on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Seeing this, some Labor Disciples gave up, while others began practicing in a more disciplined manner, no longer charging ahead like men who would risk their lives.

Shen Xiu had no such concerns and maintained the same intensity of training as when he had begun.

The main reason was that the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Thirteen Stances were not particularly intense. In addition, the Golden Cicada consumed medicinal dregs every day and fed back some medicinal power to him, barely maintaining a balance.

It was not especially fast, but he was able to maintain his body without overtaxing it.

As for the Golden Cicada's second transformation, Shen Xiu had no plans for it for the time being. The medicinal dregs now provided less satiety, and it was not something that could be increased in a short time.

As for other food, that was something he could only consider after escaping the rank of Labor Disciple and having more silver in hand.

After completing one set, Shen Xiu began practicing a second.

By then, several Labor Disciples who also cultivated the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art had gathered beside him, observing his movements and form.

They were not fools. They could tell good from bad, and anyone with eyes could see that Shen Xiu's Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art already carried a few traces of Instructor Duan's spirit.

Now that the transmission of the art was over, Labor Disciples like them had no chance at all to receive guidance. If they did not observe and learn from him now, they would be letting an opportunity slip away.

After all, the instructors were all busy. Most of their time was spent on those Formal Disciples, and they had neither the time nor the leisurely inclination to come guide Labor Disciples like them.

Shen Xiu did not keep anything to himself and allowed them to watch and learn. With the talent Heaven Rewards Diligence, he was not afraid they would catch up to him and become his competitors.

However, as he watched them observe him practicing, an idea suddenly arose in Shen Xiu's mind: he could guide the disciples in the school in learning the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Art, then collect a small fee.

Of course.

The Labor Disciples were out of the question.

These Labor Disciples only received a pitiful monthly allowance of two qian of silver. Their daily expenses already left them scraping by, much less anything else.

If he said he would charge them for guidance, they would probably turn and leave at once, impossible to hold back.

But Registered Disciples were different.

The several hundred disciples of the Golden Rainbow Martial Arts School were divided into Personal Disciples, Formal Disciples, Registered Disciples, and Labor Disciples.

Registered Disciples held a status close to that of Labor Disciples. Both had to pass an assessment to become Formal Disciples. The only difference was—

The martial arts school paid to support the Labor Disciples.

Registered Disciples, on the other hand, were mostly from wealthy families outside or were rich young masters who had spent large sums of silver to come learn martial arts. Naturally, they did not lack silver.

"Raise this movement a little higher, higher. Then exert force from the waist, like this, like this..."

"Take this step a little farther back. When you step back, loosen your arm, then put strength into your punch..."

In a corner of the training ground, Shen Xiu was guiding a delicate, skinny youth in a blue robe through the key movements of the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Thirteen Stances.

This youth was new. His face was youthful, and he was thin and frail, looking like an unarmed scholar. Shen Xiu did not know why he had spent money to come learn martial arts, but his talent was truly average, and he could not keep up with the pace of the other Registered Disciples.

He had a little spare money and a mild temperament.

That was the conclusion Shen Xiu reached after observing him for several days. Only then did he approach him and explain his plan to offer guidance in exchange for payment.

After all, most other Registered Disciples who could afford to pay for martial arts came from decent families and were proud as could be. Being guided by a Labor Disciple who did odd jobs would inevitably make them lose face. Shen Xiu did not want to rashly approach them and invite their displeasure.

From then on, half of Shen Xiu's noon rest time was gone, but he gained an income of one qian of silver every two days.

One qian of silver was not much, but it was enough to buy some decent meat.

However, just when Shen Xiu thought his future silver income was secure, an unexpected incident occurred.

A few days after the skinny youth entered the school, a plump man dressed in brocade grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out.

Even halfway through the school, they could hear the youth roaring things like, "Abandon literature for martial arts! Only martial strength can protect Great Jing!"

Only then did Shen Xiu learn that the youth had run over from an academy in the city, secretly intending to abandon his studies and practice martial arts.

Two days later, just as Shen Xiu thought the youth named Jian Shuhao would not return, he appeared again. Then, another three or four days later, his father in brocade clothes came and dragged him back once more.

This repeated itself again and again, becoming a sight within the Golden Rainbow Martial Arts School that no one found strange anymore.

Whenever his father came to seize him and drag him back to study, the disciples on the training ground would burst into laughter and shout, "Your father's coming to drag you back to school again!"

But none of this had much impact on Shen Xiu.

This youth named Jian Shuhao kept his word. Though he was suddenly dragged back by the ear, when he returned, not a single bit of the payment he owed Shen Xiu was missing.