Li Xiuwen lay awake all night.
For the first time, he had a fortune in his pocket, and he couldn't sleep easy. He had to turn it into strength as soon as possible.
Early the next morning, he wandered around Longjin Road, listening to the neighborhood gossip.
"Did you hear? Third Master's dead. The Thirteen Guardians all died horribly in the sewers."
"I heard. No idea what expert did it, but they delivered justice and got rid of those Three Calamities."
"Could it have been someone from Ever Joy?"
"Maybe. The Thirteen Guardians were too arrogant, collecting money on Ever Joy's turf. They were bound to get what was coming to them."
Li Xiuwen returned home, breathing a little easier. Word had already spread.
But nobody from Ever Joy had come investigating him yet, which meant the Enclave's higher-ups didn't consider the matter important.
He had even helped ease Ever Joy's burden of maintaining order. They had no reason to make trouble for him.
Li Xiuwen arrived at the martial arts hall.
Over their meal, Big Silly Qiang asked, "A Wen, Third Master from your Longjin Road got wiped out. Have you heard?"
Li Xiuwen smiled. "I heard. Good riddance. Things should be much quieter now."
"You weren't the one who did it, were you?" A Zhen joked.
Liu Chun smiled. "I heard Third Master was at the black membrane peak when he was young. His qi and blood declined, dropping him back to purple membrane, but he was still one of the best at that level.
"His training might have been wild fist, but his combat method was at least at minor mastery. He'd spent years in the martial world and fought a hundred battles. You'd probably need black membrane cultivation to kill him.
"The Thirteen Guardians had been throwing their weight around for years. They were bound to fall sooner or later. My guess... is that Ever Joy did it."
Liu Chun wasn't looking down on A Wen. She was putting herself in his shoes.
If she hadn't reached black membrane, she would never have dared go into the sewers to trouble Third Master.
A Wen had reached purple membrane a few days ago, but he'd relied on fish balls. His qi and blood were unsettled, his realm unstable, and his fighting strength unreliable.
With his level of courage, he couldn't possibly have done it.
"You're right, Senior Sister Liu Chun!" Li Xiuwen said with a smile.
When you looked "weak" enough, there would always be some "great scholar" to argue your case.
Several days later,
only a few days remained before the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall came for its hall challenge.
Huang Sihai's ten-day intensive training for Liu Chun, Li Xiuwen, A Zhen, and Big Silly Qiang had also ended.
Once the training was over, Huang Sihai had everyone demonstrate in front of him.
After they finished performing the Sand-Turning Palm, Huang Sihai assessed them one by one:
"Liu Chun, your goal is to reach great mastery as soon as possible and develop the Hard-Soft Palm. Only by combining hardness and softness will you have any chance of beating Longlegs Seven."
"Big Silly Qiang, your combat method still falls a little short of minor mastery. Train hard over the next few days. You have innate strength. Apart from Liu Chun, you have the best chance of winning."
"A Zhen... decide for yourself. Just don't surrender the moment you get up there and embarrass me."
"A Wen, you've grasped a little of the Soft Palm's essence, haven't you? That counts as minor mastery. Not bad. It shows you have decent comprehension."
Huang Sihai looked at Li Xiuwen last, a trace of appreciation in his eyes.
The boy he hadn't thought much of had surprised him several times lately.
Purple membrane in forty days.
Minor mastery in his combat method in just over a month.
"Master, is combat method tied to comprehension?" Li Xiuwen asked.
Huang Sihai said, "Internal and external martial constitution have a greater effect on training methods. Of course, they affect combat methods too, but not nearly as much.
"Even without eating fish balls, Liu Chun progressed a little faster than you in stance training. That's because her external martial constitution is... just a little better than yours."
Hearing that, Liu Chun grumbled inwardly. Master Huang really did like to spare people's feelings.
Her external martial constitution was far more than just a little better than A Wen's.
But then Huang Sihai changed tack. "Yet Liu Chun hasn't progressed much faster than you in combat method.
"That means your comprehension is no weaker than hers, so don't give up on yourself.
"To be honest, I didn't think much of your prospects at first. But after watching everyone, you turned out to be the one who made me proudest.
"Now, as far as I'm concerned, you count as a prospect for the second floor.
"Ahem... don't forget to renew your monthly fee! Keep training. I have faith in you!"
Clearly, the point of Old Huang's praise was the last part: renew your payment!
Li Xiuwen nodded. "Understood, Master."
Martial constitution corresponded to training methods and cultivation realms.
Comprehension corresponded to combat methods and levels of technique.
Old Chen had said, "Constitution is easy to change; comprehension is hard."
With the right opportunity and good fortune, perhaps there was hope of changing one's martial constitution.
But comprehension was far more mysterious. It depended first on innate talent, and second on some indescribable accumulation of martial knowledge.
If Old Chen was right, reading more Daoist scriptures and martial classics to build a solid theoretical foundation could help improve comprehension.
But that was only a theory. Ordinary people couldn't tell whether it actually worked, because comprehension was too intangible.
Li Xiuwen guessed that the effect of [Basic Martial Arts Knowledge] was probably related to comprehension.
He looked toward the [Incense Burner].
[Basic Martial Arts Knowledge: Beginner (19%)]
I'll soon find out what this first skill actually does.
Meanwhile,
Chun Liu's expression shifted slightly when she heard Huang Sihai give Li Xiuwen such high praise.
That's not what you said when I paid six months of fees in advance, Master!
A greater sense of urgency rose within her.
She had grown used to being far ahead. It was only natural to feel pressured when Li Xiuwen suddenly closed the gap.
"Master, do our fish balls help with combat method practice?" Chun Liu asked, unwilling to accept it.
What she really meant was that she suspected Li Xiuwen had also reached minor mastery by eating fish balls.
Huang Sihai said expressionlessly, "Fish balls can only help stimulate your acupoints and increase your qi and blood. Combat methods are skills. Increasing your qi and blood won't automatically improve them.
"There may be miraculous pills and medicines that help you comprehend combat methods, but they're exceptionally rare. Most martial schools, whether orthodox lineages or renowned traditions, can't produce them.
"Don't go looking for shortcuts. Combat methods improve only through hard training, actual combat, arena matches, and sparring. You have to fight! If you don't fight, no matter how high your qi and blood, you're just a beast. Understand?"
Chun Liu lowered her head and clenched her fists, murmuring inwardly, A Wen didn't take any shortcuts. His comprehension... really is no worse than mine.
That day, she truly began to see Li Xiuwen as a potential rival. She could no longer afford to be careless, lest she miss her footing on the way to the second floor and take a fall.
Over the past few days, A Zhen and Big Silly Qiang had also felt as though they were meeting Li Xiuwen for the first time.
They still couldn't reconcile him with the unassuming A Wen of not long ago.
First purple membrane, then the Soft Palm. He was already a little ahead of them.
"Go eat. After lunch, gather here. I'll take you out for some actual combat this afternoon," Huang Sihai said.
A Zhen asked excitedly, "Where are we going to fight? Are you taking us out to brawl, Master?"
Big Silly Qiang was eager too.
Most people instinctively wanted to fight and seek excitement once they learned martial arts. Li Xiuwen was the exception.
Huang Sihai sneered. "This is the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, not the Four Seas Society. Brawl, my ass! This afternoon, I'm taking you to see the legendary Nine Dragons Grand Arena!"
"Wow! The Nine Dragons Grand Arena! We get to fight in the Grand Arena too?" A Zhen, Big Silly Qiang, and Liu Chun all rubbed their hands in anticipation.
Li Xiuwen was also tempted. He had no interest in showing off in the ring.
But taking this opportunity to see the legendary Nine Dragons Grand Arena would be excellent.
Guangwang Street.
The Dragon-Chasing Dukes lay on the ground, chasing clouds and spitting mist.
An abandoned factory stood hidden among the buildings.
A century-old cannon sat outside its entrance, its barrel rusted. Three large characters were engraved on its surface:
"Thunder God Shed"!
Inside the factory, four people sat around a table playing mahjong.
The most striking of them was a burly man with nine giant pythons tattooed on his arms.
Even seated, he was taller than some short people. Standing, he was probably two meters tall.
Dao Youming, reputedly the strongest Straw Sandal in the Thunder God Shed, possessed unfathomable strength.
The other three were Copper Hammer, Za Jiu, and Chang San. They were also Straw Sandals, and Dao Youming's trusted men.
"Brother Ming, your cousin's dead. Aren't you going to investigate?" Za Jiu asked with a smile.
Ming Youdao sneered. "Investigate, my ass. He's dead, so he's dead! If he hadn't screwed up back then, the branch leader wouldn't have sidelined me. He was lucky I let him live."
"That's true," Za Jiu said with a smile. "But he was still your cousin, and Longjin Road counts as our turf. Whoever dared kill him was a little too brazen..."
"Za Jiu, do you have something in mind?" Ming Youdao asked with a frown.
"If you're too busy, Brother Ming, how about I investigate for you?" Za Jiu volunteered.
Chang San sneered. "You've got plenty of little schemes, Za Jiu. You want to put on a show for Brother Ming so he'll reward you with a [Flood Dragon Grand Elixir], don't you?"
Za Jiu kept smiling, unoffended. "Brother Ming has a thousand things to deal with and doesn't want family matters interfering with the bigger picture. What's wrong with us juniors sharing some of his burden?"
"Za Jiu, if you really can find the killer, that's fine," Ming Youdao said mildly, taking a deep drag of opium. "But you know how scarce those elixirs are. For a little matter like this, it'll be difficult."
"Brother Ming, everything I have today is thanks to your support," Za Jiu said with a smile. "Everything I do is for the brotherhood of us Five Tigers of Wangguang Street!
"As for the Flood Dragon Grand Elixir, I'll earn it fair and square through loyalty and service!"
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