The Night Heron Martial Arts Hall.
Longlegs Seven looked yearningly ahead and clenched his fists. "The Learning Society... I'll get in, no matter what!"
Master Ye sighed. "The truly formidable people in the Enclave are all in the Learning Society. To put it bluntly, the clubs and martial arts halls are just the scraps the Learning Society rejected.
"The Learning Society is too discreet and mysterious, too removed from worldly affairs. Ordinary people think Ever Joy is the heart of the Enclave, never realizing that the Learning Society is the pillar holding it all up!"
As an elder, Master Ye had witnessed the Learning Society's rise.
Back then, Mr. Ming and his followers-leading figures from over a hundred martial arts schools, hailing from all corners of the world-had founded the Learning Society.
No one had thought much of its prospects at first. Now, it had become one of Fragrant Sea's foremost cradles of martial talent, producing countless powerful martial artists.
Even the much stronger martial arts community of the Prosperous State, across the sea, had nothing but praise for it.
Only by entering the Learning Society could one truly step into the world of the Martial Way!
Night fell over the Walled City, and the lights of countless homes shone like stars.
Only Huang Sihai and his disciple, Li Xiuwen, remained in the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.
"Master, about the three months of waived fees and the two fish balls you mentioned earlier..." Li Xiuwen said with a smile.
"Of course I'll honor that," Huang Sihai said. "If you really make it to the Second Floor in two months, you won't have to pay monthly fees ever again."
"Thank you, Master!" Li Xiuwen bowed.
Huang Sihai smiled faintly. "Those are trifles. The movement technique I'm about to teach you is the real priceless treasure. Ordinary people couldn't learn it even if they paid."
Huang Sihai's heart was bleeding. Normally, only Second-Floor Disciples could learn this movement technique, and they had to pay an extra three thousand in tuition.
All told, he was practically giving away five thousand eight hundred!
Rounded up, that was... ten thousand!
How many people would he have to sweet-talk into becoming disciples to earn that back?
Huang Sihai took a pale gold booklet from inside his robe. "Memorize the manual first, then practice along with me."
Li Xiuwen accepted it with both hands. Four large characters adorned the cover: "Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance!"
"Master, this movement technique has a lovely name," he said with a smile. "It's more poetic than Sand-Turning Palm."
"The founding master didn't name this technique," Huang Sihai said. "His wife did. She was a talented lady of the Great Ying Dynasty."
The guiding incantation of Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance consisted of just fourteen characters: "Mirror flowers and water moons are empty; a thousand waves pass without a trace."
To practice this movement technique, one had to imagine standing beside the sea at night, with a thousand waves rolling and moonlight shimmering upon them.
One trained a light, nimble force that constantly lifted the body upward.
At perfection, one could run across water for short distances, sheltered in white waves, killing without a trace, like a fierce shark in the sea!
That night, Li Xiuwen did not go home.
Huang Sihai did not sleep either. It had been a long time since he had devoted this much effort to teaching a First-Floor Disciple.
When fatigue forced them to take a break, Li Xiuwen asked, "Master, what counts as reaching entry level in Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance?"
Huang Sihai said proudly, "This movement technique is extraordinarily refined. Even among the combat methods of our Sea Sand Style, it ranks among the hardest to learn.
"It's several times harder than Sand-Turning Palm. You'll be doing well if you reach entry level in a week. Once you do, you'll be able to run ten steps across water without sinking!"
The night passed uneventfully. Once the lesson was over, Li Xiuwen said, "Master, I won't be coming tomorrow. I'll rest at home."
"As you like." Looking exhausted, Huang Sihai went up to the Second Floor.
Li Xiuwen left, keeping his body lifted as he practiced that light, nimble force on his way home.
Training methods, combat methods, movement techniques, Hard Qigong... I'm not missing anything now.
When he arrived home, his aunt-in-law and uncle-in-law gathered around him.
"A Wen? We heard you won a match at the martial arts hall?"
The Enclave was not large. The Night Heron Martial Arts Hall had issued a very public hall challenge yesterday, and with some spectators from outside the hall present, word had spread through a small circle.
Although his uncle-in-law and aunt-in-law had not found time to watch, they had asked others to keep an eye on things.
"Yes," Li Xiuwen said with a smile. "Master said he'd waive three months of fees. You won't need to worry about my training expenses anymore. I can support myself."
"Good, wonderful!" his uncle-in-law said excitedly. "You're getting more impressive by the day!"
After working so hard for so long, Chen Ziyi could finally enjoy a proper rest.
He wanted nothing more now than to run the factory well, look after his health, and have the whole family live safely and happily. That would be enough.
In the Grand Void Illusory Realm.
At the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.
Today, I'll practice my movement technique instead of Sand-Turning Palm.
Movement techniques were also a kind of combat method, so they could be practiced within the Grand Void Illusory Realm.
Li Xiuwen chose Big Dummy as his opponent and had him attack.
He did not fight back, using Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance to dodge instead.
He practiced for a full two hours.
As the heavenly incense burned out, a sound came from the incense burner. A fifth stick emerged and began to burn.
[Thousand-Wave Floating Radiance: entry (1%)]
Heh. Old Huang said reaching entry level in a week would be good. Little does he know I have the Grand Void Illusory Realm.
All it took was a good night's sleep!
Still, my comprehension has improved so dramatically all at once that Old Huang might get suspicious.
Seven days would be too slow to make Old Huang take me seriously. I'll tell him the day after tomorrow.
Li Xiuwen took out one of the fish balls Old Huang had given him for free, ate it, and began his stake training.
After a day of practice, his Sea of Stake Training had made another noticeable advance.
[Sea of Stake Training: minor mastery (44%) → minor mastery (50%)] [Stage: purple membrane (44%) → purple membrane (50%)]
As his purple membrane progress broke past the fifty-percent mark, the bluish-purple membrane covering his skin completed its transformation.
All the blue light vanished, leaving an intense purple glow with a cold, uncanny sheen.
This meant that he was now a seasoned practitioner of the purple membrane stage, and an outstanding one at that.
In terms of cultivation, I've left Big Dummy and the others far behind.
Two more days passed in a flash.
Around the dining tables inside the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, the disciples were still discussing the hall challenge from three days ago.
"Who would've thought A Wen, who never showed off, would become this year's biggest dark horse? Do you think there'll be any suspense left in the contest for the Second Floor?"
"Senior Sister Chun Liu was unlucky to face Longlegs Seven. Her raw strength still overwhelms A Wen's. She's got the Second Floor spot in the bag."
"I'm not so sure. A Wen learned a movement technique this time, so he has one more trump card than Senior Sister Chun Liu. It's hard to say who'll win."
Hearing their discussions, Chun Liu poured all her frustration into the palm technique she was practicing on the training ground, her strikes growing increasingly fierce.
"Chun Liu, what does one setback matter?" Huang Sihai said. "Besides, you lost to Longlegs Seven.
"There's no shame in that. Don't be impatient."
"I understand, Master... I'll defeat everyone fair and square in the Grand Tournament for the Second Floor!" Liu Chun said firmly.
Just then, Li Xiuwen arrived at the martial arts hall, and many people took the initiative to greet him.
Liu Chun's feelings were complicated. Fortunes changed; now it was A Wen's turn to shine.
Li Xiuwen went to the Study and found Huang Sihai. "Master, I think I've reached entry level in the movement technique."
Huang Sihai's expression turned serious. He stood up. "Ten steps across water without sinking?"
"I tried it. No problem," Li Xiuwen said with a smile.
Huang Sihai could not help raising his opinion of Li Xiuwen yet again. Could he have untapped potential? Has he still not reached the limits of his comprehension?
Without his realizing it, the scales in Old Huang's heart had begun tipping away from Liu Chun and toward Li Xiuwen.
He might not even have noticed that lately, he had been paying more attention to Li Xiuwen than to Liu Chun.
"Keep working hard," Huang Sihai said. "Entry level is only the beginning. Many Second-Floor Disciples still haven't reached great mastery in this movement technique. You have a long way to go."
In the blink of an eye.
It was already the end of Li Xiuwen's second month of martial arts training.
Yesterday, Zhao Dalong had called again, wanting to get together.
Li Xiuwen had genuinely been rather busy, so he politely declined.
Still, he did not want to dampen Dalong's enthusiasm, so he promised to drink three penalty cups next time as an apology.
Before you continue