Martial Scholar

That afternoon, the youths were still practicing the Coiling Dragon Stance in the Martial Practice Yard.

The afternoon sun was far more vicious than the morning's. Its light baked the blue-brick ground, steaming up a stifling heat.

The youths had just eaten lunch, a time when drowsiness came easiest. But with Senior Brother Chen Chong watching from the side, none dared slack off. They could only grit their teeth and assume their stances, shoulders sunk and backs rounded, waists and hips lowered, tempering their sinews and bones beneath the blazing sun.

Before long, footsteps came from the direction of the inner courtyard.

Shi Hao had returned.

He was still wearing that coarse short-sleeved shirt, yet his entire bearing was utterly different from before.

That morning, although Chen Chong had praised him and the Hall Master had taken notice of him, he had still carried the restraint of a village youth meeting a great figure for the first time.

But now, as he walked out from the inner courtyard, his back was straighter and his steps steadier.

Though he tried his best to look calm, the faintly raised chin and the light he could not suppress in his eyes made it obvious at a glance just how much pride churned within him.

Several youths from Stone Bridge Village were the first to crowd around him.

"Brother Hao!"

"What did the Hall Master say to you?"

"Did he teach you some powerful fist techniques?"

"Will you be able to enter the inner courtyard directly from now on?"

They all spoke at once, their voices brimming with excitement and flattery.

Originally, they had merely been villagers from the same village as Shi Hao. Yet standing at his side now, they seemed to have risen a rank themselves.

Shi Hao glanced at them, and the corners of his mouth finally could not be held down as a smile appeared.

"The Hall Master said that once I become a martial artist, he'll take me in as a true disciple!"

A true disciple?

Many of the youths had not even figured out the Coiling Dragon Stance Art yet, so naturally they did not understand how weighty the words "true disciple" were.

But they did not understand. Chen Chong did.

Having listened to the martial hall's people chatting over the past few days, Lu Chen had also vaguely come to understand some of it.

Hidden Dragon Martial Hall's disciples were divided into registered disciples, outer courtyard disciples, and inner courtyard disciples.

Inner courtyard disciples were already considered people the martial hall truly cultivated. They could learn deeper fist techniques and receive more resources.

But true disciples were different still.

True disciples—what was passed down to them was not ordinary skill, but the martial hall's true treasures kept at the bottom of its chest.

Every martial hall's true disciples were regarded by its Hall Master as inheritors of his mantle.

Their status, standing, and resources could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Chen Chong was currently an inner courtyard disciple.

He had practiced martial arts at Hidden Dragon Martial Hall for many years and had only attained his current status at the age of twenty-five. Usually, he was responsible for instructing these village youths, and in their eyes, he was already a lofty senior brother.

But if Shi Hao truly became the Hall Master's true disciple, his seniority would immediately surpass Chen Chong's.

Once Shi Hao broke through to the Blood-Moving Realm and became an official martial artist, Chen Chong would, by the rules, even have to cup his hands and call him "Senior Brother" upon meeting him.

And Shi Hao was only fifteen this year.

He was a full ten years younger than Chen Chong.

Such was the gap brought by talent.

For a time, many youths in the Martial Practice Yard cast envious looks toward Shi Hao.

Standing amid the crowd and feeling those gazes, Shi Hao's chest grew hot.

He had originally been nothing more than the son of a hunter from Stone Bridge Village.

In the village, though he was strong and could fight, at most people would praise him with, "This kid will definitely be better than his father someday."

But now, he had soared into the sky in a single leap, with a chance to become a lofty martial artist.

The feeling left Shi Hao with an indescribable sense of floating on air.

It was as though, in the span of only half a day, he was no longer one of the same kind as these village youths.

Chen Chong stepped forward with a smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Shi."

His tone was much more courteous, and he no longer addressed Shi Hao by name as he had that morning.

"To win Master's favor, you are sure to soar to great heights in the future."

"I believe that within three months, Junior Brother Shi will certainly break through and become a martial artist!"

When Shi Hao heard Chen Chong warmly call him "Junior Brother Shi," a flicker of satisfaction passed through his eyes.

If it had been three days earlier, when Senior Brother Chen Chong spoke to him, he would most likely have straightened immediately and answered honestly.

But now, he merely nodded slightly. Not a trace of restraint remained; there was even a hint of pride.

"Three months?"

Shi Hao frowned slightly.

He seemed to find that time somewhat long, yet also seemed to be weighing whether he could do it faster.

After a moment, he looked at Chen Chong and asked, "Senior Brother Chen, may I ask for your guidance? What mysteries are there to breaking through?"

The youths around them all pricked up their ears as well.

Though they had not even entered the door of the most basic stance art, the four words "becoming a martial artist" held enormous allure for every one of them.

Chen Chong took in every change in Shi Hao's expression.

He narrowed his eyes. The smile on his face faded somewhat, but he did not flare up.

Shi Hao had now caught the Hall Master's eye and was at the height of his momentum.

Naturally, Chen Chong would not embarrass him in public.

After a moment of silence, he said slowly, "A martial artist is founded upon qi and blood."

"Qi and blood are the source of a martial artist's strength."

Chen Chong stood in the Martial Practice Yard with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

"You have practiced the Coiling Dragon Stance Art these past few days, each of you exhausted as though all your strength had been drained away. But have you ever considered why a mere stance art can leave you so fatigued?"

None of the youths answered.

Chen Chong continued.

"The first realm of martial arts is called the Blood-Moving Realm."

Upon hearing the words "Blood-Moving Realm," everyone's eyes brightened somewhat.

Chen Chong extended one hand and slowly clenched his five fingers into a fist.

"Moving blood does not mean making you move the blood you can see in your bodies."

"True martial qi and blood are hidden within the sinews and bones, hidden between the five viscera and six bowels, hidden in the deepest roots of a person."

Chen Chong looked at Shi Hao, then at the other youths.

"Practicing martial arts means tempering your sinews and bones, excavating your foundations, digging out the qi and blood in your very bones bit by bit, stewing it forth, refining it forth."

"Once your stance art has achieved something, and you have tempered the qi and blood out from your bones, then can move it at will and send it coursing throughout your body, you will have stepped across the threshold of the Blood-Moving Realm."

Lu Chen listened with utmost attention.

When he practiced the Coiling Dragon Stance Art these past few days, he had indeed occasionally felt heat surging from deep within his body.

But that sensation had been faint and fleeting.

Before, he had only assumed he had trained too hard and that his flesh and blood had heated up.

Now, after hearing Chen Chong's explanation, he vaguely understood that it might have been a slight sign of his qi and blood being stirred.

Chen Chong continued, "The Blood-Moving Realm is further divided into the initial stage, minor accomplishment, major accomplishment, and peak."

"For an initial-stage martial artist, qi and blood are like threads."

"At this time, qi and blood have only just emerged, no more than a fine strand hidden between the sinews and bones."

"But so long as they spur their qi and blood when they strike, their fists and feet will carry three to five hundred jin of tremendous force. If it lands on a person, the lightest outcome is snapped sinews and broken bones; the heaviest is immediate death on the spot."

The youths' hearts tightened at the words.

Chen Chong added, "After that, with every stage you advance, qi and blood will surge severalfold."

"With qi and blood empowering them, a martial artist's qi and blood courses through the arm when they throw a punch and flows into the legs when they step. Their strength, speed, and endurance all far surpass those of ordinary people."

"In the future, they may even be qualified to contend for the title of Martial Scholar and glimpse higher realms!"

Martial Scholar!

The moment those three words were spoken, quite a few youths in the Martial Practice Yard began breathing more heavily.

Hidden Dragon Martial Hall had selected them from mountain villages, and many of them had not even figured out the realms of martial arts.

But they had long heard of the words "Martial Scholar."

It was a martial title that could be registered in the county.

Once one became a Martial Scholar, not only could they be exempted from many corvée duties and taxes, but they could also be entered into the official registers and earn the respect of others.

For village youths, that was almost an identity capable of changing an entire family's fate.

Looking at the blazing fervor in everyone's eyes, Chen Chong's voice suddenly turned colder.

"However, do not think it will be so easy."

"The Blood-Moving Realm may sound like only the first realm of martial arts, but among ten people who practice martial arts, perhaps not even one can truly step into it."

After hearing this, Shi Hao's eyes shone.

"Three months to move blood... Martial Scholar!"

He murmured the words once, then raised his head to look at Chen Chong.

"Senior Brother Chen, do you think I have a chance of becoming a Martial Scholar?"

Chen Chong looked at Shi Hao.

The youth's face bore confidence he could not conceal, even a wild arrogance sharp enough to show its edge.

Chen Chong did not refute him. He merely smiled.

"It is naturally a good thing for Junior Brother Shi to possess such ambition."

"However, Hidden Dragon Martial Hall has not produced a Martial Scholar in several years. If Junior Brother Shi can truly accomplish it, it will surely be the greatest fortune of Hidden Dragon Martial Hall!"