Conflict

The Body-Tempering Decoction had been thoroughly boiled. It was scalding and fishy, steam rolling up from the bath barrel.

This was his first time soaking in a Body-Tempering Decoction bath. He had not had the means before.

Zhou Yan soaked his entire body in the brown medicinal broth, the water covering his shoulders and leaving only his head exposed.

The medicinal power seeped inward through his skin.

Layer by layer, it first reached his flesh, making his skin and muscles tighten.

Then it worked its way into his tendons, swelling them until they ached.

Finally, it sank into the gaps between his bones, warm and burning—completely different from the method of standing in the stake stance.

When he practiced the stake stance, his qi and blood naturally sank downward. It was slow, but solid and steady.

No wonder they said one needed several days to consolidate after a medicinal bath.

Taking a medicinal bath every day would probably make his body burst apart!

Zhou Yan closed his eyes, sweat covering his forehead while a layer of dark, greasy sheen floated on the water.

Text appeared in his vision.

[Mountain-Settling Stance: Mastery 58/300]

[Mountain-Settling Stance: Mastery 60/300]

[Mountain-Settling Stance: Mastery 63/300]

It really did rise quickly. Normally, a whole night of stake stance practice would only add two or three points, but this one soak had made it jump several times in succession.

Zhou Yan opened his eyes and wiped the sweat from his face.

Two doses of Body-Tempering Decoction cost three taels of silver each. They truly were expensive, but they truly worked.

He began calculating in his head.

His monthly pay was five taels. Two doses of Body-Tempering Decoction cost six taels, and food for a month would cost at least two or three taels.

Those who practiced martial arts had large appetites, and they needed to eat plenty of meat.

The more meat one ate, the fuller one's qi and blood would be, allowing one to sustain stake stance practice and martial training for longer.

Altogether, those expenses came to nearly fifteen taels. He had less than two taels of silver left in his pocket now—not even enough to last half a month of meals.

That was not even counting next month's pay and medicine expenses.

Relying solely on the martial hall's meager monthly pay definitely would not be enough.

He needed to go back and find Manager Feng. Manager Feng had originally transferred from the Sun Family Guard Corps, and the subsidies for outside assignments were substantial.

Once he took on one or two trips, he would be able to keep himself going.

The water gradually cooled, and the medicinal power faded as well.

Zhou Yan stood up from the bath barrel, his skin flushed red all over.

As he dried himself with a cloth, his palm brushed over his arm. His flesh was visibly tighter than before.

Truly tighter, nothing like the swelling caused by soaking in water too long.

He tossed the cloth into the bath barrel and got dressed.

[Mountain-Settling Stance: Mastery 67/300]

The medicinal smell still clung to his body, and his clothes were soaked through by it shortly after he put them on.

When Zhou Yan entered the Class C training ground,

someone approached from the other end of the grounds.

He wore the gray short robe issued by the martial hall, with a Class B wooden tag hanging from his waist. He was in his early twenties, with sharply defined features and a brisk stride.

The man stopped before Zhou Yan and looked him over.

"New here? From the Sun Family Guard Corps?"

Zhou Yan nodded.

"Zheng Tong." The man smiled and introduced himself in a straightforward tone. "Class B. I also transferred over from the Sun Family Guard Corps a few years ago. Manager Pang said someone from the Sun family had joined Class C, so I came to put a face to the name."

Zhou Yan stood and cupped his fists. "Zhou Yan."

Zheng Tong waved for him to sit. "No need to be polite. We both came from the Sun family. Since you're new, let me give you a reminder: there are plenty of factions in the martial hall. The He family has people here, and so does the Qian family. Although our Sun family has the most, those families joining hands aren't easy to deal with. Help each other out if something comes up. Don't let anyone push you around."

"Speaking of which, the Sun Family Head once did our hall master a favor. They had known each other for years, and that connection is why members of the Sun Family Guard Corps can enter the martial hall as an exception," Zheng Tong said. "If you need money in the martial hall, you can go to the Sun family. Since you're in the Body-Tempering Realm, you can collect five taels of silver every month. You can also take assignments from the Sun family's main branch."

Zhou Yan listened and nodded.

He had known back in the guard corps that there would definitely be factions in the martial hall. He just had not expected someone from the Sun family to seek him out so soon.

"Has He Song from Class C come looking for you?" Zheng Tong asked.

"Not yet."

"Soon." Zheng Tong smiled. "That guy is a distant relative of the He family. He relies on his family's money and specializes in using newcomers to establish his authority. If he asks to spar, don't accept. The martial hall's rules say that sparring requires both sides to agree. If you don't agree, he can't do anything to you."

Zhou Yan remembered that, then asked, "How many people does the Sun family have in the martial hall?"

"Two in Class A, three in Class B, and with you in Class C, six in total. The martial hall is divided into Classes A, B, C, and D. Class A is filled with experts who have broken through to become Martial Adepts and are preparing for the Martial Examination. Our Class B is made up of those in the Qi-Gathering Realm, along with a few exceptional recruits admitted by the martial hall. Class C is entirely Body-Tempering Realm, while Class D is for people from the surrounding area who pay to study martial arts. They basically have no talent and can only rely on silver to keep going." Zheng Tong stood after speaking and patted the dust from his trousers. "If anything comes up, or if there's something you don't understand, come find me in Class B. I'm leaving first."

Zheng Tong took a few steps away, then turned back and added, "Don't neglect your stake stance. Those of us from the Sun family were able to learn it early, so our stake stance foundations are firmer than others'. That's Instructor Han's doing."

Zhou Yan said nothing.

He understood clearly that the Mountain-Settling Stance Instructor Han had taught in the guard corps was the same as that of Mountain-Suppressing Martial Hall. His foundation had been laid solidly.

Although his progress had been slow at the beginning, the advantage had become apparent after entering the martial hall.

Zheng Tong had likely entered Class B within a few years because of that as well.

"Mountain Sinking!"

Instructor Ding stood at the front and threw a punch. The fist form transformed out of the Mountain-Settling Stance. He lowered his waist and settled his hips, smashing his fist forward with a muffled boom through the air. "Look closely. Mountain Sinking doesn't rely on pushing—it relies on smashing. Power comes from the waist and hips, passes through the back, reaches the shoulders and elbows, and finally smashes out through the fist!"

As he spoke, he walked along, his bamboo rod tapping several people's shoulders and lower backs with sharp slaps.

When he reached Meng Lei's back, he struck his lower back with the rod. Meng Lei bared his teeth and hurriedly straightened his waist.

When he reached He Song, He Song's stake stance was properly set. Instructor Ding took one look and did not strike him.

When he reached Zhou Yan, he paused for a breath, did not strike him either, and simply walked past.

He Song noticed.

He wore a short indigo silk shirt with a blue-green sash tied around his waist in an elaborate knot. One glance was enough to tell that his family had some means.

He had been in the martial hall for two years and had reached minor accomplishment in Body Tempering, placing him among the stronger members of Class C.

The fact that Instructor Ding had not struck Zhou Yan made him uncomfortable.

A man who had entered through connections in the Sun Family Guard Corps—why should he receive different treatment?

They practiced their punches for nearly half an hour.

Zhou Yan followed the forms and cycled through the three moves.

Mountain Sinking, Rock-Breaking, Mountain Suppression.

Every punch transformed from the stake stance. His waist and hips moved fluidly, yet his feet remained completely still when his fists smashed out.

The panel flashed several times in his vision.

[Mountain-Suppressing Fist: Beginner 3/100]

[Mountain-Suppressing Fist: Beginner 4/100]

After two more rounds, it rose to 5, then 6.

Meng Lei practiced beside him, his form crooked and unsteady. He could not sink his waist, and his punches came out limp.

Instructor Ding passed by and struck him with the rod again.

Meng Lei gritted his teeth and adjusted himself. Once Instructor Ding had gone farther away, he secretly glanced at Zhou Yan. To his astonishment, Zhou Yan's fist form looked exactly like the method Instructor Ding had demonstrated—and even carried an indescribable steadiness that Instructor Ding's demonstration lacked.

During the break, He Song approached with Fang Jin.

Fang Jin had a round face and was He Song's lackey. He habitually smiled before speaking.

"Brother He, isn't this the one from the guard corps?"

He Song stopped before Zhou Yan. He stood half a head taller than Zhou Yan and looked down at him. "Zhou Yan, right?"

Zhou Yan leaned against the wall and said nothing.

Pockmarked Zhang turned to look over, and Zhao Tong also put down his waterskin.

Meng Lei stood up with a frown. "He Song, what do you mean by this?"

He Song turned to glance at Meng Lei and sneered. "Meng Lei, you still have the leisure to worry about someone else?"

Meng Lei's face flushed red, and his fists clenched.

But he truly could not beat He Song. He had only entered the Body-Tempering Realm, while He Song had reached minor accomplishment in Body Tempering—a difference of one minor realm.

Furthermore, He Song had entered the martial hall two years before him and was much more skilled in fist techniques.

Zhou Yan set his bowl of water on the ground and said coldly, "What exactly do you want?"

"To spar." He Song said, "Let's exchange a few moves and let everyone see what the new guy can do."

The martial hall had rules. As long as both sides agreed, they could step onto the field and spar at any time.

But if either side refused, the other could not force it.

Meng Lei spoke again, his voice louder than before. "He Song, you're at minor accomplishment in Body Tempering, bullying someone who has just entered the Body-Tempering Realm. So what if you win?"

Zhou Yan glanced at Meng Lei.

He Song ignored Meng Lei and stared at Zhou Yan. "If you don't dare fight, just say so. From now on, whenever you see us in Class C, walk around us. There's no shame in that."

"You insist on trying?" Zhou Yan said.

"Let's try."

"Fine." Zhou Yan smiled.

The training ground fell silent for a moment.

Even those tidying the weapon racks in the distance stopped moving.

He Song's expression darkened. "You brat!"

The moment he finished speaking, He Song threw a punch.

The force of a Body-Tempering minor accomplishment punch was not weak. His fist brought a gust of wind with it, yet Zhou Yan neither dodged nor blocked. The punch landed squarely on his chest.

A dull thud rang out, but Zhou Yan did not move an inch.

He Song froze for a moment, then followed with a second punch. This time, he used all his strength, twisting his waist and hips as the bluestone beneath his feet creaked.

Bang!

The man opposite him only swayed slightly at the upper body. His feet still had not moved.

He threw four or five punches in succession, each one heavier and faster than the last.

Dull impacts kept sounding from Zhou Yan's chest, yet his entire body remained utterly still.

The people around them were dumbfounded.

Meng Lei's eyes went round as he muttered, "That stake stance... Mastery? His Body Tempering is at Mastery too!"

For a moment, everyone in the Class C Courtyard was stunned.

Stake stance was the hardest thing to train. Reaching minor accomplishment in stake stance during the Body-Tempering Realm was already considered genius.

And one of the requirements for becoming a Martial Adept was stake stance at Mastery.

Now, it could be said that as long as Zhou Yan did not die young, he would at least reach Qi Gathering, perhaps even become a Martial Adept!

He Song took half a step back, panting heavily, sweat covering his forehead.

His face shifted from red to purple, and the veins in his neck throbbed.

"Enough."

Instructor Ding's voice came from beside the weapon racks.

He leaned against the rack with the bamboo rod across his knees. No one knew how long he had been watching.

He laid the bamboo rod across He Song's shoulder. "Disperse."

He Song gritted his teeth and turned away.

Pockmarked Zhang swallowed and quietly said to Zhao Tong, "This guy's been hiding himself pretty well."

Instructor Ding said nothing. He glanced at Zhou Yan and walked away.

Meng Lei remained where he was, his mouth open as though he wanted to say something.

After everyone dispersed, Instructor Ding called Zhou Yan over to the weapon racks.

Most people had already left the grounds, leaving only a few behind to put away weapons.

The shadow of the wooden training dummy stretched long, its dense fist marks and blade scars especially clear in the slanting light.

"Your Mountain-Settling Stance has reached Mastery. It is only a matter of time before you enter the Class B Courtyard. Even the Class A Courtyard isn't impossible."

Instructor Ding nodded, as though he had noticed long ago.

"Thank you, Instructor." Zhou Yan cupped his fists.

Zhou Yan turned and took two steps, but Instructor Ding added, "It was right not to throw punches just now. But He Song is a proud man, and he belongs to the He family. You humiliated him today, so he will definitely seek someone out to regain face later. Consider it carefully yourself."

Zhou Yan looked back at Instructor Ding and nodded.

Room Twelve, Class C.

As soon as he pushed open the door, the medicinal smell from the morning had not fully dissipated, mixed with the burnt scent from the brazier.

The bath barrel still stood in the corner. A layer of brown medicinal residue remained at its bottom, darker in color after drying.

He lit the oil lamp, and dim yellow light filled the room.

Zhou Yan took his position in the center of the room.

His feet were shoulder-width apart. He lowered his waist and settled his hips, both hands rounded before his chest.

Mountain-Settling Stance.

Instructor Ding's words turned over in his mind. Once the qi flowed through, raise it further. Raise it halfway, then stop.

Zhou Yan was in no hurry. He continued standing.