Bone-Strengthening Soup

After driving off the vicious guests from the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall, the ceremony continued.

But the new disciples had been badly frightened, each one anxious and unsettled. The martial arts instruction originally scheduled for today was therefore postponed until tomorrow.

After everyone had dispersed, Xie Guang led the three hall masters to the rear courtyard.

The moment he entered the room, all the imposing aura drained from the old man's body, and his wrinkled face turned deathly pale.

"Elder Xie!"

Zhou Yingjun hurriedly caught him.

Lu Sandao and Xu Qingsong rushed to help as well—one hurried to fetch a chair, while the other stood rooted to the spot, at a complete loss.

All along, Elder Xie had been the pillar that steadied the sea in their hearts.

Even during that recent period when everyone had been badly injured and had little fighting strength left, they had remained at ease.

After all, in the eyes of the younger generation at the Brokerage Guild, this old veteran had once been an Eighth Rank Dark Force Martial Warrior.

Everyone had grown up little by little under his watchful eye. The image of him as incomparably powerful had long taken root in their minds.

But today, that pillar that steadied the sea had suddenly fallen.

"It's nothing. Don't worry."

Supported by the others, Xie Guang sat down and took a bottle of pills from his robes. He removed one and swallowed it.

"Elder Xie, I have an Energy-Boosting Blood-Nourishing Pill here."

Zhou Yingjun also took out a pill and held it to his lips.

Xie Guang shook his head.

"No need. This Qi-Replenishing Pill is quite good."

"You go attend to your business. I'll be fine after regulating my breath for a while."

Zhou Yingjun fell silent.

The words he had intended to say were swallowed back down.

He gave the two subordinates a meaningful look, then took his leave.

Outside the door, the three gathered again.

"Qingsong, go investigate that Fierce Tiger Martial Hall. Once things here are settled, we'll go empty it out!"

"Big Brother, but your injuries?"

"They're just a few sickly cats. What is there to fear?"

"We happen to need territory too. I think Narcissus Street is quite good."

A sharp gleam flashed in Lu Sandao's eyes. His great saber was already thirsting for battle.

"Big Brother! How about I go?"

Zhou Yingjun shook his head.

"Qingsong rarely goes out. Not many people know him."

"Besides, you still need to be responsible for the Martial Arts School's safety."

The next time Su Xinghe saw these higher-ups was the following morning.

Today was the day to pass on the martial arts to the newly admitted disciples, and all Outer Disciples had to be present.

Before long, Deputy Hall Master Lu Sandao arrived in the front courtyard with instructor Wu Yingcai.

Compared with before, both their expressions had grown sterner, and they spoke less as well.

The group first came to the row of sandbags beside the wall in the front courtyard.

"Line up properly. We'll test your punching strength first."

"Yingcai, record their results."

In Su Xinghe's eyes, this former chief enforcer spoke and acted with much of Young Gang Leader Zhou Yingjun's former crisp decisiveness.

His gaze swept over the crowd before he raised a hand and pointed.

"You two don't need to test. Go over there and hold the sandbags steady."

Naturally, Su Xinghe and Liu Bin were the ones called out.

In truth, the few of them had already been tested before the martial hall opened. This included Qian Jinge and Sun Fa, who were now Inner Disciples. Their punching strength had been 450 and 480 catties respectively, already nearing the traditional peak of Inner Tempering.

As for Liu Bin, the senior outer disciple, he was still at the Force Infusion level. His measured punching strength was barely 320 catties. It had also been sheer luck that he survived that night. When it happened, he had been in the Brokerage Guild's rear-courtyard latrine with diarrhea.

Su Xinghe's "talent-revelation plan" took its first step. His recorded result was 390 catties of punching strength.

This immediately drew the attention of several hall masters, who questioned him in detail.

After all, lifting a stone lock one-handed tested the core strength of one's arm, whereas punching strength also depended on one's mastery of the fist art and efficiency of exertion. Plenty of people could have 500 catties of strength, yet only strike with 400 because their fist art was poorly executed.

Actually.

After reaching Inner Tempering, his one-arm strength had already allowed him to lift a 460-catty stone lock. With Golden Ape Fist at the level of Perfect Mastery, he could bring out one hundred percent of his punching strength.

Furthermore, the day before yesterday, Listening to the Waves Art had also broken through to consummate mastery. The moment he circulated the technique, the power of his qi and blood doubled. He had long surpassed the Inner Tempering apprentice level and touched upon the starting strength of a ninth-rank Martial Warrior.

In other words, he now possessed 920 catties of punching strength.

But exposing that directly would have been far too earthshaking.

Those two senior inner disciples had practiced Golden Ape Fist for nearly a year already. Counting it all up, he had only trained for a little over twenty days.

A quarter of an hour later, the testing was complete.

The punching strength of these newly admitted disciples was mostly between 150 and 180 catties.

This alone showed that these new disciples had built a solid foundation. They were all material for the martial path.

The process of passing on the technique was the same as it had been at the Brokerage Guild.

It took place in a hall in the front courtyard. Elder Xie arrived carrying that familiar red True Art Scroll.

His languid voice echoed through the hall.

"Those who demonstrate it publicly shall receive one hundred strokes of the staff!"

"Those who privately teach it to others shall see their entire household exterminated!"

"Those who lay a finger on it shall be executed!"

After the three prohibitions, he began announcing the Martial Arts School's entry rules.

"You have three months!"

"After three months, if you have still not reached Inner Tempering, only two roads will remain for you."

"Leave White Ape Martial Hall, or purchase a registered disciple slot."

"Steward Xie, does our Martial Arts School have Qi-Replenishing Pills?"

A knowledgeable new disciple suddenly spoke up to ask.

At the mention of Qi-Replenishing Pills, Su Xinghe's eyes lit up.

These newcomers truly were different from them.

The former disciples had either been Great River Gang members who licked blood from the edge of a blade, or apprentices from the Brokerage Guild.

They had all come from impoverished families, the sort that could not even eat their fill. Among the disciples before him, there might be some big spenders willing to throw money around.

Still, his own circumstances were not bad now. In a couple of days, he would ask about the Qi-Replenishing Pills too.

And that wager...

In response to the newcomers' question, Xie Guang patiently replied:

"Yes. A bottle costs six taels of silver for Inner Disciples. Eight taels for Outer Disciples, and ten taels for Registered Disciples."

"There is no quantity limit, but they may only be used personally."

As he spoke, his gaze intentionally—or perhaps unintentionally—swept toward Su Xinghe.

He had also witnessed the punching-strength test that day. This boy truly was a genius. At the Force Infusion level, he could strike with the extreme strength of 390 catties. His progress could only be called advancing by leaps and bounds.

But considering that he had once been a Great River Gang disciple and had spent years fighting and killing, someone who could survive in such circumstances naturally could not be measured by the standards of these disciples who had emerged from greenhouses.

"Su Xinghe, demonstrate Golden Ape Fist for your junior brothers and sisters three times. Sing the mnemonic aloud."

Su Xinghe: ???

Little Su Xinghe: !!!

Tiny Su Xinghe: I'm done for. I forgot this was also a traditional welcome event!

But this was another chance to reveal his talent for comprehension, so he had to seize it well. He strode forward and displayed the strength expected of the second senior brother before his junior brothers and sisters.

Noon.

After half a year in the trade, Su Xinghe finally got to enjoy the Martial Arts School's benefits.

Among the free disciple meals in the kitchen was a bowl of Bone-Strengthening Soup, something he had never seen before, meant to nourish the body and replenish qi. Though it was only a small bowl, it felt better than eating an entire hen.

The medicinal soup had barely gone down his throat when he felt the qi and blood throughout his body surge and race like the tides.

Su Xinghe dearly wanted another bowl.

Just then, a new disciple beat him to it.

"Senior Brother, sorry for the trouble, but another bowl!"

"Sure. Buy another one for a hundred copper coins."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Sure enough, one could not judge a person by appearances. That new disciple readily paid up.

Su Xinghe, however, stopped in his tracks.

A hundred coins was a little expensive. His silver had not come easily. He would first see how effective the medicinal soup was, then decide tomorrow.

He lowered his head and continued shoveling down rice...

Amid the crowd, a female disciple carried a bowl of Bone-Strengthening Soup over to Su Xinghe's table with great care.

Behind her followed a delicate-looking youth whose brows and eyes resembled hers by seventy or eighty percent.

"Second Senior Brother, may we sit here?"

"As you wish."

Su Xinghe had actually noticed this brother and sister long ago, and he had heard every word of their whispered conversation just now.

Ever since Listening to the Waves Art reached consummate mastery, this technique that the Heavenly One Sword Sect used to test disciples' talent had suddenly revealed a miraculous side.

Whenever he cultivated, the scenes within the technique's inner realm made him feel as though he were personally there. Even the Silver Fish of thought became clearer. He even felt as though he could control the remaining three Silver Fish, letting them soar freely through the boundless sea.

And ordinarily, with only the slightest circulation of the technique, even the faintest stir within a hundred feet around him would immediately be noticed.

As for the brother and sister before him, he raised his eyes to look at them.

"Thank you, Second Senior Brother. I'm Yu Miaomiao, and this is my younger brother, Yu Renqing."

The girl thanked him politely and sat down across from him with open ease.

The delicate youth stepped up as well and took a bowl of medicinal soup from her.

"Greetings, Second Senior Brother. This bowl is from my sister... She bought it to show you filial respect."

"We hope that this afternoon, you can give us some pointers on how to get started with Golden Ape Fist."

The youth's smile was somewhat stiff.

Under the table, a clear footprint appeared atop his shoe.

"No need. I think you need it more."

Su Xinghe had grounds for saying that.

When the two had discussed coming over to seek guidance, the girl had offered up her own bowl of Bone-Strengthening Soup. They had split the remaining bowl between them.

Her reason was that they had not even gotten started yet, so there was no need to waste such expensive medicine for now.

It would be more suitable to use it as a favor.

Though that made some sense, Su Xinghe still felt it was best not to owe them this favor. After all, if he drank that bowl of medicinal soup, he would have to take responsibility for the two of them.

And as far as he knew, an ordinary person needed around five days to get started. In that time, he could practice the fist art hundreds of times.

The youth held that bowl of medicinal soup in both hands, frozen where he stood.

The two came from an ordinary family as well. They had merely been lucky enough to have their martial roots discovered before turning sixteen. They had only been able to come to White Ape Martial Hall because the hall master saw that they had decent aptitude and waived a considerable portion of their apprenticeship fees.

Thus, that hundred-coin bowl of medicinal soup was an enormous sum in the siblings' eyes.

Seeing that things had gone wrong, the girl quickly pleaded:

"Second Senior Brother... My little brother has been strong since childhood, and he's very clever and obedient too..."

"Mm, I'm finished eating. You two keep at it."

"Second Senior Brother, I'm obedient too..."

Su Xinghe did not listen to her continue. After finishing his last bite, he rose and left.

This brother and sister might have some redeeming qualities, but in this world, one had to rely on one's own efforts.

The Martial Arts School was the Martial Arts School. His own cultivation was what mattered most.

Feeling the qi and blood churn within his body,

he strode swiftly toward the front courtyard's training grounds.