Half a Year

"Eh!"

Chen Hong's expression changed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"A minor mastery of the stance... Could he really be a once-in-a-generation martial prodigy?"

External Forging stance training was foundational martial arts, but it was not easy to learn. Entering the basics within a month already made one a genius.

Chen Hong had watched Zhou Yi go from knowing nothing of martial arts to grasping the basics in a day and reaching minor mastery in a month.

"You may all disperse. Zhou Yi, stay behind. I have something to ask you."

The other disciples had no idea what had happened. They only saw Zhou Yi's stance suddenly become more fluid and lively. They looked at him with envy before turning to leave the Golden Saber Sect.

Joy rose in Zhou Yi's heart. There was an eighty or ninety percent chance that he would be accepted into the Golden Saber Sect.

Chen Hong asked, "Zhou Yi, where are you from? Who else is in your family?"

Zhou Yi's face turned sorrowful, and he made no effort to conceal the hatred in his eyes.

"I am from Zhou Family Village. My father, Zhou Ye, was killed by bandits from Black Wind Mountain a month ago. Only then did I steel my resolve, sell our ancestral property, and devote myself to martial arts so I could avenge my father!"

Guo Bei County was merely a remote little county. Scholar Zhou Ye was not famous to everyone, but he did have a modest reputation.

Chen Hong sighed and comforted him. "Stay in the sect for now. I will report this to my uncle. Perhaps he will accept you as a disciple."

Chen Hong's uncle was Chen Xiangyan, the master of the Golden Saber Sect, known in the martial world as the Yama Saber.

"Thank you, Master Chen."

Zhou Yi understood that the excuse of reporting to his uncle before accepting a disciple was likely meant to investigate his background.

However, everything Zhou Yi had said was true. As the son of a scholar, he was already considered a first-rate respectable youth in Guo Bei County.

For the next two days, Zhou Yi practiced every day at the Training Ground.

He also became acquainted with several Golden Saber Sect disciples, only then learning that there were quite a few disciples in the sect who did not bear the Chen surname.

The martial arts school gathered those who aspired to martial arts. Those of clean backgrounds who performed exceptionally well would be accepted as formal disciples.

"The Chen Family head can see past the divide between insiders and outsiders, embracing all and drawing in outsiders to strengthen his power. To build such a great enterprise in Guo Bei County from nothing, he must truly be a remarkable man!"

Zhou Yi knew well how highly ancient people valued their crafts. Passing them only to sons and not daughters was commonplace.

Some families even chose to marry within their clans to prevent their skills from being passed outside. Their men did not marry outsiders, and their women were not given in marriage outside the clan.

Early on the third morning.

Zhou Yi was practicing his stance, tempering his muscles and bones with every breath.

A Golden Saber Sect member hurried over and called out, "Are you Zhou Yi? The sect master wishes to see you."

"Alright!"

Zhou Yi did not ask what it was about and followed the man to meet the Golden Saber Sect master.

The Golden Saber Sect occupied several mu of land. The martial grounds took up more than half of it, while the rest consisted of a four-courtyard residence.

The first two courtyards housed the sect's disciples. The third was home to the sect's upper ranks and direct descendants of the Chen Family, while the fourth housed the Chen Family's female relatives.

When Zhou Yi arrived at the third courtyard, he saw no extravagance. Everything had a rugged, unrefined air.

Looking more closely, he saw blade marks carved into the rockeries throughout the courtyard. They had surely been left behind during martial practice.

He made his way to the main hall. Above it hung a plaque bearing the three words Golden Saber Hall, radiating a fierce and cutting aura.

Two people sat within the hall.

The man in the seat of honor was in his fifties or sixties. His face was dark as charcoal, and he sat upright in a Grand Tutor's chair, his bearing as imposing as an abyss before a towering mountain.

Zhou Yi recognized the man seated to the lower right. It was Chen Hong.

"Greetings, Sect Master. Greetings, Master Chen."

Following the lead of the disciple who had brought him here, Zhou Yi clasped his fists and bowed.

Chen Xiangyan's voice was calm yet powerful. "Little Six says you are the most gifted martial arts genius he has ever seen. From now on, you will study martial arts under him. As for your father, accept my condolences. Once you achieve success in martial arts, mere mountain bandits will be no more than ants!"

Zhou Yi was overjoyed at his words and clasped his fists as he bowed. "Thank you, Sect Master."

He turned and bowed down before Chen Hong, then performed three kowtows according to the etiquette he had already learned.

"Greetings, Master."

"Haha! No need for such formality!"

Chen Hong was all smiles. Clearly, he was in an excellent mood after taking in such a fine disciple.

In ancient times, the bond between master and disciple ranked only below that between father and son. Should Zhou Yi achieve success in cultivation, Chen Hong would share in the honor.

Of course, if Zhou Yi committed evil deeds, Chen Hong would also suffer criticism.

Before Chen Xiangyan, master and disciple formally established their relationship.

That night, Zhou Yi moved to new quarters, living with the other Golden Saber Sect disciples in the first courtyard.

Early the next morning.

Zhou Yi arrived at the martial grounds early, and Chen Hong introduced him to his six senior fellow disciples.

By the order in which they had become disciples, Zhou Yi was now the youngest disciple. Yet he was the oldest in age.

The eldest of the six senior disciples was only fourteen, while the youngest was merely eight.

Martial cultivation was best started young. People like Zhou Yi, who began halfway through life, found it extremely difficult to achieve much.

If Zhou Yi had not gone from nothing to minor mastery in stance training within a month, a feat astonishing enough to defy belief, Chen Hong would never have accepted him as a disciple.

"Greetings, six senior brothers and sisters."

Zhou Yi came from the modern world and did not look down on others because of their age.

There was no order in learning; those who were accomplished came first.

"Haha, junior brother, junior brother! I'm finally not the youngest anymore."

The only senior sister, Chen Yun, clapped happily. At eight years old, she would still have been an innocent child on Earth.

"Enough. Practice your stances properly. Stance training is the foundation of martial arts. Though your master has long progressed from the external to the internal, I still practice my stance daily to temper my blood and qi."

As Chen Hong spoke, he casually assumed a stance. It resembled the Primordial Chaos Stance, yet did not quite resemble it.

A crackling burst rang out, like golden drums sounding in unison. This was the sign of the Primordial Chaos Stance reaching major mastery.

The seven fellow disciples stood in a row and began with the first form of the Primordial Chaos Stance.

Zhou Yi did not immediately use Origin to increase his proficiency in the Primordial Chaos Stance. Reaching minor mastery in a month was already astonishing. If he achieved major mastery, it would be truly world-shaking.

From then on, Zhou Yi practiced stance training for two hours every day, while Chen Hong also taught him the Wind Breaking Saber Technique.

Two months later, the Primordial Chaos Stance reached major mastery, and his muscles and bones rang in unison.

Chen Hong was immensely excited. Calling Zhou Yi a martial prodigy seen once in a century, he also taught him the palm technique, Tablet Breaking Hand.

Time flew by.

Half a year passed.

One morning.

The seven fellow disciples were practicing their stances on the martial grounds.

Compared to half a year ago, Zhou Yi's body had changed drastically. He had grown another four or five inches taller.

The skin on his neck had taken on a bronze hue, while his hands were even more striking, as though they had been carved from granite by blade and axe.

"Exhale—inhale—"

With a thought, he consumed 8 points of Origin and added them to the Primordial Chaos Stance.

Primordial Chaos Stance (Perfected)!

Buzz!

His muscles and bones gave a resonant hum!

Zhou Yi felt a force lodged in his throat. If he did not roar it out, he would not feel at ease.

"Roar!"

The sound was deep, like muffled thunder rolling through the sky, and like a tiger roaring in the depths of the mountains.

The sound came from within and spread outward, while the force moved from without to within. The next moment, his internal organs trembled and grew even tougher.

At this stage, his kung fu had progressed from the external to the internal, tempering even his internal organs.

Zhou Yi's transformation left his senior brothers and sister dumbstruck. They had practiced since childhood, day after day for years, yet they had only reached minor mastery in the Primordial Chaos Stance.

The gap in strength did not affect their discernment. Chen Hong had taught them for years, so they naturally understood what the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound represented.

With major mastery of the Primordial Chaos Stance, one could train one's force into the five viscera. Only one step remained before internal and external converged to condense Internal Qi, making one a martial-world expert.

Zhou Yi slowly exhaled. A stream of white vapor shot more than a foot from his mouth, lingering without dispersing.

"The Primordial Chaos Stance has reached perfection!"