Zhao Tieshan's Breakthrough Failure

Time passed quietly over the course of a few months.

Ye An's daily routine was like an ancient well; winds blew and rain battered the outside, but the bottom of the well remained completely undisturbed.

Practicing martial arts, eating, patrolling.

Three things filled a day, just like the main questline of a video game.

The fingertips of the Iron Sand Gloves had already worn down to a shine, and more than half of the two hundred Body Tempering Pills given by the Qian Family had been used up.

The margins of the booklet given by Su Yuanshan were rolled up from Ye An thumbing through it, and the handwritten notes on a few pages were smudged with sweat stains.

Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 391/500

There were still a little over a hundred points left.

It would reach five hundred before the end of the year, and by then Ye An would be at the Third Body Tempering stage.

At noon on this day, Ye An was practicing his martial arts in the corner.

Several senior disciples nearby had gathered together and were chatting idly again, and Ye An listened while continuing to practice.

After all, Ye An could not just close his ears.

"Have you heard? Shi Yong from the Iron Fist Martial Arts Hall is going to challenge the disciples of all the major martial arts halls!"

"When was this?"

"Just these past few days, I heard he's preparing to break through to the Third Body Tempering stage."

"Why is he challenging the disciples of all the major martial arts halls when he's trying to break through to the Third Body Tempering stage?"

Someone fell silent for a long moment, suddenly thought of a scenario, and then drew in a sharp breath. "You mean..."

"What do you mean, it's as plain as day. He's using the guise of a breakthrough to suppress the other martial arts halls. Beating the Second Body Tempering practitioners of every house one by one—this isn't an exchange of pointers, this is establishing dominance!"

"There's no help for it either. Disciples from martial arts halls exchanging pointers has always been an unspoken understanding among everyone. If they deliver a challenge letter and you don't accept, it means you're turning chicken. How are you supposed to mix in Anping County after that?"

"Accepting is losing, and refusing to accept is also losing. Shi Yong is at the peak of the Second Body Tempering stage, and he also has the Shattering Iron Fist personally imparted by Lei Meng. Who in ordinary Second Body Tempering can possibly beat him?"

That afternoon, a piece of news was passed to the martial arts hall.

"The chief disciple of Baishi Martial Arts Hall was beaten!"

"Who?"

"Who else could it be? Shi Yong! He went to Baishi Martial Arts Hall just this morning to challenge their chief disciple. In three moves, he knocked the guy flat. I heard he's hurt pretty badly—two ribs broken, and he'll have to lie down for a few months at least."

"Three moves? Wasn't the chief disciple of Baishi Martial Arts Hall at the late stage of Second Body Tempering?"

"So what if he's at the late stage of Second Body Tempering? Shi Yong is at the peak of Second Body Tempering, and the Shattering Iron Fist is a fierce and violent martial art. All three moves went straight for the vital points—is this still an exchange of pointers? This is going for the kill!"

The atmosphere in the practice grounds instantly became precarious.

The complexions of the several senior disciples who had been chatting idly just moments ago were not looking too good, and the faces of the several junior disciple newcomers were even paler.

"Who's next?"

"I heard the Iron Fist Martial Arts Hall has already put the word out: half a month from now, they're heading to Changfeng Martial Arts Hall."

Changfeng Martial Arts Hall? A slight sense of relief washed over everyone's hearts.

"Good, good. They're going to Changfeng first, not us."

"Are you an idiot? Shi Yong is going to beat them one by one. After Changfeng? What about Black Tiger? What about us? You can run from the first of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth!"

This sentence was like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's heads, and the murmurs in the practice grounds gradually subsided, replaced by an indescribable and obscure heaviness.

The gazes of quite a few disciples had already begun to glance toward the corner; head senior brother Zhao Tieshan was the strongest person in the martial arts hall.

With him around, it should be fine, right?

Zhao Tieshan felt the gazes of his junior martial brothers, and the speed of his hands practicing the Azure Cloud Finger quickened a bit.

Finger followed finger, whistling with wind.

Yet Ye An noticed that Zhao Tieshan's finger technique had already lost three tenths of its momentum.

By the afternoon of the next day, yet another piece of news reached the martial arts hall.

"Senior Brother Zhao is going to break through to the Third Body Tempering stage!"

Someone did not know who yelled it first, and the practice grounds instantly boiled over.

"Really or fake?"

"Really! The master himself said it! Senior Brother Zhao has gone into seclusion!"

The junior disciple newcomers were burning with passion, their eyes shining one and all, already picturing the scene where Zhao Tieshan successfully broke through and knocked Shi Yong flat with a single punch.

"Once Senior Brother Zhao reaches the Third Body Tempering stage, that whatever-his-name Shi Yong won't be a match for even a single hand!"

"Exactly! No matter how fierce the peak of Second Body Tempering is, can it compare to the Third Body Tempering stage?"

There were cheers and rowdy egging-on. But several senior disciples who had stayed for a long time did not join in the shouting.

They looked at each other, words hovering on their lips but unsaid.

Someone could not hold it in, lowering their voice as they said, "Senior Brother Zhao has already failed his breakthroughs to the Third Body Tempering stage several times. Can he really succeed this time?"

The practice grounds were not large, and this sentence was basically heard by quite a few people.

The cheering abruptly stopped.

The disciples reacted in various ways.

Some hung their mouths open, not knowing what to say. Others lowered their heads, acting as if they hadn't heard a thing. Still others were terrified, able only to silently pray in their hearts.

Ye An did not know whether Zhao Tieshan would be able to pull it off this time.

However, Ye An understood that Zhao Tieshan's mindset was no longer what it once was.

Perhaps he had already lost the momentum to smash through the barrier.

He was afraid of failure, afraid of being beaten back to square one once again, and afraid of seeing everyone's gazes toward him transform from anticipation into disappointment.

Ye An continued to strike the iron board.

The next day, the news came out.

Zhao Tieshan's breakthrough failed.

The cheers on the practice grounds were as though someone had grabbed them by the throat, vanishing entirely in an instant. It was quiet enough to hear the sound of the wind blowing across the courtyard wall; everyone was looking toward the passageway of the back courtyard, waiting for Zhao Tieshan to come out.

The back courtyard door was gently pushed open.

Zhao Tieshan walked out unsteadily, his complexion ashen and gray. His pace was as though he were stepping on cotton, presenting the appearance of someone unable to stand firmly.

Su Qing was the first to greet him. "Senior Brother, you..."

Zhao Tieshan raised his head and glanced at the junior martial brothers and sisters on the practice grounds.

His gaze first lingered on Su Qing for a moment, then looked over at Ye An, and finally looked toward Lin Shaoyun.

His voice was hoarse, speaking with a throat that hadn't drunk water in days.

"Sorry, I let you down..."

Ye An watched Zhao Tieshan's condition.

His vital energy and blood fluctuated faintly, his footsteps were buoyant, and his entire person seemed like a tree trunk hollowed out by wood-boring insects.

It looked completely intact on the outside, but it was already empty on the inside.

A martial artist would be injured upon failing a breakthrough, and their foundation would also be damaged.

The hidden injuries that Zhao Tieshan had accumulated from several failures grew heavier with each passing time.

Most importantly, his confidence... had long since failed to return to what it once was.

Su Qing hurriedly went up to support him. "Senior Brother, you've just failed your barrier breakthrough. The most urgent matter right now is to rest properly. Once you nurse your body back to health, you can just try again. Do not ruin your future on account of this."

Hearing these words, Zhao Tieshan merely lowered his head and did not open his mouth to reply.

Zhao Tieshan's fingers were trembling.

Was it fear? No!

Was it unwillingness? There was!

Yet once a person's confidence is repeatedly shattered too many times, even if a sliver of unwillingness remains at the end, won't their very bones carry a tiny hint of resigned fate...

Resigned fate was even more terrifying than unwillingness.

Unwillingness meant one could still try again, but a resigned fate meant it was truly over.

Su Qing wanted to say something more, but Zhao Tieshan waved his hand to interrupt her.

"I know."

"I have a measure of it in my heart."

He walked alone to a quiet spot beneath the veranda and sat down, no longer seeking out anyone to speak with.

Lin Shaoyun had been standing to the side watching the whole time, and he would not go up to comfort Zhao Tieshan.

Over the past few days, Lin Shaoyun had seen the unease and panic on the faces of the junior martial brothers and sisters.

He stepped forward, feeding the junior brothers a reassuring pill.

"If Shi Yong dares to come to Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall, I will let him know what the Azure Cloud Finger is!"

As he finished speaking, an aura belonging to the peak state of a martial artist was released outward.

Su Qing and Zhao Tieshan looked at Lin Shaoyun simultaneously.

They abruptly discovered that Lin Shaoyun's vital energy and blood fluctuations were different from before.

The previous Lin Shaoyun was at the late stage of Second Body Tempering, his sharp edge fully exposed like a newly unsheathed saber.

Yet as he stood there now, with no need to display his sharp edge, his aura already proved everything.

The peak of Second Body Tempering!

Zhao Tieshan stared at Lin Shaoyun in a daze; starting from this very moment, he perhaps was no longer the head senior brother.

In the martial world, strength was status.

He had failed too many times, while Lin Shaoyun had already surpassed him.

Lin Shaoyun did not say anything more, turning around and walking toward the entrance of the martial arts hall.

Su Qing watched Lin Shaoyun's retreating back, then looked at Zhao Tieshan, wanting to chase after them to ask where Lin Shaoyun was going, yet also wishing to stay behind and say something to Zhao Tieshan.

Yet some matters, when spoken aloud were comfort, and when left unspoken were respect.

Zhao Tieshan opened his eyes and looked toward Ye An.

"Sorry, when that Shi Yong comes, I won't be able to step out and fight for the martial arts hall."

Ye An walked over, drew a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, and handed it to Zhao Tieshan.

This kind of healing pill could accelerate the recovery of injuries, and he still remembered that when he had first practiced martial arts in the past, Zhao Tieshan had taken care of him.

"Senior Brother, tend to your injuries first."

Zhao Tieshan lowered his head to look at the porcelain bottle. He dearly wanted to say thank you, but the words caught in his throat and were swallowed back down.

The medicinal pill inside the porcelain bottle was perhaps comparable in value to a Body Tempering Pill, and he also understood that Ye An might not even bear to use it himself.

Zhao Tieshan did not say thank you, merely nodding to express his gratitude as he leaned against the wall and walked step by step toward the back courtyard.

He was right—once he nursed his injuries back to health, there would still be a chance!

Ye An stood on the practice grounds, watching the head senior brother's back slowly vanish into the far end of the corridor.

Sunlight shone upon the empty door frame, illuminating the street outside until it gleamed brightly.

The wooden dummy at that spot where Zhao Tieshan usually practiced martial arts stood there all alone, the cloth strips on it wrapped in perfect neatness—Su Qing's handiwork.

Ye An believed that before long, this spot would no longer remain empty.

The Qi-Nourishing Formula internal energy circulated slowly within his meridians.

Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 396/500

It was getting close; the Third Body Tempering stage was only a little over a hundred points away!

Optimized VIP member reading experience: tap the middle of the screen to bring up the menu for easy access to "Settings", "Previous Page", "Next Page", and "Return to Top".