Inner Court

Xu Yang... had reached the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance, only a little over a day behind the genius Lu Ren. Zhang Yong himself still needed another day or two.

For a moment, Zhang Yong found it hard to accept.

His goal had been to surpass Lu Ren, yet he could not even match Xu Yang. All his hard work these past few days seemed to have become a joke.

"Congratulations!"

His words were sour, and he did not mean them.

"He really reached the beginner level!"

Hearing Zhang Yong's words, Zhang Hong, Qian Jiaxing, Luo Dehu, and the others ran over in surprise. They arrived just in time to see Xu Yang's crimson skin, and all of them were dumbstruck.

"Congratulations!"

Zhang Yong struggled to rise from the ground, his smile strained. Of everyone present, Xu Yang's entry into the Turtle-Snake Great Stance hurt him the most.

He had clearly worked so hard, driving himself to exhaustion every time. Why hadn't he been the first to break through?

"Congratulations! Your path in martial arts will be smooth sailing from now on."

Luo Dehu, Zhang Hong, and the others offered their congratulations as well, hiding the jealousy in their eyes.

"Smooth sailing in martial arts? He's only reached the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. He's still a hundred and eight thousand miles from martial arts," Zhou Yang's voice rang out.

He and a group of senior disciples had also been drawn by the commotion. They stopped practicing and came over.

His gaze swept over the handsome youth, and inwardly, he was surprised by Xu Yang's talent. It had taken him eight days to reach the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance.

Even counting generously, Xu Yang had only been training for a little over six days.

"Senior Brother Zhou Yang, Xu Yang only reached the beginner level a little over a day after me. Surely his talent isn't bad? Why would you say that?"

Lu Ren had come over with Zhou Yang and the others. Hearing this, he could not help frowning inwardly.

Over these few days, he had matured considerably. He understood what sort of person Luo Dehu was, and knew that once he rose in the world, he would need people like Luo Dehu to work for him.

But he also needed followers with potential, people who could become martial artists. Although Zhou Yang and the others sought his friendship, they all came from decent backgrounds and naturally would never become his followers.

People like Xu Yang and Zhang Yong, who had struggled alongside him in the mire, were undoubtedly the best choices.

And Xu Yang had reached the beginner level only a day after him. If he could win Xu Yang over, perhaps Xu Yang would be able to follow behind him a little farther into the future.

Yet Zhou Yang's attitude toward Xu Yang remained unchanged. He still did not believe Xu Yang could become a martial artist.

"Exactly. Xu Yang was only a day behind Lu Ren. Do you still think he can't become a martial artist?"

Suppressing his jealousy of Xu Yang, Zhang Yong spoke up on his behalf. He felt that Zhou Yang and the others were rotten to the core. To buy their resources cheaply, they were actually telling blatant lies with their eyes wide open.

"Reaching the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance a few days earlier or later doesn't prove anything. There's actually little difference. His chance of becoming a martial artist is still ten percent. If you don't believe me, ask Master Lin."

"Why is that?" Lu Ren stared at Zhou Yang.

Since Zhou Yang dared to bring Lin Cheng into this, he almost certainly was not lying.

"Because he's poor. Like I said, the most important thing in martial arts is money. Money! Everyone believes you can become a martial artist partly because of your Bone Root, but mainly because the Huang Family is willing to spend ten taels of silver on you every month."

At those words, even Lu Ren fell silent.

"Is money really that important? Are talent and hard work useless...?"

Xu Yang had reached the beginner level only a day after Lu Ren, yet people like Zhou Yang still believed he could not become a martial artist. Zhang Yong and the others could not help feeling despair.

If even Xu Yang faced such prospects, things would only be harder for them.

"They're not useless, just not very useful. You have to attempt the breakthrough within three months at most, and whether you succeed depends on your martial foundation. The firmer your foundation, the greater your chances.

"Others feast on fish and meat every day, alternating between Body-Strengthening Soup and Health-Nourishing Soup to build up their qi and blood. You eat plain rice every day. How much qi and blood can you build up?

"And when it comes to tempering your body, three days of hard stance training won't even match the effects of one medicinal bath for cleansing and refining the body. They practice their stances while taking those baths, too. After three months, the gap between you will be beyond your imagination."

Zhou Yuan shook his head.

His own family was not particularly well-off either. That was why he had set his sights on the things Xu Yang and the others possessed.

"Senior Brother Zhou Yang, you've forgotten that the Huang Family is sponsoring our training. Since Xu Yang reached the beginner level so quickly, the Huang Family will surely invest more in him."

At Lu Ren's words, Zhang Yong and the others immediately perked up. They had no money, but the Huang Family did.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yang still shook his head. "The Huang Family may indeed invest more in him, but I guarantee it won't exceed two taels. What good can two taels do?"

"Why are you so sure?" Lu Ren asked curiously.

"Because the Huang Family already has you. That's enough!"

Zhou Yang spoke with absolute certainty, because he understood the Huang Family.

"Huh... where's Xu Yang?"

Suddenly, someone noticed that Xu Yang was gone. Everyone looked up and discovered that he had already left. His retreating figure disappeared into the Inner Court. He had not stayed to listen to Zhou Yang run his mouth at all.

Looking at Xu Yang's retreating figure, Zhou Yang said, "Just watch. If my judgment is wrong, senior brothers and sisters from the Inner Court will give him gifts before he comes back. If he returns empty-handed, then I was right."

[Turtle-Snake Great Stance · Beginner (1/100)]

Looking at the panel, Xu Yang felt rather helpless for a moment. He had not expected that, after reaching the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance, the proficiency required to advance to the next stage would jump from "5" to "100." The leap was frighteningly large.

He had no desire to listen to Zhou Yang's toxic pep talks and negativity, nor would he let them affect him.

This was his first time entering the Inner Court, and the scene here was completely different from the Outer Court. There were pavilions specifically for enjoying the shade, unlike the Outer Court, where they could only hide in the corners by the walls.

This did not look like a place for practicing martial arts at all. It looked more like a gathering place. A group of Inner Court disciples sat together in a pavilion, drinking tea and eating pastries. Someone was even playing a zither.

Sun Tao spotted Xu Yang and strode over from the pavilion.

Xu Yang cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior Brother Sun!"

Sun Tao nodded. "Junior Brother Xu, what brings you here?"

Xu Yang replied, "Senior Brother, I've reached the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance. I've come to learn boxing from Master."

Sun Tao looked somewhat surprised. "You've already reached the beginner level?"

He had thought Zhang Yong would be the second to reach it. He had not expected Xu Yang.

"Come. I'll take you to Master."

Without saying much more, Sun Tao quickly led Xu Yang to Lin Cheng in a courtyard, then took his leave and returned to the pavilion.

"Junior Brother Sun, has another of the people sponsored by the Huang Family reached the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance?"

As soon as Sun Tao sat down, someone asked him about it.

Sun Tao nodded. "Yes. This batch sent by the Huang Family is actually quite good. I never expected anyone besides Lu Ren to reach the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance so quickly."

"Reaching the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance in six days is indeed fairly good."

The Inner Court disciples in the pavilion reacted with little enthusiasm.

Everyone who could be here was a true martial artist, someone who had successfully broken through.

Although reaching the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance in six days was rare, it was hardly an extraordinary accomplishment among them. Several had reached it in five or six days.

"Senior Sister Gu Fang, Senior Brother Jiang Ping, Xu Yang reached the beginner level of the Turtle-Snake Great Stance in six days. That should earn him your 'friendship,' shouldn't it?"

Sun Tao looked curiously at the man and woman opposite him. By "friendship," he actually meant gifts.

Both came from distinguished families and enjoyed befriending talented young people. Whenever they encountered someone with genuine talent, they paved the way to friendship with money. Just yesterday, each had given Lu Ren a valuable gift.

"What's Xu Yang's Bone Root?" Jiang Ping asked.

"C-Grade Lower!"

Jiang Ping shook his head. "C-Grade Lower Bone Root. Even if the Huang Family invests as much in him as it does in Lu Ren, his chance of success would only be thirty percent."

"Let's discuss it when he can enter the Inner Court and stand before us," Gu Fang said at last.