The inner courtyard was much more compact than the outer courtyard, with rooms on all four sides surrounding a central marble training ground.
Several ironwood posts as thick as a bowl's mouth stood at each corner of the training ground. Fists and feet had polished their surfaces until they gleamed with an oily sheen in the sunlight.
Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds lined the weapon racks against the walls, their edges glinting coldly. One look showed they were real weapons, not the flashy props used by street performers.
On the eastern side of the training ground stood a separate meditation room, with a wooden plaque hanging above its door.
The words "Teaching Hall" were written upon it in bold, vigorous strokes that bit deep into the wood.
At that moment, the hall doors stood wide open, and several people were already inside.
Jiang Fa stepped inside.
The Teaching Hall was small, with a grand armchair in the center and two rows of meditation cushions opposite it.
A piece of calligraphy hung on the wall,
bearing only the word "Sink," its ink dark and heavy, its force seeming to pierce the paper.
A faint scent of sandalwood filled the air, soothing the mind.
Five people were already seated on the cushions,
and Jiang Fa recognized the person at the very front. It was Qin Xuan, whom he had not seen for many days.
He sat cross-legged, his back perfectly straight, resting with his eyes closed. He did not so much as lift his eyelids at the sound of footsteps.
Xu Xiaomeng sat by the window in the second row, head lowered in thought, though what occupied those thoughts was unknown.
Ma Ping, Xu Feng, and Zhao Chuan were already sitting quietly on their cushions. At the sight of Jiang Fa, they all nodded slightly in greeting.
Jiang Fa nodded back and casually chose a place to sit.
Xu Xiaomeng turned to glance at him and offered a faint smile in greeting.
Jiang Fa returned the smile.
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded outside.
Zhao Zhong walked in.
He had changed into a dark gray martial outfit today, and his brisk strides stirred the air, making his robes flap.
The moment he entered, the whispers in the hall vanished. Everyone straightened their backs, and even Qin Xuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them.
Zhao Zhong sat in the grand armchair and swept his gaze over the disciples newly admitted to the inner courtyard.
"I called you here today to teach you the formula for the second level of the Mountain-Breaking Stance."
He got straight to the point.
Then he continued, "Before I teach you the technique, I will first explain the inner courtyard's rules."
"First."
Zhao Zhong raised one finger,
"As in the outer courtyard, disciples in the inner courtyard may spar and compete, but private fights and underhanded attacks are strictly forbidden. Anyone who violates this rule will, at the least, be expelled from the martial hall. At worst, their cultivation will be crippled. There will be no leniency."
"Second."
His expression stern, Zhao Zhong said gravely, "Now that you have entered ming jin, you must identify yourselves as disciples of our Zhao Clan Martial Hall when holding posts outside. You must not provoke trouble or make enemies of others, or you will bear the consequences yourselves."
"Third."
Zhao Zhong continued, "Entering the inner courtyard does not mean you can put all your worries behind you. The martial path stretches far ahead. I hope you will stay true to your original aspirations, cultivate diligently without cease, and strive to reach higher martial realms."
Seeing their attentive expressions, Zhao Zhong said no more. He lowered his hand and stood. "Enough talk. I will now teach you the second level of the Mountain-Breaking Stance."
He walked to the center of the Teaching Hall, set his feet shoulder-width apart, lowered his waist, and settled his hips into the standard opening posture of the Mountain-Breaking Stance.
"The first level of the Mountain-Breaking Stance trains Sinking Jin."
"Sink your shoulders, sink your elbows, sink your Qi, sink your force. Direct all the strength in your body downward and drive it into the earth. Once you reach perfection, your feet will take root, and no push will move you."
As he spoke, he slowly adjusted his posture.
His knees bent more deeply than in the first level, and his center of gravity sank lower. He seemed to become a massive boulder that had rolled down a mountainside. Merely standing there, he gave off a heavy, oppressive presence.
"The second level trains Lifting Jin."
He slowly pushed out a palm, moving as though through water. Yet as his palm passed, a low, muffled sound rang through the air, as if something beneath it had been forcibly crushed until it burst.
"The Sinking Jin of the first level sinks all the strength in your body into the earth. The Lifting Jin of the second level channels the earth's strength back into your body, then releases it through your fists and feet."
He withdrew his palm and straightened, sweeping his gaze over everyone,
"The first level trains 'sinking,' and the second trains 'lifting.' The deeper you sink, the fiercer you lift, and the stronger the force you strike with."
He turned and walked to the wall, where a bluestone slab half a person's height stood. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, and it was a full three inches thick.
"Watch closely."
His expression calm, Zhao Zhong placed his right palm flat against the slab. Then he sank all the way down before abruptly lifting that force from the soles of his feet, through his waist and hips, past his shoulders and elbows, and entirely into his palm.
Then he gave a gentle push.
The palm strike carried no anger, yet its force rumbled like thunder.
Crack!
A sharp sound rang out.
The three-inch-thick bluestone slab broke into two pieces down the middle.
The Teaching Hall fell utterly silent.
Everyone's eyes widened, and they even forgot to breathe.
A three-inch-thick bluestone slab, broken with a single palm strike!
And it had not been smashed apart, but shattered by the shock!
The break was jagged, clearly split open from within by a powerful force!
If that palm struck a person...
Unbidden, an image surfaced in Jiang Fa's mind of that hand striking his chest, snapping every rib and shattering all five internal organs.
Zhao Zhong brushed the stone dust from his hands and said evenly, "Once you perfect the second level of the Mountain-Breaking Stance, you can successfully break through to the martial realm of an jin. With one palm strike, the skin remains unharmed, while everything inside shatters."
He sat back in the grand armchair, then taught them the cultivation formula for the second level of the Mountain-Breaking Stance.
After demonstrating it several more times before them, he assessed their bones once again.
Jiang Fa and Ma Ping had low-grade bone aptitude, while Zhao Chuan, Xu Feng, and Xu Xiaomeng all had middle-grade bone aptitude!
Jiang Fa was not surprised by this result, nor was he particularly disappointed.
Once he had finished explaining everything, Zhao Zhong dismissed them to cultivate on their own.
Leaving the Teaching Hall, Jiang Fa headed straight for the martial hall's inner courtyard disciples' quarters.
Unlike the outer courtyard,
the inner courtyard's disciples no longer shared communal sleeping quarters with four to a room. Instead, each had a separate room.
The room was small. Opening the door revealed a wooden bed, a square table, a chair, and a wooden chest. The furnishings were simple, but the room was clean and tidy.
Jiang Fa sat on the wooden bed, lost in thought for a while.
After a moment, he took a few taels of loose silver from his bundle,
and, looking at the silver in his hand,
suddenly recalled the scene when he had first entered the martial hall several months ago,
yet it felt like a lifetime ago,
Now that he had become a formal disciple of the martial hall and had been away from home for so long, it was time to go back for a visit...