That night, Chen Yuan had another peaceful, good night’s sleep. He opened his eyes and stretched, feeling his entire body brimming with strength and vitality.
Then, he looked at yesterday’s Low-key Points settlement evaluation, and his eyes instantly lit up:
[What harm do insults bring to me? Treat them with a peaceful mind, without fighting for supremacy or victory. Perhaps you can act through the hands of others, keeping yourself off the center stage and minimizing risks. This conforms to the true essence of the Low-key Dao. Low-key Points +6]
Recalling his previous severance of ties with the Chen Family, Chen Yuan figured that if his behavior during a day’s events met the low-key standards, he would earn extra Low-key Points. If nothing happened, it would be a normal settlement. It was easy to understand. After all, being able to keep a low profile while caught in a treacherous vortex of events was a sign of true skill.
Looking at the panel again:
[Comprehension: 10]
[Root Bone: 29]
[Cultivation: None]
[Cultivation Technique]
[Rocky Pile Skill (Uninitiated): 1/10]
[Low-key Points: 6]
[Evaluation: Unobtrusive and unpretentious, not making enemies with others, knowing the principle of hiding one’s capabilities and biding one’s time. You have caught your first glimpse of the Low-key Dao. Daily Low-key Points +3]
Chen Yuan’s eyes lit up again. The daily Low-key Points had become +3! This made him even happier than the +6 settlement. After all, this was a baseline increase that would accumulate significantly over time.
It was probably because he had set foot on the Martial Dao. The environment was more complex, and he would interact with more people and things, requiring a higher level of low-key skills. Naturally, the base settlement points increased. At this rate, it wouldn’t even take two days to upgrade his foundation to the Lower-Third grade.
Moreover, Chen Yuan realized another function of the panel: he could use Low-key Points to increase his Cultivation Technique progress and achieve instant mastery. He experimentally added one Low-key Point to the Rocky Pile Skill. Instantly, his understanding of the stance’s movements became slightly clearer in his mind.
Chen Yuan was momentarily tempted. If he did this, he could initiate into the Rocky Pile Skill in just two days, which would absolutely draw the Gu Family’s attention. However, showing off like that would probably run counter to the low-key philosophy. The tallest tree in the forest would surely be destroyed by the wind. Furthermore, in the long run, upgrading his Comprehension and Root Bone would yield greater benefits.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Chen Yuan abandoned the idea of a shortcut and decided to practice his skills steadily and stay grounded. History had proven that those who sought quick success were often just a flash in the pan, easily turning into capitulators. Only the pragmatists who fought a protracted war could have the last laugh.
Upon arriving at the Martial Arts Hall, he continued to learn the remaining stances from Master Huo.
With the foundation of the first day, the group learned much faster, no longer needing correction for every single movement.
"Sink your qi to the Dantian, pull in your waist, and tuck in your hips..."
While guiding them, Huo Lin also got a fairly good grasp of the aptitudes of the five youths sponsored by the Gu Family. Currently, the ones performing the best were Chen Yuan and Xue Anping. Chen Yuan had a slightly better Root Bone, a solid foundation, and practiced diligently. On the other hand, Xue Anping had higher Comprehension, learned quickly, and required fewer corrections. As for the other three, they were more or less the same.
Overall, none were outstanding enough to make him view them in a special light, but none were hopeless causes either. With a year or a half of hard training, all of them had a chance to successfully break through the first threshold.
"Practice and consolidate what you’ve learned on your own. Do not slack off. I will teach the remaining stances this afternoon." After saying that, he paced toward the Inner Courtyard.
Recalling the youth with a Second-Grade Root Bone that Huang Yan mentioned yesterday, Huo Lin felt a bit of regret. Only an aptitude like that was qualified to inherit his legacy, but alas, the Gu Family did not trust him. He could only sigh.
Chen Yuan practiced with single-minded focus, striving to initiate into the stances within five days.
A sense of urgency also rose in Xue Anping’s heart. His goal was to surpass Chen Yuan and snatch that damn one tael of silver. Through observation, he believed his Comprehension was higher than Chen Yuan’s. As long as he worked harder than Chen Yuan, he would definitely win. Sweat poured down, quickly soaking through his training uniform and leaving large, dark stains on his chest and back.
Sun Chengjie was a very sociable person. Ignoring the hostile glares from the Zhou Brothers, he went to chat with the other disciples in the courtyard whenever he got tired.
Liu Jin, however, was a bit distressed. He had zoned out for a moment just now and hadn’t quite mastered a few of the stances. Thinking of Master Huo’s words from yesterday, he brazenly walked over to the senior brothers resting under the awning, intending to ask for some guidance.
Chen Yuan had just finished practicing most of the set and was about to drink some water to rest for a moment when he saw Liu Jin retreating with an ugly expression. He casually asked, "What’s wrong? Do those senior brothers have bad tempers?"
Liu Jin nodded and said in frustration, "I didn’t quite understand a few of the stances and wanted to ask for some pointers. I didn’t expect that Senior Brother Song would be so impatient. He said it was fine to ask, but he would charge ten copper coins per session."
Chen Yuan took a gulp of water, not feeling surprised at all. Everyone’s time was valuable. It was completely normal to charge a fee; if it were him, he wouldn’t want to waste time teaching others either. He could only say, "Wait until Senior Brother Tao is free and ask him then."
This eldest senior brother was quite gentle in temperament. Whenever he had free time, he would answer all questions and even set aside time to guide them. Perhaps it was under Master Huo’s instructions. However, Senior Brother Tao wasn’t in the courtyard today. It was said that he was busy dealing with some affiliated posting matters.
Liu Jin nodded helplessly.
That afternoon, Master Huo taught the rest of the stances all in one go, then explained the subsequent matters.
"Practicing martial arts is a process of tempering the muscles and bones while cultivating qi and blood. Specifically, once you can feel the blood-qi in your chest after completing a full set of the Rocky Pile Skill, you are considered initiated. After that, through continuous hard training, along with dietary and medicinal nourishment, you will strengthen that mouthful of blood-qi in your chest. When it grows strong enough to make your chest feel stifled and your body run hot, you can attempt to break through the first threshold—the Skin Barrier."
Sweeping his gaze over them, he continued, "Only after passing the Skin Barrier are you truly initiated into the Martial Dao. With your aptitudes, it will be considered quite good if you can break through the Skin Barrier within half a year."
Hearing this, the group fell somewhat silent. Even if it took half a year to break the Skin Barrier, they still had to undergo the Gu Family’s six assessments during that time. If they didn’t demonstrate their potential, the risk of elimination was extremely high.
Huo Lin abruptly changed the subject and added, "Aside from the four physical-tempering barriers of Skin, Bone, Muscle, and Marrow, the Martial Dao is also divided into three martial technique thresholds: Manifest Force, Hidden Force, and Projected Force. Therefore, you must not slack off in your combat techniques, as they directly determine your combat prowess. Hurry up and initiate into the Rocky Pile Skill first. When the time comes, I will teach you the combat techniques."
Chen Yuan firmly memorized every word. The four physical barriers of Skin, Bone, Muscle, and Marrow, as well as the three technical thresholds of Manifest, Hidden, and Projected Force—this was the current classification of the Martial Dao system. It was a long and arduous road ahead!
His primary goal was to initiate into the Rocky Pile Skill.
Chen Yuan walked to a nearby open space and began practicing in silence. He practiced the twenty-eight stances of the Rocky Pile Skill, over and over again.
[Rocky Pile Skill (Uninitiated): 3/10]
Until the sun set in the west and the crisp bell of the Dining Hall rang out, he still couldn’t break through to 4.
Chen Yuan dragged his exhausted body toward the Dining Hall. This time, in addition to the beef and meat broth, he ordered an extra bowl of Body-Strengthening Soup. After the deduction, he had a balance of four mace of silver.
After devouring all the beef, he took a gulp of the Body-Strengthening Soup. At first, he didn’t feel anything, but after taking a few more bites of rice, he felt a warm current spread from his stomach to every part of his body. His limbs and bones were all nourished, and his body even grew slightly hot. It truly lived up to being a Body-Strengthening Soup that cost one mace of silver a bowl.
Seeing this, Xue Anping gritted his teeth and also spent money to order a bowl. He couldn’t let the Body-Strengthening Soup be the reason a gap opened up between them!
Sun Chengjie and the other two clicked their tongues slightly, but remained unmoved. They felt there was no need to spend extra money at this stage. As for those two, it was mostly to fight for the Gu Family’s reward. Although no one said anything, the intent behind this behavior was mutually understood.