Chen Yue was deliberately left to languish in the rear courtyard. Tushan would occasionally stroll by with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze lingering on him for a moment, as if confirming an item was still in its designated place.
Chen Yue knew in his heart that the arrangement to go help in Lin Quan’s Alchemy Room had probably fallen through.
In the evening, Liu, Tushan’s most favored apprentice, sauntered over to the corner where Chen Yue was sorting herbs.
He leaned against a drying rack, watching Chen Yue meticulously separate herbs by quality and size. From time to time, Chen Yue would even pause and, as if no one were watching, assume an opening stance of the Iron Mountain Fist to stretch his stiff limbs.
Liu scoffed, the sound low but perfectly audible to Chen Yue. "Hey, Chen Yue, still at it? Working so hard. Are you waiting for some... good news?"
The motion of Chen Yue’s hands, sorting the herbs, paused for an imperceptible moment.
He didn’t look up, but the unconcealed mockery in Liu’s words, and the smug superiority of someone in the know, were crystal clear.
’So that’s how it is.’
’It wasn’t that Chen Lin forgot, nor that Lin Quan suddenly no longer needed help. It was that someone didn’t want me to go.’
Chen Yue continued with his work, gently placing a high-quality herb into its corresponding bamboo tray. His expression didn’t change in the slightest, as if he hadn’t heard Liu’s words or even seen him at all.
The sneer on Liu’s face froze. He had hoped to see Chen Yue panic, get angry, or at least ask some desperate questions. He would have relished the feeling of holding someone’s hopes in his hands.
But Chen Yue’s utter indifference, as if he were impervious to anything, left Liu with the frustrating feeling of punching a fist into a wad of cotton.
"Hmph!"
Losing interest, Liu snorted coldly and stalked off.
Deep in the night, Chen Yue lay on the crowded communal bed, the sound of snoring rising and falling all around him. He stared with wide-open eyes at the smoke-blackened beams above, his thoughts churning.
’How should I proceed from here?’
’The first path is to continue as I am, cultivating in silence. With the panel’s daily settlement, my Iron Mountain Fist and Martial Arts Cultivation will still improve steadily.’
’But my Recognize Medicinal Herbs skill has already reached Great Success, and my Medical Skill has stagnated because I can’t get into the front hall. More importantly, I’m still just an ordinary apprentice, completely under Tushan’s thumb.’
’The second path: take the initiative to make a change.’
’The pharmacy teaches apprentices the Iron Mountain Fist with the express purpose of screening for promising candidates and training guards. Once I break through the Martial Arts Apprentice realm, I can apply to become a hall guard. My status and compensation would be completely different.’
’More importantly, the hall’s guards are under the jurisdiction of Chen Lin, the front hall steward, not Tushan in the rear courtyard.’
’Chen Lin took the initiative to mention a recommendation that day, which shows he recognizes my diligence and ability to recognize medicinal herbs. The fact that nothing came of it obviously means Tushan intervened.’
’For Chen Lin, it naturally wasn’t worth offending Tushan over an apprentice who had yet to prove his value.’
’But what if that apprentice demonstrated the Martial Arts Cultivation of the Skin Refining Realm?’
As he tossed and turned, mulling over his options, a ripple spread through his mind, right at the stroke of midnight.
[Daily Settlement]
[You have diligently practiced Iron Mountain Fist. Iron Mountain Fist EXP +50, Cultivation +5]
[Skill: Iron Mountain Fist (Perfection 60/400)]
New information flooded his mind. At the same time, a soft BOOM echoed within his body, as if some shackle had been shattered.
The ball of warm energy in his Dantian suddenly surged and spun, transforming into a scorching torrent that instantly rushed through his entire body!
Chen Yue’s skin immediately became scalding hot, taking on an unnatural flush. Faint white steam even began to rise from his pores, but fortunately, in the deep of the night, no one noticed.
The intense heat lasted for a dozen breaths or so before slowly fading. As the torrent of heat subsided, returned to his Dantian, and began to circulate slowly along a set path, Chen Yue felt an unprecedented sense of power suffuse his body.
He slowly clenched his fist. His knuckles CRACKED as his muscles tightened, containing a strength that far surpassed anything he’d felt before. What lifted his Heart Spirit even more was that the trace of sinister, cold energy that would occasionally seep out from the black spot on his chest was now greatly suppressed by the new Qi and Blood Power in his body.
The black spot hadn’t shrunk, but Chen Yue had a clear intuition that under the constant pressure of his own Qi and Blood, the spread of this damned thing had slowed considerably.
On the panel, the words [Martial Arts Apprentice] had disappeared, replaced by [Skin Refining Realm (1/300)].
This was the first official stage of the Martial Dao, meaning he had truly crossed the threshold to become a Martial Artist, albeit at the very lowest level.
However, the Cultivation gained from today’s settlement was less than usual. During the Martial Arts Apprentice stage, daily hard practice of the Iron Mountain Fist had brought a growth of about 10 Cultivation points.
But the growth from today’s settlement was only 5 points; the efficiency had been cut in half. Chen Yue suspected that the Iron Mountain Fist was perhaps no longer keeping up.
「The next morning」
The sun was bright, and it was the front hall’s busiest time of day. While delivering a batch of newly prepared herbs to the front hall’s medicine cabinets, Chen Yue quickly scanned the bustling room and soon locked onto his target.
Chen Lin was standing behind the counter, speaking in a low voice with a regular customer. He wore a dark blue silk shirt, a stark contrast to the coarse cloth outfits of the assistants around him.
Chen Yue didn’t approach immediately. Instead, he patiently sorted the herbs and put them away, his movements quick and precise.
Only after the regular customer nodded and left, and Chen Lin rubbed the bridge of his nose before picking up a cup of long-cold tea, did Chen Yue quickly walk over. He stopped three steps from the counter and bowed slightly.
"Steward Chen."
Chen Lin looked up. Seeing it was Chen Yue, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but the flicker of expression was quickly replaced by a faint aloofness. He set down his teacup, his voice even. "What is it?"
He assumed Chen Yue had come to press him about the position in Lin Quan’s Alchemy Room, and a hint of impatience welled up inside him.
"Steward Chen, my name is Chen Yue. I have been practicing the Iron Mountain Fist taught by the hall, and my Physique and strength have grown considerably. I believe I may have been fortunate enough to break through to the Skin Refining Realm. I’ve come to report this to you and request your verification."
Chen Lin’s hand, holding the tea, froze in mid-air.
He looked at Chen Yue, the trace of impatience in his eyes replaced by shock.
’Skin Refining Realm?’
All apprentices at Huichun Hall were taught the Iron Mountain Fist. It was the hall’s policy, both for strengthening their bodies and for screening promising talent.
As the front hall steward, he paid some attention to the selection of guards, so he was aware of the few talented prospects in the rear courtyard.
And Chen Yue, standing before him now, was definitely not one of them.
Chen Lin leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening as he carefully sized up Chen Yue.
The young man’s face was still a little pale, and his build was hardly imposing, but his stance was steady and his eyes were clear and bright—a world away from his former timid, cowering demeanor.
Chen Lin spoke slowly, "Chen Yue, do you know the consequences of falsely reporting your Cultivation and lying about a breakthrough to me?"
According to the hall’s rules, deceiving a superior was met with a heavy fine at best, and expulsion at worst.
Chen Yue met Chen Lin’s scrutinizing gaze, his expression one of unflappable calm. "I would not dare make a false claim."
Chen Lin stared at him for several moments, his fingers tapping lightly on the countertop.
’Skin Refining Realm... If this is true, an apprentice who reached the Skin Refining Realm through his own hard work is far more valuable than an assistant who’s merely quick at fetching herbs.’
’Before, Tushan had an issue with Chen Yue and blocked him from going to Lin Quan’s. That was an internal matter among the rear courtyard apprentices, and I could afford to humor Tushan, since Chen Yue was just an ordinary apprentice at the time.’
’But if Chen Yue really is a Skin Refining Realm Martial Artist, he can apply to become a guard according to the rules.’
’The masters have always emphasized that the hall’s rules must not be broken.’
"Alright."
Chen Lin said no more. He straightened up and beckoned to a sharp-looking guard nearby. "Liu Tang, come here."
The guard, Liu Tang, stepped forward. He was about thirty, with a rugged face and keen eyes, a capable expert at the Skin Refining Realm.
Chen Lin said to Chen Yue, "To the rear courtyard. It’s more spacious."
The three of them walked in a line, with one in front and two behind, through the corridor and into the rear courtyard.
It was the busiest time for morning chores. When the apprentices saw Steward Chen arrive with Guard Liu, and Chen Yue trailing behind them, the atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Tushan, as it happened, was not in the rear courtyard, having gone off somewhere.
Chen Lin stopped at the edge of the yard. He glanced at the apprentices, who were gradually halting their work, and gave Chen Yue a slight nod. "Go ahead. Liu Tang will observe."
"Yes."
Chen Yue acknowledged the order, walked to the center of the open space, and shrugged off his outer shirt, leaving him in a thin, gray tunic. He took a deep breath, his gaze grew tranquil, and he assumed the opening stance of the Iron Mountain Fist.
In the next instant, the wind from his fists whipped up!
This was no longer the furtive, half-hearted practice of before, nor the stiff, clumsy form of a beginner. His waist and stance moved as one, his footwork flowing with his body. Every punch and kick was filled with unobstructed Power.
Every single move was filled with force. This was no flashy display, but the result of true, dedicated practice. It was the Iron Mountain Fist performed by someone whose Qi and Blood could circulate through their limbs, causing their very bones and sinews to hum with power.
The surrounding apprentices stared, completely dumbfounded.