The news spread through Azure Maple City before sunset.
Lin Yuan had accepted Wang Jie's challenge.
To most people, it was nothing more than a fool refusing to accept reality.
One was the son of the Wang Family's second elder, blessed with a Common Grade Ninth Martial Soul.
The other possessed a Mortal Grade One Gray Sapling.
No matter how courageous Lin Yuan was, courage could not bridge the gap in talent.
The following morning, Lin Yuan arrived at the gates of Azure Maple Academy.
The academy was the only cultivation institution in the city. Every youth who awakened a Martial Soul was eligible to enroll, though the resources they received depended entirely on their talent.
As he entered, many students glanced at him before whispering among themselves.
"That's him."
"The weakest Martial Soul."
"I heard even his fiancée broke off their engagement."
"He won't last a year here."
Lin Yuan ignored them and continued toward the registration hall.
Inside, Elder Sun sat behind a wooden desk.
Without looking up, he asked, "Name."
"Lin Yuan."
Elder Sun paused before lifting his head.
"The one who fought Wang Jie yesterday?"
Lin Yuan nodded.
"I merely defended myself."
"I know."
The elder studied him for a moment before handing over a jade token.
"You've been assigned to the Yellow Courtyard."
"The academy has four courtyards."
"Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow."
"The Heaven Courtyard houses the greatest geniuses."
"The Yellow Courtyard..."
"...houses those with the weakest talents."
Lin Yuan accepted the token without complaint.
Talent determined everything.
He had expected this.
The Yellow Courtyard was located in the quietest corner of the academy.
Compared to the magnificent buildings of the Heaven Courtyard, the disciples here trained in a modest stone courtyard with worn wooden practice dummies.
About thirty students were already present.
Some practiced swordsmanship.
Others meditated.
A burly instructor noticed Lin Yuan.
"You must be the new disciple."
"I'm Instructor Han."
He tossed a thin manual toward Lin Yuan.
"Cultivation begins with a strong foundation."
"This is the Body Tempering Fist."
"It's a basic martial technique used to strengthen the body and improve the flow of spiritual energy."
Lin Yuan caught the manual.
"Thank you, Instructor."
Han nodded.
"Train hard."
"Your Martial Soul may be weak, but if you neglect your foundation, you'll never have another chance."
That afternoon, Lin Yuan sat alone beneath an ancient tree behind the academy.
He slowly opened the manual.
The Body Tempering Fist contained only nine movements.
Each movement seemed simple.
Yet the explanations revealed subtle ways to circulate spiritual energy through the body while striking.
Lin Yuan memorized every page before standing.
He inhaled deeply.
Then performed the first movement.
His punch was stiff.
The second was slightly smoother.
By the tenth repetition, sweat soaked his clothes.
By the thirtieth, his breathing became steady.
His Gray Sapling quietly absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy as he trained, sending a gentle current of vitality through his meridians.
The fatigue that should have accumulated gradually faded.
Lin Yuan continued practicing.
One hundred times.
Two hundred.
Three hundred.
As dusk approached, his movements became increasingly fluid.
The rigid punches of the morning had transformed into clean, efficient strikes.
Each movement flowed naturally into the next.
Instructor Han, who had been walking nearby, stopped in surprise.
"So quickly..."
He had expected the new disciple to spend several days grasping the fundamentals.
Instead, Lin Yuan had nearly mastered the entire technique in a single afternoon.
Han's eyes narrowed.
"His Martial Soul may be weak..."
"...but his comprehension is extraordinary."
He quietly turned and left without disturbing the young man.
Night fell.
The academy grounds grew silent.
Lin Yuan remained beneath the ancient tree.
He slowly completed the final movement of the Body Tempering Fist.
A faint vibration spread through his body.
The spiritual energy within his meridians surged.
His bones crackled softly.
With a muffled burst of force, his aura rose once more.
Body Tempering Realm... Third Stage.
Lin Yuan exhaled slowly, a smile appearing on his face.
He had reached the same cultivation level as Wang Jie.
But unlike his opponent, Lin Yuan had only just begun to discover the potential of his Gray Sapling.
Deep within his spiritual sea, the sapling's four emerald leaves shimmered gently under an invisible breeze.
For the first time, a tiny flower bud appeared at the tip of its highest branch.
It had yet to bloom.
But Lin Yuan could instinctively feel that when it did...
His Martial Soul would undergo its first true evolution.