My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 9 Becoming an Apprentice

The main hall in the backyard.

Yang Wei sat down, and Zhou Hu stood beside him.

"Master," Zhou Hu said in a low voice, "Liang Cheng asked me about the silver-headed shark the other day."

Yang Wei looked up: "Oh?"

"He said he heard it from the fishermen and was a little curious," Zhou Hu paused, "but watching his fight today, his energy and blood were far stronger than before. Combined with his sudden breakthrough to Ming Jin, it's probably not as simple as just curiosity."

Yang Wei tapped his knuckles lightly on the table: "You mean he happened to consume the silver-headed shark?"

"This disciple's guess is correct." Zhou Hu nodded. "Otherwise, given his old injuries and physical condition, it would be too abrupt for him to reach the Ming Jin level in just two months."

Yang Wei was silent for a moment: "If that's really the case, then it's his good fortune. However, possessing such a treasure is a crime, and this matter should not be made public."

"Yes."

At this moment, Liang Cheng and Zhao Yuan were already waiting outside the door.

"Come in."

The two entered one after the other. Zhao Yuan's face was still somewhat pale, while Liang Cheng stood quietly to the side with his eyes down. Yang Wei saw all of this.

Yang Wei first looked at Zhao Yuan and asked, "What are your thoughts on today's battle?"

Zhao Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "This disciple underestimated the enemy and acted rashly."

"Not only that," Yang Wei's voice turned cold, "when you saw that Liang Cheng's defense was solid, you became impatient and launched a fierce attack, completely forgetting the key to 'softness within strength'."

Remember, Ming Jin (明劲) isn't brute force; it's integrated power. Fighting like that, in real combat, you'd be dead ten times over!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan trembled and quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake: "This disciple knows his mistake."

"I'm punishing you with three days of confinement. Reflect on your actions." Yang Wei's tone softened slightly. "However, your natural talent is indeed outstanding. Although you failed this time, the original first-place reward, a serving of 'Seven Treasures Soup,' will still be yours."

Zhao Yuan suddenly looked up, his eyes slightly red: "Thank you, Master!"

Yang Wei waved his hand, "Go down."

Zhao Yuan glanced at Liang Cheng with a complicated expression, but ultimately said nothing and turned to leave. Only then did Yang Wei look at Liang Cheng.

"Liang Cheng".

"Disciple is here."

"You don't have any objections to giving the Seven Treasures Soup to Zhao Yuan, do you?"

"I will leave everything to Master's decision and will have no complaints whatsoever."

These were Liang Cheng's true feelings. The items belonged to Yang Wei, and it was up to him to decide how to handle them. Besides, he had received fair treatment at Yang Wei Martial Arts School for the past two months, which was extremely rare in this world.

Yang Wei nodded to himself, "Although your physical constitution is damaged, you were able to achieve minor mastery of Hunyuan Stance within two months and break through to Ming Jin. What's even more commendable is that you know how to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, using defense as a substitute for offense."

"From today onwards, you are officially my disciple. Tuition is waived. You will move into the west wing of the backyard and share the medicinal bath with Zhao Yuan and the others."

Liang Cheng felt a surge of warmth in his heart, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and said, "Thank you, Master!"

Then Zhou Hu brought over a teacup, and Liang Cheng knelt down to respectfully offer the tea. Yang Wei accepted the gesture, took the teacup, and drank a sip.

"Once you join my sect, you must remember this," Yang Wei said, his gaze sharp. "On the path of martial arts, opportunities are important, but a solid foundation is fundamental. What you have achieved today is all due to your daily hard work and perseverance. As for the rest, since it is in the past, do not mention it again, nor ask about it."

The words were spoken cryptically, but Liang Cheng immediately understood that his master was referring to the silver-headed shark incident, telling him to keep quiet about it in the future.

"This disciple understands," Liang Cheng replied respectfully.

"Hmm." Yang Wei nodded. "There are now nine disciples in the backyard, including you. Zhou Hu supervises their cultivation on weekdays, and I will personally examine them on the first and fifteenth of each month. Go on, Zhou Hu will help you settle in."

"Yes."

Then Zhou Hu led Liang Cheng toward the west wing.

"There are not many rules in the backyard, only three: First, no private fights; second, medicinal baths must be taken on time and must not be wasted; third, the techniques taught by the master must not be passed on to outsiders."

As Zhou Hu walked, he said, "Starting tomorrow, morning exercises will be changed to 5:00 AM and will be conducted together with the disciples in the backyard. The medicinal bath will be done once a day, starting at 5:00 PM."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother," Liang Cheng said.

The west wing is a separate room, much more spacious than the large communal room in the front yard, complete with a bed, table, and chairs, and a small cabinet in the corner.

"The bedding will be delivered later," Zhou Hu said. "You can get ready first. After dinner, I'll show you around the pharmacy and the bathhouse."

"Yes."

Zhou Hu left, and Liang Cheng stood in the room, looking around.

From dockworker to martial arts apprentice, and now a formal disciple, two months of hard work have finally led me to this threshold.

But he knew in his heart that this was just the beginning.

Of the nine people in the backyard, Zhao Yuan had the highest talent. Although he had the help of the silver-headed shark, his physical constitution was still a weakness. Although his master accepted him, he had more faith in Zhao Yuan.

The Seven Treasures Soup is proof of this.

"It's alright," Liang Cheng muttered to himself.

Now that we have medicinal baths and a safe environment, we must take each step with steadiness. The higher our level of Hunyuan Zhuang (Primordial Stance) is, the more our old injuries will heal and return to their original state.

He opened his baggage and put a few pieces of clothing into the cabinet. The incomplete copy of "Shijia Gong" and the silver he got from Liu Biao were wrapped in oilcloth and hidden in the lining of the bed board.

There was still a small bag of unused lime. After thinking about it, I carefully hid it away again.

After he finished tidying up, he sat on the edge of the bed and calmed his mind.

Deep within my consciousness, a few lines of information surfaced:

[Minor Success in Hunyuan Zhuang (76/500)]

【Raging Bull Strength, Minor Success (2/800)】

[Introduction to Stone Armor Kung Fu (Fragment) (143/200)]

[Realm Level: Early Stage of Ming Jin]

Cultivating the three skills simultaneously ensures a solid foundation.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the door. It was the servant bringing bedding. Liang Cheng took it, thanked him, and made the bed.

When the evening bell rang, he went to the dining hall with the other disciples from the back courtyard.

Besides Zhou Hu and Zhao Yuan, there were six other unfamiliar faces, mostly between eighteen and twenty years old, all with an aura of Ming Jin or higher.

When Liang Cheng entered, some people nodded in greeting, while others merely glanced at him indifferently. Zhao Yuan sat at a table further inside, surrounded by two or three people. Upon seeing Liang Cheng, he looked away.

Liang Cheng went to get his food and ate it quietly.

At 5 PM, at the pharmacy.

Zhou Hu was already waiting there. A row of medicine stoves in the room were steaming and filled with the aroma of medicine.

"Your medicinal bath formula is slightly different from Zhao Yuan's." Zhou Hu pointed to a slightly smaller bath tub. "Your master adjusted it according to your old injuries, focusing on warming and nourishing the muscles and bones, while also replenishing qi and blood. The best effect is achieved by circulating the Hunyuan Zhuang (a type of internal energy cultivation technique) while soaking."

"Yes."

Liang Cheng was grateful. In any case, Yang Wei was absolutely a competent master.

He quickly took off his clothes and got into the tub. The medicinal soup was dark brown and slightly hot. As soon as his skin came into contact with the soup, a warm current seeped in, but it was not as burning as the Shijiagong ointment. Instead, it was warm and nourishing.

He focused on circulating the Hunyuan Stance, guiding the medicinal power. His body gradually felt a stinging sensation, but Liang Cheng gritted his teeth and endured it without uttering a sound. It was much gentler than practicing the Stone Armor Technique.

Zhou Hu, standing nearby, was quite satisfied; his patience was much better than that of Zhao Yuan.

An hour later, the effects of the medicine gradually faded. Liang Cheng got up and dried himself off, feeling completely relaxed. His old injuries to his waist and knees felt especially warm.

He put on the martial arts school disciple's uniform, which fit him perfectly. If he walked down the street, who would recognize him as the down-on-his-luck fisherman from before?

On the way back to my room, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.

A new beginning, a new path.

Tomorrow at 5:00 AM, we will continue.