The sun set in the west, casting long shadows across the Martial Arts Arena.
Su Yu relaxed his stance, exhaling a long puff of white breath.
[Skill Level +1]
[Skill Level +1]
...
This steady, day-by-day increase in his Skill Level allowed him to focus completely.
Ma Fei, on the other hand, was a different story. Halfway through his Pile Skill practice, his gaze would often shift to the Inner Courtyard, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Why him? Just because he has a blacksmith for a father?" Ma Fei spat, turning to the other three. "Alright, Wang Hu has gone off to be one of the elites. Us poor bastards still have chores to do."
With that, Ma Fei had already snatched a broom and started feigning work, sweeping the easiest area—the front courtyard.
The martial arts hall had many chores: sweeping the grounds, polishing and maintaining the iron posts and weapons, helping Aunt Liu pound herbs for Herbal Decoctions, patrolling at night, and emptying the chamber pots...
Of all the chores, emptying the chamber pots was the filthiest, and pounding herbs was the most tiring. The chores in the Inner Courtyard were also generally more exhausting than those in the Outer Courtyard. Ma Fei had snatched the job of sweeping the Outer Courtyard first, and his intentions were obvious.
Su Yu didn't want to waste time arguing with him and was about to head to the latrine to empty the chamber pots.
But Chen Fan beat him to it, rushing forward. "I'll do it! I'll do it! You two senior brothers can do something else. Just leave this kind of work to me."
Su Yu nodded and walked toward the Inner Courtyard, lost in thought.
In the Inner Courtyard, the senior brothers had already left the hall, leaving behind an empty yard with weapons scattered all over the ground.
Su Yu began picking them up one by one, noticing that most were made of refined iron, mainly sabers and swords.
'I haven't practiced with weapons yet,' he thought. 'I wonder what I should learn in the future.'
Putting away the weapons, inspecting the wooden posts, wrapping them with hemp rope, and applying oil—it was all quite troublesome to handle.
By the time he finished, an hour had passed.
Just then, Aunt Liu came out of the pharmacy, calling for help.
"Auntie, I'll help," Su Yu hurried forward.
"Oh, Su Yu. Why are you the only one? This is very tiring work."
"It's no problem, Auntie. I can get started," Su Yu said, following her into the pharmacy.
In the center of the pharmacy stood a massive bluestone mortar, half a man's height, filled with all sorts of medicinal herbs.
"You can start pounding. If you get tired, go to the front courtyard and call for more help." With that, Aunt Liu left the pharmacy.
Su Yu lifted the heavy stone pestle.
THUD!
The dull thud echoed in the small space.
With every lift and drop, Su Yu felt a sore, tingling tremor run through the muscles of his arms. It seemed this job was definitely not as easy as it looked.
But Su Yu didn't slack off in the slightest, focusing on the task at hand.
Aunt Liu occasionally peeked in and, seeing Su Yu working so diligently without any sign of slacking, nodded in satisfaction.
An hour later, the herbs were finally pounded. Su Yu's bare torso was drenched in sweat, which dripped continuously to the floor, tracing the lines of his well-defined muscles.
This body had been well-nourished and was no longer the scrawny frame he had when he first arrived.
Just then, Aunt Liu came in, inspected his work, and was very pleased. "Good job! I really like young men like you, so serious and hardworking!"
"Some people are always trying to find ways to be lazy. I have to check on them and nag them several times!"
As she spoke, Aunt Liu looked at Su Yu with growing satisfaction. "You're a handsome young man with a good personality. If I were younger, I'd insist on marrying you."
"Auntie, you're joking," Su Yu said, a little embarrassed and not daring to respond further.
"Haha, don't be scared. I may be old, but I know a lot of young ladies. I've taken a liking to you, kid. I'll introduce you to the Qi family's daughter later."
She then leaned in and whispered, "She's very pretty, and she's got wide hips—good for childbearing. Plus, the Qi family owns an herb shop. They're rich!"
Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry and quickly waved his hands. "Auntie, please, spare me. All I want to do right now is practice my Martial Arts. I have no time to think about starting a family."
"Silly boy! Practicing Martial Arts is expensive. If you marry the Qi family's daughter, your path in Martial Arts will be much smoother."
Although Su Yu felt she had a point, he really didn't want to think about such things right now. The most important thing was to use his panel to train with all his might, so he politely declined.
As they were talking, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
"Father, what happened to First Senior Brother?" Qin Yu cried out, her pretty face deathly pale.
Su Yu quickly looked outside. Master Qin's expression was grim. Behind him, a tall man was being supported by others, his right arm twisted at an unnatural angle.
Was that... First Senior Brother, Qi Linfeng?
Su Yu's pupils contracted.
'Didn't the two of them go to the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall?' he thought. 'Looks like something happened.'
"Let's talk inside!" Master Qin's voice was tinged with fury. Qin Yu quickly opened the door, helping the others carry Qi Linfeng inside.
Seeing that something serious had happened, Su Yu didn't dare to linger. He quickly bid farewell to Aunt Liu and returned to the front courtyard.
...
Autumn passed and winter came, bringing with it a cold, biting wind.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.
One day, while Su Yu and the others were practicing in the front courtyard, a series of gasps suddenly erupted from the crowd of apprentices nearby.
"What? Chen Fan, you've made your first breakthrough?"
"Senior... Senior Brother Chen, you've been here less than a month, right? Did you really break through?"
The cries of shock, like claps of thunder, instantly set the entire arena abuzz.
Su Yu stopped his movements and looked toward the source of the commotion.
He saw Chen Fan—the same Chen Fan who was usually so meek and subservient, the one who rushed to empty the chamber pots—now standing in the center of a crowd.
He still wore that same humble smile, waving his hands dismissively. "It was a fluke, just a fluke. I was just practicing when I suddenly felt a surge of Qi and Blood, and then... I broke through."
A fluke?
A first breakthrough in less than a month!
If that was a fluke, then what did that make them, who had been training for two or three months and were still stuck outside the threshold?
The expressions on the faces of the crowd flickered as they looked at him, never having expected him to be such a genius.
Some people snapped out of it and immediately began to flatter him.
"Junior Brother Chen, your talent... you've really been hiding it well!"
"A genius! I always knew Senior Brother Chen was a genius! I said from the start that he showed extraordinary promise..."
In an instant, all sorts of praise and flattery filled the air.
Chen Fan, however, turned to a stunned Ma Fei and bowed deeply. "It's all thanks to Senior Brother Ma's excellent guidance. Without your pointers, Senior Brother, I, Chen Fan, would not be where I am today."
Ma Fei's expression was stiff as he clasped his hands in a return gesture. "Junior Brother... you're too kind. It was all your own hard work."
Little did they know, Ma Fei's mind was already in turmoil.
'I've been here for over two months, and I still haven't even sensed the Qi Blood Barrier. I'm about to be eliminated. Instead, Chen Fan, who's been here less than a month, has already broken through. It feels so surreal. Just a few days ago, Chen Fan was right there with me, cursing the unfairness of the martial arts hall—how we had no Herbal Decoctions, no beast meat, and had to rely entirely on ourselves! Meanwhile, Wang Hu and the others got in through the back door. How unfair can you get!'
The commotion also attracted Senior Brother Xu, and someone immediately went forward to report the situation.
After hearing the news, Senior Brother Xu also looked shocked. He immediately went to Chen Fan's side and began pressing on various points of his body.
After a thorough examination, Senior Brother Xu seemed to have a good idea of the situation. "Chen Fan, come with me. Master was busy before and never had a chance to check your bones. We'll have him do it this time!"
"Yes, Senior Brother."
The two left, leaving the curious crowd behind.
"What kind of Root Bone do you think Chen Fan has? It couldn't be mid-to-high-grade, could it? How else could he break through so fast?"
"Hard to say, but it's at least mid-grade. He's going to be considered a genius from now on!"
As it turned out, they didn't have to wait long. Master Qin's hearty laughter soon echoed from the back courtyard. "Haha, excellent, excellent! A Top-Grade Root Bone! Chen Fan, from this day forward, you are my Direct Disciple!"
"A Top-Grade Root Bone!"
"A Direct Disciple!"
The series of shocks left the crowd speechless, their eyes overflowing with a mix of envy and jealousy.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen in place.
To see a junior brother, who had been just one of them, suddenly become a genius and leap over the dragon gate—it was difficult to accept.
Was this fate?
Some are born in Rome; others are born to be cattle.
...
Su Yu just shook his head, quickly composed himself, and continued his Pile Skill practice.
[Skill Level +2]
[Skill Level +2]
Over the past month, by focusing completely on his training with the help of the Herbal Decoction, his progress in the White Ape Six Transformations Pile Skill had sped up considerably.
After finishing several repetitions, Su Yu opened his panel to check, his mood lifting with excitement.
[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Transformations (entry-level 402/800)
'I've finally passed the halfway mark! At this rate, I'll be able to break through to the Skilled Proficiency Level in just over two more months! And it's not just my Martial Arts. I'm about to have a breakthrough with my accumulated Breakthrough Points as well.'
[Breakthrough Point]: 0 Points (Progress 96%)
'Just as I thought, these Breakthrough Points get harder to earn the further you go. I originally estimated I'd get the next one a few days ago, but it looks like it'll be delayed by a few more days.'