When Chen Qing arrived at the Zhou Institute, quite a few disciples were already training.
Chen Qing quietly made his way to a corner, stood firm, took a deep breath, and began to warm up.
His arms, shoulders, spine, waist, and hips—he stretched every joint fully, his muscles alternating between relaxation and tension.
After a few breaths, Chen Qing began his Cultivation of the Long Arm Pile Skill.
His movements were smooth and natural, the coordination between his Body Technique and the movements of his hands exquisite.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence. Success is certain.]
[Basic Arm Extension Stance (399/500)]
[Long Arm Fist (Entry-Level) (318/500)]
'Based on my current progress, I might not even need a month to cultivate the Long Arm Pile Skill to Minor Achievement and reach Manifest Force.'
After finishing one round of the Pile Skill, Chen Qing sat down to catch his breath, his mind already calculating.
The broken silver from Qian Biao had allowed him and his mother to eat meat for several meals, and his progress had quickened a little, but the money was spent just as quickly. Now, there was almost nothing left.
During this time, people came and went in the institute. Familiar faces grew scarce as new ones constantly poured in.
He was already an 'old-timer' at the Zhou Institute.
In another month, the gift for the instructor would be due again.
Chen Qing remained calm, but several of his fellow disciples from the same period had gloomy faces, looking weighed down by their worries.
"Why isn't Brother Guo here today?" a disciple asked in a low voice.
Hearing this, Chen Qing looked up, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard.
Guo the Hammer, who came from a poor peasant family, was always diligent in his training and was never late.
"He..."
A brother disciple next to them sighed, his voice low. "He failed to break through last night. He packed his bags and went back to the countryside overnight."
The air suddenly froze. The disciples from the same intake all lowered their heads in unison. Some unconsciously rubbed the calluses on their palms, while others stared blankly at their own worn-out cloth shoes.
Chen Qing's brow furrowed. Zhou Liang had once said that if you failed your first attempt to break through, you were basically fated to have no future in Martial Arts.
And the longer it took, the smaller the chance of ever breaking through.
If they couldn't break through to Manifest Force and secure a position, how could they possibly afford the path of martial training?
A disciple sighed, "Brother Guo and Junior Brother Qin always got along well. Last night, before he left, he went to say goodbye to Junior Brother Qin, but Junior Brother Qin... just ignored him."
The atmosphere grew oppressive.
A clear line was drawn between the disciples who had broken through to Manifest Force and those who hadn't, as if they were separated into two different worlds.
Chen Qing's gaze drifted involuntarily toward Qin Lie.
The genius from a humble background... had really changed a lot.
The surrounding disciples were all lost in their own thoughts. Those with some family wealth began to think about their future options.
'If I fail at martial arts, what will become of me?'
But the disciples who had nothing to their names clenched their fists in secret, viewing this as their one all-or-nothing chance to turn their lives around.
After a short rest, Chen Qing threw himself back into his training.
After that day, Guo the Hammer never appeared at the Zhou Institute again.
The Zhou Institute was still the same Zhou Institute; it didn't change just because one person had left.
During that time, a few new disciples arrived, and one with good aptitude received special attention from Zhou Liang.
Some people came, and naturally, some people left.
As time went on, the attitudes of some people toward Chen Qing also subtly changed.
The fickleness of human relationships was just like that.
...
That afternoon, Chen Qing went to Wang's Cloth Shop on Four Directions Street.
Ms. Han had told him that Yang Huien had come looking for him yesterday, seemingly about something important.
The facade of Wang's Cloth Shop was not large. Bolts of cloth of all colors hung in the street-facing storefront, and the air was filled with the distinct smell of starched and washed fabric.
Chen Qing stood at the entrance, peering inside. Figures bustled about, and a mix of sounds—the clatter of looms, the snip of scissors, and the thud of cloth being beaten and washed—filled the air.
In a corner, Yang Huien stood by a large wooden basin, her sleeves rolled up high to reveal forearms that were red and raw from the cold, covered in cracks. She was struggling to beat a heavy piece of coarse cloth.
Splashing water had soaked the hem of her skirt, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
"Cousin," Chen Qing called out softly.
Yang Huien looked up at the sound, and a flash of delight crossed her face. "Ah Qing! You're here?"
She hastily wiped her wet hands on her apron and hurried to the entrance.
"I almost forgot!" As if suddenly remembering something, Yang Huien quickly turned and ran to a small stool in the corner where miscellaneous items were kept. From underneath, she retrieved a small cloth pouch that had been washed until it was faded.
She opened it carefully. Inside were two still-warm boiled eggs, resting on top of more than twenty copper coins.
"Here, take these."
Yang Huiniang forcefully pressed the eggs and copper coins into Chen Qing's hand and lowered her voice. "A reward from the young master yesterday. I just heated them up this morning."
Chen Qing quickly tried to refuse. "I can't take this."
"Why are you being so polite with me?"
Yang Huien gave him a reproachful glare, which quickly softened into a warm smile. "Keep the copper coins with you. You'll always have expenses at the training institute. Didn't I tell you? You can pay me back later, but I'll be charging interest."
Clutching the warm eggs and the heavy copper coins, Chen Qing's heart warmed. "If you give all the money to me, what will you do?"
"Don't worry, I barely have any use for it here," Yang Huiniang said in a light tone.
Chen Qing took a deep breath, his face full of sincerity. "Cousin, words can't express my gratitude for such a great kindness."
Besides Ms. Han, Yang Huiniang was undoubtedly the person who had helped him the most and to whom he owed the greatest debt of gratitude.
Yang Huiniang's willow-like brows furrowed as she feigned anger. "If you keep talking like that, I'll get really angry!"
"I know, I know."
Chen Qing smiled. "I'll just put it in the ledger for now. I'll pay you back later, with principal and interest."
Yang Huiniang's face broke into a smile as well.
"So this is where you've run off to!" Suddenly, a sharp, harsh voice came from the back of the cloth shop.
A matronly steward with high cheekbones, wearing a silk jacket, stood at the doorway with her hands on her hips, glaring viciously in their direction. "There are three more bolts of cloth in the back waiting to be starched and beaten! Are you going to dawdle until dark? Don't you want your wages?!"
The smile on Yang Huien's face froze instantly. She looked helplessly at Chen Qing. "Ah Qing, I have to get back to work. You should go..."
"Get a move on!" the matronly steward urged again.
Yang Huien didn't dare delay any longer and trotted back to the huge wooden basin.
The matronly steward shot Chen Qing a sidelong glance, snorted, and turned to leave.
Chen Qing's brows knitted slightly as he silently left Wang's Cloth Shop.
In the afternoon, Chen Qing returned to the Zhou Institute to continue his training.
Ever since what happened with Guo the Hammer, the disciples from his intake had all grown anxious.
Zhou Liang was constantly recruiting disciples, but only a dozen or so ever remained by his side for long, which spoke volumes.
Reaching Manifest Force was not easy. The first attempt to break through stopped seventy percent of aspirants. When external factors were considered, the success rate was even lower than thirty percent.
Chen Qing stood steadily on the wooden pile, his figure as motionless as an ancient pine tree.
Sweat trickled down his temples, glinting in the morning light.
This was his last round of the Long Arm Pile Skill.
Sun Shun was also secretly worried for Chen Qing.
He knew better than anyone how hard Chen Qing worked, but on the path of Martial Arts, hard work alone was far from enough.
On the other side, Qin Lie impatiently waved away a junior brother who had come to ask for advice. The disciple, his face flushed red, left resentfully.
In Qin Lie's eyes, being asked for guidance by these mediocre talents was just a waste of his own precious Cultivation time.
His gaze unintentionally swept across the training ground and landed on the sweat-drenched figure.
He remembered that Chen Qing had started a half-month before him, trained like his life depended on it, yet had still failed to break through.
The image of a dark, damp latrine suddenly surfaced in his mind—the scene of the two of them cleaning the filth side by side.
Qin Lie subconsciously touched his brand-new training uniform. The feel of the high-quality cotton fabric stirred a strange vexation in his heart.
He averted his gaze as if trying to completely shake off that memory, focusing on his own fist forms.
"Junior Brother Qin, what are you looking at?"
A senior sister strolled over and followed Qin Lie's previous gaze to glance at Chen Qing. "Him? It's been almost three months, hasn't it? Still grinding away at that wooden pile."
Her name was Luo Qian. Her looks were average, not at all outstanding, but her family was wealthy and prosperous, one of the rich households in the Inner City.
Besides practicing martial arts at the Zhou Institute, Luo Qian would also scout for disciples with potential, funding and recruiting them before they made a name for themselves.
Once these disciples matured, even if they didn't join the Luo Family, a favor from them would be invaluable.
In her eyes, it was a matter of sifting through manure to find gold, but she had actually managed to find a piece of it.
And that piece of gold was Qin Lie.
Chen Qing was oblivious to the gazes and discussions around him. His world had been reduced to the wooden pile beneath his feet, the qi and blood within his body, and every minute detail of the Pile Skill in his mind.
Sweat soaked through his thin clothes, and his muscles screamed in protest from the sustained tension, but his will was like iron. He adjusted his breathing again and again, guiding the faint but persistent flow of qi and blood.
Suddenly, a strange change occurred.
It wasn't a cataclysmic landslide or a raging inferno.
It was like a long-blocked river channel being quietly pierced by a gentle but tenacious force.
Chen Qing felt his vision suddenly brighten. The veins on the leaves of the distant Old Locust Tree became clearly visible; he could even see the tiny dewdrops condensed at their tips.
The cacophony of training and the sound of the wind seemed to retreat in an instant, leaving only the steady, powerful beat of his own heart, like a drum, THUMP, THUMP, echoing clearly in his chest.
The sound of his blood rushing became tangible, like a stream washing over its riverbed.
The wooden pile beneath his feet felt as if it had taken root, becoming one with the solid earth.
His skin became exceptionally sharp, clearly perceiving the subtle coolness of the morning breeze brushing against his sweaty skin. He could even sense the trajectory of dust motes floating in the air.
A gentle yet abundant power quietly rose from his Dantian in his lower abdomen, unhurried, slowly seeping through his limbs and bones like spring water.
At the same time, his muscles and bones emitted a series of crisp, pleasant CRACKLE-POP sounds.
The long-standing feeling of stagnation was swept away, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun. The mist that had plagued him for so long finally dispersed, and the path ahead became clear.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence. Success is certain.]
[Long Arm Pile Skill (Minor Achievement) (1/1000)]
[Long Arm Fist (Entry-Level) (425/500)]
"I did it."
Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. "So this is the Long Arm Pile Skill at Minor Achievement!?"
A trace of joy appeared in his heart.
He had reached Manifest Force. This not only meant he could continue his martial arts training, but he could even take on a sponsored position as a guard.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen!"
"Please look out for us in the future, Junior Brother Chen!"
...
The surrounding disciples enthusiastically came forward to congratulate him, the atmosphere changing in an instant.
The eyes of those disciples still lingering outside the threshold of Manifest Force held both envy and a trace of resentment. They knew all too well what this meant.
Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that he had reached Manifest Force, not only could he get a sponsored position, but he could also participate in the Martial Arts Examination.
Sun Shun walked up, his face wreathed in smiles. "Junior Brother Chen, congratulations."
"Thank you, Brother Sun."
Chen Qing cupped his fist to Sun Shun.
Zhou Yu also came over with a smile and offered some encouragement. "The Zhou Institute has gained another Manifest Force disciple today. Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen. Keep up the good work."
As she spoke, she handed over a small paper packet. "This is a dose of Blood and Qi Powder. Take it."
Although she was slightly surprised by Chen Qing's breakthrough at this moment, it strengthened the institute's power regardless.
Chen Qing's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"
Blood and Qi Powder was a medicinal powder taken orally to increase the speed of qi and blood accumulation, greatly benefiting Cultivation. Chen Qing had often seen the wealthier disciples or the senior brothers and sisters with sponsored positions taking it.
Not far away, a flash of surprise crossed Luo Qian's eyes. She then said in a low voice, "He actually managed to stumble through. The kid's luck isn't bad, but limited by his Root Bone, his potential is already exhausted. There's no hope for him to break through a second time."
She said this in an attempt to save face for her 'good judgment of character'.
Qin Lie turned a deaf ear to the discussion behind him, not even lifting an eyelid.
Whether Chen Qing succeeded or failed, whether his breakthrough was fast or slow, in his eyes, it was all as insignificant as a pebble on the side of the road, not worth a moment of his attention.