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Chen Ping’an’s breathing hitched.

This was instinctive, like the green-clad boy and pink-skirted girl meeting Zhi Gui, not even that related to realm, purely a powerful suppression of aura.

Pure martial artist, perhaps the essence of “pure” lies in this.

The Prince Song Changjing once did nothing in the town’s yamen, yet the swordsman Liu Baqiao, whose realm was not low, felt his entire body pricked by needles.

A loud bang resounded.

Chen Ping’an was about to react to guard against the unexpected when he was sent flying, crashing hard into the bamboo building’s wall, collapsing on the ground. He struggled twice, but could only lean against the wall, unable to stand. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

The old man who kicked Chen Ping’an in the stomach stood with his arms crossed, looking down at the miserable straw sandal-wearing youth, and sneered, “Daring to be distracted while facing an opponent! Truly courting death!”

Chen Ping’an reached out to wipe his mouth, exhaling a breath of foul air. He stood by the wall, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The old man said nonchalantly, “The world only speaks of nine realms in martial arts, unaware that there is even greater scenery beyond the ninth. You have only just touched the threshold of the third realm, and even the foundation of the second realm is poorly built. If I hadn’t appeared, you would have damaged the very root of your future ninth-realm achievements by pursuing a swift breakthrough. Martial arts allow no trickery or exaggeration. You were doing well before, but it’s far from enough! Because your dispersing of Qi in the first realm was poorly executed!”

Chen Ping’an’s breathing gradually smoothed out. After all, he was a youth who had never neglected tempering his body, and his foundation was well laid. One should know how high a compliment the old man’s “mediocre” and “not bad” were. If a mundane martial artist like Zhu He could receive such praise, they would probably be moved to tears on the spot.

Chen Ping’an didn’t understand these intricate details and only said in a trembling voice, “I am enlightened.”

The old man took a step forward, and the entire bamboo building shook slightly. The invisible characters that Li Xisheng had drawn on the bamboo faintly appeared, flowing with a faint, pure radiance, like the scene when the moonlight bottle was poured onto the stream, particularly moving.

The old man’s mind stirred, but he ignored these external things, staring intently at Chen Ping’an, revealing a heavenly secret, “The Clay Body Realm lies in finding that single breath of primordial Qi, building the framework of the martial arts cottage, Qi being the beams and pillars, Qi being the high walls! But before achieving a unified Qi, you must thoroughly disperse your Qi, discarding all the accumulated foul Qi, even the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth! A pure martial artist, what is pure? It is purely and simply competing with this heaven and earth! Do not learn from those cultivators in the mountains, being sneaky and secretive, in the end only becoming gatekeepers relying on others!”

Chen Ping’an understood only fragments, and deep down, he didn’t entirely agree with the old man’s words.

The old man’s mouth curved up, and he sneered, “The second realm is commonly called the Wooden Embryo Realm, but I think the Mountain Splitting Realm is a better name. Immortal Gods are on the mountain, Immortal Gods are on the mountain, but a martial artist must split this mountain with a single punch! If the foundation of this realm is well-tempered, the future achievements will not lose to the Buddhists’ Vajra Indestructible Body or the Daoists’ Glazed Immaculate Body. We martial artists can also temper an extremely stable physique. As for the Military strategists, ha ha, neither fish nor fowl, the methods they take are like petty thieves taking shortcuts, ridiculous!”

The Military strategist indeed have a shortcut to heaven, besides inviting gods to descend, possessing their bodies, they can also nurture a battlefield heroic spirit within their Qi palace. A heroic spirit is a naturally powerful, undying Yin soul. Once it successfully merges with the cultivator’s divine soul, their physique is like a Daoist alchemy furnace, where water and fire blend. It is another path, an extremely powerful method, but in the mouth of this slovenly old man, the Military strategist’s path is simply worthless, the arrogance of his tone truly frightening.

The old man beckoned Chen Ping’an with his finger, “Come, come, I will suppress my realm to the third level. Use all your strength and hit me to death. If you can make me move half a step, I’ll consider you win!”

Chen Ping’an hesitated.

He didn’t understand the situation at all, from the old man’s inexplicable appearance, claiming to be Cui Chan’s grandfather, to now inexplicably wanting to fight. Chen Ping’an was confused. With Cui Chan’s current status, does he need this nominal half-baked teacher to protect him? And the old man himself said that there are no shortcuts in martial arts, and his own talent is poor. Chen Ping’an doesn’t dare to hope that he can reach half of Cui Chan’s height in this lifetime. Isn’t the old man’s statement self-contradictory?

The old man was displeased and said, “With your kind of mind, you are extremely boring. I’m asking you to hit me, what, do you want me to kneel down and beg you to throw a punch?”

The stubborn side of Chen Ping’an’s personality finally revealed itself. He remained in a defensive posture, unmoving.

The old man’s eyes were deep and obscure, “I’ll only ask you one question, do you want to reach the third realm, and be one of the top third realms in the world?!”

Chen Ping’an nodded without hesitation, “I do!”

The old man slightly turned his head, pointed to his head with his finger, his expression extremely tyrannical, “Then hit here! I really don’t like your nature and temper, but for the sake of Chan, I’ll give you one more chance. If you hit with some momentum, I’ll give you a hand and let you personally experience the true style of the third realm.”

Chen Ping’an said slowly, “Then I’m really going to hit? I won’t hold back when I punch!”

The old man laughed loudly and said, “Stop talking nonsense, you little lady! How did your family produce such a timid person? Do you have balls between your legs? Your parents must be cowards, right?”

A surge of anger arose in Chen Ping’an.

A person who seems to be kind and soft-hearted must have a heart as hard as iron, supporting that seemingly foolish kindness in a difficult life.

The Mud Bottle Lane youth was like this.

Traveling thousands of miles, practicing punches day and night.

Chen Ping’an stepped forward, instantly bursting out with amazing speed, arriving in front of the old man, and struck the old man’s forehead with a right fist.

Seemingly one punch, but ultimately two bangs rang out.

In an instant, Chen Ping’an retreated several steps, his arms drooping, and then retreated again and again.
After his first punch landed on the old man’s forehead, the immense recoil caused a sharp pain in Chen Ping’an’s left arm. But this ignited his ferocity, and his left fist, now wielding even more strength, followed closely, slamming into the old man’s head again.

Alas, even after two punches, the old man remained unfazed, yawning with an air of utter boredom, as if watching the boy’s predicament was a source of amusement. He mocked, “Is that all your full-force punch amounts to? A mere tickle? Am I your wife, or are you mine? I wasn’t wrong to call you a girly, spineless wimp. If I were your parents, I’d be so mad that I’d die.”

Chen Ping’an’s face darkened.

“What, your parents are already dead?”

The old man let out an “oh” and feigned realization, “Even better, they’ll definitely be so infuriated that they’ll come back to life, and then die again.”

After the excruciating pain, Chen Ping’an’s arms had gone completely numb and lost all feeling. Nevertheless, he strode forward. This time, he leaped high, twisting his waist, and launched a powerful roundhouse kick at the old man’s left temple. Aside from a dull thud, the old man remained untouched. Chen Ping’an used the momentum to turn in the air, swinging a second roundhouse kick at the old man’s right temple.

Upon landing, Chen Ping’an’s legs buckled. His shoulders were uneven, and it took him several tries to regain his balance.

The old man stared at the limping boy with an expression of disbelief, asking, “Since your left leg has already suffered enough, why did you put even more force into the second kick with your right leg? Don’t you feel pain?”

Chen Ping’an remained silent, his face as white as snow, his shoulders rising and falling erratically. His legs were undoubtedly severely injured.

The old man nodded, “Looks like this is your bottleneck. Truly disappointing.”

Chen Ping’an charged forward a third time, using the Earth-Shaking Fist’s Six-Step Stance. Although his speed was slower than the previous two attempts, his momentum remained undiminished. The old man was slightly surprised, standing still and patiently waiting.

Through countless repetitions of the stance, the spirit of the Earth-Shaking Fist had long been integrated into Chen Ping’an’s soul. Even with injured limbs, when he began the stance, his aura remained as powerful as a rainbow.

The pale-faced yet resolute boy, having skillfully completed the fist stance, tapped his toes and leaped high, raising his head and hammering downward, heavily striking the old man’s forehead.

The boy fell backward, landing on the ground, gasping for air, his eyes filled with frustration.

“A wise man knows when to retreat in the face of difficulty. You, boy, are far from it. But! Being unwise, that’s right. To become a true martial artist, you don’t need to be too smart. Cleverness can be self-defeating. For that reason, I shall…”

The old man finally showed a hint of appreciation, walking forward step by step with a smile on his face, saying, “Reward you with a kick!”

A lightning-fast kick shot out, its range minimal, just enough to strike Chen Ping’an’s temple as he lay on the ground.

Chen Ping’an exerted all his strength to raise an arm, blocking the ruthless and dangerous kick.

In the end, his arm was pressed tightly against his head, and he was kicked against the base of the wall, curling up there, every inch of his body aching.

The old man stood in place, looking down at the pitiful boy, “I’ve thoroughly assessed your martial arts foundation. What you just experienced was merely an appetizer. The real hardship is about to begin. Go outside and let them know that you’ll need to prepare a large water tub, the best tonifying medicinal herbs, the best wound medicine, and of course, it’s best to prepare a coffin as well. Haha, I’m afraid you might get discouraged and hang yourself! That would be good too. The family can reunite in the afterlife.”

Chen Ping’an rested for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and only then was he able to barely stand and hobble out of the room. In the corridor outside, he saw the green-robed little boy and the pink-skirted girl looking at each other, as well as the white-robed immortal, Wei Bo, who looked slightly gleeful. Seeing the disheveled Chen Ping’an, Wei Bo held back his laughter and said, “I’ll go prepare a top-grade medicinal vat and medicinal ingredients and ointment spirit pills and the like. Don’t worry, Niujiao Mountain Bao Fu Zhai has everything. As for the money, I’ll advance it for you first. You can pay it back whenever you have the money. No rush. But friends are friends, and business is business, so I still have to collect a little interest.”

Chen Ping’an forced out a smile that was worse than crying, nodding. After Wei Bo disappeared, he slumped down in the corridor, leaning against the wall.

The green-robed little boy softly asked, “Mister, is practicing martial arts painful?”

Chen Ping’an collapsed on the ground, his body trembling involuntarily. He said bitterly, “Painfully dead.”

The green-robed little boy had witnessed Chen Ping’an’s stance training in the wind and snow. He believed that with Chen Ping’an’s Second Realm martial artist physique, he could not endure that suffering. It was too tormenting. It wasn’t the kind where an arm is chopped off in one go, with blood splattering and wailing cries. Instead, it was a slow and excruciating process, where every breath felt like swallowing gale-force winds and cutting knives.

If even Chen Ping’an felt the suffering, the green-robed little boy couldn’t imagine the torment.

The pink-skirted girl turned her head, silently sobbing.

About half an hour later, the old man, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation inside the room, stood up and said in a deep voice, “Chen Ping’an, start practicing!”

Chen Ping’an sighed and pushed the door open. The green-robed little boy swallowed hard and helped close the door gently, not even daring to look at the wretched old man.

After closing the door, the green-robed little boy jumped up onto the railing and sat down, feeling very melancholy.

“I, who once dominated the Jianghu for hundreds of years in Yu River, a well-known hero throughout the entire Yellow Court Kingdom, commanding wind and rain, surrounded by friends, why am I running into walls everywhere in this small Dragon Spring County? Grandfather’s luck has been too bad lately, hasn’t it? Will I accidentally splash some celestial being while peeing outside someday and then get punched to death by them?

“This doesn’t match my expectations of rampaging and conquering the Jianghu!

The green-robed little boy looked mournful and pounded the railing hard with both hands, feeling extremely annoyed.

The pink-skirted girl was downstairs, helping the Mountain God Wei Bo to start a fire and boil a large vat of medicinal soup, its fragrance filling the air.

This vat of medicinal ingredients wasn’t cheap, costing Wei Bo 80,000 taels of Great Li patterned silver when converted.

“Poor study literature, rich study martial arts.” The ancients did not deceive me.

Of course, the vast majority of martial artists would definitely not spend so lavishly like Wei Bo; otherwise, even the most solid family fortune would be emptied.

Inside the bamboo building on the second floor, the old man glanced at the still-spirited boy, “Besides helping you completely disperse your Qi, I will also refine your physique and spirit at the same time. As long as you persevere to the end, breaking through from the Second Realm to the Third Realm will be a natural progression. If you’re lucky, reaching the Fourth Realm isn’t impossible.”

“If you’re lucky.”

Hearing this sentence, Chen Ping’an felt that there was no chance at all.
The old man smiled faintly, “For the rest of the day, I will be mindful of the force I exert with each strike, ensuring you won’t find it unbearable from the start. But the final taste, hehe, you’ll experience it for yourself when the time comes.”

Chen Pingan had a foreboding feeling.

The old man’s smile vanished, his mind instantly becoming as still as an ancient well. He slowly adopted a simple and ancient boxing stance, “When I was young, I enjoyed traveling far and wide, never carrying divine weapons or sharp tools. I relied solely on my fists to conquer mountains and valleys. I once witnessed a Celestial Master strike the Spring Announcement Drum! Legend has it that in ancient times, the Thunder God drove his chariot and beat the drum, to awe all evil and cleanse the world.”

The old man’s expression was calm, “After watching it once, I gained some insight and comprehended this move, named the Divine Man Drumming Style!”

Chen Pingan listened attentively, not daring to miss a single word.

The reason was simple: he couldn’t suffer for nothing!

The old man said sternly, “Kid, stand firm and take these ten punches first!”

Inside the bamboo house, there was a burst of clear, crisp sounds like firecrackers exploding.

Ten continuous punches landed in succession on ten different parts of Chen Pingan’s body, penetrating his Qi acupoints, causing his Qi to surge erratically, like dust flying everywhere when a broom sweeps across.

After retracting his fist, the old man smiled strangely.

Chen Pingan, who was prepared for the worst, was initially surprised, feeling that the old man’s punches weren’t heavy and were completely bearable.

Then, in an instant, Chen Pingan suddenly bled from all seven orifices, fell to the ground, and began to roll around.

Chen Pingan bit his lip hard, preventing himself from crying out in pain.

When practicing boxing, apart from hearing Zhu He say that one should not drink alcohol in the early stages of practice, he had also heard many times that one’s Qi must not be interrupted. Chen Pingan cherished the little understanding of boxing he had gained and persevered until today. Even after hearing from Lin Shouyi about the great fortune within Ah Liang’s wine pot, Chen Pingan never regretted anything.

The old man watched the young man rolling around, sneering, “How is it? The taste is good, isn’t it? The essence of this punch lies in the fact that its power doubles with each strike. Even the Great Luo Golden Immortal, who is praised for their indestructible golden body, can be crushed to pieces if you punch fast enough and often enough!”

After saying this, the old man seemed dazed.

When he was at the peak of martial arts, he always wanted to know one thing.

If the Dao Ancestor or Buddha were willing not to fight back, how many punches could they withstand from his style that continuously accumulated power?! And how many punches could he deliver?!

The old man quickly regained his senses and explained, “Don’t worry, these ten punches of mine used skillful force, not harming your physical body, only striking your soul. Grit your teeth, and you should be able to make it through.”

The young man rolled on the ground for a full half-stick of incense, then sat on the ground, relying on the breathing and exhalation techniques taught by Old Yangtou and the Qi circulation methods taught by Ah Liang. Only then did he slowly rise after a full stick of incense, covered in sweat, like a drowned chicken that had just come ashore.

The old man nodded and smiled, “It seems ten punches are alright, then take fifteen more.”

A moment later, Chen Pingan continued to roll on the ground, this time hitting the corner of the wall, not even realizing his head was hitting the wall.

Chen Pingan lay on the ground for two sticks of incense, unable to sit up, let alone stand up and say anything fierce to the old man.

The old man quietly observed the subtle changes in the young man’s Qi, continuing, “Martial arts, martial arts, is also the Great Dao! Qi refiners always look down on pure martial artists, only talking about martial skills and not martial Dao, believing that martial skills can never reach the height of ‘Dao’. I refuse to believe it!”

“I went to read all kinds of books, and one day I read a passage, with a drawing of a graceful woman, her posture and appearance captivating the world. The text said that this woman, the Rain Master, cared about the common people and did not hesitate to overstep her bounds, violating the Heavenly Law by sending down sweet rain without permission. Her golden body was imprisoned on a Divine Smashing Altar, enduring the Heavenly Emperor’s admonishing edicts day and night, including the words ‘brought it upon herself’. I slammed the table in anger! Unable to contain my rage, I went outside, where it was raining heavily. I punched the rain curtain upwards by tens of feet!”

“So, my punch is named the Cloud Rising from the Great Marsh Style!”

The old man stood silently beside the young man, stepping on Chen Pingan’s abdomen with one foot, and sneered, “Can’t get up? Just lie there! I can still let you know the wonder of this punch!”

In Chen Pingan’s Qi sea, there was a thunderous sound, as if a cataclysmic change had occurred.

He had once followed Cui Dongshan from the Great Sui Dynasty back to the Yellow Court Country, passing through a large body of water, where mist rose, which was very spectacular. From Cui Dongshan’s refined words, he learned that it was called the majestic scene of clouds rising from the Great Marsh. But scenery is scenery. Enduring the ups and downs that this painting brought about in his body after the old man’s swift stepping, was truly “desire and death.” The old man’s foot caused Chen Pingan’s Qi sea, located in the lower dantian, to swell and rise sharply. Chen Pingan felt his liver and intestines were broken inch by inch, and in the next moment, he would vomit all of his internal organs out of his throat.

Each time the water vapor rose in his Qi sea, Chen Pingan felt as if he was being pulled upward once, his body bouncing off the ground, and then falling back to the ground, repeatedly.

Finally, the old man seemed to think that the bouncing young man was very annoying, and he stepped down again, “Settle!”

Chen Pingan was firmly stepped on the ground by that foot, the young man’s limbs twitching, his face twisted, and his eyes turbid.

Innumerable tiny blood beads slowly seeped out from the pores of Chen Pingan’s body, eventually coalescing into patches.

The old man roared, “Chen Pingan! Listen carefully! The initial Qi of martial arts has already been found by you, is it just for show?! If a person cannot move, so what?! Only this Qi must not be interrupted!”

In a daze, Chen Pingan vaguely heard the old man’s roar, and almost instinctively, he spoke silently in his heart, as if issuing an order, letting the mystical Qi, like a fire dragon, circulate on its own, going wherever it wanted, because he really could no longer control his limbs, and couldn’t even control a finger at the moment.

The old man lowered his head and stared intently. In his vision, a Qi, no thicker than a thread and resembling a fire dragon, began to frantically rush around the meridians inside the chest, and he laughed loudly, “Good!”
The old man retracted his foot, placing one hand behind his back, and with the other, flicked his fingers lightly at Chen Pingan. “I once witnessed a battle between two armies from a mountain peak. It was truly magnificent, like a dragon and an elephant locked in mortal combat. The dragon, the mightiest of beasts in the water, and the elephant, the strongest on land. That battle was the swan song of a century on the battlefield! From it, I gleaned a fist technique, called ‘Iron Cavalry Piercing Formation!'”

With each casual flick of the old man’s fingers, Chen Pingan felt a rib fracture cleanly.

This was the first time Chen Pingan had cried out in agony.

Because the true pain was not merely physical, but resonated deep within his very soul.

Outside the corridor, the boy in green perched on the railing, terrified, nearly falling off. The girl in the pink dress downstairs, utterly distraught, suddenly squatted on the ground, clutching her head, unable to bear the sounds any longer.

Finally, looking at the young man who had completely lost consciousness, the old man walked expressionlessly towards the door. After opening it, he said to the trembling boy in green, “Carry him downstairs and throw him directly into the medicinal tub, clothes and straw sandals and all. Don’t underestimate such a small amount of weight. For Chen Pingan’s current state, to stabilize his cultivation, you cannot move them. Also, remember to tell that effeminate mountain deity not to gild the lily by adding any miraculous pills or elixirs. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter to me, but this kid’s suffering today will have been for naught.”

Upon seeing the old man and hearing his instructions, the frightened boy in green didn’t dare use the stairs. He simply leaped down in a single bound. He only dared to have the girl in the pink dress move Chen Pingan, unable to even brush past the old man himself.

However, after unnecessarily reminding Wei Bo, he dashed towards the girl in the pink dress outside the door. Gritting his teeth, the boy in green leaped out, and with another point of his toes, he floated up to the second floor, barging into the room before her and carrying the bloody mess that was Chen Pingan on his back.

He carefully placed Chen Pingan into the medicinal tub.

The girl in the pink dress, her face streaked with tears, asked softly, “Mountain God Wei, is my master really going to be alright?”

Wei Bo glanced at the unconscious Chen Pingan. “If he can persevere to the end, he will be alright. But if he falters midway, not only will his efforts be in vain, but he will also suffer many aftereffects, such as being stuck in the second or third stage of martial arts for the rest of his life. Because the foundation is so solid, wanting to raise his realm as a whole would be akin to a child trying to lift a stone pillar – impossible.”

The girl in the pink dress was a little confused.

The boy in green walked out of the room alone and sat on a bamboo chair outside, resting his chin on his hands, lost in thought.

In the twilight, Chen Pingan, who was soaking in the medicinal tub, looked like a pitiful person having a nightmare he couldn’t wake up from. Even in sleep, his aura was chaotic, but now it was finally stabilizing. The girl in the pink dress, tiptoeing, leaned over the tub, her forehead covered in sweat, afraid that her master would die from the pain, drown, or fall asleep and never wake up. She stared wide-eyed, but there was nothing she could do.

As night fell, the girl in the pink dress cautiously walked out of the first floor and sat on the bamboo chair next to the boy in green.

After a long silence, the boy in green suddenly said softly, “Silly girl, I’ve decided. I really, really need to cultivate properly.”

The girl in the pink dress was not in high spirits. “Why? Didn’t you say that our cultivation only relies on talent? And that you can just lie down, and your cultivation will soar?”

The boy in green, unusually dejected, hung his head. “I don’t want to encounter guys who can kill me with one punch every time I go down the mountain and back.”

The girl in the pink dress thought this would be difficult. But her master had already suffered so much today, so she didn’t want to discourage the person next to her, especially since it was still the New Year.

He raised his head and lifted his fist. “I want to strive to make those guys need two punches to kill me!”

The girl in the pink dress felt a little awkward, as if something was off.

A lofty ambition? Seemed not quite right. Shortsighted? Seemed not quite right either.

The boy in green encouraged himself. “A righteous hero like me doesn’t want to hide behind Chen Pingan every time I meet those guys. It’s too disrespectful to my name, ‘Righteous Young Lord of the Imperial River’. I want Chen Pingan to know that I’m truly loyal, not just talking about it!”

This time, the girl in the pink dress sincerely raised a small fist and gently waved it. “Add oil!”

At this moment, the boy in green, who had always looked down on the Fire Python, suddenly felt something in his heart. This silly girl, as dim-witted as she was, was actually quite cute and pleasing.

He immediately reverted to his playful, mischievous demeanor, smiling slyly. “Silly girl, have you thought about what we talked about last time? Be my little wife, let’s roll around in bed together every now and then? Even if I don’t like you much now, but with worldly couples, matchmaker’s words, arranged marriages, feelings can be cultivated, right? As long as you like me, and then, with sincerity, even metal and stone can be melted. One day, I’ll like you as much as you like me. That makes you happy, right?”

The girl in the pink dress was on the verge of tears. “You shameless thing! I’m going to tell the master!”

“Our master is sleeping, he doesn’t have time for you.”

The boy in green chuckled. “A big pie falls from the sky onto your head, and you don’t even know to catch it, forget it, what a silly girl! Only Chen Pingan hasn’t seen the world, that’s why he treasures you. If it were me, I’d give you a top-grade Serpent Gallstone at most.”

The girl in the pink dress puffed out her cheeks, huffily. “Please call him Master!”

The boy in green immediately fell silent, clasping his hands behind his head and looking into the distance, he softly spoke. “Yes, Chen Pingan is our Master.”

Chen Pingan woke up in the middle of the night, able to walk without difficulty, but the internal condition of his body was a disastrous mess. But for some unknown reason, the broken ribs had been reconnected. Of course, they hadn’t fully healed yet, but it was enough to see that the 80,000 taels that Wei Bo had spent were not wasted. In fact, if someone else were to go to Bao Fu Zhai to buy them, 160,000 taels of silver might not be enough to get them. This was the price of the Northern Mountain Deity.

Chen Pingan changed into a brand-new set of clothes and didn’t dare to leave the bamboo building. The girl in the pink dress thoughtfully brought over a small bamboo chair, and Chen Pingan sat quietly near the threshold.

He didn’t say a word, just sat there until the sun rose, practicing the Sword Furnace Stance, and then got up and went to lie down on the small bed on the first floor to sleep.

That afternoon, the old man opened his eyes, stood up, and said in a deep voice, “Start practicing fist techniques. Today, we will only temper your soul, to purify and refine it.”
Chen Ping’an then opened his eyes, sighed, and silently walked into the room on the second floor.

Afterward, he was carried away from the second floor by the blue-clothed boy. He awoke again in the middle of the night and ate a meal. Even without the slightest appetite, Chen Ping’an forced himself to swallow it. He watched as his Old Master’s hand trembled as he held his chopsticks, dropping the food back into the dish several times. The pink-skirted girl’s face was instantly filled with tears.

The blue-clothed boy simply buried his head in his bowl.

This time, Chen Ping’an rested briefly, sitting near the doorway, practicing the Sword Furnace technique with trembling hands, and soon went to sleep.

A full ten days passed, three days tempering his spirit and soul, one day hammering his physique.

Each time the old man struck, he timed it perfectly, ensuring that Chen Ping’an suffered even more than the day before. There was no chance to grow accustomed to or adapt to the pain.

Chen Ping’an grew increasingly silent, often not uttering a single word during his waking hours.

Occasionally, the pink-skirted girl would ask something or try to cheer up their Old Master. At first, Chen Ping’an would smile and shake his head, but later he would frown. Finally, one time, his face was filled with anger. Although it was clear that Chen Ping’an was restraining himself, the blue-clothed boy and the pink-skirted girl were terrified beyond words.

At that moment, Chen Ping’an wanted to say something but stopped himself, his lips moving slightly, but he never spoke. He went to the bed, lay down, and closed his eyes, unsure whether he was asleep or awake, even giving the impression that he was neither alive nor dead.

The blue-clothed boy tentatively asked Wei Bo how much pain Chen Ping’an was enduring when he was being beaten.

Wei Bo thought for a moment and said that the suffering Chen Ping’an experienced on the first day was probably equivalent to an ordinary mortal having their fingers chopped off one by one, turning both bone and flesh into minced meat, while still trying to stay awake. And each day after that, it only got worse.

That was just the first day.

After that, the blue-clothed boy never asked such questions again.

He began to cultivate.

Becoming even more diligent than the pink-skirted girl.

One day, Chen Ping’an sat on a bamboo chair in the darkness of night, leaning back against the chair. Wei Bo slowly approached and stood beside him, watching the bright moon hanging in the night sky together.

Chen Ping’an asked in a hoarse voice, “Wei Bo, could you please ask if Master Ruan has successfully forged the sword?”

This time, Wei Bo couldn’t smile. He simply sighed and nodded, “I’ll go ask. But be forewarned, Ruan Qiong is forging this sword for the first time since he left the Wind and Snow Temple, so he must be taking it very seriously. Therefore, Ruan Qiong may not want to be distracted and may not be able to respond to me.”

Chen Ping’an hummed in agreement.

Chen Ping’an no longer cared about spending money like water. In the early days, he would silently keep track of the expenses in his mind, but later he completely abandoned that thought.

Recently, the pink-skirted girl and the blue-clothed boy had been intentionally leaving Chen Ping’an alone, not bothering him.

As Chen Ping’an rose to his feet, he said softly, “Help me tell them, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, it’s just that sometimes, I really can’t help it.”

Wei Bo asked, “Why don’t you tell them yourself?”

Chen Ping’an was stunned for a moment and said with a bitter smile, “I don’t know why, but it seems that just thinking about it makes me very tired. I’m afraid that if I say those words, I won’t be able to persevere in my fist practice tomorrow.”

Wei Bo nodded, “It’s a bit mysterious, but I can barely understand. Don’t worry, I’ll tell them for you, and they will be understanding.”

In all the world of martial arts cultivation, there probably weren’t many martial artists who endured this kind of suffering every day, continuously, though it was normal to do it a few times with intervals in between.

The old man stood silently under the eaves of the second floor. After hearing the conversation between the two, he simply smiled and turned back to sit down in the room.

It was normal for Wei Bo not to fully understand, because the old man’s punches were themselves a constantly accumulating “Divine Man Drumming” style, a more profound and hidden tempering of the heart and mind.

Tempering the physique, cleansing the meridians, and marrow washing to create bones was the first step. Strengthening his courage and bolstering his soul was the second step. The real test was still piercing the heart. The old man was like repeatedly driving sharp, large awls deeply into the young man’s heart, the taste of which could be imagined.

The old man was also very surprised, firstly that the boy had not yet lost his mind and was still gritting his teeth and persevering, refusing to say the words “I don’t want to practice fist anymore”. Secondly, the profoundness of this bamboo building was truly wonderful beyond words.

Chen Ping’an lay on the bed, rolled up in the bedding, curling up and facing the wall, one hand tightly covering his mouth.

Between his fingers, there was a sound of sobbing.

Another ten days passed.

This ten-day period of tribulation became even more horrific.

Among them, the old man even demanded that Chen Ping’an skin himself and draw his own tendons, do it himself!

One night, Chen Ping’an, wrapped like a rice dumpling, sat on a bamboo chair. Suddenly, he stood up, his body swaying slightly, and walked towards the cliff outside the door.

He seemed to want to practice the walking stance that he hadn’t practiced for a long time, but after only one attempt, he had to give up.

Chen Ping’an stared blankly in the direction of the town, his lips trembling, on the verge of tears.

He suddenly asked, “Wei Bo, I know you’re nearby. Can you bring me a pot of wine?”

Wei Bo nodded, “I have one on me.”

A wine pot that had already been opened slowly descended from above Chen Ping’an’s eyes. After Chen Ping’an reached out and caught it, he turned to look at the bamboo building, “Can I drink it?”

A cold laugh came from the second floor, “What’s drinking wine? If you have the ability, wrestle with Dao Ancestor Buddha in the future, that’s what counts as heroic!”

Chen Ping’an turned back, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, looking at the distant mountains and rivers of the south, he lowered his head and smelled the aroma of the wine.

He once carried a drunken old scholar on his back, the old man vigorously patting his shoulder, shouting, “Young man, you must drink wine!”

The young man, whose expression had been desolate for a long time, suddenly broke into a brilliant smile, took a large gulp of strong liquor, coughed incessantly, raised the wine pot high, and shouted with all his might, “Drink wine, then drink wine! Practice fist, then practice fist!”

After a moment, the young man held back for a long time, but still couldn’t help but choke out tears from that large gulp of strong liquor, and complained softly, “The wine is really terrible…”

But the young man still forced himself to take another large gulp, coughing and loudly saying, “The book says, ‘A beauty gave me a gold-inlaid knife, what shall I repay her with, brilliant jade!’ The wine doesn’t taste good, but this sentence is truly beautiful!”

Finally, the young man inexplicably blushed, not knowing if it was from the wine or from embarrassment. He gently called out to the distance.
The youth seemed to be whispering a secret question to a maiden who had captured his heart, as if saying, “Hark, do you hear it?”

Welcome to the Grand Academy of Readers.