Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School-Chapter 46 - 34: Arranging a Blind Date (Part 2)

Liu Maolin, who had been listening from the side, couldn’t help but speak up. "I still think it’s a bit of a pity. With more real combat experience, perhaps his chances of breaking through to the Dark Energy realm would be greater."

"Hah—" Upon hearing this, Lin Yue sneered in disdain. "Senior Brother Liu, you’re a Dark Energy Martial Artist yourself. You of all people should know how difficult it is to break through to the Dark Energy realm. Thinking you can achieve it with mere combat experience? I’d say that’s more wishful thinking."

Liu Maolin frowned.

Just then, Zhao Wenzheng reached out and patted Liu Maolin on the shoulder, saying softly, "Let it be. To each their own. Since he’s unwilling, we can just choose someone else. The matter of the sparring team was arranged by Master, and he’s already spoken with the hall masters of the other two martial arts halls. We can’t afford any delays."

"There are plenty of others who are willing to join," Qi Yun said.

The group immediately stopped talking about Yang Jing and began discussing other candidates.

Only Liu Maolin would occasionally glance over at Yang Jing, who was completely absorbed in his training, a hint of regret still in his heart.

Just as Lin Yue had said, he was a Dark Energy Martial Artist. Having overcome that bottleneck himself, he knew all too well how incredibly difficult it was to break through the Mingjin bottleneck.

His own Root Bone was considered on the higher end of the mid-grade, yet breaking through to the Dark Energy realm had still been so difficult.

With Yang Jing’s talent—mediocre even for a Lower-Grade Root Bone—his chances of overcoming a bottleneck as vast as a chasm were far too slim. Unless he could get incredibly lucky again, just like when he broke through to Mingjin... Liu Maolin shook his head with a bitter smile. ’How could that be possible?’

...

「Two days later, early in the morning.」

Yang Jing ate a pound of tiger meat with a side of vegetables before preparing to head to the Martial Arts Hall for his fist practice.

Every day, his master, Sun Yong, would offer some guidance. It was never much, but the advice was always insightful and of immense benefit to Yang Jing. It was a perfect example of the saying: a single word of true teaching is worth more than ten thousand scrolls of falsehood. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

But before he could leave, he received a message from the Liu Family Medical Hall. A batch of medicinal herbs needed to be delivered to the neighboring Jinshan County. It was a one-day round trip, and he could be back by evening.

After receiving the message, Yang Jing immediately changed into some practical, close-fitting clothes, tucked a short blade for self-defense into his belt, and arrived at Liu’s Pharmacy right on time.

More than a dozen guards were already gathered at the entrance, every one of them looking sharp and competent. Among them was a swarthy man whose presence felt solid and composed; he was clearly a Mingjin expert.

"Brother Yang! With you here this time, we’ll be safe on the road," the lead guard said, greeting him with a smile.

Yang Jing smiled and exchanged a few words, then quietly waited for instructions.

He received silver and bear meat from the Liu Family every month, yet his duties were light, requiring him to undertake only two or three missions a month. He couldn’t help but feel he ought to do more to truly earn his keep.

Once the medicinal herbs were properly loaded onto the carts, the group set off.

The journey was relatively smooth. They encountered some drifters who had turned to petty banditry, but they were all easily dealt with.

By evening, they had successfully delivered the herbs to the branch in Jinshan County, loaded up herbs for the return trip, and started heading back to Yuhe County.

It was late by the time they returned to the county town.

The elderly clerk at the Liu Family Medical Hall finished inventorying the herbs and handed Yang Jing an oil-paper package. "Brother Yang," he said, "here are two taels of silver and three pounds of bear meat. Thank you for your hard work on this trip."

Yang Jing knew this was standard procedure and didn’t refuse. He accepted the oil-paper package and tucked it away. Just as he turned to leave, he saw Liu Maolin walk in, carrying the faint scent of alcohol. His steps were steady, though; he was clearly just a bit tipsy.

"Junior Brother?" Liu Maolin paused in surprise upon seeing Yang Jing, then broke into a smile. "Just got back?"

"Yes, just finished delivering the herbs," Yang Jing said with a nod.

"Tough trip, coming back so late," Liu Maolin said, patting Yang Jing’s shoulder.

"It’s all part of the job," Yang Jing said, shaking his head with a smile. His eyes then landed on Liu Maolin’s face, noticing his relaxed and cheerful expression. "Senior Brother, did something good happen? You seem to be in high spirits, and you’ve had a few drinks."

The two of them stood at the entrance to the Liu Family Medical Hall, a slight chill in the evening breeze.

Liu Maolin rubbed the tip of his nose, his face flushed from the drink. He looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, something has come up... I’ll be adding another member to my household."

Yang Jing froze, not processing it for a moment. Seeing Liu Maolin’s embarrassed, almost bashful expression, it suddenly dawned on him. "Senior Brother," he asked quietly, confused, "aren’t you already married?"

After getting to know Liu Maolin well, he had visited his home several times and had met his gentle-tempered wife.

The flush on Liu Maolin’s face deepened, and he lowered his voice. "Junior Brother, you know my wife... her health is delicate, and we haven’t had any children. My family’s been putting on the pressure, so I have no choice but to... well, to take a concubine. It’s to continue the Liu Family line."

As he finished, he let out a laugh, tinged with resignation.

Understanding dawned on Yang Jing, and he quickly cupped his fists. "In that case, congratulations, Senior Brother."

Liu Maolin waved it off and turned his attention to Yang Jing. "Speaking of which, Junior Brother, you’re not getting any younger. You can’t stay single forever. Training is important, but settling down and starting a family can’t be put off indefinitely, right?"

At the mention of his own situation, Yang Jing couldn’t help but recall what his grandfather had said during his last trip home. He was silent for a moment. "My mind has been completely occupied with training lately. I haven’t thought about anything else."

"Even training requires balance." Liu Maolin patted his shoulder. "Once I’m done with my business, I’ll keep an eye out for you. If I find a suitable young woman, I can introduce you. What do you say?"

Yang Jing neither accepted nor refused, simply saying noncommittally, "We’ll see."

The two made small talk for a little longer, mostly about trivial matters concerning the Martial Arts Hall and their families.

Seeing that it was getting late, Yang Jing said his farewells and left.

As he walked back toward Tongyi Square, the evening wind stirred his thoughts. He recalled Liu Maolin’s words but dismissed them as the casual, drunken ramblings of a friend, not giving them much thought.

For him, breaking through to the Dark Energy realm was the only thing that mattered. ’Everything else is still too far in the future.’

...

「The next morning.」

Yang Jing arrived at the Martial Arts Hall, set down his cloth bundle and waterskin in the front courtyard, and began his routine: horse stance, lifting stone locks, and striking the wooden posts.

After warming up and conditioning his body, he officially began practicing the Mountain-Shattering Fist.

Time passed, second by second, and more and more disciples filled the courtyard.

Yang Jing paid no attention to anyone else, completely absorbed in his practice. The shapes of the Mountain-Shattering Fist unfurled in the morning light, each punch delivered with condensed power.

Sun Yong strolled out from the inner courtyard, his plain long robe swaying slightly in the morning breeze.

His gaze swept over the disciples training in the front courtyard. Seeing a few ordinary Registered Disciples with sloppy forms, he would casually call out a pointer or two, like "Sink your shoulders," or "Drop your elbows." When he came across the official Mingjin disciples, he would stop for a moment to correct flaws in their power generation.

When he reached Yang Jing’s side, Sun Yong stopped.

He watched Yang Jing complete a set of the ’Stone-Splitting Form’. Though the strikes were powerful, there was a hint of unnecessary stiffness when he pulled them back. Sun Yong spoke up, "When you retract your fist, your energy must flow smoothly, and your intent must sink. Don’t let the force get trapped in your shoulder."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to demonstrate. With a slight turn of his wrist, a perfectly fluid force was withdrawn naturally. "Once you reach the later stages of Mingjin, it’s even more important to understand how to ’gather’ your strength, not just blindly unleash it."

Yang Jing’s mind jolted with understanding. He adjusted his technique as instructed, and his next punch flowed much more smoothly. He quickly bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

Sun Yong nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to walk toward the few figures in the center of the courtyard: Xu Hong, Qi Yun, and Lin Yue.

Currently, only five Dark Energy disciples remained at the Martial Arts Hall: Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, Liu Maolin, and Lin Yue. Of these, Eldest Senior Brother Xu Hong, Second Senior Sister Qi Yun, and Lin Yue still spent most of their time at the hall. Third Senior Brother Zhao Wenzheng and Fourth Senior Brother Liu Maolin, however, had begun taking over their respective family businesses. They still came to the hall almost every day, but for far less time than before.

Sun Yong went to Xu Hong’s side and gave him pointers on the rhythm of his breathing exercises. Then he walked over to Qi Yun and corrected the angle of her punches.

Finally, he stopped beside Lin Yue.

Lin Yue was practicing the Dark Energy version of the Mountain-Shattering Fist. Sun Yong watched for a moment before personally demonstrating the transitions between moves. He quietly explained the principles of circulating Inner Strength and even had Lin Yue attack, meeting his fists to painstakingly explain the finer points.

The patience and detail Sun Yong showed when teaching Lin Yue was far beyond what he gave to other disciples.

Many disciples glanced in Lin Yue’s direction, their eyes filled with envy. ’If only the Hall Master would teach us that attentively...’ But it was just a fleeting thought. In the end, it all came down to one’s Root Bone. Lin Yue possessed a superior-grade one, so of course the Hall Master prized him.

Yang Jing glanced at Sun Yong breaking down the techniques for Lin Yue, then looked away. He sank back into his stance, and his practice of the Mountain-Shattering Fist took on an even deeper, more singular focus.

’Peak of Mingjin. I’m almost there.’

...

P.S. Thank you to the reader "Qingshan Liushui" for another generous tip of 100 Qidian Coins!