Chapter 2: Basic Fist Technique Reached Perfection!

For the next four days, the apprentices followed the same rigid routine every day. They woke up at dawn, practiced martial arts, and completed their chores. Each day, they were busy from dawn to nightfall.

Their schedules were undoubtedly grueling, but none of them complained. They all gritted their teeth and pushed themselves wholeheartedly into practicing the Great River Blood Fortification Art. Yet, even after several days, there was still no news of anyone successfully activating the art.

Lu Changsheng had managed to gather some information about the Great River Blood Fortification Art. Apparently, there was a way to speed up one’s progress, and that was through medicinal meals. Those who consumed such meals each day progressed far more rapidly in their practice of Great River Blood Fortification Art.

However, such benefits were reserved exclusively for the guard unit. Ordinary apprentices like Lu Changsheng had no such privilege. And as for buying the medicinal meals on their own, that was certainly out of the question. Apprentices weren’t paid and didn’t even have a single coin to their names. Where would they find the funds to buy such food?

In the blink of an eye, eleven days had passed.

That day, just as Lu Changsheng and the others arrived at the plaza, they heard someone call out, “Old Liu, I… I think I can sense my blood qi.”

Old Liu raised a brow and said, “Hmm? Come here and let me take a look.”

A tall, lanky apprentice stepped forward and extended his hand. Old Liu grasped his wrist and closed his eyes. Moments later, his expression brightened.

“Not bad,” Old Liu remarked. “You’ve managed to activate the art. You achieved this in just eleven days… Your aptitude is quite impressive. From now on, you won’t be doing chores as a menial apprentice anymore. Report to the guard unit instead. With the aid of medicinal meals, your progress will only get better.”

“Ah…” The apprentice beamed, barely able to contain his excitement. “Thank you, Old Liu!” He had just been promoted to the guard unit, which meant stepping onto the path of a true martial artist. Even if he didn’t become a top-tier martial artist, he would at least become a proper guard of Miaoshou Garden. That status was worlds apart from an apprentice burdened with menial chores.

“Off you go then, to the guard unit,” Old Liu urged, waving his hand.

After sending the boy off, he turned his gaze back to the rest of the apprentices and said with a smile, “Did you all see that? If you can activate the Great River Blood Fortification Art within a month, you’ll be promoted to the guard unit. That’s your shortcut to the top!”

The group of apprentices erupted into murmurs and restless movement. All eyes were on the newly promoted apprentice, their gazes filled with envy.

Someone in the crowd whispered, “That was Zhao Ergou, right?”

“Yeah. Zhao Ergou was always timid, even got bullied by others, but now he’s made it,” another replied.

“He’s got a bright future ahead. From now on, he walks a path different from ours…”

“I’m so jealous,” someone muttered. “When will it be my turn to activate the Great River Blood Fortification Art?”

In the crowd, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but feel envious. He didn’t want to be stuck doing menial chores as an apprentice forever. He wanted to practice every day with the guard unit like Zhao Ergou. Unfortunately, he still hadn’t made any progress on the Great River Blood Fortification Art.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 98 (Ordinary and Unremarkable)

[Skills]

Basic Fist: Adept

Tiger Pounce Strike: Competence

Great River Blood Fortification Art: Dormant

Lu Changsheng’s status panel now displayed two new techniques: Basic Fist Technique and Tiger Pounce Strike. Both were martial techniques taught by Old Liu.

According to Old Liu, practicing martial arts required more than just strengthening one’s body and cultivating blood qi. Without a solid foundation in martial techniques, even the strongest physique would be useless in real battle.

While Lu Changsheng’s progress in the Great River Blood Fortification Art remained stagnant, he had now discovered that he was advancing rapidly in both the Basic Fist Technique and the Tiger Pounce Strike.

The Basic Fist Technique was particularly straightforward, just a few repetitive movements practiced over and over again. With such practice, he had already managed to elevate the technique to the level of Adept and was just a step away from Initial Mastery. He was confident that with a few more days of practice, he could reach Advanced Mastery.

Since the Great River Blood Fortification Art could only be practiced for two hours a day, Lu Changsheng dedicated the rest of his time to practicing Tiger Pounce Strike and Basic Fist Technique.

As time passed, the apprentices achieved breakthroughs, one after another. After the first apprentice activated the Great River Blood Fortification Art, a second soon followed, and then a third. In the days that followed, seven other apprentices activated the technique and were taken by Old Liu to join the guard unit.

By the twentieth day, the one-month period was nearing its end. The remaining apprentices began to grow increasingly anxious, desperation setting in as they scrambled for ways to hasten their progress. Some began devising all sorts of schemes. One even dared to steal the precious medicinal meals, but he was caught and promptly executed.

Then came the twenty-eighth day. To everyone’s surprise, Zhou Sheng managed to sense his blood qi and successfully activated the Great River Blood Fortification Art. Seeing this, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Zhou Sheng had always been the kind to cut corners, constantly scheming to get out of work and avoid training. Yet now, even someone like him had activated the Great River Blood Fortification Art and shed the title of menial apprentice, stepping into the guard unit.

Just like that, the deadline had arrived. The apprentices gathered once more in the plaza. Their heads were bowed, spirits low, and eyes dulled with defeat. The fire that once burned in them had all but gone out.

“In the span of one month, nine apprentices successfully sensed their blood qi,” Old Liu remarked coldly. “That shows they have some talent for martial arts. As for the rest of you, don’t lose spirit. You can continue practicing the Great River Blood Fortification Art. With time, you may activate the art. And even if your path of martial arts never leads to anything profound, at the very least, you’ll build strong and healthy bodies.

“While you may not be suited to the path of martial arts, Miaoshou Garden was known for its medicine. Here, healing comes before combat. If you cannot walk the Dao of martial arts, you can still become an apothecary, a physician, or even a renowned physician of your time.”

With those words, Old Liu turned and walked away, leaving the crowd behind. This one-month period had always been a form of special training, designed to select a few martial artists to strengthen the guard unit.

As for the remaining apprentices, they had no choice but to keep their heads down and work diligently. With enough time and effort, they might one day climb the ranks, starting as menial apprentices, then apothecaries, and eventually becoming physicians. If they could earn the title of Miaoshou Garden physician, qualified to open their own clinic and treat patients, their status would be no less prestigious than that of the martial artists in the guard unit.

That evening, Lu Changsheng lay down on his bed, finally resting after a long and tiring day. With nine apprentices gone, the shared dormitory had become noticeably more spacious. Nevertheless, that didn’t dispel the gloom that hung in the air.

Many of the remaining apprentices couldn’t shake the bitterness that weighed on their hearts. Without joining the guard unit, they would never be granted access to the medicinal meals provided by Miaoshou Garden. Even if they continued practicing martial arts, what difference would it make?

No medicinal meals meant falling behind, then every step would become harder than the last. In the end, they would never catch up to those of the guard unit’s martial artists.

Many of them had accepted their fate, planning to spend the next ten or twenty years working hard in hopes of becoming physicians. But not everyone gave up, and Lu Changsheng was one of them.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 98 (Ordinary and Unremarkable)

[Skills]

Basic Fist: Advanced Mastery

Tiger Pounce Strike: Adept

Great River Blood Fortification Art: Dormant

Lu Changsheng stared at his status panel. The Great River Blood Fortification Art showed no signs of progress, which meant he couldn’t activate it yet. In contrast, his proficiency in the Basic Fist Technique and the Tiger Pounce Strike had reached Advanced Mastery and Adept, respectively. However, his progress with the Tiger Pounce Strike had slowed down over the past few days.

The Tiger Pounce Strike was a martial technique modeled after a tiger’s ferocious lunge. According to Old Liu, one had to comprehend the will of a tiger to achieve Initial Mastery. Only then would the technique begin to show its true power.

However, Lu Changsheng had no clue about what the will of a tiger was supposed to be. Only the Basic Fist Technique remained straightforward, where proficiency followed upon movement repetition. He could feel his understanding of the technique deepening by the day, and could even sense that he was not far from Perfection.

Of course, the Basic Fist Technique was never meant to be powerful. Even at Perfection, it was only good for honing one’s familiarity with fist movements. This was why most apprentices didn’t bother to learn this technique. Instead, they focused entirely on practicing the Great River Blood Fortification Art. Some might pick up the Tiger Pounce Strike as a secondary technique.

At the very least, Tiger Pounce Strike offered some offensive capability, hence why so many were willing to practice it. As for the Basic Fist Technique, hardly anyone spent extra time on such a mundane technique.

Lu Changsheng pressed on. As long as he could feel even the slightest bit of progress in the Basic Fist Technique, he had no intention of stopping.

That night, Lu Changsheng slipped out of bed and made his way to a quiet, secluded corner of the grounds. He’d carved out time to train in the Basic Fist Technique and the Tiger Pounce Strike every night.

He practiced the Basic Fist Technique once, twice, three times, four times, five times…

When he had repeated it more than a dozen times, something suddenly shifted. A faint line of text shimmered into view before his eyes.

Basic Fist Technique Perfection. Perception +1.

Lu Changsheng immediately checked his status panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 99 (Ordinary and Unremarkable)

[Skills]

Basic Fist: Perfection

Tiger Pounce Strike: Adept

Great River Blood Fortification Art: Dormant

As he stared at the status panel, he realized that he had achieved Perfection in the Basic Fist Technique, and his Perception had increased from 98 to 99.

That was when a revelation struck him; he finally understood the true purpose of the status panel. As it turned out, any martial technique that reached Perfection could raise Perception.

Still, Lu Changsheng couldn’t help but wonder, My Perception has gone from 98 to 99… Would that single point really make much of a difference?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep