Chapter 10: Ming Jin

When Chen Qing arrived at the Zhou Academy, many disciples were already practicing their punches.

Chen Qing silently made his way to a corner. He stood still, took a deep breath, and began to loosen his muscles and joints.

Arms, shoulders, spine, waist, and hips—every joint was stretched to its limit, his muscles transitioning between relaxation and tension.

After a few breaths, Chen Qing began to practice the Tongbi Stance.

His movements were fluid and natural, his footwork and hand techniques coordinated with exquisite precision.

【Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.】

【Tongbi Stance: Beginner (399/500)】

【Tongbi Fist: Beginner (318/500)】

"At this rate, I might be able to bring the Tongbi Stance to the minor achievement stage and reach the Mingjin level in less than a month."

After finishing a set of the stance, Chen Qing sat down to catch his breath, calculating in his mind.

The silver scraps he had obtained from Qian Biao had allowed his mother and him to eat meat several times, which had accelerated his progress, but the money had also been spent quickly and was now nearly gone.

During this period, people had come and gone in the academy; familiar faces were becoming scarce, while new ones constantly poured in.

He was already an 'old-timer' at the Zhou Academy.

In another month, it would be time to pay the tuition fees again.

Chen Qing remained composed, but several of his fellow disciples from the same intake were sullen, looking deeply troubled.

"Why didn't Brother Guo come today?"

At this moment, a disciple asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Chen Qing looked up and scanned the courtyard.

Guo Dachui, who came from a poor peasant background, was usually very diligent in his martial arts practice and was never late.

"He..."

The senior brother beside him sighed, his voice low. "He failed his attempt to break through the barrier last night and packed his bags to return to the countryside overnight."

The air suddenly froze. Several disciples from the same intake lowered their heads in unison; some unconsciously rubbed the calluses on their palms, while others stared blankly at their worn-out cloth shoes.

Chen Qing frowned slightly. Zhou Liang had once said that those who failed their first attempt to break through the barrier were essentially cut off from the path of martial arts for life.

Moreover, the longer it took, the smaller the chance of breaking through.

If one could not break through to the Mingjin level and secure a position, how could one possibly support the path of martial arts?

A disciple sighed, "Brother Guo and Brother Qin always had a good relationship. Last night, before he left, he tried to greet Brother Qin, but Brother Qin didn't even acknowledge him."

The atmosphere became oppressive.

Between the disciples who had broken through to Mingjin and those who had not, a clear line was drawn, as if two different worlds had been separated.

Chen Qing's gaze drifted involuntarily toward Qin Lie.

That genius from a humble background had truly changed a lot.

The surrounding disciples all had different thoughts; those with some family assets were considering their future options.

If they failed at martial arts, where would they go?

Meanwhile, those with nothing to their names secretly clenched their fists, viewing this as a desperate, all-or-nothing chance to turn their lives around.

Chen Qing rested for a moment before returning to his practice.

From that day on, Guo Dachui never appeared at the Zhou Academy again.

The Zhou Academy remained the same; it did not change because one person was missing.

During this time, several new disciples arrived, and one with good aptitude received special attention from Zhou Liang.

As people arrived, others naturally departed.

As time passed, some people's attitudes toward Chen Qing also underwent subtle changes.

Such is the warmth and coldness of human relationships.

That afternoon, Chen Qing went to the Wang Family Cloth Shop on Sifang Street.

Han told him that Yang Huiniang had come looking for him yesterday and seemed to have something on her mind.

The storefront of the Jinxiu Cloth Shop was not large; the shop facing the street was hung with various types of fabric, and the air was filled with the distinct scent of washed and starched cloth.

Chen Qing stood at the entrance and looked inside. Figures were busy within; the sounds of looms, cutting, and the beating of laundry were all mixed together.

In the corner, Yang Huiniang was standing beside a large wooden tub, her sleeves rolled high, revealing her small, frostbitten, and cracked forearms as she laboriously beat the heavy, coarse cloth.

Splashes of water soaked the hem of her skirt, and fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"Cousin," Chen Qing called out softly.

Yang Huiniang looked up at the sound, a flash of surprise crossing her face. "A-Qing! You're here?"

She hurriedly wiped her wet hands on her apron and walked quickly to the door.

"Almost forgot!" As if suddenly remembering something, Yang Huiniang turned and ran to a small stool in the corner where sundries were kept, fishing out a small, washed-out cloth bag from underneath.

She opened it carefully to reveal two boiled eggs that still held a trace of warmth, with over twenty copper coins tucked underneath.

"Here, take this."

Yang Huiniang insisted on stuffing the eggs and copper coins into Chen Qing's hands, lowering her voice. "The young master rewarded me with these yesterday; I just reheated them this morning."

Chen Qing quickly tried to refuse. "How can I do that?"

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Yang Huiniang glared at him playfully, then revealed a warm smile. "Keep the copper coins for yourself; you'll always have use for them where you practice martial arts. Didn't I say? You can pay me back later, with interest."

Chen Qing held the slightly warm eggs and the heavy copper coins, feeling a warmth in his heart. "You gave all the money to me; what will you do?"

"Don't worry, I don't really have any use for it here," Yang Huiniang said lightly.

Chen Qing took a deep breath and said with a serious face, "Cousin, a great kindness is beyond words."

Aside from 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 frowned slightly, feigning anger. "If you say that again, I'll really be angry!"

"Understood."

Chen Qing smiled. "I'll record it in the ledger first, and I'll pay you back with interest when the time comes."

Yang Huiniang beamed.

"I was wondering where you ran off to!" Suddenly, a sharp, shrill voice came from the back of the shop.

A manageress with high cheekbones, wearing a silk jacket, stood at the entrance with her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at them. "There are still three bolts of cloth in the back waiting to be washed and beaten! Are you going to dawdle until dark? Don't you want your wages anymore?!"

The smile on Yang Huiniang's face froze instantly. She said helplessly to Chen Qing, "A-Qing, I have to go to work. You should go back quickly..."

"Get to it!"

The manageress's urging voice rang out again.

Yang Huiniang dared not delay any longer; she turned and trotted back to the giant wooden tub.

The manageress glanced sideways at Chen Qing, snorted through her nose, and turned to leave.

Chen Qing frowned slightly and silently left the Wang Family Cloth Shop.

In the afternoon, Chen Qing arrived at the Zhou Academy to continue his training.

Ever since the incident with Guo Dachui, the fellow disciples from his intake had become anxious.

Zhou Liang kept recruiting disciples, but only a dozen or so had stayed by his side, which showed the reality of the situation.

Reaching the Mingjin level was not easy; this first barrier blocked seventy percent of the people, and when combined with other external factors, the probability was not even thirty percent.

Chen Qing stood firmly on the wooden stake, his figure as motionless as an ancient pine.

Sweat slid down his temples, shimmering with tiny glints of light in the morning sun.

This was the last set of the Tongbi Stance.

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 left with a flushed, sullen face.

In Qin Lie's view, asking for advice from those with mediocre aptitude was merely a waste of his precious training time.

His gaze inadvertently swept across the courtyard and landed on the sweat-drenched figure.

He remembered that Chen Qing had joined half a month before him, practiced desperately, yet had failed to break through for a long time.

The image of that dark, damp latrine where they had once cleaned filth side-by-side suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Qin Lie subconsciously touched his brand-new training uniform; the feel of the fine cotton caused a strange irritation to flash through his heart.

He looked away, as if to cast off that memory entirely, and focused on his own stance.

"Brother Qin, what are you looking at?"

A senior sister walked over, glancing at Chen Qing in the direction Qin Lie had just been looking. "That one? It's been almost three months, and he's still struggling on the wooden stake."

Her name was Luo Qian. She was of average appearance, not particularly outstanding, but her family was wealthy and well-off, being one of the prominent families in the inner city.

In addition to practicing martial arts at the Zhou Academy, Luo Qian would scout for disciples with potential, providing them with support and grooming them before they had even made a name for themselves.

By the time these disciples grew up, even if they couldn't join the Luo family, the favor would be worth a great deal.

In her view, this was entirely a matter of panning for gold in the dirt, but she had indeed found a piece of gold.

That gold was Qin Lie.

Chen Qing was unaware of the external gazes and discussions; his world was reduced to the wooden stake beneath his feet, the blood and energy within his body, and every subtle essential of the stance in his mind.

Sweat soaked his thin clothes, and his muscles sent signals of soreness under the continuous tension, but his will was like iron. He adjusted his breathing over and over, guiding that weak yet persistent flow of blood and energy.

Suddenly, a strange change occurred.

It was not a landslide or a tsunami, nor was it the burning of a raging fire.

It was as if a long-clogged riverbed had been quietly opened by a gentle yet resilient force.

Chen Qing felt his vision suddenly brighten; the veins on the leaves of the old locust tree in the distance were clearly visible, and even the tiny dew drops condensed on the tips of the leaves were reflected in his eyes.

The noisy sounds of training and the wind in his ears seemed to recede instantly, leaving only the steady, powerful beating of his own heart, like drumbeats, one after another, echoing clearly within his chest.

The sound of his blood rushing also became vivid, like a stream washing over a riverbed.

The wooden stake beneath his feet seemed to have taken root, becoming one with the solid earth.

His skin became exceptionally sensitive; he could clearly perceive the subtle chill brought by the morning breeze brushing against his sweat-drenched skin, and he could even capture the trajectory of dust floating in the air.

A warm and abundant force rose quietly from his Dantian in his lower abdomen, unhurried and calm, slowly permeating his limbs and bones like spring water.

At the same time, his muscles and bones emitted a 'crackling' sound, crisp and pleasant.

The long-standing feeling of stagnation was swept away, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun; the fog that had troubled him for so long finally dispersed, and the path ahead opened up.

【Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.】

【Tongbi Stance: Minor Achievement (1/1000)】

【Tongbi Fist: Beginner (425/500)】

"I succeeded."

Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes and then exhaled a breath of turbid air. "So this is the minor achievement stage of the Tongbi Stance!?"

A flash of joy appeared in his heart.

Having reached the Mingjin level, this not only meant he could continue his martial arts practice, but he could even secure a position as a guard.

"Congratulations, Brother Chen!"

"Brother Chen, please look after us in the future!"

The surrounding fellow disciples stepped forward enthusiastically to offer their congratulations, and the atmosphere changed instantly.

Those who were still lingering outside the threshold of Mingjin looked at him with both envy and a hidden sense of unwillingness; they knew all too well what this meant.

Chen Qing felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Now that he had reached the Mingjin level, he could not only secure a position but also participate in the martial arts examinations.

Sun Shun walked up, his face full of smiles. "Brother Chen, congratulations."

"Thank you, Brother Sun."

Chen Qing cupped his fists toward Sun Shun.

Zhou Yu also walked over with a smile, encouraging him: "The Zhou Academy has added another Mingjin disciple today. Congratulations, Brother Chen; keep up the good work."

As she spoke, she handed over a small paper packet. "This is a packet of Blood Qi Powder; keep it."

Although she was slightly surprised by Chen Qing's breakthrough at this moment, it had, in any case, strengthened the academy's power.

Chen Qing's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

Blood Qi Powder was an oral medicinal powder that increased the speed of blood and energy accumulation, which was of great benefit to cultivation. Chen Qing often saw senior brothers and sisters from wealthy families or those who held guard positions taking it.

Not far away, a flash of surprise crossed Luo Qian's eyes, and then she whispered, "He actually managed to stumble into it. This kid's luck isn't bad, but limited by his natural talent, his potential is exhausted. There's no hope for him to attempt a second breakthrough."

Her words were an attempt to save face regarding her 'keen eye for talent.'

Qin Lie turned a deaf ear to the discussion behind him, not even lifting his eyelids.

Whether Chen Qing succeeded or how fast he broke through was, in his eyes, nothing more than a pebble on the side of the road that made walking uncomfortable; it was not worth a single moment of his attention.

(End of chapter)