The scorching sun hung high overhead, its heat searing like a fire.
Great Chu. Cangzhou. Lin Yuan City.
White Cloud Martial Arts Hall.
The vermilion gates were half-open. On the plaque above, the two words "White Cloud" were written in a flamboyant, flowing script.
Inside the courtyard, the yellow earth had been compacted and trodden until it shone.
A few stone locks were piled in a corner, with several training dummies standing nearby.
More than ten apprentices in gray training uniforms were practicing their fists under the sun, sweat pouring down like rain.
Their fists tore through the blistering air. Beads of sweat splattered onto the scorching ground, evaporating in an instant.
"Your punches must be fast! Your stance must be steady!"
"All of you, liven up! Anyone who can't achieve Qi Blood Sensing by the deadline can get the hell out! The White Cloud Martial Arts Hall doesn't take in trash!"
The furious roar of Hall Master Luo Kun echoed through the courtyard, making one's eardrums ache.
"Jiang Che, have you sensed your Qi Blood yet?"
Zhao Xisheng asked in a low voice from the back row.
He always had a fishy smell about him, so no one else wanted to talk to him. Only Jiang Che didn't mind.
"Not yet." Jiang Che shook his head, his hand movements not pausing for a moment.
Jiang Che was sixteen this year. He had a lean build and wheat-colored skin from long hours of Martial Arts Training under the sun.
Though his face was still boyish, his gaze was far calmer than others his age.
"Sigh, I've really got no hope..." Zhao Xisheng wiped away his sweat. "What do you think this Qi Blood is supposed to feel like, anyway?"
"I hear it's like a ball of fire in your stomach," Jiang Che answered while punching. "There's still a month left. If you just hold on, maybe you'll have a breakthrough tomorrow."
"Easy for you to say... Forget it. The sun's too strong. I can't keep this up. I'm taking a break."
Zhao Xisheng grumbled, retracting his fists and hiding in the shade of a corner wall.
Jiang Che ignored him and continued to focus on his fist practice.
'My parents scrimped and saved ten silver taels to let me study here for a year.'
'If I fail to achieve anything, how can I possibly face them?'
As the sun set in the west, the people in the courtyard gradually dispersed.
Jiang Che was still practicing his fists.
Sweat dripped from the tips of his hair onto the ground, his training uniform long since soaked through.
[White Cloud Fist Skill Level +2]
"Whew..."
Jiang Che retracted his fists, wiped his sweat, and went to the wall to rest.
'The Experience Points finally went up.'
He waved his hand in the air.
Instantly, a transparent panel that only he could see appeared.
[Name: Jiang Che]
[Age: 16]
[Realm: None]
[Skills: White Cloud Fist Great Success (340/400), Calligraphy Great Success (398/400)]
A year ago, Jiang Che had awakened the memories of his past life.
Along with them came this panel from a little game he had played in that past life.
Any skill he mastered to the Entry Level would be recorded on it.
As long as he practiced, he could increase his Skill Level until he reached Perfection.
'At this rate, I should be able to reach Perfection by the deadline,' Jiang Che calculated inwardly.
'I hope I can achieve Qi Blood Sensing by then...'
White Cloud Fist was the basic Fist Technique of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall.
Practicing it could stimulate the body's meridians, allowing one to achieve Qi Blood Sensing.
Once successful, one could become an official disciple of the Martial Arts Hall.
They could then learn more profound Martial Arts and become a true Martial Artist.
The Great Chu was a nation founded on martial prowess.
Martial Artists not only possessed formidable strength but also held a status far beyond that of ordinary Mortals.
But very few apprentices in the Martial Arts Hall could actually achieve Qi Blood Sensing.
They were either exceptionally talented.
Or, they came from wealthy families who could afford to use tonics to force a result.
Jiang Che was neither.
His Root Bone was average and his family was poor. He could barely afford meat, let alone medicinal tonics.
As a result, he was constitutionally deficient, his Qi Blood depleted.
Although he had long since practiced the White Cloud Fist to the Great Success Realm.
His body remained empty, without the slightest sign of Qi Blood.
'I hear no one has ever practiced White Cloud Fist to Perfection...'
After all, those who developed Qi Blood went on to learn more advanced Qi Blood Martial Arts, and those who couldn't never stuck with it to the end.
But with the panel, Jiang Che was confident he could break through this limit.
'I wonder what will happen after I reach Perfection?'
A faint sense of anticipation grew in his heart.
After a short rest, he returned to the courtyard and continued practicing his fists.
By the time he came to his senses, the sky had almost turned dark.
Only Hall Master Luo Kun remained in the courtyard, meditating with his eyes closed under the eaves.
His inch-long white hair stood on end like steel needles.
At the corner of his eye, a dark red scar stretched from his forehead to his cheekbone, clinging to his face like a centipede and giving him a somewhat ferocious appearance.
He was gaunt, but his back was as straight as a blade.
He wore a faded black tunic, and the cloth shoes on his feet were worn and frayed at the edges.
Jiang Che approached and bowed to Luo Kun:
"Hall Master, this disciple will take his leave now."
The old man didn't move, like a statue.
Only after Jiang Che had walked some distance away did Luo Kun slowly open his eyes, gazing in the direction the young man had gone.
'His Temperament is decent, but his Root Bone is just too poor...'
With that thought, he closed his eyes again.
「...」
After leaving the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Che walked briskly home along the main road.
Under the eaves on both sides of the street, many beggars in ragged clothes were curled up.
Some were already skin and bones, leaning motionlessly in corners, making it impossible to tell if they were dead or alive.
'There are more and more beggars lately...'
Jiang Che quickened his pace unconsciously.
After turning down an alley, he suddenly heard sounds of a beating and cursing from ahead.
He saw several men with clubs beating an old beggar.
The clubs made dull thuds as they landed on the old man's body.
The old beggar's face was covered in blood as he lay on the ground, wailing and begging for mercy.
But the men showed no signs of stopping.
Jiang Che recognized the leader as Zhao Hu, a well-known thug in the area.
He was said to have Gang connections and was extremely ruthless.
Jiang Che's steps faltered. His fists clenched unconsciously, but in the end, he lowered his head and walked around them.
'In times like these, it's hard enough just to protect yourself. How can you worry about others?'
He passed through a few more narrow alleys, the air thick with the stench of garbage and feces.
Jiang Che skillfully avoided the puddles of sewage on the ground and arrived in front of a low, single-story house.
The plaster on the walls was peeling badly, and some of the roof tiles were broken.
The sky had grown completely dark.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door, slipped inside quickly, and latched it shut behind him.
The city hadn't been safe lately. Vagrants often snuck in at night, so he couldn't be careless.
The room was pitch black, with no lamp lit.
"Ling'er?" Jiang Che called out, but there was no response.
His heart tightened, and he hurried further inside.
By the faint light from the window, he saw his younger sister, Jiang Ling, asleep at the table.
The table was old and worn, most of its lacquer gone, the wood grain blackened.
A neat pile of clothes was stacked on it, with a needle and thread beside them.
This was the piecework she took on; a full day's work earned her only ten copper coins.
Jiang Che gently lit the oil lamp, and the room instantly brightened.
Jiang Ling woke up just then. She rubbed her eyes, and upon seeing it was Jiang Che, her face immediately broke into a smile.
"Bro, you're back!"
She was thirteen this year, with a small, thin frame and a slightly pale complexion.
Her chin was pointed, which made her eyes seem very large.
Her hair was a bit dry and yellowish but neatly combed, tied into two buns with a faded red cloth ribbon.
She wore a faded blue cloth dress with finely stitched patches on the cuffs.
"Why didn't you eat first?" Jiang Che asked.
"I'm not hungry. I wanted to wait and eat with you."
Jiang Ling stood up and skillfully cleared the clothes, needle, and thread from the table.
Jiang Che sighed and walked into the kitchen.
It was small and dim inside, the walls blackened by smoke.
Lifting the pot lid revealed a few coarse flour cakes, a small dish of pickled vegetables, and a single boiled egg.
Grain was scarce these days. Ordinary people couldn't even afford meat, so an egg was already considered a rare nutritional supplement.
Jiang Che had gritted his teeth and bought a few for his Martial Arts Training.
He brought the food to the table, peeled the egg, and was just about to put it in his mouth.
But he noticed Jiang Ling staring eagerly at the egg, secretly swallowing.
Jiang Che's hand froze.
Jiang Ling quickly lowered her head to bite her cake, pretending not to care.
Jiang Che was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled:
"Oh, right. My master praised my great progress today and rewarded me with half a roasted chicken. I'm so stuffed. You can have this egg."
"Roasted chicken?" Jiang Ling's eyes lit up.
She remembered the last time she'd eaten roasted chicken was three years ago.
She had been gravely ill back then, already delirious, so their father had bought a roasted chicken.
She couldn't describe how happy she was that day, thinking roasted chicken was the most delicious thing in the world.
After that, she always hoped to get sick again so she could have more roasted chicken.
She shook her head, casting the stray thoughts aside.
She took the egg but broke it in two, handing the half with more yolk back to him:
"Bro, half is enough for me."
Looking at her stubborn expression, Jiang Che smiled helplessly and took the half egg.
'Looks like I need to find a way to make money...' Jiang Che thought to himself.
Not only did he need to eat more meat for his own Martial Arts Training.
His sister couldn't go on like this either, or her body would sooner or later suffer from malnutrition.
"By the way, Bro, have you heard any news about Mom and Dad...?"
Jiang Ling suddenly asked in a low voice.
Jiang Che's movements paused, and then he shook his head.
"I asked someone to check. Still no news from Hengsha City."
A month ago, their parents went to the neighboring Hengsha City to do carpentry work for Landlord Li's family.
They should have been back in half a month, but to this day, they had vanished without a trace.
He'd asked someone to inquire, but the official just brushed him off, saying they were probably attacked by a Black Beast.
A Black Beast was a type of mutated beast that emitted black smoke from its body and was extraordinarily ferocious.
No one knew where they came from, but many people outside the city had been attacked by them.
"Maybe I should go to Hengsha City in a few days and take a look..."
Jiang Che sighed and said.
Jiang Ling was silent for a moment, then suddenly gripped Jiang Che's sleeve tightly.
"Bro, forget it..."
"There are Black Beasts outside the city. It's too dangerous to leave now. Don't go."
Jiang Che looked at his sister's worried eyes.
She didn't want to lose him, her brother, too.
"Then... I'll wait until I've mastered my Martial Arts. Once I have the power to protect myself, I shouldn't be afraid of the Black Beasts!"
"Mhm, mhm!"