"Master Lin, they're all yours now!"
Huang Jin didn't stay long. He wasn't here to supervise everyone's training, but to communicate with Weiyuan Hall and pay the fees.
As for whether Xu Yang and the others trained diligently, the Huang Family couldn't care less. Besides, he could always inquire about it at Weiyuan Hall.
Those who didn't apply themselves and just wanted to slack off would naturally be kicked out of Weiyuan Hall once the payments stopped.
"Greetings, Master Lin!"
As soon as Huang Jin left, everyone clasped their hands in a salute to Lin Cheng.
Even though they were paying to learn, they couldn't neglect the proper respect and etiquette.
Lin Cheng nodded lightly, his gaze sweeping over the ten individuals before lingering on Lu Ren. "What do you believe is the most important thing for practicing martial arts?"
"Root Bone!"
"Perseverance!"
"Endurance!"
"Diligence and persistence!"
...
There was a variety of answers, but "Root Bone" was the most common. After all, if Root Bone wasn't the most important factor, the Huang Family wouldn't have examined their bones before selecting the candidates.
As for enduring hardship and perseverance, plenty of people could do that. Why did the Huang Family choose only them? Oxen and horses were hardworking, but could they practice martial arts?
"It's money!" Xu Yang said, speaking from the heart.
He had spent half a year preparing to practice martial arts, and the thing he heard most about was money. When people heard he wanted to train, few said he lacked talent or couldn't endure hardship. The most common response was that he didn't have the money.
To fund Yang Jun's martial arts training, Xu the Second had even set his sights on the few hundred coins Xu Yang had earned through blood and sweat in the mines.
Lin Cheng gave Xu Yang a surprised look, then nodded. "Correct. It's money. Without money, you wouldn't even be able to see me!"
Luo Dehu, Lu Ren, and the others were dumbfounded. They never expected a master like Lin Cheng to be so materialistic, talking about money right off the bat.
"Don't think me materialistic. I just want to tell you that for others, the most important thing in martial arts might be Root Bone or perseverance. But for you, the most important thing is money.
The Huang Family already examined your bones, so you all have the necessary Root Bone for training. And since you all come from the lower class, enduring hardship is second nature to you. The only thing you lack, precisely, is money.
And practicing martial arts is the fastest way to burn through money.
Forget about medicinal soups and such—just the cost of food alone is enough to bankrupt a small family."
Everyone was a little confused. Was Master Lin trying to persuade them not to practice martial arts?
Then they heard Lin Cheng continue, "If you can't even eat your fill, even someone like Lu Ren with his Upper Grade B Root Bone could train for ten years and never become a Martial Artist. Therefore, the first lesson I'm teaching you today is to eat. Eat for all you're worth. Eat until your stomach can't take another bite. It's best if you can eat four or five meals a day. Do that, and maybe one day you'll have a chance to drag yourselves out of this mire.
When you go home tonight, talk to your families. If there's any money, use it all to buy good food."
His words might not be conventional, but to this group of people struggling in the mire, they were words of gold.
This was because food was the one thing the Huang Family was generous about, allowing them to eat as much as they wanted.
"We are grateful for the lesson, Master Lin," everyone said, clasping their hands in unison.
Lin Cheng nodded to himself. 'The children of rich families have their advantages, but the poor have their own strengths as well. At the very least, I won't have to lecture this group about enduring hardship. All that remains is the matter of their Comprehension.'
"Come. I will first teach you the Pile Skill. The Pile Skill is the Foundation of All Laws. It is also the supreme method for accumulating Qi and blood and tempering the Physique. For those in the early stages of training, the Pile Skill is more important than any Fist Technique."
They were finally about to truly come into contact with the Martial Dao. Everyone grew excited, their eyes glued to Lin Cheng. Even the group practicing Fist Techniques nearby swarmed over and surrounded him.
He struck a strange pose, resembling a great python rising up on its tail. A fierce aura of Qi and blood emanated from his body, and his skin began to turn crimson. His already burly frame seemed to swell, and his powerful muscles emerged like a mass of tangled tree roots.
"This is the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture. Turtles and snakes are long-lived. We Martial Artists often accumulate hidden injuries in our bodies, some of which even medicine cannot treat. Only the Pile Skill can repair them. Remember this: in the future, no matter how high your Cultivation becomes, you must practice this stance once in the morning and once at night. It can prolong your life."
Xu Yang and the others began to imitate Lin Cheng's movements as they watched.
"Don't be so quick to copy my movements. The true core of the Pile Skill isn't the posture, but the breathing method. Pay close attention to my breathing rhythm and the way my skin and membranes ripple..."
Xu Yang stared at Lin Cheng with intense focus. At a certain moment, a faint light flashed before his eyes, and the Martial Arts Longevity Panel popped up.
[Turtle and Snake Grand Posture · Not yet learned (0/5)]
His eyelid couldn't help but twitch. He hadn't actually memorized everything Lin Cheng had taught, but now, whenever he tried to recall it in his mind, the panel would present him with Lin Cheng's image and words.
He hadn't memorized it, but the panel had memorized it for him. All that was left was to practice by mimicking the example.
Of course, it wasn't that simple. It was just like having a constant replay available. The benefit was that he didn't need to struggle to memorize everything; the difficulty of the cultivation itself hadn't changed.
'It only takes five proficiency points to reach Entry Level.'
For now, Xu Yang didn't know how difficult a "5" was, nor did he dwell on it.
"You guys try it!" Lin Cheng said, relaxing his stance and standing up. His crimson skin returned to normal.
The ten of them spread out and individually struck the poses they remembered.
"Not bad!"
Lin Cheng's gaze swept across them, landing first on Lu Ren, who had the best Root Bone. He couldn't help but nod to himself.
Although Lu Ren's Turtle and Snake Grand Posture was still a complete mess, it was the best of the ten.
He observed each person one by one, committing their first attempts at the stance to memory. Then, he strode forward and began correcting them individually.
"Hollow the chest and straighten the back!"
"Sink your Qi to your Dantian."
"Your muscles and bones should be relaxed yet taut."
"Don't deliberately hold your breath."
...
After one round of corrections, he went to instruct the other group of disciples who had been practicing Fist Techniques.
Once he had given pointers to everyone, Lin Cheng shouted towards the back courtyard, "Sun Tao, come here!"
The man in white from before quickly appeared. Lin Cheng pointed to him and said, "This is your Senior Brother Sun Tao. From now on, he will be guiding you to the Entry Level."
With that, he strode away without another word.
Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Lin Cheng wasn't going to continue teaching them the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture himself, but was handing them over to this senior brother named Sun Tao. A whole tael of silver had only bought them such a short period of instruction.
"Don't expect the master to teach you personally anymore. Before you reach the Entry Level for the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture, he won't be back to instruct you. This is just the Outer Courtyard. The master usually only comes once every half a month.
If ten of you hadn't shown up all at once, you wouldn't have even seen the master's face."
Sun Tao seemed to understand what Xu Yang and the others were thinking and immediately began to explain.
"Senior Brother Sun, what does it mean to reach the Entry Level for the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture?" someone asked.
Xu Yang looked over and saw that the one who asked was the youth ranked second in Root Bone, the one with the Upper C-class Root Bone. He remembered the young man's name was Zhang Yong.
Sun Tao smiled. "When you feel strength rising from the ground and your Qi and blood boiling like water while holding the stance, then you will have reached the Entry Level for the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture."
He was responsible for guiding new disciples of the Outer Courtyard to the Entry Level, which naturally included answering their various questions and explaining the basics of the Martial Dao.
"How long does it generally take to reach Entry Level?" This time, it was Lu Ren who asked.
Sun Tao glanced at him and said, "For someone with superior talent, it might take three to five days. If your talent isn't up to par, you might not reach Entry Level in your entire life."
These words caused the expressions of several people to change drastically.
"Senior Brother Sun, does talent refer to Root Bone?" Luo Dehu asked.
Sun Tao shook his head. "No. Martial Arts Talent isn't just about Root Bone. Besides Root Bone, there is also Comprehension. I know you all had your bones examined by the Huang Family, but I have to tell you, while Root Bone is certainly important, Comprehension cannot be overlooked.
Weiyuan Hall doesn't test for Root Bone, because there are too many examples of people with good Root Bone who never became Martial Artists.
Alright, enough with the useless questions. Right now, you should focus on learning the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture."
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. Those who had been feeling a bit conceited about their Root Bone immediately discarded such thoughts.