Xu Feng watched Su Yu stumble through a set of the Pile Skill and sighed to himself.
'Sure enough, his bones have already set and his tendons are stiff. His aptitude... calling it inferior would be generous.'
"Stop."
Xu Feng stepped forward and corrected Su Yu's posture, pressing a finger firmly against his spine.
"Long Arm Waist Pulling doesn't mean you literally pull your waist. It's a conceptual 'pull'! You have to imagine your spine is a fully drawn bowstring. Your skin and fascia must be taut, not like a slab of dead meat!"
"And for this Spiritual Ape Returns to the Cave form, your breathing is a mess! It's Qi Sinking into the Dantian, grounding and storing on landing. You're releasing your breath far too quickly!"
Although Xu Feng wasn't optimistic, he patiently demonstrated the key points a few times.
Just as Su Yu was listening intently, an errand boy hurried over. "Senior Brother Xu, a senior brother from the Inner Courtyard requests your presence."
Xu Feng raised an eyebrow. Without another word, he told Su Yu to practice on his own and left in a hurry.
Su Yu calmed his mind and continued to practice.
One set, two sets, three sets...
It was tedious, monotonous, and accompanied by a soreness that felt like his muscles were tearing.
The sun climbed to its zenith, its harsh rays making his scalp tingle.
Su Yu was soaked in sweat, and his legs were trembling. Just when he was about to give up, something finally happened.
[Skill Level +1]
[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Changes (entry-level 2/800)
In the next instant, an extremely faint but tangible stream of heat abruptly rose from the base of his spine. It traveled through his meridians in a full circle before finally dispersing into his limbs and bones.
A comfortable sensation immediately coursed through him, making him shudder with relief.
'This is... Qi and Blood?'
Su Yu couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. His morning's hard work had finally paid off. This also marked his first true step onto the path of a Martial Artist.
'The progress seems a bit slow, but with my panel, what's earned is earned for good!'
'As long as I can see the progress bar moving, forget 800 points—I'll grind out 8,000!'
"Food's ready—!"
A coarse shout broke the silence of the Martial Arts Arena.
A heavyset woman with a thick waist and broad shoulders walked in, leading several errand boys carrying three huge wooden buckets.
THUD!
The wooden buckets hit the ground with a heavy sound. At the noise, the apprentices who were still training instantly swarmed over like a pack of hungry wolves.
Practicing martial arts was incredibly draining, and by now, everyone's stomach was aching with hunger.
"Aunt Liu, what's on the menu today?"
"Haha, you're all in luck! The Inner Courtyard had a lot of good leftovers yesterday, and I've tossed them all in for you!" Aunt Liu boomed, holding a large iron ladle and laughing heartily.
The crowd immediately surged forward.
"Don't push! Anyone who pushes again can get to the back of the line!"
She rapped her ladle on the back of the hand of a burly man who tried to lift a lid, making a dull THWACK. The man wasn't angry; he just grinned sheepishly, apologized, and stepped back.
Su Yu wiped away his sweat and was about to head over when a young man sidled up to him.
The man had a long, narrow face with sunken eyes and a very thin build.
"Brother, you new?" the young man asked, overly familiar.
"I am Su Yu. I just joined today. And you are, Senior Brother...?"
"Name's Ma Fei." The young man waved his hand. "Been here a bit longer than you. Come on, let's get in line. If we're late, there won't even be any soup left!"
The line moved quickly.
When it was Su Yu's turn, he craned his neck to look.
There was a large bucket of dry rice mixed with corn grits, another large bucket of cabbage and vermicelli stew with flecks of oil floating on top, and a third bucket of dark, salty vegetable soup.
It was simple fare, but there was enough to fill one's stomach, and it even had some grease. It was better than what he ate at home.
"New face?" Aunt Liu glanced at Su Yu. Seeing that this young man was handsome and refined, unlike the other rough brutes, her tone softened slightly.
Su Yu immediately smiled. "Hello, Ma'am! I'm Su Yu. Your cooking is incredible. I could smell how fragrant it was from halfway across the courtyard!"
"Oh, my!" Aunt Liu looked a little embarrassed. "Has your mouth been smeared with honey? And 'Ma'am'? I'm old enough to be your aunt!"
"No way! Looking at you, your face is glowing with health. People would believe you if you said you were twenty!"
"Alright, alright, you're quite the smooth-talker!"
Although Aunt Liu put on a show of being annoyed, her iron ladle dug deep into the bucket. She plopped a heaping spoonful of food into Su Yu's bowl, topping it with two large, greasy pieces of fatty meat.
"Training is tough. Eat up!"
The people waiting behind him stared, their eyes wide. Someone grumbled, "Aunt Liu, you're playing favorites! Hurry up, we're starving to death!"
"What's the hurry! Stay in line!" Aunt Liu spun around and let out a fearsome roar.
「...」
Su Yu, holding his heaping bowl of food, found a corner with Ma Fei to squat down in.
The first mouthful of coarse rice was slightly rough on the throat, but coated in the savory meat broth, it was incredibly satisfying. A bite of the fatty meat filled his mouth with rich grease.
"Senior Brother Ma, are Senior Brother Xu and the others usually in the Inner Courtyard?" Su Yu asked as he ate.
Ma Fei slurped up some vermicelli, glanced at the closed moon gate, and said sourly:
"Of course. The Inner Courtyard is where the Martial Artist senior brothers train. Outsiders like us can't get in. To put it bluntly, they look down on us. If we can't achieve our first breakthrough within three months, we get kicked out."
"Sigh, this White Ape Martial Arts Hall takes in hundreds of disciples a year, but you can count the number who make it into the Inner Courtyard on one hand."
Su Yu listened quietly without replying.
But Ma Fei had opened the floodgates and began to vent his frustrations:
"Look at what we're eating! Do you know what the Inner Courtyard senior brothers eat? They get fish and meat every meal! I heard they also drink some kind of Bone-Strengthening Soup and sometimes even get Spirit Deer Meat! That stuff is amazing for replenishing Qi and Blood!"
"Damn it, it's so unfair! If I got to eat Spirit Deer Meat every day, I could break through too!"
"And that Old Man Qin, he's all smiles when he's taking our money, but after he gets paid, you never see him again. He just dumps us on the senior brothers. Xu Feng is one of the better ones. Last month, that Senior Brother Jiang Liuchuan wouldn't even give us the time of day..."
Su Yu quickly shoveled down his last mouthful of rice, filtering out Ma Fei's complaints.
'Fairness? There's no such thing as fairness in this world.'
'If I want to eat meat, if I want to get into the Inner Courtyard, the only way is to become stronger!'
「...」
In the afternoon, Senior Brother Xu didn't show up again.
Most of the apprentices were practicing on their own in the courtyard.
Su Yu was like a tireless machine, repeating the Pile Skill forms over and over.
[Skill Level +1]
[Cultivation Technique]: White Ape Six Changes (entry-level 3/800)
As evening approached, Su Yu gained another point of Skill Level, and a faint, warm sensation once again stirred within him.
'My Skill Level is increasing faster and faster now. After all, my own ability is constantly improving.'
'But if I want to achieve the first breakthrough in three months... at this rate, I'll have barely mastered the basics.'
Su Yu calculated in his mind.
'I can't slack off. I have to train more!'
After dinner, night fell.
The Martial Arts Arena was completely empty. After a full day of practicing the Pile Skill, most people's bodies couldn't take it anymore.
Only the lonely figure of Su Yu remained, casting a long shadow in the moonlight.
"White Ape Seal... Long Arm Waist Pulling..."
"Su Yu, stop training!" Ma Fei said as he passed by. Seeing Su Yu still grinding away, he pursed his lips. "This Pile Skill is all about gradual accumulation. What's the use of practicing an extra hour a day? It's not worth it if you wreck your body."
"Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother. I'll just finish this set," Su Yu said without turning his head, sweat dripping from his chin onto the stone slabs.
"Stubborn fool." Ma Fei shook his head and walked away, yawning. "You can stay in my room tonight. Room C-3. There's an empty bed."
"Alright."
After Ma Fei left, Su Yu continued to practice until the moon was high in the sky. He only stopped when his legs felt as heavy as lead.
Though his body was exhausted to the point of collapse, he had managed to grind out another point of Skill Level.
As a new wisp of Qi and Blood was born, some of his fatigue dissipated.
「...」
Dragging his heavy feet, Su Yu found Room C-3.
He pushed the door open, and a thick stench of sweaty feet and body odor assaulted him.
In the cramped room were four hard wooden beds. Ma Fei was sprawled out on the outermost one, snoring loud enough to shake the heavens.
On one of the inner beds sat a tall youth. He looked to be only fourteen or fifteen, but he was built sturdily and had a simple, honest face.
"You must be the new Senior Brother, Su Yu, right? I'm Wang Hu." The youth scratched his head with a simple-minded grin and pointed to the remaining empty beds. "Those two are free. Take your pick."
"Thanks." Su Yu nodded. Not being picky, he chose the one by the window.
"Senior Brother, you'll have to get your bedding from Aunt Liu, but she's probably asleep by now. You'll have to find her tomorrow..."
"Mm, it's fine." Su Yu waved his hand. "Where can I wash up?"
"There's a well to the left when you go out."
Su Yu took a wooden basin and went to the well.
The moonlight was cold, the well water dark and deep.
CREAK... CREAK...
The sound of the windlass turning was exceptionally clear in the silent night.
He drew up a bucket of icy well water. Seeing no one around, he stripped down to his under-trousers, took a deep breath, and lifted the bucket to pour it over his head.
SPLASH!
Chilling to the bone!
The frigid water washed over his hot skin, carrying away the sticky sweat and the day's exhaustion.
"So refreshing!"
This clean feeling after utter exhaustion reminded him of his past life when he had just started working. He'd come home from his internship tired as a dog every day, but a cold shower at night felt like it could wash away all the grime of the daily grind, allowing him to be fully recharged the next day.
Perhaps his current situation was a bit like that.
Except back then, it was for a mortgage and a car loan. Now, it was to survive.
「...」
The days flowed by like water, and in the blink of an eye, five days had passed.
Su Yu lived a full life at the martial arts hall: practicing, eating, bathing, and sleeping.
Every day, he watched his Skill Level steadily rise.