The next morning, Shen Xiu got up bright and early.
Following the directions given by the steward the day before, he made his way to the Outer Affairs Hall within the martial hall.
When he stepped back out through the main doors, he was carrying two sets of pale cyan standard-issue short robes, designed to be tight-fitting martial attire for daily practice.
Along with the garments, he now held a formal disciple's token, and even his living quarters had been reassigned.
Led by a steward, Shen Xiu was soon brought to his new residence.
It was a secluded little courtyard, not particularly spacious, but it had the distinct advantage of being an independent unit.
When he pushed open the door and stepped inside, he found the place had already been swept clean. A faint, lingering scent of herbal incense drifted in the air, and the furniture and fixtures were more than complete.
The sight of such cleanliness and order instantly put him in a refreshing and relaxed mood.
Life in the communal dormitory had simply been too unbearable. More than a dozen people were crammed into a single cramped, poorly ventilated space—swelteringly hot in the summer and bone-chillingly cold in the winter.
The air was constantly thick with the lingering stench of someone's sweaty feet and other unidentifiable sour odors. Shen Xiu felt that had he stayed there any longer, he would have been pickled and marinated in the stench.
Now, at least, his living conditions had changed for the better.
After familiarizing himself with the layout, Shen Xiu took a trip back to the miscellaneous chores disciples' quarters to pack up his belongings. Truth be told, he had nothing much to pack—just two tattered garments and a few taels of silver.
Along the way, he ran into Wang Si, who looked rather dejected. Shen Xiu offered him a few words of comfort, but Wang Si only managed a strained, lifeless smile and offered no real response.
After returning to his new quarters and settling in, a steward came by to summon him to Instructor Duan's quarters.
Shen Xiu was somewhat surprised; he had no idea why Instructor Duan would be looking for him.
Still, upon reflection, he figured it couldn't be anything bad.
Although Instructor Duan had been an instructor at the martial hall for the shortest period, he was easy-going and enjoyed an excellent reputation among both the chores disciples and the registered disciples.
Had it been Li Yan, one of the other five instructors, Shen Xiu would have racked his brains trying to find a way out of going. For no other reason than out of all the instructors, that particular man was both greedy and hopelessly obsessed with alcohol.
In fact, the few taels of silver his predecessor had obtained from selling his house deed had ended up right in Li Yan's pockets.
After putting his things away, Shen Xiu quickly arrived at Instructor Duan's courtyard. Duàn Hóngfēi was sitting leisurely on a stone chair in the courtyard, sipping tea with a sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Clearly, he was resting after a session of martial practice.
"Instructor Duan, you asked for me." Stepping into the courtyard, Shen Xiu bowed with his hands cupped.
Duàn Hóngfēi gave a slight nod. "Your assessment yesterday was quite good. With the force of three echoes, you must have stepped into the Body Tempering: Lower Stage, haven't you?"
"I only just broke through."
"Reaching Body Tempering within half a year isn't considered exceptionally talented, but it's not bad either—you're already ahead of a majority of the disciples. I've heard that you practice the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Skill very diligently. Run through a set for me to see right now."
"Understood, Instructor Duan."
Shen Xiu nodded, shifted his stance, and began executing the forms right there in the spacious courtyard. Every punch and palm strike whistled with the wind, carrying a considerable display of might.
Duàn Hóngfēi watched from the side while nodding to himself.
Although the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Skill was only a bizarre-grade body-tempering technique and notoriously slow to progress, the fact that Shen Xiu had practiced it to this level in half a year showed that aside from putting in hard work, his comprehension must genuinely be quite good.
"Run through it again."
As soon as the first set was finished, Duàn Hóngfēi, seated to the side, spoke up once more. Shen Xiu nodded without the slightest suspicion and immediately began practicing from the beginning.
"When throwing a punch just now, apply three parts more force at the elbow..."
"On the right side of your waist, shift an inch to the left, then use eighty percent strength..."
...
At that moment, Duàn Hóngfēi stood up, walked over to Shen Xiu's side, and began giving him pointers one by one.
Shen Xiu had practiced the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Skill for so long that he could honestly say there were hardly any flaws left in his execution.
Yet, as he practiced according to the minor details pointed out by Instructor Duan, the momentum and force generation of his martial arts became noticeably smoother, and his lethal moves grew even sharper.
When he finished the routine once more, his proficiency with the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Skill rare and directly increased by two percent.
As expected, having an instructor's guidance made all the difference.
"Now that you've become a formal disciple, you surely know some of the martial hall's rules. After becoming a formal disciple, you must complete three assigned tasks every month."
"The martial hall will grant you a one-month grace period, so make sure you use this time well. Also, don't forget the Peiyuan Broth from the Pharmaceutical Hall five times a month. After all, it's a medicinal soup provided by the Hall Master, who invited a pharmacist all the way from Shanglin City; that broth is immensely helpful for both martial practice and cultivating your foundation."
Standing quietly to the side, Shen Xiu listened with rapt attention. These were the hard-earned experiences of his seniors, and keeping them in mind would save him from taking many detours.
Seeing Shen Xiu's attentive expression, Duàn Hóngfēi nodded inwardly, looking quite pleased.
"Instructor Duan, this junior remembers that upon becoming a formal disciple, one is allowed to choose another technique. I wonder if Instructor Duan has any recommendations?"
Just as he was about to leave, Shen Xiu suddenly thought of this matter and turned back to ask.
"The Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Skill serves to temper the physique and smelt vital blood, and the thirteen postures also contain lethal moves. If you require an additional technique, it would be best to choose a saber technique. After all, in the early stages of a Martial Cultivator, one still cannot withstand the might of edged weapons—there's a reason people say the saber is the courage of a hundred weapons."
"Then what kind of saber technique should I choose?"
"I happen to have a manual here, though I'm not sure if you're willing to learn it. I acquired this saber technique by chance, and judging by its grade, its power is close to that of a profound-grade martial skill."
A saber technique close to a profound-grade martial skill?
Shen Xiu's eyes lit up at the words.
In an era where dao-grade secret manuals were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, and divine-grade techniques remained long hidden from the world, profound-grade techniques were already considered immensely precious.
Ordinarily, even a bizarre-grade technique with a proper rating was hard to come by, let alone a saber technique approaching the profound grade.
Such a technique could easily serve as an heirloom martial art for many of the clans in Taixi City.
One had to know that the Seven-Severing Gate Saber used by Yang Jinhong, the Hall Master who founded Jínhóng Martial Hall—who had once slashed his way from the east side of the city to the west with a heavy broadsword—was only rated as a lower-tier profound grade.
Strictly speaking, a technique like this was worth a king's ransom.
However, as Shen Xiu thought about it, he suddenly calmed down.
With such a valuable saber technique, would Instructor Duan really be willing to hand it over to him just like that?
"Instructor Duan, this..."
"You must be thinking it's too precious, right?"
Shen Xiu nodded. He understood the principle that one does not accept rewards without merit.
Instructor Duan smiled, a reminiscent look washing over his eyes.
"How should I put this? This saber technique isn't actually mine. More than a decade ago, during a severe drought in Hedong Province, I was one of the refugees. Later, I ended up working as a menial laborer in a city, where the boss beat and scolded me at every turn. When I was beaten to within an inch of my life, a passerby saved me, gave me some silver, and handed me this saber manual..."
"After that, I managed to escape my predicament, but my talent turned out to be truly mediocre. I'm afraid I ended up burying his saber technique in obscurity. Later on, I thought about finding him to express my gratitude and return the technique..."
"It's just that no matter how hard I searched afterward, I could never find that person again. I didn't even know his name..."
"Later on, I figured that if I couldn't find him, so be it. Since I couldn't find that person, I could become that person..."
Seeming a bit tired of talking, Duàn Hóngfēi paused for a moment, took a sip of his tea, and smiled. "Shen Xiu, I've been watching you for nearly a year now. You're a good kid..."
Shen Xiu did not understand, nor did he know what "good" meant in Duàn Hóngfēi's eyes.
He had no idea that once upon a time, when Duàn Hóngfēi was traveling outside, he had accidentally caught sight of a certain scene along the road.
A tight-faced, impoverished youth was hurrying through the city. He passed by the stall of an old woman selling her daughter, frowned, and walked away. Yet after taking a few steps, he hesitated for a moment.
Then, he turned back and tossed down a dozen copper coins.
In a deserted corner after he walked away again, Duàn Hóngfēi clearly saw the youth angrily cursing himself for having an overabundance of sympathy and regretting those few copper coins, yet resolutely refusing to take a single step back.
At that time, Duàn Hóngfēi couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.
It was as if he had caught a glimpse of someone from his own past, someone who possessed a certain kindred quality...
"Those few copper coins to buy a manual of mine—that shouldn't be considered a loss, right?"
Duàn Hóngfēi sat idly in the courtyard, draining the tea in his cup in one gulp. His eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed into the distance, carrying a faint trace of a smile...