Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

The autumn morning light slanted through the creaking wooden door of the Xingyi Martial Arts School, casting a warm yellow glow on the mottled brick ground.

As Chen Jianghe stepped into the courtyard, several of his fellow disciples who had gotten up early were stretching their muscles by the stone lock in the corner. Seeing him enter, one of them nodded and greeted him, "Jianghe, you're here?"

"Good morning." Chen Jianghe nodded in response, and without stopping, walked straight through the front yard and headed towards the back yard.

Li Chengyue remained slumped in the bamboo recliner, a wine gourd resting on his stomach, rising and falling slightly with his breath.

His eyes were closed, with traces of last night's wine still on the corners of his mouth, and his gray hair was loosely draped over his shoulders.

Looking at him like that, anyone would just think he's a dejected, drunkard.

Chen Jianghe walked to the locust tree, stopped, and bowed: "Master."

Li Chengyue didn't open his eyes, only grunted through his nose, and mumbled, "Get to the point if you have something to say, otherwise don't disturb my sweet dreams."

Chen Jianghe straightened up, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right hand.

He didn't assume a stance, nor did he gather his strength. He simply made a loose fist with his five fingers and gently pressed it against the air in front of him.

Three feet away, the locust leaf that had just fallen beside the stone bench silently turned into dust.

Li Chengyue's snoring abruptly stopped in the recliner.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and two beams of light suddenly shot out from his usually hazy, drunken eyes as he stared intently at Chen Jianghe's hand, which had not yet been withdrawn.

"You—" Li Chengyue's voice was a little dry.

Chen Jianghe withdrew his hand, bowed, and said, "This disciple is unworthy, but by sheer luck, I have succeeded in passing the test and have achieved the initial stage of internal strength."

"Damn it all..." Li Chengyue muttered, his voice terribly hoarse, "Did it really work?!"

He stood up abruptly, shuffling his shoes as he rushed to Chen Jianghe, his withered hand flashing out to grab Chen Jianghe's wrist.

The force penetrates to the bone, and the energy flows freely.

Li Chengyue's expression changed repeatedly, from surprise and doubt to confirmation, from confirmation to shock, and finally solidified into an indescribable complex expression.

"How old are you?" He released his grip, his voice low.

Chen Jianghe bowed and said, "Reporting to Master, I just turned eighteen."

"Eighteen... eighteen..." Li Chengyue repeated these two words, then suddenly staggered and fell back into the bamboo recliner, as if his spine had been removed, collapsing limply.

Those once bright and piercing eyes became cloudy again.

Chen Jianghe stood quietly without saying a word.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Only the morning breeze rustled through the bare branches.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Chengyue finally slowly raised his head.

He stared at Chen Jianghe, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just let out a long breath.

"Reaching the Dark Force level in just over a year," he muttered to himself, his voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the wind. "Eighteen... only two years left... if I don't reach the Transformation Force level before twenty, I'll never meet the requirements..."

He suddenly stood up, slipped on his shoes, and paced around the locust tree twice with his hands behind his back.

His steps were a little unsteady, completely losing his usual lazy and composed demeanor.

Chen Jianghe watched quietly.

Requirements? What requirements?

Li Chengyue stopped and turned to look at him, his voice low: "Jiang He, are you aware of an unwritten rule in martial arts cultivation?"

"Please enlighten me, Master."

"If you don't master internal strength before the age of twenty, you'll remain a mediocre talent." Li Chengyue said, emphasizing each word. "This doesn't mean you can't master internal strength after the age of twenty, but rather... only by breaking through the barrier to mastering internal strength before the age of twenty can you possibly glimpse a higher realm."

He paused, his gaze as deep as an ancient well: "You are eighteen now, and your internal strength is just beginning to develop. You must progress from internal strength to external strength within two years..."

Chen Jianghe's heart skipped a beat: "Before the age of twenty... at the Transformation Realm?"

"That's right." Li Chengyue nodded. "Only those who reach the Transformation Realm before the age of twenty will have the opportunity to receive the true teachings of my Xingyi School."

Li Chengyue stared at Chen Jianghe for a long time, then suddenly let out a long breath, as if he had made a major decision.

"Never mind." He waved his hand, turned and walked towards his room. "I'll wait here."

Chen Jianghe bowed: "Yes."

A short while later, Li Chengyue came out.

Chen Jianghe looked up and his heart skipped a beat.

His master changed his clothes—the same dark blue cotton-linen long gown he wore when he formally accepted him as a disciple.

His gray hair was neatly tied back with a wooden hairpin, and his usually drunken face was now clean of alcohol, his eyes were calm, and his back was straight.

Just standing there, he exudes an air of profound composure and unwavering strength.

Li Chengyue walked to the stone table in the courtyard and took out an old wooden box from a hidden compartment under the table.

Inside, there was a brass incense burner about half a foot tall, three sticks of incense, and a black lacquered wooden plaque.

He placed the incense burner in the center of the stone table, lit the incense sticks, and wisps of smoke rose up.

"Chen Jianghe," Li Chengyue said, each word clear and distinct, "You have been with my Xingyi Martial Arts School for over a year. Today, you have achieved initial success in internal strength training. According to the school's rules, you should be accepted as my personal disciple."

He paused, his gaze sharp: "Kneel down."

Chen Jianghe knelt down, his back straight and his gaze calm.

Li Chengyue held incense sticks and bowed three times towards the east, each bow slow and powerful.

Then he inserted the incense into the burner, and the blue smoke rose straight up, remaining neither dissipated nor swayed in the windless courtyard.

He turned around and said loudly, "Li Chengyue, the successor of Xingyi School, has now accepted Chen Jianghe as his personal disciple, to pass on my mantle and continue my lineage. I hope you will diligently practice and cultivate, and attain enlightenment."

The sound echoed in the courtyard, startling several birds perched in the locust tree, which fluttered into the sky.

"Kowtowing," Li Chengyue said, taking a half-step back. "Three kowtows: to Heaven and Earth, to our ancestors, and to our sect."

Chen Jianghe did as instructed, respectfully kowtowing three times to the incense burner. His forehead touched the blue brick, each thud resounding deeply.

As he stood up, Li Chengyue had already walked up to him and reached out to help him up.

Eyes facing each other.

The complex emotions in Li Chengyue's eyes had mostly subsided, replaced by a deep expectation: "From this day forward, you are my personal disciple, Li Chengyue. From now on, I will impart all my knowledge to you in your cultivation."

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned stern: "Remember, even direct disciples must uphold the will of my Xingyi Sect. You must not betray your master or ancestors, you must not bully the weak, and you must not use martial arts to break the law. Those who violate this will have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from the sect!"

"I will remember this!" Chen Jianghe replied solemnly.

Li Chengyue nodded, then suddenly rubbed his hands together, revealing a rare hint of embarrassment: "A personal disciple should have a formal apprenticeship ceremony. However..."

He gave a wry smile. "Over the years, my savings have been emptied by alcohol. Wait a few days, I'll go out for a while and come back to make it up to you."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around and went back into the house. A short while later, he came out with a small bundle on his back, nodded to Chen Jianghe, and strode out of the courtyard.

The figure disappeared outside the door.

Chen Jianghe: "..."

Familiar footsteps and a carefree humming voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Oh, junior brother! I've been looking for you everywhere, so here's the cat!"

Su Derong strolled in, fanning himself with a fan, his face bearing his usual nonchalant smile.

But that smile froze for a moment when he caught a glimpse of the incense smoke from the stone table and the marks on the prayer mat on the ground.

He paused, his gaze shifting between the incense burner and Chen Jianghe, before carefully examining Chen Jianghe's aura.

Upon closer inspection, his pupils contracted sharply.

The fan in Su Derong's hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"You... you've developed hidden strength!?" Su Derong's voice was filled with disbelief and astonishment.

"Hmm. A lucky breakthrough." Chen Jianghe nodded calmly.

He stared at Chen Jianghe for a long time, his eyes wide, before bending down to pick up the fan. He exclaimed in shock, "Hidden strength... You're really impressive. It took me three whole years to go from visible strength to hidden strength."

He paused, then gestured vaguely towards the incense burner with the rib of his fan, his tone complex: "You've performed the apprenticeship ceremony? Have I accepted you as my personal disciple?"

Chen Jianghe nodded: "Yes. Master just left, saying he'll be gone for a few days and will tell me the rest when he gets back."

"Yes, yes, we should really prepare. Now you're truly my junior brother. This master is really something; I'll have to prepare something for him too."

Chen Jianghe paused for a moment, then changed the subject: "Senior Brother, did you come here specifically for something at the escort agency? Or...?"

"Oh, right, right!" Upon hearing this, Su Derong suddenly slapped his forehead with his fan. "Look at my memory! I was so surprised that I almost forgot about the important matter!"