Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Chapter 77 The Choice (Please subscribe!)

The window on the second floor of Anju Inn was half-open.

Chen Jianghe sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and slow.

[Destiny: Diligence is rewarded by Heaven; success is inevitable]

[Current Skill: Vajra Kung Fu (Beginner)]

Progress: 20%

Since checking in yesterday, he has practiced the Vajra Kung Fu from beginning to end seventeen times.

This external martial arts technique, obtained from Lei Zhenshan, follows a powerful and fierce approach. It emphasizes using qi and blood to temper muscles, bones, and skin. When practiced to a high level, one can withstand swords and blades and possess immense strength.

However, the cultivation process is quite painful. Every time it is circulated, the bones in the body feel as if they are being hammered and the tendons are being torn and stretched.

"Knock knock".

There was a gentle knock on the door.

Chen Jianghe slowly finished his practice and opened his eyes: "Please come in."

The innkeeper entered with a kind smile on his face, carrying a wooden tray with a bowl of congee, two small dishes of side dishes, and three steamed buns.

"Young Master Chen, breakfast is ready." The steward placed the wooden tray on the table, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he rubbed his hands together, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Chen Jianghe got out of bed, walked to the table, picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and looked up at him: "Does the manager have something to say?"

The steward looked around and lowered his voice: "Young Master Chen, more news came this morning—Cangming Academy selected five people, Yanchen Academy selected four people, and Houtu Academy selected three people. Adding to the six people selected by Jinshu Academy yesterday, eighteen people have already found a place for this year's inner sect candidates."

Chen Jianghe paused slightly while chewing, then resumed his normal chewing motion.

He picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, and then asked, "How many people are still undecided?"

"Including you, there are seven others." The steward's voice was even lower. "Besides you, there's Lin Yan, and the other five—their physical attributes are all below the fourth level, and they're all over twenty years old. I'm afraid—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

With such poor aptitude and advanced age, how could the head of the Five Academies, with his exceptionally high standards, choose such a disciple?

Chen Jianghe nodded calmly: "Thank you for informing me, Manager."

The manager was secretly amazed by his composure.

If an ordinary young martial artist knew that he had not been selected by the Five Academies, he would probably be anxious and uneasy.

But this young hero Chen remained as calm and composed as ever.

"Then—please enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything." The steward bowed and withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.

Chen Jianghe continued eating breakfast.

After finishing his meal, he put away the dishes, walked to the window, and opened it.

The morning light streamed into the room, making it warm and cozy.

Downstairs in the courtyard of the inn, several prospective disciples who had found their places and were to go up the mountain to enter the academy today were gathered together, chatting excitedly.

"Senior Brother Zhao has entered the Golden Pivot Academy! That's the top of the five academies! His future is limitless!"

"Shen Qingyan is even more impressive. Both the Golden Pivot Academy and the Cangming Academy were vying for her, but in the end she chose the Cangming Academy herself—tsk tsk, a seven-form root bone, truly extraordinary."

"I heard that Headmaster Shen of the Golden Pivot Academy personally declared that if Junior Sister Shen were to enter the Golden Pivot Academy, she could directly become his disciple and receive his true teachings—but she actually chose the Cangming Academy?"

"Everyone has their own ambitions. Cangming Academy mainly focuses on swordsmanship, so Junior Sister Shen might prefer the way of the sword."

Chen Jianghe listened quietly, his face expressionless.

His gaze swept over the spirited young faces, then turned to a corner of the inn where a thin figure was squatting alone against the wall, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

It is Lin Yan.

Chen Jianghe looked at him for a moment, then turned around and went back into the house. He picked up the plain paper that Elder Zhou had given him yesterday, and then pushed open the door and went downstairs.

In the courtyard, the prospective disciples who were talking immediately lowered their voices when they saw Chen Jianghe come out, and their eyes glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally, with a hint of curiosity and scrutiny.

Chen Jianghe ignored it and walked straight to Lin Yan at the foot of the wall.

Brother Lin.

Lin Yan looked up and saw Chen Jianghe. He forced a smile and said, "Brother Chen."

Chen Jianghe squatted down beside him, took out a plain note from his pocket, and unfolded it: "Brother Lin, do you know that behind Anju Inn, there is a path that leads directly to the mountainside of Qingyan Mountain? There is a pavilion there with an excellent view."

Lin Yan paused for a moment, took the plain paper, glanced at it, and nodded: "I know. A steward mentioned it yesterday."

"Shall we go for a walk together?" Chen Jianghe asked.

Lin Yan was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Okay."

The two got up, walked around the main building of the inn, and headed towards the back mountain along a winding path paved with bluestone.

The path is lined with green bamboo, which rustles in the wind.

After walking for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view suddenly opened up before me.

A hexagonal pavilion was built on the edge of a cliff. Standing in the pavilion, one could see most of Changxi Prefecture.

Houses stretch out in a continuous line, streets and alleys crisscross, the city walls stand majestically in the distance, and rivers flow like ribbons in the far distance.

What a bustling metropolis!

Chen Jianghe stood by the pavilion, his hands behind his back, quietly watching the scene before him.

Lin Yan stood beside him, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her knuckles white.

After a long silence, Lin Yan finally whispered, "Brother Chen—aren't you anxious?"

Chen Jianghe turned to look at him: "What are you so anxious about?"

"The selection process for the Five Academies—only one day left!"

Lin Yan's voice was hoarse. "If there's no news today, you and I—will only be able to enter the mountain as ordinary inner disciples. Although we won't be doing menial tasks, we'll have to find all the cultivation resources ourselves—pills, cultivation techniques, medicinal baths, weapons. The disciples of the Five Academies receive resources from their respective academies every month; but we—have nothing."

Chen Jianghe turned his gaze back to the distance: "Brother Lin, what are your plans?"

Lin Yan gritted his teeth, a struggle flashing in his eyes: "I—my home is in Linjia Village, three hundred li outside Changxi Prefecture. My parents died early, leaving only a younger sister. I was weak from childhood, with only the fourth level of physical constitution, making my cultivation several times slower than others. But I was unwilling to accept this—so I practiced desperately, and after eight whole years, I finally broke through to the Transformation Realm this year by sheer luck—"

He paused, his voice even lower: "But upon arriving at the Xingyi School, I learned that the Four Forms Root Bone, reaching the Transformation Realm at nineteen—"

Here, I am nothing. Even the heads of the Five Academies wouldn't give me a second glance.

He raised his head and looked at Chen Jianghe: "Brother Chen, you are stronger than me. You possess the Five Elements aptitude and reached the Transformation Realm at eighteen. Yet here—it's still not enough. Do you know why?"

Chen Jianghe shook his head.

Lin Yan took a deep breath: "I've inquired about it these past two days. Among this year's candidates, nine have a sixth-type root bone or higher, and fifteen have a fifth-type root bone. But the Five Academies only recruit a limited number of disciples each year. With more monks than porridge, naturally they'll choose the best."

Chen Jianghe nodded: "I see."

Seeing that he remained calm, Lin Yan couldn't help but say, "Brother Chen, are you really not worried at all? If you can't enter the Five Academies, you'll have to earn all the resources yourself! Without the aid of elixirs, your cultivation speed will be as slow as a snail; without guidance on cultivation techniques, you can only practice the most basic things; without medicinal baths to temper your body, you won't even have a solid foundation! If this continues, the gap between you and the disciples of the Five Academies will only widen!"

Chen Jianghe turned to look at him: "Brother Lin, do you have a solution?"

Lin Yan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Yes—but it only applies to one person."

"I would like to hear the details."

"Lingmu Academy." Lin Yan uttered three words, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "Among the five academies, Lingmu Academy specializes in healing, alchemy, lightness skills, and hidden weapons. The way this academy recruits disciples is different from the other four academies—in addition to looking at their innate talent, it also looks at one other thing."

Chen Jianghe's eyes flickered slightly: "What is it?"

"Money," Lin Yan said, emphasizing each word. "Or rather, resources."

He explained, "Lingmu Academy specializes in medicine and alchemy, requiring a large amount of medicinal herbs and rare treasures for research. Therefore, there is an unwritten rule—if a disciple can provide sufficient resources," they can be admitted to the academy without prior admission.

Chen Jianghe understood immediately: "How much?"

Lin Yan shook his head: "I don't know. It's said that it varies from person to person; the better one's innate talent, the less one needs; the worse one's innate talent, the more one needs. But at least—it requires a thousand taels of silver."

Chen Jianghe remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Brother Lin, since you know this method, why don't you give it a try?"

"I can't afford to try," Lin Yan said frankly. "My family is poor and I can't afford that much money. Even if I managed to scrape together enough to get into Lingmu Academy, I still wouldn't be able to afford the various resources needed for my subsequent cultivation. Although Lingmu Academy can pave the way with money, after entering the academy, everything still depends on yourself. If your cultivation doesn't make significant progress within a year, the academy master will ask you to leave—at that time, the money will be spent, and your future will be over."

He gave a bitter smile: "When I left home, I only had a hundred taels of silver with me. After all the expenses along the way, I only have twenty taels left. A thousand taels—I've never seen so much money in my entire life."

He looked at Chen Jianghe and said sincerely, "Brother Chen, I see that you have a calm and composed demeanor, unlike those of ordinary people. If you have enough money, you might as well try Lingmu Academy. This is the last resort."

Chen Jianghe did not answer immediately.

His gaze returned to the bustling city below the mountain, and his mind raced with calculations.

He has money.

Master Li Chengyue is seriously injured and unconscious, his life hanging by a thread, and he urgently needs medical treatment.

He came to Xingyi School not only to find a path of cultivation for himself, but also to seek a chance for his master's survival.

If we can't even get into the inner gate, how can we ask for medicine? How can we save lives?

Being an ordinary inner disciple is too slow and too unpredictable.

He couldn't wait, and his master couldn't wait even more.

Hospitalization is necessary.

We must quickly access the core teachings of Xingyi School, quickly improve our strength, and quickly find a way to heal our master.

Besides, a problem that can be solved with money isn't really a problem!

With this thought in mind, the last trace of hesitation in Chen Jianghe's eyes vanished.

He turned to look at Lin Yan and slowly asked, "Brother Lin, what are your plans for the future?"

A hint of sadness flashed in Lin Yan's eyes: "I—I will go down the mountain today. In Changxi Prefecture, there is a martial arts family called the Chang family, which is recruiting talents. Although my aptitude is low, I am still at the Transformation Realm. I will go there to find a job. I will first establish a foothold and then slowly plan for the future."

He paused, then smiled wryly, "It's better than being a resource-poor inner disciple here, wasting my life."

Chen Jianghe nodded, took out a fifty-tael silver note from his pocket, and stuffed it into Lin Yan's hand.

Lin Yan was stunned: "Brother Chen, what's going on—"

"It's just a small token of my appreciation," Chen Jianghe said calmly. "Brother Lin, I am grateful for your frankness. I'm new to the Chang family and will inevitably need your money. Please accept this."

Lin Yan looked at the fifty-tael silver note in his hand, his lips trembling and his eyes reddening.

Fifty taels of silver.

For him, this was a huge sum of money.

"Brother Chen—this—this is too precious—I cannot accept it—" Lin Yan's voice trembled.

"I'll accept it." Chen Jianghe's tone left no room for doubt. "If Brother Lin achieves something in the future, you can return it to me then."

Lin Yan clutched the silver note tightly for a long time before nodding emphatically and bowing deeply to Chen Jianghe: "Brother Chen, I will forever remember your great kindness! If I have the opportunity in the future, I will certainly repay you handsomely!"

Chen Jianghe helped him up, saying, "There's no need for that. The world is a long road ahead; take care of yourselves."

The two stood there for a while longer before Lin Yan took his leave and descended the mountain.

Chen Jianghe stood alone in the pavilion, watching his thin but upright figure gradually walk away and eventually disappear around the bend in the mountain path.

"The Chang family—"

He muttered to himself, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

One of the two major martial arts families in Changxi Prefecture, with a profound heritage.

Lin Yan's journey might be a way out.

But this path is not suitable for him.

Chen Jianghe turned around and looked towards a higher point on Qingyan Mountain, where clouds and mist swirled and palaces appeared and disappeared, which was the location of the Xingyi Sect's inner mountain.

Lingmu Courtyard—it's over there.

Without further hesitation, he stepped down the mountain and returned to Anju Inn.

In the afternoon, Chen Jianghe found the innkeeper, asked for directions to Lingmu Courtyard, and then went up the mountain alone.

Lingmu Temple is not located on the main peak, but on a side peak on the west side of Qingyan Mountain.

This peak is named "Baicao Peak". Its terrain is gentler than the main peak. Along the way, you can see rows of medicinal fields. Disciples are busy among them, watering and fertilizing, or picking medicinal herbs.

Chen Jianghe walked up the stone steps for about half an hour, and then he saw a courtyard with green tiles and white walls built against the mountain.

The courtyard gate was open, and a plaque hung above the gate with the three characters "Lingmu Courtyard" written in a clear and elegant style, exuding a sense of vitality.

There was no one guarding the entrance.

Chen Jianghe stepped inside. The courtyard was elegantly laid out, planted with various exotic flowers and herbs, and filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs.

The main hall door was open, and inside sat a thin-faced steward in a green robe, who was looking down and flipping through a thick account book.

Chen Jianghe walked to the front of the hall, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Disciple Chen Jianghe requests an audience with the abbot."

The steward looked up, glanced at him, and said indifferently, "The academy master is currently in seclusion and does not receive guests. What brings you here?"

Chen Jianghe stated frankly, "This disciple wishes to enter Lingmu Academy for cultivation."

The deacon raised an eyebrow: "This year's candidate disciples?"

"Yes."

"What is the shape of your physique?"

"The Five Elements"

The steward put down the ledger, leaned back in his chair, and a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes: "Five Elements Root Bone—Golden Pivot Academy,

"Cangming Academy, Yanchen Academy, Houtu Academy—none of them chose you?"

"Yes."

"Then do you know what else we at Lingmu Academy consider when accepting disciples, besides their physical talent?"

Chen Jianghe nodded: "This disciple knows a little about it."

The deacon smiled and extended a hand: "In that case, let's proceed according to the rules. Those with the five elements of physiognomy must pay a resource fee to enter Lingmu Academy."

Chen Jianghe remained expressionless, took out a gold note with a face value of one hundred taels from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

The deacon picked up the gold note, verified its authenticity, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The steward nodded, put away the gold note, took out a register from under the table, and wrote down: "Chen Jianghe, eighteen years old, Five Elements Root Bone, Early Stage of Transformation Strength. Pay one hundred taels of gold as resources, and is permitted to enter Lingmu Academy."

After writing, he closed the register, looked at Chen Jianghe, and his expression became more solemn: "Like a withered tree sprouting new life, like something born from the ashes. Your ability to exchange resources for admission aligns with my principle of 'life'—everything in the world has a glimmer of hope. Wealth is hope, perseverance is hope, and opportunity is hope. If you can seize this glimmer, it will be your destiny."