Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

It's fair to say that even if other disciples met Master Yang's criteria, he wouldn't have treated them this way.

Not to mention that tuition and room and board are free, there is also further instruction.

That monthly blood-nourishing soup costs three taels of silver per serving. If my second aunt knew, she would be utterly astonished.

That's thirty-six taels of silver a year. If Madam Li heard that, she would definitely say that the money would be enough for her to eat and drink until the day she dies.

Even Jiang Ding'an, a direct disciple, had to be paid in the courtyard, and Fang Cheng had to do the work.

Martial arts schools accept disciples in various categories: outer court disciples, inner court disciples, personal disciples, and closed-door disciples... Only closed-door disciples are raised like sons.

Being a direct disciple simply means being able to learn real skills from the master and receive more instruction; it does not mean the master will teach you for free.

Moreover, now that Yang Huaichuan has taken on a closed-door disciple, resources will definitely be more tilted towards Xiao Hua.

This gesture was Yang Shi's way of rewarding Ye Ci for his diligence and humility.

"good!"

Master Yang encouraged him, saying, "If you can awaken your body at this age, you might be able to reach the level of internal strength later on."

As a teacher, one should naturally encourage one's disciples.

He wouldn't discourage Ye Ci, nor would he tell Ye Ci that with her poor foundation, no matter how strong her comprehension, her peak in this life would probably only be Ming Jin.

Those with inferior aptitude are unlikely to achieve much, let alone Ye Ci, who started learning martial arts late.

Hidden strength... Difficult!

In fact, Fang Cheng, who was standing to the side, was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

He had heard Master Yang say that with Ye Ci's natural talent, he would never be able to develop internal strength in this lifetime, but his master still rewarded him handsomely.

Fang Cheng didn't say anything, and then took Ye Ci to the inner courtyard to arrange a room, which was a dormitory.

After explaining the rules, I took him to the canteen.

The inner disciples no longer eat those large barrels of coarse food; they have refined rice and meat at every meal.

The reason is that after developing strong internal energy, ordinary food is no longer sufficient to sustain their training.

Ye Ci received a new disciple's robe, made of the finest fabric and with exquisite workmanship, much better than his previous clothes.

As Fang Cheng walked, he said, "If only you had developed your inner strength a day earlier. Those part-time workers just left yesterday. Otherwise, the three taels of silver a month, plus the free room and board at the martial arts school, would have been enough to support your training for a year."

"support?"

"Yes, the saying 'the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts' isn't just a saying. Three parts training, seven parts nourishment. Without nourishment, one's qi and blood become thin and difficult to consolidate. Without sufficient qi and blood, it's hard to see the next level. Like the qi and blood soup Master mentioned, each serving costs three taels of silver. How can ordinary people afford it... Without income, how can you consolidate your qi and blood?"

"However, you should get closer to Junior Brother Xiao Hua. More than ten wealthy families in the county have befriended him this time. If he's willing to ask, someone will definitely be willing to help you. Besides, you're not bad either... Although you're past the best age for practicing martial arts, you still managed to pass the training within a month."

"Or, you could try negotiating with some wealthy families yourself..."

After listening to Fang Cheng ramble on for a while, Ye Ci gradually understood what he meant.

That is a genius like Xiao Hua. People may ostensibly hire him as a part-time worker, but in reality, they will give him more benefits in order to make friends with him.

If it's just about Ming Jin (明劲), then people will pay you based on your skills; you get paid according to your skill level as a part-time job.

Although Ye Ci had reached the Ming Jin realm in just one month, he couldn't lie about his innate talent, otherwise it would only ruin his reputation. Therefore, finding a part-time job on his own was more difficult than having Master Yang intervene.

"Let's talk about something as trivial as chicken necks..."

Jiang Ding'an suddenly appeared out of nowhere and laughed heartily, "Junior Brother Ye, I just asked Master about you. It turns out you come from a military background. No wonder you can endure so much hardship. From now on, you'll follow me around."

Follow you?

Ye Ci stopped in her tracks.

Fang Cheng smiled憨厚ly: "The Ping'an Escort Agency in the county is owned by Junior Brother Jiang's family."

He then turned to Jiang Ding'an and asked, "Junior Brother Jiang, can you make this decision?"

Escort agencies are not like bodyguard agencies. If someone hasn't developed real skills, no one would hire them for part-time work. Generally speaking, no one would hire someone like Ye Ci, who has just entered the Ming Jin realm.

Senior Brother Fang's implication was that Ye Ci had only learned the training methods, but had not yet been taught the proper fighting techniques of the Rock Martial Arts School.

You, Jiang Ding'an, can't make fun of your fellow disciples.

"I am, after all, the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), of course I can make the decision."

After Jiang Ding'an finished speaking, he said to Ye Ci in a very straightforward manner, "Junior Brother Ye, please don't blame me for speaking so bluntly. Your aptitude is not good. Although you can try to enter the gate within a month, you may not have a second chance. But as long as you practice your fighting techniques diligently, you will be a good fighter in the future."

"We're fellow disciples, so from now on you'll work for me. I'll pay you three taels a month for part-time work, based on market rate. If you need me to escort goods, I'll charge you extra based on the value of the goods each time. How about that?"

This recruitment surprised Ye Ci.

Although the payment was based on market price, I had only practiced martial arts for a month, and most families wouldn't even consider hiring a bodyguard.

"If you think it's too little, you can compare it with other people's prices. If you think my offer is reasonable, Ping An Escort Agency is always ready to serve you. If you want to be a full-time escort in the future, I guarantee that the price will be higher than others."

After saying that, Jiang Ding'an chuckled to himself and muttered, "Damn, you're really something, daring to force your way in without any preparation!"

He was still dwelling on this, as if it were an insurmountable obstacle.

Ye Ci cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Then I thank Senior Brother Jiang."

If Li heard that it was three taels a month, she would probably be overjoyed.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng was happy for Ye Ci and offered a suggestion, saying that Senior Brother Jiang was a master of internal strength.

Before long, it was lunchtime.

Jiang Ding'an led Ye Ci into the dining hall.

Thirty or forty tables were filled with inner courtyard disciples, most of them around twenty years old, with the sharp and decisive look of martial arts practitioners in their eyes and brows, even their eating was crisp and efficient.

After the trials and tribulations of the Pan Shi Martial Arts School, those who persisted in practicing martial arts there, even if they were older, were mostly considered to have above-average physical attributes.

They are expected to break through the hidden strength.

Xiao Hua was among them; the young man sat alone at a table, standing out from the crowd.

Jiang Ding'an carried the food past Xiao Hua, deliberately pursing his lips, clearly looking down on him.

It could also be jealousy.

Ye Ci found a corner to sit down, and Jiang Ding'an casually handed her a pair of chopsticks:

"Eat up. The food at the martial arts school is just enough to fill you up. If you want to eat well, you'll have to rely on yourself."

Ye Ci nodded, picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks. It was crisp and tender, coated with a simple oil and salt flavor, yet it was exceptionally refreshing.

In addition, there were two braised lion's head meatballs.

While eating, Jiang Ding'an talked to Ye Ci, saying that most ordinary disciples need to work hard after their first attempt at breaking through the barrier. Whether they can break through from Ming Jin to An Jin, or from An Jin to Hua Jin, their ability depends on their physical constitution and a bit of luck.

Even though he was the young head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), his family dared not invest too much in him.

He only takes five doses of Qi and Blood Medicine each month, which costs fifteen taels of silver. In addition, he spends about ten taels of silver on meat and other foods, so it costs him about twenty taels of silver in total.

"I tried my best for a while back then, but I could never reach the threshold of the Transformation Realm. Now I don't put in much effort anymore. Anyway, I'm considered a top expert in the county in terms of Dark Force. The money I'm spending is just to strengthen my body."

Jiang Ding'an chuckled. He looked only a few years older than Ye Ci, but he was unexpectedly a master of internal energy. However, anyone who could be accepted as a personal disciple must have excellent aptitude.

Ye Ci clicked his tongue in amazement: "Just consolidation, and it will cost more than twenty taels a month?"

This would cost at least half of Li Dabiao's every month.