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

Chapter 135 Introduction

Yan Shengwan couldn't bear to blame his daughter, who was inexperienced in life. At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.

Those who perform bone readings at Baichuan Academy are generally mentally confused individuals, the kind who get their crotches wet even when drinking water.

Fortunately, I tested Ye Ci's foundation and was able to find such a powerful martial arts master.

With his insight, he now knew that Ye Ci must have studied under a powerful master in the county and township, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to unleash that kind of illusory core strength.

It is not uncommon for someone to unleash the power of a nascent core in Wucheng. There are always some experts who suddenly appear, but the person in front of me does not seem to have poor physique.

Simply put, if your natural talent isn't good, you definitely have to work hard to master the basics. But if you work hard to master the basics, you won't have time to practice fighting techniques. Given Ye Ci's age, Yan Shengwan immediately realized that Baichuan Academy was practically utterly stupid.

"Come, let me feel your bones."

He considered himself a smart man and raised his hand.

Ye Ci considered it for a moment. He and Shen Yixi had sent Yan Qian off last night, and it was late when they returned to the mansion, so he had not yet taken the White Jade Snow Lotus.

No matter how many people try to touch it, it will still only be a third-tier root bone.

He simply refused, saying, "I still prefer the divination method. Others have tried and failed, and my master didn't think much of me before. However, perseverance pays off, and diligence leads to success. Even with inferior bones, one can still improve through hard work."

These words instantly caused a hint of surprise to flash across Yan Shengwan's eyes.

Ye Ci's eyes didn't seem to be feigning.

It seems that while his physical constitution is indeed not good, his character must be extremely resolute.

He nodded slightly and said, "That's ambitious."

Yan Qing, who was standing to the side, thought it made a lot of sense, and looked at Ye Ci with more respect.

She practiced her skills extremely diligently every day. Although others said she had good physique, she felt that it was all because of her hard work that she developed the "Baodan Jin" (a martial arts technique).

Therefore, in this respect, she believes that Ye Ci is on the same path as her.

After a moment's thought, Yan Shengwan said bluntly, "You're quite good at the Transformation Realm, and your fighting style is also quite skillful. Let's talk about it—"

He led Ye Ci back into the house and sat him down at the table. Yan Qing came in and poured Ye Ci some more tea. At the same time, he pushed back the 100,000 taels of silver notes that Ye Ci had brought earlier.

"Let me first talk about the treatment that the three major sects give to newly entered disciples of the Transformation Realm. I'm referring to young martial artists like you, those with sixth-level root bones. They generally receive ten sticks of meditation incense and one Gathering Yuan Pill per month; those with fifth-level roots receive five sticks of meditation incense per month. If they fail to cultivate the Embracing Dan Jin in the second year or fail to break through the barrier, their treatment will be canceled."

"Our Yanqing Sect cannot recruit young Core Formation cultivators with fifth-order root bones or above, so we can only cultivate them ourselves, and even outstanding disciples have to be sent to the Pojun Sect."

"Therefore, you will be provided with food and lodging under my tutelage, and you will have your own place to cultivate. The previously agreed-upon 'Qingyuan Longevity Technique' will also be taught to you. In addition, I can provide you with two sticks of meditation incense every month for a year."

This is Yan Shengwan's decision to forge a good connection.

Although the other party admitted that his innate talent was not good, after getting to know Ye Ci, he always felt that Ye Ci did not have the talent of a third-tier talent.

Upon hearing that he was being given two sticks of meditation incense, Ye Ci was taken aback. He was surprised because, as expected, not only was he not being charged his own silver notes, but he was also being given some extra.

Yan Shengwan seemed to have guessed his thoughts and said sincerely, "Actually, this kind of calming incense is very expensive outside, but the cost is not too high. My Yanqing Sect has been established for less than five years, and the Pojun Sect will still provide some support. So, I can get you some items to help with your cultivation. Anyway, I won't sell them. Since you have joined my sect, I have to give you this benefit."

"Furthermore, you are quite different from what I previously thought. You were able to defeat Yan Qing—and I still took money from you? If other sects found out, I'm afraid I would lose all face."

Unexpectedly, the martial arts masters of Wucheng were all very concerned about their reputation. Ye Ci nodded and asked, "What if I master the Core Formation within a year?"

To be honest, Yan Shengwan had never really considered this kind of problem.

Firstly, developing the "Baodan Jin" (抱丹劲) requires innate talent, comprehension, and perseverance—all three are indispensable—as well as a bit of luck in overcoming obstacles.

Secondly, generally speaking, in his experience, it is not difficult for someone of this age to reach the Transformation Realm and then to attain the Core Formation Realm within a year, but physical constitution is an innate obstacle for Ye Ci.

You've really stumped me.

Yan Shengwan smiled: "How about this, you won't need to do anything this year, nor will you need to teach any disciples. Just focus on your cultivation and strive to break through to the Core Formation stage. But if you fail, you'll have to obediently teach disciples within my sect."

At least five years.

"Because I've been planning to break through to the Gang Jin level these past few years, I won't have time to focus my skills on my disciples in the next few years."

"罡劲————" Ye Ci pondered.

"Yes, the first level of the Core Formation is the Gang Jin. Breaking through the Gang Jin threshold is extremely difficult, requiring nine parts luck and one part opportunity."

Love is all up to fate.

Ye Ci, who knew there was no such thing as a barrier to entry in martial arts training, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is Gang Jin (罡劲) difficult?"

"It's difficult." He waved his hand.

Seeing that Yan Shengwan had no intention of continuing, and knowing that this wasn't the time to consider the internal energy, Ye Ci asked again, "Does reaching the tenth level of the Core Formation stage also require each breakthrough?"

"That's natural. The progression from Ming Jin to An Jin, from An Jin to Hua Jin, and from Hua Jin to Bao Dan are all considered major hurdles. The tenth level of Bao Dan is a minor hurdle. Failing to break through doesn't mean you can't try again; it just means you need to train hard for a long time. This is what is called a bottleneck."

"But if you repeatedly fail to break through the barrier, you will stagnate and disappear, which is what we call the upper limit."

"The situation is different for those who have reached the Great Gate. If they fail to break through to the Core Formation stage, there is absolutely no possibility of trying again."

Ye Ci nodded and then asked, "When I was in the county, I heard that if you failed to break through the barriers of Ming Jin and An Jin, you could no longer practice them. But when I came to Wucheng, it didn't seem to be the case."

"You are quite eager to learn."

Yan Shengwan laughed and said, "What I meant by 'absolutely impossible' is that ordinary people cannot afford the cost of trying again. Nothing is absolute. For example, if one fails to break through to the Core Formation stage, the rare and precious materials required to make up for it are beyond my means."

Even if Ming Jin fails to break through the barrier, there are indeed some precious medicines that can save him; however, ordinary people cannot afford them.

The two chatted for a while longer. Ye Ci had finally met such a master who was willing to exchange ideas, so he kept asking questions.

Finally, he recalled the analogy Master Yang had used with the teacup: if one's innate talent is insufficient, many techniques cannot be practiced.

Yan Shengwan nodded: "That's true. Innate talent not only affects the speed of cultivation, but also determines the upper limit of martial arts and the physical limit. If the innate talent is not good, one cannot bear many techniques."

"Our Yanqing Sect mainly cultivates the Qingyuan Longevity Technique. This technique is relatively gentle and is the first choice for many people who want to break through to the Dantian stage. However, the force used is weaker than other techniques of the Five Elements."

"If it is a first or second-order cultivation technique, you cannot practice any other Five Elements cultivation techniques. If you have a third-order aptitude, you can practice all Five Elements cultivation techniques, but the cultivation of other cultivation techniques will definitely be extremely slow."

"You don't need to investigate these matters in detail for now. Let Yan Qing take you to familiarize yourself with your accommodations first, and then you can receive the cultivation technique and try to comprehend it on your own."

At this moment, Yan Qing walked over: "Junior Brother Ye, come with me—"

She consciously referred to herself as her senior.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Feeling somewhat apologetic for punching her, Ye Ci quickly bowed and bid farewell to Yan Shengwan before following Yan Qing out the door.

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