I'll write a manual called the Sunflower Manual, and the entire martial arts world will turn in

The audience was silent.

Everyone looked up at the tightly closed door on the second floor.

A red lacquered wooden plaque hung on the pillars, inscribed with the four characters "武运昌隆" (meaning "May your military prowess flourish"). The afternoon sun shone directly on the plaque, its reflection so dazzling it made one's eyes water.

"Squeak—"

The door opened.

First, one foot stepped out, wearing a black thin-soled boot, and landed on the wooden floor of the second-floor corridor with a dull "thud," as if striking everyone's heart.

Then he walked out.

Chen Lutang wore a dark gray long gown with a black belt around his waist. He was tall with broad shoulders and a wide back. His face was angular, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, slightly pursed lips, and a short beard on his chin.

Chen Lutang didn't speak, but simply glanced at the training ground.

Xie An clearly felt as if he were being stared at by a pair of fierce tigers and lions, as if everything about him was being seen through, and he didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Suddenly, Chen Lutang lightly touched the railing with his toes, and his entire body floated down from the tree like a leaf, landing without making a sound. Only his knees slightly bent, dissipating all the force, and not even raising the dust on the ground.

The entire training ground fell silent, as if chilled to the bone.

Chen Lutang's gaze swept over everyone before he finally spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word rolled out like beads, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Those who practice martial arts should first train their mind, then their body."

He took a step forward, his boots clicking on the bluestone slabs with a "thud," sending pebbles flying.

"If the mind is not upright, the Qi will not flow smoothly. If the Qi does not flow smoothly, the strength will not be effective. If the strength is not effective, the fist will lack spirit. If the fist lacks spirit, even a hundred years of practice will only result in empty gestures."

He walked to the row of stone locks and looked back at the crowd.

"You've come here for various reasons: some want to make a living, some want to get ahead, and some want to bring honor to your families. There's nothing wrong with that. But you must remember—martial arts skills are not for showing off, nor are they for bullying others. Martial arts skills are for establishing yourself. Only by establishing yourself can you establish yourself in the presence of others."

He raised his hand and casually pressed it onto the largest stone lock beside him—

The stone lock weighed six or seven hundred pounds and was half a person's height. Normally, it would take two strong men to lift it. But when Chen Lutang pressed down on it with one hand, the stone lock suddenly jumped three feet off the ground with a "hum".

He released his grip, and the stone lock slammed to the ground with a thud, shaking the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the massive stone lock cracked open from the inside, turning into dust and kicking up a cloud of dirt.

Everyone in the audience gasped in astonishment, speechless.

Chen Lutang clapped his hands, as if he had only done something insignificant.

"A few days ago, I went to Baiyun County to suppress bandits. I encountered a group of mountain bandits. The leader had been practicing Iron Palm for twenty years. He could shatter blue bricks with one palm. He asked me, 'What kind of boxing do you practice?' I said, 'Bajiquan.' He said, 'Never heard of it.'"

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

"Later, he struck me in the chest. I was fine, but his wrist was broken. This is... to establish oneself, one must first establish oneself!"

Someone in the crowd gasped, their eyes filled with longing.

"I'm not saying that Bajiquan is the best in the martial arts world. I'm saying that there's no hierarchy in skill, but there is in the skill level of the person. If you practice for ten years and are still not as good as someone who practices for one year, it's not a problem with the style, it's a problem with yourself."

He walked back to the front of the crowd, his gaze falling on the few people in the very front row.

"Wheat Swallow".

Mai Qiuyan, wearing a pink silk dress, stepped out from the crowd and bowed respectfully.

"Disciple is here."

"One month of training your skin is not bad." Chen Lutang nodded. "From now on, practice stance training for an extra half hour every day. Your lower body still needs some improvement."

"Yes, Master."

"Liu Jiang".

Liu Jiang, dressed in a blue short jacket, with a calm expression, clasped his hands in a salute.

"The Liu family brat from Zhenwei Escort Agency?" Chen Lutang sized him up. "What stage of the Chasing Wind Blade technique your father taught you?"

"Reporting to the Master, the third move."

"Once you break through the Tendon-Training Barrier, go back and tell your father to pass on the incantation for the fourth move to you. That is the essence of the Wind-Chasing Blade."

Liu Jiang's eyes lit up: "Yes!"

"Pang Tong".

Pang Tong, a burly man, stepped out of the crowd, resembling half an iron tower, and called out in a gruff voice, "Master."

Chen Lutang glanced at him: "Your father works in the government office, dealing with people all day. What you need to learn isn't fists and feet, but your brain. Martial arts isn't about who has the most strength, it's about who knows how to use their strength. Understand?"

Pang Tong scratched his head and said in a deep voice, "I've got it."

"Zhang Long."

The lean Zhang Long stepped out of the crowd, his waist involuntarily swaying slightly. He walked up to Chen Lutang and bowed in greeting.

Chen Lutang looked at him, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, and said, "You've made rapid progress recently."

Zhang Long's body stiffened slightly, and his voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum: "This disciple dares not slack off."

Chen Lutang didn't say anything more, only nodded: "Keep practicing."

After saying this, Chen Lutang turned to face everyone, and his voice suddenly rose a notch:

"The rest of you should take these four as role models. Those who can train their skin within six months will also become formal disciples. Those who cannot—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd like a bucket of cold water being poured over them.

"Leave on your own. The martial arts school's resources should not be wasted on people with no future."

The entire room fell silent; no one dared to speak.

"If you have any questions about martial arts today, you can come up to the second floor and ask me in person." Chen Lutang lightly touched the ground with his toes and floated back down to the second floor.

The red-lacquered wooden plaques on the pillars were still swaying, and the sunlight shone on them, making the four characters "武运昌隆" (meaning "May your military prowess flourish") gleam brightly.

call!

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"The pressure from the curator was so immense that I almost couldn't catch my breath just now."

"Isn't that obvious? Who in the entire Wuqiao Town doesn't respect the innkeeper?"

"I can barely speak properly in front of the curator, how could I dare to ask any questions..."

"..."

Everyone was awestruck by Chen Lutang's astonishing power, but Xie An in the crowd noticed something—

Chen Lutang's Adam's apple was no longer very noticeable.

However, Chen Lutang's return is a good thing, as it means he will have time to cultivate the Sunflower Manual.

I'm only two points away from completing the first level of perfection.

After Chen Lutang left, the training grounds became lively again, with most apprentices diligently practicing. Some sharp-eyed apprentices took the initiative to strike up conversations with Pang Tong, Liu Jiang, and Mai Qiuyan, hoping to get on their good side.

Some of the bolder apprentices took their questions to Chen Lutang on the second floor for advice.

Those who received guidance from the curator always had smiles on their faces when they stepped out of the living room again.

Clearly, these apprentices held Chen Lutang in extremely high esteem. Even a casual word of encouragement from Chen Lutang would be a great honor to them.

Xie An went to a corner alone to study the first move of Bajiquan. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lin Chong take out a small brocade box from his pocket, inside which was an expensive gold hairpin. He took the box and offered it to Mai Qiuyan, but after a few words from Mai Qiuyan, Lin Chong quickly returned with a look of discouragement and disappointment, shrinking into a corner and brooding over his loss.

Xie An shook his head.

……

"Junior Sister Mai, who was the person who just gave you the hairpin?"

Mai Qiuyan dismissed several apprentices who tried to strike up a conversation, looked at Liu Jiang and Pang Tong who were walking over, then glanced at Lin Chong in the corner and said indifferently, "His name is Lin Chong. He has been an apprentice for two years and still hasn't mastered the skin technique. His family runs a brothel."

Pang Tong glanced at the figure. "A toad running a brothel trying to eat swan meat is far too presumptuous. Junior Sister Mai, don't bother with him. Among this batch of apprentices, besides the three of us, only Zhang Long has any decent aptitude."

Liu Jiang nodded noncommittally, "This world is all about forming circles and mutual benefit. The three of us should definitely keep in touch more often in the future."

Pang Tong nodded slightly. "Liu Jiang is right. My father's five-year term here is about to end, after which he will go to Baiyun County to become a constable. I will take over my father's position then. From now on, I will be the one calling the shots in Wuqiao Town. Liu Jiang, your Zhenwei Escort Agency has been thriving lately. Has your father made any plans for you?"

Liu Jiang glanced at all the apprentices in the room. "My father sent me here to learn martial arts for one reason, and another reason was to find a few promising apprentices to help with the escort business and expand our operations."

Pang Tong adopted a leader's stance, "That's good. Junior Sister Mai, what about you?"

Mai Qiuyan said, "My family's canal transport business is short of people, so my father asked me to find some talented people here to help with the business. Unfortunately, most of these apprentices are mediocre..."

Pang Tong offered a few words of comfort, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, I just remembered something. One of the three chief constables in Baiyun County is named Xie Yunfei. Xie Yunfei has an uncle named Xie Zhengtang, who moved to our Wuqiao Town after having a falling out with his family. Xie Zhengtang has a son named Xie An, who seems to be among these apprentices."

Mai Qiuyan pointed to the boy next to Lin Chong, "That's him. He's the one who hangs out with Lin Chong."

Pang Tong glanced at Xie An, who was comforting Lin Chongde in the corner, and shook his head with a sigh, "It's him. He was promoted from a laborer in the backyard. I originally wanted to get to know him, but since he's hanging out with Lin Chongde, there's no need. I guess he doesn't have much hope of getting ahead."