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

Xie An followed Zhan Ping out of Jingsi Garden, through several courtyards and corridors, and finally arrived at the gate of a very grand courtyard.

This villa is clearly more impressive than the others.

A plaque made of Phoebe zhennan wood hangs above the gatehouse, with three large characters carved on it in a flamboyant style: Shougongtang (Hall of Defending Merit).

Even when Zhan Ping arrived, his expression became extremely respectful, and he stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

Squeak.

The door opened shortly afterward.

The person who opened the door was a young man in his early thirties, dressed in a long robe and wearing a scholar's cap. He had a rather refined air about him, but his eyes were sharp and steady, not to be underestimated.

Zhan Ping immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting, "Senior Brother, I apologize for disturbing you."

The young man in the long robe looked calm. "What brings Zhan Ping here?"

Zhan Ping pointed to Xie An behind him, "This apprentice was promoted from the backyard laborers. He's only been in the front yard for about twenty days, but he's already passed the skin-training stage. According to the rules, he should be registered as a formal disciple of my martial arts school. I'll make his ID badge and martial arts school uniform."

The young man in the long robe glanced at Xie An, his calm eyes showing no emotion. "He broke through in just over twenty days; he's quite a promising talent. Come with me."

"Yes."

Zhan Ping instructed Xie An to wait at the entrance, and then followed the young man in the long robe into the gate.

After waiting for a while without Zhan Ping coming out, Xie An, feeling bored, went to the old locust tree next to him and practiced his skills with a mallet.

"Who are you? What are you doing here practicing martial arts?"

Suddenly, a woman's voice, as clear as a wind chime, came from behind him. He quickly stopped his cultivation and looked back. He saw a girl in a blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) standing not far away at the doorway. She was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a slender figure, a pretty face, and a high ponytail. A blue longsword was also hanging at her waist, giving her a rather heroic and dashing air.

Xie An politely said, "I am Xie An, an apprentice in the front courtyard. I have just broken through the Lianpi Pass and am here with Instructor Zhan Ping to register. May I ask your name, young lady?"

"Chen Ling".

The woman said simply and clearly, "My father is in seclusion at the Shougong Hall, so please keep your voice down when you practice."

After saying that, the woman put on her little leather boots, pushed open the door of Shougong Hall, and went inside.

Before long, the doors of Shougong Hall opened again.

Zhan Ping emerged from inside, carrying a bundle. He beckoned Xie An over and handed him the bundle, saying, "Inside are two sets of martial arts school uniforms, roughly your size. There's also a jade pendant engraved with the names of official disciples of Yong Sheng Martial Arts School. You can wear it around your waist; it'll make things much easier when you're out and about."

Xie An took the bundle and slung it over his shoulder. As he followed Zhan Ping away, he asked, "By the way, Instructor Zhan, who was that young man just now?"

Zhan Ping smiled and said, "That's Wei Xiang, our senior brother of Yong Sheng Martial Arts School, and also the headmaster's personal disciple. Back when the headmaster was still in Cangzhou, Senior Brother Wei Xiang followed him, and the master and disciple had a deep relationship."

Xie An was taken aback: "A personal disciple?"

Zhan Ping didn't mince words, "Yes. We have over thirty official disciples at our martial arts school. Although they are registered under the school's name and can enjoy its resources, they are not considered part of the master's lineage, and the headmaster won't personally teach them. They also can't use the headmaster's name when they're out in the world."

"How can I become a disciple of the master?"

"The master cares a lot about his reputation and has very strict requirements for accepting disciples. Over the years, including Senior Sister Chen Ling, he has only accepted six personal disciples. Even I am not yet qualified to become the master's personal disciple. To become a personal disciple, one must either have amazing talent, or be to the master's liking, or... become a Ming Jin martial artist..."

Through Zhan Ping's explanation, Xie An gained a rough understanding of Ming Jin.

The Skin Training Stage is only the first of the five basic stages, barely marking the beginning of one's journey on the path of martial arts.

After that, there are the tendon training, bone training, five internal organ training, and blood training. After reaching the peak of the Blood Flowing Realm, one can use the powerful Qi and blood to refine the whole body, and finally generate strength from the blood, transforming the Qi and blood into incomparably profound internal energy.

Developing internal strength makes one a Ming Jin martial artist.

A martial artist with internal energy doesn't rely on brute force, but on profound and mysterious internal energy. Their fists can shatter steel plates, their bodies are made of copper and iron, and they are impervious to swords and spears.

Ming Jin can be considered the first major watershed moment on the path of martial arts.

Xie An was greatly intrigued by what he heard and pondered that this internal energy was roughly the same as the internal strength he had experienced in his previous life, only the logic was similar.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Jingsi Garden, Zhan Ping stopped and said:

"Xie An, there's no rush about the medicine money. You've only just started training your skin; focus on consolidating your strength first. Also, you can ask your fellow disciples for a temporary posting to earn a living first."

"If you can't find a satisfactory temporary position, that's alright. The martial arts school will hold a small exhibition on the fifth day of next month. People from the town and the surrounding Tiger Forces will come to observe, hoping to discover and support promising talents. As long as you perform well, someone will naturally take notice."

"I need to go into seclusion for a few days to break through the Blood Refining stage. If there are any problems, come find me after I come out of seclusion."

Xie An bowed deeply and sincerely, saying, "Thank you very much, Instructor Zhan."

"You are now a formal disciple of the martial arts school, so you don't need to keep calling me 'instructor.' Just call me 'senior brother.'"

"Then I wish Senior Brother Zhan a speedy breakthrough."

"Haha, thank you for your kind words. Go check on your little sister in the backyard. For the past two days, she's been looking out of the martial arts gym whenever she has a spare moment; she's probably worried about you."

After saying goodbye to Zhanping, Xie An hurriedly ran towards the backyard.

Xie An was deeply worried and missed his younger sister after not seeing her for two days.

Although it had only been a little over a month since Xie An transmigrated, he had been relying on Xie Yu for everything and had long regarded Xie Yu as his own younger sister.

Now that Xie An has become a formal disciple, he can move freely in the martial arts school. He rushed to the kitchen in the backyard and saw Qiu Lan busy in the kitchen from afar.

"Sister Qiulan, where's Xiaoyu?"

Qiu Lan turned around abruptly and saw Xie An, revealing an expression of utter shock.

She vaguely remembered that when Xie An first came to the backyard to learn martial arts, he was so thin he was almost unrecognizable. Now, in just over a month, he had completely transformed. Although he wore tattered clothes, his aura was captivating and extraordinary, making people afraid to look directly at him.

After a long pause, Qiulan finally came to her senses. "So you still remember to come see Xiaoyu. That girl has been absent-minded for the past two days, constantly looking around the front yard whenever she has a spare moment. She's probably there right now. By the way, I heard from Xiaoyu that you were practicing your skin-strengthening technique for the past two days. Did you successfully break through?"

"Yes, it worked. I'll go tell my little sister the good news. Thank you, Sister Qiulan."

Xie An thanked him and then quickly rushed out of the kitchen.

Xie An walked so fast that he didn't notice Liu He, who was drinking heavily, sitting next to the flower bed outside the door.

Clang.

Upon hearing Xie An's words, Liu He's wine jar slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground, spilling wine everywhere.

He suddenly looked up at Xie An's departing figure, a flash of pain crossing his cloudy eyes. "This kid broke through the Skin Refining stage after only twenty-odd days in the front courtyard? Such a prodigy came from the back courtyard; this achievement should have been mine. I misjudged him after all, I made the wrong choice!"

"Zhanping, oh Zhanping...you've ruined my life."

……

Xie An left the back door of the martial arts school and ran all the way to the front yard.

From afar, you could see Xie Yu squatting next to the stone lion at the entrance, eating meat strips and steamed buns with his head down, occasionally looking up and peering into the gate.

Beside Xie Yu was an extremely imposing and tall muscular woman, who stood there like a small mountain, her pretty face gleaming golden in the sunlight.

This inevitably made Xie An feel a little nervous, fearing that this muscular woman might harm his youngest sister.

However... Xie Yu and the muscular woman seemed quite familiar with each other, chatting and laughing together.

"Xiaoyu".

Xie An suddenly called out.

Hearing the familiar shout, Xie Yu instinctively stood up, looked around, and saw Xie An. He immediately beamed and ran over, throwing himself into Xie An's arms.

"elder brother!"

Xie Yu had noticeably lost weight in the two days since I last saw him.

After a moment, Xie An released his grip and patted Xie Yu's forehead. "Two days ago, my brother was in a hurry to go into seclusion and didn't have time to tell you. Did I make you worry?"

Xie Yu linked arms with Xie An, "Instructor Zhan asked Sister Shengnan to take care of me, and Sister Shengnan has been incredibly kind to me. Brother, have you broken through your cultivation and become a martial artist?"

Xie An nodded: "Mm."

Upon hearing this, Li Shengnan's eyes lit up.

The River and Lake Management Bureau is really short of people for temporary assignments lately...

She's still worried about this.

Here one is being served right in front of us?

Li Shengnan stepped forward and said, "Junior Brother Xie An, congratulations!"