Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School.

By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and the apprentices had been practicing for quite some time.

When their gazes swept over an empty corner, they were all somewhat surprised—in normal times, that person should have already been cultivating. But today it was already past noon, and he still hadn't arrived.

Some of the apprentices immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"Do you think Zhou Sheng has given up? He didn't come yesterday, and he didn't come today either."

"That can't be right. He's only been here for about three months. It's still a long way from six months."

"He used to always buy pork skin soup, but his family isn't wealthy. Maybe they couldn't afford the tuition?"

"I think he couldn't bear the blow of seeing Senior Brother Zhao Xiong successfully break through his barrier, which is why he didn't come."

"You're right. People may seem serious about cultivation, but their hearts are as fragile as tofu. They can't handle anything when faced with problems."

"I heard that he had deliberately slandered Senior Brother Zhao Xiong before."

"Is that so? Tell me quickly."

They were making sarcastic and sarcastic remarks. Wang Teng, who was standing nearby, frowned as he listened. He wanted to argue, but Zhou Sheng hadn't come for two days, and he was also a little worried.

"Could something have happened to Junior Brother Zhou's family? Or is he really unable to pay his tuition?"

Just as Wang Teng was lost in thought, the door suddenly opened.

Zhou Sheng strode in, and the apprentices turned to look at him. Upon seeing him, they all showed surprise.

Wang Teng hurriedly went to greet him and asked with concern, "Junior Brother Zhou, why are you so late? You must tell me what happened."

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I'm fine," Zhou Sheng said with a smile.

"Really nothing's wrong? If you need money or anything, just tell me." Wang Teng asked, somewhat disbelievingly.

"It's not about the money. I broke my skin barrier at home yesterday!" Zhou Sheng waved his hand and laughed.

"What? You made it through! Did you succeed?" Wang Teng exclaimed in surprise.

His words immediately drew everyone's attention, and they began to buzz about it like flies once again.

"Did I hear that right? He made it through?"

"Anyone can try to pass the test, including you. It's just a matter of whether you succeed or not. If you don't succeed, what's the point?"

Some people are being sarcastic and sarcastic.

However, most people cautiously chose to remain silent.

It is still unclear whether Zhou Sheng will succeed in breaking through the barrier. If he makes a statement in advance, and he succeeds, wouldn't he offend a powerful expert in breaking through the barrier?

They just need to wait and see. If they find that Zhou Shengchong has failed the test, then they can mock him as they please.

"It worked! Senior brother, I still need to find Senior Brother Liu, I'll head to the backyard first."

Zhou Sheng nodded in response to Wang Teng.

"The membrane is as tough as cowhide! It really worked! That's great! Hahaha. Now go find Senior Brother Liu. I'll talk to you when I get back."

Wang Teng reached out and squeezed Zhou Sheng's hand, then laughed heartily.

The apprentices were immediately in an uproar upon seeing this.

Zhao Xiong's rapid breakthrough was due to his superior innate talent, which had nothing to do with them. But Zhou Sheng was different; he only had inferior innate talent, the same as them, or even worse. If Zhou Sheng could successfully break through, so could they. Many apprentices' confidence soared.

Some of the people who had just made sarcastic remarks were now embarrassed, and people around them intentionally or unintentionally distanced themselves from them.

Many apprentices gathered around to greet them.

Zhou Sheng bowed to a few people he was usually close to, and then walked into the backyard.

As for the others, he ignored them completely. Ever since the conflict between Zhao Xiong and him was deliberately exposed, most of the apprentices sided with Zhao Xiong, mocking and ridiculing him. Why would he bother with these people?

...

Zhou Sheng found Liu Cheng, "Senior Brother Liu."

"You're back? How did things go at home?"

Liu Cheng asked casually.

He looked Zhou Sheng up and down, then suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked closely, his expression changed slightly, and he went over and pinched Zhou Sheng's arm. He immediately showed a look of surprise.

"Junior brother, you successfully passed the trial?"

"Yes! I suddenly had a feeling while cultivating at home yesterday, so I took the opportunity to break through the barrier and succeeded by luck!" Zhou Sheng replied.

"Haha, that's great. Come on, let's go see our master. Successfully passing this stage makes you an entry-level disciple, and the treatment will be vastly different."

Liu Cheng laughed loudly. Then he led Zhou Sheng to see Chen Liangqing.

At this moment, Chen Liangqing was in his courtyard instructing Zhao Xiong on his cultivation.

There is a small training ground here, which is usually only used by Chen Liangqing. None of the other fellow disciples have ever trained here; only Zhao Xiong has had this privilege.

Watching from the side, Zhou Sheng realized that Chen Liangqing was indeed teaching with great care, almost as diligently as his grandfather was teaching him. They say a closed-door disciple is like a biological son, and it's truly true!

Taking advantage of a lull in Chen Liangqing's instructions, Liu Cheng quickly said, "Master, Zhou Sheng has successfully broken through the skin barrier!"

"What?"

Zhao Xiong, who was cultivating, paused slightly upon hearing this, looking at Zhou Sheng in astonishment, a shadow of gloom flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected that this good-for-nothing with inferior aptitude would actually have such good luck, managing to break through the barrier by sheer chance.

"Hmph! So what? It took them three or four months to pass the test. Compared to me, they're still worlds apart." He scoffed inwardly.

"You passed the test! You passed it in just over three months, that's great!"

Chen Liangqing was somewhat surprised, then nodded and praised.

He reached out and touched Zhou Sheng again, nodding slightly and saying, "Your skin is firm, your bones are strong, and your flesh is resilient. You've built a good foundation. From now on, you'll be my disciple."

"Disciple greets Master!"

Zhou Sheng respectfully performed a grand salute.

"Okay! Get up! I'll tell you about the specific benefits..."

Chen Liangqing smiled, helped Zhou Sheng up, and began to tell his story.

Zhou Sheng listened carefully and found that his treatment had indeed improved after becoming an apprentice. In addition to a free bowl of Hammer Skin Soup every three days, he also received a Hammer Bone Pill, an advancement tonic, every month, and could learn a second fighting technique.

However, with higher pay comes higher expenses.

Although the tuition fee remained the same, only one Hammer Bone Pill was supplied per month, which was far from enough. If more were needed, it had to be purchased. And each Hammer Bone Pill cost three taels of silver, making it quite expensive. Of course, its value for money was definitely much higher than the tonics sold in outside pharmacies.

"Alright, that's about it for now. Liu Cheng will explain the details to you."

After Chen Liangqing finished speaking briefly, he thought for a moment, then turned and went back into the house.

A short while later, he came out, holding a small black pottery bottle in his hand, and handed it to Zhou Sheng.

"Here are three Hammer Bone Pills, a small gift from your master. Remember, take no more than one pill every five days, and do not take more."

"Thank you for the gift, Master!" Zhou Sheng said happily.

"Go."

Chen Liangqing waved his hand in acknowledgment.

"Yes, Master."

The two then left.

"Master, Junior Brother Zhou has successfully passed his cultivation breakthrough. Should we still hold a ceremony to formally establish his master's relationship with his disciple?"

Zhao Xiong asked from the side.

Chen Liangqing shook his head. "He's different from you. You're going to inherit my mantle and carry on the legacy of the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School. Zhou Sheng, on the other hand, has poor aptitude but good comprehension. He'll be a good helper for you when you go out to practice martial arts or help out at other venues."

"I see."

Zhao Xiong's eyes lit up, a hint of mockery flashing across them. "Zhou Sheng, Zhou Sheng, so what if you've broken through? In Master's eyes, you're just fit to be a henchman."