Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Li Qingning walked up to Shen Chu and pointed to his shoulder blade with her finger:

"When you throw a punch, your shoulder blades are too wide open. While this increases the range of your punch, it also exposes too much of your center. It's fine against weaker opponents, but against opponents of the same level, it's a fatal weakness."

She tapped his waist again: "And your hips, there's a noticeable pause between moves. Although this pause is short, in a duel between experts, this slight pause is enough for the opponent to seize the opportunity to counterattack. You need to practice the connection between these two moves to be smoother, so that the intention and the fist are in sync, without any hesitation."

Shen Chu listened attentively, remembering every word she said.

Following Li Qingning's instructions, he readjusted his stance and the way he exerted his power, and unleashed the Crushing Stone Fist once more.

Sure enough, this punch felt much smoother than before, and the power was more concentrated, as if the pent-up energy had finally found an outlet.

No wonder, he had mastered the Crushing Stone Fist through his own efforts, but every time he used it, he felt something was off. It turned out that there was something wrong with how he was generating power!

After retracting his fist and standing still, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes. He cupped his hands towards Li Qingning and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss!"

Li Qingning waved her hand, a satisfied smile appearing on her face:

"Not bad, you have a great understanding. You grasp things very quickly. To be able to practice to this extent through self-study, your talent is truly remarkable."

She paused, then asked curiously, "How's your physical constitution?"

Shen Chu shook her head: "Oh no, I was tested by the guards before, and I only got a C-grade score."

"Dingzhong?"

Li Qingning raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She then placed her hand on Shen Chu's shoulder and pressed it a few times.

"Yes, it's Ding Zhong..."

She had just spoken when she added with some confusion:

"Hmm? No, you have the aptitude of a lower-grade C?"

She pressed it again before finally confirming, "That's right, it's C-grade. Your bone structure was measured incorrectly before."

Seeing that Shen Chu remained silent,

Li Qingning assumed he was feeling a little down, but then she laughed, her laughter carrying a hint of genuine appreciation.

"With your innate talent below level, without resources or a renowned teacher, you've reached the late stage of the Bone Forging Realm on your own. Shen Chu, you're even more capable than I imagined."

However, Shen Chu's silence was not because of his own physical constitution, but because he was thinking that if his physical constitution continued to improve, would it bring him additional trouble?

So he just tested it out, and when he activated the [Conceal Breath] skill, Li Qingning could only detect the amount of physical strength he wanted to reveal.

This result brought Shen Chu a slight sense of relief, but it also heightened his wariness of the strange man in the green robe.

Who exactly is that person?!

However, Li Qingning was unaware of Shen Chu's thoughts. She walked back into the hall and sat down again in the main seat.

After taking a sip of tea, she looked directly at Shen Chu and said earnestly:

"Shen Chu, I would like to invite you to stay at Qingyang Academy. If you stay, I can provide you with the resources and guidance you need for cultivation. Although your aptitude is average, with your perseverance and the resources of the academy, breaking through to the Marrow Cleansing Realm should only be a matter of time."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengwen immediately became anxious.

He jumped up from his chair and blurted out, "Sister! No! Shen Chu can't stay here with you! He has to come back to Changping County with me! Our Li family still needs him!"

As soon as Li Chengwen finished speaking, Situ Aotian, who had been sitting quietly drinking tea at the lower end, suddenly put down his teacup, chuckled, and said, "Brother Li, I can't pretend I didn't hear that."

She turned her head, her gaze falling on Shen Chu, her tone serious:

"Brother Shen, you can't listen to Brother Li about this. You might not know this, but Senior Sister Li is not only the youngest Qi Refining Realm expert in Qingyang Academy, but also the youngest Qi Refining Realm expert in the entire Qingyang County. She's only one step away from the next major realm, Qi Refining Realm. If you can get her guidance, even just for three to five days, it will be better than you practicing alone for one or two years."

Qi Refining Realm!

These three words exploded in Shen Chu's mind.

The martial arts books he had previously consulted only covered up to the Meridian Opening Realm, and were vague about anything beyond that.

He had always been curious about what realm lay beyond the Pulse Opening Realm, but had no way of inquiring about it. Now, Situ Aotian's casual remark had finally filled the missing piece in his puzzle of knowledge.

Above the Meridian Opening Realm is the Qi Refining Realm!

Although he didn't know exactly what the Qi Refining Realm meant, just from the name he knew that it was a realm related to "Qi," a higher level that transcended simply tempering the physical body.

Li Qingning was already a peak expert in the Meridian Opening Realm, just one step away from the Qi Refining Realm!

Li Chengwen opened his mouth.

He looked at his younger sister, then at Situ Aotian, and then at Shen Chu, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Although he didn't know much about martial arts realms, terms like "Pulse Opening Realm" and "Qi Refining Realm" sounded very impressive, and it would seem ungrateful of him to object further.

So he could only awkwardly shut his mouth, turning his gaze to Shen Chu with a complex expression in his eyes.

There was both the expectation of "Don't leave me alone to go back to Changping County" and the helplessness of "You make the decision yourself".

Shen Chu met their gazes, remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up, solemnly cupped her hands towards Li Qingning, and said sincerely:

"I appreciate your kindness, Miss. To be honest, being able to stay at Qingyang Academy to cultivate is indeed a rare opportunity for me, and I am very tempted by it."

He meant it sincerely.

To be able to systematically cultivate under the guidance of a master at the Opening Meridian Realm is an opportunity that many people dream of.

If he weren't burdened by the countdown of that mysterious aura, and if he didn't have the task given to him by the strange man in the green robe, he would most likely have agreed without hesitation.

But he can't.

His transformation was so subtle that even someone like Li Qingning couldn't detect it, yet the strange man in the green robe could see right through him. This indicates that the strange man in the green robe was more powerful than Li Qingning, at least at the Opening Meridian Realm.

If he stays at the academy, he can certainly obtain a stable cultivation environment, but once the Yuan Gui Qi backfires, even Li Qingning may not be able to save him.

In contrast, although returning to Changping County to carry out the mission is also fraught with danger, it is at least currently the only possible path to eliminate the threat of the Yuan Gui Qi.

The lesser of two evils.

Thinking of this, Shen Chu continued, "However, I do have some things to take care of. As Miss knows, I am from the Li family's forging workshop. Although the first batch of the government's order has been delivered, there are still several batches that need to be rushed to be produced."