SNT Chapter 10: Obvious Strength

When Chen Qing arrived at Zhou's courtyard, quite a few disciples were already practicing their boxing.

Chen Qing quietly moved to a corner, steadied himself, took a deep breath, and began loosening his muscles and bones.

Arms, shoulders, spine, waist and hips, every joint stretched into place, muscles shifting between relaxation and tension.

After several breaths, Chen Qing began practicing the through-arm stance work.

His movements were fluid and natural, his body technique and hand skills coordinating with exquisite precision.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success Guaranteed]

[Through-arm Stance Work: Beginner (399/500)]

[Through-arm Boxing: Beginner (318/500)]

"According to my current progress, perhaps in less than a month, I'll be able to cultivate through-arm stance work to minor achievement and reach obvious strength."

After finishing one round of stance work, Chen Qing sat down to catch his breath, calculating in his mind.

The broken silver obtained from Qian Biao had allowed mother and son to eat several meals with meat, speeding up his progress somewhat, but the money was also spent quickly and now little remained.

During this period, people came and went in the courtyard. Familiar faces gradually became rare while new faces constantly appeared.

He had become an "old-timer" at Zhou's courtyard.

There was still one month before tuition would be due again.

Chen Qing could keep his composure, but several fellow disciples from the same period had gloomy faces, looking heavily troubled.

"Why didn't Senior Brother Guo come today?"

At this moment, a disciple asked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Chen Qing looked up and scanned the courtyard.

Guo Dachui, who came from a poor farming background, was usually extremely diligent in his martial arts practice and never arrived late.

"He..."

A senior brother nearby sighed, his voice low and heavy, "He failed to break through last night and packed his belongings overnight to return to the countryside."

The air suddenly froze. Several disciples from the same period simultaneously lowered their heads. Some unconsciously rubbed the calluses on their palms, others stared blankly at their worn cloth shoes.

Chen Qing's brow furrowed darkly. Zhou Liang had said that those who failed their first breakthrough attempt would basically have no connection with the martial path for the rest of their lives.

Moreover, the longer time passed, the smaller the possibility of breakthrough became.

If they couldn't break through to reach obvious strength and couldn't get a position, how could they sustain this martial arts path?

A disciple sighed, "Senior Brother Guo and Junior Brother Qin always had a good relationship. Last night when he left, he greeted Junior Brother Qin, but Junior Brother Qin actually... ignored him."

The atmosphere became oppressive.

Between disciples who had broken through to obvious strength and those who hadn't, there was a clear divide, as if they were separated into two different worlds.

Chen Qing's gaze involuntarily drifted toward Qin Lie's direction.

That genius from humble origins had truly changed... a great deal.

The surrounding disciples all began harboring different thoughts. Those with some family wealth contemplated their future retreats.

If martial arts training failed, where should they go?

Meanwhile, disciples from destitute families secretly clenched their fists, viewing this as an all-or-nothing opportunity to turn their lives around.

After a brief rest, Chen Qing threw himself back into practice.

From that day forward, Guo Dachui never appeared at Zhou's courtyard again.

Zhou's courtyard remained the same courtyard, unchanged by the absence of one person.

During this period, several new disciples arrived, and one with decent aptitude received special attention from Zhou Liang.

Where some came, naturally others left.

As time passed, some people's attitudes toward Chen Qing also underwent subtle changes.

The fickleness of human relationships was nothing more than this.

...

That afternoon, Chen Qing came to Wang's Fabric Shop on Four Square Street.

Lady Han told him that Yang Huiniang had come looking for him yesterday and seemed to have something to discuss.

Jinxiu Fabric Shop's storefront wasn't large. The street-facing shop was hung with various colored fabrics, and the air was filled with the distinctive smell of starched cloth.

Chen Qing stood at the entrance looking around. Inside, figures busied themselves, with sounds of looms, cutting, and beating and washing all mixing together.

In a corner, Yang Huiniang stood beside a large wooden basin, sleeves rolled high, revealing small arms that were frozen red and covered with cracks, laboriously beating thick coarse cloth.

Water splashed and dampened the hem of her dress, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.

"Cousin," Chen Qing called softly.

Hearing his voice, Yang Huiniang looked up, her face instantly flashing with delight, "Ah Qing! You came?"

She hastily wiped her dripping wet hands on her apron and quickly walked to the entrance.

"I almost forgot!" Yang Huiniang seemed to suddenly remember something, quickly turned and ran to a small stool in the corner where miscellaneous items were kept, reaching underneath to pull out a small cloth bundle that had been washed until it was white.

She carefully opened it, revealing two boiled eggs still warm inside, with over twenty copper coins laid beneath them.

"Here, take these."

Yang Huiniang pressed the eggs and copper coins into Chen Qing's hands without allowing refusal, lowering her voice, "The young master rewarded these yesterday, I just heated them this morning."

Chen Qing hurriedly tried to refuse, "How can this be proper?"

"Why be polite with me?"

Yang Huiniang glared at him reproachfully, then showed a warm smile, "Keep the copper coins for yourself. There are always times when they're needed in martial arts training. Didn't I say? You'll have to pay me back later, and I'll be charging interest."

Chen Qing gripped the slightly warm eggs and heavy copper coins, his heart warming, "If you give me all the money, what will you do?"

"Don't worry, I basically don't need any here." Yang Huiniang's tone was relaxed.

Chen Qing took a deep breath and said with a completely serious expression, "Cousin, great kindness needs no words of thanks."

Apart from Lady Han, Yang Huiniang was undoubtedly the person who had helped him the most and to whom he owed the greatest debt.

Yang Huiniang's willow brows slightly furrowed as she feigned anger, "If you keep this up, I really will get angry!"

"I understand."

Chen Qing smiled, "I'll record it in the account book first, and pay back both principal and interest when the time comes."

Yang Huiniang also smiled.

"So that's where you ran off to!" Suddenly, a sharp and harsh voice came from the inner room of the fabric shop.

A managing woman wearing a silk jacket with prominent cheekbones stood at the doorway with hands on her hips, glaring fiercely in their direction, "There are still three bolts of cloth waiting to be starched and beaten in the back! Are you going to dawdle until dark? Don't you want your wages?!"

The smile on Yang Huiniang's face instantly froze. She said helplessly to Chen Qing, "Ah Qing, I need to get back to work. You should head home quickly..."

"Hurry up and get going!"

The managing woman's urging voice rang out again.

Yang Huiniang didn't dare delay any longer and turned to trot back to the large wooden basin.

The managing woman glanced sideways at Chen Qing, snorted through her nose, and walked away.

Chen Qing's brow furrowed slightly as he silently left Wang's Fabric Shop.

In the afternoon, Chen Qing came to Zhou's courtyard to continue practicing.

Ever since experiencing Guo Dachui's incident, the fellow disciples from the same period had all become anxious.

Zhou Liang continuously recruited disciples, but only a dozen or so people remained constantly by his side, from which one could see the pattern.

Reaching obvious strength was not easy. This first breakthrough blocked seventy percent of people, and adding some external conditions, they might not even have a seventy percent chance.

Chen Qing stood steadily on the wooden post, his form as motionless as an ancient pine.

Sweat slid down from his temples, glittering with fragmented light in the morning sun.

This was the last round of through-arm stance work.

Sun Shun was also secretly anxious for Chen Qing.

He understood Chen Qing's diligence and effort better than anyone, but on the martial path, relying on effort alone was far from enough.

On the other side, Qin Lie impatiently waved away a junior brother who had come to ask for guidance, causing the disciple to leave with a flushed face in embarrassment.

In Qin Lie's view, the questions from these mediocre talents were nothing but a waste of his precious cultivation time.

His gaze inadvertently swept across the training ground and fell on that sweat-soaked figure.

He remembered that Chen Qing had entered the school half a month before him, practiced desperately, yet had been unable to break through.

Suddenly, the image of that dark, damp latrine flashed through his mind, the scene of the two of them cleaning filth side by side.

Qin Lie unconsciously touched the brand new practice clothes he wore. The feel of the fine cotton caused a strange irritation to flash through his heart.

He averted his gaze, as if to completely shake off that memory, focusing on his own boxing forms.

"Junior Brother Qin, what are you looking at?"

A senior sister walked over gracefully, glancing in the direction of Qin Lie's previous gaze at Chen Qing, "That one? It's been almost three months, and he's still struggling on the wooden post."

Her name was Luo Qian. Her appearance was average, nothing outstanding, but her family circumstances were prosperous and wealthy, being one of the rich households in the inner city.

While practicing martial arts at Zhou's courtyard, Luo Qian would also scout for promising disciples, providing support and winning them over before they showed their potential.

When these disciples grew up, even if they couldn't join the Luo family, a favor would still be quite valuable.

In her view, this was completely a matter of panning for gold in manure, and she had indeed found a piece of gold.

This gold was Qin Lie.

Chen Qing was unaware of the external gazes and discussions. His world contained only the wooden post beneath his feet, the qi and blood within his body, and every minute detail of the stance work in his mind.

Sweat soaked through his single garment. His muscles sent signals of soreness under continuous tension, but his will was like iron. Again and again, he adjusted his breathing, guiding that weak but persistent flow of qi and blood.

Suddenly, a strange change occurred.

It wasn't like mountains collapsing and seas overflowing, nor like fierce fire burning.

It was like a long-blocked river channel being quietly penetrated by a gentle yet tenacious force.

Chen Qing felt his vision suddenly brighten. The leaf veins of the old locust tree in the distance became clearly visible, and even the tiny dewdrops condensing on the leaf tips were reflected in his eyes.

The cacophony of practice sounds and wind around his ears seemed to instantly recede, leaving only the steady, powerful beating of his own heart, like drumbeats, once, then again, clearly echoing in his chest cavity.

The sound of blood flowing also became real, like a stream washing over a riverbed.

The wooden post beneath his feet seemed to have grown roots, becoming one with the solid earth.

His skin became extraordinarily sensitive, clearly perceiving the subtle coolness brought by morning wind passing over his sweat-dampened skin, even capable of capturing the trajectory of dust floating in the air.

A gentle yet abundant force quietly rose from his lower abdomen's dantian, unhurried and calm, slowly permeating through his limbs like spring water.

At the same time, his muscles and bones produced crackling sounds, crisp and pleasant.

The long-standing feeling of stagnation was completely swept away, as if clouds had parted to reveal the sun. The fog that had troubled him for so long finally dispersed, and the path ahead became suddenly clear.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success Guaranteed]

[Through-arm Stance Work: Minor Achievement (1/1000)]

[Through-arm Boxing: Beginner (425/500)]

"Success."

Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes, then exhaled a breath of stale air, "So this is through-arm stance work at minor achievement!?"

A touch of joy arose in his heart.

Reaching obvious strength meant not only that he could continue practicing martial arts, but he could even take on escort positions.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen!"

"Junior Brother Chen, please take care of us in the future!"

...

The surrounding senior and junior brothers enthusiastically came forward to congratulate him, and the atmosphere instantly transformed.

Those disciples still wandering outside the threshold of obvious strength showed both envy and hidden unwillingness in their eyes. They understood all too well what this meant.

Chen Qing felt relieved.

Now that he had reached obvious strength, he could not only take escort positions but also participate in the martial examinations.

Sun Shun stepped forward with a broad smile, "Junior Brother Chen, congratulations."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Sun."

Chen Qing cupped his fists toward Sun Shun.

Zhou Yu also walked over with a smile, offering encouragement, "Zhou's courtyard gains another obvious strength disciple today. Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen, keep up the good work."

As she spoke, she handed over a small paper packet, "This is a portion of blood qi powder, please keep it."

Although she was somewhat surprised by Chen Qing's breakthrough at this moment, regardless, this strengthened the courtyard's overall power.

Chen Qing's eyes lit up as he nodded, "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

Blood qi powder was an internal medicine powder that increased the speed of qi and blood accumulation, greatly beneficial for cultivation. Chen Qing often saw wealthy senior brothers and sisters in the courtyard, or those with escort positions, taking it.

Not far away, a flash of surprise crossed Luo Qian's eyes, then she said in a low voice, "He really managed to stumble into it. This boy's luck isn't bad, but limited by his natural constitution, his potential is exhausted. There's no hope for him to attempt a second breakthrough."

These words were her attempt to salvage her reputation for "judging people accurately."

Qin Lie paid no attention to the discussions behind him, not even lifting an eyelid.

Whether Chen Qing succeeded or failed, whether he broke through quickly or slowly, in his eyes, it was nothing more than a troublesome stone on the roadside, not worth a moment of his attention.

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