The Martial Restraint Guard headquarters was situated in the eastern quarter of the city, spanning several thousand mu. It was divided into two compounds: one housing the formal administrative yamen, and the other the Guard Academy.
The carriages traversed bustling street after street, filled with the cries of merchants hawking all manner of wares. After traveling for roughly an hour, they halted before the Guard yamen.
The group stepped down from the carriages and looked up. The yamen was immense, its wide main gates painted vermilion. Suspended high above the lintel was a plaque bearing three large characters that read "Martial Restraint Guard." The brushstrokes were as sharp as blades, piercing to the eye. Flanking the entrance, a pair of stone lions bared their fangs with glaring eyes, appearing exceptionally ferocious.
Two rows of guardsmen stationed outside bowed respectfully at the sight of Xia Hong. Xia Hong waved a hand dismissively, pointing toward Huang Rui, Huang Jian, and Huang Tian. "Escort these three to the Guard Academy."
"Yes, Commander!"
One of the guardsmen promptly answered, then signaled with his eyes for the three to follow him.
As for Huang Qian, he naturally followed Xia Hong to the Merit Registry Bureau to assume his post.
Following behind the guardsman, they entered a broad thoroughfare along the flank of the yamen. After walking several hundred paces and turning a corner, an undulating sprawl of buildings appeared before them. The walls were constructed of green flagstone, the roofs gleamed with glazed tiles, and the upturned eaves stretched like the wings of birds of prey, radiating imposing majesty.
"This is the Guard Academy."
A fleeting look of regret and nostalgia crossed the guardsman's eyes before vanishing. He stepped through the main gate, and the three followed close behind.
Stepping inside, they came upon a massive open courtyard paved with bluestone, lined on both sides with abundant flowering trees. Walking further in, they arrived before a room bearing a signboard that read "Records Office," inside of which sat a clerk clad in black robes.
"These three are enrolling in the Guard Academy," the guardsman said, gesturing toward Huang Tian and the others. "Commander Xia instructed me to bring them."
The clerk had appeared somewhat indifferent, but upon hearing Xia Hong's name, he instantly forced a warm smile and said repeatedly, "Understood, understood! Step forward and record your names, origins, and cultivation realms here, and I shall assign your quarters."
The three stepped up in turn and wrote their details in a ledger.
Perusing the roster, the black-robed clerk announced, "Mhm. Huang Rui, Ninth Rank. Assigned to the Upper Quarters, Room Jia Six.
Huang Jian, Force Tempering. Assigned to the Lower Quarters, Room Yi Fifteen.
Huang Tian, none. Assigned to the Lower Quarters, Room Yi Thirty-Two."
With that, he retrieved three wooden tokens from a drawer and handed them to each of the three.
Huang Tian looked down at the wooden token in his hand, which bore several small characters: "Huang Tian, Yi Thirty-Two."
"Take your tokens to the Supply Office to collect your bedding, garments, socks, and other necessities," the black-robed clerk instructed. "Once you have collected everything, you may head to your quarters."
Guided by the guardsman once more, the three made their way to the Supply Office to claim their gear. After they finished, the guardsman clasped his fists. "Young masters may proceed directly to your quarters. I shall take my leave."
The three returned the courtesy. Once he departed, Huang Rui and Huang Jian let out cold snorts, clutched their bedding, and strode off toward their accommodations. Huang Tian's mind remained as still as water as he followed the directions on his token to find his room.
It was a room roughly twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide, furnished with three beds. Seated upon the bed near the door was a burly, tall young man, while a tall, lanky youth with a few pimples on his face reclined half-propped on the bed by the window.
Seeing Huang Tian enter, the lanky youth leaped to his feet and introduced himself with familiar ease. "I'm Jiang Hou, sixteen years old, get along with everybody, nicknamed Know-It-All! That's He Xu, seventeen, strong as an ox! What about you?"
Huang Tian laid out his bedding. "Huang Tian, sixteen. Nothing special to speak of."
Sensing that his new roommate was a man of few words, Jiang Hou thought nothing of it. He turned to He Xu and said, "Our martial training begins in earnest tomorrow. I wonder if I can develop force within two months. As long as I can produce force, even if I fail to reach a formal rank, I can still become a guardsman and earn a government grain ration!"
He Xu looked somewhat disdainful. "I don't want to just be an ordinary guardsman, ordered around all day long. At the very least, I must achieve a rank and become a squad officer! Striding about surrounded by a dozen men—only then can one be considered a true figure of renown!"
Jiang Hou shook his head vigorously. "I wouldn't dare dream of something so wonderful. The time is too short! After developing force, one must break through to a rank within six months. Who could manage that unless they were a genius?"
"Maybe we are geniuses..."
"..."
The two chatted with great enthusiasm for over an hour, only stopping when the sky began to dim. They dragged Huang Tian along to the Guard Academy's canteen for a meal. After eating, they fetched water to wash up, and night fully settled over the grounds.
Lying in bed, Jiang Hou felt little drowsiness, his face brimming with yearning. "Tomorrow we'll finally get to experience the martial path..."
He Xu was also having trouble sleeping, his wide, bell-like eyes gleaming in the dark. Huang Tian, on the other hand, was simply curious, wondering what the cultivation methods of this world were truly like...
The next morning.
A sharp whistle sounded from outside, signaling that formal instruction was about to begin.
The martial students emerged from their quarters one after another. Having already washed up, Huang Tian and his roommates followed the crowd. Walking alongside Huang Tian, Jiang Hou spoke in a low voice:
"Our Guard Academy recruited roughly three hundred people this time. About twenty are already Ninth Rank students, sixty or seventy have reached Force Tempering, and roughly two hundred are like us, having never practiced martial arts before.
"Those two hundred are split across four small drill grounds, roughly fifty to a ground. But I hear there's only one martial instructor assigned to teach them. I wonder if he'll be able to manage all of us."
As they spoke, the crowd arrived at Drill Ground Xuan Three.
Stone weights, wooden training posts, and weapons were laid out across the field, and dozens of youths were flushed with excitement. Standing in the crowd, Huang Tian looked up at a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a thick torso who stood atop a small earthen platform before them.
"My surname is Xu. You may address me as Instructor Xu. Over the coming months, I will be the one teaching you to develop force, and how to temper your skin, sinews, and bones through force to nourish and bolster your vital blood."
Vital blood underwent three transformations, corresponding respectively to the Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Ranks of the martial path.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Instructor Xu said, "Force is neither brute strength nor the true qi that only middle three ranks martial artists can cultivate. It is something unleashed when the sinews, bones, flesh, and skin unite as a single whole. It is alive, penetrating, and continuous.
"I know you will not understand just from hearing it spoken. Next, I will first teach you the Spirit Tiger Stance, using the stance to guide your force.
"Watch closely!"
With that, he stripped off his upper garments, baring his torso to reveal dense, bulging muscles.
Immediately after, his body sank slightly as his feet gripped the ground. His hands formed tiger claws held at his waist, his five fingers curled like iron hooks, and his wrists dropped downward. Lowering his head slightly, he tucked his chin inward while his gaze shifted sharply upward, resembling a ferocious tiger hidden amidst forest undergrowth, stalking its prey. A palpable wave of baleful aura radiated from his form.
"This is the physical form of the stance. Next comes the breathing and the intent!"
Instructor Xu inhaled thrice and exhaled once, expelling hot currents of breath. His body trembled with an exceedingly minute rhythm. With every breath, the gripping power in his clawed hands grew stronger, as though he had truly transformed into a tiger poised to tear its prey apart.
After dozens of breaths, he gradually bowed his back. The onlookers could clearly see frightful lines, resembling enraged vipers, undulating and entwining beneath the skin along his spine, presenting an exceptionally terrifying sight.
"This is force!"
Chapter 50