Yet You Proved the Most Promising

That night, Li Xiuwen didn't sleep a wink. Carrying such a massive sum of money for the first time made it impossible to rest easy. He had to convert it into real strength as soon as possible. Early the next morning, he took a stroll along Longjin Road, listening to the neighborhood gossip. "Did you hear? Third Master is dead. All the Thirteen Taibao were slaughtered down in the sewers." "I heard. Who knows what master did it, upholding justice for heaven and getting rid of those three scourges." "Could it have been Changle's people?" "Maybe. The Thirteen Taibao were way too arrogant, squeezing money out of folks on Changle's turf. Retribution was only a matter of time." Returning home, Li Xiuwen breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Word was already spreading. Yet no one from Changle had come knocking on his door, which meant the incident was trivial in the eyes of the Walled City's higher-ups. If anything, he had taken some of the burden of maintaining order off Changle's shoulders. There was no reason for them to give him trouble. *** Li Xiuwen arrived at the martial arts hall. At lunchtime, Cheng Kuiqiang asked, "Ah Wen, Third Master from your Longjin Road was wiped out. Have you heard?" Li Xiuwen smiled. "I heard. Good riddance. It'll be a lot quieter from now on." "It wasn't you, was it?" Ah Zhen joked. Liu Chun chuckled. "I heard that in his youth, Third Master was at the peak of Black Membrane. It was only due to the decline of his qi and blood that he slipped back down to Purple Membrane, but he was still a standout. "He practiced wild boxing, but his fighting techniques had reached at least minor success. After braving the martial world for so many years and surviving a hundred battles, killing him would probably require Black Membrane cultivation. "The Thirteen Taibao had been arrogant for years; stumbling was bound to happen sooner or later. My guess... Changle's people did it." Liu Chun wasn't looking down on Ah Wen; he was just putting himself in the other boy's shoes. If he hadn't broken through to Black Membrane himself, he would never have dared to seek out Third Master in the sewers. Although Ah Wen had advanced to Purple Membrane a few days ago, he had relied on fish balls. His qi and blood were flimsy, his realm unstable, and his actual combat ability hollow. With his level of courage, it was impossible for him to have done such a thing. "Senior Brother Liu Chun is right!" Li Xiuwen said with a smile. When you appeared weak enough, there were always "learned scholars" ready to argue your case. *** Several days later. Only a few days remained before Night Heron Martial Arts Hall's challenge visit. Huang Sihai's ten-day special training for Liu Chun, Li Xiuwen, Ah Zhen, and Cheng Kuiqiang came to an end. With the training concluded, Huang Sihai had everyone demonstrate their skills before him. After they finished performing Flipping Sand Palm, Huang Sihai critiqued them one by one: "Liu Chun, your goal is to achieve major success as soon as possible and develop the Rigid-Gentle Palm. Only by balancing the hard and the soft will you have a sliver of a chance against Gaojiao Qi." "Cheng Kuiqiang, your fighting techniques are still slightly lacking the fire for minor success. Practice harder over these next few days. You possess innate divine strength; aside from Liu Chun, you have the highest odds of winning." "Ah Zhen... do what you can. Just don't admit defeat right off the bat and disgrace me." "Ah Wen, you must have grasped a sliver of the gentle palm's essence. You can be considered to have reached minor success. Not bad. That shows your comprehension is quite decent." Huang Sihai finally looked at Li Xiuwen, a hint of admiration in his eyes. The kid he had once dismissed had surprised him repeatedly of late. Forty days to enter Purple Membrane. A little over a month to reach minor success in fighting techniques. "Master, are fighting techniques tied to comprehension?" Li Xiuwen asked. Huang Sihai said, "Your internal and external innate physique mostly affects your training methods. It affects fighting techniques too, of course, but not nearly as much as it affects training methods. "Without taking fish balls, Liu Chun's progress in stake training was still slightly faster than yours simply because his external innate physique is better than yours... by a tiny bit." Hearing this, Liu Chun grumbled inwardly. Master Huang truly loved saving people's face. His external innate physique was far more than just a "tiny bit" better than Ah Wen's. Yet Huang Sihai changed the subject: "However, Liu Chun wasn't much faster than you when it came to fighting techniques. "This proves your comprehension is no weaker than Liu Chun's. So don't give up on yourself. "To be frank, I didn't think much of you at first. But looking around the room, you proved the most promising of all. "As far as I'm concerned, you're now a prospect for the second floor. "Ahem... don't forget to renew your monthly fee! Keep practicing. I have high hopes for you!" Clearly, the punchline of Old Huang's praise was that very last part: renew the fee! Li Xiuwen nodded. "Understood, Master." Innate physique corresponded to training methods and cultivation realms. Comprehension corresponded to fighting techniques and skill mastery. Old Chen had once said, "Altering the innate physique is easy; changing comprehension is hard." Innate physique was something that might be altered given fortune and opportunity. Comprehension, however, was ethereal and profound. It depended first on innate nature, and second on an indescribable accumulation of martial foundation. If Old Chen was right, reading more Daoist scriptures and martial classics to solidify one's theoretical foundation could help improve comprehension. Still, that was only a theory. Ordinary people couldn't tell whether it actually worked because comprehension was far too elusive. Li Xiuwen guessed that the effect of [Elementary Martial Arts General Knowledge] was very likely tied to comprehension. He glanced toward the incense burner. [Elementary Martial Arts General Knowledge: Entry (91%)] *Soon, I'll know what this first skill does.* On the other side, Hearing Huang Sihai praise Li Xiuwen so highly, Liu Chun's expression shifted slightly. *That's not what you said when I renewed my monthly fee for half a year in advance, Master!* A sense of urgency crept into his heart. He was used to leading by a wide margin, so having Li Xiuwen close the distance so suddenly naturally unsettled him. Feeling unwilling to concede, Liu Chun asked, "Master, do our hall's fish balls help with practicing fighting techniques?" The implication was clear: he suspected Li Xiuwen had reached minor success in fighting techniques by eating fish balls as well. Huang Sihai said impassively, "Fish balls can only stimulate your acupoints and boost your qi and blood out of thin air. Fighting techniques are a matter of skill; they don't improve just because your qi and blood rise. "There might be miraculous elixirs that help one comprehend fighting techniques, but they are exceptionally rare. The vast majority of martial sects, whether orthodox lineages or renowned schools, cannot produce them. "Don't get crooked ideas. The only way to hone fighting techniques is through bitter practice, real combat, the arena, and sparring! Only by fighting will you improve! Without fighting, no matter how high your qi and blood are, you're nothing more than a wild beast. Do you understand?" Liu Chun lowered his head, clenching his fists as he muttered inwardly, *Ah Wen didn't cut corners. His comprehension... is actually no lower than mine.* From that day on, he truly viewed Li Xiuwen as a potential rival, not daring to take things lightly lest he slip and fall before making it to the second floor. Ah Zhen and Cheng Kuiqiang had also looked at Li Xiuwen as if seeing him for the first time over the past few days. They still couldn't wrap their heads around how Ah Wen—who had kept such a low profile not long ago—had first reached Purple Membrane and now mastered the gentle palm, already pulling ahead of them. "Go eat," Huang Sihai said. "Gather here after lunch. This afternoon, I'll take you out for some real combat." Ah Zhen said excitedly, "Where are we going for combat? Are you taking us to brawl, Master?" Cheng Kuiqiang looked eager as well. Most people who learned boxing instinctively loved fighting and craved excitement. Li Xiuwen was the sole exception. Huang Sihai sneered. "This is Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, not the Four Seas Gang! Brawl, my foot! This afternoon, I'm taking you to see the legendary Kowloon Grand Arena!" "Whoa! The Kowloon Grand Arena! We get to go up on the big ring?" Ah Zhen, Cheng Kuiqiang, and Liu Chun all rubbed their hands in anticipation. Li Xiuwen felt a flicker of interest as well. He had no desire to show off in the ring, but taking this opportunity to witness the legendary Kowloon Grand Arena sounded great. *** Guangwang Street. Dragon-chasers lay strewn across the ground, puffing clouds of smoke. An abandoned factory sat tucked away among the tenement buildings. At the factory entrance stood a century-old artillery piece, its barrel rusted over and inscribed with three large characters: "Leigong Shed"! Inside the factory, four men were seated around a table playing mahjong. The most striking among them was a burly brute with nine massive pythons tattooed across his arms. Even seated, he was taller than shorter men standing up; on his feet, he had to be near two meters tall. Daoyou Ming, hailed as the strongest Straw Sandal of Leigong Shed, possessed unfathomable strength. The other three were Tong Chui, Za Jiu, and Chang San. All three were also Straw Sandals and Daoyou Ming's trusted confidants. "Brother Ming, your cousin died. Aren't you going to look into it?" the Straw Sandal Za Jiu asked with a smile. Daoyou Ming sneered. "Look into what? Dead is dead! If he hadn't messed up back then, the branch master wouldn't have sidelined me. It was generous enough of me to leave him with his life." Za Jiu smiled. "True enough. But he was your cousin after all, and Longjin Road counts as our turf. Daring to kill him... that killer is acting pretty arrogant..." Daoyou Ming frowned. "Za Jiu, you have thoughts on this?" Za Jiu volunteered, "If Brother Ming is too busy, how about I look into it for you?" Chang San sneered, "Za Jiu, you sure have plenty of little schemes. You just want to show off in front of Brother Ming so he'll reward you with a Flood Dragon Great Medicine, don't you?" Za Jiu smiled without taking offense. "Brother Ming handles ten thousand matters a day and doesn't want family business interfering with the bigger picture. What's wrong with us underlings sharing the load?" Daoyou Ming took a drag of opium and said casually, "Za Jiu, if you can really track down the killer, that's fine. But you know how rare that medicine is. For a minor matter like this, it'll be tough." Za Jiu smiled. "Brother Ming, I only have today because of your backing. Everything I do is for the brotherhood of our Five Tigers of Guangwang Street! "As for the Flood Dragon Great Medicine, I'll earn it fair and square through merit and loyalty!"