Major Success

Time flew by. Li Xiuwen was thoroughly immersed in the grueling rhythm of his cultivation, unable to pull himself away. Nearly three months had passed since he joined Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, leaving only a single month before the contest for the second floor. Over this period, quite a few newcomers had arrived at the martial arts hall, while another batch had left. The very first thing newcomers did upon arrival was try to get on good terms with Liu Chun and Li Xiuwen. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Wen!" A female student blushed as she scurried off. "Not bad, Ah Wen. Looks like your luck with the ladies is starting to blossom," Ah Zhen teased with a chuckle. "Women are nowhere near as interesting as training," Li Xiuwen replied. "Listen to you. Having a woman to look after your daily life would be wonderful. You're not getting any younger, you know," Ah Zhen urged, playing the matchmaker. "What, you got your eyes on me? Even my aunt isn't badgering me to get married, but here you are, all worked up about it," Li Xiuwen retorted bluntly. He had never liked being pushed into marriage. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Ah Zhen's face flushed slightly, and she answered in all seriousness, "Well, it's not like that's out of the question. Though I've always seen you as a brother." "Get lost!" Li Xiuwen laughed, cursing under his breath as he walked away. With the incense burner at his side, all he wanted was to become a martial powerhouse and stand tall upon this earth. No one was going to slow him down. *** Come nightfall, everyone else headed home. Only two people remained in the martial arts hall, still training. Liu Chun and Li Xiuwen. Neither spoke a word, focusing entirely on their practice while casting occasional glances at each other to gather information. Suddenly, inspiration struck Li Xiuwen. He thrust a Flipping Sand Palm forward—surging like a tidal wave, ferocious and unyielding. Yet when his palm struck the punching bag, there was no loud boom. Instead, it was like a gentle drizzle, moistening things in complete silence. A gentle, hidden force swept through layer upon layer, rippling folds across the bag's surface. A breath later, with a resounding boom, the punching bag exploded with sound, vibrating through the entire hall. Li Xiuwen cast his gaze toward the incense burner in his mind. [Li Xiuwen] [Martial Skill] [Flipping Sand Palm: Minor Success (100%) → Major Success (1%)] A surge of excitement welled up inside Li Xiuwen. "A strike that appears rigid on the outside is actually yielding within—firmness tempered by flexibility, softness infused with strength!" "When the rigid and flexible complement each other, Flipping Sand Palm reaches major success!" This was the third tier: *Startled Shark Fleeting Shadow—detonating upon the slightest touch!* Huang Sihai had always maintained that the true miraculous power of Flipping Sand Palm only manifested starting with Startled Shark Fleeting Shadow. The palm force shifted between substance and illusion, flickering unpredictably between dark and light, leaving opponents completely unable to anticipate it. If one were careless enough to take a hit from this strike, the force would penetrate the five viscera and shatter the marrow straight through to the bone! Liu Chun halted his punches, his eyes widening as he stared fixedly at the punching bag. Having attained major success in Flipping Sand Palm himself, he naturally understood what had just happened. Ah Wen had broken through again. It had barely been over a month since Ah Wen reached minor success. Without realizing it, Liu Chun's breathing grew ragged, his chest feeling as though crushed beneath a massive boulder. He had enrolled earlier than Ah Wen, possessed an aptitude bordering on the makings of a superior, came from a wealthier family, and had never lacked resources. On top of the monthly fee, he regularly paid extra for private coaching from Huang Sihai. Yet it had taken him two full months to advance Flipping Sand Palm from minor to major success. Just how monstrous was Ah Wen's comprehension? A month ago, Liu Chun had spent a fortune—throwing down ten thousand dollars to have Huang Sihai teach him the movement technique Thousand Waves Drifting Light ahead of schedule, all to keep Ah Wen from catching up. Yet now, Ah Wen was closing the distance again, practically breathing down his neck. How could he not panic? With that thought weighing on his mind, Liu Chun lost all enthusiasm for practice. Packing his things, he left the martial arts hall without even saying goodbye. Li Xiuwen paid no mind to Liu Chun's petty worries. In high spirits, he knocked on the door of Huang Sihai's study. "Come in." "Master, I've reached major success in Flipping Sand Palm." Huang Sihai paused for a moment before saying, "Show me a palm." Li Xiuwen assumed his stance. With a jerk of his spine, rings of invisible force generated a wave that sent ripples across his muscles and skin membrane, surging into his right hand before striking outward! A visible, rippling white crest appeared in the air—the trace of dust caught up in the invisible, swirling force. "The balanced palm of rigid and flexible... You've truly achieved it." Huang Sihai murmured, clearly not expecting Li Xiuwen to make another breakthrough in just over a month. Going from entry to minor success might be possible within a month for anyone with a bit of talent. However, advancing from minor to major success was several times more difficult. Even Liu Chun had taken two months. As for folks like Cheng Kuiqiang and Ah Zhen, they might not succeed even after three or four months; getting stuck for half a year or a year was entirely normal. Ah Wen's rate of progress was truly impressive. "Master, I'll be heading home now." "Go on, then. Be careful on the road." The martial arts hall fell silent. Huang Sihai watched Li Xiuwen's retreating back. *Could it be... that he might actually pull it off?* Two months ago, he had asserted that even if Ah Wen consumed fish balls, catching up to Liu Chun would remain nearly impossible. Looking back now, he had spoken too soon. Li Xiuwen's fighting techniques were advancing at a breakneck pace, and his training methods weren't lagging far behind either, given his access to fish balls. The contest for the second floor was truly up in the air now. *I heard Ah Wen went to Night Heron Martial Arts Hall first, and they turned him away for being too old before he came here.* *Tsk, tsk, tsk... Old Ye, if Ah Wen makes it to the second floor, I wonder what you'll have to say then?* *** Late that night. *Tap, tap, tap!* Aunt held a small hammer, continuously tapping Li Xiuwen's vital spots. Cultivating the Armor-Binding Art was, quite literally, a process of being tempered by a thousand hammer strikes. Once she finished, Aunt rubbed her sore arms and said with a smile, "Striking you with a hammer doesn't hurt you, but my arms are killing me. You martial artists really aren't human." "It still hurts," Li Xiuwen replied with a chuckle. "Aunt, make sure you eat better from now on and exercise a bit too. Think of it as helping me train." After his aunt left, Li Xiuwen took a shower and checked the incense burner in his mind. [Li Xiuwen] [Sea Sand Stake: Minor Success (93%)] [Armor-Binding Art: Entry (61%)] [Thousand Waves Drifting Light: Entry (32%)] [Stage: Purple Membrane (93%)] *This month of cultivation has yielded great results.* *Not only has Flipping Sand Palm reached major success, but Sea Sand Stake is nearly there as well. In the coming days, I'll take a fish ball for the final push, and breaking through to the Black Membrane should be a sure thing.* *At this rate, the Armor-Binding Art should reach minor success in another month. I'll need to step up my practice and advance before the second-floor contest. After all, even if my cultivation reaches the Black Membrane stage, I'll still be a notch behind Liu Chun.* *I haven't spent as much time on my movement technique. To reach minor success, I need to tread across water for thirty steps without sinking, and right now I can only manage fifteen. One step at a time; entry level should be enough for now.* Standing in the bathroom, Li Xiuwen planned his cultivation for the coming month. Everything was geared toward reaching the second floor. Naturally, such rapid martial progress did not come cheap. The Armor-Binding Art required medicinal paste costing a hundred dollars a day, amounting to three thousand a month. Sea Sand Stake burned through a minimum of four fish balls a month. Factoring in better food, the monthly fee, and various miscellaneous expenses... he had spent nearly five thousand dollars this past month. Excluding gold and silver jewelry, his savings had dropped below ten thousand. When it came to martial arts, money melted away far too fast. Five thousand a month was an astronomical sum that ordinary folk couldn't even fathom. For many at the bottom of the Walled City, an entire month's wages barely covered the bare minimum needed to stay alive. *Even if I make it to the second floor and get my monthly fee waived, keeping up the expenses for hard qigong and fish balls will still require finding ways to make money. I can't just sit here and bleed my savings dry.* After washing up, Li Xiuwen lay down in bed, entered the Illusionary Realm of the Great Void, and headed straight for Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.