Chapter 16: Pretending to the End

The next day after lunch, as on previous days, Zhuang Jin and Xiong Lei went together to the training grounds for extra practice. Compared to before, there were noticeably more people there.

After practicing for a while, Xiong Lei’s face was alight with irrepressible excitement. He quietly pulled Zhuang Jin to the shade of a tree where no one else was around. “Jinzi, I’ve completed the first step—controlling my vital energy and refining my inner breath. I’ve reached the bottleneck Master Ping mentioned.”

Zhuang Jin’s expression paused for a moment as he suppressed the complex emotions within him, but he genuinely congratulated his friend. “Congratulations, Brother Xiong. Today is our eighth day training at the Shen family. According to Master Ping, you’ll likely break through the martial artist’s bottleneck in about fifteen or sixteen days and officially become a martial artist.”

Then, with curiosity, he asked, “By the way, Brother Xiong, what does the bottleneck feel like?”

“What does it feel like? Well… it’s…” The sensation was hard to describe. Xiong Lei stammered for a while without finding the words. Suddenly, inspiration struck. He recalled Master Ping’s bamboo tube analogy and connected it with his own experiences. “The bottleneck is like the thin membrane inside a bamboo tube, just like Master Ping said. Using inner breath to wear it down is like poking at it with a tender willow twig!”

As he spoke, he made a circle with his left hand and poked his right index finger into it repeatedly. “When you finally pierce that layer, you break through the martial artist’s bottleneck. That’s when you become a true martial artist.”

Watching Xiong Lei demonstrate as he explained, Zhuang Jin couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing Zhuang Jin’s amusement, Xiong Lei realized his gestures seemed somewhat indecent. Though he’d never experienced relations between men and women, he’d seen male dogs mount female dogs and had once even moved closer to observe, thinking of separating them for a closer look—until his father had beaten him soundly for it… Now, realizing the implication, he burst out laughing as well.

Sunlight filtered through the swaying leaves, scattering dappled, fleeting light across the two friends as they laughed heartily, forgetting all fatigue and troubles for a while.

…

That night, after returning from extra practice, Zhuang Jin and Xiong Lei heard Wang Rui once again asking others about their progress.

Ever since the argument with Hou Yong that night, Wang Rui had stopped asking the two of them, but he continued to question the rest of the dormitory as usual.

The other martial students, as always, replied that they felt nothing.

Only Bi Kai seemed to be holding something back. When Wang Rui finally asked him, he couldn’t wait to announce, “Ah, the first step—controlling vital energy? I did it today. I thought it would take ten more days, but on the ninth day, I managed it. What did it feel like? Not much, really. I just kept practicing, and suddenly, I could control my energy and refine my first thread of inner breath.”

Wang Rui: …

Other martial students in the dormitory: …

You really had to show off!

Zhuang Jin saw the look on Wang Rui’s face, as if he’d swallowed something foul, and shook his head slightly. As he’d always believed, asking about others’ progress was just inviting discomfort—what was the point?

Xiong Lei, too, watched the scene with amused interest. Having already controlled his vital energy, he felt no envy toward Bi Kai. Instead, he found it entertaining to watch the others, obviously envious and jealous but still forcing smiles to offer congratulations.

…

The next day, news of Bi Kai’s breakthrough spread. Since Qi Chen had achieved this a couple of days earlier, the tension among the trainees had eased only slightly before tightening again. Whether after lunch or dinner, the training grounds were abuzz with activity. With the deadline for those with above-average talent—half a month, as Master Ping had said—drawing near, the atmosphere grew ever more intense.

Time flew by; a few more days passed, and it was now November 14—the fourteenth day since Zhuang Jin and his group had started martial training at the Shen residence.

That morning, after Master Ping led the trainees through several rounds of stance practice, Xiang Qichen suddenly raised his hand in elation, announcing he’d broken through the second bottleneck of a martial artist. Amidst the uproar, he stepped forward and pressed lightly on a wooden board, leaving a palm print behind.

“Becoming a true martial artist in fourteen days—excellent, truly excellent!” Master Ping clapped in praise. He’d known since the seventh day that Xiang Qichen was a promising candidate, but now that it was official, he was genuinely delighted. With Xiang Qichen’s success, his monthly quota was fulfilled, and there’d be no pay deductions.

Overjoyed, Master Ping personally accompanied Xiang Qichen to move to new lodgings. After a while, he returned and called Bi Kai and Xiong Lei aside, offering them guidance and sharing his own experiences in breaking through the bottleneck.

Bi Kai had announced his achievement on the second day, while Xiong Lei had told Master Ping privately. Before doing so, Xiong Lei had asked Zhuang Jin’s opinion on whether to report his progress. Zhuang Jin had analyzed the pros and cons for him: keeping it secret would protect him from jealousy and potential trouble, while reporting it would earn Master Ping’s attention and possibly valuable advice for breaking through. After pondering, Xiong Lei chose to confide in Master Ping privately.

For Master Ping, Xiang Qichen’s success secured his quota, but if Bi Kai and Xiong Lei also became martial artists, he’d exceed his targets, earning an extra half tael of silver for each one.

Many trainees, spurred by Xiang Qichen’s success, became even more anxious—especially those who hadn’t yet completed the first step, with only a day or so left until the half-month deadline. Their anxiety grew.

Zhuang Jin noticed the change in the atmosphere at the training grounds. The students had become increasingly restless and impatient; many, in their anxiety, rushed through their drills, making their stance work sloppy. Perhaps the high number of repetitions was just a way to comfort themselves psychologically.

He shook his head and continued at his own steady pace, unwavering and persistent.

…

That evening, after extra practice, Zhuang Jin and Xiong Lei walked back together.

On the way, Xiong Lei remarked, “Jinzi, I feel like I’m about to break through the bottleneck. I should become a true martial artist within the next two days.”

“You’re impressive, Brother Xiong.”

“How about you, Jinzi?”

“I’m not far off either,” Zhuang Jin replied.

He was only a step away from controlling his vital energy and refining his inner breath.

Although his body was somewhat weakened due to his predecessor’s circumstances, he had been diligent and disciplined from the very first day, practicing extra, pondering and understanding each movement. With effort compensating for lack of natural talent, and with a certain degree of aptitude, he had finally reached this point today.

‘I have a clear understanding of myself. Within three days, I’ll definitely complete the first step—controlling my vital energy and refining my inner breath. So, it will take me sixteen or seventeen days in total to finish the first step.’

‘Master Ping said the first and second steps usually take about the same time, but my physical deficit made the first step harder. If I complete the first step in sixteen or seventeen days, my true aptitude should be a bit better than those with normal bodies who take the same time. The second step might not take as long, so I still have hope of finishing both steps within a month and being counted among the true martial artists.’

…