Chapter 48: Aspiration

After leaving Martial Field No. 9 in the Yellow Division, Zhuang Jin made his way to the Xuan Division training grounds. The No. 28 Martial Field in the Xuan Division, where he had practiced martial techniques the previous month, was now occupied by a new batch of official martial artists learning their skills. He therefore sought out another Xuan Division training ground.

He chose a spot with fewer people, and, since he had already drunk a generous bowl of Meridian-Opening Decoction and hadn’t taken any Black Yuan Powder, he began at once to practice stance techniques, refining his internal energy. He then moved to a quiet chamber to pursue meditative cultivation and temper his spirit.

After about half an hour, the medicinal power of the decoction was exhausted.

“As a Martial Student, there was no doubt; even last month, when I was at the First Meridian stage, a bowl of Meridian-Opening Decoction would sustain my training for half an hour. Now that I’ve reached the Second Meridian, a little more than a bowl still supports half an hour’s practice—quite reasonable.”

“Half an hour a day adds up to fifteen hours a month. If I train five hours daily, I’d consume a packet of Black Yuan Powder every two days. In that case, this daily decoction benefit is roughly equal to one and a half packets of Black Yuan Powder, worth seven and a half taels of silver. It’s an invisible perk for an instructor.”

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, then paused to consider whether to focus on further advancing his cultivation or continue training in the Black Fiend Palm technique. After a moment’s thought, he made a plan for himself: “For now, the focus should shift back to cultivation. As for the Black Fiend Palm, an extra hour of practice every evening will suffice.”

Truthfully, if he continued to devote himself entirely to martial techniques, in three to five days he would likely reach the bottleneck of entering the Black Fiend Palm. If his “golden finger” ability also eliminated bottlenecks in martial techniques, he could break through immediately. However, since the Shen family’s main estate was a safe environment, there was no need to rush—an hour’s extra practice each night would be enough to achieve entry by the end of the month.

“Cultivation first, technique second!” Zhuang Jin kept this maxim close to heart, and, considering his own circumstances, set his plan accordingly.

Naturally, martial skills were not unimportant. Among those at the same cultivation level, if one’s internal energy had not yet surpassed the First Meridian stage, martial techniques were extremely useful. The moment one mastered the Black Fiend Palm, they could strike a full inch beyond their reach. An extra inch meant extra strength. Within the same stage, a martial artist without entry-level technique would always be at a disadvantage. Even those with greater accumulation or more refined energy could easily be killed by a skilled opponent.

“Martial cultivation cannot be allowed any glaring weaknesses. So, for now, cultivation is my priority, and practicing martial skills for an hour each night will be enough to keep pace with my peers.”

“In fact, if my ‘no bottleneck’ ability also applies to martial techniques, then as long as I dedicate time to extra practice each day, there’s nothing to worry about on that front.”

“Back to my cultivation progress,” Zhuang Jin silently calculated, “if I continue to train five hours daily, using a packet of Black Yuan Powder every two days and provided resources remain sufficient, I should complete my accumulation at the Second Meridian and be ready to break through to the Third by late next month!”

“It’s a pity—I could advance even faster if I had an ample supply of exotic beast meat!”

He recalled the fervor he’d felt after eating exotic beast meat at lunch the day before; his training speed had increased by thirty percent that afternoon. “If I had both abundant training resources and a steady supply of exotic beast meat, I might break through to the Third Meridian as early as next month!”

“But as it stands, my monthly share is only a pound of beast meat—barely enough for two meals, covering just a day’s needs. It’s a drop in the ocean. Still, with a steady supply of training resources, I’m already doing far better than most.”

“Besides, at this pace, by the end of the four-month probationary period when I can choose my own tasks, I might even break through the Fourth Meridian! The Fourth Meridian?”

Realizing this, Zhuang Jin felt a surge of excitement.

He already knew that the Fourth Meridian was the first significant transformation within the Energy Condensation stage. Breaking through to this level meant internal energy had reached a new plateau. This was why mastery of the Black Fiend Palm required at least the Fourth Meridian to truly achieve proficiency.

The distinction was clear in terminology as well: within the Shen family, those at the First to Third Meridian were considered servants.

What is a servant?

A menial, a slave!

But upon reaching the Fourth Meridian, one became household staff.

What is household staff?

A member of the household!

See? Even a powerful clan like the Shen family, entrenched over an entire prefecture, would acknowledge you as a person if you reached the Fourth Meridian.

Bear in mind, in this world, being recognized as a person was no small feat. Ordinary folk were nothing but weeds in the eyes of such a clan. Even those who seemed important in the eyes of commoners were mere fodder to the likes of the Shen family. Even someone like Zhuang Yutang, now ranked ninth and a scribe with official status, could be summoned or dismissed at will, regarded as nothing more than a servant—not even truly seen as a person.

Thus, it was plain that breaking through to the Fourth Meridian brought a complete transformation in status.

“The value of the Fourth Meridian lies not only in the minor increase in strength but even more in its rarity, since the bottleneck between the Third and Fourth Meridian is the first major obstacle martial artists face!”

“Uncle Chang became a full-fledged martial artist in just twenty-three days—a decent talent—but was stuck at that bottleneck for years, unable to advance. Even those with better aptitude often languish at this threshold, some never progressing at all. But I am different. No matter the size or difficulty of the bottleneck, to me it simply doesn’t exist!”

“Alas, even if I wanted to experience what a bottleneck was like, I fear I’ll never know in this life. Truly, life is lonely as snow!”

“All right, a small goal: break through to the Third Meridian by late next month, and strive to reach the Fourth before my four-month protection period ends—rise to the rank of household staff!”

Having set his goal, Zhuang Jin felt a renewed vigor. He spent the morning training, practiced additionally after lunch, taught for the duration of an incense stick in the afternoon, resumed his cultivation, and practiced martial techniques again after dinner.

His diligence and perseverance now equaled, even surpassed, his efforts as a Martial Student and those of the previous month.

Thus, Zhuang Jin’s first day as a martial instructor passed in tireless, undisturbed industry.

...

Early the next morning, Zhuang Jin arrived at Martial Field No. 9 in the Yellow Division. At this time, the server of the Meridian-Opening Decoction, Ni Ying, had not yet arrived, but a few Martial Students were already there, chatting in noisy groups like ducks, with only a handful practicing their stance work.

Soon, Ni Ying arrived, carrying the decoction, and greeted Zhuang Jin with bright enthusiasm, “Good morning, Instructor Zhuang!”

In fact, she was quite early herself; most Martial Students had yet to arrive. She chatted briefly with Zhuang Jin, then, as the time came, began distributing the decoction. When finished, she poured the remainder for Zhuang Jin, bid him farewell, and bounded away like a joyful fawn.

Zhuang Jin began his lesson. “Did you remember the stance work I taught yesterday? Is anyone willing to demonstrate?”

After exchanging notes with students from other training grounds the previous day, the Martial Students had learned that an instructor willing to call someone up for individual guidance, like Zhuang Jin, was a rare and precious opportunity. Many hands shot up at once.

Zhuang Jin scanned the crowd and singled out a student who had arrived early, was diligently practicing, and seemed promising. “What’s your name?”

“Instructor Zhuang, my name is Zhang Ming!”

“Very well,” Zhuang Jin nodded. “Come up.”

This student’s practice was quite solid. Under Zhuang Jin’s guidance, he repeated the stance work twice before being sent back to his place. Zhuang Jin chose not to pick anyone else, and instead had the entire class practice together.

As for those who cast resentful glances because they hadn’t been chosen, Zhuang Jin ignored them entirely. His guidance to Zhang Ming was merely a bit of leisurely amusement on the side—not something he intended to do for everyone.

As the day before, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he left directly.

...

Thus passed the first day of Zhuang Jin’s life as a martial instructor, marked by diligence and unwavering routine.