Chapter 3: A Thousand Realizations in a Single Night

That night, Duan Rong felt as if he had been in a dream the entire time...

He "saw" a figure, quite sturdy in build, with his back turned to him, practicing the saber.

At first, the movements were stiff, often failing to connect, but gradually they became familiar, and the more he practiced, the more fluid they became.

Duan Rong could not only see his movements, but gradually, as if looking inside himself, he could "see" the flow of his Internal Breath.

Moreover, when he practiced the Hunyuan Stance and his cultivation, there were two completely different ways the Internal Breath flowed...

"This is... the Internal Cultivation Method for the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber!"

Duan Rong woke up with a start. All around him was the sound of snoring, one after another. Moonlight shone in through the holes in the paper window, casting a patch of silver-white light by his side.

Duan Rong's mind was perfectly clear. He immediately rolled off the bed.

He walked into the courtyard, picked up a tree branch from the corner, and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he assumed a starting stance.

Starting from that stance, he actually performed the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber, one form after another, and the faster he went, the quicker he became!

Duan Rong's heart grew increasingly excited. At this moment, he was as familiar with this set of saber techniques as if he had practiced them for years!

After finishing one round, Duan Rong did not stop; he immediately began a second. The more he practiced, the clearer his mind became, as if he were simply performing the saber techniques that had been imprinted in his mind.

"The saber is the imprint of the heart; a thousand realizations in a single night..."

Just as Duan Rong was becoming more and more excited, the thumb-thick tree branch in his hand suddenly snapped with a "Crack!"

Duan Rong stopped abruptly and immediately felt a slight pain in the muscles of his right arm!

Fortunately, the branch in his hand could not withstand the force and broke; if he had continued, the muscles in his right arm would surely have been strained.

Duan Rong pondered for a moment and understood the reason for this.

Although he had achieved a thousand realizations in a single night through Devouring Artifact Spirit and had directly gained Entry Level experience in the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber, his physical fitness had not changed; he was still a weakling.

With his current frail body, he simply could not support the attack intensity of an Entry Level Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber.

But tempering the body was a task of slow, grinding effort; it had to be done gradually, and there was no use in rushing.

What Duan Rong was thinking about now was another problem: the Internal Cultivation Method of the Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber—or to put it more clearly, the two completely different ways the Internal Breath flowed during the Standing Stake and during cultivation.

In his dream, Duan Rong had felt the flow of Internal Breath so vividly, but now that he wanted to try it, he couldn't find a way to begin at all.

"Internal Breath?"

Duan Rong pondered for a while and then began to practice the Hunyuan Stance.

If Zhao Mu were here right now, he would surely be very surprised, because Duan Rong's posture while standing the stake was almost as standard as his own.

Zhao Mu had been practicing this Hunyuan Stance for three full years, but Duan Rong had been in the Escort Agency for only a little over a month.

The reason Duan Rong was trying to cultivate Internal Breath through the Standing Stake was that the flow of Internal Breath during the Standing Stake had far fewer variations than during active cultivation.

When standing the stake, the way the Internal Breath flowed was as clear as day in his mind; as long as he found a way to start, he would surely be able to set it in motion.

But he simply could not capture the Internal Breath.

Duan Rong stood for a while, and steam had already begun to rise from his body. He could clearly feel his energy channels surging, but his consciousness could not intervene.

"This... what is going on? I can't find the way in..."

Duan Rong suddenly stopped his Stance Training and began to pace in the courtyard, deep in thought.

He pondered for a while, and as soon as he had an idea, he would try the Standing Stake again. If the attempt failed, he would stop to think again, repeating this over and over until the eastern horizon revealed a hint of white.

At this time, three figures walked out of the Miscellaneous Disciple dormitory, yawning.

Duan Rong didn't need to turn his head to know who had come.

It was Kong Bin, Li Chong, and Zhang Zheng; these three had long since formed a small group.

Of these three, Kong Bin was burly and reserved; Li Chong was tall and thin, with a frivolous personality; Zhang Zheng was slightly shorter than the other two, but he was the most agile and alert.

From the moment they entered the Escort Agency, these three had practiced for an hour every morning.

One must know that besides the evening practice time, Miscellaneous Disciples had a lot of work to do, and by the end of the day, they were often sore all over.

Muscle recovery also takes time, and sufficient sleep is indispensable.

Being able to get up an hour early every day requires perseverance and is not easy.

At the very least, Duan Rong's original self could not have done it.

Generally speaking, those who are more talented than you will also work harder than you.

They receive positive feedback and can see results right before their eyes, so how could they not work hard?

While you usually encounter one setback after another, until you give up or transform.

Seeing that Duan Rong had actually gotten up earlier than them and was already practicing the Standing Stake, the three were slightly stunned.

Li Chong sneered, stepped forward, and said, "Yo, isn't this Duan Rong?"

There was a mocking tone in Li Chong's voice, which Duan Rong naturally heard, but he didn't pay him any mind at all.

Seeing that Duan Rong ignored him, the muscles on Li Chong's face twitched, and he jeered, "What? Seeing that the assessment is almost here, you're thinking of cramming at the last minute? What's the use? A toad lusting after swan meat—do you really think you can be selected as an Apprentice?"

Although this Li Chong was a man, he wore a silver ring on his right ear; this was because his parents were afraid he wouldn't survive, so they raised him as a girl.

His family had originally been quite wealthy, and he had been pampered since childhood, but later his family fell on hard times, and he was sent to this Yuanshun Escort Agency to become a Miscellaneous Disciple.

In his previous life, Duan Rong had spent many years struggling in the world of corporate slaves, and he had never bothered to pay attention to such brainless fools who lacked any depth.

Seeing that Duan Rong acted as if he hadn't heard his mockery and remained standing in the Hunyuan Stance without moving, Li Chong grew angry. "Duan Rong, I'm talking to you! Did you hear me? You talentless guy, you deserve to be a Miscellaneous Servant for the rest of your life. Who are you putting on an act for here?"

Seeing that Duan Rong still ignored him, Li Chong couldn't suppress his anger for a moment and was about to make a move when Kong Bin suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

"Brother, he's practicing his own thing, and we're practicing ours. Why bother lowering yourself to his level? If you really start a fight and end up hurting him, you'll be punished!"

"Brother Bin, look at him. I greeted him, and he acted like he didn't hear me."

Kong Bin glanced at Duan Rong and saw steam rising from the top of his head, and his Hunyuan Stance posture was quite standard. He felt slightly surprised and said, "The assessment is coming up soon, don't cause trouble!"

After Kong Bin finished speaking, he began to practice the Standing Stake in a quiet corner of the courtyard.

Zhang Zheng also patted Li Chong on the shoulder and said, "Our goal is to be promoted to Apprentice; other things are not important!"

After Zhang Zheng finished speaking, he stood not far from Kong Bin and began to practice.

Li Chong glared at Duan Rong's retreating back, spat on the ground, and had no choice but to stand in his stance on his own.

Although he acted high and mighty in front of Duan Rong, in reality, among the three of them, he had the least say.

Kong Bin was ruthless and spoke little, had the best grasp of the situation, and possessed the greatest talent; he was the core of the trio. Zhang Zheng had a nimble mind and the most devious ideas.

Li Chong was usually just someone who followed orders; if it weren't for the fact that he had some talent in martial arts, Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng wouldn't have wanted to include him.

(End of chapter)