Chapter 810: Chapter Four

Geniuses and ordinary people are different beings; Bai Lang merely reaffirmed this. His teacher once said that some people are born solely to crush others. You can score a hundred points because of your relentless effort, while he can score a hundred because the test is only out of a hundred… Mo Di is such an example. Naturally, Bai Lang also has a competitive spirit: "I, too, came out of nine‑year compulsory education, crossed a single‑plank bridge under a thousand troops, entered a 211 university, so I have no reason to be inferior to you."

The facts proved that Bai Lang truly lagged behind Mo Di, even though the other might be one or two years younger. San Shi Er Lu Chang Quan is balanced in offense and defense, yet its attack is not strong and its defense is weak; it is essentially a martial art that moves the limbs to study fist theory and circulate true Qi, with no special restrictions and can easily be transformed into various other skills. According to Liu Heita, the martial‑world holy site Duowen Temple also houses Arhat Fist, and the Longmen Sect naturally has Soft Fist as an introductory style, but the Chang Le Sect's Chang Quan is a more generic commodity, unlikely to compare with those beginner forms.

Among the seven gangs, eight schools and nine alliances, more than half of the introductory skills are this Chang Quan; the Chang Le Sect, being one of the seven gangs, is no exception. Yet Liu Heita, in his daily teaching, reverently spoke of the sect leader Ri Luo Chang He's lofty technique, "Great Flowing Cloud Sleeve." In the black‑haired man's words, it is almost a world‑renowned divine skill: "The elder leader flicks a sleeve, producing clouds like a cascading waterfall; with a single move he slayed the great ghost, the three ghosts, and the seven ghosts of the West Mountain cavern."

Bai Lang only heard this as a story; after all, he is merely a preparatory disciple, having practiced only seven routes of San Shi Er Lu Chang Quan and not yet mastered the whole. As for true Qi, it can barely travel half of the Ren Meridian with the support of the fist technique, a skill that might not even defeat an outside strongman—more crucially, Bai Lang has never struck a person, lacking both experience and mindset. Fortunately, before he completes all thirty‑two routes, nothing serious should arise.

Thus, Bai Lang stopped pondering other matters and also suppressed his jealousy toward Mo Di—he simply couldn't summon it; if someone is a step or two ahead, jealousy is natural, but when the gap is as vast as clouds and mud, there's nothing to envy. So he resolved to focus earnestly on his own abilities, considering it a great strength turned inward; mastering martial arts is his own business. Benefiting from nine‑year compulsory education and a 211 university, Bai Lang is far from a useless drudge; his learning efficiency remains high.

This first shows in his memory; he can recall the broken‑down movements of Chang Quan quickly, though there is no mnemonic for true Qi circulation—only the meridian diagrams and visualization tips Liu Heita shows them—so this skill is probably the simplest, most superficial method of nurturing Qi. With good memory and the ability to dissect movements, Bai Lang ranks among the top performers aside from Mo Di, and his learning progress surpasses Mo Di's and is a bit faster than that of others.

But learning is one thing; when it comes to application, it's different. The coordination of fists, feet, and breathing Internal Force is not only a matter of study but also closely tied to each person's innate talent. One youngster who can keep up with Bai Lang is Liu Mao; his memory isn't great, yet once he has learned a punch, his efficiency exceeds Bai Lang's by far, requiring almost no conscious effort, naturally syncing with the flow of Internal Force.

Such matters can't be envied; there's nothing to do—each person has their own destiny, and it can't be forced. For instance, Bai Lang's destiny is his analytical and memory abilities, though perhaps his memory and learning aren't as good as Mo Di's. "If it were advanced mathematics… I could win!!" Bai Lang tells himself to relax; constant stimulation by geniuses can unbalance one's mind.

Liu Heita isn't exactly a good teacher; aside from constantly praising the sect leader, he has little else to offer—his skill lies in teaching students with sticks, and, from what Bai Lang has seen, he seems well‑versed in women and storytelling under the overpass, while Bai Lang doubts how many characters he actually recognizes… He has confirmed that this world also uses Chinese characters. "That dog‑headed man speaks crudely; his teaching is earnest but lacks merit." Nonetheless, Bai Lang must thank Liu Heita—after all, this rough fellow did usher them into the path of martial arts.

Winter passed, spring arrived, and three months elapsed. Liu Heita has now fully taught San Shi Er Lu Chang Quan to this group of preparatory disciples—three of them failed to master the whole style within three months and were taken away recently, rumored to become laborers in the sect's various enterprises, perhaps a step above a junior clerk. During those three months, Mo Di not only mastered all thirty‑two routes but also, using the power of Chang Quan, employed his own true Qi to open all twenty‑four acupoints of the Ren Meridian. Such talent made Liu Heita exceedingly courteous when dealing with Mo Di—he wouldn't even scold, let alone strike.

As for Bai Lang and his peers, they too have completed all thirty‑two routes, but Bai Lang has only opened four acupoints of the Ren Meridian, so his true Qi still cannot traverse the whole channel, ranking him third among everyone—second place belongs to Liu Mao, who later overtook him. That kid took two months to master all thirty‑two routes, a month slower than Bai Lang, yet in those three months he opened twelve acupoints, leaving Bai Lang speechless.

Now, finally, the time for initiation has arrived; Liu Heita had said early on, "The elders of the sect will select disciples. You lot of trash have a blessing! It all depends on your luck which hall you'll be assigned to." The Chang Le Sect has several sub‑branches and halls, each with distinct martial arts. New recruits are chosen by the elders, senior masters, or senior brothers of each hall; those with talent become disciples, while the untalented are assigned as ordinary foot soldiers.

The Chang Le Sect's sub‑branches are parallel, distinguished by the five elements, so Bai Lang was assigned to the Autumn Water Hall—unlike Liu Heita's coarse description, there was no elder to review candidates; it was simply a written order accompanied by a few rough men to escort them, and the divisions had already been finalized. Mo Di and Liu Mao went to the Main Hall, while Bai Lang was placed in the third‑ranked Autumn Water Hall beneath the Main Hall. This hall oversees the tooth‑shop attached to the carriage and boat store, occupying a sizable territory among the dental shops of Ye City.

The newly inducted Bai Lang naturally never met the hall master; he was directly assigned to a tooth‑shop to observe the premises—and was also tossed two books to cultivate on his own.