Chapter 15: Formal Initiation

“This is Wu Changlu, the legitimate son of Wu Yueming, elder of the Wu Family Fortress; he’s said to have some martial talent—he entered the third rank at sixteen, is only eighteen this year, and rumors already suggest he may break into the fourth rank next year, showing considerable favor from Wu Yueming,” said Wei Chi Xiao, his expression subtly shifting as he watched Xia Daoming open the leather bag and reveal the young man’s face.

Xia Daoming’s face changed slightly at the words, but he quickly recovered, then turned to Liang Jingtang and asked, “Master, is this token acceptable?”

“A side branch disciple of the Wu Family Fortress, yet with considerable weight—this token is excellent,” Liang Jingtang nodded, a faint smile appearing on his stern face.

The Wu Family Fortress lies just outside the eastern gate of Li City, a force not to be underestimated; its lord, Wu Yueli, is also a sixth-rank martial master.

The Qianjiao Hall and the Wu Family Fortress have long harbored grievances, but neither side has yet escalated to a life-or-death conflict.

The token Liang Jingtang demanded was for Xia Daoming to kill a side-branch Wu Family Fortress disciple of third-rank martial master caliber.

Killing the lord’s direct heir would risk exposure and easily spiral out of control.

But killing a side-branch disciple—even if the news leaks—won’t trigger major conflict.

Moreover, killing a side-branch disciple slightly weakens the Wu Family Fortress’s strength, offers a small measure of revenge, and tests Xia Daoming’s courage, resolve, and loyalty.

After all, Xia Daoming is merely a fourth-rank martial master; without the Qianjiao Hall as his backing, if this news were to leak, he would surely be hunted down and killed by the Wu Family Fortress—he has no choice but to remain loyal to the Qianjiao Hall.

“Here are three thousand taels of silver—please accept them, Master!” Xia Daoming immediately knelt and offered the three-thousand-tael silver notes as Liang Jingtang nodded.

“Good!” Liang Jingtang took the notes, then turned to Wei Chi Xiao: “You’re the senior disciple—find a time to gather the junior disciples and let them all meet Daoming; they should look out for each other from now on.”

“I’m too old to join the festivities—don’t want to make you uncomfortable. Also, take this head and dispose of it.”

“Yes, Master,” Wei Chi Xiao bowed slightly, picked up the leather bag, tied the head securely, nodded to Xia Daoming, and turned to leave.

After Wei Chi Xiao departed, Liang Jingtang pointed to a sandalwood chair beside him and said, “Sit.”

“Yes!” Xia Daoming sat down.

“Generally, once a martial cultivator reaches the fourth rank, they must simultaneously refine and temper their qi and strength to make them robust and surging, harden their meridians, and take a special secret herbal remedy once a month to prepare for comprehending the secret diagram and cultivating sufficient dark force to break through the fifth meridian barrier.”

This process usually takes one to two years before one can observe the secret diagram. You should have followed this path too, but you turn twenty-five this year—if you delay further, even if you somehow comprehend the diagram, you won’t have enough time to accumulate sufficient dark force before turning thirty.”

“Given your talent, you’ll likely need to observe the diagram six times or more before comprehending the dark force—that’s at least three years.”

“And normally, after comprehending the diagram and cultivating dark force, one needs another two to three years of accumulation before attempting to break the fifth meridian barrier—so you simply cannot afford to delay further.”

“Fortunately, I see your qi and strength are still robust and surging—you’ve clearly trained hard and consumed blood-enriching tonics these past two years. Today, I’ll make an exception and let you observe the secret diagram.”

“As for the herbal remedy, take one every half-month after observing the diagram—it may help make up for the lost two years.”

“But prepare yourself mentally: once one passes twenty-five, qi and blood typically reach their peak; if you haven’t comprehended the diagram and cultivated dark force by then, even consuming vast quantities of tonics, you’ll be lucky to merely maintain your peak state.”

“So if you truly need six or more observations to comprehend the diagram, your chance of breaking the fifth meridian barrier and becoming a fifth-rank great martial master is very slim,” Liang Jingtang said solemnly after Xia Daoming sat down.

Hearing this, Xia Daoming finally understood why Liang Jingtang had ultimately accepted him—indeed, it was because of their past camaraderie with Chou Zhiheng.

At the same time, Xia Daoming felt some doubt, and after a moment’s consideration, he asked, “Isn’t it said that only fifth-rank martial masters can cultivate dark force? Yet Master, you imply fourth-rank martial masters can cultivate it too.”

“More precisely, one cultivates dark force only after comprehending the secret diagram. But only when dark force accumulates to a certain level can one break the fifth meridian barrier.”

“Dark force is a higher-quality form of strength; if you fail to break the fifth meridian before thirty, you won’t be able to cultivate more dark force—and the dark force you’ve already accumulated will slowly dissipate.”

“That’s why I say: if you can’t accumulate sufficient dark force before thirty, you might as well abandon all hope of reaching the fifth-rank great martial master realm.”

“Precisely because of this, fourth-rank martial masters with potential for the great martial master realm never waste their hard-earned dark force unless in life-or-death combat. And once past thirty, those without hope lose their dark force rapidly.”

“Thus, generally, fourth-rank martial masters rarely use dark force—it’s only great martial masters who do. Over time, many have come to believe dark force is exclusive to great martial masters, but that’s not true,” Liang Jingtang explained in detail.

“So does that mean Wu Changlu’s reputation is vastly exaggerated? He’s not only a fourth-rank martial master, but already a Wu Family Fortress prodigy who has comprehended the secret diagram.”

“It’s clear the Wu Family Fortress will investigate—thankfully I chose a good location and concealed my face; otherwise, I might have truly invited major trouble,” Xia Daoming thought inwardly, startled and relieved after hearing Liang Jingtang’s explanation.

Still inwardly astonished and relieved, Xia Daoming continued to ask, “Master, without dark force, is it truly impossible to break the fifth meridian barrier?”

“Technically, it’s possible—but who can refine their bright force to such an extreme level? Moreover, meridians are invisible; one perceives them only through intuition. The more meridians one cultivates, the more complex the flow of qi and strength within them becomes, leaving no room for error.”

“A single misstep leads to chaotic qi surging through the body, blood attacking the heart, and meridian rupture—death. Under such conditions, one must comprehend the secret diagram to understand the meridian layout and cultivate dark force.”

“Dark force is far more condensed and refined than bright force, allowing far more precise and agile control,” Liang Jingtang explained.

Liang Jingtang’s explanation filled Xia Daoming with dread.

His strength far surpassed that of a typical fourth-rank martial master—he’d once considered forcing open the fifth meridian directly. But lacking the subsequent cultivation method, and knowing the great divide between fourth and fifth rank, he’d refrained from acting rashly.

Now he realized how fortunate he’d been not to act prematurely—otherwise, he might have exploded on the spot.

Then Liang Jingtang taught him the subsequent cultivation incantations, the secrets of observing the secret diagram, and broadly outlined the pathways, nodes, and rhythms of meridian and qi/force circulation in the great martial master realm.

Yet the latter could never be truly understood through words alone—but with prior guidance, once one sensed the essence within the diagram, one gained foresight, enabling conscious verification, deeper comprehension, and fewer detours.

Liang Jingtang, a veteran sixth-rank great martial master, possessed rich martial cultivation experience and extensive teaching expertise.

But Xia Daoming had leapt from second-rank to fourth-rank martial master—his strength was formidable, yet his understanding of martial cultivation remained deeply lacking.

Now, with Liang Jingtang’s careful instruction, many of his previous confusions regarding the Dragon-Snake Scripture suddenly cleared; his grasp of the scripture’s true essence deepened significantly.

“Truly, a single conversation with you surpasses ten years of reading!” Xia Daoming thought inwardly, his respect for Liang Jingtang—already favorable—growing further.

Soon, the sun set behind Mount Riluoxi.

Liang Jingtang first led Xia Daoming into a secret chamber and told him to wait there.

Soon, Liang Jingtang returned, holding a jade box in his hand.