Chapter 18: Martial Arts Hall of Iron Mountain — Wang Tieshan

Bearing the old man's scrutiny before him, Cheng Feng dared not answer carelessly, while Zhang Zhuo cupped his hands and said, "Yes, Master, he just came to the door wanting to learn martial arts."

"Has he been informed about the silver and money?" The old man put down his sweat towel and walked toward the tea table, everything casual and plain.

Wang Tieshan had been teaching disciples for quite some time and knew that those disciples, in the beginning, were only seeking a path to make a living.

Their greatest shortcomings were their lack of experience and money.

With limited experience, they did not know how to choose, knowing only to work desperately to earn money and enjoy life.

They neglected that practicing martial arts also requires money, even more so than usual.

Having entered a line of work that requires martial strength, yet lacking the power to continue improving, the consequences if they continued were basically certain.

Sooner or later, they would be finished.

Therefore, Wang Tieshan would explain to those seeking to become disciples first: practicing martial arts requires natural talent, and even more so, money; money is an essential item for a martial artist in the early stages.

Self-knowledge is not something everyone possesses.

If it were just a disciple who would exhaust their own potential, Wang Tieshan would not stop them.

After all, this is also a business; why not accept silver delivered to one's door?

Some people, regardless of whether they have the aptitude or not, always hold an attitude of wanting to try, spending huge sums of money, and Wang Tieshan cannot manage that.

And this is also the source of the Martial Arts Hall's income.

Wang Tieshan is not running a charity; he is simply willing to explain in advance, not wishing to engage in those deceptive practices.

In such a large Martial Arts Hall, they truly do not lack that little bit of money.

Zhang Zhuo said, "The rules regarding silver and money have all been explained."

Only then did Wang Tieshan, sitting on his seat, look squarely at Cheng Feng and say, "You wish to learn the saber?"

Cheng Feng hurriedly cupped his hands: "This one is willing."

"Very well, come forward, let me examine your bones," Wang Tieshan said.

Cheng Feng stepped forward, looking at this old man with an Ordinary face, sharp eyes, and a detached temperament.

Wang Tieshan did not speak, but reached out and felt Cheng Feng's head, neck, arms, waist, and legs from top to bottom.

He then suggested: "I see your bones are light and brittle, your flesh and blood are not abundant, yet you carry a sense of recovery; this should be because you have only nourished your body in the last half-year, but the deficiency has not been fully replenished. In the future, you must buy a few more doses of medicinal soup to drink, and with more dietary supplementation, there should be no major issues."

Cheng Feng was shocked; what this old man said was not wrong at all. It was indeed only in the last half-year that he had been able to eat meat and live well, but there was still a deficiency?

Seeing Cheng Feng's shocked expression, Wang Tieshan was very satisfied and continued: "Your bones have not completely formed yet and can be calculated as a minor; it is two taels of silver a month. But I observe your bones are Ordinary, and your aptitude is also Ordinary. If you are not from a wealthy and noble family, the path of martial arts is not easy to walk. You must think it through clearly."

Cheng Feng understood; his aptitude was Ordinary, and if he had no money, he must be cautious about practicing martial arts.

In his heart, he was filled with good feelings toward the old man's upright behavior.

He immediately said: "I am willing."

Wang Tieshan said plainly: "Good, then you follow Lao Jiu to the Outer Sect to practice stance training first; Lao Jiu will inform you of the remaining rules."

After speaking, he picked up his teacup, and Zhang Zhuo, understanding, led Cheng Feng away.

After Cheng Feng left, Wang Tieshan sighed: "Ordinary aptitude, average family background; one can only rely on perseverance."

Another Ordinary disciple, plain and unremarkable; when will I be able to meet a Closed-door Disciple, a successor to my mantle!

As the only source of martial arts information Cheng Feng could access, Zhang Zhuo also did his best to introduce it, opening a new world for Cheng Feng: "Practicing martial arts begins with stance training. Stance training is to train strength and basics. Use the stance training frame to experience your own breathing and the flow of blood. Once the stance training is successful, you can mobilize your own latent strength, and your strength will greatly increase. Therefore, the food for practicing must be highly nourishing; meat is essential. This counts as the first stage, the Strength Refining Realm."

Zhang Zhuo warned Cheng Feng: "If your family background is not enough for high nourishment, you can also have small supplements of meat every two or three days, but you must never go without it, otherwise you will exhaust your own Blood Qi, and the stance training will be difficult to complete."

He then introduced: "Once the stance training is successful, it is Skin Refining. Tempering strength, feeling strength, and using strength is to exert force. Qi is used to mobilize the blood to circulate through the whole body, making your own skin hard, making it more resistant to hits, and also more suitable for hitting others. After all, practicing strength to produce hard force will also hurt yourself, so Skin Refining is also to better protect yourself."

Cheng Feng asked curiously: "Then what is after Skin Refining?"

Zhang Zhuo laughed: "Junior Brother Cheng, after Skin Refining is completed, you can enter the Inner Sect. I am ranked last in the Inner Sect. Master has opened this Martial Arts Hall for over twenty years, and only nine have entered the Inner Sect. You don't need to be too anxious; perhaps you have hope, perhaps you will waste your life away. As for the realms after that, you should enter the Inner Sect first before we talk about it."

Cheng Feng suppressed the curiosity in his heart, cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Senior Brother, for your guidance."

He led Cheng Feng to a side room, where an old man was writing and drawing on a tabletop.

Zhang Zhuo said carelessly: "Lao Li, a new disciple has arrived."

The aged Lao Li looked up, looked at the newcomer Cheng Feng, collected the money familiarly, took out a disciple certificate for Cheng Feng to press his fingerprint on, and then gave Cheng Feng a set of brown clothing for the Outer Sect of the Martial Arts Hall.

This process was then considered complete.

Zhang Zhuo took Cheng Feng to another room and let Cheng Feng change his clothes before coming out.

Cheng Feng was still wearing the new clothes Cheng Mu had made for him before.

It would not appear ragged or poverty-stricken.

People rely on clothes as horses rely on saddles; he did not want outsiders to look down on him through the cracks of a door.

He also had to properly tidy himself up.

Things like fawning over the high and trampling on the low, one never knows where one might encounter them.

After changing into the Martial Arts Hall clothes, Cheng Feng's whole person also appeared much more spirited.

Having gone through the big fish and autumn waters, and the big snake chasing his tail, Cheng Feng—

With the confidence that the first goal of coming to the county town had already been achieved—

His temperament did not lose to the Martial Arts Hall disciples.

Zhang Zhuo's eyes lit up when he saw him, feeling as if Cheng Feng had become a different person.

That cautious, small-minded air had mostly disappeared.

The lack of deprivation in his diet at home and the daily exercise of catching fish in the water had given Cheng Feng's body a sense of muscle.

Wearing the standard Martial Arts Hall clothing, it was as if he were born to be a Martial Arts Hall disciple.

There were many Outer Sect disciples with varying progress. Zhang Zhuo led Cheng Feng to a small corner and pointed to the five people here: "This is a new disciple; you have also just arrived for two or three days, so you can get familiar with each other."

Cheng Feng stepped forward and cupped his hands: "I am Cheng Feng, greetings to everyone."

The other five also cupped their hands in return, each exchanging names, and they were considered acquainted.

Zhang Zhuo said: "Outer Sect practice relies entirely on self-discipline, otherwise when the three-month assessment arrives, everyone will naturally have their own destinations. Cheng Feng, get familiar with things today. Niu Laoshi, you take Cheng Feng to get familiar today, and tomorrow let Qian Ming come to teach him."

The honest-looking Niu Laoshi naturally agreed.

Cheng Feng could also be considered familiar with the old rules here.

From Zhang Zhuo, he only knew the general idea; the specifics still had to be inquired about from Niu Laoshi.

With Niu Laoshi's duties and Cheng Feng's deliberate efforts to befriend him, their back-and-forth conversation soon became familiar.

The two taels paid to the Martial Arts Hall were not for nothing; wearing the Martial Arts Hall robe meant no short-sighted people would come looking for trouble outside, and the outer sect also provided a full meal at noon, which was naturally a benefit for poor families. If one wanted to eat meat for nourishment, paying one tael per month allowed for meat to be added to the noon meal every day; here, Cheng Feng first caught a glimpse of the stratification.

Three months; if one does not enter the threshold of stake training, it means one lacks aptitude, and one should not waste time.

After passing, there will naturally be someone to teach the next stage.

Only after completing Strength Refining and Skin Refining and joining the Inner Sect can one obtain the methods for the next step.

It is evident that the control over Martial Dao knowledge is strict; if anyone spreads it privately without permission, the entire sect will hunt them down.

Listening to this, Cheng Feng felt even more apprehensive.