Chapter 35 : Chapter 35
Chapter 35. The Second Meridian Achieved!
Outside, the cold wind howled past, bringing with it a burst of chill that also scattered some of the faint melancholy in Xu Yuan’s heart. It was not because of Wang Huan, but because of his feelings about Li Shan.
From servants to martial artists, after spending all this time together, Xu Yuan actually cared more about Li Shan than he ever had about Sun Rong.
Li Shan really was a decent person, a typical good-natured man. At the beginning, it was very easy to become friends with him.
But after spending enough time with him, one would realize that although he was approachable, he was difficult to grow truly close to, because he treated everyone with the same generosity and kindness, including those closest to him.
Just like what happened today. No matter whether Li Shan’s intentions were good or bad, he had still chosen a side in the end, leaning toward Wang Huan, someone he had not even known for very long. So Xu Yuan might as well give him face and let the matter pass.
After all, if Xu Yuan had made a move with his current strength, Wang Huan would certainly have suffered a vicious beating tonight.
“Forget it. Those who abandon me are not worth dwelling on.”
Xu Yuan shook his head slightly and focused on washing up with the others.
…
Time flew like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, six days had passed.
It was now the afternoon of December 29, the end of the month.
For Xu Yuan, the series of disturbances caused by his entry into Benlei Fist had already passed.
He still practiced diligently every day without pause, focusing entirely on Stone Platform Stance in hopes of breaking through to the second meridian realm and obtaining the half-year qualification for self-selected assignments.
On the training grounds, inside a quiet chamber:
Xu Yuan silently circulated his stance art and swallowed another portion of Vein-Nourishing Powder and Blood-Circulating Pills. A swelling sensation came from the location of the Governing Meridian within his body.
At the same time, a membrane like a bamboo node blocked the connection between the qi and blood of the Ren Meridian and the Governing Meridian, causing a slight sluggishness in their circulation.
[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Mastery 3%) Stone Platform Stance (Minor Mastery 97%) Benlei Fist (Minor Mastery 2%)]
[Aptitude: 9 (Exceptional Bone Structure)]
“At this point, even a single increase in aptitude speeds up my stance training by quite a bit. Added to the accumulation from reaching entry in Benlei Fist, all that remains now is this bottleneck.”
Xu Yuan took a deep breath, mobilized his qi and blood, and once again drove them against that bamboo-node barrier.
This time, the bottleneck that had always remained utterly unmoving suddenly gave a slight tremor, as if a tiny gap had been carved into the foundation of a city wall.
Though it was small, it was already on the verge of collapse, and the hope of a breakthrough had appeared.
“It will happen today…”
Xu Yuan’s eyes grew deep and intent. He wiped the sweat from his brow with a careless hand, and once the medicinal effects were exhausted, he picked up the precious medicine beside him and swallowed it.
Ordinary martial artists would never dare to spend medicine as recklessly as he did. Most of them would squeeze out every last bit of the remaining medicinal power, then wait another two days before taking more, calling it: gathering drops into a river.
Xu Yuan did not care about that. He was only one step away from the second meridian now, so why should he stop here just to save some silver?
Time passed little by little.
By the time stars hung low in the night sky and all sounds had faded into silence, the quiet chamber was already shrouded in darkness.
Xu Yuan stood in his stance, his body as steady as a rock. Large drops of sweat fell continuously, kicking up fine puffs of dust.
The qi and blood within him circulated once more and surged forward as they always had. But this time, just as when he had broken through the first meridian, they pierced through an invisible barrier. His qi and blood flowed unobstructed into the Governing Meridian, completing the cycle between the two meridians.
The second meridian realm had been achieved!
[Skills: Tai Chi Exercise (Major Mastery 3%) Stone Platform Stance (Major Mastery 1%) Benlei Fist (Minor Mastery 2%)]
[Aptitude: 11 (Exceptional Bone Structure)]
“The panel increased by 2 points, but my aptitude rating did not improve at all this time…”
Xu Yuan stroked his chin in thought. It seemed that in the future, several skill breakthroughs would need to stack together before the evaluation changed again.
Still, although two points did not sound like much, the changes they brought were far from small.
If he had to start over from the beginning and break through the second meridian again, his speed would be nearly twice as fast!
Xu Yuan felt elated, but he suppressed that joy and thought to himself:
“Now that I’ve broken through to the second meridian, I can finally be called a martial master. In the Shangyang Residence, that would make me a two-striped retainer, with a basic monthly stipend of three taels of silver.”
Three taels of silver!
For an ordinary family in the outer city, if they lived frugally, that would be enough to cover food expenses for more than half a year. Yet now, it would be only his monthly pay.
It might seem like Xu Yuan still had quite a bit of silver left, but the expenses of a martial artist were enormous. Without a new source of income to support him, it would not take long before all of it was exhausted.
And because of time constraints, he had broken through so quickly that he had used medicine without regard for cost, spending two or three times as much as others.
“I should still have about thirty taels left.”
Xu Yuan estimated it silently. The consumption of the two kinds of precious medicine alone had already cost him nearly six taels. On top of that, most of his meals consisted of meat dishes, so the expenses were naturally high.
“Now that I’ve broken through to the second meridian, the speed at which I consume medicine will increase as well. At the first meridian, one portion of Vein-Nourishing Powder and Blood-Circulating Pills lasted three days. At the second meridian, it will only last two. That means I’ll need seven and a half taels a month… this cost is outrageous.”
Xu Yuan swallowed hard. Next month, he absolutely had to spend more carefully.
A short while later, he opened the quiet chamber door and stepped outside, feeling as if even the air had become fresher.
Sensing the sticky dampness of sweat on his body, he went to the laundry room and took a hot bath.
By the time he returned to the dormitory, everyone had basically already finished washing up and was sitting on their beds chatting.
When Chen Sanli saw him enter, he was the first to greet him. “Brother Xu, you’re back?”
Xu Yuan nodded. Even though he understood Chen Sanli’s nature and motives, after Chen Sanli had chosen his side before, Xu Yuan could not help but feel somewhat more favorable toward him. Their daily interactions had also grown a bit closer.
Tian Yang, Xiao Sheng, Gao Yuan, and the others also greeted him one after another, and Xu Yuan responded to each in turn.
Wang Huan sat on the innermost bed, watching the scene coldly, feeling deeply uncomfortable. Once upon a time, only when he entered would he receive this kind of “treatment.”
“What a bunch of wind-leaning opportunists!”
Wang Huan grumbled inwardly. Then he cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice. “The end of the month is almost here. I wonder how everyone’s training is going now?”
Before anyone could answer, he added with a hint of pride, “I can already feel the bottleneck of the second meridian starting to loosen. It should happen within a day or two.”
Li Shan also looked somewhat excited. “I think I’m close too. I can control my force for short periods now.”
“What about you, Yangzi?” Wang Huan continued.
Qin Yang coughed lightly. He had not wanted to answer, but seeing the eager look on Wang Huan’s face, he could only reply with a trace of dejection,
“I’m afraid it’s not looking good for me.”
It was not that Qin Yang was incapable of mastering the fist technique. In truth, he already had a feeling for it. If he had just been given a little more time, he was certain he would have reached entry.
The problem was that he had been too playful in the beginning and wasted precious time. Now regret was useless.
“What about you, Yuanzi?” Wang Huan shook his head slightly, feeling a bit of superiority, and then continued asking.
“I reached entry level in the fist technique this afternoon,” Gao Yuan replied calmly.
A stir instantly went through the room.
At once, everyone turned to look at him, and congratulations naturally followed.
Wang Huan’s expression darkened slightly. He had wanted to find some sense of importance among them. Who asked whether you had broken through or entered anything?
“And how about Xiao?” Wang Huan coughed a few times, steering everyone back to the original topic.
Xiao Sheng hesitated. “I can’t really say. I’ve got a bit of a feeling for it, but I don’t know whether I can succeed in these last two days.”
Wang Huan’s expression eased a little. He glanced around the room and asked, as if casually, “What about Tian?”
After the words left his mouth, no answer came for a long while. He turned his head, only to see Tian Yang looking toward Xu Yuan, as if asking for permission with his eyes.
Wang Huan’s face sank, and he instinctively followed up, “What about Sanli?”
Chen Sanli only smiled without saying a word and lowered his head to pick at his toenails.
Wang Huan’s expression turned even uglier. Taking a deep breath, he finally asked, “Then… what about Brother Xu?”
Xu Yuan looked at him, thinking that this was probably the last time their dormitory would ever report their progress to one another. So he said, “I should be close.”
Wang Huan had not expected him to answer at all. He was stunned for a moment, then inwardly filled with deep disdain.
Who are you trying to fool?
I’m publicly acknowledged as the most talented person in this dormitory. I’ve trained from the beginning of the month until now and only just barely reached the verge of a breakthrough. Do I not have more authority to speak on this than you?
To be objective, just how long have you even been practicing stance training?