'Xu Yang… he's reached Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture. He's only a little over a day behind that genius, Lu Ren. It was going to take me another day or two to reach Entry Level myself.'
For a moment, Zhang Yong found it hard to accept.
His goal had been to surpass Lu Ren, but now he couldn't even compare to Xu Yang. All his hard work over the past few days suddenly felt like a joke.
"Congratulations!"
he said sourly, not meaning a word of it.
"He really reached Entry Level!"
Hearing Zhang Yong's words, Zhang Hong, Qian Jiaxing, Luo Dehu, and the others ran over in surprise. They saw Xu Yang's skin, flushed crimson, and all stood there dumbfounded.
"Congratulations!"
Zhang Yong forced himself to his feet, a strained smile on his face. Of everyone present, Xu Yang's achievement of Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture hit him the hardest.
'I've trained so hard, pushing myself to exhaustion every single time. Why wasn't I the one to break through first?'
"Congratulations. From here on, your path on the Martial Dao will be smooth sailing."
Luo Dehu, Zhang Hong, and the others also offered their congratulations, hiding the jealousy in their eyes.
"Smooth sailing on the Martial Dao? He's only just reached Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture. He's still a million miles away from the Martial Dao," Zhou Yang's voice cut in.
He and a group of older disciples had also been drawn by the commotion and had stopped their training to walk over.
His eyes swept over the handsome young man, and he was secretly shocked at his talent. 'It took me eight days to reach Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture back then.'
Xu Yang had been training for just a little over six days, all told.
"Senior Brother Zhou Yang, Xu Yang only reached Entry Level a little more than a day after I did. His talent can't be that bad, can it? Why would you say something like that?"
Lu Ren had come over with Zhou Yang and the others. Hearing this, he couldn't help but frown to himself.
'In just a few days, he had matured considerably. He understood what kind of person Luo Dehu was, and he knew that as he grew stronger in the future, he would need people like Luo Dehu to work for him.'
'But he also needed followers with potential, people who could become Martial Artists. While Zhou Yang and the others associated with him, they came from decent backgrounds and would never become his subordinates.'
'People like Xu Yang and Zhang Yong, who had struggled alongside him in the mud, were undoubtedly the best choices.'
'And since Xu Yang reached Entry Level only one day after him, if he could win him over, Xu Yang might be able to follow him for quite some time on his journey.'
Yet Zhou Yang's attitude toward Xu Yang was the same as ever; he didn't believe Xu Yang could become a Martial Artist.
"That's right! Xu Yang was only a day behind Lu Ren. Do you still think he can't become a Martial Artist?"
Zhang Yong suppressed his jealousy of Xu Yang and spoke up for him. He felt that Zhou Yang and his group were rotten to the core, spouting such blatant lies just to buy their resources on the cheap.
"Reaching Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture a few days earlier or later doesn't mean anything. It makes no real difference. His chance of becoming a Martial Artist is still just ten percent. If you don't believe me, go ask Master Lin."
"Why is that?" Lu Ren stared at Zhou Yang.
Since Zhou Yang dared to bring up Lin Cheng, he was probably not lying.
"Because he's poor. It's like I said before, the most important thing in martial arts is money! Money! The reason everyone thinks you can become a Martial Artist is partly due to your Root Bone, but it's mainly because the Huang Family is willing to spend ten taels of silver on you every month."
At these words, even Lu Ren fell silent.
'Is money really that important? Does talent and hard work mean nothing...?'
Xu Yang had reached Entry Level only a day after Lu Ren, yet Zhou Yang and his group still believed he couldn't become a Martial Artist. A sense of despair washed over Zhang Yong and the others.
If it was like this for Xu Yang, it would only be harder for them.
"It's not that they're useless, just that they're not very useful. You have three months at most before you have to attempt Breaking Through. Whether you succeed or not depends on your martial foundation. The stronger your foundation, the greater your chance of success.
Others feast on meat and fish every day, drinking Strengthening Soup and Health Soup to build up their vitality. You eat plain white rice. How much vitality can you possibly build?
And as for tempering your Physique, three days of your hard work at the Pile Skill can't match the effect of a single Medicated Bath for refining the body. And while they're taking those baths, they're practicing the Pile Skill too. In three months, the gap between you will be unimaginable."
Zhou Yang shook his head.
His own family's financial situation wasn't that great either, which was why he had his eye on the things Xu Yang's group had.
"Senior Brother Zhou Yang, you're forgetting that we are being sponsored by the Huang Family. Since Xu Yang was able to master the Entry Level of the Pile Skill so quickly, the Huang Family will surely increase the resources they invest in him."
As soon as Lu Ren said this, the spirits of Zhang Yong and the others lifted. They didn't have money, but the Huang Family did.
But to their surprise, Zhou Yang still shook his head. "The Huang Family might indeed increase their support for him, but I guarantee it won't be more than two taels. And what good can two taels do?"
"Why are you so certain?" Lu Ren asked, curious.
"Because for the Huang Family, having you is enough!"
Zhou Yang's tone was decisive, because he understood the Huang Family.
"Huh? Where's Xu Yang?"
Someone suddenly realized Xu Yang was gone. Everyone looked up and saw that he had already left. His receding figure disappeared into the Inner Courtyard; he hadn't stayed to listen to Zhou Yang's rambling at all.
Zhou Yang watched Xu Yang's back and said, "Just watch. If my judgment is wrong, he'll come back with gifts from the senior brothers and sisters of the Inner Courtyard. If he comes back empty-handed, then my judgment is correct."
...
[Turtle and Snake Grand Posture - Introduction (1/100)]
Xu Yang looked at the panel, feeling a bit helpless. He hadn't expected that after reaching Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture, the proficiency needed for the next stage would jump from "5" to "100". The leap was frighteningly large.
He had no desire to listen to Zhou Yang's cynical negativity and wouldn't be affected by it.
Stepping into the Inner Courtyard for the first time, he found the scene completely different from the Outer Courtyard. There were pavilions specifically for relaxing in the shade, unlike the Outer Courtyard where one could only hide in a corner of a wall.
This place didn't look like a training ground at all; it was more like a gathering spot. A group of Inner Courtyard Disciples were gathered in a pavilion, drinking tea, eating pastries, and someone was even playing the zither.
Sun Tao spotted Xu Yang and strode out from the pavilion.
Xu Yang clasped his hands in a salute. "Greetings, Senior Brother Sun!"
Sun Tao nodded. "Junior Brother Xu, what brings you here?"
Xu Yang said, "Replying to Senior Brother, I have reached Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture. I've come to find our master to learn the fist techniques."
A hint of surprise appeared on Sun Tao's face. "You've already reached Entry Level?"
He had thought the second person to reach Entry Level would be Zhang Yong, not Xu Yang.
"Come, I'll take you to the master."
Sun Tao didn't say much more. He quickly led Xu Yang to a courtyard where they found Lin Cheng, then he took his leave and returned to the pavilion.
"Junior Brother Sun, another one of the people sponsored by the Huang Family has reached Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture?"
Someone asked as soon as Sun Tao sat down.
Sun Tao nodded. "Yes. This batch of people from the Huang Family is actually quite good. I didn't expect someone other than Lu Ren would be able to reach Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture so quickly."
"Reaching Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture in six days... that is indeed pretty good."
In the pavilion, the crowd of Inner Courtyard Disciples reacted calmly.
Everyone here was a true Martial Artist, people who had succeeded in Breaking Through.
While reaching Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture in six days was rare, it wasn't some incredible achievement among this group. Several of them had done it in five or six days.
"Senior Sister Gu Fang, Senior Brother Jiang Ping, Xu Yang reached Entry Level in the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture in six days. He should be worthy of your 'friendship,' right?"
Sun Tao looked curiously at a man and a woman sitting opposite him. This so-called friendship was, in reality, about giving gifts.
The two came from impressive family backgrounds and enjoyed befriending talented individuals. When they encountered someone with true talent, they would use money to pave the way for a connection. Just yesterday, both of them had given Lu Ren a valuable gift.
"What is this Xu Yang's Root Bone?" Jiang Ping asked.
"Lower C-class!"
Jiang Ping shook his head. "A Lower C-class Root Bone... Even if the Huang Family increased his sponsorship to the same level as Lu Ren's, his chances of success would only be thirty percent."
"Let's wait until he can actually enter the Inner Courtyard and stand before us. Then we'll talk," Gu Fang said finally.