The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 403 Riding a White Horse
At this moment, any man would pat his chest and say that he was not afraid of anything, Yang Kang immediately said.

"Rest assured, sir. Although I, Wanyan Kang, have been born into a life of luxury, I know that to learn real skills, one must endure hardship. I am confident that I can accept all tests and will never disappoint you, sir, nor my father and mother."

Wu Chengyu looked Yang Kang up and down. He was indeed a handsome man, tall and upright. In feudal society, he came from a royal family and had been well-fed since childhood. He had never suffered any hardship. His complexion and development were far better than those of poor children from outside.

"Young Prince, there's no need for such formalities. In fact, the Quanxing sect has almost disappeared by now, and they all live in seclusion to avoid being suppressed by other sects. They hide from the light of day and are all as timid as mice."

I've never been afraid. Now I'm the only one left in my lineage. All my elders are gone, and there's no one to control me. That's why I joined the Prince's Mansion. I wanted to live a good life, eating, drinking, and having fun. It's much more comfortable than hiding in the deep mountains to cultivate Taoism.

Similarly, whether I accept a disciple is entirely up to me. I don't care whether the Quanxing martial arts have been lost, nor do I care whether I have entrusted the wrong person to the wrong one. It all depends on whether I am happy or not.

But Taoism emphasizes the concept of predestined relationships, and I feel the same way. If the time is not right, there's no point in forcing it.

What is fate? My joining the Zhao Prince's Mansion and meeting the young prince was fate.

The young prince is handsome with fair skin and rosy lips, and has an extraordinary air about him. I feel comfortable looking at him and am willing to drink with him. It's fate.

Your Highness, it seems the young prince resembles the princess more; indeed, he is a handsome young man.

At this point, Wu Chengyu suddenly turned to Wanyan Honglie and said something to the effect that Yang Kang didn't look much like Wanyan Honglie.

This was a bit like a direct attack, and Wanyan Honglie was certainly not happy about it, but he didn't think Wu Chengyu was mocking him, so he could only smile and remain silent.

Little did he know that Wu Chengyu knew Yang Kang was not his son, and that this remark was a deliberate sarcasm, intended to make Wanyan Honglie unhappy but unable to retaliate.

Wu Chengyu then said to Yang Kang, "The fate I just mentioned is the fate of getting to know each other, and it's also the fate of meeting by sight. It all fits together."

However, if you want to join my Quanxing sect and learn Quanxing martial arts, having the right affinity is not enough.

"The Quanxing martial arts are profound and extensive; if one lacks the aptitude, even if one learns them, one will never truly master them, and it would be a waste of my time. Come here, let me take a look."

Yang Kang understood. Tian Boguang acted casually and only accepted disciples according to his mood. At least he had a chance. As for aptitude, he vaguely remembered that Qiu Chuji had said that he had good aptitude when he secretly taught him martial arts. So he was full of confidence at the moment.

Yang Kang walked to Wu Chengyu's side. Wu Chengyu first felt around all the joints and major bones on Yang Kang's body, and then used his internal energy to check Yang Kang's meridians. He couldn't help but nod in approval.

Yang Kang, being the second male lead in the Legend of the Condor Heroes world, is indeed exceptionally talented. He has strong bones and his meridians are more open than those of ordinary people, making him a promising talent for martial arts.

This guy usually lived a life of luxury as a young prince in the palace, and often went out to play and fight. Qiu Chuji only came to see him when he passed through Daxing. No one disciplined him strictly, and he relied entirely on his own self-discipline. As a result, Yang Kang successfully cultivated the Quanzhen Heart Sutra, which shows that he also had good comprehension.

Overall, if we take the disciples of Peach Blossom Island as a benchmark, his aptitude is slightly higher than Lu Chengfeng's, no less than Qu Lingfeng and Chen Xuanfeng, but of course, he is far inferior to Feng Mofeng.

However, they have basically met the entry standards for disciples of Peach Blossom Island, which is already quite high. In the martial arts world, they would be considered elite seeds or direct disciples of those famous sects.

Consider Guo Jing, who is currently undergoing arduous training in the Mongolian desert. Many people say that Guo Jing lacks talent and relies entirely on hard work and opportunity, but this is completely wrong.

Even if you drill eighteen holes in a blockhead, it won't truly enlighten you. If you can't seize opportunities when they come, all your efforts will be in vain.

Guo Jing grew up in the Mongolian desert and didn't receive much formal education. Before he was fully enlightened, he was still somewhat confused and ignorant when he happened to encounter the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan.

These seven guys were indeed chivalrous, but none of them knew how to teach apprentices. Being good at fighting and being good at teaching are two completely different things. They taught Guo Jing everything they had, regardless of whether it was suitable or not.

The hidden weapons of Ke Zhen'e, the Flying Bat; the delicate grappling techniques of Zhu Cong, the Master of the Book; the Yue Maiden Sword of Han Xiaoying; and the whip techniques of Han Baoju, the Horse King God—none of these are really suitable for Guo Jing, or rather, not suitable for building a foundation in.

The steelyard and weight used by Quan Jinfeng, the reclusive swordsman in the bustling city, are unusual weapons that require skill and adaptability, making them even less suitable for use in this situation.

Therefore, among the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, the most suitable ones to lay the foundation for Guo Jing were Nan Xiren's Nanshan Palm Technique and Zhang Asheng's Horizontal Training Kung Fu.

Practicing so many vastly different and unrelated skills simultaneously would be a slow process for anyone, unless they were exceptionally gifted with extraordinary comprehension.

However, apart from Han Xiaoying, none of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan had much patience. They would scold Guo Jing for learning too slowly, especially Ke Zhen'e, who was known for his foul mouth, which was practically verbal violence.

It was fortunate that Guo Jing was kind and persevering. If it were any other child, seeing no progress in their training and being scolded every day, they would have broken down long ago. But this kid would only work harder and harder. If he couldn't learn it the first time, he would practice it ten times, a hundred times, until he mastered it.

But precisely because of this, Guo Jing's martial arts foundation is extremely solid. He may not be the most powerful fighter, nor is he particularly agile in his responses, but he excels in training his strength and coordinating his hand, eye, body, and footwork.

Later, after Ma Yu passed on the Quanzhen Martial Arts to him, Guo Jing seemed to have a catalyst. His various martial arts skills gradually became clear, and he could use them flexibly. In the end, he was able to fight against the Four Demons of the Yellow River and save Temujin, becoming the Golden Knife Prince Consort.

Therefore, it's not accurate to say that Guo Jing was a late bloomer; he simply didn't encounter a renowned teacher when he was young. According to Wu Chengyu's guess, this guy's progress in cultivating the Quanzhen Martial Arts was incredibly fast, indicating that his internal meridians must be far superior to others, even surpassing Yang Kang in front of him.

"Yes, their aptitude is indeed quite good; they barely passed."

Yang Kang was overjoyed and was about to kneel down to become his disciple when Wu Chengyu stopped him. "Wait a minute. The Dharma is not easily passed on. Even if you have the right affinity and aptitude, I still need to see your character. If your character is not strong enough and you are not persevering enough, your achievements will be limited. In the future, you will resent me for not passing on the true skills. Then what's the point of my efforts?"

"Your Highness has some martial arts foundation; do you know how to do a horse stance? Show me."

Yang Kang immediately assumed a horse stance. When he was practicing martial arts, Qiu Chuji personally laid the foundation for him. Qiu Chuji's cultivation and knowledge far surpassed those of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. Yang Kang's horse stance was very standard, and Wu Chengyu could not find any fault with it.

He had Yang Kang assume a horse stance with his arms outstretched, then placed two bowls in Yang Kang's hands, filling them with wine.

"From now on, keep stabbing until I say stop. As long as there is still wine in this bowl, you have passed the first test."

Yang Kang's face was resolute at this moment. He now knew that Wu Chengyu was a true master, far superior to his nominal master Qiu Chuji. In order to learn the real peerless martial arts, he was filled with determination and vowed to become Wu Chengyu's disciple.

Wu Chengyu then ignored Yang Kang, turned around and sat down in a chair, exchanging toasts with Wanyan Honglie, Sha Tongtian and others.

Sha Tongtian and the others were all martial arts practitioners, and they knew that practicing martial arts required enduring hardship. If Yang Kang couldn't even get past this hurdle, he would naturally be better off remaining a noble playboy.

They no longer paid attention to him. Only Wanyan Honglie, the adopted father, truly cared about his adopted son, turning his head to look at Yang Kang from time to time with a look of heartache in his eyes.

After about three incense sticks' worth of time, or about 45 minutes, Yang Kang, a pampered fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, had reached his limit. His legs began to tremble involuntarily, and most of the wine in his bowl spilled out.

This was actually beyond Wu Chengyu's expectations. It was already quite remarkable that a minor could hold a horse stance for so long. If he had continued to push himself, he would have injured his bones and muscles. If he hadn't been unlucky, he might have been able to achieve great things.

At this moment, Wanyan Honglie's gaze toward Wu Chengyu held a hint of pleading. Wu Chengyu knew that time was almost up. After all, he did intend to take Yang Kang as his disciple, even if it wasn't entirely sincere, so it was time to stop.

"Alright, you've passed this test." As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Kang immediately lost his strength and collapsed to the ground with a thud, his arms stiff and his legs unable to straighten.

Peng Lianhu, who was standing nearby, laughed and walked over to Yang Kang, performing a massage to promote blood circulation.

"The fact that the young prince has been able to persevere until now is far more impressive than what I, Peng, did back then. We martial artists may appear imposing on the surface, but we have all trained hard since childhood and have suffered countless hardships. There is no room for faking it. If you slack off during training, you won't even be able to save your life when you fight someone."

"Now it seems the young prince has a good character. With Brother Tian's guidance, his future achievements will surely surpass mine."

Wu Chengyu laughed heartily: "Brother Peng, don't make the decision for me. It's not that simple to join my Quanxing sect."

Young Prince, it's not that I'm deliberately torturing you. To enter my Quanxing Sect, you have to pass three tests. I went through the same thing back then. Just like Brother Peng said, there are no shortcuts in martial arts.

That was the first test. You should rest well. Come to my courtyard early tomorrow morning to pass the second and third tests. Once you pass them, I will teach you the fundamental teachings of the Quanxing Daoist School.

Have you thought this through? The second and third trials are the real tortures. Even today, when I think about them, it feels like a nightmare. If you can't bear it, then just be a proper little prince. Why suffer like this?

"Your Highness, the young prince will be visiting my courtyard tomorrow. You don't need to come over; you love your son dearly and probably wouldn't bear to see him suffer."

Hearing Wu Chengyu's words, Yang Kang was instead filled with youthful spirit: "Mr. Tian, ​​rest assured, I will definitely not disappoint you and my father."

"Haha, young prince, don't boast. We'll see tomorrow. I hope you'll be riding a white horse."

Having enjoyed a hearty meal and savored the royal cuisine, I have satisfied my appetite. How delightful! Your Highness, gentlemen, I shall take my leave now.

If the young prince passes those two tests tomorrow and becomes a disciple of my Quanxing Sect, it will be quite a remarkable story.

After Wu Chengyu left, Wanyan Honglie ordered his men to help Yang Kang down, then turned to look at Liang Ziweng.

"Has Mr. Tian already touched the beautiful maidservant who was given to him?"

"Your Highness, this Mr. Tian must have been holding back for too long. He accepted eight beautiful maids at the same time and kept them busy for two hours. Just for that ability alone, he can be called a master of the world. I wonder if the Quanxing sect has a method of dual cultivation. I am quite envious."

Peng Lianhu, who was standing next to him, also spoke up: "This person seems to be of a genuine nature, doing whatever he wants. He joined our Zhao Wang Mansion because Brother Liang was the first to approach him, which made him feel that it was fate."

The beautiful maidservant bestowed by the prince accepted the gift without restraint, showing no modesty whatsoever, and even displaying some licentiousness.

During the meal, we thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food, and our faces lit up with joy whenever we ate something we liked.

He really does seem like a fake Taoist who couldn't bear the Taoist principles of quietude, inaction, and the hardship of cultivating in the deep mountains, and ran away to enjoy wealth and luxury outside.

Wanyan Honglie nodded: "It seems that this person is trustworthy for the time being. We'll see if he really takes Kang'er as his disciple. But what is the meaning of riding a white horse?"

　I had insomnia last night, so I got up and started writing. I finished two chapters today and am going to sleep now.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)