Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 101 Instruction

A week has passed.

In the early morning, Chen Ping sat cross-legged in the side courtyard, his internal energy and blood circulating. He had become familiar with the path of the first level of the Cangwu Record. His internal energy and blood were stronger than before he entered the school. Not much, but real, as if something that was already there had been polished smoother.

He finished his practice, changed his clothes, and headed towards Cangwu Terrace.

Winter in Tianyan City is much colder than in Huai'an Prefecture. Pedestrians on the street hunch their shoulders, their breath dispersing into white mist in the air. The sounds of early morning training in martial arts schools leak out from the cracks in the doors, the wind of punches cutting through the air, and the faint shouts of someone.

After entering the east gate of Cangwu Terrace, Chen Ping headed towards Jianwu Hall.

Inside the Martial Arts Hall, Zhang Tingwan and Zhou Ji had already arrived. The two were standing by the window talking about something. When they saw Chen Ping come in, Zhang Tingwan raised her hand to greet him, and Zhou Ji grinned.

Chen Ping nodded and sat down beside him.

Before long, all twelve people arrived. Shi Junqing walked in from outside, his gaze sweeping around the hall, and the hall fell silent.

Shi Junqing stopped and began, "After a week, you should all have a good understanding of the seven instructors. Today, I will announce the results."

He took out a booklet from his sleeve, unfolded it, and read it aloud in sequence.

Zhou Ji was a disciple of Xiang Ge.

Zhang Tingwan was a student of Changsun Shao.

Song Ge's disciples included Xue Fengsheng and several other scions of prominent families.

Zhai Jing was a student of Lin Shu.

Two students under Sun Qichen's tutelage.

Chen Ping and Fu Ci are disciples of Qin Ya.

After Shi Junqing finished reading, he closed the booklet, paused, and said, "There is one more thing. In a month, the outer academy will hold a demon hunt in the Southern Ridge. This is a good opportunity to earn merit points. As first-class students, you have a faster start than others, and you must continue to be fast. In the past, there have been many first-class students who were defeated by students with other qualifications. Qualification is not everything. Remember that."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Junqing turned and left, his footsteps disappearing into the corridor.

There was a moment of silence in the hall, then everyone stood up and went to their respective instructors.

Zhang Tingwan patted Chen Ping on the shoulder and said, "Let's get together another day."

Zhou Ji grinned and said, "Do a good job."

Chen Ping nodded and walked out.

As I walked to the door, another person appeared beside me—the man with the cold and stern face.

The two were walking on the same road, so they must be Fu Ci, who had both become Qin Ya's disciples.

Chen Ping didn't say anything, and the two of them walked one after the other toward the northwest corner.

Qin Ya's residence is located in the northwest corner of Cangwu Terrace, not far from the main martial arts arena. It has blue brick walls and no guards at the gate. There is only a wooden plaque hanging by the gate with the two characters "Qin Ya" engraved on it.

Chen Ping and Fu Ci walked over one after the other, with a distance of nearly three steps between them. Fu Ci's back was straight, his steps were steady, and he walked without any unnecessary movements, exuding an air of arrogance.

Chen Ping didn't pay any attention and raised his hand to knock on the door.

A moment later, the door opened.

The man who opened the door was of well-proportioned build, looked young, and had an ordinary face, but he exuded an indescribable composure. His exposed hands were covered with a mix of old and new scars, some of which had formed calluses, while others still bore faint red marks.

He glanced at the two of them and said in a calm voice, "Come in."

The courtyard was small, with a martial arts platform in the center, paved with bluestone, and a wooden stake in each of the four corners. The stakes were covered with chisel marks, knife marks, and fist marks, some of which were so deep that they were almost broken off.

In the corner of the courtyard stood a row of weapon racks, with spears, bows, swords, hammers, axes, and all sorts of weapons neatly arranged. Every single one looked like it had been used; none of them were just for show.

Qin Ya stood by the martial arts stage, turned around, looked at the two, and said, "Have you both mastered the basics of the Cangwu Record?"

Fu Ci clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

Chen Ping nodded.

Qin Ya's gaze lingered on Chen Ping for a moment before he spoke: "Your skills are diverse, including fist techniques, palm techniques, knife techniques, and movement techniques, and you've mastered them all quite well. Very good."

He turned to Fu Ci and said, "Your spear and bow skills are solid, but they're still not enough compared to others."

He raised his chin. "You guys spar a bit so I can give you some pointers. The first match will test your fists and feet, no weapons involved."

The two walked onto the martial arts stage, stood on opposite sides, and bowed to each other.

Fu Ci stopped, glanced at Chen Ping, and spoke in a cold voice: "My name is Fu Ci. My martial arts are of the hidden strength type, and I haven't mastered them to a high level yet, so I might not be able to stop myself."

Chen Ping sensed the arrogance in his words, smiled slightly, and said, "Chen Ping, Ming Jin, feel free to make a move."

A cold glint flashed in Fu Ci's eyes. He shifted his feet, and in the perception of the Water Observation Technique, seventy percent of his blood and qi were mobilized, yet they remained condensed and did not dissipate. With each step, he continuously accumulated power, like a fully drawn bow, becoming tighter and tighter.

Chen Ping's eyes showed surprise.

Fu Ci rushed over quickly. By the time he reached Chen Ping, his internal energy had reached 80%. He bent his fingers into a claw and grabbed straight at Chen Ping's crown, exuding a faint bloody killing intent.

Chen Ping continued to circulate the Water Observation Technique. At the moment Fu Ci made his move, the accumulated blood and qi truly flowed into his palm. Chen Ping activated his Divine Movement and his figure disappeared.

Fu Ci's pupils contracted, not expecting Chen Ping to disappear so suddenly. The next moment, he sensed the movement behind him, his body suddenly crouching down, his claws still sharp, and he went straight for Chen Ping's ankle.

Chen Ping's eyes flashed. This was the first time that someone could detect the use of Divine Speed ​​so quickly, and the transitions between moves were seamless and the momentum was undiminished. Clearly, Fu Ci's Claw Attack martial art was at least highly accomplished, or even perfected.

He then shifted his stance and moved backward, causing Fu Ci's attack to miss its mark.

The two men each took half a step back and stood still.

Fu Ci looked at Chen Ping with increased caution and asked, "Which lineage does your movement technique come from?"

Chen Ping stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Cloud Piercing Leap."

Fu Ci was taken aback for a moment, then a hint of dissatisfaction appeared on his face. He said, "If you're asking about your inheritance, just tell me directly. Why try to fob me off with trash like the Cloud Piercing Leap?"

He shifted his stance, adopted a boxing stance, and strode forward. His boxing style was different from before; he switched to a different approach and threw a punch at Chen Ping's face.

Chen Ping shook his head, assumed the Dragon Python stance, activated his Divine Speed, and suddenly appeared in front of Fu Ci. Fu Ci watched as Chen Ping disappeared in front of him, leaving behind an afterimage, and then reappeared in front of him. He was obviously also surprised. Chen Ping threw a punch, which roared like a dragon. His strength was like a dragon and a python. He mobilized ninety percent of his blood and qi and directly collided with Fu Ci's fist.

Fu Ci's fist contained hidden force, but Chen Ping's fist was even stronger. With one punch, he forced Fu Ci back three steps, while Chen Ping did not move an inch.

Fu Ci looked at Chen Ping, alarmed, and said, "How is this possible?!"

With a fighting spirit gleaming in his eyes, he wanted to fight again, but Qin Ya, standing by the stage, said, "Alright, that's enough."

Fu Ci said, "Instructor Qin, I haven't lost yet, why are you telling me to stop?!"

Qin Ya said, "There's no need for a competition. Letting you spar is just to see if there are any shortcomings. Now I can see clearly that at this stage, your fist and foot skills are about the same, but Chen Ping is better in terms of movement. It's already good that you can react in time, but Chen Ping has already found his own path in the basic fist techniques."

Fu Ci was startled and turned to Chen Ping, saying, "You mean, he has created his own martial art?"

Qin Ya nodded and said, "It can be considered one, but it's not entirely self-created. It's more about repairing the flaws in the original technique and combining it with my own insights."

Fu Ci was somewhat incredulous, then said, "Then I must have another match with him! I refuse to believe that I am inferior to him in weaponry and martial arts!"

Qin Ya frowned and said, "That's enough. It's normal for martial artists to compete, but there are always people better than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. You need to learn to accept this and acknowledge your shortcomings so that you can make further progress."

Fu Ci felt somewhat distressed and said, "But my mind can't understand!"

Qin Ya looked at him for a moment and said, "Sure, but Cangwu Terrace is not for you to vent your anger and resentment on your colleagues. If you want to compete with him, go to the Southern Ridge Demon Hunt in the Outer Court in a month. You can compete with him and see who kills more demons."

Fu Ci remained silent for a moment, his chest heaving twice, then nodded and said nothing more.

Chen Ping stood on the platform and looked up at the area outside the courtyard wall. The Nanling Mountains stretched to the horizon, with clouds and mist swirling around their waists, pressing down on half the sky.

In the east of the city, in front of a teahouse.

A middle-aged man dressed as a businessman stood outside the door, with a sign that read "Shiquan Chamber of Commerce" hanging from his waist.

At this moment, Bai Chongshan and Bai Ming appeared at the door. Upon seeing the two, the man smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Master Bai, Young Master Bai, please come in."

Upon reaching the private room on the second floor, several men dressed as wealthy businessmen stood up one by one.

Leading the group was Li Yun, a native of Jinnan Prefecture. He moved to Tianyan Prefecture three years ago to do medicinal herb business and bought a house in the east of the city. He was practically a neighbor of the Bai family. He spoke frankly, and when he smiled, fine lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, making him seem like an easy person to talk to.

The round-faced merchant next to me is Zhong Youyu, a native of Yangzhou Prefecture. He has been here for four years, dealing in cloth and silk. He has two shops on South Street. He speaks slowly and deliberately, but his eyes are sharp, and he subtly observes people.

The man with the short beard was named He Chang'an. He was from Sichuan and had been here for five years. He was in the arms trade and had opened a shop near Cangwu Terrace. Business was not bad, but he never got any big orders from the local powerful families. When he talked about this, the corners of his mouth turned down slightly, but then he smiled again.

Finally, there was Zhao Shi, the head of the Shiquan Chamber of Commerce. He had been in Tianyan Prefecture the longest, for a full seven years. He had worked with everything from grains to medicinal herbs and was the most senior among them. He didn't talk much, but every word he uttered hit the nail on the head.

Li Yun sat to Bai Chongshan's left, holding a teacup, and said, "Brother Bai, you've just arrived in Tianyan Prefecture. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask us. We're all outsiders, so let's help each other out."

Everyone smiled and nodded, and the atmosphere seemed lively. But Bai Chongshan sat down and glanced at the expressions of these people. He knew at a glance how much of this liveliness was genuine and how much was fake.

Zhong Youyu put down his teacup, sighed, and said, "To be honest, for us outsiders to gain a foothold in Tianyan Prefecture, we need people from Cangwu Terrace. Otherwise, it will be difficult to move an inch in Tianyan Prefecture."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and someone added, "I was fortunate enough to meet one of those top students from poor families in this year's cohort, but he was very cautious and refused to accept my financial aid no matter what."

Another merchant stroked his chin and said, "Wait, I did find out about one. I heard he used to be in a gang before coming here, and he had a tough journey. I think someone like that wouldn't refuse. I also found out where he lives. We can all go to his place with gifts and try to seduce him with money and beautiful women. I don't believe he'd disagree. It would be great if he could be a nominal bodyguard for us."

The group nodded and smiled, then began to discuss amongst themselves.

Bai Chongshan, holding his teacup, listened to the man talk about the gang and the hardships they had endured. A vague sense of familiarity stirred within him, but he couldn't quite place it. With a smile, he asked, "When are you all going?"

The group exchanged glances, and one of them chuckled, "Brother Bai, you're interested too? But this opportunity has limited spots; it's impossible for one person to have their name on all of ours at the same time. However..."

""

He paused, then took out several booklets from his sleeve and pushed them in front of Bai Chongshan. "I have some information on second-class students here. If you want them, Mr. Bai, I can share them with you."

Bai Chongshan looked down at the booklets, then looked up, his lips twitched, and he smiled as he thanked them, reaching out to take them.

Bai Ming sat to the side, saying nothing, simply holding his teacup and slowly sipping his tea.