I equip myself with everything in this chaotic world of martial arts.

The next morning, after drinking the porridge that Sister Xiuhua brought, Huang Yi, with the encouragement in his elder brother's eyes, went out with the money in his pocket.

The road surface of Yongqingfang is full of potholes, garbage can be seen everywhere, and the piles of waste emit a nauseating smell.

The black sewage in the potholes of the street also emitted a foul stench, and flies buzzed around as people passed by.

Pedestrians hurried along the street, all wearing tattered clothes covered in patches, some even barefoot.

Yongqingfang is inhabited by poor people who have long been exploited by gangs and have a hard life.

Huang Yi lowered his head and quickened his pace.

Baohua Street, Five Elements Boxing Gym.

Huang Yi stood in front of the door for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked.

On the third knock, a strong, resonant voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"My name is Huang Yi, and I have come to become your disciple."

There was a moment of silence inside, then footsteps approached, and the courtyard gate creaked open halfway.

The door was opened by a strong young man who poked his head out, looked him up and down, and then stepped aside, saying, "Come in, Master is inside."

The martial arts school is a three-courtyard complex.

In the open space in the front yard, stone locks, wooden stakes, knives, spears, halberds and other weapons were scattered among the ground.

A dozen or so boys of varying ages were stretching their arms and legs in the yard. When they saw someone enter, they all stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Under the eaves of the main house, there is an old armchair.

A man sat in the chair, his exact age indiscernible. His short jacket was washed grayish-white, and his arms were draped over the armrests. He was dark-skinned, lean, and covered with crisscrossing scars, new ones overlapping old ones, like the gnarled bark of an old tree root.

He held a dark, heavy iron ruler in his hand. The ruler itself was dull, yet it turned slowly between his fingertips with a steady, unsettling motion.

The strong young man stepped forward and whispered, "Master, I've come to become your disciple."

Zhou Qing's gaze swept over Huang Yi: "Where are you from? How old are you?"

"I am Huang Yi, a sixteen-year-old from Yongqingfang. I have long admired Master Zhou's reputation and have come here to learn from him."

"Come stand over here." Zhou Qing pointed to the open space in front of him.

Huang Yi stood still as instructed.

"Reach out your hand."

Huang Yi stretched out his hands.

Zhou Qing grabbed his wrist and pinched his forearm upwards with great force. When he pinched the bone, Huang Yi couldn't help but frown.

Next came the shoulders, back, waist, hips, thighs... every joint, every bone was carefully kneaded by those rough hands.

After finishing, Zhou Qing let go and patted the dust off his trousers.

"His bones haven't fully healed yet, so he can still train, but that's about it." His voice was flat. "Hard, brittle, stiff, and his blood and qi are weak. He's not good material for martial arts."

The boys nearby exchanged glances but remained silent.

Huang Yi was not surprised to hear this assessment.

Without the [Equipment Slot], his frail body wouldn't even qualify him to practice martial arts.

Seeing Huang Yi's composed expression, Zhou Qing nodded slightly, "Unperturbed by favor or disgrace, that's quite a good temperament!"

"What I teach here is 'Five Animal Fist,' not some fancy street performance. It's a combat skill that cultivates both internal and external strength. Only by mastering it can you have a chance to change your destiny!"

"Master is right!" someone immediately began to flatter.

Zhou Qing looked up at Huang Yi: "With your physique, it'll be very difficult for you to train properly. Even so, you still want to learn?"

Huang Yi met his gaze without the slightest hesitation: "I want to learn."

Zhou Qing stared at him for two seconds, then nodded. "Let me make this clear from the start: learning martial arts requires paying tuition. If you can't pay on time, don't blame the martial arts school for being ruthless and expelling you. Have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind!"

Huang Yi bowed and presented the prepared silver with both hands.

"This money is enough for your tuition for two months."

Zhou Qing weighed the silver in his hand, then put it away. "From today onwards, you will stay at the academy. I will discipline you, but I will not teach you anything. How much you learn is up to you."

Huang Yi respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This disciple will certainly study diligently and practice assiduously as possible, so as not to let Master Zhou down!"

The first step in learning martial arts has finally been taken.

Zhou Qing nodded, "If you're willing to work hard and develop some real skills, making a living won't be difficult."

Yongqingfang was a slum in the outer city. A poor young man spent all his family's money to learn martial arts, just to make a living. Want to get ahead? Difficult!

He gestured with his chin toward a young man beside him, who was in his early thirties and had a square face and a wide mouth:

"Chen Meng, tell him about the rules of the martial arts school, and then take him around to familiarize him with the environment."

"yes!"

Chen Meng walked over in response, grinning, "My name is Chen Meng, and I'll be your fifth senior brother from now on. Come on, let your senior brother show you around."

The martial arts school is quite large, with a training ground in the front yard;

The central courtyard is the "Five Animal Enlightenment Site," with its gates tightly closed and entry prohibited, making it quite mysterious.

The backyard is the master's residence, and entry is also prohibited without permission.

The courtyard is fully equipped with storerooms, dining halls, bathhouses, and other facilities.

"We don't have many rules here, only four."

Chen Meng said solemnly, "First, you must not use your power to bully others or commit evil deeds."

Second, what is passed down within the sect must not be disseminated without permission;

"Thirdly, respect teachers and the Way, and strictly prohibit infighting among fellow disciples!"

Fourth, if the sect is ever in trouble in the future, you should lend a helping hand to the best of your ability.

Huang Yi wrote down all these rules.

Finally, Chen Meng led him to the storeroom, where he received two sets of worn-out training clothes before returning to the training ground.

Zhou Qing looked at Huang Yi, who had changed into his training clothes, and said, "For beginners, a solid foundation is especially important. I will personally guide you these next few days."

Huang Yi nodded emphatically: "Thank you, Master!"

He was very interested in real martial arts, whether it was really as he remembered, where one person could suppress an entire country.

"Watch closely."

He stood up, walked to the center of the field, and stood still.

next moment--

Roar!

A deep tiger roar burst forth from his chest, not a deliberate howl, but a natural sound from the resonance of his bones and the surge of his blood.

Zhou Qing's entire demeanor changed drastically, like a ferocious tiger awakening, crouching, peering, and gathering its strength.

Tiger-style boxing has simple moves, but its power is extremely fierce. The hands are clenched into claws, and they cut through the air with a sharp hiss.

Huang Yi's pupils contracted as he became completely absorbed in the task.

The memory honed in his past life was now running at full speed, engraving every rise and fall of the moves, the shifts in footwork, and the changes in the center of gravity into his mind.

After finishing the Tiger Form Fist, Zhou Qing's body didn't stop; he suddenly changed direction.

The previous violence and ferocity receded like the tide, transforming into a light and graceful state of mind.

His footwork was undulating, like a deer leaping through a mountain stream, and the arcs drawn by his arms were continuous—Deer Style Fist.

Next comes the deep and heavy Bear Form, the cunning and agile Ape Form, and the graceful and light Crane Form.

The Five Elements Fist Technique is performed in one continuous motion.

Zhou Qing stood still, his breathing as steady as ever, as if he had never performed that set of fist techniques that combined strength and gentleness, with a completely different artistic conception.

He looked at Huang Yi: "How much did you remember?"

Huang Yi stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This disciple is dull-witted and has only barely memorized the entire Tiger Form Fist. As for the other four forms... I have only grasped a little bit of the basics."

He got into position and started acting from the beginning.

He actually managed to execute the Tiger Form Fist perfectly.

Although the movements were clumsy and lacked strength, the framework was clear and the sequence was correct.

The subsequent four forms—deer, bear, ape, and crane—could only demonstrate scattered, signature moves:

The deer-shaped figure "drinks from the spring with its neck raised", the bear-shaped figure "crashes against the mountain", the ape-shaped figure "explores the moon and plucks stars", and the crane-shaped figure "spreads its wings and soars into the clouds".

The moves are abruptly disconnected and lack any artistic conception.

After finishing the set, Huang Yi's forehead was covered in sweat, and his breathing was slightly disordered.

Zhou Qing watched quietly for a while, then nodded:

"The five forms are complex. After your first observation, you were able to memorize the entire tiger form and grasp the most expressive pose of the other four forms... Your memory is quite good."

The evaluation wasn't high, but it wasn't exactly derogatory either.

"Just memorizing isn't enough." Zhou Qing walked to his side. "You have to practice the fist techniques to make them count. Today I'll teach you from the beginning."

Zhou Qing taught him in great detail.

Starting with the first move of Tiger Form Fist, "Lying on the Ground and Peeping at the Mountain," we corrected Huang Yi's posture step by step: to what extent should his waist sink, how should his shoulders relax and sink, how should the power originate from his heels, pass through his waist and back, and reach his fingertips.

Huang Yi studied extremely hard.

His body was too stiff; he understood many of the techniques, but when he put them into practice, it was completely different.

It took Zhou Qing seven or eight adjustments to get a simple dive to look decent.

Sweat quickly soaked through the coarse cloth training clothes.

But Huang Yi didn't stop.

Even more miraculously, whenever he felt exhausted, his muscles ached so much they were about to cramp, and his breath was burning hot as if he were swallowing charcoal, the [Equipment Slot] in his mind would quietly light up with a warm golden glow.

Then a long and resilient heat would surge from the deepest part of his body, allowing him to always muster a breath and persevere for another hour when he was on the verge of exhaustion.

Zhou Qing's gaze gradually changed.

He could see clearly that this kid's physical constitution was indeed poor, and his qi and blood were weak. Even after correcting him three or five times, he still couldn't get the essentials right.

But that resilience... exceeded his expectations.

For an average beginner, such intense corrective exercises would leave them exhausted after half an hour.

But Huang Yi, who was extremely weak, managed to endure the entire morning!

"Huff... huff..."

As noon approached, the bluestone slab in his equipment inventory became dull, and Huang Yi could no longer lift his arm.

He staggered a step, barely managing to stand, looking as if he had been pulled out of the water, his face pale, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

Zhou Qing withdrew his hand, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at him for a long time, secretly sighing with regret.

If one has better aptitude, is a few years younger, or has the family's financial resources to provide medicinal and nourishing meals... with this kind of temperament, one might very well make a name for oneself in the path of martial arts.

But now, this body is like a leaky bucket; the harder you train, the faster it leaks.

Without a solid foundation, relying solely on willpower to persevere will eventually lead to an inability to hold on.

"That's enough for today. Go back and get some rest." His voice was still calm, but it had a subtle softening compared to the morning. "We'll continue tomorrow at 5 AM."

Huang Yi bowed deeply and said hoarsely, "Thank you... thank you, Master."

He used almost all his remaining strength to drag his body, which felt like it didn't belong to him, to the stone bench by the side of the field and sit down.

A bowl of water was handed to them from the side.

It was my fifth senior brother, Chen Meng.

"Thank you... Fifth Senior Brother." Huang Yi accepted it, his hands trembling violently.

Chen Meng sat down beside him, looked at his disheveled yet bright eyes, suddenly grinned, took out a cloth bag from his pocket, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Take it."

Huang Yi was taken aback and lifted a corner of the cloth bag.

Inside was a section of dark red ginseng rootlets, emitting a bitter, herbal aroma.

"This is……"

"The blood ginseng is relatively young, but it's sufficient to replenish qi and blood."

Chen Meng spoke casually, but his eyes were serious. "My family told me to bring a spare, but I don't need it, so it's just sitting there."

Huang Yi's throat tightened.

Although he didn't know much about medicinal herbs, he knew that anything with the word "ginseng" in its name was expensive.

This gift is too generous.

"Fifth Senior Brother, this is too precious, I..."

"Just take it." Chen Meng pressed his hand down. "I can tell you really want to learn something."

"But your body..." He shook his head, "without something to cushion it, you'll collapse if you train too hard. You can eat a small piece of this ginseng each time to replenish your vital energy."

After saying that, he turned and left, his back view free and easy.