The Spiritual Pivot of Mortal Cultivation

The ten-day test ended, but the noise in the training ground did not dissipate along with the crowd.

That day, as dusk settled over the mountains, when the outer disciples returned to their residences, the most discussed topic was not who had the heaviest punches or the fastest legs, but rather Bai Xuanxin's two matches. The first match was alright, just a bit tricky in his footwork and slippery in his movements, using leverage in a way that made one's heart clench; but the second match against Shi Jian was really unlike the usual style of the Seven Mysteries Sect's outer disciples.

It's not about defeating the enemy with a powerful punch.

It's not about overwhelming people with profound inner strength.

It's not even about clever tricks or surprising tactics.

Instead, it was dismantled.

Like a skilled butcher penetrating to the bone, or a physician applying acupuncture, his movements were neither grand nor particularly astonishing, yet every strike landed precisely on the most uncomfortable spots. Shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees—it felt as if a mere touch from his hand would instantly drain three-tenths of one's strength.

So that night, although the lights in the disciples' residences on the back mountain went out much earlier than usual, there were still many low murmurs of discussion inside and outside the houses, under the eaves, and on the kang (heated brick bed).

"Did you all see that clearly? Was Senior Brother Bai's move an acupoint strike or a grappling technique?"

"You don't use pressure points like that. It looks more like dislocating tendons and bones to me, but it's not like ordinary grappling."

"Shi Jian, who is usually so tough, can be hit by a wooden stake without even flinching, but today he was beaten to his knees by Senior Brother Bai. To put it bluntly, it sent chills down my spine."

"Was this kind of technique truly taught within the sect?"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, and eventually, it became impossible to make sense of it all.

It felt like Bai Xuanxin's technique had the shadow of the Seven Mysteries Sect's capture and bone-dislocation techniques, but it was also like he had crushed all of those techniques, picked out the most insidious, subtle, and hardest to defend against parts, and reassembled them into his own set of methods.

Such discussions would certainly not be confined to the disciples.

The next morning, the list of candidates and results for the ten-day examination were neatly copied and sent to various examination halls by the stewards. Bai Xuanxin's name was originally just tucked in one of the lines, but the few comments next to it were too conspicuous.

"His movements are unpredictable and his advances and retreats are measured."

—"Unconventional grappling techniques can break a person's strength."

—"Extremely composed in the face of the enemy, we can observe further."

These few words, though not particularly effusive, were enough to make anyone reading the booklet pause for a second.

In the side hall on the east side of the outer gate, a steward placed the list on the table, first bowed, then stepped back half a step.

Three people were sitting behind the table.

The elderly man in the center, dressed in a green robe, was none other than Instructor Li, who had sat under the eaves during yesterday's ten-day examination. He was not tall, his beard and hair were already somewhat gray, and his face was stern, yet there was a kind of composure between his brows that came from years of experience in battle. He was usually responsible for overseeing the ten-day and monthly examinations of the outer sect, and also supervised the instruction of several martial arts styles. In the eyes of the outer sect disciples, he was already a very influential figure.

Instructor Li turned to Bai Xuanxin's page on the roster, looked at it for a moment, and then looked up.

"Is this Bai Xuanxin?"

A steward nearby quickly replied, "That's right. This kid wasn't particularly outstanding before, but in the last month or two, his methods have suddenly changed. A few days ago, many disciples in the outer sect mentioned him, saying that he can diagnose injuries, use medicine, and his fighting style is very different from that of ordinary disciples."

Upon hearing this, Instructor Li neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply tapped the pages of the booklet lightly with his knuckles.

"The body movements are based on the 'Luoyan Step'."

As he said this, his gaze darkened slightly, "But it wasn't learned by simply following the book."

Standing beside him was a middle-aged man dressed in a short, gray-blue robe. His hands were enormous, with thick calluses on the base of his thumbs, clearly indicating he was also a highly experienced figure in the organization. He hadn't attended the examination yesterday, but had heard about it before, and upon hearing this, he added:

"I've heard it from my men too. They say this kid's fists and feet aren't particularly impressive, but he always targets the bones and joints, acting more like a doctor than a martial artist."

Instructor Li gave a faint smile.

"Being a doctor isn't necessarily a bad thing," he said. "In the martial arts world, the one who dies the fastest isn't necessarily the one with the worst skills; it's often those who only know how to show off their bravery but don't know how to dismantle people. The Seven Mysteries Sect's fist and foot techniques are originally geared towards practical combat. If he can truly forge his own path through grappling, pressure point striking, and bone dislocation, he can be considered a promising talent."

The middle-aged man thought for a moment and then said, "But this approach is ultimately a bit off. If young disciples become too engrossed in these underhanded methods too early, they are more likely to ruin their foundation."

Instructor Li did not answer immediately this time.

He flipped through the roster, returning to Bai Xuanxin's page. His gaze lingered for a moment on the four characters "extremely composed in the face of the enemy" before he slowly said:

"Whether it's biased or not depends not on the recruitment, but on the people involved."

"If one's actions are unorthodox and one's mind is not steady, then they are merely clever tricks."

"If one's methods are unorthodox, but one is calm, has keen insight, and knows when to stop, one can actually achieve great things."

At this point, he raised his head, his voice not loud, but quite weighty.

"In yesterday's match against Shi Jian, if this kid only wanted to show off his skills, he would have made a series of attacks long ago. But he deliberately held back, only dismantling the opponent's strength without injuring their bones, only establishing his reputation without revealing his true strength. This is not the kind of composure that can be achieved with mere cleverness."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The deacon who brought the list, who had initially thought it was just a routine report, couldn't help but hold his breath upon hearing this. Having worked in the branch for many years, he knew Instructor Li's temperament best. To receive a simple "you know your limits" from this instructor was far more valuable than praise for his powerful punches and quick kicks.

Meanwhile, in another hall on a higher floor, someone also casually flipped through this list of candidates for the ten-day examination.

That place was much more solemn than the outer side hall. The tables were all made of solid wood, and what hung on the wall were not wooden plaques or medicine pouches, but the hall rules and patrol maps established by the sect over the years. The disciples standing outside were not the outer sect servants; they all had their sleeves drawn up and their eyes lowered, not daring to say a word.

Behind the desk sat a man, around forty years old, with a square face and slanted eyebrows. He didn't seem angry, but there was a kind of imposing and stern aura between his brows.

It was none other than Wang Juechu, the sect leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

He had just finished dealing with a few miscellaneous matters involving the transfer of members from various branches at the border. He casually flipped through the roster beside him, intending to glance at it to see if there were any outstanding disciples in the ten-day examination. Given his status, such an outer sect competition was not worth his attention. What truly concerned him were the various branches within the sect, the situation at the border, and the movements of the Wild Wolf Gang.

But after turning several pages, his gaze paused slightly on one spot.

"Bai Xuanxin?"

Wang Juechu read the name aloud without changing his expression.

Upon seeing this, a hall master standing nearby stepped forward and whispered, "He is an outer disciple. He stood out in yesterday's ten-day test. Instructor Li took a few extra glances at him, and when the steward reported it, he casually mentioned that this boy's style was unusual and his moves were steady, unlike ordinary outer disciples."

Wang Juechu hummed in agreement and lightly tapped the roster with his fingertip.

"Strange?"

"Yes." The hall master said carefully, "It's not a grand style, but it seems like he's figured out something on his own in terms of grappling, dislocating bones, and acupressure. His internal strength doesn't seem too deep yet, but he's very calm and knows how to control himself when facing an enemy."

Upon hearing this, Wang Juechu did not ask any further questions, but simply closed the register and placed it aside.

He's the kind of person who's seen far too many promising talents. Let alone a disciple who stands out in the outer sect's ten-day examination, even if they truly have some talent, they're nothing special if they don't really grow up. It's already quite good that he's remembered their name once; they're far from being "personally summoned."

Even so, the name still caught his eye.

That's enough.

As for Bai Xuanxin himself, he was still completely unaware of this at this time.

He didn't leave the back mountain all morning, but stayed in the house and went over Shi Jian's exam from the previous day twice more. Not to savor the victory or defeat, but to correct any miscalculations.

Shi Jian's impact was heavier than expected. If I hadn't already used my delicate hands to dissipate some of the force from his shoulder and elbow, the final, forceful cut down the center might not have been so smooth. Furthermore, when I dislocated his right shoulder, my left elbow was slightly faster. An ordinary person wouldn't notice, but against a true master, that slight difference in speed would reveal that I was too hasty.

Bai Xuanxin sat on the edge of the earthen bed, holding a thin wooden stick in her hand, and slowly drew two intersecting lines on the ground.

One vertical line, one horizontal line.

Vertical movement refers to body posture, while horizontal movement refers to hand techniques.

Yesterday's ten-day test established his "body technique" as a starting point, and he also revealed a glimmer of his talent in the "hand technique" area. Next, the outer disciples will pass on his knowledge, the stewards will record it, and the instructors will review it again. He can be considered to have taken this step firmly.

Having a firm foothold doesn't mean you can climb higher.

From the outer sect to the inner sect, the difference isn't just in martial arts skills, but also in the sect's reputation, whether there are experienced people willing to hone your skills, whether someone is willing to speak up for you, and even the timing and who sees you.

As Bai Xuanxin was thinking, two knocks, neither too loud nor too soft, suddenly came from outside the house.

"Is Senior Brother Bai there?"

Bai Xuanxin raised her eyes, casually tossed the wooden branch aside, and got up to open the door.

Standing outside the door was a slightly older outer disciple. He was unfamiliar with the face but was wearing a short jacket used for communication. His expression was also more reserved than that of the ordinary disciples, clearly indicating that he was running errands for the sect.

When the man saw Bai Xuanxin open the door, he first looked him up and down before cupping his hands and saying:

"Senior Brother Bai, Instructor Li has sent a message."

Bai Xuanxin's heart stirred, but he showed nothing on his face, calmly saying, "Please speak."

The disciple swallowed hard, clearly aware that he was conveying a weighty message.

"Instructor Li said—"

"Come to the hall tomorrow."

He paused, then added the second half of the sentence.

"The instructors want to see what you're up to."

As the mountain wind blew outside, a drop of water gently fell from the eaves.

Bai Xuanxin stood in front of the door, her gaze sharpening slightly before slowly relaxing.

Finally, it's here.

This marks another step forward in the overall strategy of the Seven Mysteries Sect. Only by acquiring sufficient resources and mastering mortal martial arts to a high enough level can one be qualified to challenge Doctor Mo.