Proving God begins with the principle that no effort is wasted.

It was late at night, and almost all the lights in the martial arts school were off, with only a dim yellow light still shining from the main room.

Jiang Lan stood at the door, took a deep breath, and raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Come in."

He pushed open the door and went in. Instructor Liu sat in a grand chair, holding a boxing manual in his hand, a pot of cold tea in front of him. Seeing Jiang Lan arrive so late at night, he closed the manual, his brow furrowed.

He frowned slightly, but his gaze held its usual gentleness: "It's so late, why aren't you in your room meditating? What are you doing here?"

Jiang Lan didn't rush to speak. She stepped forward, silently picked up the teapot, poured out all the cold tea, picked up the kettle in the corner, brewed a full pot of fresh tea, and presented it to Coach Liu with both hands.

Coach Liu gazed at the rising steam from the cup, tapped the table lightly with his fingertip, and said knowingly, "You child, you never come here without a reason. So, tell me, what's troubling you?"

"Master, I have achieved some success in the Mountain-Crushing Fist today." Jiang Lan took a step back, bowed and clasped his hands, his back straight, without the slightest arrogance.

Instructor Liu was taken aback. He put down the boxing manual, took the hot tea, stood up, and looked Jiang Lan up and down: "Perform a set for me to see."

Jiang Lan retreated to the center of the room and assumed a fighting stance.

Tiger Strike, Tiger Swing, Tiger Pounce – the three moves flowed in succession, the force of the punches cutting through the air, creating a whooshing sound in the cramped main room. He withdrew his fists, stood still, his breathing steady, barely a drop of sweat on his face.

Coach Liu looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and then smiled.

"Heaven rewards diligence." He picked up the cup of hot tea, took a sip, and said, "You've been in the school for half a year, your stance training is perfected, and you've achieved a minor mastery of the Mountain-Crushing Fist. Your aptitude is below average, yet you've developed first-rate speed."

"good."

He put down his teacup and glanced at Jiang Lan's face: "Your fist technique has reached a minor level. Next, you should prepare to open your second acupoint. It's been almost half a year since you opened your first acupoint when you entered the school. Opening two acupoints within a year isn't top-tier in a martial arts school, but for someone with your aptitude, it's quite good."

He paused, as if talking to himself: "Below average talent, two acupuncture points a year... a promising talent."

Jiang Lan lowered his eyes: "This disciple dares not accept such praise."

"You didn't come to me just to talk about this, did you?" Instructor Liu sat back in his armchair, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "Speak, what is it?"

Jiang Lan relayed Huo Yuanlong's words in detail. The escort fee was two taels of silver; they would depart at dawn the day after tomorrow.

After listening, Instructor Liu did not speak immediately. He picked up his teacup, then put it down again, and tapped his fingers on the table a few times.

"You want to go?"

"I need money," Jiang Lan said. "There are only six months left on the bet, and I don't have enough wages at the grain shop. This trip will cost two taels of silver, which is equivalent to five months of my work."

"But the road is dangerous," Instructor Liu said. "The Zhao family is watching, and the remnants of the Black Tiger Gang are also looking for an opportunity. You, a mere martial artist at the first level, would be committing suicide if you went."

"That's why I've come to ask you for my help, Master." Jiang Lan clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowing deeply. "I'd like to ask Senior Brother Sun to come with me. He's been there before and knows the area well. If something really happens, he can help me."

Coach Liu remained silent for a long time.

"Do you know the relationship between the Canal Gang and the martial arts school?" he suddenly asked.

"This disciple does not know."

"We used to keep to ourselves." Instructor Liu stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to him. "Now that the Canal Gang has taken over the docks, the martial arts school's influence there has weakened. I need someone to keep an eye on things there."

He turned to look at Jiang Lan: "I won't stop you from going to escort the goods. But you have to promise me one thing—tell me when you come back if there's any movement from the Canal Gang."

"This disciple agrees," he said.

Instructor Liu nodded, took a piece of silver from the drawer, and tossed it to him: "This is Sun Gengsan's hard-earned money. It's not free; he'll give you half of his wages."

Jiang Lan caught the silver and put it in her pocket: "Thank you, Master."

"Go," Instructor Liu waved his hand, "Don't die on the way."

Jiang Lan left the main room and gently closed the door.

Sun Gengsan's side room was on the east side of the training ground, and the light was still on.

Jiang Lan knocked and entered. Sun Gengsan was wiping his knife. Seeing him, he grinned and said, "It's so late, why aren't you sleeping? What are you doing here?"

Jiang Lan sat down opposite him and explained what had happened.

"I'd like to ask you to come with me," he said. "My master agreed. This is the hard-earned money he gave me."

He placed the piece of silver on the table.

Sun Geng glanced at the silver but didn't take it immediately. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table as if he were doing accounting.

"Do you know how dangerous that road is?"

"have no idea."

"Last month, a shipment of goods belonging to the canal gang was robbed on the way, and three people died."

"That's why I came to find you," Jiang Lan said.

Sun Gengsan remained silent for a while, then reached out, picked up the silver, weighed it in his hand, and put it in his pocket.

"Okay, I'll go with you. But there are two rules." He held up two fingers. "First, if a fight breaks out, I'll protect you, not the goods. You can earn back the goods, but your life is gone forever."

"And the second one?"

"Secondly, you owe me a favor after this trip. You can't refuse to help me in the future."

Jiang Lan nodded: "Deal."

Sun Gengsan stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

Jiang Lan stepped out of the side room, the night wind making his clothes flutter.

Instead of going home, he went to the training ground.

The moonlight shone on the blue brick ground, as white as frost. He walked to the wooden stake, took off his outer robe, draped it over the stake, and, bare-chested, assumed the starting stance for his stance training.

His feet gripped the ground, knees slightly bent, back straight. The night wind was cold, stinging his skin like needles.

One hundred breaths, two hundred breaths, three hundred breaths.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, hitting the blue bricks and breaking into small wet patches.

A golden panel flashed slightly in his mind—

【Crushing Mountain Stance Exercise (Minor Success): 375/500】

【Crushing Mountain Fist (Minor Mastery): 32/500】

He opened his eyes and looked at the words.

He'll depart at dawn the day after tomorrow, a three-day round trip. If he waits until he returns to perform the acupuncture, it will be too late. He must open the second acupoint before he leaves.

He closed his eyes and continued practicing the standing meditation.

His blood and qi surged within him, more intensely than usual, like a river roaring through his veins. He gritted his teeth and guided that qi downwards to his dantian—the location of the second acupoint, a place that grew increasingly hot and swollen.

Not enough, still a little short.

In the distance, the sound of a watchman's clapper could be heard from the direction of the dock.

It's past midnight.

Jiang Lan stood on the wooden stake, her legs trembling, her whole body soaked, as if she had been pulled out of the water.

At the second acupoint, the heat finally gathered into a ball, like a fire, burning his internal organs with pain.

He took a deep breath and gently guided the feeling of "fullness" downwards.

boom--

An unprecedented sense of openness and freedom arose, and the heat in the dantian surged out like a flood bursting its banks, rushing along the meridians and flowing into the limbs and bones.

It was more intense and powerful than the first time I stimulated the acupoints, as if something inside my body had awakened.

He opened his eyes and gasped for breath.

A flash of golden light appeared in my mind—

Heaven rewards diligence; no effort is ever wasted.

[Second acupoint, already opened]

……