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

"Senior Brother Jiang, you've already reached the level of a nine-point master!"

I don't know who shouted that.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

The wind whipped the flagpole rope, slamming it against the wooden pole with a series of sharp, piercing sounds.

Sun Geng stared at Jiang Lan, his heart churning with emotions, as if he were meeting this junior brother for the first time.

The knife in Shen Qing's hand fell to the ground with a clang, and he froze on the spot, speechless. The eyes of him and the other new disciples looking at Jiang Lan were filled with fanatical worship.

Zhou Yan also recovered from his shock. Jiang Lan, who usually only knew how to train hard and had an average physique, had actually broken through to the ninth acupoint without making a sound!

Chen Nian stood on the stage, his composure completely gone. He looked at Jiang Lan—this taciturn young man—and recalled his own provocative behavior just now. A surge of shame welled up in his chest, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer.

Chen Zhenggang withdrew his fist, the knuckles turning red.

He looked at Jiang Lan, his eyes had changed.

He practiced asceticism for twenty years, getting up before dawn and working tirelessly through the cold winter and scorching summer. Even at thirty, he was still sparring with young men, never daring to slack off. It wasn't until he was thirty-five that he finally broke through the threshold of the Nine Acupoints.

The person in front of me is no more than twenty years old.

And just now he even said that he would have his son give this person some pointers.

It's really laughable when you think about it!

"Young man."

Chen Zhenggang's voice was hoarse. He clasped his hands in a fist salute, without the slightest bit of formality, and said, "I was blind to your greatness, and my son was rude. I hope you will forgive me."

Jiang Lan cupped his hands in greeting, his tone indifferent: "Master Chen, you're too kind."

Chen Zhenggang turned to look at Liu Changqing, his tone now solemn: "Master Liu, congratulations! Guangchang Martial Arts School has acquired such a young master with nine acupoints; its rise is imminent."

Liu Changqing suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the blue bricks with a screeching sound.

He strode up to Jiang Lan, scrutinizing him repeatedly. He raised his hand to pat her shoulder, paused in mid-air, and finally lowered it.

"When will we break through?"

"A few days ago," Jiang Lan replied, "my Yongquan acupoint loosened up. After taking the Qi-nourishing herb given to me by my senior sister, I was lucky enough to have my Yongquan and Mingmen acupoints opened up in one go."

Liu Changqing nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

If someone else obtains the Peiyuan Grass, they will find it difficult to break through the nine acupoints. Medicine is inanimate; people are the foundation.

Chen Zhenggang pulled Chen Nian forward. Chen Nian lowered her head, not daring to look at Jiang Lan, looking utterly disheveled.

"Master Liu, farewell. We'll meet again at the Golden Scales Society."

Liu Changqing nodded.

A young master of the Nine Acupoints is stationed in Guangchang. It is likely that he is the only master of the Nine Acupoints in his own martial arts school.

In the city, apart from the martial arts schools behind the Liu and Zhao families, the number of masters with nine acupoints in other martial arts schools is extremely rare.

As long as you can train a master of nine acupoints, you can join the first tier!

Chen Zheng took two steps, then suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Jiang Lan, and said in a deep and forceful voice, "The younger generation is truly formidable; I admire them."

After saying this, he left with Chen Nian.

The people in the courtyard finally came to their senses.

Shen Qing rushed forward, her voice trembling: "Senior Brother Jiang, Nine Acupoints...you're actually a master of Nine Acupoints!"

Sun Geng pushed him aside, stood in front of Jiang Lan, remained silent for a few moments, then raised his hand and patted his arm: "Congratulations!"

No one could have imagined that when Jiang Lan first entered the martial arts school, he was so hungry from practicing boxing that he fainted, and his master asked him to deliver two steamed buns to him... Now he has reached the Nine Acupoints Realm!

Liu Changqing raised his voice, his tone resounding throughout the entire academy: "The Golden Carp Gathering is approaching. It's time for the world to open its eyes and see what the Golden Carp Gathering is all about!"

He looked at Jiang Lan with a determined gaze: "I will hold a ceremony to celebrate your breakthrough to the ninth acupoint, and to enhance the prestige of Guangchang."

Jiang Lan pondered.

He dislikes being in the limelight, but Guangchang Martial Arts School has recently declined and is being squeezed by surrounding martial arts schools, so it urgently needs a stabilizing force to stabilize the situation.

He is that needle.

"it is good."

As soon as the word was spoken, a few commotions erupted in the courtyard, but due to Jiang Lan's calm aura, no one dared to make too much noise.

The disciples stepped forward one after another, no longer engaging in their usual carefree play, but showing more caution and reverence.

The younger disciples bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with admiration; the senior disciples offered their congratulations in a low voice, their eyes filled with complex emotions, including envy and a hint of unspoken unease.

Li Yanli stood at the back, arms crossed, motionless. The jealousy that had been surging in his eyes had completely dissipated, and his former sharpness was gone, as if he had completely accepted the gap between them.

Liu Yun stood in the corridor, remaining motionless from beginning to end.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Liu Yun turned and walked towards the backyard. She paused after two steps, turned back to look at Jiang Lan, and said in a cold, emotionless tone, "Come with me."

Jiang Lan looked up and then followed.

Passing through the long corridor, I stepped into a secluded room in the backyard. The room was minimalist, with a table and two chairs. On the wall hung a piece of calligraphy with faded writing, unsigned and undecorated, exuding a sense of desolation.

The room was sparsely furnished and so clean it was almost empty, just like the feeling Liu Yun gave people.

Liu Yun walked to the wooden cabinet, bent down to open it, and took out two dark red brocade boxes, gently placing them on the table. The brocade boxes were small, about the size of a palm, with worn and shiny edges, clearly having been treasured for many years and rarely taken out.

"Sanyang grass, when aged for five years, can nourish the internal organs and strengthen qi and blood."

She raised her hand and opened the first brocade box. Inside were two withered grasses with intact roots, dark red in color. A faint, bitter medicinal smell instantly filled the air, not pungent, but substantial.

Opening the second brocade box, three cyan pills lay quietly on the cotton cushion. The pill patterns were delicate, and the aura was mellow, far surpassing ordinary Qi-cultivating pills: "Nine-Turn Qi-cultivating Pill, its efficacy is three times that of ordinary Qi-cultivating pills. Father said that your nine acupoints are just beginning to form, and your foundation is still shallow. You need to stabilize your cultivation and not be rash."

Jiang Lan looked at the brocade box on the table, slightly taken aback, "This..."

These precious medicines are probably much more valuable than the jade mullet from that day.

"My father's intentions are not for me."

Liu Yun closed the brocade box and gently pushed it in front of Jiang Lan. Her fingertips caressed the smooth satin surface of the box. Her movements were slow and gentle, and her tone remained calm. "Breaking through the nine acupoints is difficult, but guarding them is even more difficult. If the foundation is not solid, no matter how high you stand, it is still a tower on sand, which will collapse at the slightest touch."

Jiang Lan looked up at Liu Yun.

She lowered her eyes, the light falling on the top of her head, half bright and half dim, making it impossible to see the expression in her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Lan reached out and put the two brocade boxes into her bosom, bowing and saying, "Thank you, Senior Sister, thank you, Master."

He turned around and was about to push the door open and leave.

"Junior Brother Jiang."

Liu Yun suddenly spoke up and called out to him.

Jiang Lan stopped and turned around.

The flickering lamplight cast shadows on her face, obscuring most of her expression.

Her hands hung at her sides, her fingertips unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes. Her usually cool voice was now so soft that it was almost blown away by the wind outside the window.

"Those two steamed buns weren't a gift from Sun Gengsan."

Jiang Lan's gaze paused slightly.

"It was me." Liu Yun lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, and her voice was even softer. "That morning, I asked Sun Gengsan to deliver it."

Before Jiang Lan could speak, she turned and strode out of the room, her skirt sweeping the floor without making a sound.

The footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor, growing fainter and fainter until they were completely swallowed by the wind, leaving no trace.