Chapter 5: Reputation

Chapter 5: Reputation

"Core Force..."

As Li Pin watched the custom-made punching bag swing vigorously, he shook his arm a little.

He put all his focus on his arm and used his clairvoyance to check the status of his arm for about a minute.

"The soft tissue is damaged; the muscles and tendons have microtears. There's also some damage to the nerves and blood vessels.... At a more precise level, for the tendons, the injuries are focused between the flexor brevis, the abductor brevis, opponens pollicis. As for the injuries for the nerves and blood vessels, they are on the median nerve, the recurrent branch of the median nerve, the deep branch of the radial nerve, the radial artery, the ulnar artery...[1] However, these injuries are still within the normal expected range."

In the past month, his qi and blood had risen to 21.014, which was comparable to Shan Hu's.

Given Li Pin's current physique as well as his qi and blood level, it would naturally be impossible to generate Core Force without suffering any damage.

"I must incorporate nurturing arts into my training."

In Li Pin's previous life, he realized that he had hurt his body's foundation. Thereafter, he searched for martial arts to recuperate from the injury. Out of the martial arts he found, he devoted the most effort to the Five Animals Frolic[2].

However, since he had the gift of clairvoyance in this lifetime, he should direct his efforts into another nurturing art.

The most suitable one he knew was....

"The Innate Qi-Nurturing Breathing Technique."

He had learned it during his only fortuitous encounter in his previous life.

Back then, the old Li Pin had attained Transformative Force and was aiming to reach Core Formation. He went to Lingyun Mountain in search of a martial arts expert. There, he met a Dao priest.

Although the priest wasn't a martial arts expert, he remained in good health even past the age of ninety-six.

The priest could tell that Li Pin didn't have long left to live and thus taught him the Innate Qi-Nurturing Breathing Technique.

Qi-nurturing arts could defy the laws of nature and draw out from within the human body the primordial qi. They were effective in treating the cultivator's internal injuries and nourishing their corporeal body.

Sadly, the old Li Pin didn't have much time left, which left him hot-tempered and feeling unsettled. Unable to keep a calm mind to comprehend the technique, he died before succeeding in cultivating this technique.

Now that he was given a new lease of life, he could make another attempt.

He inhaled and exhaled according to the Innate Qi-Nurturing Breathing Technique.

***

There weren't many people at Changfeng Martial Hall early in the morning, but once it was past 9 a.m., people gradually started to stream in. Nevertheless, none of them were Li Pin's students.

After Li Pin was done practicing the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique[3], he practiced the Xuan Pin Gate.

When it was almost noon, Li Pin's phone rang.

The moment Li Pin picked up the call, Fang Yubai's voice rang out.

—Old Li, let's have lunch together at Chef Wang's which is downstairs.

"Alright," Li Pin said, agreeing to the invitation.

To begin with, he had always gotten along well with Fang Yubai. Then, Fang Yubai even introduced Li Pin to Fang Lingjue. So, Li Pin and Fang Yubai had gotten a lot closer over the past month.

Li Pin headed straight for Chef Wang's Restaurant, which was in the mall downstairs.

When he arrived, he realized that Fang Yubai was already waiting there for him with two well-dressed, beautiful young ladies.

"Old Li," Fang Yubai called out to Li Pin before introducing the two young ladies. "This is my girlfriend, Meng Lingbing. That is her friend, Zhang Yunxi."

Li Pin greeted both of them. "Hello."

"He's... Li Pin?" Meng Lingbing asked.

She seemed to have recognized Li Pin and was a little surprised.

"That's right," Fang Yubai answered. He warned her, "Don't listen to the rumors going around in the school."

"Oh."

Meng Lingbing nodded, but her expression was a little awkward.

"You're improving so fast. But considering how much hard work you're putting in, you deserve this result."

"There's no helping it. Since I took on this job, I should put in a lot more effort."

Shan Hu nodded in agreement. "The path you're on suits you very well."

She had witnessed how Li Pin had been training over the past month. Shan Hu knew that Li Pin wasn't a beginner and was just getting back into the martial arts he had neglected, but the rate of his improvement was still ridiculously fast.

There was only one explanation—he had a great aptitude for martial arts.

"The bi-annual martial certification examination will be held next week, right? I believe you should be able to get the level-one certificate. Or are you going straight for level two?"

"I'm going straight for level two," Li Pin replied.

If it wasn't because applicants could only skip one level each time, he would have tried for the level-three certification and aimed for the Intermediate title straightaway.

However, that was fine.

Given his rate of improvement, he could take the examination for the Associate Senior title in six months.

Shan Hu was stunned. She blurted, "I was just kidding! Are you for real!? You're going straight for the level-two Assistant title?"

"Yup," Li Pin replied.

"You...."

Shan Hu's good mood instantly vanished.

"Level two!?" Fang Yubai stared at Li Pin with wide eyes. "You're going straight for the level-two Assistant title?"

"Mmhm. It's so that I can fulfill the terms of my contract with Master Fang," Li Pin answered with a smile.

Shan Hu stared at Li Pin. "Be honest. Are you planning to take the test for the Intermediate title in six months?"

"Who knows what will happen in six months?" Li Pin waved off the idea. "That's enough. The others probably aren't interested in this topic. Let's talk about something else."

"I find it interesting." Liu Yingying blinked. "A level-two martial artist certification is worth a lot. It's incredible that you have the ability to pass the level-two examination at such a young age."

Meng Lingbing was also looking at Li Pin with a stunned expression. It seemed like she wanted to say something.

However, when she recalled the awkward situation earlier, she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Li Pin shook his head. He didn't think there was any point in continuing with this topic.

He hadn't picked martial arts because he wanted success or fame. He had done it for himself out of his desire to live—to break the limits of the human body and transcend illnesses, accidents, and natural disasters.

In the future... he wanted to see how powerful humans could become. He wanted to know what was at the end of the cultivation path.

As for the other things like money and status, they were all secondary to his goal.

It would be good if he had them, but if he didn't, he wouldn't put in the effort to acquire them.

At this moment, Shan Hu suddenly said, "Master recently noticed that the martial halls are raking in a lot of money. He's likely to recruit more students. Do you want to lead the martial hall?"

"Me? Isn't Master Yang in charge of leading the martial hall?"

"If we recruit more students, they would probably be split into two groups—an inner group and an outer group. The inner group would be treated as disciples, and the outer group would be treated as students.[4] Master Yang would be in charge of the inner hall and the disciples and you could be in charge of the outer—hmm...."

Pausing for a moment, Shan Hu sized Li Pin up.

Li Pin had a height of 1.78 meters. He wasn't particularly tall, but he was just the right height for a martial artist. The most crucial thing was that he was pretty good-looking.

If they were to get a stylist to dress him up...

The outer hall students would primarily be beginners, and they would be relatively young. Who among them wouldn't want a handsome, stylish, spirited, and upbeat hall master like Li Pin, especially if he also had a level-two martial artist certificate?

1. Author has introduced a lot of scientific terms and this translator isn't an expert in this domain. ☜

2. Tiger, Deer, Bear, Monkey, and Crane are the five animals that together make up the qigong routine that is translated as Five Animal Frolics ☜

3. Meant to be the short form of the Innate Qi-Nurturing Breathing Technique ☜

4. Disciples are usually given more serious training and potentially taught the important arts/techniques of a faction. Students on the other hand, are given more generic training and have no access to the higher tiers of arts/skills. ☜