Sun Yong nodded, then turned and walked toward the inner courtyard.
Lin Yue, standing to the side, glanced at Yang Jing. His face showed no expression, as if Yang Jing’s breakthrough to the Mingjin realm just now had been nothing more than an insignificant trifle.
He possessed outstanding talent. Not long after entering the school, he had broken through to Mingjin, and now he was close to touching the Anjin realm. He was also highly confident in himself, believing he had a good chance of breaking through to Anjin.
In his view, someone like Yang Jing, with mediocre aptitude, had already reached his limit by luckily succeeding in breaking through. He would probably be trapped in Mingjin for the rest of his life, and was simply not on the same level as him. Naturally, Lin Yue did not take Yang Jing seriously.
Yang Jing did not care in the slightest. He calmly withdrew his gaze, yet in his heart he had his own certainty.
The existence of the panel meant he had never once doubted the road ahead.
Mingjin was only the starting point. Anjin, Huajin, and even higher realms—he was confident he could set foot in them all.
“Junior Brother, congratulations!”
Just then, a hearty voice rang out.
Liu Maolin strode over, undisguised delight on his face. He raised a hand and heavily patted Yang Jing on the shoulder. “I told you you could do it! There aren’t many people who can match that resilience of yours!”
Yang Jing swayed from the pat, but he also laughed, the ease in his eyes plainly visible. “It’s all thanks to Fourth Senior Brother’s guidance these past days. Otherwise, I might not have broken through so smoothly.”
He truly felt much more relieved.
By becoming an official disciple, he could have most of the martial hall’s apprenticeship fee waived, saving him a large expense.
More importantly, he was now qualified to take those outside retainer jobs.
Serving as the head guard for a great clan, escorting goods for a shop, or helping an escort agency run caravans.
The pay for these retainer jobs was not low. After all, they were hiring a Mingjin expert. It would be enough to support his martial training, and he would no longer need to reach out to his family for money.
Liu Maolin smiled, took two steps back, and assumed a sparring stance. “Come, Junior Brother. Let me see just how well you’ve trained this Mingjin of yours.”
Seeing this, Yang Jing’s heart stirred. He knew Fourth Senior Brother wanted to help him become familiar with Mingjin more quickly, and he felt very grateful. Without hesitation, he loosened his wrists, sank his waist, and steadied his stance.
Several disciples nearby who had been practicing their punches stopped as well and gathered around, curiosity in their eyes.
“Fourth Senior Brother, then I’ll make a fool of myself.” As soon as Yang Jing finished speaking, he struck first. The wind from his fist carried his newly formed Mingjin, making it much heavier than before.
Liu Maolin raised a hand to block. Their arms collided with a light thud.
“Not bad. That force is solid enough!”
Liu Maolin praised him, then turned his wrist, taking advantage of the motion to divert Yang Jing’s strength before pushing back with his other hand.
Yang Jing borrowed that force to retreat half a step, adjusted his form, and when he punched again, he deliberately sensed the feeling of Mingjin circulating through his body. His fists and feet actually gained a smoothness they had never possessed before.
The surrounding disciples watched intently, occasionally letting out low murmurs of admiration.
The two exchanged more than a dozen moves. Liu Maolin held back the entire time, yet he allowed Yang Jing to perceive the changes after his breakthrough with increasing clarity.
The same techniques, with Mingjin supporting them, had actually doubled in power.
When they drew back after the final move, sweat had appeared at Yang Jing’s temples, but his heart felt incomparably clear.
Liu Maolin smiled and patted Yang Jing’s arm. “Not bad at all, Junior Brother. You’ve only just broken through, yet you’re already using Mingjin quite well. Your foundation is very solid. Hahaha.”
“Senior Brother overpraises me.” Yang Jing moved his arms and shoulders as he spoke, feeling the waves of lingering force transmitted through them.
Liu Maolin smiled and said, “Junior Brother, your breakthrough to Mingjin this time is a great joy for both you and the martial hall. It’s worth celebrating properly.”
He looked toward the outside of the martial hall and smiled. “The sauced meat at Jufu Tower in Chonghua Ward in the west of the city is truly authentic. My treat—we’ll go have a feast!”
Hearing this, Yang Jing instinctively wanted to wave it off.
In the past, Liu Maolin had invited him twice, but he had declined both times with excuses like “money is tight” and “I’m afraid it’ll delay my training.”
He was unwilling to owe favors for no reason, feeling as if accepting a banquet meant taking advantage, even though he and Liu Maolin were close.
But looking at the sincere smile in Liu Maolin’s eyes, and thinking of how the other man had guided him again and again over the past half year, from the details of techniques to the key points of exerting force, holding nothing back—the words of refusal reached his lips, yet he could not say them.
Moreover, because of his breakthrough, the joy surging in his heart at this moment truly made him want to share it properly with someone.
He scratched his head, a rare relaxed smile appearing on his face. “Then I’ll thank Fourth Senior Brother. But this meal—I’ll definitely make it up to you next time.”
“Why be polite with me?” Liu Maolin laughed brightly and pulled him toward the outside. “Let’s go. If we’re late, we might have to wait for seats.”
Dragged along by him, Yang Jing’s steps were light. The slight restraint he had felt from accepting the invitation had long since been diluted by the joy of his breakthrough and the warmth between fellow disciples.
Chonghua Ward, Jufu Tower.
The restaurant was bustling with noise. Liu Maolin led Yang Jing to a private seat on the second floor with practiced ease. Despite Yang Jing’s attempts to stop him, he still ordered many dishes, making Yang Jing’s heart twitch faintly.
As dish after dish was brought up, the table was soon filled to the brim.
A plate of braised fish gleamed with oil, the stir-fried seasonal greens were fresh and emerald, and there was also a bowl of chicken soup stewed until the meat was tender, steaming with fragrance.
But the most eye-catching dish was the plate in the middle—nearly two jin of bear meat braised in sauce. The chunks of meat were cut thick, coated in rich sauce, and gave off a wild, meaty aroma.
“Junior Brother, hurry and try it. This bear meat is considered quite good even among fierce beast meats. It’s far more nourishing than ordinary meat. Didn’t the waiter just say this bear meat was freshly delivered by hunters?”
Liu Maolin smiled as he handed Yang Jing a new pair of chopsticks, while he himself picked up a piece of fish. “I often come here with the elders in my family. This bear meat is Jufu Tower’s specialty. Eat more and properly consolidate the realm you’ve just broken through to. Don’t stand on ceremony.”
Yang Jing looked at the plate of bear meat before him, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He knew this meat was expensive. Ordinary families could not afford it at all. Only someone with a family background like Liu Maolin’s could eat it often.
He picked up a piece of bear meat. It was soft and glutinous in the mouth, carrying the mellow richness of the sauce and the fresh sweetness of the meat itself. Not long after he swallowed it, a warm current rose from his dantian and spread through his entire body. It was far more nourishing than the horse meat and beef he usually ate.
“How is it? Much better than the coarse meat you usually eat, right?” Liu Maolin took a sip of soup and looked at Yang Jing.
“Mm. The nourishing effect really is astonishing. Thank you, Senior Brother.” Yang Jing nodded and picked up another piece.
He could sense the qi and blood power contained in the bear meat. It was several times stronger than ordinary meat, and to a martial artist, it was indeed a great tonic.
If he had eaten this kind of fierce beast meat from the beginning, he probably would have broken through to Mingjin long ago.
Seeing Yang Jing eat with such relish, Liu Maolin himself rarely touched that plate of bear meat. Most of the time he only picked at some greens and fish, and even when he occasionally took a chopstickful of bear meat, he merely tasted a little before stopping.
“I grew up eating these things. I got tired of them long ago. You eat more. Look how thin you are—you need to nourish yourself properly.”
Liu Maolin’s tone was casual, as if he were speaking of something perfectly ordinary.
The corner of Yang Jing’s mouth twitched slightly. Although his current body could not be considered fat, it was still extremely tall, well-proportioned, and sturdy, with muscles all over. How could it have anything to do with being thin? But when he raised his head and looked at Liu Maolin’s build, which was a whole size stronger than his own, he did not argue.
In truth, he understood clearly in his heart that Fourth Senior Brother knew his family circumstances were tight and was deliberately helping him in this way, so that he would feel less burdened and eat more bear meat.
Yang Jing said no polite words. He simply lowered his head and ate more.
He had just broken through to Mingjin today, and this was precisely the time when he needed to nourish his body and stabilize his realm. Since he had agreed to Liu Maolin’s invitation this time, he would not be overly courteous.
As Yang Jing ate, he sensed the changes that appeared after the bear meat entered his body.
The sense of strength brought by the bear meat was far too obvious. His limbs and bones felt as though they had been soaked in warm water, and the hidden injuries left behind from practicing fists all ached faintly, as if they were being nourished and repaired.
The dishes on the table gradually dwindled, while that plate of bear meat reached the bottom. More than half of it had gone into Yang Jing’s stomach.
When he put down his chopsticks, he felt his entire body brimming with strength, and even his thoughts had become much clearer.
“This fierce beast meat… really is formidable. It’s much better than ordinary livestock meat,” Yang Jing said with heartfelt emotion.
“The truly formidable ones are still to come.” Liu Maolin smiled. “When your strength improves further in the future, I’ll treat you to even fiercer ones—the wild boar kings in the mountains, tigers, even spirit fish from the depths of the great rivers. That meat is what you call invigorating.”
Yang Jing did not reply, but in his heart he secretly made up his mind.
He touched the money pouch at his waist. There were only a few dozen large copper coins inside, not even half a tael of silver, far from enough to cover even a fraction of this meal.
He appreciated Liu Maolin’s kindness, but he could not always rely on others.
He had to find a way to earn money as soon as possible. Not only did he need to support himself, he also had to be able to afford this kind of fierce beast meat that could aid his training.
He vaguely sensed that the effects contained in this fierce beast meat were greatly beneficial to his martial training and could greatly shorten the time he needed to cultivate Mountain-Crushing Fist from minor accomplishment to its limit.
And with the panel present, once he cultivated Mountain-Crushing Fist’s minor accomplishment stage to its limit, he would naturally be able to break through the bottleneck and reach the Anjin realm.
The Anjin level was also the current realm of Eldest Senior Brother Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, Liu Maolin, and the others. Since the founding of Sun Martial Hall several decades ago, very few disciples had been able to reach this realm. Apart from those few who still remained in the martial hall, there were not many others.
Once a martial hall disciple broke through to the Anjin realm, they would become Hall Master Sun Yong’s core disciple. Not only would they no longer need to pay apprenticeship fees, they could even stay in the martial hall for food and lodging without spending any silver.
Yang Jing had heard that the food provided to core disciples in the martial hall was quite good, and Hall Master Sun Yong would occasionally bestow some precious medicines and premium beast meat.
If the gap between official disciples and nominal disciples was enormous, then the gap between official disciples and core disciples was also like heaven and earth.