「The 18th year of Yuan Jia.」

After the new year passed, the second son, Chen Shouye, had turned ten, the age when he could begin martial arts training.

’Should I send him to a martial arts hall for systematic training, or teach him the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique at home?’

Chen Li was unsure what to do.

He called Chen Shouye over and asked in a gentle voice, "Shouye, do you want to be like your older brother and go to the county town to learn martial arts at a hall?"

Before his younger brother could answer, Chen Shouheng, who was standing beside them, immediately jumped up and excitedly threw an arm around his brother’s shoulders. "Go! Little bro, hurry and say yes to Dad. Come to the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall, and I’ll look after you. Once you achieve Force Cultivation, we two brothers can team up and make a name for ourselves in the Jianghu."

"I wasn’t asking you!"

Chen Li glared at his boisterous eldest son before turning his gaze to his second son. "Shouye, what do you think?"

Chen Shouye lifted his head, his eyes calm. Without a hint of hesitation, he nodded. "Dad, I’m willing to go."

’Chen Li knew the temperaments of his two sons well.’

His eldest, Shouheng, was naturally restless and loved to stir up trouble. He hadn’t caused any major disasters, but he was like a monkey, constitutionally unable to sit still.

Although a few years at the martial arts hall had made him a bit more composed, his energetic and boisterous nature hadn’t changed.

His second son, Shouye, was usually a boy of few words, appearing somewhat introverted and quiet, but that was just on the surface. Beneath that calm exterior lay a restless heart and a ruthlessness that surpassed his peers.

Chen Li still remembered sending Shouye to herd the ox a couple of years ago. The boy got so preoccupied with catching frogs that the ox wandered off.

Thankfully, a short-term laborer who had helped their family for years saw it and brought it back.

When Chen Li disciplined him, striking him with a thin bamboo switch, the boy just clenched his jaw, not shedding a single tear or begging for mercy.

If it had been Shouheng, he would have been wailing and crying his eyes out.

’He knew in his heart that neither of his sons had the temperament to stay home and be a farmer.’

There was no keeping them. Sending them out early would give them a chance to temper themselves.

The next day, Chen Li once again drove the ox cart, taking his two sons to the county town.

He first dropped Chen Shouheng off at the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall, then took Chen Shouye to another one, the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

He had already thought it through carefully. He didn’t want his two sons to join the same hall.

If the brothers were together, Shouheng would surely lead the mischief-making, and Shouye would most likely follow. With the two of them together, their relationship would be that of a principal offender and an accomplice; they were bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

Shouye had a ruthless streak in his bones. Perhaps the Horizontal Training Skills of the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall, which focused on tempering the body and building strength, would be a better fit for him.

* * *

Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

Even before they entered, a unique smell—a mixture of sweat, medicinal herbs, and rust—assaulted their nostrils.

After announcing their purpose to the gatekeeper, Chen Li and Chen Shouye were led into the front courtyard.

There were no youths shouting and practicing their fists. There were only a dozen or so bare-chested men with knotted muscles, silently striking thick wooden posts or hard stone blocks with various parts of their bodies.

The Hall Master, Li Weikun, stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

He had a burly frame and wore a faded, dark gray short robe, leaving his muscular arms exposed. He had a short beard and a resolute face. His gaze was as sharp as a falcon’s, and it swept over Chen Li and his son with a scrutinizing air.

Chen Li cupped his hands in a salute and stated his purpose.

Li Weikun’s gaze didn’t linger on Chen Li. It fell directly on Chen Shouye, scanning him up and down for a moment before he spoke. "Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall doesn’t teach flashy, impractical techniques. To join, you must first pass two trials. If you pass, you stay. If you fail, you leave."

He was concise and to the point, without any pleasantries.

Chen Li nodded. "We understand the Hall Master’s rules."

Only then did Li Weikun turn his full attention to Chen Shouye, his eyes appraising. "Listen up, kid. The first trial is called Mountain Crash."

He pointed to a hardwood post in the corner of the yard. It was half a man’s height, as thick as a bowl, and its surface was covered in dents. "Take off your shirt and hit it with your shoulder three hundred times. Every strike must make a sound. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t count. If you stop in the middle, you lose. Do you dare?"

Chen Shouye met that sharp gaze without flinching. His small face tightened, and he nodded forcefully. His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear. "I dare."

Without another word, he swiftly took off his outer shirt, revealing the rather thin torso of a young boy.

The early spring chill instantly gave him goosebumps, but he took a deep breath and strode to the post.

Without hesitation, he turned sideways, lowered his shoulder, and slammed into the cold, hard wood with all his might.

"THUD!"

A muffled sound rang out. The boy’s slender shoulder collided with the hardwood. The sound was nowhere near as loud as the ones made by the burly men nearby, but it carried a ruthless force.

Li Weikun’s eyes twitched slightly.

"THUD," "THUD," "THUD"...

The sounds of impact echoed one after another in the quiet courtyard.

For the first few dozen strikes, Chen Shouye could still grit his teeth and endure, his form still relatively standard.

But after a hundred strikes, his left shoulder blade was already bright red and swelling rapidly, with fine beads of blood seeping from under the skin.

Every collision felt like a heavy hammer smashing into his bone. The piercing pain made the veins on his forehead bulge, his small face turn deathly pale, and sweat instantly soaked his temples.

His brows were knitted into a tight knot, and his lips were pressed so tight they turned white, yet he didn’t make a single sound.

His form began to break down, his body trembling slightly from the intense pain, but he kept his eyes locked on the post, crashing into it again and again.

Two hundred strikes!

His right shoulder and back also began to redden and swell. Every exertion was accompanied by an uncontrollable shudder, and his legs felt as heavy as lead, making it difficult to even stand steady.

Chen Li watched, his heart aching, but he remained silent.

Three hundred strikes!

When the final strike was done, Chen Shouye swayed as if completely drained, nearly collapsing to the ground. He braced his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. His shoulders and back were a wreck of swelling and bruises—a shocking sight.

He lifted his head to look at Li Weikun, his eyes still stubborn.

The trace of appreciation in Li Weikun’s eyes finally solidified. He gave a slight nod. "Not bad. But for the Iron Mountain Lean of Kao Mountain, ruthlessness isn’t enough. You also need the endurance to withstand a thousand cuts. The second trial: the Cold Pool."

He ordered a disciple to immediately bring over a massive wooden basin filled with ice-cold water drawn straight from a deep well. It was so cold that tiny shards of ice floated on the surface.

"Put your right arm in."

Li Weikun’s voice brooked no argument. "For the time it takes one stick of incense to burn. You are not allowed to move your hand. If you can’t stand it and pull out, you lose."

The new year had just passed, and the spring air was still bitingly cold.

The chill radiating from the basin of ice water made even Chen Li, who was standing to the side, feel a pang of anxiety.

Chen Shouye looked at the basin, and his small face grew even paler.

But without a shred of hesitation, he walked to the side of the basin, took a deep breath, and plunged his entire right arm into the water!

"HISS..."

The freezing cold instantly pierced his skin and stabbed into his marrow.

Chen Shouye’s whole body shuddered violently, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, and his face instantly went from white to a deathly blue.

He bit his lower lip so hard that he drew blood.

The frigid, intense pain spread rapidly. It felt as if his arm was being gnawed on by millions of ants, or as if it had been frozen into an icicle, quickly going numb.

All the muscles in his body were spasming uncontrollably, but he forced himself to stand straight, his eyes fixed on the arm submerged in the water.

A thin stick of incense slowly burned in the cold wind, its smoke curling upwards.

The ash finally burned down to the last inch.

Chen Shouye yanked his arm out of the ice water.

His entire arm was frozen a dark, purplish-blue, its surface covered in a thin layer of white frost, completely devoid of color.

His lips were purple from the cold, and his body was shaking so violently he could barely stand, but his eyes were astonishingly bright!

Li Weikun watched him for what felt like the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice carrying a rare trace of warmth. "Good. From this day forward, you are a disciple of me, Li Weikun."

Chen Shouye’s tense body suddenly relaxed. A difficult, relieved smile broke through on his purple, frozen face, and his eyes shone with an indescribable light.

Li Weikun turned to Chen Li and said solemnly, "Brother Chen, this son of yours is excellent material. His strength of will far surpasses his peers. With time, he will surely achieve great things."

He then ordered a disciple to fetch a specially made Medicated Ointment for Chen Li to apply to his son’s wounds.

"Please be patient in your teachings, Master Li." Chen Li immediately presented the tuition gift.

Afterward, he took Chen Shouye to a simple but clean Dormitory to get him settled.

Chen Li carefully lifted the cloth from Shouye’s shoulder, revealing the shocking red swelling and bruises. Some spots were even oozing blood.

Shouye’s body trembled slightly from the pain, but he gritted his teeth and didn’t make a sound.

A pang of heartache shot through Chen Li, and a flicker of pain crossed his eyes.

He took out the Medicated Ointment the hall’s disciple had brought, dabbed some on his finger, and applied it to the wounds with extreme gentleness. "If it hurts, cry out. Don’t hold it in."

Shouye’s body stiffened for a moment before he squeezed out two muffled words, "...Doesn’t hurt."

His voice was hoarse with suppressed pain.

Chen Li continued applying the ointment without pause. "Silly boy, if it hurts, say so. You have this ruthlessness and resilience, and that’s better than anything. But martial arts training is about tempering your body, not ruining it. When you’re in pain or tired, you have to say so. You have to rest when you need to rest, understand?"

"Mm, Dad, I understand." Shouye nodded forcefully.

Chen Li left him a full one hundred taels of silver and instructed, "Buy more of that Medicated Ointment. Don’t be afraid to spend the money. If it’s not enough, send a message home, or go ask your brother for more."