Chengping Square, front courtyard.

Yang Jing repeatedly refined his use of Anjin with the Mountain-Shattering Fist. The air seemed to tremble wherever his fists passed, and the contained power kept the other disciples from drawing near.

Qi Yun, practicing her forms nearby, glanced at Yang Jing out of the corner of her eye. She saw his focused expression drawing furtive looks from many disciples and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. ’He just got ridiculously lucky breaking through to the Anjin realm. Now he has the gall to stand in the middle of the training grounds. Truly a case of a small man hitting it big.’

The sun climbed high into the morning sky.

The inner courtyard’s Moon Gate creaked open. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Sun Yong, dressed in a plain short tunic, walked out at a measured pace. Sun Ningxiang followed close behind, stopping by the gate as her gentle gaze swept across the front courtyard.

Sun Yong’s steps appeared casual, yet they followed a distinct pattern.

He first approached the area for Registered Disciples. For the most part, he would only pause to watch for a moment. If he saw someone whose form was obviously incorrect, he would offer a word or two of correction in a deep voice, such as, "Your shoulders aren’t sunk correctly; your energy is leaking," or "You’re not twisting at the waist. Where do you expect the power to come from?" He would then move on immediately, never lingering.

When he reached the Mingjin Disciples, Sun Yong lingered a little longer.

He walked up behind one disciple and placed a hand on his back. "When you punch, you need to relax here. Use the power from your legs to drive your waist, and then channel it to your fist. You can’t just rely on your arm strength."

He demonstrated as he spoke, not moving on until the disciple showed some understanding.

There were not many Mingjin Disciples in the first place, so while it didn’t take long for him to instruct each one, his every word struck at the core of their problems.

Finally, he arrived at the training area for the Anjin Disciples.

First was Zhao Wenzheng. Sun Yong watched him go through a full set of forms before shaking his head. "You’re projecting your Anjin too quickly. There’s no power left to follow through."

After watching a moment longer, he pointed out two other minor issues.

He then gave guidance to Xu Hong and Qi Yun.

When it was Yang Jing’s turn, Sun Yong stopped in his tracks, his observation becoming particularly meticulous.

He saw Yang Jing finish with the Mountain-Shattering Fist’s "Heaven-Shaking Quake" technique, but his Anjin failed to retract completely. Sun Yong stepped forward and took his wrist. "You need to withdraw your power like drawing a bow, not just let it dissipate after the strike. Look. The Inner Strength must complete a full circuit through your meridians before sinking back into your Dantian. Only then can it be truly continuous."

As he spoke, he guided Yang Jing to feel the flow of his Inner Strength, even fine-tuning the rhythm of his breathing.

This level of detailed guidance was ten times more thorough than usual, a world of difference from his previous instruction of Yang Jing.

Sun Yong even personally broke down three variations of the Mountain-Shattering Fist’s Anjin applications. He demonstrated everything from the angle of force generation to the degree of spinal rotation, not stopping until Yang Jing nodded in understanding. Then he smiled. "Both of your breakthroughs succeeded on the first attempt. This shows that while your innate constitution may be inferior, your comprehension is a cut above the ordinary. Don’t feel that a poor constitution means you have no hope of reaching the Huajin realm. If you train hard, you may yet touch its threshold."

At these words, many of the disciples in the front courtyard froze.

Lin Yue’s movements faltered, and his face darkened.

Qi Yun’s brow furrowed tightly; she clearly felt their master was placing far too much importance on Yang Jing.

Even Xu Hong and Zhao Wenzheng were surprised. The Hall Master’s attention to Yang Jing seemed to eclipse the consideration he gave them, the veteran Anjin Disciples. This inevitably left them feeling uncomfortable, especially the more narrow-minded Third Senior Brother, Zhao Wenzheng.

Some disciples speculated that the Hall Master was only giving such thorough guidance because Yang Jing had just broken through, not because he was genuinely favored.

Sun Yong, however, paid no mind to the others’ stares and finally walked over to Lin Yue.

He stood beside Lin Yue for a long time, going over everything from his forms and Inner Strength to his adaptability in combat in minute detail. He even stepped in to spar with Lin Yue, demonstrating a level of focus that far exceeded what he had shown the other disciples.

"Senior Brother Lin’s constitution is the best in the entire hall. The Hall Master still values him the most, after all," a disciple murmured.

"That’s right. No one can compare to Senior Brother Lin’s position," another person chimed in.

Yang Jing paid no mind to any of this. Sun Yong’s guidance was like parting the clouds to reveal the sun; his understanding of Anjin grew clearer by the moment, and his progress with the Mountain-Shattering Fist advanced by leaps and bounds.

He focused his mind, once again immersing himself in his practice. The stares and whispers of the outside world were no more than a passing breeze to him.

That evening, after finishing his family business, Liu Maolin arrived. He wore a respectable silk brocade tunic, a hearty smile on his face as he strode through the gates of the Martial Arts Hall.

"Junior Brother, are you finished for the day?" He looked at Yang Jing, who was still contemplating his forms, and said with a smile, "That celebratory feast we talked about? We’re making good on that promise tonight."

Yang Jing relaxed his stance and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I just finished. Was waiting for your word."

"Perfect," Liu Maolin chuckled. "My father gave special instructions to make it a proper celebration. I’ve booked a place at Fuman Pavilion in the Inner City. Shall we head out now?"

"The Inner City?" Yang Jing paused, taken aback. Ever since he had transmigrated here, his life had been confined to the Outer City. He had only heard of the Inner City in passing conversations—a place where the officials, gentry, and prominent clans of Yuhe County resided, a place ordinary folk could rarely enter.

"This is your first time going into the Inner City, isn’t it? Come on, let’s go. I’ll show you around." Liu Maolin puffed out his chest.

The two of them left the Martial Arts Hall, where a simple yet elegant carriage was already waiting by the road. When the driver saw Liu Maolin, he immediately bowed.

Liu Maolin was gradually taking over the family business and could be considered the second-in-command of the entire Liu Family Medical Hall. After all, in addition to being the Young Master Liu, he was also an Anjin-level master, which afforded him an extremely high status within the Liu Family.

"Hop in."

Liu Maolin lifted the curtain, and Yang Jing climbed into the carriage after him.

The carriage began to move, its wheels rolling steadily over the flagstone road with a rhythmic rumble.

As he sat in the carriage, Yang Jing could sense the streets gradually growing wider and the clothes of the pedestrians becoming more exquisite.

Upon reaching a tall city gate, the carriage came to a halt. Several armored soldiers stepped forward to conduct an inspection.