Bai Ruoyue’s words left Han feeling even more at ease. His decision to join the Taibai Martial Hall to learn martial arts was undoubtedly one of the best choices he had ever made.
Zhang Yuantao said with concern, "Junior Brother, your injuries this time are not light. You need to rest properly for a few days."
Han nodded, but in his mind, his injuries were no big deal.
Others might need time to heal, but he had his cheat code.
With a few more swings of his axe, he'd recover everything he needed, and his training wouldn't be delayed. He’d be back in top form in no time.
Tomorrow, when he returned to the martial hall, he planned to give everyone a little "Zhou-style shock."
"Senior Sister, what's the story with that Yang Xing?" Han asked curiously.
"Oh, him." Bai Ruoyue explained, "Four years ago, he was a senior apprentice at our martial hall. He was talented, and my father was even considering taking him as a direct disciple."
"But after investigating his background, we found some issues with his character. So, my father decided against it. In the end, Yang Xing left Taibai and joined the Tenglong Martial Hall, where the hall master took a liking to him."
"Issues with his character?"
"Exactly. During our investigation, we discovered that although he came from a decent family, he spent most of his time hanging out with a group of unsavory friends and caused a lot of trouble."
"The worst incident led to a death, but his family used their influence and wealth to cover it up."
Four years ago, Yang Xing must have been only twelve years old, yet he was already capable of such things...
The thought sent chills down Han’s spine.
Now, four years later, he could ambush people outright. While his grudge against Taibai Martial Hall was part of it, it was clear Yang Xing hadn't reformed in the slightest.
No wonder he targeted Han. Turns out, he really was just a complete idiot.
Han felt a twinge of relief. Luckily, Yang Xing wasn’t one of his fellow disciples; otherwise, he couldn’t imagine how much trouble the guy would’ve caused.
"Yang Xing had talent, no doubt. Reaching peak Skin Refinement in four years is impressive, but his flawed character doomed him," Zhang Yuantao remarked.
"Our master has encountered a few people like him over the years. They all ended up leaving the hall and finding other paths."
Han raised a concern. "But wouldn’t people like that leak our martial hall’s techniques to others?"
Bai Ruoyue smiled. "It's nothing significant—just Skin Refinement techniques and a few basic combat forms. They’re not the essence of Taibai Martial Hall."
"Our junior disciples might not have mastered secret techniques yet, but even our Skin Refinement training is superior to most others' methods."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"If you ever visit Tianyue County, you’ll see that techniques like Skin Refinement and basic combat forms are openly sold by certain merchant guilds."
Tianyue County. Han made a mental note of the name.
"By the way, Junior Brother," Bai Ruoyue said seriously, "things are relatively safe in Black Cloud Town. But if you ever leave and encounter other martial artists—especially disciples from rival martial halls—you must be cautious."
She continued, "The three major martial halls are in constant competition. Taibai has a rocky relationship with the other two. When my father founded this hall, there were plenty of conflicts with them."
"While the Qi Dynasty’s laws forbid martial artists from fighting privately, those rules only really apply within towns. Outside, martial artists are difficult to regulate."
Bai Ruoyue and the others gave Han detailed advice about surviving in the martial world. Han listened carefully, committing every word to memory.
Once he left the safety of civilization, peace would be a thing of the past.
As they talked, the other senior brothers gradually departed, each attending to their own affairs.
"Good thing your opponent this time was only a peak Skin Refinement martial artist," Bai Ruoyue commented. "You—"
Her voice trailed off, her expression shifting.
What had she just said?
Only a peak Skin Refinement martial artist?
That didn’t make sense. Wasn’t Han a beginner in Skin Refinement?
"Junior Brother, what were the strengths of the other two who fought you?" she asked.
"One was the same as me, and the other was mid-level Skin Refinement."
"So... you managed to defeat two opponents stronger than you and one at your level, all while being outnumbered three-to-one?" Bai Ruoyue’s voice rose.
Earlier, her concern had clouded her thinking, and Han’s vague explanation hadn’t helped. But now, she couldn’t ignore the glaring inconsistency.
Han blinked innocently. "Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?"
"A problem? The fact that you’re still alive is the biggest problem!"
"How did you do it?"
Han replied earnestly, "Simple. I just kept fighting until they couldn’t anymore."
"..."
Sure. Simple.
"You didn’t just fight above your level—you exceeded two levels and took on three opponents at once."
Han tilted his head, still looking completely unbothered. "What’s so strange about that? Senior Sister, can’t you do the same?"
Bai Ruoyue fell silent, her face blank.
You can leave now. Consider yourself temporarily expelled from the martial hall. That kind of talk was just too aggravating.
Her junior brother always had a way of surprising her—whether she was ready for it or not.
Annoyed but still curious, Bai Ruoyue asked Han for more details about the fight before stomping off in a huff.
Watching her leave, Han smiled.
Although Senior Sister was older, she was only eighteen. Sometimes, teasing her was pretty entertaining.
Out of Han’s sight, Bai Ruoyue clenched her fists, muttering under her breath, before breaking into a smile.
"My junior brother is amazing. Yay!"
----------------------------------------
As Han lay on a chair reflecting on the day’s battle, he realized that while his achievements were remarkable for his level, there were areas where he fell short.
The first issue was time. Despite his efforts, he had only been training for four days, leaving his cultivation level relatively low.
This could be solved with time—or with resources to speed up the process.
The second issue was his lack of spiritual techniques.
Though Han had achieved his current level, he had no usable Daoist arts.
Spiritual Shock didn’t count. What kind of proper technique would just be a blunt mental attack?
It was merely the most basic application of soul energy, and it was ineffective against martial artists, whose strong wills made them resistant.
True Daoist arts could perform incredible feats, like summoning ghosts.
Han was painfully lacking in this area.
His low cultivation level was manageable, but the absence of Daoist techniques left him at a loss.
While the Immortal Tree might provide a solution someday, Han hadn’t encountered any relevant opportunities yet.
For martial arts training, Taibai Martial Hall’s teachings were more than sufficient.
If it weren’t for the fragment of a martial weapon in his possession, the Taibai fundamentals would have been his primary means of combat.
His martial arts were solid, but his lack of Daoist techniques was a glaring gap.
"My master doesn’t cultivate the soul, so there’s no foundation to build on..."
"I’ll either have to wait for future opportunities or find another way to seek out Daoist teachings."
Han resolved to work harder, aiming to bridge this gap.
Martial arts and Daoist techniques—he needed to master both.