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When he heard that, Li Degui raised an eyebrow.
"Have you ever gone to school?"
Wei Yuan nodded slightly. "A little, yes... but I do not know many characters."
Li Degui gently stroked his graying beard, paused for a moment, then said,
"Allow me to explain the rules first. Many individuals come to me to learn martial arts, but none of them are officially my disciples. They are all paying students, just as you are. Do you understand?"
Wei Yuan had already expected something like this.
Earlier, he had been somewhat nervous. What if he was merely a talentless individual with terrible aptitude and the man refused to accept him?
It turned out that worry was entirely pointless.
Matters such as talent or potential? Nobody cared. As long as you possessed money, you could learn.
Wei Yuan reached into his clothing and retrieved two taels of silver, then handed them over.
"Good, good! A promising child!"
Li Degui broke into a broad smile the moment he saw the silver.
"Learning martial arts is not something one masters overnight. It requires steady progress, step by step. You will commence with the fundamentals. Once those are solid, learning the actual techniques will be much easier. Oh, right—what is your name?"
"I am Wei Yuan."
"Wei Yuan," the old man repeated. Then he turned to a young man nearby with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes.
"Zhang Wu, attend to him."
"Yes, Master Li." Zhang Wu cupped his hands in a respectful salute.
Then Zhang Wu led Wei Yuan to a corner of the front yard.
Several other children were there, all practicing the horse stance. Each one had a white porcelain
bowl filled with water balanced on their head.
Judging by their appearances, they were all approximately Wei Yuan's age—around ten years old.
"They are just like you, recent beginners. From this point forward, you will be training with them."
Zhang Wu then demonstrated the correct horse stance position.
"There are numerous fundamental movements, but today you will begin with the horse stance."
He explained all the key points to remember while executing it, then also demonstrated a few of the other basic movements.
Wei Yuan watched carefully. He realized that these truly were fundamental movements. Most of them were easy to perform—what caused him difficulty were the unusual-looking stances or the ones that necessitated very specific kinds of strength.
"Senior Brother Zhang, how proficient must I be before it is considered 'qualified'?" Wei Yuan asked.
"I cannot determine whether you are qualified or not. Only Master Li can make that decision."
Zhang Wu explained, "However, generally speaking, for the horse stance, you must hold it for at least one hour. And your other basic movements all need to be performed correctly as well."
Wei Yuan began to gain a general understanding.
"So, how long does it typically take to qualify?"
"That depends on your aptitude," Zhang Wu chuckled.
"Some individuals with good talent can learn everything in merely a few days."
"Others, who are not particularly quick-witted, might require a few months to barely manage."
And then there are those who need a year or more—that is the slower group.
"Very well, I have explained everything. You may commence training now. If you encounter any problems, please do not hesitate to ask me." With that, Zhang Wu turned and walked away.
Wei Yuan took a deep breath. Without a word, he picked up a water-filled bowl and placed it on his head, then assumed the horse stance.
As soon as he was in position—
A few lines of text flashed before his eyes.
[Divine Might Activated!]
[Horse Stance +1]
[Horse Stance +1]
[Horse Stance +1]
With the appearance of those words, Wei Yuan naturally slipped into a strange yet focused state of mind. Without even realizing it, his body settled into the most textbook-perfect horse stance.
However, it was not long before his legs began to ache, a dull soreness slowly transforming into sharp pain.
As time progressed, it worsened—so much so that it was almost unbearable.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the others were not faring much better. They were beginning to shake and lose form just as he was.
Wei Yuan gritted his teeth and continued holding on.
[Horse Stance +1]
[Horse Stance +1]
Time continued to pass.
Wei Yuan felt the pain in his legs surge in waves, but he refused to yield. His willpower remained firm, and in doing so, he began accessing hidden reserves of strength.
[Horse Stance +1]
[Horse Stance +1]
Then, suddenly, the glowing text ceased appearing.
At that precise moment, Wei Yuan reached his limit and collapsed onto the ground, completely drenched in sweat.
That was his very first attempt at the horse stance—and he had lasted for approximately the duration of one incense stick, roughly half an hour.
Not at all poor.
"Could that have been the effect of the Divine Might?" Wei Yuan felt a surge of excitement. After a brief rest, he eagerly spread his legs again.
[Side Splits +1]
[Side Splits +1]
[Side Splits +1]
"....."