"Disciple Xu Yan pays his respects to Master!"
Xu Yan was extremely excited, and with a thud, he knelt down and respectfully kowtowed.
"Get up!"
Li Xuan silently extended his hand, closed the box containing the ceremony gifts, and put on a solemn expression, adopting the demeanor of a strict master.
Originally, he didn't want to deceive anyone, but Xu Yan had given him too much.
He'd taken the disciple, but as for teaching him any actual martial arts? Not a chance!
But that was fine; he could just make something up.
Li Xuan considered that he had been a struggling online novelist in his previous life, so making up a set of martial arts wasn't a big issue.
Seeing that Xu Yan wasn't the brightest person, Li Xuan believed that he wouldn't be able to discern the authenticity of the martial art.
And if Xu Yan couldn't even grasp the basics of the art? Well, that would be because of his lack of talent.
"Yes, Master!"
With great excitement, Xu Yan stood up, gazing at Li Xuan eagerly.
"Master, when will you teach me the martial art?"
Looking at Xu Yan's expectant eyes, Li Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, appearing profound, and said slowly, "I will accept you as my disciple for now, but if within a year, you can't even grasp the basics, it means we have no master-disciple connection, and we won't be able to continue this relationship. Do you understand?"
Xu Yan's heart skipped a beat, but he took a deep breath and replied solemnly, "I understand!"
"Master, please rest assured. If I can't even grasp the basics within a year, it's due to my inadequate talent, and I won't blame you, Master. I'll give up the idea of learning from you and won't disturb your cultivation anymore!"
Li Xuan felt delighted to see Xu Yan's understanding. Having a disciple with such awareness was a blessing.
Even if it took ten or a hundred years, Xu Yan would never be able to grasp the basics.
Before teaching Xu Yan the fabricated martial art, Li Xuan needed to gather some information about the outside world and the state of martial arts in this world.
Considering Xu Yan's belief that he was a reclusive expert who had withdrawn from the world, it was only reasonable to inquire.
Li Xuan's total ignorance of the outside world actually bolstered Xu Yan's belief in him. Xu Yan thought Li Xuan was an ancient hermit with boundless martial arts knowledge and everlasting youth. So, Li Xuan was willing to share information openly.
After some inquiry, Li Xuan gained a rough understanding of the world. The village he was in was located within the territory of the Qi Kingdom, which had been established for over a hundred years and was currently at its peak.
In this world, there were three major kingdoms: Qi, Wu, and the Northern Barbarian Court.
From what Xu Yan told him, it appeared that martial arts in this world were not particularly advanced. There were no tales of superhuman abilities like moving mountains or flying through the air. The most skilled individuals could perform feats like scaling walls, leaping several yards, or lifting a thousand pounds.
As for Xu Yan, he had always been obsessed with martial arts since childhood, particularly the legendary arts that promised unparalleled power. This had earned him some notoriety in Donghe County. People would often mock him for believing in such tales and seeking hidden experts to learn from.
Learning this, Li Xuan felt somewhat disappointed. It seemed that this world didn't possess the kind of high-level martial arts he had imagined. But then again, it might just be that Xu Yan hadn't encountered such skills.
Either way, this was not something Li Xuan could explore right now. Given that Xu Yan believed he was a reclusive master who had isolated himself from the world, it was only reasonable that Li Xuan knew little about the state of martial arts.
With Xu Yan's continued trust in his fabricated identity, Li Xuan decided to proceed with his plan.
"Since you believe me to be a hidden expert, I will pass on my martial art to you," Li Xuan said. "The most crucial aspect of my teachings is 'enlightenment.' Whether you can grasp it or not depends on your talent and aptitude."
"Master, please teach me your martial art. If I can't grasp it, it's because of my insufficient fortune," Xu Yan said reverently.
Li Xuan adopted a dignified tone and began to make up the martial art on the spot.
"Master, what constitutes entry into the martial art?" Xu Yan asked excitedly.
Li Xuan was about to nod and tell Xu Yan that achieving the "Enlightened Skin" was the first step to entering the art. However, he reconsidered. Would that make it too easy?
Since they were making things up, they might as well make it more impressive.
"Of course, achieving 'Enlightened Skin' is not considered entry into the art," Li Xuan said gravely. "Enlightened Skin, as the name suggests, means refining your skin. Once you've reached this stage, you'll be incredibly tough. Ordinary weapons won't be able to harm you. Even if you're cut, it will leave only a faint mark..."
Since they were making things up, might as well make it sound formidable. Xu Yan's eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought.
"That's true martial arts! Just reaching the Enlightened Skin stage makes you impervious to ordinary weapons. If that's just the beginning, how much more powerful will I become once I've truly entered the art?"
At this moment, Xu Yan was filled with longing for martial arts.
"Master, what comes after entering the art? What about reaching the Minor Attainment and Major Attainment stages? How strong will I become?"
"This martial art is divided into different realms," Li Xuan continued to make things up. "After entering the art, when your blood and qi surge and your body undergoes a minor transformation, your muscles and bones will resound like thunder. Your blood and qi will be as vigorous as the stars. That's when you've achieved Minor Attainment."
Li Xuan invented details about the various stages of attainment. As Xu Yan listened, his excitement continued to grow.
"Master, what about after achieving Major Attainment? How strong will I be?"
"Well," Li Xuan said thoughtfully, "martial arts follow a graded system. After achieving Minor Attainment, when your blood and qi soar a hundred yards high, burning like flames, and you can defeat any evil spirits, you will have reached Major Attainment."
Li Xuan kept making things up on the spot.
The more Xu Yan heard, the more exhilarated he became. He wanted to ask more questions, but Li Xuan interrupted him.
"Enough for now. You haven't even entered the art yet, so don't ask too much. It's important to remain focused on your practice. Being impatient and restless won't help your progress!"
"Yes, Master!"
Xu Yan felt a little apprehensive but nodded respectfully.
"Very well."
Li Xuan was satisfied with the current state of things. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue explaining; he simply hadn't figured out what came next. The three stages of cultivation he had made up—Enlightened Skin, Enlightened Bones, and Enlightened Organs—should be enough to keep Xu Yan occupied for quite some time.
Furthermore, Xu Yan wouldn't be able to reach even the first stage within a year. So, there was no need to rush things.