October 1st, morning.
Baiyun Headquarters.
White beams of light slanted through the wooden windows, landing on the carpet. In the air, fine dust particles could be faintly seen floating gently.
Galon stood respectfully in the center of the martial hall, with Teacher Fei Baiyun seated in a high position, and the eldest martial sister and second martial brother sitting on either side.
The third martial brother stood on the right, holding a square wooden tray covered with a red cloth.
Two rows of chairs were placed on both sides of the martial hall, sparsely occupied by more than a dozen people, divided into two groups, all wearing white dojo uniforms, with sharp and spirited gazes. Leading them were two elderly men in their fifties and sixties.
"Since I personally selected him to be a disciple, let's dispense with the unnecessary formalities. Today, we have invited Master Heli and Master Hoste to witness. Let's begin."
Fei Baiyun nodded to the third martial brother, Garcia.
"Begin." Garcia called out loudly, not daring to delay the matter despite his usually playful demeanor.
Two young girls in white dojo uniforms stepped forward, each holding a tray containing red invitation cards and a reddish-brown wooden cup.
"Recite the dojo rules." Garcia announced loudly.
Galon straightened his body, picked up a red invitation card from the tray, slowly unfolded it, and began to read aloud.
"Do not belittle the teacher; do not forget righteousness! Do not boast; do not be rude! Do not commit evil; do not covet unjust wealth! Do not be arrogant or complacent; do not neglect martial practice."
"Disciple Rongbal Galon, will definitely adhere to the dojo rules! To inherit our school's martial arts!"
"Remembering our school's rules, do you have anything else to say?" Fei Baiyun looked over with a smile.
Clapping the invitation card shut, Galon knelt and bowed deeply.
Thud, thud, thud!
After three kowtows, he took the wooden cup from the tray and presented it with both hands to Fei Baiyun.
Fei Baiyun took the cup, lightly sipped the red tea inside, then took a feather pen handed over by the second martial brother and signed his name on the invitation card, stretching his hand towards the witnesses on either side.
"Please, witnesses, sign!" Garcia announced loudly.
Both elders, smiling, signed their names on the red invitation card.
The bald elder on the left said, "I didn't expect Master Fei, over sixty, to take another disciple. And a promising one at that, steady and commendable. Congratulations are in order."
Fei Baiyun smiled contentedly, "I'm getting old, and Galon is the last disciple I've decided to take. I no longer have the energy to accept another. My hope, and the hope of Baiyun School, now lies with these four."
After thorough investigation and understanding of Galon's background, personality, and temperament from various sources, Fei Baiyun was very satisfied with the findings.
Most importantly, even if Galon couldn't achieve greatness, he would definitely be able to carry on the martial arts of the dojo. At least the secret technique of the Giant Elephant must not be lost. Relying solely on the second brother, Falak, was not secure enough, as martial artists could meet an untimely end at any moment.
"If you're old, Master Fei, then what does that make us, of similar age? I still wish to live longer and teach more disciples," the redhead elder on the other side laughed.
Fei Baiyun stood up, behind him a rosewood table with several black spirit tablets, inscribed with unfamiliar characters.
"Baiyun School has reached its sixth generation in my hands. To honor the ancestors and masters..."
Galon respectfully kowtowed three more times towards the spirit tablets.
Fei Baiyun nodded, approving of Galon's respectful demeanor.
"Although your parents are away today, and the two elders are pressed for time, we proceeded with the initiation ceremony early. But now that you've crossed this threshold, from today onwards, you are my, Fei Baiyun's, last disciple, and should regard the honor of the school as your own."
"Yes, Teacher," Galon nodded solemnly, his expression serious.
"Alright, rise."
Galon slowly stood up, marking the end of the ceremony.
The martial hall, which is the main hall on the second floor of the headquarters, was now crowded with onlookers, mostly official disciples from within the dojo.
Baiyun School's disciples are categorized into three levels: ordinary, official, and core.
Galon's rapid advancement to core disciple status was related to his age and talent.
Fei Baiyun's Baiyun School does not follow the cumbersome practices of other martial schools, which is related to the actual status of Baiyun Martial Arts School.
From the dojo rules recited by Galon, it's evident that Baiyun School is one of those martial schools that tread the line between righteousness and unorthodoxy, with no detailed moral guidelines for conduct.
That is, as long as one does not betray the school or bring shame to its name, anything else is permissible.
After the initiation, Fei Baiyun and the two masters sat together for a casual chat, while the other disciples gradually left for the guest hall to rest and prepare for lunch.
Galon followed the eldest martial sister and the second martial brother, catching a glimpse of the eldest martial sister, Rosita's, exposed back, faintly tattooed with a white tiger. The ferocious and formidable white tiger seemed to pulse with a bloodthirsty aura as the skin moved.
The white tiger tattoo extended from Rosita's back to her chest, across her shoulders, with a blood-red spine clearly visible at the center of the tiger's back.
However, Galon noticed that it wasn't the tiger's spine that was red, but a scar on the eldest sister's shoulder, intentionally tattooed to form the tiger's spine, incorporating the scar into the design.
The second martial brother, Falak, tall and robust, sat down to chat enthusiastically with a disciple from Master Heli. The man, also strong and formidable, seemed to share a similar disposition with Falak, appearing to be old acquaintances.
On the other side, the eldest sister Rosita was engaging another disciple from Master Hoste in conversation, who seemed very interested in her, appearing quite proactive.
Galon sat beside the third martial brother, Garcia, boredly listening to the casual chat around him.
Both were restless by nature.
"Third brother, is it true that as official disciples, we can only learn up to the second layer of the Baiyun Secret Technique and no further?" Galon asked quietly.
"That's indeed the case. The subsequent techniques require some rare medicinal herbs and external conditions, only accessible to core disciples. Why the sudden curiosity? You've just mastered the first layer of the secret technique; it's still early to think about advancing to the second layer," Garcia wondered." But since we're bored, I might as well tell you about what comes next."
"I'm just curious," Galon smiled, "After all, who practicing martial arts wouldn't want to know the specific direction of their path?"
"You sound quite mature," Garcia nodded, "The second layer of the Baiyun Secret Technique can increase strength by half, which is from my personal experience. The third layer is only achieved by our master and senior brothers and sisters. I'm still far from it, but I've heard that the third layer can truly double one's strength. That is, your original base strength will increase by twice. The eldest sister added about 100 pounds, and the second brother added about 150 pounds. That's the limit. The third layer of the Baiyun Secret Technique is the highest level achieved by someone in our school. The fourth layer was only achieved by the founding master, who, combined with the Giant Elephant Secret Technique, could reach the strength of a giant elephant!"
"Giant elephant strength! That's almost 2000 pounds!" Galon exclaimed.
"No one has measured it specifically, but in any case, it's very strong," Garcia stroked his chin, yearning.
After chatting for a while, lunch was arranged at the headquarters, and the two masters left with their disciples. Notable figures from Huai Shan City came to congratulate.
Big names like the mayor and the governor sent congratulatory messages.
With other guests coming to celebrate, the initiation ceremony's influence reached the entire Huai Shan.
After hosting the guests, it was already afternoon, and the lunch had almost been digested.
In the afternoon, after a hasty meal, Galon was called out by Fei Baiyun alone to a narrow, enclosed room.
An old man with a bare upper body and a bald head, muscles knotted, and veins like black snakes on his body, was sitting at the door. A long white beard hung down to his chest. He was sitting on the ground, seemingly engaged in some activity.
Fei Baiyun approached and spoke a few words to the old man in a respectful tone.
The bald elder nodded, opened his eyes to take a thorough look at Galon, seemingly memorizing his aura, then closed his eyes again, ignoring everything else.
Fei Baiyun nodded, pushed open the door.
The room was pitch-black inside. Fei Baiyun turned on the wall-mounted kerosene lamp, and the dim yellow light immediately illuminated the entire small room.
Rows of black bookshelves appeared, sparsely filled with notebooks.
"This is where generations of Baiyun School practitioners have recorded their notes. You can browse at will. But let's not worry about these for now; you'll have time later. Follow me."
Fei Baiyun stopped Galon from browsing the bookshelves, walked past the side of the shelves, and headed deeper into the room.
"This area is guarded by Uncle Bai, absolutely safe. He's memorized your scent. As long as you don't bring anyone else, you can freely enter and exit here. This is one of the privileges of being a master's disciple."
"Yes, Disciple understands."
Fei Baiyun nodded, walking to the last row where only a teapot-like object was placed on the black bookshelf.
He carefully took down the teapot, lightly tipped it in his palm, and a date-red pill rolled out.
Handing the pill to Galon.
"Eat it!"
Galon took the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
"Master, what is this?"
"Body Tempering Pill. Have you reached the second layer of the Baiyun Secret Technique?"
Fei Baiyun looked at Galon with a half-smile, causing him to startle, unsure how to respond.
"Don't worry, the first layer of the Baiyun Secret Technique is the easiest and simplest to pass, especially since I used special medicinal herbs for foundation building to help you quickly advance. It's not surprising to advance quickly. There have been many ancestors in our school's history who reached the second layer quickly, all with extraordinary talent. However, to strive for the third layer from the second, specific medicinal herbs and pills are necessary."
He placed the teapot back on the shelf.
"Remember this, you need to come here every day and eat one pill to slowly increase your mastery of the secret technique. This thing can't be improved by just hard training, though hard training is indispensable."
"Yes," Galon suppressed his surprise, quickly responding. He felt Fei Baiyun's gaze sweep over him like two searchlights, making it hard to hide anything.
"Don't bother hiding your stuff, mastering the Explosive Fist Technique is no big deal. I've seen many like you in the real circles; you're barely passable."
Fei Baiyun casually revealed all his secrets. Watching his new disciple's embarrassed expression, he felt a bit of pride. If it weren't for discovering the disciple's secret, he wouldn't have been so eager to accept him into the school.
As for the real circles and such, if there were so many students who could easily master the Explosive Fist Technique, Baiyun Martial Arts School would have dominated the province long ago. There was no need to stay in a place like Huai Shan. It was just a way to keep him from becoming arrogant.
Such a talented disciple had only appeared once in the history of Baiyun School, belonging to those naturally very compatible with Baiyun martial arts, progressing very fast, coupled with exceptional talent.
Galon, fully seen through, didn't say much, just chuckled twice.
"I was just worried about being too special..."