Li Jingzhong was indeed a qualified Martial Arts Hall Master.
Though he was strict, his strictness was always rational.
The three-day Vajra Fist induction test was about comprehension.
If one couldn't grasp the basics of a martial arts technique in three days, it meant their comprehension was too poor.
Clearing fifty acupoints and one meridian tested talent and perseverance.
If one couldn't reach this level in half a year, either their talent was lacking, or their perseverance wasn't enough, often fishing for three days and drying nets for two.
The path of Martial Arts became increasingly difficult at every step; if taking the first step already took so much effort, then it's better not to practice martial arts at all.
There wasn't much time given for reflection before Li Jingzhong began to demonstrate the Vajra Fist to everyone.
"The Vajra Fist is an entry-level Martial Art passed on to lay disciples by the prominent Vajra Bodhi Temple of the Buddhist sect in Qingzhou.
I once practiced in the Vajra Bodhi Temple in my early years and was permitted to teach the Vajra Fist after returning to secular life.
The intent of the Fist is Vajra Demon Suppression; its movements are large and expansive, with force erupting violently.
Pay attention to the need to mobilize the power of the acupoint meridians when exerting force; only with a sudden surge can the greatest power be unleashed."
In the training ground, Li Jingzhong practiced each move seemingly slowly.
But when the punch landed, the force would burst forth suddenly, creating explosive sounds, and its power was astonishing.
Han Zheng watched intently without blinking, eager to learn.
In both his past life and after transmigrating, Han Zheng understood the importance of strength.
In such chaotic times, what could protect oneself wasn't the law or those high-ranking officials but one's own fists and the blade in hand.
Besides, with Han Zheng's current situation, he absolutely couldn't afford to be eliminated by the Martial Arts Hall.
He was poverty-stricken, and at least the Martial Arts Hall provided a meal after the morning class. Without it, he wouldn't even have a place to eat.
"Have you all watched carefully?"
Li Jingzhong ceased his movements, exhaling a long breath of white air.
The breath was so sustained that it even carried a faint whistling sound.
"We have!"
"Since you've watched carefully, start practicing each movement now!"
Li Jingzhong moved to a high platform in the training grounds and observed as the disciples below started to awkwardly practice the Vajra Fist.
The Martial Arts Hall Master was indeed very responsible.
If anyone made mistakes in their movements or applied force incorrectly, he would go over and give pointers.
Han Zheng had been diligent in practice before transmigrating, and his foundation in Martial Arts was solid.
Now he practiced the Vajra Fist move by move, feeling the power in his acupoints—a miraculous sensation.
Trickles of strength gathered in his acupoints. He could sense it but was unable to mobilize it.
Only during a punch would a passive bit of strength seep out from the acupoints, but not much.
In the Postnatal realm, what's most important isn't clearing the acupoints but clearing the meridians.
The 365 acupoints are scattered throughout the body, while twelve meridians run through it.
Clearing each meridian allows one to harness the power of the acupoints along its path and truly control the Inner Strength within them.
The half-day session quickly passed, and Han Zheng was drenched in sweat.
The servants of the Martial Arts Hall had already carried over several large basins, and everyone lined up to get their meal.
Each person received five rye steamed buns, a bowl of vegetable soup with oil floating on the surface, and the only meat dish was two boiled eggs.
Simple as it was, the food was quite decent.
Recently, prices in Black Stone County had soared; previously one jin of rice cost ten coins, now it had risen to fifty.
Southern Mountain had scarce grain production, and Huainan Road, with its fertile land next to Southern Mountain, was its main grain-purchasing area.
But half a year ago, the Smell Fragrance Sect revolted in Huainan, leading to misery among the common people and reduced grain output, which in turn caused prices to skyrocket in the Southern Mountain.
Eating the rye buns, Han Zheng felt as if his throat were being scratched, but he forced himself to swallow.
After all, it was enough to fill his stomach.
At this moment, a somewhat chubby, round-faced young man sat next to Han Zheng, chewing on a bun with a miserable expression.
"The big test is in three days; it's coming too quickly.
The Hall Master only said passing the Vajra Fist induction would be enough, but what exactly does 'passing' entail?"
The chubby young man was named Li Sancheng, Han Zheng's good friend.
His father was the Prison Chief at the County Government, and he was acquainted with Han Zheng's father; they had known each other since childhood but weren't very close.
After joining the Martial Arts Hall and coincidentally discovering this acquaintance, they often got together and became friends.
However, Li Sancheng's family was in a much better financial situation than Han Zheng's.
Though the Prison Chief's monthly salary was as meager as everyone else's, his extra income was not negligible.
Any family that had a run-in with the law and wanted to visit someone in prison had to slip some money to the Prison Chief.
After sipping some vegetable soup and forcefully swallowing a mouthful of rye bun, Han Zheng said, "Martial skills are not like Martial Arts Realm, where is there a clear standard for induction?
The standard is all up to the Hall Master. What we need to do is to grasp the martial techniques as much as possible, not to seek mastery but to be more proficient than the others—that's enough."
Li Sancheng scratched his head: "That makes sense. There are just over a hundred people in our Martial Arts Hall; the Hall Master probably won't eliminate half of us.
But, Han Zheng, how come I feel like you've changed in some way after not seeing you for a day? I just can't quite put my finger on it."
"If I've changed, it's becoming more handsome. Don't think about useless things, hurry home and practice your Fist Technique.
If you fail the big test in three days, your dad is going to beat you to death."
Although Li Sancheng's family had some savings, the Martial Arts Hall's tuition fee was enough to make his father bleed heavily.
Han Zheng quickly finished eating his rye bun and, after tossing his meal bowl to Li Sancheng, left the Martial Arts Academy.
Returning home, Han Zheng began to take off his clothes which were soaked with sweat, intending to change into a fresh set.
But as soon as he began undressing, he froze in surprise.
A silver note, worth ten taels, fell from the lining of his clothes.
Where did this money come from?
As far as he could remember, ever since his father's funeral, he was left with nothing, not a single coin in hand.
Sometimes, after morning classes, he would go to the city gates to carry heavy loads for merchant caravans, earning just a coin for each load—barely enough to scrape together a meal.
Now, one tael of silver was roughly equivalent to five hundred coins; it was quite a good sum for a commoner to earn in a month.
As a County Government Clerk, Han Zheng's father only made a monthly salary of three taels.
Ten taels of silver was an enormous amount for Han Zheng; how could he have come into possession of such a sum?
Rubbing his head, Han Zheng felt that the memory he lost that day seemed to hold some significance.
With his character, he definitely wouldn't have ventured alone to the dangerous outskirts of the city without reason.
What had he done that night to come into possession of ten taels of silver?
However, the memory was too vague, and Han Zheng didn't have much time to ponder over these matters.
His immediate problem was how to cope with the upcoming exam.
He had joined the Martial Arts Academy six months ago and had been diligently training, never slacking off.
However, some children from affluent families had been well-nourished from a young age, naturally possessing sturdy physiques.
After practicing Inner Strength, they could afford various Spiritual Medicines and partake in Medicine Baths to aid their training, which naturally led to progress much faster than his.
A single dose of the Spiritual Medicine used for Medicine Baths cost over a hundred taels of silver.
Elixirs were even more effective and expensive; the lowest-grade elixir cost no less than five hundred taels per bottle.
While Han Zheng had to carry heavy loads for the merchant caravans to make a living, he also trained in Martial Arts—reaching forty-one acupoints was already his limit.
Since ancient times, the path of Martial Arts has been one where both determination and financial resources were essential.
The good news for Han Zheng was that he now had ten taels of unexpected wealth, which meant he no longer needed to waste time carrying loads.
However, the bad news was that he had only three days left for intensive training.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Han Zheng began practicing the "Iron Elephant Skill," not wanting to waste a single moment.
As the name implies, achieving Great Success in Iron Elephant Skill would grant one the strength of an iron elephant; splitting rocks and breaking steles would be no difficult feat.
It was a sort of Inner Strength known for its steadiness and heaviness—purely cultivating physical strength and considered a lower and more brutish form of Inner Strength practice.
As Inner Strength circulated through his body, it caused the muscles and bones of Han Zheng's entire body to tremble, and huge beads of sweat Rolled down.
At last, his energy suddenly dispersed, and he failed to breach the acupoint.
Han Zheng opened his eyes and let out a wry smile.
"The talent of this body is really quite average."
He didn't know if his comprehension had improved after transmigration, but his physical talent certainly hadn't.
After resting for a moment and regaining his strength, Han Zheng resumed training to breach the acupoints.
During those three days, Han Zheng attended early morning classes at the Martial Arts Hall, training and practicing Vajra Fist.
After class, he would return home to practice the Iron Elephant Skill, striving to breach the acupoints.
The atmosphere in the entire Zhenwei Martial Arts Academy was extremely tense.
Even Li Sancheng, who was usually somewhat lazy and talkative, had no time for small talk and focused solely on training.
But to his dismay, Han Zheng discovered on the eve of the exam that he had only managed to breach one acupoint in three days.
He was eight acupoints away from the standard of fifty, and he still had to breach one meridian channel.
Summoning the Taotie Furnace, and gazing at the vividly depicted Taotie Dragon Pattern on it, Han Zheng fell into deep thought.
Should he sacrifice the Taotie Furnace for a chance to improve his training?
Being expelled from the Martial Arts Hall meant he wouldn't starve immediately but would lose the stable opportunity to continue training in the Martial Arts.
But to sacrifice a part of oneself for a rapid enhancement—was it worth it?
Han Zheng pondered, then suddenly asked, "The Taotie Furnace accepts any sacrifice, but can my sense of pain be offered as well?"
Three souls and seven spirits, as well as limbs, were obviously not viable for sacrifice nor was Life Span, and Han Zheng didn't wish to shorten his life for nothing.
Therefore, he considered sacrificing something like the Seven Emotions and Six Desires.
Suddenly, Han Zheng realized that the sense of pain wasn't very useful to him.
In fact, sacrificing his sense of pain might even give him an edge in combat.
[You may sacrifice it.]
"Then, let's sacrifice the sense of pain!"
Han Zheng gritted his teeth and made his decision.
In the next moment, the Taotie Dragon Pattern on the furnace seemed to come alive, opening its dark gaping maw and biting towards Han Zheng.
Han Zheng instinctively closed his eyes and, when he opened them again, felt as if something inside of him had been taken away.
He pinched his face hard, feeling only touch, and indeed, no pain.
[Host has sacrificed his sense of pain, gaining 50 points of Hunger Level, which can be used to breakthrough in Martial Arts or for training inside the Melting Furnace.]
Two options appeared above the Taotie Furnace: one for breakthroughs and one for training.
Entering the Taotie Refining to train for one day would consume 1 point of Hunger Level, with time standing still within the furnace.
However, the breakthrough function was currently unavailable, as it only applied to Martial Arts skills at 100% proficiency.
"Enter the furnace for training."