Chapter 20: Breakthrough
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao He's expression turned sour. His previously polite demeanor cooled instantly.
"When I joined the dojo, Junior Brother Mo, I doubt you even knew what martial arts were. You don't need to lecture me on the dojo's rules," Zhao He said coldly.
"Junior Brother Chen was allowed into the inner courtyard with Master's permission. If you have any objections, feel free to consult Master himself."
"Senior Brother, that's not what I meant. I simply didn't want the dojo's secret techniques to be…" The refined young man's expression changed slightly as he tried to explain.
Before he could finish, the beautiful young girl frowned and cut him off. "Senior Brother Zhao is Master's right-hand man and helps him manage many matters in the dojo. When it comes to the dojo's rules, no one understands them better than Senior Brother Zhao. Why make unnecessary comments, Junior Brother Mo?"
She then turned to Zhao He and said politely, "If Senior Brother brought Junior Brother Chen here, there must be an important matter to handle. We won't disturb you."
Seeing Zhao He's expression relax slightly, she gave the refined young man a stern look before leading the group away to another area.
Zhao He glanced at their departing backs before turning back to Chen Yuan with a shake of his head. "Apologies for letting you see that, Junior Brother."
Chen Yuan didn't feel much about the encounter; he just wanted to settle the matter of the Tongxue Pills quickly.
However, he couldn't help but feel curious about the young man and woman.
It seemed their status in the dojo was far from ordinary. Otherwise, Zhao He wouldn't have been so polite upon meeting them—it didn't feel like an interaction between ordinary senior and junior brothers.
"Senior Brother, that Mo Senior Brother and the young lady seem to be much younger than me. Are they some kind of geniuses?" Chen Yuan asked.
Zhao He nodded, unsurprised that Chen Yuan had picked up on this.
"They were both personally recruited by Master from outside and became formal disciples early on. That junior sister is named Qiu Yu. Her talent is decent, but what makes her truly formidable is her background. She's the second daughter of the chairman of the Qiantong Chamber of Commerce in Cloud Mountain City. Her status is extraordinary and not someone to offend."
"As for that Junior Brother Mo, his name is Mo Chen. He comes from an ordinary family in West City, but his talent is remarkable. He joined under Master's tutelage six months ago and managed to enter the 'Refining Strength' stage within half a month. Now, he's already at 'Refining Strength – Minor Accomplishment.' He's a bona fide genius."
"Because of this talent, he's already secured a bright future outside the dojo. He carries himself with a bit of arrogance. Earlier, when he argued with me, it was simply his personality. He wasn't targeting you or me specifically, so you don't need to take it to heart. That said, he does look down on ordinary people a bit. In the future, it's better for you to avoid much interaction with him."
"The two of them—one with deep family connections, the other with extraordinary talent—are not the same as you and me. Junior Brother, you don't need to concern yourself with them."
Chen Yuan nodded and glanced in the direction of the four individuals before withdrawing his gaze.
He refocused on the matter of the Tongxue Pills. Under Zhao He's introductions, he quickly found a senior brother who happened to need money and was willing to sell the pills at a slightly increased price.
…
Meanwhile—
After the brief disagreement with Zhao He, Mo Chen and his group of four were still discussing the matter.
"What's the deal with this Chen Yuan? From what Senior Brother Zhao said, he hasn't even officially joined the dojo, yet he's been permitted to enter the inner courtyard. Is he some kind of genius like Mo Chen, or does he have a strong background?"
Among the group, the male disciple—other than Mo Chen—spoke with confusion.
Hearing this, Mo Chen couldn't help but glance toward where Chen Yuan and Zhao He had gone. For some reason, he felt vaguely uncomfortable.
Mo Chen had been personally brought back by Master Li Yue, and thanks to his talent, he'd always been highly regarded by him. This naturally made him popular among the other disciples in the inner courtyard.
This kind of treatment, except for Qiu Yu—who had a remarkable background and a beautiful appearance—was unmatched by anyone else.
However, Qiu Yu was a girl, so Mo Chen didn't mind. In fact, he had some hidden affection for Qiu Yu.
But if another "genius" were to appear—and worse, a male genius—just the thought of it made Mo Chen feel uneasy.
Qiu Yu, on the other hand, seemed unbothered. Her reason for coming to the Yan Wing Fist Dojo, this small martial arts school, was somewhat complicated.
She was, in fact, pleased to see more talented disciples appearing in the dojo.
She said, "If that Junior Brother Chen is truly talented, it's actually a good thing for us. The more geniuses the dojo has, the greater its reputation will be in the future. When our senior and junior brothers go out into the world, we'll receive more respect as well."
"If that's the case, once Junior Brother Chen becomes a formal disciple, we might as well invite him to practice martial arts together. We can all improve by sparring with one another."
Mo Chen's face turned increasingly unpleasant.
If the other male disciple's words earlier only made him uncomfortable, then now he was outright annoyed at Chen Yuan—someone he had just met.
He spoke with a hint of sarcasm: "Nothing's been set in stone yet. If he were truly a genius, Master would have already accepted him formally. There's no way he'd still be stuck in the outer courtyard."
The female disciple standing beside him turned her gaze and nodded, as though deeply agreeing. "I think he's probably too old. He looks like he's already close to twenty. Even if he has some talent, his achievements will likely be limited."
Mo Chen turned to look at her, and his expression lightened considerably. He nodded in agreement: "Senior Sister is absolutely right. This Chen Yuan looks almost twenty, yet he hasn't even entered the 'Refining Strength' stage. Who knows how long it'll take him to catch up to us? Maybe we'll never even see him again."
Qiu Yu raised her eyebrows slightly at this, but she didn't say anything further.
After all, Chen Yuan was just a stranger they had only recently met, and they didn't know much about him. On the other hand, Mo Chen's future was plain to see.
Naturally, she wouldn't go out of her way to say something that might upset Mo Chen for the sake of Chen Yuan.
"Let's get back to practice."
With her calm voice, she brought everyone's attention back to their martial arts training.
Unbeknownst to them, Chen Yuan had avoided the inner courtyard previously precisely to avoid unnecessary trouble.
This time, he had only entered to take care of some important matters. Yet, even that brief visit had managed to attract some unwanted attention.
By now, Chen Yuan had already left the inner courtyard, carrying the Tongxue Pills that he had purchased from several formal disciples with Zhao He's help.
Reaching the outer courtyard, he patted his chest where the pills were safely hidden.
Then, he turned to look back at the inner courtyard once more, his eyes filled with anticipation, before he left the dojo and headed home.
…
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
During these two months, having lost the income from his butcher's shop, Chen Yuan spent all his time immersed in martial arts training. He also minimized his contact with Lin Cheng during this period.
The hard work he put into martial arts did not disappoint him.
On this particular day, the dojo had scheduled a rest period for its disciples to recover at home.
Yet Chen Yuan, determined to improve, showed no signs of slacking off.
Chen Yuan stood frozen for a moment, his mind racing to comprehend what had just happened.
A punch… just one punch!
He looked again at the gaping hole in the thick wooden door—his right fist still lodged in the shattered wood. His solid forearm trembled slightly, muscles taut and veins faintly bulging under his skin. Small wooden splinters had left shallow cuts on his knuckles, yet he barely felt the pain.
"This is… strength!"
The sensation in his body still lingered. The sudden surge of heat, the seamless connection between his muscles and movements—everything had felt so natural. It was as if his entire body had come together in perfect harmony, executing the punch without hesitation.
His breathing quickened slightly, and his heart thumped with excitement.
"I've broken through… I've finally reached Refining Strength!"
The realization sent a wave of exhilaration coursing through him. Over the past months, he had pushed himself relentlessly, following the guidance of the Huangting Jade Manual and training tirelessly in Little Swallow Wing Fist. Each day had been a grind, but today—today was different.
This was no longer just practice. It was a leap forward.
Chen Yuan pulled his fist out of the shattered door, bits of wood falling to the ground with a faint thud. He clenched his hand into a fist and opened it again, carefully feeling the newfound strength flowing through his body.
Refining Strength.
This was the first major threshold in martial arts—the moment where one truly began to harness the strength of their body's muscles, bones, and tendons in unison. It was the foundation for all further martial progress, and for most people, it was a wall they might spend years trying—and failing—to break through.
But for him, it had finally happened.
He stood there for a moment longer, the faint sound of his breathing the only noise in the small room. Then, his lips curled into a smile.
"With this step… I'm no longer at the bottom."
His path had just begun, but the taste of progress was intoxicating. This breakthrough wasn't just a personal milestone—it was proof that the Huangting Jade Manual worked, and that his efforts had not been in vain.
With newfound resolve, Chen Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"From here on, I'll keep pushing forward. I will never stop."