Chapter 23: Genius
After several twists and turns, Zhao He had already regained his composure.
Immediately, he reacted, knowing that now he should get straight to the point.
So, he said concisely, "Master, Junior Brother Chen has already broken through to the introductory stage of Strength Refinement."
"A breakthrough is a breakthrough. It's just the introductory stage of Strength Refinement. Why the rush..."
Li Yue instinctively responded.
But before finishing his sentence, he caught himself mid-thought.
His gaze shifted abruptly, landing on Chen Yuan.
With a hint of suspicion, he asked, "Xiao He, are you saying that Chen Yuan has already reached the introductory stage of Strength Refinement?"
Zhao He nodded quickly, "Master, you can verify it yourself."
Receiving this answer, Li Yue couldn't help but feel a bit doubtful.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Zhao He, but just two months ago, he had personally guided Chen Yuan in practicing boxing. He knew well that Chen Yuan had decent memory, but when it came to mastering boxing techniques, he showed no natural talent.
At that time, Li Yue had put in considerable effort to provide guidance, yet Chen Yuan's pace in mastering the standard boxing stances was even slower than some of the average students.
In his opinion...
Chen Yuan's talent was so limited, coupled with his age and the fact that his physical structure had already solidified.
In just two months, let alone breaking through to the introductory stage of Strength Refinement, even mastering the basic routine of "Swallow Wing Boxing" fluently would be a challenge.
Now, Zhao He was telling him that Chen Yuan had successfully broken through. How could Li Yue not be skeptical?
The surrounding martial arts disciples, unaware of Chen Yuan's specific situation, trusted Li Yue deeply.
Initially, upon hearing Zhao He's words, they had no doubts about whether Chen Yuan had reached the introductory stage of Strength Refinement.
But seeing Li Yue himself seemingly doubtful, they couldn't help but turn their eyes toward Chen Yuan.
Speculating on his master's attitude, Zhao He wondered if Chen Yuan's breakthrough might have some issues.
For instance, could Zhao He have made a mistake in his observation?
Among the disciples, Mo Chen's reaction was the most pronounced.
He had already harbored some grievances against Chen Yuan, and earlier, when Qiu Yu heard about Chen Yuan's breakthrough and showed an intention to befriend him, it only amplified Mo Chen's displeasure.
Seeing the current situation, a trace of anticipation flashed in Mo Chen's eyes.
Whatever achievements Chen Yuan might have in the future didn't matter to him. He only hoped that the news of the breakthrough would turn out to be false.
As long as Chen Yuan hadn't entered the introductory stage of Strength Refinement, it would mean he wasn't a genius like himself.
"One genius in the Swallow Wing Boxing Academy is enough," he thought selfishly.
"Inside, we'll talk," Li Yue said, regaining his composure, though he didn't immediately approach to verify Chen Yuan's progress.
This wasn't because he still doubted it, but rather because he felt he had lost his composure in front of his disciples and didn't want to appear overly emotional.
In truth, he was feeling somewhat excited.
Regardless of his reasons, having another martial arts genius emerge from the academy was something he was very eager to see.
Moreover, Zhao He, who had been with him for years and had recently taken on many responsibilities to help manage the academy, was someone he deeply trusted in both character and ability.
Now that Zhao He had brought Chen Yuan to him with such confidence, it was likely he was certain.
As Li Yue turned and walked into the inner courtyard, Zhao He quickly followed, bringing Chen Yuan along.
The surrounding disciples, upon seeing this, even those who had completed their evaluations and were preparing to leave, turned back out of curiosity.
Only a few who had been assigned guard duty stayed behind reluctantly.
…
Inner Courtyard
Under the curious gaze of the disciples waiting in the courtyard, the group moved to an open area.
"Demonstrate your boxing technique and channel your strength for me to observe," Li Yue instructed.
Li Yue ignored everyone else and gestured directly to Chen Yuan.
"Go ahead," he said.
Standing beside Chen Yuan, Zhao He gave his arm a slight push, his gaze full of encouragement. "No need to be nervous," he added.
Zhao He still remembered how Chen Yuan had behaved when he first joined the martial academy, worried that nervousness might cause him to make mistakes again.
In fact, Zhao He was beginning to suspect that Chen Yuan's talent might never have been the issue. The reason Li Yue initially dismissed him as untalented might have been rooted in his psychological state, leading to a series of misunderstandings.
But Chen Yuan wasn't nervous at all.
Although all eyes in the courtyard were on him, and there was indeed some pressure, the thought of the benefits of officially entering the introductory stage outweighed any discomfort.
He stepped into the center of the open area, catching a nod of approval from Li Yue.
Without hesitation, he gathered his energy and started demonstrating the routine of the Swallow Wing Boxing technique.
As his movements unfolded, the onlookers immediately noticed the clearly defined muscle groups on his forearms, which were visibly engaged.
The audience, being practitioners who had mastered Strength Refinement themselves, were all too familiar with the physical manifestations of reaching this stage in Swallow Wing Boxing.
With just one glance, they could almost confirm that Chen Yuan had indeed broken through.
"Senior Brother Zhao wasn't lying—this Junior Brother Chen has truly entered the introductory stage of Strength Refinement!"
Among the crowd, the most affected were Mo Chen and his three companions.
They were among the few, aside from Li Yue and Zhao He, who knew Chen Yuan's background well.
Seeing the undeniable signs of Chen Yuan's breakthrough, and recalling that he had only been practicing for a little over two months, they couldn't help but feel deeply shaken.
One of the four, a female disciple who had previously belittled Chen Yuan two months ago to curry favor with Mo Chen, couldn't stop herself from blurting out:
"Only two months to reach the introductory stage of Strength Refinement? And at his age, just starting martial arts? Such talent…"
Her words sent a ripple of astonishment through the other disciples, especially those unaware of Chen Yuan's background.
At his age, to have gone from a complete novice to a Strength Refinement martial artist in just two months?
A genius!
The same thought flashed through everyone's minds simultaneously: A genius.
It wasn't unheard of for someone to achieve Strength Refinement within two or three months at the Swallow Wing Boxing Academy.
But those individuals typically had prior foundations.
Take Zhao He, for example. Before formally apprenticing, he had undergone foundational physical training arranged by his family and had even practiced basic boxing techniques.
Starting entirely from scratch, however, was a feat no one present dared to claim they could achieve.
And that didn't even take into account Chen Yuan's relatively advanced age when he began learning martial arts.
Among the onlookers, the only one with an unpleasant expression was Mo Chen.
Even so, he knew better than to make any critical remarks at this moment.
"Excellent!"
"Stop now," came Li Yue's voice, full of joy, resonating in the courtyard.
If even the disciples could see that Chen Yuan's breakthrough was genuine, how could someone with Li Yue's discerning eyes fail to notice?
Unlike the disciples, who still held a sliver of uncertainty, Li Yue, as a master, didn't need further confirmation.
He could tell immediately that Chen Yuan's entry into the Strength Refinement stage was not only authentic but also solidly grounded, requiring no additional honing.
The only minor flaw he noted was that Chen Yuan's execution of the boxing technique still had some imperfections in finer details.
However, he attributed this to nerves under the pressure of performing in front of others and didn't dwell on it.
Chen Yuan stopped his movements as instructed.
Li Yue approached him, a trace of emotion in his voice as he said, "It seems I misjudged before. I failed to recognize your true talent, Ah Yuan. Thankfully, you did not grow complacent because of my oversight. If my mistake had delayed your future, it would have been unforgivable."
"An old man's eyes are dim; I owe you an apology. I hope you won't hold it against me," he added.
Chen Yuan quickly lowered himself, his tone earnest and humble. "If not for Master taking me in, how could I have come this far?"
"Besides, my progress in Strength Refinement is thanks to your arrangements, especially in assigning Senior Brother Zhao as my instructor. Without his guidance, I could not have improved so rapidly."
"Xiao He is indeed remarkable, but your gratitude is rare and commendable," Li Yue said, his gaze toward Chen Yuan now filled with even more satisfaction.
At his age, having seen countless people, Li Yue could tell that Chen Yuan harbored no resentment in his heart.
With such a temperament and exceptional talent, Chen Yuan was destined for greatness.
In Li Yue's view, if it weren't for his other disciple, Mo Chen, whose talent and age were even more promising, Chen Yuan might have been the one more deserving of focused cultivation.
Patting Chen Yuan's shoulder, Li Yue said, "Now that you've successfully entered the Strength Refinement stage, it's time for you to formally become a disciple. As it happens, many of your senior brothers and sisters are here in the academy today. We'll hold a simple induction ceremony shortly, and you'll perform the disciple's salute."
Turning to the other disciples gathered in the courtyard, he added, "Ah Yuan has joined our ranks. From now on, he will be your junior brother. As senior brothers and sisters, you must look after him well."
The disciples, understanding that Chen Yuan had now gained Li Yue's favor, promptly offered their congratulations.
"Congratulations, Master, on gaining such an excellent disciple," they said.