After sitting quietly on the meditation cushion for a while, Ye Bai finally regained his normal state. The pale complexion on his face had improved considerably. He stood up, stretched his muscles, bent down to pick up the two Illusion Heart Grasses, carefully put them into his bag, and hid them close to his body. After closing the door, he walked outside. The sky was already bright. Ye Bai closed the door behind him and headed toward the outer courtyard of the Ye family.
Today, he was going to a place he was supposed to visit yesterday. However, he had been delayed at Ye Lao's place for so long that it was already evening when he came out, so he hadn't gone. Now, after a good rest overnight, Ye Bai felt refreshed and full of energy, which made it the perfect time for cultivation. So, he decided it was the right moment to visit that place.
Ye Bai was heading to the family's Martial Arts Pavilion.
The Martial Arts Pavilion was a grand, imposing wooden building with three courtyards. The early morning sun cast a golden glow over it, with the bright yellow glazed tiles shining in the sunlight.
In the Ye family, Ye Bai wasn't the only one who couldn't afford to buy profound techniques. In fact, there were many others. Some had lost their parents at an early age, some came from families that had fallen on hard times, and some had been punished by the family for past mistakes. If these people didn't have outstanding talent, their descendants would often end up in a situation like Ye Bai's—needing to earn contribution points to exchange for the family's martial techniques. Such people, of course, rarely had enough money to buy those precious techniques, which is why places like the Ye family's Martial Arts Pavilion came into being. These places were designed specifically for those who couldn't afford advanced martial techniques but still wanted to learn basic combat skills.
Ye Bai spent most of his free time in this Martial Arts Pavilion.
At the Martial Arts Pavilion, you shouldn't expect to learn any profound techniques, even the most basic ones. Instead, it only offered some simple, fundamental weapon attack techniques. For example, the Ye family's Martial Arts Pavilion had a collection of three sets each of basic swordsmanship, knife techniques, staff techniques, spear techniques, dagger techniques, and archery techniques, for a total of eighteen basic combat skills.
These techniques were freely available to all outer disciples of the Ye family. Anyone could come and practice them without paying any fees. However, every single technique shared a common feature: they were extremely rudimentary. Apart from basic movements like slashing, hacking, stabbing, cutting, lifting, cleaving, or shaking with weapons, there were no advanced moves or specific techniques—nothing that could be called a real martial art.
Such skills couldn't be compared to profound techniques; they were far inferior. However, when compared to the higher-ranking disciples of wealthier families who already had access to low-tier profound techniques, these basic combat skills were still incredibly valuable for someone like Ye Bai. They provided him with a means of self-defense in the wilds and against ferocious beasts.
Outer disciples of the Ye family could choose one of these skills based on their weapon preference to practice.
Ye Bai had chosen basic swordsmanship when he first started, and after one and a half years, he had mastered all three sets of basic sword techniques. Later, he also learned the three sets of basic dagger techniques and had become highly skilled in them as well. This time, he was planning to either learn another basic weapon technique or deepen his understanding of the two skills he had already mastered.
When Ye Bai arrived at the Martial Arts Pavilion, it was still early, but the sounds of disciples practicing—shouting, striking, and the wind created by their punches—could already be heard from afar. There was an old man with a horse face sitting at the entrance.
Seeing this, Ye Bai smiled slightly, thinking back to when he had first joined the Ye family. At that time, he had been just like those disciples—coming early every day, hoping to learn powerful techniques. However…
He shook his head with a trace of nostalgia and sighed. How many of them would be able to stick with it and continue practicing? Ye Bai knew very well how boring, tiresome, and painful learning these basic techniques could be.
He had witnessed many disciples enter the Martial Arts Pavilion, only to leave angrily the next day, or dismiss it as beneath them. Apart from him, most of the others had come and gone—leaving after only a few days or weeks.
Basic skills, as the name suggested, were naturally not profound. Most of the moves were simple, and mastering them required relentless repetition. For example, a basic sword move like a lunge, draw, or thrust might need to be repeated hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times to perfect. But even after all that effort, their power still couldn't compare to a profound technique. This was why, apart from Ye Bai, no one bothered with them.
Not only the disciples who could afford profound techniques but also the ordinary ones like Ye Bai—who couldn't afford them—looked down on these basic techniques. Some thought they would eventually learn profound techniques, so the low-level ones didn't matter. Others felt that cultivating profound energy was hopeless and not worth their time, and some just couldn't bear the grueling practice. They would study for a few days and then give up.
But Ye Bai was different.
He treated these techniques as life-saving skills. No matter how simple or weak they were, they were worth learning. It wasn't that he thought the techniques were powerful; he understood that every little bit of effort might make a difference when it came time to save his life. Each bit of improvement, no matter how small, would increase his chances of survival in dangerous situations.
So, he spent almost all of his free time honing these basic skills. While others played, rested, or slept, he practiced. And each time he went on an adventure, it was these basic skills—skills that others looked down on and dismissed—that saved his life.
Therefore, when he returned to the Martial Arts Pavilion today and heard the sounds of training inside, he wondered how many of these disciples would still be here after three years? How many would stick with it, just like he had, despite the tediousness and hardships? How many would quit the next day, just as so many others had?
But then he smiled to himself, realizing that it didn't concern him. Everyone made their own choices.
Shaking off the thoughts, Ye Bai stepped forward to enter the pavilion.
At that moment, a figure flashed. The horse-faced old man had somehow appeared in front of Ye Bai and blocked his path. With sharp, hawk-like eyes, he stared at Ye Bai and said coldly, "Stop!"
Ye Bai was taken aback and stood still. Looking at the old man, he asked with a slight chill in his voice, "What's the meaning of this?"
"You can't go in," the horse-faced old man said, his tone harsh and full of sarcasm.
Ye Bai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're not letting me in? The Martial Arts Pavilion is always open to everyone. Why can't I go in?"
The old man raised his brows and sneered. "That's for those disciples who can bring benefits to the family. Someone like you, who can't even afford a low-level profound technique, has no right to enter. Three months from now, if you can't pass the family's test, you'll be kicked out of the outer sect. And someone like you—about to be expelled—shouldn't be allowed to take advantage of the Martial Arts Pavilion for free. If you want to enter, you can pay ten taels of silver per visit. But you can't stay longer than two hours. Choose."
Ye Bai's face immediately darkened. His voice turned cold. "How do you know I will fail the test? What if I pass?"
The old man laughed loudly. "You? Pass the test? Are you awake? With no money, no connections, and mediocre talent, you think you can pass the inner sect test? Haha! If you manage to pass, I'll write my name backwards!"
He paused for a moment, then chuckled, "But before you pass the inner sect test, if you want to enter, it'll be ten taels of silver each time. Why? Because I don't think it's right for the family to provide this service to you people for free. I've changed the rules. Pay, or get out. It's your choice." The old man then sneered and added, "Don't tell me you can't even afford ten taels, huh? Haha! What are you still doing here? Get lost!"
"You…" Ye Bai's face turned red with anger. He took a step forward, and a faint white light appeared on his left hand. The old man laughed again.
"What? Angry? Are you going to hit me? Try it! Do you think I'm afraid of you? I can just tell my brother-in-law, who's a steward at the Outer Law Hall. Go ahead, report it! Hit me! Let's see!"
Ye Bai was so furious his eyes were turning red. However, after a moment, he took a deep breath, his eyes slowly calming. He loosened his clenched fists.
He looked at the old man and said faintly, "Aren't you afraid of attracting trouble?"
"Trouble?" The old man laughed again. "I'm just a mortal, and I'll be buried in a few years. If I don't take the chance to make some money now, I'd be a fool. The elders don't care about a lowly disciple like you, so why would I be afraid of you? I'm not afraid of you!"
The old man continued sneering, full of disdain. He didn't think Ye Bai would ever become an inner sect disciple, and when his trial period ended, he'd be expelled. So, he didn't fear Ye Bai at all. He was certain that no matter how hard Ye Bai tried, he wouldn't be able to change his fate.
At that moment, a clear, pleasant voice rang out. "What's all the noise outside?"
A beautiful woman in a green robe appeared. When she saw Ye Bai standing at the door, she smiled and said, "Ye Bai, you're here. What's going on? Why are you standing at the door?" It was Ye Mei Zhu, the swordsmanship instructor at the Martial Arts Pavilion.
Both Ye Bai and the old man were startled. Ye Bai bowed respectfully. "Instructor!"
The old man, too, instantly became respectful, his face shifting from mocking to a fawning smile. He lowered his head and said, "Miss Ye!"
Ye Mei Zhu noticed the strange atmosphere and smiled. "What's going on, Ye Bai? Tell me what happened?"
The old man hesitated. Although he dared to mock Ye Bai, he didn't dare to offend this instructor from a distinguished family. He trembled slightly, fearing Ye Bai would report him. His face turned pale as he lowered his head.
The scene grew silent. Ye Mei Zhu looked at them and, sensing something, gestured for Ye Bai to come in. "Ye Bai, why are you standing at the door? Come inside!"
Ye Bai looked at the beautiful woman's face and suddenly took a step back. "No, Instructor Ye. Until I reach the level of a profound practitioner, I will never set foot in this Martial Arts Pavilion again!"
With that, he turned and walked away, not even glancing at the horse-faced old man.
"This child, what's wrong today?" Ye Mei Zhu wondered, looking at his retreating figure. At that moment, a male voice came from inside. "Sis, what's going on?"
"Nothing, nothing…" Ye Mei Zhu replied hastily. As she turned to walk inside, she couldn't help but glance back at Ye Bai's strange figure, full of confusion.
The old man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and muttered, "Didn't even report me… That's strange."
He sneered again. "A waste of space, no money, no connections, and no skills. No backbone, either. Even when offered a chance to learn, he's too proud to accept. Hah! Let him go."
Meanwhile, Ye Bai slowly walked away, his hands clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms, blood dripping from his fingers. But he seemed oblivious.
"A mortal who can't even cultivate profound energy dares to insult me. Everything comes down to power. If I had the strength of a profound practitioner, would anyone dare treat me this way?"
"Right now, anyone can bully me if they have a little bit of influence. But one day, I'll be the one in control. If I want to change my fate, I need power!"
Turning to glance at the imposing Martial Arts Pavilion behind him, Ye Bai's eyes hardened. "I'll make those who look down on me regret it. One day, I'll make them open their eyes and see what I'm capable of. I will never endure this humiliation again. Until I become an inner disciple, I'll never step foot in that pavilion again!"
"Ye Lao, you said I'd never pass the test? Well, I'll show you. You said I could never become an inner disciple? I'll prove you wrong. I'll make you kneel before me one day!"