Chapter Thirty-Three: Guidance

Sun Ruohai did not respond, only raising his eyebrows slightly as his face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

Seeing how Sun Ruohai was so intimidated by his grandfather that he dared not utter a word, Chen Qi lost interest in teasing him further; he didn’t want to spoil the mood for everyone.

Soon, the two of them were eating with their mouths glistening with grease, and the clear wine was soaking through their outer disciple uniforms.

While savoring the lingering sweetness of the fine liquor in his mouth, Chen Qi exclaimed in admiration, “What is this wine? It looks transparent and pure, smooth as it enters, but as soon as it passes your lips, a hundred flavors burst forth and its fiery strength surges back up the throat.”

Sun Ruohai, chewing on the hind leg of the wild boar, replied indistinctly, “You’ve already stolen all the easy-to-find wine. I found this in my grandfather’s secluded chamber— even the imperial jade wine of Yuyang can’t compare to this!”

Chen Qi closed his eyes slightly, enjoying the gentle warmth spreading through his weakened meridians as the wine worked its way inside him. Hearing Sun’s words, he silently accelerated his drinking and downed another small cup.

He could clearly feel his injuries healing faster under the forceful cleansing of the wine’s energy!

If Chen Qi had opened his energy vision at that moment, he would have seen his own vital energy being refined and condensed by the power of the wine.

Beside him, Sun Ruohai was gradually becoming drunk. He thumped his chest loudly and declared with brash confidence, “Brother, as long as I am in these mountains, not a single beast can harm you. I feel my Chiyun Slash has truly reached perfection!”

Chen Qi watched this with a smile as he continued to drink.

He didn’t interrupt, knowing that Sun Ruohai, so often disciplined and constrained, could only show a young man’s romantic spirit after drinking.

As cup after cup went down, Chen Qi began to feel his mind clouding over.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: Sun Ruohai, that rascal, was notorious for his drunken antics. At other times it was fine, but now, in his weakened state, wouldn’t he be at a disadvantage?

Realizing this, Chen Qi felt a wave of dread— but the intoxication had already fully set in, and soon he lost all consciousness...

At dawn, Chen Qi was awakened by the sunlight. He opened his eyes with some effort; Sun Ruohai was already nowhere to be seen.

Glancing at his outer disciple uniform, newly issued just yesterday and now riddled with fresh holes, Chen Qi could only mutter to himself, “I knew it.”

At that moment, Chen Qi found himself in a peculiar state: several superficial wounds from Sun Ruohai’s drunken outburst stung on his skin, but the pain in his internal meridians had healed for the most part— only when he tried to circulate his vital energy did he feel a slight congestion.

This curious mix of stinging pain on the surface and the dull ache within gave Chen Qi a novel sensation. He could feel his blood energy restless, eager to surge, yet unable to burst forth because of the lingering blockage in his meridians.

Suppressing the destructive urge to unleash his vital energy, Chen Qi remembered his true business for the day— he was to attend his first martial arts class in this world.

Having secured a fresh set of outer disciple robes after promising repeatedly not to ruin them again, Chen Qi left satisfied.

His efforts at flattery paid off; the Hall of Internal Affairs steward even waived the uniform fee.

Soon, Chen Qi arrived at the plaza, already crowded with menial disciples sitting in a large circle. In the center sat an outer sect elder draped in a pale purple robe.

The elder’s hair and beard were white, his eyes half-closed as he waited quietly for the lesson to begin.

It was Chen Qi’s first time studying the appearance of a Yunhai Sect elder closely— as for when he’d met Sun Ruohai’s grandfather, he’d been too hurried to pay attention.

In Chen Qi’s perception, the elder looked like an ordinary old man, yet he exuded a vigorous spirit and an innate sense of authority.

Most striking were his hands, covered in irregular calluses and appearing like withered wood, yet they filled Chen Qi with a deep unease.

It felt as if a gun were pressed to his head.

The disciples sitting nearby were also awed by the elder’s presence; the atmosphere was orderly and hushed.

“Dong!”

At the sound of a distant, heavy bell, the elder’s eyes snapped open. Though clouded with age, his gaze seemed to blaze with divine light, causing Chen Qi’s pupils to contract the moment their eyes met.

The elder swept his gaze around the circle, pausing briefly on Chen Qi with a flicker of surprise before speaking:

“The path of martial cultivation begins with diligence!”

As he spoke, he spread his palms toward the gathered disciples.

“When I was a menial disciple, I practiced palms for three hours a day in the gaps between duties. In less than two months, I was promoted to the outer sect.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than he flipped his palm upward, sending a surge of white energy shooting into the sky.

Dissatisfied with striking at empty air, the elder then aimed a palm at the ground beneath his feet. White energy burst forth again, leaving a deep handprint in the flagstone.

Still not content, the elder’s expression tightened as he slowly gathered more power. White energy coiled around his hand as he struck once more.

“Bang!” The stone slab shattered instantly, fragments scattering in all directions.

Satisfied, the elder exhaled and continued,

“With your talent, if you practice diligently every day, you will one day reach my level.”

He basked in the reverent and envious gazes of the disciples before continuing,

“At your stage, if you wish to become outer disciples, the most crucial thing is to master several martial techniques and to integrate them so they form a real fighting force.”

He paused, turning his gaze toward Chen Qi.

“Hmm, I did not expect an outer disciple to attend today’s lesson. Very well, let me say a few words about how outer disciples can advance further.”

His expression grew stern.

“Vital energy! For outer disciples, cultivation is about continually increasing your vital energy, using it to break through every joint in your body, until your whole being is so suffused with energy that, at a single thought, it flows unimpeded everywhere.”

He paused, giving the crowd time to absorb his words, then continued,

“The most advanced outer disciples wear their vital energy like a cloak. At a thought, it can burst forth to strike an enemy, or else wrap around a weapon to boost its destructive power.”

Chen Qi found himself distracted. He suddenly remembered he was no longer a menial disciple and could actually go to higher-level classes with the outer disciples...

After a while, the elder pointed at Chen Qi again and continued,

“Like this one here, already an outer disciple, yet still coming to listen to techniques meant for menial disciples— a true act of laying a strong foundation, a mark of wisdom!”

At once, all eyes turned to Chen Qi, and he could sense that some— especially the contract disciples— were glaring at him with barely concealed fury.

Chen Qi pulled his thoughts together and crushed his rising regret, hastening to flatter the elder,

“Yes, yes! The elder’s experience is vast; I am merely making the wise choice.”

The elder nodded in satisfaction, withdrew his attention, and began to explain the key points of several Yunhai Sect martial techniques.

Chen Qi felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles— as guests from another world, they had never learned any of this, making it all seem a waste of time.

Yet the elder, caught up in his enthusiasm, kept pointing to Chen Qi as an example, putting him on the spot again and again. Chen Qi maintained a respectful and polite smile outwardly, but inside he was in utter turmoil.

At last, the elder spoke,

“All right, if any of you have questions, you may ask me now. Outside of this time, my guidance comes at a price!”