piratefiction Chapter 55 Becoming an Apprentice
Chapter 55 Becoming an Apprentice
"Junior Brother Mo, you're back!"
"Junior Brother Mo, congratulations on passing the inner disciple assessment!"
After descending Xiaohan Peak, Mo Zheng hadn't even reached his doorstep when he heard two calls.
He turned around and saw Zhao Tong and Wang Yuan.
"Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Wang." Mo Zheng stamped his foot and greeted them with a smile.
"Haha, Junior Brother Mo, we've heard about it!"
Wang Yuan said excitedly, "You really stole the show in this inner sect assessment, giving You Chendong and the others a real beating."
"I heard they even stripped them completely naked, and the news has spread throughout the martial arts hall."
Zhao Tong laughed and said, "Well done, Junior Brother Mo! Let's see if those guys from the Hidden Dragon Society dare to be so arrogant again!"
Good things don't go out, bad things pass thousands of miles.
Mo Zheng didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. He had only been back for half a day, and even Wang Yuan and Zhao Tong knew about it. Needless to say, it must have been spread by those disciples who hadn't had their clothes removed.
The headmaster only asked them not to reveal the matter of the Blood-Awakening Grass, but he did not ask them to keep other things that happened in the secret realm a secret.
"By the way, the graduation ceremony is in two days. Junior Brother Mo, have you decided which teacher you want to choose?" Zhao Tong asked.
"There are so many kendo instructors, Junior Brother Mo, you're going to have a headache. But you'd better be careful this first time you're chosen."
Wang Yuandao said, "I've heard that if the teacher you want to choose doesn't agree to you becoming their disciple, even if the school assigns a teacher, they won't teach you wholeheartedly."
"So when choosing a teacher, you should not only choose the strong ones, but also the ones who are willing to take you on, otherwise you'll be in trouble."
This is normal. All the teachers who can teach at the Liangzhou Martial Arts Hall are masters of the Internal Organs Realm. Which one of them doesn't have a bit of arrogance?
They are all highly skilled martial artists who can command the wind and rain outside. If they want to take on disciples, the line of people outside could stretch from Liangzhou City all the way to the capital!
You chose other teachers, but were rejected and assigned to them again because of the Martial Arts Hall. This shows that you didn't think much of them in the first place, so how could these teachers be sincere in their teaching?
It should be noted that, let alone inner disciples, even among the true disciples of the Martial Arts Hall, only a small fraction achieve the Visceral Realm.
These masters of the Internal Organs Realm teach more or less, and even the headmaster has no say in the matter.
"Oh, right, Junior Brother Mo, remember to take a look at the book about the Martial Arts Hall. It has a general introduction to all the teachers in the hall, which should be helpful to you," Zhao Tong suddenly remembered and said.
"I understand, thank you for reminding me, senior brothers." Mo Zheng nodded and thanked them.
After watching the two leave, Mo Zheng stepped forward, opened the courtyard gate, and went inside.
He naturally had the book that introduced the Martial Arts Academy.
After making himself a cup of tea, Mo Zheng sat in the living room and carefully read through the records about the teachers in the introduction to the Martial Arts Hall.
The Liangzhou Martial Arts Academy has the most sword instructors, with a total of twelve. This is likely related to the large number of martial artists who practice swordsmanship.
For other weapons, the largest number of sword masters are only eight, while for spears, clubs, hammers, and other weapons, there are two, three, or even only one master for some, leaving very little room for disciples to choose.
The importance of choosing an excellent teacher is self-evident.
Among the kendo instructors, only three have the record of killing opponents of the same level: Liu Qing, Wang He, and Gui Yuanfeng.
The book also describes their battle record.
After hunting down a third-tier demonic beast, Liu Qing was ambushed by other Visceral Realm martial artists. He fought against three opponents, killing two and having one escape.
Wang He challenged seven masters at the Internal Organ Realm in a single day, winning all seven battles and killing three while injuring four.
Gui Yuanfeng infiltrated the enemy's military camp, assassinated two experts at the Internal Organs Realm, and then gracefully departed amidst the encirclement and attack of the main force.
All three are very strong; judging from their battle records alone, ordinary internal organs cultivators are far from being their match.
Liu Qing had given him guidance; Wang He offered a price for personal guidance from a martial saint; and although Gui Yuanfeng had no contact with him, his ability to assassinate a master of the same level from a heavily guarded army and escape unscathed was no small feat.
Any disciple, when qualified to make a selection, would have to weigh the pros and cons.
Although Mo Zheng had an idea in mind, he still couldn't help but feel conflicted when he was alone.
This kind of dilemma is perfectly normal.
Regardless of who is ultimately chosen, there will be some regret in my heart for the two teachers I missed.
"Liu Qing, Wang He, Gui Yuanfeng..." Mo Zheng was increasingly looking forward to the graduation ceremony two days later.
Perhaps, there's also a touch of longing for holidays and family.
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
On this day, the sun shone brightly, and all the disciples in the martial arts hall gathered in the square, lining up in two rows.
Dozens of chairs were placed above the square, where a group of teachers sat.
"It's quite lively."
Mo Zheng stood in the queue, looking at the bustling martial arts hall disciples, and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
They usually cultivate on their own, and apart from the time Lan Jun went up the Tower of Ascension, he had never seen so many people from the Martial Arts Hall gathered together.
The disciples of the true lineage, inner sect, and outer sect are clearly distinguished and stand in their respective tiers.
Mo Zheng and the other twelve stood at the end of the inner disciples' line, glancing occasionally at their favorite teacher on the stage.
The teachers were also on the stage watching their disciples, especially the inner disciples who were about to become their disciples.
"Wang He, I heard you looked for that kid named Mo Zheng?"
A middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe with a sword hanging at his waist asked. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a dashing demeanor and a scar on his chin that added to his unruly air.
"Yes, I was the first to discover his talent, and he will definitely become my student," Wang He said.
"Hahaha, that's not necessarily true."
Liu Qing laughed. He should be the first one.
"What's not necessarily true? Who among you can offer better terms than me? I won't lie to you, if that little guy joins my lineage and achieves the Unity Realm, I will definitely take him to find a teacher for guidance. Who else would he choose if not me?" Wang He said proudly.
"You actually brought up the name of the Cold Sword Martial Saint. It's over, it's over, I can't compete with you." Gui Yuanfeng smiled bitterly and said, "But this kid's sword talent is indeed strong enough. The Twelve Wind Swords, each of the twelve moves, contains different mysteries of the essence of wind. He has only been practicing for a month, and he has already gained insights into three of them. Impressive. He may really have a chance to walk through this most difficult path."
"Don't praise him too much. There will always be one or two moves in the twelve-move sword technique that don't suit him. It's common for one move to hold him back for several years," Liu Qing said.
"Pah, pah, pah, you old geezer, don't slander my disciple," Wang He said with a laugh.
The three of them were all sword masters and belonged to the Liangzhou Martial Arts Hall lineage. After spending decades together, they had developed a very good relationship and often sparred together and hunted third-tier monsters as a team.
As for the competition, it's partly about the fun among old friends, and partly purely about appreciating talent.
Teachers in martial arts schools all cherish talent. After all, powerful martial artists live longer than ordinary people. If their disciples are ambitious and grow up in just a few decades, they can help the students a lot. There are also many examples of disciples who, after surpassing their teachers' cultivation, will give their teachers treasures and pills to help them break through.
Mo Zheng's talent in swordsmanship was indeed an unexpected surprise.
The Martial Arts Hall recruits geniuses from all over Liangzhou. However, geniuses are not all equal. Almost every ten or twenty years, there will be some prodigies who far surpass other disciples. The Tower of Ascension is no challenge for them. They can even pass through the seventh floor of the Tower of Ascension and become a disciple of the Martial Saint.
Lan Jun was regarded as such a prodigy.
His talent was terrifying. His speed in climbing the Tower of Ascension, his ability to multitask, and his decisiveness in slaying demonic beasts all led the teachers to unanimously agree that he was the most talented disciple in the last twenty years and had a great chance of passing the seventh level of the Tower of Ascension in the future.
Unfortunately, Lan Jun studied marksmanship.
Fortunately, now there is another Mo Zheng.
Perhaps his cultivation speed is not as dazzling as Lan Jun's, but as long as he works steadily and surely, his achievements are limitless.
In the entire martial arts hall, no one understood swordsmanship better or knew the value of the Twelve Wind-Riding Swords better than the three of them.
As the saying goes, a tall building rises from the ground. The Twelve Swords of Wind are the foundation of a Martial Saint. Ordinary martial artists will find it harmful and wasteful to practice them. Only truly exceptional geniuses, with astonishing perseverance and a great deal of time, can use them to lay a solid foundation and have the hope of becoming a Martial Saint in the future.
"That little Lan Jun, don't be fooled by his current speed. As he cultivates further... well, the path of a martial artist gets harder and harder as you go," Gui Yuanfeng sighed. "That little Mo Zheng, he might remain unknown throughout his entire martial arts training, but once he grasps the essence, he'll surely soar to great heights. Reaching the most difficult hurdle in the Visceral Organs Realm, condensing the true essence of martial arts, will be no challenge for him!"
"Such a genius should certainly be nurtured, so I will ask my teacher to personally take charge," Wang He said with a smile.
"You..." Gui Yuanfeng smiled bitterly again. What could he say when the Martial Saint kept bringing this up?
All three of them greatly admired Mo Zheng. Not only them, but all the teachers knew about everything that had happened in the Rejuvenation Realm in the past two days, except for the Blood Awakening Grass. The sword teachers sitting around the three of them were all keeping a close eye on Mo Zheng.
After only two months of training, he managed to take on three opponents single-handedly, steal so many Rejuvenating Herbs, and even strip several people naked. Although the blood of the Azure Flame Bird was part of the reason, how could someone with less-than-stellar swordsmanship possibly deal with a disciple carefully trained by the Martial Arts Hall?
It should be noted that these martial arts hall disciples could easily deal with ordinary martial artists when they were at the physical level.
The speed at which Mo Zheng's swordsmanship has improved has already revealed his talent. Who wouldn't want to have an outstanding disciple by their side? This disciple could very well be the future master, or even a future great expert in the Visceral Realm!
"Wang He, there's no need for the Martial Saint to personally intervene in training such a young fellow. I doubt he'd even choose you," Liu Qing said meaningfully, clearly very confident.
"You definitely used tricks."
Wang He raised an eyebrow, about to say something more, when she suddenly noticed the headmaster coming onto the stage and said with a smile, "The headmaster is here, it's about to start, let's see who he chooses."
……
hum!
The moment the headmaster stepped onto the stage, everyone in the entire square felt a sense of oppression. A powerful aura emanated from the headmaster, and the white-bearded old man transformed once again into a towering, unapproachable mountain, causing everyone to tremble.
Fortunately, this time the distance was greater, so although Mo Zheng felt pressure, it was not as intense as it had been before outside the Rejuvenation Secret Realm.
"In martial arts training, one must first master the external skills before moving on to the internal ones. Without breakthroughs in external skills, progress in internal skills will be slow. Once external skills are mastered, internal skills will advance rapidly."
The abbot stroked his long beard and smiled, "External martial arts have three realms: subtlety, unity, and true intent. How far are you from the true intent realm?"
boom!
But then he casually flicked his hand, and a powerful surge of internal energy burst forth. Ten feet away, a small artificial mountain, several people tall, exploded with a deafening roar, sending countless fragments of rock flying into the air, causing the disciples to scatter in all directions.
"The true essence of martial arts lies in the internal energy leaving the body!"
"Ordinary cultivators at the Internal Organs Realm might only have their internal energy detach from their bodies by one or two zhang (approximately 3.3-6 meters), but the Headmaster can actually detach it by ten zhang (approximately 3.3 meters)!"
"Rumors have it that the headmaster has a very good chance of breaking through to the Martial Saint realm, and now it seems that this is not an exaggeration."
The disciples were discussing among themselves, but Mo Zheng fell into deep thought.
The power of the Visceral Realm is truly far beyond that of martial artists at other levels. Not to mention the internal energy leaving the body, just this martial arts essence alone means that no matter how many tricks he has or how skillful his swordsmanship is, he probably won't have a chance to draw his sword once he gets close.
This is more like an attack on the level of will and spirit; no matter how high one's external martial arts skills are, it's useless.
Of the three realms of subtlety, unity, and true meaning, he is still far from the realm of unity, let alone the realm of true meaning.
Upon realizing this, Mo Zheng's joy at the prospect of returning home and reuniting with his family vanished instantly.
Not only him, but many disciples shared the same thought, their eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.
Perhaps this is the purpose of the headmaster's semi-annual graduation ceremony.
After saying a few more words, the headmaster stopped, a slight smile on his face, and said, "Alright, that's enough for now. Where are the twelve newly promoted inner disciples? Why don't you come forward and pay your respects to your master?"
"Greetings, Headmaster!"
The twelve inner disciples stepped forward and bowed to the headmaster.
"Let's begin."
The headmaster said this and returned to his seat. To his left were Liu Qing, Wang He, and others, while to his right were the other teachers.
At that moment, the twelve disciples dispersed and headed towards the stage.
The distribution of teachers on the stage was also very deliberate; the closer they were to the headmaster, the stronger they were considered to be.
"Teacher!" "Please accept me as your disciple!" "Greetings, Teacher!"...
One by one, the disciples successfully found their teacher, knelt down and kowtowed, and the atmosphere was filled with joy.
Suddenly, a cold voice was heard:
"You are not qualified to become my disciple."
Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was a female disciple, and the teacher she was kneeling before was a burly man with a square face, sitting next to Gui Yuanfeng, very close to the headmaster's seat.
"Master Han, please accept this..."
"Go down."
The burly man didn't even let her finish speaking. He raised his hand and flicked his sleeve, unleashing a burst of powerful internal energy that instantly sent the female disciple flying several feet away.
The disciple who had not yet become an apprentice was terrified upon seeing this scene.
A teacher nearby chuckled, "Old Han, you've raised your standards since taking on Lan Jun; you haven't taken on any apprentices in the last two years."
Another teacher said, "Exactly. We can't accept disciples according to Lan Jun's standards, otherwise, which of these disciples will be able to find a master?"
……
"Alright, quiet."
The headmaster stepped forward, looked at the pale-faced female disciple, and said, "Old Han doesn't think much of you, so you should become He Feiyan's disciple."
The female disciple glanced at the burly man resentfully, then walked to the edge and knelt down in front of a female teacher, saying, "Disciple greets Master He."
"Hmph, if it weren't for the headmaster, with your qualifications, if Old Han wouldn't even look at you, why would I? Stand behind him."
The female teacher named He Feiyan didn't give her a friendly look at all, her face was indifferent.
Students choose their teachers, and teachers also choose their students.
Everyone wants to find a master to be their teacher, but the master has to be someone who likes them.
Especially since the teachers, such as the abbot, are extremely powerful experts in the Visceral Realm, how could they easily accept disciples?
At this moment, Mo Zheng had already passed the teachers on the outermost edge and walked to the group of teachers near the headmaster.
Upon seeing this, all the disciples below immediately focused their attention on him.
The reason for such attention is naturally because the news of the Rejuvenation Realm has spread, and everyone knows that he is the strongest and most talented disciple among these twelve.
However, given the precedent of the female disciple being rejected, can he succeed?
Who would you choose?
It wasn't just the disciples who were thinking about it; the teachers were guessing as well.
Sudden--
Mo Zheng stopped in his tracks, standing in front of Liu Qing.
This scene immediately caused an uproar among everyone!
"Teacher Liu!"
"He actually chose Teacher Liu!"
"Master Liu hasn't taken on any disciples for several years now. At the previous graduation ceremonies, some students wanted to become his apprentices, but he refused them all!"
The disciples were all discussing it amongst themselves.
Liu Qing revealed a slight smile.
Gui Yuanfeng, who was standing to the side, was shocked to see this. He knew that Wang He had offered the condition of being personally instructed by the Martial Saint, yet she was not chosen.
……