I achieved mastery of martial arts during the Republic of China era.

Chapter 21 Soft Knife

A chilly morning in the front yard of the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts School.

Zhou Tong stood still in the corner, the dark wooden sword in his hand moving slowly with his movements, cutting through the stagnant air.

After twenty days of arduous training, the trajectory of the first twelve forms of the perfect version of the "Dragon Tiger Ruyi Blade" has been deeply etched into muscle memory.

Each transition involves twisting the waist and hips, fine-tuning the wrist angle, and coordinating breathing with the sword stance, all of which are constantly being corrected by the control panel to approach perfection.

With each move, the air was sliced ​​apart, and the wind howled fiercely.

At one point, he suddenly stopped.

The tip of the knife hovered in mid-air, and breath was held in the nostrils.

hum-

A transparent box appeared without warning, and the text flowed out:

[During cultivation, the host had a sudden flash of inspiration, deepening their understanding of the "Dragon Tiger Ruyi Blade." The estimated time required to fully master it has been reduced by one day: 50 → 49.]

Zhou Tong looked at the text on the panel and raised an eyebrow: 'It can be done like this...'

Since he deduced the perfect version of the sword technique, he has been practicing diligently for twenty days without interruption, and this is the first time he has encountered such a situation.

I had practiced the "Dragon and Tiger Flesh Training Posture" for three months before, but I had never had such an opportunity.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Tong suddenly realized.

Not surprisingly.

When people learn something, there are times when they suddenly understand. The key points that they couldn't figure out before may suddenly become clear in a certain moment.

I've only encountered this once in a long time, which is already considered rare.

"It's not that I lack comprehension, but rather that I have a panel to correct my progress in my daily practice, and my progress is already close to the current limit. It's difficult to go any faster."

It's like a student who's at the bottom of the class working hard and improving their score by several tens of points on the next exam; but for someone who's already a top student, getting an extra three or five points is incredibly difficult.

Zhou Tong secretly pondered this.

Just as he was pondering this, a figure appeared beside him.

Ji Changgang had just finished his daily practice of the Dragon-Tiger Bone Forging Stance. Fine beads of sweat still clung to his forehead, and the steam rising from his body condensed into white mist in the cold air.

He rubbed his hands together and grinned, "Junior Brother Zhou, how's your sword practice going?"

"Not bad," Zhou Tong replied casually, then asked with a smile, "How about you, Senior Brother Ji? How's the Dragon-Tiger Bone Forging Stance?"

"It's easier than I imagined."

Ji Chang moved his shoulders and neck, and his bones made a soft, clicking sound.

"With the Dragon and Tiger training stance as a foundation, practicing this Bone Forging stance will make many key points easy to grasp. In a month at most, you'll definitely master it!"

As the two were talking, a burst of laughter and conversation came from the moon gate in the front yard.

Zheng Hao and Liu Qing walked side by side, followed by seven or eight familiar students, chatting and laughing, clearly forming the core circle of the younger generation of the martial arts school.

As they walked through the courtyard, the students who had been practicing separately involuntarily slowed down their movements and secretly followed them.

Zheng Hao wore a gray long gown with a dark blue satin jacket over it, and his hair was neatly combed.

Liu Qing was dressed in a moon-white training uniform with a leather belt around her waist. Her posture was as upright as bamboo, and she had a faint smile on her face.

The two men glanced around the field and landed directly on Ji Chang and Zhou Tong before walking over.

"Junior Brother Ji, Junior Brother Zhou," Zheng Hao greeted with a fist and palm salute, his posture elegant.

Liu Qing didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Ji Chang and Zhou Tong quickly returned the greeting: "Senior Brother Zheng, Senior Sister Liu."

Zheng Hao smiled gently and looked at Ji Chang: "I overheard someone mention yesterday that Junior Brother Ji and Junior Brother Zhou's families are planning to start a medicinal herb business together? Is that true?"

He spoke casually, as if it were just a casual question.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, the relaxed atmosphere in the room froze for a moment.

Several students who were practicing nearby stopped, and those who were standing alone also stopped, their eyes glancing over in this direction.

Many trainees looked surprised.

Zheng Hao and Liu Qing had previously publicly recruited Ji Chang with very generous offers, but Ji Chang politely declined, a fact known to everyone in the martial arts school.

They had assumed Ji Chang would have a better place to go, but to their surprise, he turned around and partnered with the Zhou family's second branch, which had lost power. This choice was truly unexpected.

In an instant, countless gazes fell upon Ji Chang, some filled with confusion, some with amusement, and others with a hint of veiled mockery.

Instead of accepting the offers from his two genius senior brothers and sisters, Zheng and Liu, he went and got involved with the second branch of the Zhou family, who had been abandoned by their families. Wasn't he ruining his own future?

A barely perceptible hint of embarrassment flashed across Ji Chang's face. His mind raced, and he forced a smile, about to explain—

Zheng Hao chuckled and waved his hand, interrupting him:

"Junior brother, there's no need to explain. It's a good thing that young people are ambitious and want to make a name for themselves!"

We martial artists can't rely on our fists for a living our whole lives. My junior brother has ambition, and I'm truly happy for you when I heard about it.

Ji Chang quickly smiled apologetically, "It's not a matter of ambition or not. It's just that my family has always been in business. Everything stopped after my father passed away. Now that I have some skills, I thought I'd give it a try."

"Oh? So you're carrying on your uncle's legacy. Well done, junior brother."

Zheng Hao gave a compliment, then looked at Ji Chang with sincere eyes:

"I came here today to tell my junior brother something. As you know, my family has some connections in the Bureau of Industry and Commerce."

If you encounter any trouble in your business in the future, or need to smooth things over, please don't be shy and come to me. I will do my best to help.

Ji Chang quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression solemn: "Senior Brother Zheng's kindness is truly admirable; I am deeply grateful!"

Since it concerned his own business, Zhou Tong also clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Zheng."

Liu Qing then smiled and said, "Senior Brother Zheng's idea is also my idea. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me."

The two quickly thanked them again.

Zheng Hao's smile widened. He patted Ji Chang on the shoulder and nodded to Zhou Tong, "Then you two chat, we won't disturb you."

After saying that, he turned around side by side with Liu Qing and led the group to the other side of the courtyard.

As they walked a little further away, one of the students surrounding Zheng Hao couldn't help but sigh:

"Senior Brother Ji initially declined the kindness of the two senior brothers and sisters, but they disregarded past grievances and were still willing to take care of him like this... They truly have a kind and generous heart!"

"Yes, Senior Brother Zheng and Senior Sister Liu's magnanimity is truly admirable."

"This is the true demeanor of our elite disciples from the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Academy..."

The echoes of agreement rose and fell, sounding particularly clear in the empty courtyard.

Zheng Hao waved his hand and said gently, "As a senior brother, it is my duty to take care of my junior brother. I don't deserve any praise."

At this moment, the young man from the Li family curled his lip and said, "Business is tough these days. There's war and chaos outside, gangs are everywhere in the city, and the medicinal herb business is murky. Senior Brother Ji is really..."

Another person chimed in, "Who says otherwise? My uncle is in the medicinal herb business. Three months ago, he lost a shipment outside the city, and his business almost went out of business."

Liu Qing paused, then laughed and scolded, "Can't you guys even wish your own fellow disciples well?"

"It's not that we can't stand to see people do well, but the situation is what it is. If we blindly encourage them, that would be harmful," the young man from the Li family chimed in with a smile.

Liu Qing nodded slightly: "What you said makes sense. I hope my two junior brothers can succeed. However, in case anything unexpected happens... my door is always open for Junior Brother Ji."

Zheng Hao also said, "Me too. After all, he's my junior brother, so I have to take care of him."

"Senior Sister Liu is so kind and righteous!"

"The magnanimity of Senior Brother Zheng and Senior Sister Liu is truly admirable!"

Praises were heard incessantly, carried clearly by the cold wind.

Zhou Tong and Ji Chang stood still, their expressions unchanged.

But when they looked at each other, they both saw a shadow in each other's eyes.

The two exchanged a smile and exclaimed in unison, "What a brilliant move!"

Zheng Hao and Liu Qing's actions just now, seemingly showing concern in public, were actually an opportunity for them to build momentum for themselves.

They seemed magnanimous and fully understood Ji Chang's choice, but bringing it up in public was like stabbing him with a soft knife...

Both of them were worldly-wise and knew this perfectly well.