strokinit Chapter 21, First Time Getting Closed
Chapter 21, First Time Getting Closed
"The white ape has a mountain to rely on!"
Under the cover of night, Su Yu's body arched like a bow, and he suddenly shot out, his shoulder slamming hard against the hard ironwood stake.
"Bang!"
A dull thud rang out, and the wooden stake trembled violently.
"White Ape Shaking Armor"
His internal energy began to tremble rapidly, making popping sounds. Under the moonlight, heat rose and his spine undulated, making him look like a ferocious white ape wearing human skin!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
With three consecutive punches, his blood and qi surged, striking the wooden stake and making it resound again.
This is the power of a single successful test!
A casual punch exceeded the limits of ordinary people; even heavyweight boxers in my previous life couldn't have done it!
Now, through just over two months of cultivation, he broke through a barrier once and surpassed the limits of his previous life.
Let's try the full slalom course again!
Su Yu leaped to the center of the training ground and began with the White Ape Embracing Seal. Soon, Su Yu noticed the difference.
Now, when I practice stance training, it's easy and effortless. The power generation techniques that I couldn't feel before, I can now sense through my body.
Moreover, the entire course of driving through the cones took less than half the usual time.
[Proficiency +2]
"Great! I gained two points of proficiency without even needing the medicine!" Su Yu stopped practicing his stance and stretched his body. "Although the proficiency level breakthrough increased to 1200 points, my stance-walking efficiency has greatly improved. With the medicine, I'm even faster than before!"
"As expected, everything is difficult at the beginning. Having truly embarked on the path of a martial artist and overcome the first hurdle, my body has already begun its transformation! The future will only get smoother!"
Suddenly, Su Yu was filled with even greater anticipation for the future.
The next day, Su Yu slept in late for the first time in a long time. Perhaps it was because he had practiced too late the day before, or perhaps he felt much more relaxed and his body and mind had gotten plenty of rest.
Many apprentices came to the front courtyard martial arts arena, but did not see Su Yu, and felt somewhat uneasy.
"What's wrong with Su Yu? Why isn't he here? Isn't the assessment coming up soon? Why is he slacking off?"
"He must have given up because he had no hope of breaking through. His natural talent is even worse than Ma Fei's; he'll be eliminated sooner or later."
Su Yu arrived slowly, heard a lot of rumors, but didn't care, and started practicing her stances on her own.
While practicing, he pondered that he had just broken through a barrier, but he was out of silver again. He needed to earn money as soon as possible, otherwise the supply of medicine would be cut off.
Before the assessment, I'll first demonstrate my breakthrough to Senior Brother Xu, then ask for leave and go fishing in the Blackwater River.
Now that I have twice broken through the limits of net casting skills, I can probably catch a lot of rare fish. If I can get a treasure fish, I won't lack cultivation resources for a short time.
"Senior Sister Lin!"
"Senior Brother Chen!"
A commotion interrupted his thoughts.
A man and a woman walked out from the inner courtyard.
The man was Chen Fan, dressed in brocade robes, exuding confidence and high spirits.
The woman was none other than Lin Wanzhu, a senior disciple from the inner courtyard.
Today she was wearing tight gray workout pants, a plain white tube top, and a light gauze jacket over it. The tube top was very tight, which only accentuated her breathtakingly full curves.
Although Lin Wanzhu's appearance was not as striking as Qin Yu's, her personality and temperament far surpassed Qin Yu's unruly and naive nature. She exuded a mature, peach-like charm, gentle yet alluring.
Therefore, at the White Ape Martial Arts School, she was actually the most popular senior sister.
"From now on, I will be in charge of instructing the outer academy for the foreseeable future." Lin Wanzhu's lips parted slightly, her voice soft and sweet, making all the apprentices' bones melt.
Su Yu frowned slightly. Had Senior Brother Xu gone back to the inner courtyard?
I wonder if Senior Sister Lin is easy to talk to. I just took a leave of absence after she took over. Will I be deliberately targeted?
However, Su Yu did not hesitate for long and stepped forward to clasp his hands in greeting, saying, "Senior Sister Lin, my name is Su Yu. My family is in dire financial straits, and I would like to ask for a few days' leave to raise money. I hope Senior Sister will grant my request."
Lin Wanzhu glanced at Su Yu with her beautiful eyes.
She vaguely remembered this apprentice; he seemed to have taken leave during his assessment last month.
"Su Yu? You've been in the academy for almost three months now, haven't you? If you can't break through this assessment, you'll be expelled according to the rules." Her tone was gentle, but carried a businesslike distance.
"Reporting to Senior Sister, I was just about to report," Su Yu said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I was fortunate enough to break through the barrier once yesterday."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell silent instantly, followed by an uproar.
"Su Yu broke through? How is that possible!"
"Isn't he considered to have inferior aptitude? Less than three months? That's almost as fast as Wang Hu!"
Doubts arose one after another, and no one believed that a bottom-ranked student could suddenly turn things around.
Chen Fan stood beside Lin Wanzhu with a smile on his face. He stepped forward, adopting the air of a senior brother, and said in a seemingly gentle manner:
"Junior Brother Su has made good progress. Back when I broke through to the second stage, I was worried that you wouldn't be able to keep up. Since you say you've broken through, why don't you demonstrate the stance training in front of everyone? Consider it a preview test."
After saying that, he turned to Lin Wanzhu, his manner impeccable: "Senior Sister, what do you think?"
"Okay." Lin Wanzhu nodded.
Su Yu glanced at Chen Fan and sneered inwardly.
In just a few days, he has changed so much; he's started speaking in an affected tone.
He didn't bother to pay attention to Chen Fan's changes, and with one step, his aura changed drastically.
"Start the battle!"
The movements are now powerful and vigorous, no longer just empty gestures.
As he unleashed his moves, the blood and qi within his body began to surge wildly.
"White Ape Shakes Its Armor!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A clear and dense series of crisp sounds emanated from his body; it was the sound of blood and qi rushing through his fascia, like the vibration of a bowstring, clear and distinct to the ear!
The entire room fell silent.
The apprentices who had been mocking them just moments before now stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.
The blood and qi explode!
This is a genuine customs clearance! There's no way to fake it!
Su Yu, who had poor aptitude, actually broke through?
This is too lucky! In the past few months, no one from the outer courtyard has made a breakthrough, not even those with average physical constitution.
She's so lucky!
Many people were filled with envy. One successful breakthrough meant that Su Yu was no longer just an ordinary person like them. Even if he was far inferior to those martial artists, he could still live a better life!
After finishing his routine, Su Yu stopped, his face flushed and his breathing deep and even.
"Not bad." A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Wanzhu's eyes as she picked up her pen and marked the roster. "You've indeed broken through. Although your physical constitution is poor, your skill in this area is solid."
Chen Fan, still smiling, commented:
"Junior Brother Su has indeed put in a lot of effort in this skill. However... there are still some stiffness in the exertion of force, such as the Tongbi Bayao move, where the lower body needs to be more stable. Once you reach the second stage of mastery, you will be able to grasp its essence."
Su Yu remained calm, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. Senior Sister Lin, what about the matter of requesting leave?"
"Approved." Lin Wanzhu closed the roster. "Now that you've broken through, you'll have more freedom at the martial arts school. The next assessment is in six months, and you'll need to break through three barriers by then."
"I understand!"
Su Yu clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned and left, his back view crisp and clean.
Behind him, Chen Fan, beaming with joy, stopped the apprentices who wanted to ask Senior Sister Lin for guidance, gave them some pointers, and then chatted and laughed with Lin Wanzhu while asking her for advice.
……
Qingxi Village, afternoon.
The village was quiet, with a desolate atmosphere.
Su Yu went next door and knocked on the dilapidated wooden door.
"Knock knock knock".
After a long while, the door creaked open.
A small head peeked out, and beneath the messy hair was a thin, gaunt face.
"Brother Su, you're back!"
Upon seeing Su Yu, Ya'er's eyes lit up, and she quickly opened the door, her tone light and cheerful.
Su Yu sized her up.
Before, Ya'er was like a walking corpse, her eyes vacant. But now, although she was still thin, her face had regained color, and even... she was smiling?
It's just like two people.
"Hey girl, how have you been lately? How's Uncle Liu?"
The girl smiled and said, "Father is dead."