Chapter 24
The 80-year-old Dojo Master and Senior Brothers’ Gifts
The Changshan Dojo’s master was located halfway up the mountain. It was the mountain behind the dojo.
Climbing up along the winding path in the forest, they could see a broken platform at the end.
The broken platform was 200 square meters and surrounded by a fence. Next to the wooden fence, there was a wooden sign. It was crooked like a child’s scribble, with the words ‘Changshan Ancestral House’.
There was only a simple thatched hut. In front of it, an old man with white hair and a ruddy complexion stood at the edge of the broken platform in a white robe. His long hair covered his waist.
He was Sun Yuanshan, the master of the Changshan Dojo. Below his feet was a cliff that was hundreds of meters high.
The cloud and mist floated and quietly arrived at the old man’s feet. He was like an immortal, looking at the dojo under the mist.
The burly man behind him was Rong Li. He was dressed in short grayish-brown clothes. His head was twice the size of the others, and he had shaved his head. He looked quite funny, but in the past, almost no one dared to laugh at him when he went out, because he was Sun Yuanshan’s eldest disciple and also the great instructor of the Changshan Dojo.
“Master, we’ve lost miserably again in this year’s competition between the eight great centers. Among the top ten, Qi Yangbing is the only one who managed to secure tenth place.
“Reihom from the Thunderbolt Dojo is only 23 years old, but he’s already been at the top for two years. He has the potential to suppress the elites of Pingnan City and become the true number one of the eight martial arts centers. Once that happens, we might not be able to keep our iron mine.” Rong Li frowned, his face full of worry.
The dojo only got tenth place in the contest, so losing face for the dojo was secondary. The key was that if the ranking was low, the number of apprentices that could be recruited would be fewer.
Those good seedlings that had long been eyed by the eight big martial arts centers would rarely choose the weakest among them. If this continues, the Changshan Dojo would only become weaker and weaker.
“We’ve been guarding the gate for three years. If this continues, I’m afraid our low threshold conditions won’t attract too many people.” Rong Li sighed.
Sun Yuanshan said calmly, “The fourth refinement realm of the breathing technique is good at both attack and defense. It’s not weaker than any other technique.
“To put it bluntly, the four white dragons can only be considered average. They are not strong in offense and defense. Compared to the other seven, they are indeed a little worse.
“If he has five white dragons, Yangbing might be able to fight for first place.”
Rong Li sighed again. “If Qi Yangbing could cultivate the five white dragons, I wouldn’t have to complain to Master.”
“Haha! There’s no hurry. Our technique can also extend one’s lifespan. We’ll definitely be able to kill those in first place.” Sun Yuanshan touched his long beard and laughed.
Rong Li rolled his eyes at his master. He really didn’t respect his elders.
But his master was not lying. His master had been the dojo master for fifty years, while the other seven dojo masters had changed for two or three generations.
Now, his master was already eighty years old, and he was still one of the top three masters of the eight big martial arts centers. It had never been a lie that the more one cultivated the long breath technique, the stronger one would be.
“It’s a pity that the young people today don’t have the patience. The world today doesn’t allow them to wait,” Rong Li said faintly. “Things are different now compared back then.”
Sun Yuanshan was silent as he slowly recited the breathing technique.
“Master! Master!”
Suddenly, urgent shouts broke the silence.
Fang Han pulled Gu Shengcai and quickly ran to the highest point of the dojo.
“Fang Han, what’s the matter?” Rong Li frowned.
“Senior Brother!” Fang Han quickly cupped his fists when he saw Rong Li. “Master, I’ve found a talent!” The joy in Fang Han’s eyes did not diminish.
Fang Han didn’t wait for Sun Yuanshan to ask about it. He told him everything about Qin Huai.
“Is this true?” Rong Li’s eyes also lit up when he heard this.
“Eldest Senior Brother, why would I joke about this? ” Fang Han pulled a long face. “Master, there’s a change in our Changshan Dojo’s momentum!”
Rong Li looked at Sun Yuanshan and said, “Master, I suggest that we directly raise Qin Huai’s treatment to that of a gold disciple. We’ll supply him with Qi and blood soup and Qi and blood pills.
“What’s the hurry?” Sun Yuanshan waved his sleeves and glanced at Rong Li with dissatisfaction. “He’s only at level 10 of the breathing technique. I can’t tell what his talent is. If you rashly raise Qin Huai’s status now, what will Qi Yangbing be like?”
He continued, “If something happens to Qin Huai, and the so-called compatibility is only up to level 10, how will we explain it to all our disciples? Should we continue to maintain Qin Huai’s special privileges? Or should we remove them all at once and leave the disciples with a mean image of only caring about benefits?”
Sun Yuanshan unhurriedly explained the pros and cons one by one.
“At that time, how are we going to gather people’s hearts and survive in this chaotic great world?” He walked to Rong Li’s side and patted his shoulder.
“I didn’t think about it.” Rong Li’s face turned green and white when he heard this.
“Rong Li, you must think twice before you act. Don’t be anxious. How are you going to take over the Changshan Dojo in the future with such an impatient personality?” Sun Yuanshan lectured.
“Your disciple understands.” Rong Li’s face was serious.
“Master, Qin Huai has cultivated his breathing technique to level 10, but the white dragon he raised with his Qi-nurturing technique hasn’t disappeared. This matter has greatly increased his battle prowess in the same realm. Can this method be imitated?” Gu Shengcai suggested, bowing very deeply.
“He’s right. The Qi-nurturing technique and the breathing technique are of the same origin. Is there a chance to do so?” Fang Han agreed.
Rong Li didn’t say anything, but he also looked at Sun Yuanshan.
The meaning was self-evident. If the martial artists of the Changshan Dojo had a white dragon of the same realm, they could instantly rise from the bottom of the eight schools to the top three or even the top two.
“I was the one who altered the Liu family brat’s Qi cultivation technique. The two techniques can be considered to be of the same origin, but there’s no shortcut.
“Cultivating two techniques at the same time might increase your battle prowess at the same cultivation level, but your cultivation level will also increase slowly because of this.
“When the time comes, you’ll have the upper hand in the second refinement, but most of them will be in the third or even fourth refinement. What should you do?
“Don’t pick up a watermelon and lose an even bigger one.” Sun Yuanshan explained slowly. “It can only be said that Qin Huai is lucky to be able to cultivate two techniques at the same time. As for Qin Huai’s treatment, we’ll still follow the rules. Level 10 is black plate.”
Fang Han and Gu Sheng were about to speak when they heard Sun Yuanshan add helplessly, “But you can take care of these apprentices with potential in private.”
The eyes of the three people immediately lit up. “As expected of Master!”
“Alright. I don’t need to teach you the rest. If you want to see results in Qin Huai’s matter, it will probably take about half a year.” Sun Yuanshan counted on his fingers, then waved to the crowd and left.
…
“Qin Huai, you will be promoted to a black-plate disciple. You’ll receive a bowl of Qi and blood soup every three days.”
Fang Han, who had rushed back in a hurry, only gave Qin Huai a black waist token after informing the crowd. He then disappeared in a hurry.
“Huh? That’s it?” Qin Huai was confused.
“Level 10 of the breathing technique is equal to level 10 treatment. It’s very reasonable if you think about it.” Sun Ziyao, Li Zhang, and the others mumbled to themselves. They were also baffled.
…
“Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Blue) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +99!”
“Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +32!”
“Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +33!”
…
The next morning, Qin Huai collected the five experience balls.
He had just arrived at the courtyard, and it was packed with people.
Li Zhang, Sun Ziyao, and the rest surrounded him, while Fang Han and Gu Shengcai whispered to each other.
“Qin Huai is here!” someone shouted, and the crowd immediately parted to make a path.
Thye let Qin Huai in. He took a closer look and saw that Fang Han and Gu Shengcai each had a wooden bucket by their feet.
“Qin Huai, our dojo’s senior brothers heard that you reached level 10 in three days, so they specially gathered two buckets of blood Qi soup. Congratulations!”