“Disciple Xu Yan pays respects to Master!”
Xu Yan was extremely excited, and with a thud, he knelt down and respectfully kowtowed1Chinese tradition where one kneels and bows their head in respect or apology. I won’t be bringing this footnote up the next time this word is mentioned again~.
“Yes, my Disciple, you can get up.”
Li Xuan silently extended his hand, closed the box containing the gift of apprenticeship, and adopted a stern expression, resembling a strict teacher.
He didn’t originally intend to deceive anyone, but Xu Yan had given him too much.
The disciple had been accepted, but as for the teaching of martial arts? He had none!
But that was alright; he could make something up.
Li Xuan thought of his past life as a web novel writer, so making up a set of martial arts techniques wasn’t a big deal.
Seeing that Xu Yan didn’t seem very smart, he probably wouldn’t be able to tell whether the martial arts were genuine or not.
As for not being able to make any progress?
That would certainly be a matter of talent, not the martial arts themselves.
“Yes, Master!”
Xu Yan stood up with excitement and looked at Li Xuan with eager eyes.
“Master, when will you teach me the martial arts?”
Looking at Xu Yan’s hopeful gaze, Li Xuan put one hand behind his back2just like how kungfu masters posing in movies, pretended to be profound, and said slowly, “I will accept you as my disciple, but if you cannot make any progress within a year, it means our master-disciple relationship has no future, and we should not continue to bother each other. Do you understand?”
Xu Yan’s heart trembled, and he took a deep breath before solemnly saying, “I understand!”
“Master, please rest assured. If I cannot make any progress within a year, it’s due to my lack of talent, and I won’t trouble you anymore. I will give up on learning from you and focus on my own growth!”
Li Xuan was pleased to see his disciple’s determination. It was perfect.
Not only a year, but even ten or a hundred years wouldn’t be enough to make any real progress.
Before teaching Xu Yan his made up martial arts, Li Xuan needed to gather information about the outside world and the state of martial arts in this world.
Since Xu Yan believed he was a reclusive master who had withdrawn from the world and was unaware of the current situation, Li Xuan decided to inquire directly.
Knowing nothing about the outside world made Xu Yan even more convinced that his master was a hidden, immortal expert who remained eternally youthful.
Naturally, there was nothing to hide.
After gathering some information, Li Xuan had a rough understanding of the world outside. The small village was located within the territory of Qi Kingdom, which had been established for over a hundred years and was currently thriving.
There were three major powers in the world today: Qi Kingdom, Wu Kingdom, and the Northern Barbarian Court.
According to Xu Yan, martial arts in this world didn’t seem to be very advanced. There were no feats like moving mountains or flying through the air. The strongest individuals could perform feats like running on walls and leaping several meters, or lifting heavy objects.
As for Xu Yan, he had always been obsessed with legendary tales and was determined to find a master who could teach him incredibly powerful martial arts.
As a result, he had gained some notoriety in Donghe County, but not for a good reason. People said that Young Master Xu had a poor sense of judgment for believing in such legends and seeking out reclusive masters to learn martial arts.
Li Xuan felt somewhat disappointed after learning about the state of martial arts in this world. It seemed like this wasn’t a world of high-level martial arts after all. Or perhaps Xu Yan just hadn’t encountered them yet?
Regardless, Li Xuan couldn’t explore these matters at this stage. After understanding the level of martial strength in the outside world, he had a rough idea of how to make up a martial arts technique to deceive Xu Yan.
It wasn’t possible for Xu Yan to succeed in cultivating it3Cultivation is to gather/absorb/grow some form of qi (mana if you prefer) to increase one’s strength; in this case is to practice and grow in adopting the martial arts (mastering it), but Li Xuan would just have to deceive him temporarily. If Xu Yan couldn’t achieve beginner level cultivation, it would be due to his own lack of talent, not the inadequacy of the technique.
With this in mind, Li Xuan spoke, “The key to the martial arts I’m going to teach you is ‘enlightenment’. Whether or not you can make any progress will depend on your talent and aptitude.”
“I’ll give you one year, and if you can’t make any progress within that time, it means we’re not destined to be master and disciple.”
Excited and a bit anxious, Xu Yan said respectfully, “Please, Master, teach me the technique. If I cannot achieve beginner level cultivation, it’s because of my own inadequacies!”
Li Xuan, hands behind his back, looked up at the sky with a calm tone and said, “The path of martial arts is endless, but the beginning of cultivation involves refining the skin, bones, and organs…”
He said seriously, “Of course, this is not even considered the beginner level. Cultivating the skin, bones, and organs is just the foundation of martial arts, and it’s not even considered entering the door!”
Xu Yan listened eagerly, silently absorbing every word, fearing he might miss something.
Li Xuan recalled the descriptions of cultivation stages he had created for web novels in his past life, adding more details and creating a somewhat comprehensive outline for the cultivation process.
“At the beginning of martial arts cultivation, one starts with sensing the flow of qi and blood. Only when you can sense your own qi and blood can you enter the stage of refining the skin. If you can’t even sense your qi and blood, it’s all just empty talk…”
“Refining the skin, as the name suggests, is about tempering the skin. Once you’ve perfected this stage, your skin becomes incredibly tough. Ordinary weapons can’t harm you, and even if you’re cut, it will only leave a shallow mark…”
Since Li Xuan was making things up, it was only natural to exaggerate the power of martial arts. After achieving skin refinement, even ordinary weapons couldn’t harm you—impressive, right?
Seeing Xu Yan’s excited expression, Li Xuan knew he had successfully captivated him.
“This is what true martial arts is about! Just by refining the skin, ordinary weapons can’t harm you. What about bone and organ refinement? How powerful will that be?”
Xu Yan’s eyes were filled with zeal, and he was extremely excited.
“Master, does refining the skin mean achieving beginner level cultivation?”
Xu Yan asked in excitement.
“Well, about that…”
Li Xuan was about to nod and tell Xu Yan that refining the skin was indeed beginner level cultivation. However, he had a second thought. Would that make it seem too easy?
Since it was all made up anyway, he might as well continue to exaggerate.
He said solemnly, “Of course, it’s not considered beginner level. Refining the skin, refining the bones, and refining the organs are just the basics of martial arts, not even beginner level!”
Xu Yan was shocked. “Refining the skin already makes you invulnerable to ordinary weapons, and refining the bones and organs will be even more powerful. And this is not considered beginner level? Just the basics of martial arts? What will it be like after achieving beginner level? How much stronger will I become?”
At that moment, Xu Yan was filled with longing and anticipation for the beginner level cultivation of the martial arts.
“Master, what does it take to reach beginner level martial arts?”
“Beginner level martial arts, well, when you’ve perfected the refinement of your organs, when your blood and qi circulate freely, when your body undergoes a transformation, when your muscles and bones resonate like thunder, and when your blood and qi flow like a raging river, then you can be considered to have achieved beginner level cultivation.”
“Master, what comes after beginner level? What is the difference between minor achievement and major achievement? How powerful will I become?”
Li Xuan continued to make up new details on the spot.
The more Xu Yan heard, the more excited he became. Just as he was about to ask more questions, Li Xuan waved his hand and interrupted, “That’s enough for now. You haven’t even achieved beginner level yet, so don’t ask too many questions. Avoid being too ambitious and remember to stay focused in your cultivation. Impatience will hinder your progress.”
“Yes, Master!”
Xu Yan felt a sudden chill down his spine and quickly responded respectfully.
“Very well.”
Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to continue, but he hadn’t finished making up the rest of the cultivation system.
The made up stages of skin refinement, bone refinement, and organ refinement were enough to deceive Xu Yan. It would be impossible for him to truly reach the skin refinement stage in a year.
Let alone reaching beginner level cultivation.
(End of Chapter 2)
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