Chapter 40: Sumeru Long Fist

That night, Old Man Song was overjoyed when he learned about Xiao Lan’s new job. He directly kept a big fish and cooked a fish hotpot to celebrate. Because if Xiao Lan worked as a cook in the martial arts hall, not only would the family have more income, but with the protection of the Haoran Martial Hall, even if Liang Wu had been beaten to death, the Sea Dragon Gang would not casually come to cause trouble.

The next morning, when the sky was still dimly lit, Xiao Lan and Zuo Zhicheng were woken up by Old Man Song.

“You two, it’s your first day at work today. Don’t be late. You need to leave a good impression on Master Jiang.”

Under Old Man Song’s urging, Xiao Lan and Zuo Zhicheng each drank a bowl of thin porridge. Yawning, they ran toward the Haoran Martial Hall in the west of the city.

The location of the Haoran Martial Hall was slightly better than the slums. At least the streets were wide and straight. When Zuo Zhicheng and Xiao Lan arrived, the martial hall’s gate was still closed.

Zuo Zhicheng stepped forward and knocked on the door. Soon, a middle-aged man with a crew cut, wearing white training clothes, opened the door. The man looked ordinary, with a thin build, and was even less than 1.75 meters tall. He seemed like a delicate scholar. Even though he wore training clothes, he still gave off a refined and polite impression.

But from this ordinary man, Zuo Zhicheng sensed something different. His left pupil slightly contracted, and he could clearly see the Innate Primordial Breath in the other’s fists, wrists, arms, and shoulder blades.

In his Infrared Vision, there was no trace of yellow. About 40% was deep Purple Innate Qi, and the rest was pink Innate Primordial Breath.

Although the area where the man had connected his Innate Primordial Breath was not as large as Zuo Zhicheng’s, the power hidden in his hands was probably even stronger than Zuo Zhicheng’s. That meant the man’s overall body strength was not greater than Zuo Zhicheng’s, but the strength in his arms alone surpassed Zuo Zhicheng’s.

‘The unit strength of his Innate Primordial Breath is above mine, but he hasn’t connected other parts.’ Zuo Zhicheng thought, combining what he had seen earlier from Old Man Song and Jiang Qing. ‘Is it because of the secret manual? Does he only practice Authentic Transmission Martial Arts that train the arms and shoulder blades? Although he doesn’t have Spiritual Power food, his training time is much longer than mine. The strength of the Innate Primordial Breath in these two parts also exceeds mine.’

The middle-aged man also saw the young boy and girl in front of him. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, giving people a feeling like a warm spring breeze. Every move he made seemed to bring a sense of peace. “You must be Xiao Lan and Xiao Zuo, right? Qingqing told me about you, but I didn’t expect you to come so early. We are still doing morning practice. Come in and sit for a while.”

The man who opened the door was naturally the head of the Haoran Martial Hall, Jiang Tianzheng. Unlike what Zuo Zhicheng had imagined, he appeared to be a scholarly man.

Zuo Zhicheng acted like an ordinary young man, somewhat timid and nervous, following behind Jiang Tianzheng as they entered the martial hall.

As soon as they entered the martial hall, they were met with a Training Ground about one hundred square meters. On the Training Ground, there were some wooden dummies, stone weights, and iron chains. Behind the Training Ground were two small rooms, which were the living quarters and kitchen for Jiang and his daughter, as well as the dining area. However, everything had taken on a layer of age. Even several of the blue stone slabs on the Training Ground had cracked but had not been repaired.

Everything matched the information Zuo Zhicheng had obtained. Jiang Tianzheng himself was not wealthy. The Haoran Martial Hall he ran had low fees and was more for the local residents to strengthen their bodies. Although he had quite a reputation locally, he was definitely not a rich man.

Although the martial hall in front of them was much better than Xiao Lan’s home, it was probably not as luxurious as any of the homes of the Sea Dragon Gang’s Four Heavenly Kings. Even by Zuo Qingcang’s estimation, although Jiang Tianzheng could kill Liang Wu with one punch, he still adhered to the dignity and self-discipline of an old-school Martial Artist, following the so-called rules of the Jianghu.

On the morning Training Ground, only Jiang Qing was sweating. Her fair cheeks showed a light blush, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead. Combined with her serious expression as she threw each punch and kick, she looked like a steamed bun fresh out of the steamer, making people want to take a bite.

When she saw Zuo Zhicheng and Xiao Lan come in, she just glanced at them and then continued to focus on her practice.

“Most of our martial hall’s students are dockworkers or workshop laborers, so the martial hall officially starts teaching Martial Arts in the afternoon,” Jiang Tianzheng said gently from the side. “Xiao Lan, you can go sit in the dining area and wait for us for now.”

“It’s okay. Is Aunt Ye busy? I’ll go help her first.” After saying that, she hurried off without waiting for Jiang Tianzheng’s reply.

“This kid is just too straightforward,” Jiang Tianzheng laughed. “Zuo Zhicheng, little brother, right? I’ll call you Xiao Zuo. The martial hall doesn’t open until the afternoon. You don’t need to come so early in the future. Just clean the grounds and tidy up the equipment before noon.”

“It’s fine. I don’t have much to do anyway.” He looked ‘excitedly’ and ‘nervously’ at Xiao Lan, who was still practicing, and asked, “Are you practicing?”

“Haha, Qingqing told me about your request. Are you very interested in Martial Arts?” Jiang Tianzheng was not in a hurry to return to practice. Instead, he looked at Zuo Zhicheng with interest as he asked.

“Yes,” Zuo Zhicheng said with a harmless look. “I’ve liked it since I was little, but my family was poor, so I never had the chance to learn.”

“Why do you want to learn Martial Arts?” Jiang Tianzheng asked. “After you learn Martial Arts, what do you plan to do with it?”

‘A test?’ Zuo Zhicheng had guessed earlier that an old-school Martial Artist like Jiang Tianzheng, who followed the rules of the Jianghu, would definitely test and examine those he taught Martial Arts. Depending on the results, the Martial Arts he taught would also differ.

Just like in martial arts stories, an old Shaolin monk would not teach Martial Arts to someone who wanted revenge but would instead advise them to lay down their sword.

He had encountered similar situations many times in his previous life when learning martial arts in China and was quite familiar with it. Hearing Jiang Tianzheng’s question, he didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately said, “I haven’t thought about it. I just want to learn. I like it.”

Jiang Tianzheng laughed loudly. “You really are a straightforward person.” His expression turned serious as he said, “Since you came early, join us for morning practice. Practicing Martial Arts is very hard work. You need to be prepared to endure hardship.”

Zuo Zhicheng said with an ‘innocent’ and ‘expectant’ expression, “Thank you, Master Jiang.”

“Come, your body is weak because you lack blood and energy. I’ll first teach you a set of Sumeru Long Fist. Practice it well, build a foundation first, and then we’ll talk about other things.”

Then, Jiang Tianzheng began to instruct Zuo Zhicheng in the Sumeru Long Fist. This set of fist techniques had a total of thirty-two forms. It was a basic Martial Art from the Sumeru Temple in the Central Plains and was considered widely spread throughout the Jianghu. It was quite similar to the Kunlun palm that Liu Zhicheng had practiced before.

It was a basic fist technique for regulating the body and strengthening the bones and muscles, not yet considered Authentic Transmission Martial Arts. If Zuo Zhicheng’s body had not connected the Primordial Breath and was truly as weak as it appeared on the outside, this set of fist techniques would be perfect for helping him strengthen his body.

But now, he had already connected the Innate Primordial Breath throughout his limbs and torso. His entire muscles had transformed into a super-strong monster’s body. The intensity of this Martial Art was too low for him.

Even so, his expression still looked very serious, without any impatience. He truly acted like a complete beginner learning Martial Arts for the first time.