Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Practicing Martial Arts Is Cultivating the Mind
After Fang Can was handed over to the sect members, he was whisked away to complete the initiation procedures.
Along the way, the sect member handling his initiation finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity. "So, young brother," he asked, "how did you come to know Hall Master Li?"
As he spoke, the sect member, who looked to be in his early thirties, sized up this short-haired, older-than-usual Disciple who had clearly gotten in through connections.
After all, starting martial arts at eighteen wasn’t just late—it was practically having one foot in the grave. And yet, Li Fengtian had still chosen to bring Fang Can into the sect. It was a classic case of the powerful doing as they pleased.
In any case, someone with connections strong enough to get in through a Hall Master was not a person he could afford to offend. It was always wise to get on their good side.
Fang Can knew this was an attempt to gauge his background, which could affect his reputation within the sect, but he remained perfectly confident.
"The Hall Master and I hit it off immediately. He felt I possessed world-shaking talent and, to prevent such a genius from being lost, insisted I join the sect."
The corner of the sect member’s mouth twitched. He was rendered speechless by the young man’s audacity but didn’t press further. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Well then, once you’re established in the sect, don’t forget about your big bro here! If you run into any trouble, just come find me. My name is Liu Yue, but you can just call me Old Liu."
"Alright, Old Liu." Fang Can nodded earnestly, without a hint of humility, acting like a completely guileless youth.
The two chatted as they walked, with Fang Can doing most of the asking. His questions were all about basic, common-sense matters.
Although Liu Yue wasn’t sure why Fang Can was asking such things, he still answered every question in detail.
It was from Old Liu that Fang Can learned the country they were in was called the Great Derivation Empire. It was a vast land, and powerful sects like the Tiger Slaughter Sect, which dominated a hundred-li radius, were innumerable.
Listening to Liu Yue’s explanation, Fang Can figured this Great Derivation Empire was doomed.
’After all, a country where every local strongman is a king in his own right is a clear sign of a weak central government. Either the Great Derivation Emperor is playing some 5D chess, or he’s just plain crazy.’
The Tiger Slaughter Sect was the most powerful force within a hundred-li radius, and they were hardly a force for good. Their main business was collecting protection fees. They also held shares in establishments like casinos and brothels, and occasionally did some escort work—or some roadside robbery.
In short, in this territory, the Tiger Slaughter Sect was the local tyrant. Nothing could get done without their permission. They were exactly the kind of villains a protagonist in one of those novels would be expected to annihilate.
As Old Liu led him along, Fang Can memorized the locations of the sect’s dining hall, library, martial arts hall, and dormitories.
After a simple registration process, Fang Can was officially a member.
He also received two sets of black-and-red initiation uniforms, emblazoned with the emblem of a devouring tiger, and was assigned a private dormitory with a monthly stipend of three taels of silver.
From Old Liu’s explanation, Fang Can learned that new Disciples like him weren’t actually at the bottom of the sect’s hierarchy. That position belonged to the menial servants.
They handled all the daily chores, like cleaning and feeding the horses, and a dozen or so of them would be crammed into a single room to sleep.
If a new Disciple like Fang Can failed to show any talent for martial arts or prove his worth after a while, he would either be kicked out or demoted to a menial servant.
After all, in this era, just getting a steady meal was a struggle. Countless people would have begged for such an opportunity but lacked the connections.
After about half an hour of touring and getting everything settled, Liu Yue returned to his post, leaving Fang Can to face his new dormitory alone.
The room was in a remote corner of the sect grounds. It was about twenty square meters and sparsely but neatly furnished with just a table, a chair, a bed, and a quilt.
"So this is home now." Placing his pajamas by the head of the bed, Fang Can couldn’t help but sigh. It would probably take a long time to get used to living in an environment like this.
’And with no phones or computers... even if I train to the pinnacle of power, my quality of life would still be worse than back home. Unless I get to be like Cao Pi, I guess.’
Fang Can mused to himself, wondering if practicing martial arts could lead to immortality, like in those fantasy novels.
’If it can, then once I’m immortal, I’ll put in some effort to see if I can kickstart the industrial revolution’s tech tree. Then, maybe within my eternal lifetime, I can watch some spicy little films again.’
’Whatever. I’ll set a small goal for now: first, achieve immortality. Then, watch a movie.’ Fang Can established his first "small" goal.
Lying on the hard wooden bed, Fang Can forced his restless mind to fall asleep, needing to be ready for the afternoon class at the Martial Arts Hall.
...
At noon, Fang Can opened his eyes after a light, hour-long nap. Once he got his bearings, he got up and prepared to head for the Martial Arts Hall.
But before he could leave, Fang Can stopped short. He turned back, retrieved a small packet of transparent pills from a fold in his pajamas, and then headed out for real.
The walk was uneventful. From a great distance, Fang Can could already hear the powerful shouts of exertion coming from the Martial Arts Hall.
The moment he drew near, a blast of hot air hit him. The entire Martial Arts Hall was suffused with raw, masculine energy.
The Martial Arts Hall was the size of four or five football fields. Across this vast space, hundreds of bare-chested men of all ages were showing off their skills despite the cool autumn air, each displaying their own Divine Power.
Some, like a modern-day Wu Song, effortlessly tossed millstones weighing hundreds of pounds. Others moved like fish in water, their feet a blur of afterimages as they danced atop four- and five-meter-high poles.
Even kids as young as fourteen or fifteen could swing 30- and 40-pound greatswords with ferocious power.
’Damn.’ Watching these humanoid monsters, Fang Can felt he had definitely come to the right place.
Just as he was watching, captivated, a gruff voice spoke from his side. "You must be the Disciple that Hall Master Li brought in today."
Fang Can turned to see a square-jawed, middle-aged man in his forties approaching. His face was filled with a palpable Evil Qi.
When Fang Can confirmed it, the middle-aged man gave a curt nod.
"I am Yang Lie, an instructor in the Martial Arts Hall."
"Xiaoliu told me about your situation. You’ve never practiced martial arts, so you won’t be able to keep up with the lessons for Disciples your age. I’ll start you from the very beginning."
Fang Can nodded. He was already mentally prepared for this. You had to be the flunky before you could be the boss, after all.
"Good. Now, don’t think about anything else. Just commit every single word I’m about to say to memory."
Yang Lie’s gaze locked onto Fang Can. "When it comes to the Martial Dao, the most important thing is to cultivate the heart. Only when your heart truly believes can the wonders of the Martial Dao manifest in your physical body."
"Cultivate the heart?" Fang Can was taken aback. ’This Martial Dao is different from what I imagined.’
"You don’t need to understand why. You only need to know that what I say is the absolute truth. As long as your will is firm enough and your conviction is devout enough, the entire world will make way for you."
Yang Lie’s tone was utterly certain, instilling his words into Fang Can with the fervor of a pyramid scheme pitchman.
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