Chapter One, The Fisherman Boy

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Mu appeared at a rocky seaside, and with a "plop," he jumped directly into the sea. With his arms moving and his body twisting, he swiftly descended into the depths, resembling a large fish as he silently dove down.

After all, during this period, although he had been intermittently asking the herbalist at the martial arts school to prepare medicinal soups for cleansing his body, this amount of money could hardly buy any rare herbs in the town; most of what he obtained were ordinary herbs, with negligible effects on body refinement

Prosperity and wealth! This is not necessarily the case, have you not heard what the visitor from the Jin family just said? They mentioned that Shi Ting has long been the son-in-law of the Jin family. If Shi Mu's mother had not passed away, Shi Ting would not have dared to send someone to fetch Shi Mu.

is

A figure suddenly emerged from the morning mist, delivering a powerful punch to a nearby tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl.

Is it really the Jin family, the one from Fengcheng?

He is well aware that his innate talent is quite ordinary, and the reason he has reached his current level of body refinement in just a few short years is due to a different opportunity that arose two years ago

With a loud bang, the large tree shook violently, countless branches and leaves fell down, and a half-inch deep fist imprint suddenly appeared on the trunk

Tsk tsk, who would have thought! When Shiting initially left his wife and son, he disappeared for ten years without a word. It was assumed he had perished in a distant land, yet he unexpectedly managed to connect with the Jin family and even sent someone back to fetch Shimu. Unfortunately, Shimu's mother has been deceased for many years; otherwise, this mother and son would have had endless wealth and glory in the future

As the sound of "pop" echoed from the cracking bones, the boy's movements gradually quickened from slow to fast, his figure resembling that of a tiger. After a short while, all that could be seen were swirling shadows of fists, and the nearby soil was stirred up into a layer of yellow dust, completely engulfing the boy's form.

Young Master, over the past few years, the herbs purchased in the town have been surprisingly inexpensive, haven't they? Additionally, when Master Li from the county martial arts school teaches you martial arts, is his fee significantly lower than that of other disciples? Furthermore, the fish and shrimp Young Master Shi caught at sea are often snatched up cleanly upon arrival in the town, and very few people bother to haggle over the price

Shi Mu stared at the fist mark on the tree trunk, raising an eyebrow

The young man, upon thinking of this, raised his head to gaze at the moonlight in the sky, then turned and ran down the mountain.

Since the young master is a practitioner of martial arts, he should be well aware that our country’s four major martial arts academies only recruit externally once every five years. There are two main conditions to participate in the entrance examination: one must be under the age of 15 and have achieved a significant level of body refinement, while also having comprehended the sensation of qi. After all, only those who have comprehended the sensation of qi can cultivate true qi, open their meridians, and thus become true martial artists. However, to comprehend the sensation of qi, one must take the Qi Spirit Pill to guide the process, and its price is so high that even the Jin family can only gather about ten pills each time. After all, only those who have comprehended the sensation of qi can cultivate true qi, open their meridians, and thus become true martial artists. However, to comprehend the sensation of qi, one must take the Qi Spirit Pill to guide the process, and its price is so high that even the Jin family can only gather about ten pills each time. If Young Master Shi relies solely on himself, he will likely never achieve his wishes in this lifetime.

Very well, then the old servant shall wait for good news in three days. The elderly man in the blue robe, seeing this, understood that the young man's mind was made up, and did not continue to persuade him, but immediately bowed slightly and took his leave

... ...

"Yes, my small mind has become muddled." The burly knight felt somewhat anxious.

In a short while, the person arrived at a depth of over thirty to forty fathoms in the sea.

whoosh

Since he decided to begin practicing martial arts, he saved for a full five to six months just to pay the thirty taels of silver required as the entrance fee for the martial arts school, and this fee was significantly lower than that of other disciples due to his persistent pleading

By the way, hasn't Young Master Shi been practicing the body tempering technique all along? It seems he must be very eager to become a true martial artist. Before the old servant came, the lady had instructed that as long as Young Master was willing to meet the master, she would find a way to secure an opportunity for Young Master Shi to enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy. However, whether he can truly be admitted will depend on Young Master Shi's own abilities.

The multiple expenses incurred from the medicinal baths after beginning the body tempering have caused him to invest all his fishing gains from the past few years into it, leaving him frequently without a penny to his name and his home in a state of utter poverty

The knight moved swiftly, immediately turning around and rushing back the way he came

The old man in the blue shirt, upon hearing this, finally furrowed his brows. After taking a closer look at the young man for a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind and spoke again

Beneath the originally pitch-black sea, faint specks of white light began to appear, increasing in number and brightness, illuminating the surrounding waters.

An astonishing scene has unfolded

And this took him a full four years

The reason he did not immediately agree to go to the Jin family with the old man in the blue shirt earlier is also due to this.

Shi Mu was not surprised at all by this; he held his breath and quickly moved his hands and feet downward for several meters. Suddenly, his body flipped over, and his feet landed abruptly on the sandy ground, arriving at a seabed covered with fine white sand.

... ...

It is important to understand that the saying "the poor are cultured while the rich are martial" is certainly not without reason

Upon thinking of this, Shi Mu let out a sigh in his heart

"As the matter stands, we are truly going back this way. It would be better to directly take the strong ones away, why waste more time?" A burly knight could not help but ask as a group of people had not gone far from the small fishing village, surrounding the carriage.

"Do you mean that all these matters were arranged by that person?" The young man's expression changed, and he couldn't help but ask.

... ...

At that moment, a shadow suddenly flickered by the roadside, and another similarly dressed black-clad knight emerged swiftly, bowing to the old man and hurriedly saying

The burly knights, along with the remaining few, continued to cluster around the carriage, dutifully remaining in place.

The young man fell silent, and after a long while, he coldly said

Mother, you could never have imagined that Father is still alive; instead, he has remarried and taken a new wife. However, you can rest assured that I will fulfill the promise I made to you. When Father left you, he used the excuse of pursuing his dream of becoming a martial artist. I, too, will become a true martial artist, the strongest in the world, so that you can rest in peace beneath the nine springs.

The Shaoyan was somewhat moved by the mention of the Kaiyuan Martial Arts Academy

As the manager, my brothers have discovered the Biao brothers of the Fifth Old Master nearby. How do you suggest we handle this situation

Hmph, no matter how beautifully you speak, it cannot change the fact that the person abandoned his wife. There is no need to say more about it

Regardless of the circumstances, Shi Mu has finally emerged; yesterday he was an orphan, and today he has become a young master

At just fourteen years of age, he has slightly tanned skin due to years of exposure to the sea breeze, yet his thick eyebrows and large eyes stand out. He is noticeably taller than his peers by about half a head. Beneath his tattered shirt, the outlines of well-defined muscles are faintly visible, giving off an impression of untamed wildness and defiance.

The young man, upon hearing this, displayed a fluctuating expression, hesitating.

The young man murmured a few words in front of the grave, then stood up, stretched his limbs, and unexpectedly began to practice boxing in front of the grave

Even so, the fact that Shi Mu was able to cultivate to such a high level of body tempering has already astonished the members of the martial arts school. Several instructors expressed their amazement, believing that his innate talent for martial arts is exceptional and that he is a natural-born practitioner.

Cough! Young Master Shi may have misunderstood the old master. The reason the old master has not returned to the village all these years is due to certain difficulties. If the young master and the old master could meet face to face, all misunderstandings would be resolved.

Only then could one see clearly that the faint white light emanating from the surroundings of the seabed was, in fact, a dozen or so palm-sized shells, encircling a massive reef rock that stood about seven to eight zhang high, flickering intermittently.

It cannot be wrong; look at the golden insignias embroidered on these people. Apart from the Jin family of Fengcheng, there cannot be a second family in the entire Kaiyuan Mansion.

Come back in three days, and I will give you a response then

I am not sure if it was personally arranged by the master, but these tasks were indeed ordered by the lady herself," replied the elderly man in the blue robe with a smile

Yes, the master is very ill this time and is unlikely to survive, so the madam has sent this old servant to bring Young Master Shi over, so that he can see the master one last time

The old man in the blue shirt suddenly "whoosh" fell directly from his horse and dashed away after the knight. His figure was incredibly light, seemingly without any weight at all, and in no time, he disappeared into the nearby woods.

My father is gravely ill in bed, and I have a younger sister?" Shi Mu fixed his gaze on the elderly man in the blue robe and slowly inquired

According to the martial arts instructor, he is capable of leaving such deep marks on the tree trunk, which indicates that he has now reached the seventh level of body tempering. He is only two levels away from achieving the true mastery of body tempering, at which point he can begin to comprehend the rumored sensations of Qi.

This set of martial arts is the only one he learned from the martial arts school in town, and it is also the most widely practiced body-tempering technique in the Great Qi.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Although Young Master Shi is not the legitimate son of the Jin family, he is the biological offspring of the master. Our task this time is simply to bring him back safely and securely, and we must not show any signs of neglect or disdain. Otherwise, given the relationship between the lady and the master, once they learn of this matter, we will absolutely be unable to explain ourselves." Upon hearing this, the old man in the green shirt's expression immediately darkened, and he reprimanded.

In the evening, on an unnamed hill located one mile outside the fishing village, under the faint moonlight, Shi Mu knelt alone before a slightly raised grave. In front of the grave stood a light yellow stone tablet, on which were prominently inscribed the words "The Tomb of the Wang Clan of Shimen" in large black characters.

Outside a dilapidated wooden house, there stood a beautifully adorned carriage, accompanied by several black-clad knights armed with swords. The area was crowded with numerous male and female villagers, all displaying expressions of excitement, whispering to one another in small groups.

Madam? Since he has abandoned my mother for so many years, why should he come back now to acknowledge me as his son? Please go back, I will not go with you to the Jin family

Hmph, it seems that the Wulaoye has not given up on their original plan. The Biao brothers are only in the early stages of their development, and only I can deal with them. You few wait here, you lead the way, and I will personally go over and resolve them

Da Qi, Kaiyuan Prefecture, Quanzhou, a certain remote fishing village