Chapter 14: Essence Flame Fulfillment

Chapter 14: Essence Flame Fulfillment

Just as expected!

Meng Yuan saw Nie Yanian dismissing the students, and the weight on his heart lifted.

The named youths finally understood the situation. They had been slacking off, thinking they could get away with it, but they never imagined Nie Yanian would actually eliminate them.

"Master Nie, Master Nie..."

Liu He, realizing his chance to learn martial arts was gone, panicked and knelt, crawling forward to hug Nie Yanian's legs. "Master Nie, please keep me, I'll study hard!"

Tears streamed down his face, clearly terrified, as he was someone his parents had high hopes for.

The other named students followed suit, kneeling and begging for forgiveness.

Nie Yanian, however, remained amiable and smiled, "To rise in life, one must either study or practice martial arts. Since reading is out of the question for you, you must focus on martial arts. On this path, either you have exceptional talent or you work hard. But you lack both, so what's the point of learning? You only think of slacking off without a shred of self-discipline. Can you endure the hardships of training in the scorching summer and freezing winter?"

"I can, I can! I'll change, I promise!" Liu He banged his head on the ground, pleading, "Master Nie, please, for my father's sake, give me another chance!"

"I'm speaking up for your father's sake. People must strive for self-improvement. Your physique and temperament are not suited for martial arts. It's a waste of time." Nie Yanian maintained a gentle smile, "With your father's support, you won't go hungry, whether you work on a farm or do something else, even if it's selling clay figurines."

Liu He noticed Nie Yanian's amiable tone but saw no sign of changing his mind, causing him to slump to the ground.

"Get out of here, quickly! Stop wasting your time, or time will waste you." Nie Yanian's words were harsh, but his tone was encouraging.

The named youths, seeing that Liu He's pleas were futile, couldn't help but burst into tears. They all left with their heads hung low, dejected, and collected their belongings from the dormitory.

Liu He, with a vacant gaze, walked to the training ground's entrance, paused, and turned to look back at those who remained. Hu Qian remained calm, as if she had anticipated this day. Wu Changsheng and Zhao Tieniu couldn't hide their joy, while Meng Yuan showed no sign of gloating and didn't even bother to glance at Liu He.

"To gain respect, one must endure hardship. This principle applies to any path. From now on, your training and studies will be ten times more challenging and tiring."

Nie Yanian surveyed those who remained, pointed at Liu He standing at the training ground's entrance, and asked, "Is there anyone willing to trade places with him?"

No one responded.

"Good, well done!" Nie Yanian was pleased. He walked forward, patting the boys' shoulders and the girls' heads, praising them one by one. Then he added, "Today is the first day of the year, and the Empress Dowager has provided meat for lunch!"

The students were never short of oil in their meals, but they had never eaten large chunks of meat. Upon hearing Nie Yanian's words, they all began to salivate.

"Before noon, I'll teach you a technique for breathing and energy cultivation." Nie Yanian spoke as he lowered his body, his feet shoulder-width apart, similar to the horse stance.

"This is the Posture Cultivation Technique. The body must be upright, the spine straight, shoulders relaxed and sunk, and the hands clasped in front, as if hugging a plump girl."

Nie Yanian spoke slowly, waiting for the students to mimic his posture before continuing, "Breathe deeply and slowly, remain steady, and calm your mind. Imagine yourself in the wilderness, among flowers, and feel the changes within your body."

He gently moved his arms as if kneading a large ball.

After demonstrating the entire set of movements, Nie Yanian taught it twice more before concluding the practice.

This Posture Cultivation Technique was not difficult to learn, with simple movements. The key elements were the breathing rhythm, mental calmness, and visualization.

"I know you're wondering why I'm teaching this basic cultivation technique instead of real combat skills."

Nie Yanian, with his hands behind his back, spoke deliberately, "Let me tell you, in the martial path, we must balance tension and relaxation. Recently, you've been diligently training and building your strength, which is the 'tension.' What is 'relaxation'? Relaxation is cultivating your energy and calming your mind and spirit. This Posture Cultivation Technique is relaxation."

As he casually corrected a few students' postures, he continued talking, "Relaxation and tension, expansion and contraction, speed and slowness—this is the key to progress in martial arts."

You all started late, and only by doing this can you assist in opening the meridians."

Wu Changsheng asked boldly, a question that was on everyone's minds: "Teacher Nie, what does opening meridians mean?"

Nie Yanyan smiled and replied, "You'll know when the time comes."

Meng Yuan also asked, "What happens after opening the meridians?"

Nie Yanyan smiled and said, "Opening the meridians is like attaining a rank. Only then can one truly embark on the martial path. When the time comes, the sky will be high, and the possibilities will be endless!"

Tie Niu asked in confusion, "What does attaining a rank mean?"

However, it was clear that Nie Yanyan was not a qualified teacher, nor was he patient. He replied with displeasure, "Question after question, is it like waiting to marry a wife, and then asking me how to sleep with her?"

"Teacher Nie, are you going to teach us?" Tie Niu inquired.

"Sigh..." Nie Yanyan saw that they didn't understand his metaphor and couldn't help but gasp, baring his teeth and smiling helplessly. He said, "Let's talk about what happens after attaining a rank after the meridians are opened. From now on, practice the Posture Cultivation Technique every morning, noon, and night. If you're tired or feel any discomfort, or if you feel warmth in a certain area, come and tell me."

"This afternoon, everyone take a break. If you want to go find your mother and drink milk, go ahead. If you want to sleep, then sleep, just don't go into prostitution! Tomorrow we'll get serious!" Nie Yanyan didn't explain what opening the meridians meant, nor did he mention what wonders it would bring after opening them. He just muttered a few words and patted his buttocks before leaving.

After practicing a few more times, it was time for dinner.

Today's meal in the mess hall was surprisingly newly braised beef and a basketful of hot steamed buns.

Oxen were used for farming, and the Kingdom of Qing strictly prohibited the slaughter of cattle. Even the killing of sick or injured cattle required reporting to the authorities. Therefore, it was rare for ordinary people to have the opportunity to eat beef.

"Don't fight over it!" Meng Yuan shouted, putting on a righteous demeanor. He picked up a steamed bun, tore it open, stuffed several large chunks of beef dripping with hot oil inside, and then handed it to Tie Niu.

"Brother, you're the best!" Tie Niu took it and took a big bite, almost tearing up from the delicious taste. "So fragrant!"

Meng Yuan's mouth was already watering, and he quickly grabbed a hot steamed bun, stuffed it with beef, and ignored the expectant look on Hu Qian's face, shoving it into his own mouth.

It had been a long time since he had eaten meat so heartily, and the feeling was so satisfying that he couldn't stop.

After devouring one, the nutrients were extracted by the essence flame, which was several times better than eating cabbage and tofu!

"This is my first time eating beef..." Meng Yuan had indeed never tasted such delicious meat since coming to this world. He ate seven buns filled with meat before he finally had the chance to sigh in satisfaction.

"Brother, you forgot, you've eaten it before," Tie Niu corrected him.

Meng Yuan, upon hearing these words, couldn't help but think of the little girl at the livestock farm and wondered how she was doing.

Meng Yuan felt determined. Even if he couldn't achieve great fame, he wanted to at least ensure that Jiang Laobo and Jiang Tang could live comfortably! With this thought in mind, he stuffed more food into his mouth.

While gluttony was not a desirable trait for a martial artist, they were all young and lacked self-control. Once they started eating, they couldn't stop, and soon everyone's stomachs were round and full.

Even Hu Qian was rubbing her belly with a satisfied look on her face.

There were originally twenty-seven students, but sixteen had been dismissed, leaving only eleven—six males and five females.

For those who remained, this day was a joyous occasion. After the meal, everyone gathered in the dining hall, telling jokes and chatting happily, comparing who could eat the most and who had the most strength.

In the end, Meng Yuan was declared the biggest eater, and Tie Niu was deemed the strongest.

When it came to deciding who was the most beautiful, Hu Qian turned away, saying that martial artists didn't care about appearances, and there was no need to choose a beauty queen.

In fact, among the female students, she was the most attractive.

Hu Qian didn't say much more and left the training ground directly.

The others were also feeling restless, and those with families in the city went back to visit them, while those without families went out to get some fresh air.

Meng Yuan didn't feel like going out, as his essence flame had already enveloped his entire body after the hearty beef meal.

Moreover, he felt that he had reached his peak and was already complete.

Meng Yuan sensed that with just a thought, the energy contained within the essence flame would return to him in some way.

However, he had no idea what would happen when the time came.

When he returned to the dormitory with Tie Niu, Tie Niu started to organize their laundry, asking, "Brother, how did your clothes get torn again?"

As the two were tidying up, Hu Qian and another female student came to the dormitory, saying, "Meng Yuan, Tie Niu, someone's looking for you two!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end