Chapter 4

Lin Yiming originally thought that his life would be like this forever, but now, he had actually succeeded in guiding qi, and the qi he had introduced into his body was even more refined than innate qi.

"I can actually guide qi now, so I can become a martial artist and return to the sect!" Lin Yiming was extremely excited. The sect he belonged to was called Shuiyao Sect. When he first entered Shuiyao Sect, everyone vied to take him as a disciple because he was a genius.

However, once he entered the sect, he could not immediately find a master. Instead, he had to undergo a period of training, which could also be called guidance. During this guidance period, he was unable to guide qi.

At first, everyone wanted to take him as a disciple, but gradually, no one wanted to take him in. In the end, he became a disciple of his master.

His master was not only of high seniority and powerful strength, but also one of the most knowledgeable people in the entire sect. Influenced by his master, Lin Yiming read many books in the sect.

His master said, "Since you can't cultivate, read more books. Reading more books is never a bad thing." His master was one of the few people in the sect who treated him well.

Although Lin Yiming had never entered the Spirit Guiding Stage, he was already familiar with the cultivation methods after entering this stage. Now, this unknown qi had entered his spirit sea. He knew this was a crucial moment for cultivation.

Anyone who guides external qi into their body must slowly refine this qi because the external qi is different from the qi within their body. If they do not refine it, the external qi will be gradually consumed through breathing and metabolism.

Lin Yiming did not dare to delay and immediately followed the guidance method he had learned in the sect to guide the qi in his body to merge with his own qi.

"Hmm? The fusion speed is so fast!"

Lin Yiming had just started the fusion when he immediately noticed that the fusion speed of the qi in his body was astonishingly fast. He had read about this in the books he had read in the sect.

The fusion speed of two types of qi varies depending on the external qi absorbed. When Lin Yiming first read about this, his first reaction was to think of food.

Good food is naturally absorbed faster, while bad food is absorbed more slowly and can even cause stomach problems. Qi is better; he had read through the entire classic and had not seen any mention of qi that could poison people.

A faster fusion speed means more time to do other things, such as practicing martial techniques. Being a martial artist is not just about absorbing qi.

The air in front of Lin Yiming split for a moment and then closed again. It was impossible to tell that there had been a crack.

The immortal qi that leaked from the crack was quickly absorbed by Lin Yiming. Suppressing the urge to immediately tell his sister the news and share it with her, he got up from the ground and threw a punch in the room.

Although he had never absorbed external qi before, he knew that after absorbing qi, he must immediately perform a set of boxing techniques.

When external qi enters the body, it not only increases the amount of qi in the body but also continuously transforms the skin, flesh, bones, and tendons. For every martial artist, regardless of their realm, the skin, flesh, bones, and tendons in their body are always being strengthened. After absorbing qi, it is the best time to strengthen the skin, flesh, bones, and tendons, and boxing is the best way to exercise them.

During his six years in Shuiyao Sect, although Lin Yiming did not become a true martial artist, he had learned boxing techniques.

With qi in his body, Lin Yiming felt that each punch he threw stirred up a fierce wind. He even had the feeling that he could shatter the thick wooden stakes outside the door with one punch.

After finishing a set of boxing techniques, Lin Yiming rushed out of the room and ran home to share the news with his sister that he could become a martial artist.

He had never seen his parents! Since he could remember, he had lived with his sister, relying on each other for survival.

To Lin Yiming, his sister was the closest person in the world!

Leaving the shop, Lin Yiming ran home. As soon as he opened the courtyard gate, he heard an urgent voice from the room: "Village Chief, no, you can't marry him!"

Lin Yiming was stunned. The village chief was his sister. Was his sister getting married? Why didn't he know anything about it?

He quickly walked over, and before he could enter the room, he heard his sister's familiar voice: "What can I do if I don't marry him? The upstream Taoli Village has cut off our water supply, and our village's crops have been short of water for half a month. If this continues, this year's harvest will be reduced by more than half. With such a small harvest, we won't be able to rent the land. Without the land, how will the villagers survive?"

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Most of the villagers lived by farming, but the village had no land. The land they farmed was rented from Liu Daren in the city.

The final harvest was divided 30-70, with Liu Daren taking 70% and the village keeping 30%.

However, now that the village's land had no water, if this continued, this year's harvest would be greatly reduced. With a reduced harvest, Liu Daren's income would also decrease, and he would not continue to rent the land to the village.

"Marrying Liu Yuliang is the only way. Liu Yuliang is Liu Daren's only son. Only by marrying him can we secure the land for our village and give everyone a chance to live."

"Village Chief Lin Ning, you can't marry him!"

Hearing his sister's words, an old farmer in the village became anxious: "Village Chief, who doesn't know what kind of person Liu Yuliang is? He's a scoundrel who has harmed hundreds of girls."

"Yes. He uses his family's wealth to force any girl he likes, taking them away without regard for their consent."

"Liu Yuliang has learned all his father's tricks. His father used to snatch brides, forcing people to marry in the middle of the night to avoid being taken. Now, it's his turn to snatch women and brides."

"Liu Yuliang is a complete scoundrel. No woman he takes has a good end. Some are given to his subordinates when he tires of them, and others are sold to the city... Village Chief, we would rather starve to death than let you marry him!"

"Yes, the men of Nanlin Village won't let the Village Chief marry Liu Yuliang!"

"I think this time, Taoli Village cutting off our water supply might be due to pressure from Liu Yuliang."

Outside the house, Lin Yiming listened to the villagers' agitated voices and felt moved.

The villagers were the most honest people. As for Liu Yuliang...

Lin Yiming sneered. He would never let his sister marry such a person. In the six months since he returned, although he hadn't heard much about Liu Yuliang recently, he had heard his name countless times before.

It was always about him snatching brides, forcing women to death, or raping girls and killing their parents...

He was a typical scoundrel. How could he let his sister marry him!

Thinking of this, Lin Yiming pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

"Sister, you can't marry him."

Lin Yiming walked into the room, grabbed Lin Ning's hand, and said softly, "Sister, if Taoli Village won't give us water, we can negotiate with them. Why do you have to marry Liu Yuliang?"

"You're right, Brother Ming. We should negotiate with Taoli Village."

"Negotiate? It won't work."

An old farmer with a tobacco pouch on his waist shook his head and sighed, "Have we not negotiated with Taoli Village enough? The conflict over water between our two villages has lasted for over a hundred years. This isn't something that can be solved by negotiation."

"Yes, for over a hundred years, they only gave us a little more water six years ago because Lin Yiming could become a Martial Scholar. Now that they see Lin Yiming can't..."

A man started speaking but suddenly realized something, quickly closed his mouth, and looked awkwardly at Lin Yiming and the others in the room, who were glaring at him angrily.

Lin Yiming smiled at the man. He knew the man meant no harm, just spoke too quickly. However, a Martial Scholar...

In the Great Peng Dynasty, martial arts were highly valued.

Every year, the Great Peng Dynasty holds martial arts exams, similar to the literary exams, divided into Scholar, Graduate, Advanced Graduate, and Top Graduate.

Although the titles are almost the same, one is for literature and the other for martial arts. However, the treatment is vastly different.

A Literary Scholar, Graduate, or Top Graduate only has the opportunity to enter the government and the right to ride in a sedan chair or carriage.

However, becoming a Martial Scholar allows one to request the establishment of a family, and the emperor can grant a piece of land, along with many other benefits.

Therefore, in the Great Peng Dynasty, there is a saying:

"Ten years of hard study, the youth's hair turns white.

One day of success, the whole village rises.

White-haired and poor, the village prospers.

Better to be a Martial Scholar than a Literary Top Graduate."

It is said that decades ago, a group of civil and military officials presented this folk poem to the emperor, hoping he would change the country's emphasis on martial arts over literature.

However, the emperor remained unmoved.

If he truly became a Martial Scholar, he could request the establishment of a family, and the emperor could grant a piece of of land, though it wouldn't be truly given to him.

However, the income from that land would be split 50-50, which was much better than renting land from Liu Daren. If he became a Martial Graduate, the emperor would grant 60% of the land's income.

However, becoming a Martial Graduate was out of the question. His only goal was to become a Martial Scholar.

The court sends officials every year to oversee the Martial Scholar exams, selecting up to ten Martial Scholars in a town. A town consists of a hundred villages, and each village has ten villages.

This means a thousand villages compete for ten spots, including the powerful families in the town. There is no age limit for the exam. Even the elderly can participate.

The difficulty is evident.

Lin Yiming thought to himself that becoming a Martial Scholar with his current strength was impossible. If he achieved the Martial Spirit Heart, he might have a chance to become a Martial Scholar.

As he was thinking, an old farmer's voice sounded again: "If they don't give us water, can't we find it ourselves? Now, with the water issue, they must be guarding the water source closely. We can wait for a dark, cloudy night and secretly go to Taoli Village to open the water gate. Just one release of water will greatly benefit the crops."

"Yes, we can open the water gate ourselves." Lin Yiming's eyes lit up, "Good idea, let's go together in a few days."

"No, Lin Yiming, you can't go."

Everyone shook their heads, "Lin Yiming, you and your sister have done enough for the village. You don't need to go."

"Yes, you have more important things to do. The village's children need you to teach them martial arts."

"You're right." Lin Yiming nodded. The time for the sects to select martial children was approaching. If more children from the village became martial children, the village's strength and status would improve. Besides, he still needed to prepare medicinal baths for the village's children, which was now a critical moment.

Seeing Lin Yiming agree, everyone sighed in relief. Taoli Village had a young genius.

Soon, everyone left.

After everyone dispersed, Lin Yiming looked at his sister Lin Ning with excitement, his face showing his unbridled joy.

"Sister, I can cultivate now. I can become a martial artist. Do you remember? I couldn't guide qi, but today, I finally managed to guide external qi into my body. I've entered the Spirit Guiding Stage!"

"What? Brother, you've entered the Spirit Guiding Stage?" Lin Ning's beautiful face froze in shock. Her brother was once chosen as a genius, but he had never broken through to become a martial artist. She had given up hope, but now...

"Yes, I've entered the Spirit Guiding Stage, sister, look!" Lin Yiming said, clenching his fist and throwing a punch at the air in front of him.

Instantly, a fierce wind from his punch swept through the room, sounding crisp in the closed room.

"It's really the Spirit Guiding Stage..." Lin Ning's eyes, like autumn water, suddenly shone brightly. Although she was not a martial artist, she knew that only after entering the Spirit Guiding Stage, with qi in the body, would punches generate a fierce wind.

Her brother had undoubtedly entered the Spirit Guiding Stage. Her brother could finally become a martial artist!

"Great, brother, you've finally succeeded, finally succeeded!" Lin Ning grabbed Lin Yiming's hands, tears streaming down her face like pearls.

"Sister, I've become a martial artist, you should be happy, not cry. Sister, don't worry, I won't let you marry someone you don't want to. I will protect you."

Lin Yiming, seeing his sister more excited than he was, gently wiped away her tears, feeling incredibly happy. Could there be anything more fortunate than having such a sister?

"Sister, I will find a way to solve the village's water problem. After I try, you can decide whether to marry Liu Yuliang or not, okay?" Lin Yiming looked at his sister earnestly, determined to take her away if he failed.

"Okay, sister believes you will protect her." Lin Ning smiled, "Sister believes you are a genius, now and always!"