"Whether it's a Stance Skill or a Martial Technique, the levels of mastery are nothing more than Initiate, Minor Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, and Transcendence."
Manager Song said to Su Yan: "Stand the Golden Ape Stance for me."
Su Yan nodded and complied. His body moved immediately into the Golden Ape Stance Skill, his posture rising and falling like an old ape, his breathing long and natural.
"Initiate is the threshold. Only by crossing this can you be said to have learned the skill. This is true for both Stance Skills and Martial Techniques; if you haven't initiated, you can't even use it." Manager Song's eyes flickered. He was inwardly astonished; Su Yan's Golden Ape Stance Skill was not only at Minor Accomplishment but had already progressed a bit further. The ape form was natural, almost instinctive.
He continued: "Minor Accomplishment means you are proficient and can demonstrate the skill's intended effect. This is the highest level most ordinary people can ever reach."
Su Yan adjusted his breathing, his expression eager: "Not Great Accomplishment?"
Manager Song scoffed lightly: "What do you think Great Accomplishment is? Just mastering a skill?" Manager Song casually walked two steps. Su Yan's pupils contracted, watching him with astonishment. Manager Song had not adopted any stance, yet to Su Yan's eyes, he seemed to have transformed, like a Qingyang goat absorbing the surrounding air, his body moving rhythmically, as if traversing mountains and forests.
"Do you understand?"
Su Yan seemed to grasp it partially: "Moving like a stance, acting like a stance, practicing at all times, making it instinctual?"
"Not just instinct, but integrating it completely into your being, unifying your Form and Intent." Manager Song turned back. Though not as obvious as before, Su Yan now realized that even Manager Song's casual movements involved the Stance Skill; his muscles and breathing were constantly moving with the stance.
"Minor Accomplishment is generally sufficient, as it allows for smooth use, but the power and effectiveness of Great Accomplishment Stance Skills and techniques are naturally much stronger."
Su Yan was eager: "How can I achieve it?"
"A combination of Aptitude, Compatibility, and Water Grinding Effort." Manager Song instructed Su Yan: "Gaining any one of these three might lead to Great Accomplishment. But in reality, the concept of Water Grinding Effort is misleading."
"Misleading?"
"Ordinary people can achieve Minor Accomplishment through sheer practice, but they can't achieve Great Accomplishment that way. Water Grinding Effort means spending countless hours and experiences waiting for a single spark of Inspiration. Do you understand?" Manager Song sighed: "For some, it takes three years; for others, thirty years; and some may never get that spark in their entire lives."
"Potent elixirs, guidance from masters, or high compatibility with the skill... If you lack Aptitude, these are the only methods." Manager Song patted Su Yan's shoulder, signaling him to drop the stance: "Your Stance Skill has advanced further than the other day, likely because you have very high compatibility. Great Accomplishment is not out of reach for you. Your idea is right: try to apply your stance to your footwork, your Ape Fist, and even your ordinary movements. The day you achieve Great Accomplishment will come naturally."
Manager Song's guidance was truly that of a concerned elder.
"With Great Accomplishment in the Golden Ape Stance Skill, your blood energy will surge much more powerfully, and your Skin Refining progress will accelerate significantly."
Su Yan's eyes brightened: "Then Transcendence must be even more powerful?"
"Transcendence?" Su Yan's question amused Manager Song: "What do you think Transcendence requires? Only one thing: Talent, which means exceptional Aptitude. Even among ten thousand, perhaps one person can train a technique to the Transcendence stage. Even with high compatibility, the required aptitude is beyond ordinary people." He paused, perhaps worried about discouraging Su Yan, and explained: "Transcendence is an extraordinary state; it goes beyond the technique itself, merging with nature and unleashing power far greater than the original skill."
After explaining the mastery stages, Song Qi mused for a moment: "I didn't expect you to progress so quickly. If you don't urgently need the tiger money, use it to buy and eat more Desolate Beast meat. You can also purchase some Red Skin Powder from the Hundred Herb Hall; it helps assist with the tempering process."
Su Yan then asked Song Qi for advice on his Ape Fist, and Song Qi answered all his questions without reservation. In the afternoon, Su Yan finally left the Hundred Herb Hall and returned to Cloud-Front Village.
"You mean, this is all that's left of Niu Han's loan documents?"
At a courtyard in the Mountain Market Town, Niu Dang and Niu Daqi were sprawled on the ground after being kicked, their faces bruised and swollen. They were kneeling before a gloomy man in a martial uniform adorned with python patterns, kowtowing repeatedly, their foreheads bloody.
"Sir, this is all that's left. We had to rush into the fire to save them."
On the table, a small wooden box contained crumpled loan slips, many half-burned or scorched yellow. The box, which should have been full, was less than a quarter occupied.
"Useless!" Gu Hong kicked Niu Dang away again.
Niu Dang endured the pain, stood up, and kowtowed: "Sir, those commoners dared to set fire to the house when they heard my older brother was gone, which is why the loan slips burned like this. I still remember who borrowed money! I'll go after them one by one—"
"Get out of here!" Gu Hong slammed his hand on the table, shattering the table and chairs. "Do you think you run the show in Yun Cang Town, or does the Small Mountain Association?" Without the loan slips, forcibly demanding money could cause huge problems. The common folk wouldn't resist, but it would give the yamen runners, the Lin Family, and the Hundred Herb Hall grounds to attack them.
Gu Hong's eyes flickered as he thought: 'This Niu Han was a failure; he joined the association and immediately met a bad end. If I don't have someone to lend money to, not only will my source of income be cut off, but acquiring servants will also be difficult. The higher-ups will blame me.' He glanced at Niu Dang and Niu Daqi, frustration burning in his chest. If Niu Han was a failure, these two cousins were complete idiots. They couldn't even replace Niu Han. They were too weak to organize a loan operation, even within the village.
'Troublesome.' Gu Hong needed a source of silver and a figurehead. He couldn't assign his gang members to private matters like this. The only choice was to find someone else, and it had to be someone from the surrounding area to manage the village loans.
"I hear a notable person has emerged from Cloud-Front Village?" He changed his focus and asked: "Do you know the one who hunted the tiger today?"
Niu Dang and Niu Daqi looked at each other, stammering: "We know him. It's Su Yan from Cloud-Front Village. His father owed us ten taels of silver."
"What's his family background?"
Niu Dang and Niu Daqi looked awkward but dared not lie: "His father fell to his death. It's just him. We heard he joined the Golden Ape Martial Academy, learned some skills, and is quite capable."
"Learned some skills, eh? That's a bit of a nuisance." Gu Hong's eyes narrowed, a flash of cunning crossing his face. After a moment of thought, he said: "You keep a close watch on his whereabouts. If he comes to the market again, let me know."
"Sir, why are you looking for him? If there's trouble, we can—"
"You?" Gu Hong scoffed: "You listen carefully. If Su Yan agrees to work for me for a year or two, I'll recommend him to the association. As for you two, if you behave, you might get a chance to join along with him."
Niu Dang and Niu Daqi exchanged looks. Gu Hong actually wanted Su Yan to be his proxy for the loan sharking. They were horrified. Did this city master truly have no idea? Niu Han didn't pick the Black Rock Ginseng he gave to Gu Hong himself; Su Dahe (Su Yan's father) traded his life for it. If Su Yan ever learned the truth...
The two shivered, but Gu Hong did not doubt his plan. An unbacked young man, at most an outer-door disciple of the Golden Ape Martial Academy. With proper management, he would listen.