Chapter 1

The green mountains are faintly visible, and the waters stretch far and wide, the grass in the south of the Yangtze River has not yet withered at the end of autumn.

In a valley, surrounded by lush trees that seem to touch the sky, the autumn rain fell pitifully, as if the entire world was enveloped by the ethereal mist of the deep mountains, and a deep breath could cleanse the lungs.

There were only a few customers in the teahouse by the roadside, taking shelter from the rain under the dilapidated roof. The banner reading "Mountain Spring Tea" fluttered in the wind and rain without a moment's rest.

Jiang Wen, whose courtesy name is Zilu, is twenty-seven years old, a martial artist, and the owner of the teahouse.

After seeing off his old friend who had come to congratulate him, he looked around at the bamboo and trees with high spirits, and even the desolate atmosphere of the empty mountain and autumn rain could not dampen his good mood.

At this moment, only four words filled his mind: "Taking office as a goose..."

Cough, no, it should be "founding a sect!"

"Master Jiang, I have done as you asked. Can I now take my son as a disciple?"

The one speaking to Jiang Wen in the teahouse was a plump merchant, dressed in silk and brocade, exuding wealth, but his face, nearing sixty, was full of distress, as if he were standing inside a table telling crosstalk, and someone had taken away the toilet paper.

Jiang Wen modestly clasped his hands and said, "Mr. Fang, I owe you a great deal for helping me acquire Dawa Peak from Jianning Prefecture to establish my sect on this first peak of Wuyi!"

What is called "face"? This is what it means.

The "first" of Dawa Peak does not refer to its altitude, but rather that it is the first high mountain one sees when entering Wuyi by land or water. Known for its towering and unique presence, it is also called "Heavenly Pillar Peak," a name that speaks of its grandeur!

Of course, the government was willing to sell such a famous mountain mainly because it was difficult to climb and had no value except for its scenic beauty.

In the past, even the famous Xu Xiake got lost on this mountain, thinking he had encountered a ghostly wall at midnight.

"No need to be polite, Master Jiang. The money has been paid, here is the deed..."

The silk merchant, Mr. Fang, smiled and took out a deed stamped with the government seal from his sleeve.

Jiang Wen pushed his hand away and said, "How much? I must repay you—interest-free over thirty years, not a penny less!"

Mr. Fang's smile stiffened, "Master Jiang, I will be sixty next year, and waiting another thirty years might mean I can only collect ghost money..."

"I didn't think it through."

Jiang Wen said with a guilty expression, "Your son will live here and learn martial arts from me. I will have to spend money on his food and lodging every month, and I will also charge tuition and textbook fees... You can just give me some more money!"

Mr. Fang's face turned red with anger, but he still forced a smile, "I can cover the expenses, as long as you are willing to take my son as a disciple..."

The other guests in the teahouse were also watching and chatting. Normally, wealthy people wouldn't come to such a place on a rainy day, so Mr. Fang's group stood out.

The guests listened quietly to their conversation, surprised that the teahouse owner was a martial artist.

But a true martial artist would open a school in a big city or establish a sect. This young man wanted to settle on a mountain...

Clearly, he was planning to become a bandit!

After some discussion, most of the already sparse guests quickly left.

Jiang Wen had been living incognito for several years, so it was normal that no one recognized him. What puzzled him more was why Mr. Fang was so determined to have him take his son as a disciple.

"Mr. Fang, I'm just asking out of curiosity. If it's just for health, why not send your son to practice boxing, like at the Hundred Forged Martial Hall in town?"

After asking this, Mr. Fang's face turned strange, and he sighed.

"I have sent him there. My son has bitten all the instructors in town. This time, it was the kind Master Luo from the martial hall who recommended that I bring him here to learn..."

"Is your son a dog?"

Jiang Wen's eyelid twitched. Was this a humble way of referring to his son, or a nickname?

Mr. Fang glared at him.

Jiang Wen laughed awkwardly, "No problem, I'm actually best at teaching underachievers. To be honest, I once taught a student with the surname Uzumaki, who was a poor performer and loved to bite when angry. Later, he achieved great martial arts skills after losing just one hand!"

Mr. Fang quickly grabbed Jiang Wen's hand, "Master Jiang, just for health! Just for health! Please make sure my son remains physically intact!"

"I was just giving an example. You don't know that there's a Master Yue in the martial world who can easily injure his disciples..."

Jiang Wen subtly pulled his hand away from Mr. Fang's fat hand, "Where is your son? Let him come and meet me!"

Mr. Fang's face lit up, and he quickly waved, "He's right behind! My son is already ten years old, and it's too late to learn if we wait any longer. Little Stone, come here!"

As Mr. Fang called out, a child with a blank expression emerged from the group of servants.

"Is this kid ten?"

Jiang Wen sucked in a breath.

To clarify, it's not that the child was tall and towering.

The child was indeed a child, but with short limbs and a peculiar bone structure, looking no more than five or six years old, neither fat nor thin. Fortunately, he didn't have a large head, or Jiang Wen would have immediately classified him as a dwarf.

Mr. Fang smiled bitterly, "No one believes it. If I hadn't watched him grow up, I wouldn't believe it either. This child lived with his mother in the countryside when he was young and had a high fever that stopped his growth.

"Alas, I've tried all sorts of remedies over the years. Now, at ten, he doesn't even have a proper name, for fear that his thin life might be taken by the heavens..."

Mr. Fang sighed and hugged his youngest son, but the child remained expressionless, staring at the boiling pot of water.

"You should take him to see a doctor!" Jiang Wen reminded him.

"I've spent a lot of money on doctors, but they couldn't find the problem. Until a monk from Southern Shaolin said that my son had an imbalance of the five qi and a congenital deficiency, making him weak and poorly developed. Only by learning internal martial arts and regulating his qi and blood could he be improved..."

What Mr. Fang didn't say was that the monk had offered to teach the Shaolin secrets, the Yi Jin Jing and Xi Sui Gong, for three to five hundred taels of silver, promising to reverse his condition within a year. Mr. Fang immediately reported him to the authorities, and the monk was sent to prison.

But Mr. Fang believed there was some truth to the monk's words.

Even in the countryside, Mr. Fang cherished his son, feeding him rare delicacies and precious herbs, spending countless amounts of money each year. It was impossible that his son was neglected.

The most likely reason was that Mr. Fang had a late son, marrying a second wife in his fifties. An old and depleted father and an incomplete mother resulted in a child with congenital deficiencies.

Now, treating a dead horse as if it were alive, the more he looked at his son, the less promising he seemed. There was no hope for him to do business in the future, and becoming a disciple to learn martial arts was the only way out.

Jiang Wen's face changed several times before he finally spoke.

"Alright, seeing your sincerity, I will take this disciple. To be honest, I dress as a Taoist just for convenience in the martial world. Don't call me Daozhang."

"Okay, Daozhang."

Jiang Wen thought Mr. Fang hadn't heard clearly and explained again, "You can call me Sect Leader Jiang or Great Hero Jiang."

Mr. Fang nodded continuously, "No problem, Daozhang!"

"…As long as you're happy."

Jiang Wen stood up, brushed off the raindrops on his clothes, sighed, and patted the child's head, "Little Stone, from now on, I am your master. Our sect is founded on Dawa Peak in Wuyi Mountain, and you will be the first disciple..."

At this point, Jiang Wen frowned and looked at the child's height, "It might be a bit difficult to be the 'top disciple' in terms of height, but you must study hard and strive for progress, understand?"

Little Stone's expression remained unchanged, and Jiang Wen turned away, silent.

Mr. Fang thought Jiang Daozhang was sighing in regret and didn't dare to disturb him. But in a direction no one could see, Jiang Wen was smiling smugly.

Jiang Wen was now planning to invite Master Luo from the martial hall for a meal and bail out the monk from prison. Thanks to their cooperation, he had successfully pulled off this act.

His performance this time should deserve an Oscar!

[Heavenly Eye, show me the character information.]

In a position only Jiang Wen could see, a cascade of text information appeared.

[Character panel can be displayed.]

[Name: Little Stone]

[Age: 10]

[Insight Evaluation: Jade in the Stone]

[Bone Evaluation: Gifted]

[Martial Arts Evaluation: Clueless]

[Combat Evaluation: Clueless]

[Overall Martial Artist Level: Commoner]

[Martial Arts Mastered: None]

[Character Description: This is a child who has never been exposed to martial arts, but his outstanding talent will be his best teacher.]

Indeed, Jiang Wen was using the system he carried to investigate the child's information!

In this unknown system, insight and bone structure are divided into five levels, from lowest to highest: Obstinate, Average, Jade in the Stone, Gifted, and Extraordinary Genius.

Little Stone's bone structure had already reached the second-highest level of Gifted, and his martial arts insight was also above average! The highest bone structure had never been seen, so this second-highest level was already outstanding, and Jiang Wen speculated that Little Stone's so-called developmental delay might be due to his naturally strong and resilient bones...