What are the shortcomings that can be exchanged for a better outcome? I'm lacking everything!

Chapter 19 Martial Arts Foundation, Fate, and Destiny

"Brother Zhang!"

Hearing the shouts, Zhang Hengyuan, who was walking hurriedly, was startled and looked up.

Then he saw Bu Che with a boy. The wariness between his brows relaxed a little, and the tense muscles on his body slowly relaxed.

"A-Che." Zhang Hengyuan nodded, his voice low and a little hoarse.

Bu Che frowned when he saw that Zhang Hengyuan seemed a little off: "Brother Zhang didn't come home all night. I was worried that something had happened to you. Now that I see you're alright, I feel much more at ease."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hengyuan wore a gentle smile.

Bu Che glanced around and said to Tang Sang, "Wait for me a moment."

Then, he moved closer to Zhang Hengyuan, went to a corner, and told him what his colleague had found out the day before.

Zhang Hengyuan's expression didn't change much; he simply patted Bu Che's shoulder with a complicated look.

"Thank you, A-Che. I'll be careful."

"I might be a bit busy these next couple of days. If you're not under my protection, be careful and stay away from Zhao Laizi."

Zhang Hengyuan said in a deep voice.

Afterwards, Zhang Hengyuan said no more, bid farewell to Bu Che, and hurried away through the wind and snow.

Bu Che stood there, watching Zhang Hengyuan's back disappear into the snow, and slowly exhaled.

All the necessary notifications have been sent out; hopefully, Brother Zhang is prepared.

Bu Che returned to Tang Sang's side and continued to lead him to the Broken Porcelain Workshop.

"Brother Che, was that guy from the Broken Porcelain Workshop also an apprentice?" Tang Sang, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask.

Bu Che glanced at him; this Tang Sang seemed particularly concerned about the apprentices at the Broken Porcelain Workshop…

"No, Brother Zhang works in the pottery workshop. He's an apprentice in the most popular workshop in the Xue Family Kiln, and he's about to become a full-fledged employee."

"So he wasn't an apprentice at the Broken Porcelain Workshop after all..." Tang Sang muttered to herself upon hearing this, then lost interest.

Bu Che quickly led Tang Sang to the Broken Porcelain Workshop.

He was brought before Senior Brother Kong Ci, who, upon learning that he was a newcomer, did not pay much attention to him.

Every now and then, new people come to the Broken Porcelain Workshop, but just as often, new people leave.

It's either death or departure.

Kong Ci took Tang Sang to see Elder Zhou, while Bu Che and the other apprentices received their "Boiling Blood Porcelain Powder" in the courtyard.

Because his Qi and Blood Technique had reached a minor success, Bu Che no longer used Boiling Blood Porcelain Powder to accelerate the enhancement of his Qi and Blood Technique.

He diligently practiced the Battle Body Fist and Hammer technique, and with the addition of the Boiling Blood Porcelain Powder, perhaps due to the change in his mental state, Bu Che felt that he was becoming increasingly familiar with and knowledgeable about the punches and variations of the Battle Body Fist and Hammer.

Bu Che even spent only half a day on his Battle Body Fist Hammer to complete the enhancement of a year's worth of diligence.

[Battle Body Fist Hammer (Rank 9) Minor Completion (2/5)]

"The mental mutation has slightly enhanced my martial arts talent. While it won't lead to a leap in my martial arts foundation, the improvement is already considerable!"

Bu Che was pleasantly surprised.

However, the surprise didn't last long, and a thought crossed my mind.

The lazy, broken ancient sword in his mind vibrated, its sword energy cascading down and intertwining to form a prompt.

……

[Sword Master: Bu Che]

【Sword Qi of the Broken Blade: Laziness (-12%)】

【Cultivating the Path to Enlightenment: Seeds of the Dao - Diligent Cultivation (Ninth Rank, 12%)】

[Taoist Seed Cooldown: Five Days]

[Remaining Intentions: One Year]

……

Another day has passed, and there are still five days left in the cooldown period for the Dao Seed.

This is good news.

The bad news is that the diligence I gained from Master Xu will only last for one year.

What good is a year's hard work?

The progress in mastering the Zhan Shen Quan Hammer technique still requires three more years of diligent practice.

A mere year is simply not enough!

He could even complete the blessing of the remaining year's worth of diligence today!

For a moment, he felt the anxiety of running out of savings, like a demon from the abyss opening its bloody maw to bite him, making him restless.

Having finished practicing the Battle Body Fist and Hammer Technique, Old Zhou leisurely led Tang Sang out of the inner courtyard, a hint of joy on his face.

"Old Zhou," Bu Che greeted him with a fist and palm salute.

Old Zhou nodded slightly, and then began to instruct Tang Sang behind him on how to practice "Battle Body Fist Hammer".

However, after taking another look, Bu Che felt that the Battle Body Fist and Hammer that Elder Zhou had taught Tang Sang seemed to be different from the one he had taught himself.

"That's Elder Zhou's signature martial art, the 'Primordial Battle Hammer,' which can only be taught to those who become Elder Zhou's disciples."

A calm voice came from behind Bu Che; it was Senior Brother Kong Ci.

Bu Che clasped his hands in a salute, while Kong Ci's expression was complicated: "I thought you would be my next junior brother, but I never expected that Tang Sang would suddenly appear. Life is unpredictable."

Kong Ci thought highly of Bu Che. Bu Che practiced boxing until the very end every day, and his talent for breaking porcelain and his fearless courage to break porcelain were all things Kong Ci admired.

It wasn't just him who admired him; Kong Ci felt that Old Zhou also quite admired Bu Che.

Unfortunately, a newcomer beat them to it.

Bu Che was taken aback upon hearing this: "Elder Zhou has accepted Tang Sang as his disciple?"

Even Bu Che couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and resentment when he heard the news.

It was as if three words were about to burst out.

Why should I?!

In the distance, Old Zhou glanced over indifferently. Kong Ci nodded in understanding and pulled Bu Che toward the Broken Porcelain Courtyard.

The Hunyuan Battle Hammer is a secret martial art of Master Zhou, so naturally he couldn't let an apprentice like Bu Che learn it here.

Therefore, Kong Ci was sent away to get Bu Che out of the way.

Upon arriving at the Broken Porcelain Courtyard, Bu Che frowned slightly, his heart filled with unease.

"Are you trying to say, 'Why should I?'" Kong Ci asked, as if she could see right through Bu Che's thoughts.

Bu Che remained silent.

"Because of his talent and his innate constitution, although Tang Sang's talent in Qi and Blood Technique is unknown, Elder Zhou personally examined and measured his martial arts innate constitution, which is a seven-element martial arts innate constitution!"

Kong Ci said.

"Seven-element martial arts foundation?!"

Bu Che's body trembled violently.

Can the physical structure be visualized like this?

"I told you before about the distinctions in cultivation speed, but cultivation speed mainly depends on innate talent. The classification of innate talent has existed since ancient times. Originally, it was passed down from generation to generation by martial arts sects. Later, the imperial court intervened and linked the classification of Ghost God Caves with the classification of martial arts innate talent."

Kong Ci said in a deep voice.

"So don't look down on the fact that Qi Yuan's innate talent is ranked low. In fact, in the entire Tianmu City, he is already one of the top talents in terms of innate talent."

"There's another widely accepted saying: if someone has the Eight Extremes Martial Arts Talent, they have a very high probability of becoming a porcelain refiner! And if they have the Seven Elements Talent, needless to say, they have the potential to go even higher on the path of porcelain refinement!"

"Old Zhou dreamed of training a porcelain master, so he was naturally overjoyed at the appearance of Tang Sang."

"Look, I haven't even conducted a background check yet, and he's already eager to take Tang Sang under his wing. In a few days, once I finish the background check, Tang Sang will become his personal disciple."

Kong Ci sighed deeply.

"It's all fate, it's destiny."

Kong Ci patted Bu Che on the shoulder without saying anything. Bu Che's luck... was a bit bad, but if his luck wasn't bad, how could he be plagued by evil thoughts?

"Shall we try breaking porcelain again today?" Kong Ci asked.

Upon hearing this, Bu Che nodded repeatedly without any hesitation: "Of course I want to."

After thinking for a moment, Bu Che rubbed his hands together and asked, "Senior Brother Kong...can I try to break two of the ghost and god porcelain statues today?"

Shatter more porcelain statues of ghosts and gods to capture their thoughts and accelerate the cooling of the Dao Seed!

Once the cooldown period for the Dao Seeds has ended, you can recruit more diligent people and experience the enduring spirit of diligence!

"Shatter a few more statues? Are you out of your mind? Can your spirit handle it?"

Kong Ci frowned, his face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice.

"In martial arts training, spirit is very important. Once injured, it's equivalent to cutting off the possibility of becoming a porcelain refiner... I know that Tang Sang's matter has greatly affected you, but you can't carelessly ruin your future because of temporary resentment and unwillingness!"

Kong Ci was more serious than ever before.

Bu Che knew that Kong Ci meant well, so he quickly apologized: "Senior brother, don't be angry, don't be angry. I feel that my spirit has become stronger, so I wanted to try it."

"Strengthen your spirit? You haven't cultivated any divine techniques, so how can you talk about strengthening your spirit?" Kong Ci didn't give Bu Che a good look, perhaps because Bu Che's words made him feel that Bu Che was too eager for quick success.

My initial good impression of Bu Che has declined significantly.

Bu Che pondered for a moment, but ultimately decided not to reveal that he had achieved minor success in the Xue family's Qi and Blood Technique.

He possesses the ancient sword Baque, something that easily attracts jealousy; it's always good to keep it hidden.

"Senior Brother Kong, it's not because I've practiced the Spirit Refining Technique, but because... I've officially entered the Xue Family Qi and Blood Technique."

After carefully considering his words, Bu Che spoke softly.

Upon hearing this, Kong Ci's expression froze.

Then, his eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stared at Bu Che.

"The Xue Family Qi and Blood Technique...you've mastered it?"

"really?"

Kong Ci asked in a deep voice.

Bu Che did not explain, but instead circulated his Qi and Blood Technique. The strange mental vibration between his eyebrows suppressed the Qi and Blood Technique to the beginner level.

Wisps of smoke rose from above.

"Qi and blood generate steam! You've truly entered the realm!"

Kong Ci's eyes lit up immediately. He reached out, grabbed Bu Che's wrist, and pulled him toward the training ground.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Come on, I'll take you to see your master!"