"The threshold to enter the Cangying Martial Arts Hall isn't high—all you need to do is pay. But those who can pass my assessment and cultivate Ming Jin within a month are few and far between. Less than one in a thousand, in fact."
Du Cangying continued, "Therefore, in the entire Cangying Martial Arts Hall, there are only three hundred and twenty-eight Official Disciples."
"Now, with you and Ye Langtian, that makes three hundred and thirty."
"And among these three hundred and thirty, only eighty-nine—including you—have caught my eye and been accepted as my disciples."
"This..."
Xu Qing opened his mouth, still somewhat shocked.
"As for True Disciples..."
Du Cangying's tone was calm as he said slowly, "There are only six. Your First Senior Brother Huo Yi and your Second Senior Sister Du Luan are two of them."p>
"This disciple understands."
Xu Qing took a deep breath.
"Also,"
Du Cangying continued, "Quit that job with the Government Office's Patrol Team. Before, I wouldn't have cared, but you're an Official Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall now, and my disciple at that. Your status is no longer what it once was. You represent the face of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall."
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded respectfully.
"Du Luan."
Du Cangying asked, "The Cangying Martial Arts Hall has quite a few businesses under its banner. Are there any that need a manager? Let's have Xu Qing manage one, so he won't be short on money for his training."
"...Hmn."
Du Luan pondered for a moment before saying, "Father, I just remembered. We own a brothel on Red Leaf Street, the Chunfeng Tower. I don't think an Official Disciple has been assigned to manage and oversee it yet."
"Red Leaf Street."
Du Cangying nodded. "That will do. Coincidentally, Xu Qing also lives on Red Leaf Street."
Evidently, the moment Xu Qing joined the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, they had already conducted an investigation on him, learning of his identity and origins.
They even knew where he lived.
"Chunfeng Tower."
Xu Qing was taken aback. He couldn't help but recall his visit to Chunfeng Tower not long ago. 'I never imagined that just a few days later, I would become its boss.'
He really hadn't expected it.
"Xu Qing, what do you think?"
Du Cangying asked.
"This disciple thanks Master for this gift."
Xu Qing said quickly.
"Hmn."
Du Cangying nodded and said, "Now, I will personally teach you the Cyan Eagle Force."
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Cangying rose to his feet.
"Thank you, Master."p>
Xu Qing's voice was filled with gratitude, but he still added, "Master, there is a question weighing on my mind, but I don't know if it's appropriate to ask."
"Speak,"
Du Cangying said.
"It's like this,"
Xu Qing said, "I have encountered Corpse Ghosts several times on Red Leaf Street, and there was even a Black-haired Zombie. Since I live on Red Leaf Street, I'm a little worried..."
"What are you worried about?"
Du Cangying waved his hand dismissively. "Some people... they're old, their days are numbered, but they still refuse to go to their graves quietly. They insist on stirring up trouble."
"Alright."
"Don't worry about it. You are now an Official Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. Even if they had the guts, they wouldn't dare to do anything to you."
"Just focus on your training. If your performance is satisfactory and you can reach the Huajin level within three years, I will consider accepting you as a True Disciple."
"Yes, Master."
Xu Qing nodded respectfully.
In the courtyard of the main hall...
"Now, I will show you what the complete Cyan Eagle Force truly is."
BOOM!
The moment he finished speaking, Du Cangying soared into the air, like a majestic eagle spreading its wings to fly across the sky. An oppressive aura of a superior being washed over Xu Qing—domineering, sharp, and ferocious...
"!!!"
Xu Qing's pupils contracted. He stared intently at Du Cangying.
Clearly, although Xu Qing had already mastered An Jin, compared to Du Cangying, it was like a firefly comparing its light to the moon. The two were not on the same level at all.
If Du Cangying were to truly strike, he could crush Xu Qing with a single hand.
「Time flew by.」
Before he knew it, the sun had set.
Evening arrived.
"That's enough."
Du Cangying withdrew his power, glanced at Xu Qing, and said in a calm tone, "That's all for today. Don't come here tomorrow. Go directly to the Inner Courtyard."
Evidently, Du Cangying's personal instruction was only for this one day.
It was now over.
"Yes, Master."
Xu Qing cupped his fists in a salute.
"Go on, go on."
Du Cangying waved his hand.
"This disciple will take his leave."
Xu Qing turned and left.
With his departure, only Du Luan and Du Cangying remained in the courtyard.
"What do you think of this kid?"
Du Cangying asked.
"He's not bad."
Du Luan mused for a moment, then said, "I just didn't expect that a beggar of unknown origin could possess such talent for Martial Arts. It truly exceeded my expectations."
"He must have had some sort of fortuitous encounter,"
Du Cangying said. "Otherwise, he couldn't have reached this level of achievement. From now on, we'll see how he performs. If his talent for Martial Arts is genuine and he has the aptitude to step into the Gang Qi Realm, I wouldn't be against making him a True Disciple."
"Father, you truly teach without discrimination."
Du Luan flattered him.
"You!"
Du Cangying shook his head, speechless. "I recall you turned eighteen today, didn't you? You're a young lady now, but all you do day in and day out is practice martial arts. And I remember that young master from the Nangong Family has been buzzing around you lately, hasn't he? What do you think? Have you taken a liking to him? If you have, your old man here thinks he's a decent choice."
"In any case,"
"The Nangong Family is one of the three great families of Qingbei Town, and they have connections with the Government Office."
"He's nothing special."
Du Luan pouted and said listlessly, "That young master from the Nangong Family is a good-for-nothing. How could I possibly be interested in him? The only man I could ever fall for must be a master of the Martial Dao."
"My girl, the Martial Dao isn't the only thing in this world,"
Du Cangying said.
「The scene changed.」
After leaving the main hall, Xu Qing arrived at the Inner Courtyard and met one of its instructors, Shan Mingge. There were only five instructors in the entire Inner Courtyard, and Shan Mingge was one of them.
"You must be Xu Qing?"
Shan Mingge asked.
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded and cupped his fists in a salute. "Disciple Xu Qing greets Instructor Shan."
"No need for formality."
Shan Mingge smiled. He was a refined-looking middle-aged man. He took out the uniform and identification token for an Official Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. "Xu Qing, here are your uniform and token. With this token, you'll be qualified to enter the Martial Arts Pavilion in the Inner Courtyard."
"The Martial Arts Pavilion stores many Martial Arts, including Fist Techniques, Leg Techniques, Swordsmanship, Saber Techniques, and more. If there's anything you want to practice, you can go take a look."
"Of course,"
"learning other Martial Arts will cost you money. The Cangying Martial Arts Hall only teaches you the basic Cyan Eagle Force and Eagle Claw Technique. Now that you're an Official Disciple, you'll be taught the Middle Chapter of the Cyan Eagle Force, but any other Martial Arts must be paid for."
"In addition,"
"there is also a Weapon Tower and a Resource Tower. The Weapon Tower has all sorts of weapons, and the Resource Tower has various Secret Medicines, nutritional supplements, potent medicines, and so on. But they all cost money."
"..."
Xu Qing took a deep breath after listening.
Clearly, everything in the Cangying Martial Arts Hall cost money; nothing was given for free. In truth, it was much the same at other Martial Arts Halls.
Unless you were qualified to become a True Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall and earned Du Cangying's complete approval, to be seen as the inheritor of his legacy, only then could you enjoy the provisions of the Martial Arts Hall.
"Instructor Shan, I'd like to know if you have the Secret Medicine 'Spirit Cloud Powder'?"
Xu Qing asked.
"We do."
Shan Mingge nodded. "Go to the Resource Tower. They sell it there. One portion of Spirit Cloud Powder costs three hundred and eighty taels of silver. It's a fair price, no cheating the old or the young."
"I understand."
Xu Qing said.
Then, Xu Qing left.
'To master the Upper Chapter of the Cyan Eagle Force in just eleven days... he is indeed quite talented. In the entire Cangying Martial Arts Hall, his talent is second only to First Senior Brother Huo Yi and Second Senior Sister Du Luan.'
Shan Mingge watched Xu Qing's receding back and mused, 'I wonder if he'll have the chance to become the Hall Master's seventh True Disciple.'
Evidently, word about Xu Qing had already spread throughout the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. Everyone now knew that a genius had appeared, one who could master the Upper Chapter of the Cyan Eagle Force in just eleven days, with a talent for Martial Arts second only to Huo Yi and Du Luan.
This caused a great stir among the students, leaving them all extremely shocked.
At this moment, Xu Qing had already left the Inner Courtyard and arrived in the Outer Courtyard. There, the many students of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall watched him with expressions of extreme reverence.
They all lowered their heads, not daring to even look at him.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu!"
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Xu..."
"..."
All around him, many students wore fawning and sycophantic expressions.
Of course, Xu Qing completely ignored them. From the very beginning, he had never taken these people seriously. Their words were like wind past his ears, not worth any attention.
"Phew..."
"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."
"Senior Brother Xu is a magnanimous person; he didn't hold our previous words against us."
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"I actually mocked Senior Brother Xu before!"
"That's terrifying!"
"..."
Many of the students were trembling with fear.
At the entrance of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
"Xu Qing."
Just as Xu Qing stepped outside, he heard a familiar voice. Turning his head, he saw Ye Langtian walking over with a smile on his face.
"It's you."
Xu Qing stopped. "What is it?"
"Ahem."
Ye Langtian coughed lightly. "Since I joined the Cangying Martial Arts Hall a few days before you, I'll be cheeky and call you Junior Brother Xu."
"It's like this."
"I apologize for my earlier words. I truly never imagined that your talent for Martial Arts was so astonishing. It makes me look rather foolish."
"Martial arts training is very expensive, so I imagine you must be short on funds, Junior Brother Xu. I have five hundred taels of silver here as a gift for you. Consider it an expression of my apology. I hope you won't hold my previous actions against me."