Martial Academy

Wu Qu led Wu Ming on a tour of the entire branch hall.

Wu Ming took note of the situation in each courtyard of this Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall branch.

Although it was merely a branch of the Outer Hall, the interior was still extremely spacious. In fact, apart from the initial courtyard they entered, the Outer Hall's area was connected to several other courtyards, separated only by walls and small gates.

Each area had its own division of labor.

Some areas were responsible for meals, some courtyards were filled with sandbags and sand pits for practicing punches and kicks, some courtyards were open for mutual sparring, and some courtyards had posted various recruitment notices for tasks like patrolling mountains, rivers, and guarding fields. Additionally, there were some vacant courtyards available for people to live in.

Despite these numerous and complex areas, they were all linked by a single core: money.

Outer Hall members had to pay for meals in the Seven Martial Alliance branch halls, with rations of food and meat calculated by portion. To live there, one also needed to pay a lodging fee, and even some special training grounds required payment to use.

"How does it feel?"

After showing Wu Ming around, Wu Qu asked him.

Wu Ming's gaze swept across the courtyards, observing the scattered martial artists entering and exiting. He shook his head and said, "Here, as long as you have money, you lack nothing and everything is convenient."

"Not bad."

Upon hearing Wu Ming's answer, Wu Qu nodded slightly and said, "With money in hand, anything can be accomplished. Without money, you can't move an inch. It's like that everywhere in the world... People like us don't have good backgrounds, but by cultivating blood energy and possessing martial skills, we gain a way to earn money, and once we earn money, we have the ability to protect it."

Having said that, Wu Qu paused for a moment, then suddenly tossed a wooden token to Wu Ming, smiling at him.

"It's not easy for our Wu Village to produce a martial artist. This 'Outer Hall Martial Token' for the Seven Martial Alliance Martial Academy is for you, a small congratulatory gift from me, your Clan Head, for cultivating blood energy."

Wu Ming caught it with his hand and saw that the wooden token seemed to be made of hard ironwood. The front was engraved with the three large characters 'Seven Martial Alliance,' and the back had smaller characters like 'Outer Hall Martial Token' and 'Valid for Three Months.'

"Thank you, Clan Head."

Wu Ming thanked Wu Qu immediately after a single glance.

The martial token gifted by Wu Qu was quite valuable.

He knew the token's purpose: holding it not only allowed free entry and practice in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall's 'Martial Academy' but also the ability to choose the desired sword, fist, or kick training methods within the academy.

In the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall, all resources had to be purchased with money. Since the various training methods recorded in the Martial Academy, as well as the training equipment and weapons, were also considered resources, this martial token naturally had its price. Each token was valid for three months and cost a full 'ten taels' of silver!

For an ordinary family, ten taels of silver was enough for a family of three to eat for a year; it was a considerable sum. The money Wu Ming had brought from home, pieced together, amounted to only fifteen taels.

His father, Wu Qi, who worked as a carpenter and house repairman, could only earn a total of over twenty taels of silver in a good year. After deducting the taxes for spring, summer, and autumn, he often had less than ten taels left.

Of course, Wu Ming also knew that this was because he had condensed blood energy, become a martial artist, and his aptitude reached 'mediocre.' The possibility of a second blood condensation in the future was high, which was why Wu Qu treated him so differently than before.

The resources presented to him were exactly what he needed at the moment, so Wu Ming naturally wouldn't refuse. As for the favor he owed, he would repay it when the opportunity arose.

"Alright, I still have other matters to attend to. You go to the Martial Academy first. I estimate you're eager to get started. I'll find you at the Martial Academy later."

Wu Qu smiled at Wu Ming, patted his shoulder, and then turned to walk towards other courtyards.

This trip to Jingye City to escort Wu Ming was not only to guide him but also to handle many trivial matters, including picking up a job along the way and purchasing some meat to nourish his blood energy.

Although resources in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall all required money to purchase, they were slightly more affordable than outside.

Watching Wu Qu leave.

Wu Ming quickly collected his thoughts and changed direction towards the Martial Academy.

The Seven Martial Alliance Martial Academy was located on the southwest side of the Outer Hall and was one of the largest areas within the entire outer compound. Wu Qu had briefly shown Wu Ming the way earlier, and Wu Ming had already memorized it. Now, he arrived there with ease.

The moment he stepped into the Martial Academy, a strong gust of wind hit him.

The Martial Academy was also divided into many small courtyards. Some courtyards were very spacious, with many martial artists, bare-chested, wielding sabers, spears, and swords, swinging them with great vigor. In other courtyards, some martial artists were practicing punches and kicks around sandbags.

The convergence of a large number of martial artists, with their blood energy circulating, made even ordinary people feel a sense of heat. It was almost impossible for malevolent spirits or ghosts to intrude into such a place; they would find it unbearable to withstand such a strong and concentrated flow of blood energy from several yards away.

Wu Ming walked along the center of the Martial Academy, quickly reaching a courtyard located at the deepest part. The courtyards before it were bustling with activity, filled with martial artists training and honing their skills. However, upon reaching this place, the environment became much quieter.

This courtyard was the core of the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall's Martial Academy.

Here, there was a warehouse storing various training weapons and equipment, and it was also the place where numerous martial arts manuals were kept. Only here, one had to possess the 'Martial Token' of the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall to enter.

At the entrance of the courtyard, a Grand Tutor chair was placed. An old man wearing a black mandarin jacket, with graying temples, was lounging leisurely on the chair. Seeing Wu Ming approach, he didn't get up, still leaning back comfortably.

"Senior."

Wu Ming dared not be negligent. He stepped forward, cupped his fist in a salute, and handed over the martial token.

The old man in the black mandarin jacket opened one eye, casually glanced at the martial token in Wu Ming's hand, then appraised Wu Ming, before closing his eyes again and saying faintly:

"My surname is Hong, and I am the warden of this Martial Academy... You may enter. Remember that the martial arts manuals inside can only be read, not copied, and cannot be taken out. All raw training weapons must be registered before they can be taken out, and they must be returned before sunset."

After a pause, the old man in the black mandarin jacket casually added, "Of course, if you have money, you can also buy them. The raw training weapons inside only cost five taels each."

"Yes, this junior understands."

Hearing the old man in the black mandarin jacket's reminder, Wu Ming lowered his head and responded, then stepped into the courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, a stark contrast to the bustling noise outside. Wu Ming carefully observed the row of houses in front of him. The area directly ahead should be where all the martial arts manuals were kept, and the rooms on the left and right should be for storing weapons and equipment.

Without lingering, Wu Ming walked straight ahead and entered the main hall where the manuals were kept.