Zheng Shan's trembling murmur was so quiet that no one heard it clearly.
Though the vast majority did not know what the Head had said,
Zheng Shan's loss of composure was enough to explain everything!
Wang Yuan's bone structure aptitude was high!
Extremely high!
Yet Zheng Shan was, after all, an old hand who had weathered countless storms. After his overwhelming shock, he immediately realized the enormous risks hidden behind the words "Supreme Grade Bone Structure."
If such a shocking aptitude were spread abroad,
let alone Gaoye City, even the entire Prefecture City would likely be thrown into turmoil.
When that time came, who knew how many would covet it and plot against him? With Wang Yuan's current lack of any foundation, possessing a jade was itself a crime. He would be walking straight into a dead end.
In a flash of lightning and flint, Zheng Shan forcibly suppressed the raging waves in his heart.
The shock and wild delight on his face rapidly faded, returning to his usual stern and rigid expression.
Yet the burning heat in the depths of his eyes could not be concealed no matter what.
He cleared his throat, swept his gaze over the uncertain crowd, and spoke in a deep voice, his tone once more steady:
"Strong tendons, sturdy bones, abundant qi and blood..."
"Not bad. High Grade Bone Structure!"
He had deliberately replaced "Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone" with "High Grade Bone Structure."
But even so, those words were like a massive boulder cast into a still lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.
In Gaoye City, High Grade Bone Structure was already the highest aptitude.
No one had even heard of Supreme Grade Bone Structure, so naturally they believed High Grade Bone Structure was the very pinnacle.
"High... High Grade Bone Structure?"
"My heavens! It really is High Grade Bone Structure."
"How is that possible? Isn't he... isn't he from Bluestone Alley in the Outer City? Even paying the apprenticeship fee was such a struggle for him..."
"High Grade Bone Structure! Isn't that an aptitude only the direct heirs of the Three Great Families of the Inner City might develop, after being raised on precious medicinal baths and Monster Beast Meat since childhood?"
The entire place erupted!
Those wealthy youths who had worn arrogant expressions moments ago now stood dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.
Their families were well-off, so they understood the importance of bone structure all too well. They understood even more clearly what "High Grade Bone Structure" meant.
It was the kind of true genius their Lineages would struggle to cultivate even after pouring in all their resources!
A person destined to become one of Gaoye City's foremost figures in the future.
The lively smile on the Young Man surnamed Liu's face vanished completely, replaced by extreme shock and a trace of barely perceptible jealousy. He muttered,
"High Grade... it's actually High Grade..."
Violent ripples also rose in the cold eyes of the pretty Woman surnamed Jiang.
She stared fixedly at Wang Yuan, as though she wished to see through him.
How could a poor child from the Outer City possess High Grade Bone Structure?
How could a family too poor to afford meat raise someone with High Grade Bone Structure?
Senior Brother surnamed Liu, who had previously sneered that commoners could hardly produce even Medium Grade Bone Structure, now looked even more terrible.
It was as if someone had viciously slapped him across the face in public, leaving it burning with pain.
He had entered the Entry Stage two years ago and trained diligently. Monster Beast Meat had never been lacking in his home since childhood, yet he had only barely polished his bone structure to a level slightly above Medium Grade Bone Structure. High Grade Bone Structure was still as distant as the clouds from the mud.
Yet this ragged "mud-legged peasant" before him, whom he had looked down upon, had been born with High Grade Bone Structure?
The immense contrast made his chest feel stifled.
A nameless fury rushed straight to his head. His fists clenched unconsciously, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.
Though Medium Grade Bone Structure and High Grade Bone Structure differed by only one word, they were as far apart as clouds and mud.
They represented utterly different heights of potential and future!
Zheng Shan paid no heed to everyone's shock and discussion.
His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, remained firmly fixed upon Wang Yuan. It had softened considerably, even carrying an unprecedented sense of expectation.
He slowly spoke, his voice bearing a solemn weight:
"Wang Yuan, are you willing to take this old man as your master?"
He paused, then added clearly:
"Not the kind of ordinary disciple who pays silver and undergoes a three-month assessment, but... a True Disciple!"
The moment the words "True Disciple" left his mouth, the scene, which had only just calmed somewhat, lost control again!
"A True Disciple?"
"The Head is a Hua Jin Martial Master, and he wants to take him directly as a True Disciple?"
"This... he hasn't even been in the Entry Stage for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense!"
"Head Zheng currently has only three True Disciples under him: Senior Disciple Brother Shi Long, Second Senior Sister Zheng Ying, and Senior Brother Shang Yong, right? Is he taking in a fourth already?"
"With the status of the Head's True Disciple, he could practically walk sideways through the Outer City!"
Envy, jealousy, disbelief...
All manner of complicated gazes fell upon Wang Yuan as though they had substance.
Senior Brother surnamed Liu trembled with rage, his teeth grinding audibly.
He had painstakingly performed and worked hard for two years, yet still failed to gain Zheng Shan's recognition and become a True Disciple!
But this brat, merely because he possessed High Grade Bone Structure, could ascend to the heavens in a single step right after paying his fee.
Why? How unjust was this world!
Faced with this sudden opportunity, enough to change his fate, Wang Yuan's heart rippled as well, but what he felt more than anything was calm.
He knew full well that all of this stemmed from the "Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone" granted by the Talent Bead in his chest.
Joining Panshi Fist Academy and gaining the status of a True Disciple were precisely the protection and starting point he needed most right now.
Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward beneath the complicated gazes of the crowd.
He decisively dropped to both knees before Zheng Shan and performed a proper apprenticeship ceremony, his voice clear and resolute:
"This disciple, Wang Yuan, greets Master!"
This bow meant that he had officially stepped through the gates of martial arts in this world.
It also temporarily gave him a patron strong enough to shield him from wind and rain.
Looking at the kneeling youth before him, seeing the composure and determination in his eyes that did not match his age, Zheng Shan became even more satisfied. At last, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
He made a gesture as though to help him up.
"Good! Good! Rise."
"From this day onward, you are the fourth True Disciple of I, Zheng Shan!"
His gaze swept across the entire assembly, carrying unquestionable authority:
"None of you may spread word of today's events."
"If this old man learns that anyone has been wagging their tongue outside regarding Wang Yuan's bone structure, do not blame the academy rules for showing no mercy!"
Everyone's hearts tightened, and they hurriedly bowed in agreement.
They understood that the Head was protecting Wang Yuan, and also protecting Panshi Fist Academy's future.
But with so many people present, how could the news possibly remain contained?
Wang Yuan's High Grade Bone Structure was likely already laid out on the tables of every major Lineage.
Another genius was rising in Gaoye City.
Having taken Wang Yuan as such an excellent disciple, Zheng Shan was in high spirits. Looking at the new disciples in the courtyard who were still stunned, he suddenly found them utterly uninteresting.
He waved his hand and instructed the disciple in charge of registration:
"Today's testing ends here. Those not yet tested may return tomorrow."
"Dismissed."
The new disciples woke as if from a dream. With complicated feelings, they cast a few envious looks at Wang Yuan, then bowed and withdrew one after another.
The Young Man surnamed Liu, the Woman surnamed Jiang, and the ashen-faced Senior Brother surnamed Liu also departed, each wrapped in their own thoughts.
The news that Wang Yuan possessed "High Grade Bone Structure" and had been directly accepted as the Head's True Disciple would surely spread through a certain circle very soon.
The courtyard immediately quieted down, leaving only Zheng Shan, Shi Long, Zheng Ying, and Wang Yuan, who had just entered the Entry Stage.
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