Genius?

After finishing his meal, Zhou Yi hurried to the training grounds. He saw several youths already striking poses and practicing.

Zhou Yi quietly found a spot and struck his own pose. Unlike in the morning, his movements were smoother. Whenever his body felt tired, a special surge of energy would come from his lower abdomen, travel through his body, and the fatigue would disappear.

Xie Tong arrived at the grounds and immediately noticed Zhou Yi. Unlike the others, Zhou Yi's movements already showed he had grasped the basics.

Xie Tong's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over to Zhou Yi.

"What's your name?" Xie Tong asked softly.

"My name is Zhou Yi. Steward Wu recommended me," Zhou Yi replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

"When did you get started?" Xie Tong inquired.

"Just now, while practicing the stake method. A surge of energy suddenly appeared in my body," Zhou Yi said truthfully.

"What? How did he get started so quickly!"

"How is that possible? Is this what a genius is like?"

Hearing the whispers of the youths nearby, Zhou Yi chuckled inwardly. He knew he wasn't a genius.

He was a cheat, even more monstrous than a genius. In this dangerous world, hiding his abilities was not a good idea. He had to use every resource to ensure his survival.

Talent was only the first step to acquiring resources.

As Zhou Yi was lost in thought, Xie Tong, beaming with joy, took Zhou Yi's hand and started to lead him away.

Zhou Yi snapped back to attention and asked, confused, "Instructor Xie, where are you taking me?"

Instructor Xie turned to Zhou Yi and said, "You don't need to call me Instructor Xie anymore. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Xie."

Zhou Yi readily agreed and changed his address to "Brother Xie." He then asked, "Brother Xie, you still haven't told me where you're taking me?"

Xie Tong slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my brain! Your talent is too high. I'm taking you to see our captain now. If everything goes as expected, he'll be teaching you from now on."

Hearing Xie Tong's words, the youths in the training ground were consumed by jealousy, wishing they were the ones Xie Tong was taking to see the captain.

"Right, you all keep practicing. I'm taking Zhou Yi out for a bit," Xie Tong instructed the youths in the training ground before turning away.

"Yes, Instructor Xie," the youths in the training ground replied loudly.

After Zhou Yi was led away, the youths in the training ground trained even harder, all hoping they too could grasp the basics immediately.

Zhou Yi followed Xie Tong to a bamboo house. Looking up, he saw it was made from the local specialty of Green Bamboo Village: green bamboo.

Zhou Yi entered the bamboo house and immediately saw the captain of the Patrol Team, Qu Yong. Beside Qu Yong were two elderly men. Zhou Yi only recognized one of them – the Village Chief of Qingzhu Village. He didn't recognize the other, but Qu Yong and the Village Chief treated this person with great respect.

After a brief observation, Zhou Yi lowered his head and stood silently behind Xie Tong.

"Master Talisman, Village Chief, Lord Qu, I've found a promising martial arts prospect!"

Xie Tong said to the three before him with a wide smile.

"Oh? Let me see. Primordial Pile, already at minor accomplishment. I remember the assessment started today, right? This kid didn't practice martial arts before, did he?" Qu Yong's eyes were much sharper than Xie Tong's. He immediately saw that Zhou Yi's stake method had reached minor accomplishment.

"Lord Qu, I haven't practiced martial arts before," Zhou Yi replied, shaking his head. At the same time, he thought to himself, So this stake method is called Primordial Pile.

"Hmm, this kid indeed shows no other signs of martial arts practice. With such talent, he's comparable to the prodigies in the big cities. Perhaps only those monsters in the Demon Suppression Division could surpass him," said the Talisman Master standing next to the Village Chief.

Hearing the old man's words, Zhou Yi was secretly pondering what the Demon Suppression Division was. Qu Yong, however, spoke up, "Which one of them that enters the Demon Suppression Division isn't a genius among geniuses? It's as hard as ascending to heaven to get in! Alright, I'll take this kid."

"Then, Captain, I'll be heading back. I still have a bunch of brats in the training ground."

Qu Yong nodded. As Xie Tong left, the two elders in the room also took their leave one after another. Only Zhou Yi and Qu Yong remained in the room.

"Zhou Yi, do you know why humans can harm Weirdness?"

Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "No."

Qu Yong paused for a moment. "In the Great Yan, martial arts are divided into four major realms: Strength Channeling, Vitality, Embrace Dan, and Condense Dan. It's said there are even higher realms after Condense Dan, but I haven't seen such individuals. Perhaps they exist in the Demon Suppression Division.

"Weirdness is also divided into four forms: Soul, Crimson, Spirit, and Strange, corresponding to the four realms of martial arts. However, due to the peculiar abilities of Weirdness, humans are generally at a disadvantage when fighting them at the same level.

"The reason we humans can harm Weirdness, primarily in the Strength Channeling Realm, is through the Vital Energy within our bodies. We annihilate the origin of Weirdness bit by bit using this Vital Energy."

After speaking, Qu Yong extended his right hand in front of Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi saw that Qu Yong's right hand was emitting a red, bloody light.

"This is Vital Energy. Among ordinary people, very few can ignite their Vital Energy. Therefore, most people in the Patrol Team are just ordinary individuals with stronger vitality and greater strength."

Qu Yong explained the Vital Energy on his hand to Zhou Yi.

"In the Strength Channeling Realm, the degree of physical development represents future potential and the quality of Vital Energy. When I was young, I sought breakthroughs and advanced to the Vitality Realm prematurely. Although it's not impossible to break through now, the difficulty has greatly increased. You managed to get started with the stake method in one day, which is considered genius even in the big cities. Don't be like me and break through realms too early, leading to being stuck in the middle stage of Vitality Realm."

Zhou Yi nodded gratefully. "I understand."

Seeing Zhou Yi nod, Qu Yong continued:

"Upon reaching the Vitality Realm, Vital Energy becomes even purer. In the perfect Vitality Realm, Vital Energy becomes formless and intangible. This extremely condensed Vital Energy is what we call Origin Qi."

"Alright, you haven't even ignited your Vital Energy yet, so talking more is useless. Starting tomorrow morning, you'll practice martial arts with me."

"Yes, sir," Zhou Yi nodded.

"Alright, you can go rest now," Qu Yong said with a smile, waving his hand.

Zhou Yi turned towards the door. Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly heard a voice.

"Zhou Yi, do you want to be my disciple?"

Zhou Yi stopped in his tracks, turned around, and shouted to Qu Yong, "Master!"