Doubts (1)

Inside the Black Fist Gate training hall.

The instant Zhang Rongfang made contact, he felt a slight numbness in his palm and weakness in his forearm. In the first exchange of strength, he had lost.

It seemed that compared to a Third Grade Black Arm Fist expert, he was still lacking in raw strength.

Still, Zhang Rongfang was satisfied to have come this far in barely a year.

Yu Wenguang's information ran through his mind.

A Third Grade Black Arm Fist practitioner had fists hard as iron, immense force, and slow speed—just the sort of opponent suited to him now.

At once, he seriously responded with a combination of Yue Type Talisman and Vitality Talisman techniques.

Though he was a notch weaker than his opponent in strength, his footwork and movement technique were considerably better than Yu Wenguang's.

Holding nothing back, Zhang Rongfang used everything freely at this moment except weapons and Breaking Limit Skills.

For a time, the onlookers saw only that Yu Wenguang could still trade a few blows at first.

But after several moves, he clearly could not keep up with Zhang Rongfang's speed. He could only stand where he was, continuously blocking attacks coming from every direction.

Before long, Zhang Rongfang spotted an opening and struck Yu Wenguang's left shoulder with a one-handed palm.

Bang! Yu Wenguang staggered back two steps, his face flushing red.

He cupped his fists, stopped pressing the matter, and turned to leave the arena.

The hall champion had lost.

Zhuang Dali was somewhat surprised. It had been a long time since such a high-level challenger had come knocking.

He immediately rose to his feet himself.

Nearly one meter ninety tall, clad in a black bear-hide vest, with a head of messy withered-yellow short hair, he moved like a humanoid beast.

"Fine skills."

Before his words had even faded, he abruptly lunged forward, his right fist smashing toward Zhang Rongfang's shoulder.

This burst of speed was incredibly fast.

But while he was fast, Zhang Rongfang was no slower.

The two exchanged over a dozen moves at high speed.

The overwhelming force forced Zhang Rongfang to circle around and evade the main attacks, constantly striking weak points from the sides.

The Fifth Grade Black Arm Fist surpassed Zhang Rongfang by a great deal in strength, while its explosive speed was on par with his own.

Moreover, Zhuang Dali possessed exceptionally rich combat experience.

After merely a dozen exchanges, Zhang Rongfang was already surrounded by danger on all sides.

It was only because his movement technique was bizarre and silent, allowing him to strike continuously from visual blind spots.

Otherwise, had it been anyone else, they would already have been beaten into serious injury and left unable to move.

Before long, Zhang Rongfang retreated, about to cup his fists and concede defeat.

A Fifth Grade Black Arm Fist was indeed not something he could contend with yet.

Without using a Breaking Limit Skill, he was far from Zhuang Dali's match.

Suddenly, Zhuang Dali gave a cold snort and reached for his face covering.

"Take it off!"

"Hiding your head and showing your tail—let me see what you're so ashamed to show!"

It was a sudden sneak attack. His palm was nearly touching Zhang Rongfang's forehead.

In his urgency, Zhang Rongfang exploded backward.

Fused Breaking Limit Skill: Shrinking Step Heavy Mountain, activated in an instant.

The muscles in his legs suddenly swelled and erupted with force.

Both arms struck from either side, one left and one right, toward his opponent's neck.

Bang!!

This move was far faster than before.

Zhuang Dali hurriedly raised his elbows, blocking the strikes from both sides.

What surprised him was that the opponent whose strength had just been inferior to his had actually knocked him half a step back with this move.

When he lowered the arms he had used to block, the figure before him was already gone.

His movement technique, fused from three types of footwork, fully unfolded. Before anyone could cry out, Zhang Rongfang had already reached the courtyard gate.

With a flick of his hand.

The gate bolt fell away.

In the blink of an eye, he had vanished beyond the gate.

The purpose of this battle had already been achieved.

Zhang Rongfang now understood his approximate level. Within the Third Grade range, so long as his opponent's movement technique did not come close to his, he should be able to win.

But anything higher would be difficult.

After that, he did not stop, instead continuing on to White Bell Temple.

White Bell Temple was also Huaxin County's third civilian power.

Its Abbot, Faneng, likewise practiced martial arts year-round and had trained the temple's inherited Arhat Finger to the Fifth Grade realm.

Zhang Rongfang challenged them in the same manner. This time, however, he did not get to exchange blows with Faneng, as he was intercepted by a burly monk from White Bell Temple.

That monk was born with extraordinary strength and greatly resembled Senior Sister Zhao Dacong. His Arhat Finger and Amitabha Footwork had both reached the Fourth Grade level.

In actual combat, this monk was only slightly weaker than Zhuang Dali, the Sect Master of the Black Fist Gate.

Wary of him, Zhang Rongfang did not challenge further after being forced back, and swiftly turned to leave.

At this point, aside from the Government Office, these were the only experts in all of Huaxin County.

Qinghe Temple was the strongest. Next came the Black Fist Gate, Rice Gang, and White Bell Temple, all tied.

Now that the Rice Gang had basically collapsed and its influence had greatly diminished, only the Black Fist Gate and White Bell Temple remained worthy of attention.

Having determined his own position in terms of strength, Zhang Rongfang began considering how to obtain the subsequent martial arts of the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic.

Although he could now handle ordinary Third Grade experts by relying on his other martial arts, if he wanted to raise his martial arts to higher grades, he could only start with the Talisman Canon.

Because the Talisman Canon was the only martial art he had encountered so far that could rise to Seventh Grade.

None of the others had that level.

Zhang Rongfang had carefully examined the number of Breaking Limits within them. By his calculations—

The Dragon Snake Movement Technique was merely a movement art, not a primary cultivation method. It had only three realms at most, amounting to three Breaking Limits and Third Grade.

Eight Steps Catching Cicadas could reach only Second Grade at most.

The Taichang Eagle Claw Skill could likewise reach only Second Grade, even after Breaking Limits and cultivating a second realm.

No wonder Master Zhang Xuan cared so little about these Martial Arts Manuals.

After all, they were all crude, low-grade goods found on every Great Road. They harmed the body, and their upper limits were terribly low.

Now, if he wanted to obtain the complete Talisman Canon,

his first choice was naturally to try starting with his master.

Qinghe Temple.

"Hey, Senior Brother Zhang, you're here again?"

The junior brother guarding the Mountain Gate warmly waved at Zhang Rongfang.

Expressionless, Zhang Rongfang nodded in response.

Last time, he had thought that once he left the Mountain Gate, it would be hard to return. Yet over these past two months, he had come back more times than he could count.

He followed the slope upward, passed through the Mountain Gate, and proceeded straight along the level stone steps.

Before long, he arrived once more before his master's small building.

Master Zhang Xuan stood outside the Small Building in white Daoist robes, looking like an Immortal of the wind and bones. He held a cup of wine and raised it slightly while a mustached man at one side painted his portrait.

Seeing that he was still busy, Zhang Rongfang did not step forward to disturb him.

Only after waiting more than half an hour did the painter put away his easel.

He stepped forward and spoke a few words to Master Zhang Xuan before tucking his drawing board under his arm and turning to leave.

"You're here again? What is it this time?" Zhang Xuan adjusted his collar, set down his wine cup, and turned to look at his second disciple, Zhang Rongfang.

"Master, this time I have come to ask you to impart the complete Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic to me." Zhang Rongfang did not conceal it and spoke bluntly.

"Why?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "You have only just Entered the Ranks. There is no need to aim too high. Diligently cultivating each Talisman Art to completion is the proper path."

"What Master says is right. But in recent days, while studying Talisman Arts, this disciple discovered that the Talisman Arts within the Returning Spring Purifying Time Talisman Classic seem to have interconnected, mutually supportive effects.

"Therefore, I wish to request a look at the complete Martial Arts Manual of its Talisman Arts." Zhang Rongfang said solemnly.

He was not sure whether he could enter the beginner stage simply by obtaining the manual, but he would get it first and worry about the rest later.

"I do not have the complete manual either." Zhang Xuan shook his head slightly. "Although I am a Merit Transfer Master, I know only five Talisman Arts—the five Talisman Arts through which I once achieved Breaking Limits. Of the remaining two, only the Palace Master knows them in all of Qinghe Temple."

"Palace Master Mage Chen Heqiu?" Zhang Rongfang narrowed his eyes.

"Correct." Zhang Xuan nodded. "The Talisman Arts I do not know are the Flame Emperor Talisman and Soul Fixing Talisman. But within the Dao Palace, there are the Palace Master's Direct Lineage Disciples. Perhaps some of them know these two. You may try."

He looked Zhang Rongfang over carefully, somewhat surprised.

"You were able to determine from the Yue Type Talisman and Vitality Talisman alone that the Talisman Arts within the Talisman Canon have mutually supportive connections. That is truly not bad."

"This disciple was merely fortunate." Zhang Rongfang lowered his head and smiled sheepishly.

"With your aptitude, it would not be impossible to teach you the other Talisman Arts early." Zhang Xuan was quite fond of this disciple.

To encounter a genius of such aptitude at this age gave him hope, at last, that someone would carry on his legacy.

Otherwise, relying only on that kid Zhang Xintai and his three-legged-cat skills, if something happened in the future... that would be dangerous.

Looking at Zhang Rongfang's sincere expression, Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment.

He had been secretly providing contacts and resources to the Righteous Army all this time. Should something happen one day, his disciples would inevitably be implicated. By then, he might not even have the chance to pass on his teachings.

Rather than that, he might as well teach him everything he could first, so that he would know how to continue down the road afterward.

That way, even if he left, Zhang Rongfang's aptitude would not be wasted.

Having thought it through, Zhang Xuan stroked his beard.

"Very well. You are already familiar with the Vitality Talisman, so I shall teach you the other Talisman Arts first."

"Thank you, Master!" Zhang Rongfang was overjoyed. What he lacked now was precisely high-grade martial arts that continued onward.

All he had obtained were low-grade goods found on every Great Road. Now that his master was willing to teach him, nothing could be better.

In the blink of an eye, time flew by.

Ever since the Rice Gang's influence had greatly diminished,

everything in Zhang Rongfang's life had settled down.

Every day, he traveled back and forth between Qinghe Temple and Huaxin County, constantly familiarizing himself with and practicing new Talisman Arts under Zhang Xuan's guidance.

Zhang Xuan did not require him to enter the beginner stage or master the new Talisman Arts. He only required him to forcefully memorize the practice methods and Mind Method mnemonics.

The movements of the practice methods, in particular, had to be memorized by rote. As for the Mind Method mnemonics, Zhang Xuan specifically wrote several pages for Zhang Rongfang to keep and recite repeatedly.

Another two months passed in the blink of an eye. Time entered May.

Zhang Rongfang had basically memorized all five Talisman Arts within the Talisman Canon.

The remaining Flame Emperor Talisman and Soul Fixing Talisman could only be learned by the Palace Master's lineage.

So for the time being, he had no way to obtain them.

Aside from martial arts, he had accumulated a full five Attribute Points.

After spending all the money on him on medicinal supplements, along with eating and drinking well every day and his body's natural accumulation, he had gained as many as five Attribute Points.

Unfortunately, aside from Eight Steps Catching Cicadas, none of his other martial arts had reached the beginner stage. He had only roughly memorized them.

Otherwise, five Attribute Points would have been enough to let another Talisman Art achieve Breaking Limits.

The second day of May. The weather was overcast.

Within Qinghe Temple.

Old Daoist Zhang Xuan stood leisurely on the second-floor terrace of the Small Building, gazing at the sea of clouds below the mountain as he breathed out the old and drew in the new.

His son, Zhang Xintai, stood behind him. With him was a fit woman whose arms were covered in scars.

The woman wore a face covering, her High Ponytail tied up. Dressed in tight black leather that exposed only her forearms, she carried a short-handled three-pronged spike weapon across her back.

"Xintai, the recent arrangements are basically in place. As for your junior brother, you can arrange for him to go to Tanyang."

Zhang Xuan's expression was calm, his eyes still fixed on the distance. His voice was faint, just loud enough for the two behind him to hear clearly.

"Alright. Our affairs truly should not drag Junior Brother Rongfang into them." He spoke seriously.

"Junior Brother Rongfang comes from Barbarian Confucian stock, and he too is someone persecuted by this world. Why not bring him in as well? One more person means one more measure of strength." the High Ponytail woman asked in confusion.

"At first, I had intended the same." Zhang Xuan turned around and looked at his true eldest disciple—Chen Lianqing.

Though Zhang Xintai was his son, few knew that he was not the eldest.

Zhang Xuan's true eldest disciple was the woman before him, Chen Lianqing, whose figure was as agile and voluptuous as a pantheress.

Seeing the confusion in his eldest disciple's eyes, Zhang Xuan smiled and continued, "But later, I witnessed his growth with my own eyes."

"Too fast. From when he began practicing martial arts to now, only a year and a half has passed, yet he is already close to stepping into Second Grade. Even his Vitality Talisman is nearing Breaking Limits."

"With such aptitude, at such an age... Rongfang should not be risking his life with us at a time like this.

"He should continue growing until he reaches his Limit. In the future, perhaps he will be able to exert an influence far beyond what he can now."