Apprenticeship

"Uncle Shang, tea."

Tie Dalong's broad, powerful hand held a small teacup as he respectfully set it before Shang Hongyi.

He was not afraid of Shang Hongyi. It was respect for his father's comrade-in-arms, respect for a senior in martial arts, respect for a valiant warrior.

"Thank you." Shang Hongyi accepted the cup and expressed his thanks. Though he had served alongside Tie Dalong's father, he had little contact with Tie Dalong himself, so he needed to be polite to him as well.

"Uncle Shang, given our relationship, I'll be direct. Gao Wu has exceptional talent, and I'm willing to take him as my personal disciple."

Tie Dalong came straight to the point. "I'll spare no effort in providing all the cultivation resources Gao Wu needs. In my view, helping him advance to Warrior should not be a problem.

"My younger generation is all disappointing. Perhaps Tielong Martial Arts Hall will have to be handed over to him in the future..."

Shang Hongyi smiled. Passing the martial arts hall to Gao Wu was quite a pie in the sky.

He lightly waved a hand. "I'll be frank as well. Gao Wu's goal is to enter Anjing University Martial Arts Academy."

Tie Dalong fell silent. Naturally, he understood what Shang Hongyi meant.

Anjing University Martial Arts Academy was the holy land of martial arts in Beizhou. Its instructors were at least Martial Masters, Martial Dao Masters, and there were even Martial Dao Grandmasters. If Gao Wu was lucky, it would not be impossible for him to enter under a Martial Dao Grandmaster.

Entering the Martial Arts Academy to study under powerful experts was one thing. Taking a powerful expert as one's master was another matter entirely.

A martial arts powerhouse represented a vast faction and all kinds of resources. Taking one as master was equivalent to joining that faction and becoming part of its inner circle.

As a mere Warrior, he was not qualified to compare himself with Anjing University's martial arts powerhouses.

With such lofty ambitions, Gao Wu naturally could not become his disciple.

Tie Dalong did not hide his disappointment. "That's truly regrettable."

Shang Hongyi smiled. "Gao Wu can join Tielong Martial Arts Hall and represent the hall in competitions as well."

The old man said, "Gao Wu plans to participate in next year's Xuetao Cup. That's a good opportunity for publicity."

"Oh?" Tie Dalong looked at Gao Wu, his gaze filled with scrutiny.

He wanted to take Gao Wu as a disciple because he valued the boy's potential.

Whether Gao Wu had injected any agents or not, the source power perception of him showed a life magnetic field brimming with vitality. That proved his physical condition was excellent.

However, Gao Wu was too young. There was still quite a gap between him and seasoned Advanced Martial Artists.

The Xuetao Cup was a martial arts tournament established by Martial King Song Xuetao, with a prize of two million.

Song Xuetao came from Dongjiang, and the Xuetao Cup had likewise been created to encourage Dongjiang Martial Artists. Any Martial Artist registered in Dongjiang could participate, with no age restrictions.

As a result, Advanced Martial Artists in their thirties and forties held an enormous advantage.

The annual Xuetao Cup had usually been won by top-tier Martial Artists in their thirties. This year marked the fiftieth Xuetao Cup, and there had never been a champion under twenty-five.

Shang Hongyi understood Tie Dalong's doubts. "He doesn't necessarily have to win the championship. A top-ten finish would also be a fine result."

He knew Gao Wu's physique was unusual, but he did not think Gao Wu could take the championship.

The Xuetao Cup gathered all of Dongjiang's formidable Martial Artists and was broadcast live. It was a grand martial arts event in Dongjiang, watched closely from top to bottom. A top-ten finish would be enough to make Gao Wu famous.

Tie Dalong smiled as well. "Good. If Gao Wu can reach the top ten in the Xuetao Cup, I'll give him a hundred thousand as a bonus. Top three, two hundred thousand. If he wins the championship, five hundred thousand!"

Gao Wu was very satisfied with those terms. He stood to benefit unilaterally; there was no penalty if he failed to meet the conditions. The old man's reputation was what made Tie Dalong offer such generous terms.

The old man nodded. "Magnificent! Old Tie has someone to carry on his legacy!"

He then turned to Gao Wu. "The Tie Family's Dragon-Roaming Sword and palm arts are exquisite, unrivaled in Dongjiang. You should study diligently under Hall Master Tie..."

Since the other party had shown such consideration, old man Shang Hongyi naturally had to praise Tie Dalong a little.

"Uncle Shang, you flatter me. I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it." Though he said that, Tie Dalong's broad pancake-like face was beaming with delight.

The siblings' facial features and face shapes were nearly identical. The difference was that Tie Dalong's face was larger, his eyes narrower and longer, and he had a thick, luxuriant beard.

That appearance was a little ugly to women, but on a man—paired with Tie Dalong's tall, burly build—it made him look exceedingly imposing and manly.

Though Gao Wu would not formally take him as master, he still personally poured Tie Dalong a cup of tea and addressed him as Teacher.

Teacher naturally could not be mentioned in the same breath as master. Yet it was different from an ordinary schoolteacher as well; it counted as a relatively close relationship.

"From now on, come here every evening to learn the Dragon-Roaming Palm. With two months, you should be able to learn at least a few things..." Tie Dalong said.

"Teacher, the coach requires special training at night. I'll come in the mornings instead."

Gao Wu needed to cultivate together with Song Mingyue at night. That took far higher priority than learning the Dragon-Roaming Palm; it was practically the most important matter before him right now.

Fortunately, the senior-year academic curriculum had already been completed. As a martial arts student, he only needed to ask his homeroom teacher for a long leave.

Tie Dalong naturally had no objection. Gao Wu coming in the morning would save his evenings, so he would not need to deliberately set aside time to give Gao Wu special instruction.

After sitting for a while longer, Gao Wu saw that it was nearly time and took his leave first. Tie Ying politely saw him out in person and gave him an access card, making it convenient for him to enter and leave the martial arts hall.

Gao Wu hurried back to the school Martial Arts Arena on his bicycle. Fortunately, he was not late.

Huang Hai rarely cursed people, but the cold, grim glance he cast at someone was even more hair-raising. It would have felt better to simply be cursed at.

On the other hand, Huang Hai seldom gave instruction on specific techniques, which made Gao Wu look down on this coach somewhat.

These days, he had been injecting Blood Dragon Agent and was in a period of rapid strength growth. Most of his time in the Martial Arts Arena was spent doing anaerobic weight training, stimulating physical development through intense muscle contractions.

Seeing Gao Wu doing sets of deadlifts with a thousand-kilogram barbell, the Martial Arts Team members' eyes all burned with envy. Such tremendous strength had clearly surpassed everyone else by an entire level.

Huang Long had once possessed the greatest strength, but now Gao Wu had left him far behind. That made Huang Long feel even worse; no matter how he looked at Gao Wu, he found him displeasing.

Fortunately, he knew Gao Wu's strength and did not dare play any tricks on him.

While everyone was resting, Gao Wu deliberately went to speak with Coach Huang Hai and told him that he had passed the Advanced Martial Artist assessment.

Huang Hai was not surprised. He praised Gao Wu a few times, then publicly announced the news to the Martial Arts Team members and encouraged everyone to learn from Gao Wu.

The Martial Arts Team members heard it loud and clear. They were shocked, envious, and jealous all at once.

Every gaze directed at Gao Wu was particularly blazing. As Martial Arts Team members, they understood very well the weight carried by being an Advanced Martial Artist at eighteen!

With that status alone, Gao Wu could take his pick of Beizhou's first-rate martial arts universities!

Even Huang Long, who had always refused to accept it, lost his fighting spirit. He could not compare to an Advanced Martial Artist; the gap was simply too great...

That evening, Gao Wu told Song Mingyue that he had joined Tielong Martial Arts Hall.

"Tielong Martial Arts Hall—I know of it. The Tie Family's Dragon-Roaming Sword has its own unique strengths and is considered formidable in Dongjiang."

Song Mingyue said, "The Dragon-Roaming Sword originated from Dragon Soaring into the Abyss of the Nine Dragon Forms. Its sword moves like a roaming dragon, agile and ever-changing, yet fierce and swift. The essence of this sword art actually came from the military. After it was passed down to the Tie Family, they made some adjustments, giving its techniques several more layers of intricate variation. It should suit you well.

"You should also learn a weapon art. A Martial Artist with a weapon can increase his combat power tenfold."

She stressed with great seriousness, "This world is not safe. We must be prepared to fight at all times..."

Gao Wu nodded firmly. The painful experience he had suffered at fourteen had made him deeply understand Song Mingyue's caution.

Ordinary people who had never encountered danger would, after living too long in peaceful surroundings, forget the dangers of the Otherworld.

Yet to Gao Wu, the Otherworld was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, filling him with a sense of crisis. His determination to become the strongest under heaven was precisely so he could seize control of his own fate!