Stone Lock

Xu Yi's interest was piqued. He stepped closer and saw everyone gathered before a white, tower-shaped building. From afar, he could see an ancient golden plaque hanging in the middle of the white tower, bearing three gilded characters: Martial Arts Hall! Could this be a place for explaining the essential principles of martial arts?

As he wondered, his eyes suddenly caught an inscription carved into the tower wall. After only a few glances, he had read the entire piece at a glance.

It was a piece of descriptive prose, much like Ouyang Gong's account of the Drunken Old Man Pavilion, recording the year the Martial Arts Hall had been built, its purpose, and so on.

Though the writing was dull, Xu Yi found within it exactly what he had sought.

It turned out that the Martial Arts Hall had been built by the government, established by the Great Yue Royal Court to win the hearts of the people.

The world revered martial arts. Sects stood in great numbers, and noble families passed down their legacies. The Scions of Noble Families and disciples of great sects received inheritances and teachers' instruction from childhood. Their climb along the path of Martial Arts was naturally far smoother than that of ordinary people.

Yet children from poor families could only toil bitterly to build their strength. Even if they achieved something, they would find no path forward.

Thus, the Great Yue Royal Court had built Martial Arts Halls far and wide, laying open the fundamental principles for poor martial artists and thereby gathering the hearts of martial artists throughout the land.

Having finished the article, Xu Yi was overjoyed, nearly crying out in delight.

His own experiences could be called legendary. His martial cultivation had reached the Body Tempering Peak, enough to count him among the strong, yet his knowledge of martial arts was pitifully lacking. He had relied entirely on unimaginable hardship, along with the exquisite profundity of the Demonic Ox Great Strength Fist, to attain his present achievements.

Though Liao Chen had come from a distinguished family, he had taught Xu Yi the Demonic Ox Great Strength Fist only to repay a debt. Beyond that, he had offered Xu Yi no guidance in martial cultivation, nor had he ever explained any martial arts lore or basic knowledge.

Over these past three days, apart from recuperating in the Mu Family residence, Xu Yi had spent most of his time considering the road ahead.

After turning it over and over in his mind, there were only two great tasks: first, to slaughter Zhou Daogan completely; second, to find the Precious Scripture entrusted to him by Liao Chen, fulfill Liao Chen's final wish, and return it to Tianchan Temple.

To accomplish these two tasks, the only thing he could rely upon was his own martial cultivation.

Break through the Body Tempering Stage and step into the Qi Sea Realm! That was Xu Yi's foremost goal at present!

Otherwise, even Zhou Shirong, the mere son of a household servant, could chase him to the ends of heaven and earth. How could he speak of dealing with Zhou Daogan in the future?

Thus, what Xu Yi had constantly kept in mind was finding a "teacher" to impart the Way and resolve his doubts. Now that he had stumbled upon the opening of this Martial Arts Hall, his joy was beyond measure.

Xu Yi immediately strode forward, only to see a dark, heavy stone lock standing amid the crowd. Looking closely, he saw that it had been forged from Heavy Iron.

A Sable-clothed man pointed at the stone lock and declared, "By the grace of the Royal Court, the annual Classics Examination has come once again. You are all outstanding talents of our town. If you gain understanding from this class, you must remember the Royal Court's benevolence, cultivate Martial Arts diligently, and repay heaven's grace..."

After a lengthy stretch of official platitudes, the Sable-clothed man stepped back and pointed at the stone lock. "Follow the rules!"

The moment he withdrew, the Green-robed Man nearest the stone lock rushed forward. He limbered up before it for quite a while, then suddenly roared. Lowering himself into a horse stance, he seized the stone lock fiercely and let out another shout. The muscles in his arms rose like burial mounds as he lifted the stone lock over his head in one go.

At once, the entire crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

With a bang, he dropped the stone lock. The Green-robed Man clasped his fists smugly, then strode toward the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall.

With the Green-robed Man's successful opening act, the crowd's enthusiasm was stirred. Within the time it took to burn half an incense stick, more than fifty people took turns trying the stone lock, yet fewer than half passed.

After watching for a while, Xu Yi had grasped the trick of it. This Heavy Iron stone lock weighed a full five hundred jin, and five hundred jin was the threshold of the Body Tempering Stage. Only by crossing that line could one truly enter the Body Tempering Stage.

With a slight turn of thought, Xu Yi understood. Only those who had entered the Body Tempering Stage probably qualified to need a guide.

Another half-incense stick later, more than a dozen people tried lifting it. This time, even fewer passed—only three.

Seeing that the time was about right, the Sable-clothed man said, "Does anyone else wish to try? If not, disperse early. If you cannot manage it this year, come again next year. So long as you persevere, I believe that sooner or later, all of you will step into this Martial Arts Hall!"

As he spoke, he lifted the stone lock one-handed with effortless ease, drawing a wave of astonished cries from those around him.

"I'll give it a try!"

Xu Yi called out loudly and strode forward.

The instant he appeared, the whole crowd broke into murmurs of doubt. All the martial artists here came from Furong Town. Furong Town was not large, and everyone knew one another.

When Xu Yi, a complete stranger, suddenly spoke up, he naturally drew every eye.

"Who is this man? How did he come to our Furong Town Martial Arts Hall?"

"This outsider is too arrogant. With that scrawny frame of yours, you dare try the Heavy Iron? Save it!"

"Gu Mou, this man is not from Furong Town. How can he enter our Furong Town Martial Arts Hall? Please drive him away. We would be ashamed to keep company with an outsider."

One person stirred things up, and the others followed. These failures might have lacked martial cultivation, but when it came to bullying strangers, every one of them was a master.

Xu Yi clasped his fists. "Though I am a latecomer of shallow learning, my heart too is set upon Martial Arts. Yet I was born dull-witted and have many things I do not understand. Having just arrived in this esteemed place and chanced upon the opening of the Martial Arts Hall, I was greatly delighted, believing my doubts would now be cleared away. We are all people of Martial Arts, so why should you gentlemen begrudge the making of a good thing? Besides, when His Majesty the Martial Ancestor founded the Martial Arts Hall in years past, it was in the hope of aiding poor martial artists throughout the world. What distinction was there between locals and outsiders? By obstructing me, I fear you hinder the Royal Court's virtue of extending aid to all."

Though Xu Yi's learning in his previous life had not been exceptional, his grasp of the larger picture was sound. Otherwise, he could never have risen from among millions of players in a large-scale game to become one of the five great commanders.

The young scholar of this life had studied the classics and histories from childhood. He possessed outstanding talent, understood the Six Classics, was well versed in the various histories, and had excellent learning.

The two had fused into one, creating the Xu Yi of today.

At this moment, his words were logical and well-founded. Especially when he invoked His Majesty the Martial Ancestor of the Great Yue Dynasty at the end, even the Sable-clothed man was moved.

After pondering for a moment, the Sable-clothed man said coldly, "What a sharp tongue you have. Fine, your words make sense. But since you dare step forward, you must have some ability. How about this? Stand ten paces away. I will throw this stone lock, and if you can catch it, I will permit you to enter this Martial Arts Hall. What do you all say?"

The Sable-clothed man had thought it through clearly. Xu Yi had invoked Martial Ancestor, wielding the laws of the Royal Court against him. If Gu Mou still refused him harshly, word spreading out would reflect poorly upon him.

Yet Gu Mou was also unwilling to offend all his fellow townsmen.

Thus, testing Xu Yi with a move was a solution that served both sides.

Everyone in Furong Town knew the Sable-clothed man's cultivation well. He was one of the few Body Tempering Mid-Stage martial artists in Furong Town, and his martial strength was formidable.

The stone lock was already incomparably heavy. With the Sable-clothed man throwing it as well, if Xu Yi wished to catch it, he would need far more than the strength to lift five hundred jin.

Seeing the outsider being put in a difficult position, the crowd burst into cheers. All of them eagerly awaited the Sable-clothed man teaching Xu Yi a lesson.