Tracing the Source

"Please show mercy, Elder Gu!"

Xu Yi clasped his fists and said, retreating ten paces on his own. He lowered his stance, bent his knees, and assumed a posture of extreme caution.

It was clear that with the Zhou Family's deterrence, Xu Yi had to constantly be mindful of concealing his tracks, hiding his true Martial Arts cultivation whenever possible.

The sable-clothed man nodded, let out a soft shout of "Watch this!", and formed a circle with one hand. With a relaxed push, the stone lock shot towards Xu Yi.

Xu Yi let out a roar, his hands moving as if to push and block. With a bang, the stone lock was in his grasp. He was forced back a dozen steps before he could barely stabilize himself and dissipate the force of the stone lock. When he looked up again, his face was flushed red.

As everyone stared in disbelief, the sable-clothed man lightly clapped his hands and said, "Not bad, not bad. You used skill to neutralize the weight, and you could withstand half my strength. For someone in the early Body Tempering stage, that's already not easy. Just for this, you deserve to enter the Martial Arts Hall."

He assumed Xu Yi was in the early Body Tempering stage. In his understanding, there had never been a martial artist in the middle Body Tempering stage who would then seek to enter the Martial Arts Hall.

After all, how could someone who had reached the middle Body Tempering stage possibly not know the most basic Martial Arts common sense!

Yet, Xu Yi was that one in ten thousand oddity!

Meanwhile, Xu Yi "strained" to catch the stone lock, then released it, his face flushed red as he said, "Thank you, Elder Gu, for showing mercy!"

The sable-clothed man waved his hand generously, "Hurry inside, the lecture is about to begin. Master Zhou is very knowledgeable but also has a temper. If you're late, be careful he doesn't let you in."

Xu Yi nodded and quickly walked into the Martial Arts Hall.

Upon entering, he saw that the martial artists who had entered before him were not seated in their places. They were all standing by the left and right walls of the Martial Arts Hall, staring blankly at the rows of portraits on the walls.

Xu Yi was also drawn in and looked over. They were individual biographies, about twenty in total. Looking closely, he understood the reason.

It turned out that the walls were engraved with the nearly twenty great figures who had reached the Qi Sea Realm in Martial Arts cultivation over the two hundred years since the Furong Town Martial Arts Hall was established. Their lives and glories were recorded above.

The purpose of engraving these figures was self-evident: to inspire those who came after.

Xu Yi was engrossed in his viewing when he heard a dull clang and the small door facing the main entrance slammed against the wall with a deafening roar.

A white-haired, disheveled old man, wearing cloth shoes and carrying a dented wine gourd, swaggered in. As his robes fluttered, the room filled with the scent of wine.

As soon as the old man entered, the room was filled with sighs of lament. Clearly, the old man's appearance had shattered everyone's expectations of their teacher.

Xu Yi, however, found a spot near the front and quietly sat down. He understood clearly that as the saying goes, only true gentlemen are truly elegant. Master Zhou's unrestrained demeanor likely stemmed from his profound knowledge.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

A thick, hard ruler, as wide as a palm, struck the stage forged from heavy iron, creating a deafening sound.

"Why the sighs? It's your fortune that I'm willing to come and enlighten you blind fools, yet you're still complaining! Damn it, you've ruined my mood for drinking. I won't lecture this year. I'll give you ten questions, and once they're answered, we're done!"

Master Zhou flew into a rage, sat down behind the lectern with a huff, unscrewed the lid of his gourd, and took a big swig of wine, completely disregarding that this was the prestigious Martial Arts Hall.

Martial artists were often passionate and bold individuals. Some, however, were provoked by Master Zhou's outburst instead of being intimidated. They slammed their hands on the table and said loudly, "From what I know, martial artists are all strong and robust. Seeing you so thin and frail, seemingly unable to withstand a breeze, you must not be a martial artist. If you're not a martial artist, how dare you speak so presumptuously about Martial Arts!"

As soon as this was said, the entire audience erupted in an uproar, with many voices echoing in agreement.

Indeed, Master Zhou's emaciated appearance did not look like a martial artist by any means. If he wasn't a martial artist, what right did he have to stand in the center of the Martial Arts Hall to impart knowledge?

Facing such a challenge, everyone expected the hot-tempered Master Zhou to fly into another rage. To their surprise, Master Zhou took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "When I was practicing martial arts, you were still meditating in your mother's womb. Nine questions left, who wants to ask next!"

Whoosh!

The entire hall was in chaos. No one had expected this, and they had lost one chance to ask a question.

Slap, slap, slap!

The ruler struck the lectern again. Master Zhou's smile vanished, and he said coldly, "If you have questions, ask them quickly. If there's any more commotion, this year's Martial Arts class will be over!"

Master Zhou's authority was immense, leaving everyone subdued.

Indeed, what use was it to doubt Master Zhou's abilities? He was sent by the officials, after all. These people were already outcasts, and if they were to offend the officials by being picky, the outcome would inevitably be unfavorable for them.

This point was clear, and with a little thought, everyone understood.

However, Xu Yi dared not gamble on the intelligence of these "pig teammates." Fearing that another reckless person would confront Master Zhou, he quickly stood up, bowed slightly to Master Zhou, and said loudly, "I have a question. Master Zhou, I'd like to ask, where does the source of power come from for us martial artists who train our bodies?"

As soon as this question was asked, the entire audience looked at him with disdain. If not for Master Zhou's intimidating presence, they would have scoffed.

Who among them who practiced Body Tempering didn't know that strength came from a strong body?

This was most evident in their own experiences. After their flesh and skin became solid, their strength increased. After their bones and sinews became robust, their strength increased further.

Such a simple principle, yet Xu Yi had wasted a question quota on it. It was truly infuriating!

Master Zhou stared at Xu Yi blankly, placing his wine gourd on the lectern for the first time.

In truth, in his twenty years of service at the Martial Arts Hall, this was the first time he had heard a martial artist ask such a question.

He tried to clear his mind but couldn't grasp the essence. He sighed and said, "I cannot answer this question." His voice was somewhat low.

The entire hall erupted in an uproar, a subconscious reaction. No one had expected that Master Zhou would be unable to answer such a seemingly simple question.

Although they looked down on Master Zhou, they trusted the Martial Arts Hall. The Martial Arts Hall would never send a complete idiot in Martial Arts to teach.

Now, with Master Zhou saying he couldn't answer, there could only be one explanation: Xu Yi's question was not simple at all!

Xu Yi sighed inwardly and was about to sit down when he heard Master Zhou say, "You asking this question clearly shows you have your own thoughts. Although I cannot answer it completely, it doesn't prevent me from sharing my views based on my life experiences. You should speak your thoughts first."

To know what you know, and to know what you don't know, that is true knowledge!

Hearing Master Zhou say this, Xu Yi had already mentally bestowed upon him the title of a wise man. He said gravely, "I do have some thoughts. As we all know, we martial artists gain greater strength through Body Tempering. But if Body Tempering reaches its limit, that is, when one reaches the peak of Body Tempering, what then do we rely on to gain strength?"