Recruiting

Boom!

Xu Yi's mind suddenly exploded, as if he had received a divine revelation.

Seeing the expression on his face, Master Zhou thought, "This child is truly teachable." He continued, "One could even say that martial arts are not just a perfect combination of strength and speed. For thousands of years, through the brilliant wisdom of countless martial arts geniuses and peerless powerhouses, exquisite martial arts can completely enhance and surpass strength and speed."

"Just as this classmate said earlier, a Body Tempering Peak martial artist can only exert the strength of one bull, yet how can they unleash an attack with the power of three bulls? This is precisely the marvelous use of martial arts. Perhaps this explanation isn't direct enough. Let me give you an example. Furong Town is by the water, with countless cargo ships passing through. I'm sure you've all seen the pulleys on the masts of cargo ships used to load and unload goods. An ordinary person can use these pulleys to lift objects several times their own weight. It can be said that exquisite martial arts are to strength what these pulleys are. With the 'pulley' enhancement, unleashing the power of three bulls, is it really that difficult to understand? In short, strength is the foundation, martial arts are the means. A strong foundation combined with exquisite means is an invincible treasure!"

Clap, clap, clap...

The entire hall erupted in deafening applause that lasted for a long time.

Xu Yi could only sigh in admiration. Only someone who had experienced the vastness of the world could explain the subtleties of water so profoundly.

After Xu Yi finished his admiration and was about to stand up to ask another question, someone beat him to it.

With Master Zhou's performance just now, everyone knew that they were facing a true divine being. If they missed such a valuable opportunity to ask questions, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

As a result, Xu Yi had no chance. Half an hour later, the remaining seven questions were all asked.

Master Zhou answered them all with ease. After answering the last question, he grabbed his gourd and stood up to leave, without any hesitation, fully displaying the demeanor of an expert.

Xu Yi watched Master Zhou's receding figure, feeling a sense of loss.

The questions raised by his classmates were not without benefit to him, but he still had a crucial question that urgently needed an answer, and he had missed the opportunity.

The sun climbed higher, a gentle breeze stirred, and the rustling of bamboo leaves brought a fragrant scent into the room through the window. It took a while for Xu Yi to emerge from his melancholy. He looked around and saw that everyone in the room had already dispersed.

Just as Xu Yi was about to get up and leave, there were two knocks on the door. The sable-clothed man who had tested everyone's aptitude in front of the Martial Arts Hall walked in, smiling. "Brother, you were hard to find. I searched all over outside but couldn't find you. If I hadn't asked the right person, I might have truly missed you."

"May I ask why Class Leader Gu is looking for me?" Xu Yi asked, a little curious.

"Don't rush, brother. It's good news, good news. By the way, I still don't know your name, brother, or where you're from?" the sable-clothed man continued to smile.

Xu Yi's heart tightened, but he kept a calm expression. "What good news is it? Class Leader Gu, why don't you tell me first?"

He dared not reveal his name or origin to outsiders casually. Guang'an Prefecture was vast, but to important figures like Zhou Daogan, it was just a small area. If he showed any clue, a tragic pursuit might follow.

Therefore, the sable-clothed man's inexplicable question about his name and hometown made Xu Yi suspicious.

The sable-clothed man said, "Brother, you don't need to worry. I know some things about your situation. You were pulled out of Longxu River by Old Man Mu three days ago and are currently staying at the Mu family's residence, is that correct?"

"Class Leader Gu has great capabilities."

Xu Yi said with a smile, his heart turning cold as he prepared for the worst.

The sable-clothed man waved his hand. "Brother, please don't misunderstand. I'm here to invite you to join the Sable-Clothed Class of Furong Town. I'm not interested in your true identity or any enemies you've made, nor do I want you to develop any hostility towards me because of this."

"Sable-Clothed Class? I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."

Xu Yi became increasingly confused.

The sable-clothed man stared blankly at Xu Yi. Suddenly, he remembered that this person was not from the local area and might not have even been to a big city. He then explained, "The Sable-Clothed Class is the security force of Furong Town. To put it this way, besides the army that maintains the nation's foundation, the Great Yue Royal Court also has local security forces, divided into five colors: gold, purple, black, white, and blue. The Gold-Clothed Class guards the imperial capital, the Purple-Clothed Class protects the feudal states, the Black-Clothed Class oversees the prefectures and counties, and the White-Clothed Class and below are assigned to various prefectures."

"Furong Town belongs to Baima County in Guang'an Prefecture. The security forces in the town are not of high rank, hence they wear sable clothes. I am the Class Leader of the Furong Town Sable-Clothed Class. I happened to see you testing your strength at the Martial Arts Hall today and felt that your skills were extraordinary. You are truly a talent worth cultivating, so I shamelessly invite you. What do you think, brother?"

This time, Xu Yi understood. The "police chief" of Furong Town had taken a liking to him and wanted to recruit him.

From his words, it seemed that as long as he agreed to join, his identity and origin would no longer be a concern.

This was exactly what Xu Yi valued most. No matter how low-ranking the Sable-Clothed Class was, as long as it could solve his undocumented status, what was wrong with joining?

If he didn't like it, he could leave. He didn't believe anyone could tie his hands and feet.

With his mind made up, Xu Yi clasped his hands and said, "I respectfully accept your offer!"

The sable-clothed man laughed heartily and patted Xu Yi's shoulder forcefully. "Brother, I guarantee you won't regret this decision! Let me reintroduce myself, I am Gu Jianming!"

Gu Jianming was genuinely delighted. The Furong Town Sable-Clothed Class was short of manpower and desperately needed strong fighters.

Originally, he hadn't paid much attention to Xu Yi, an outsider. Unexpectedly, shortly after the martial arts lecture ended, he heard someone praising how remarkable the "outsider" was. After a little inquiry, he found out what questions the outsider had asked in class.

Upon careful consideration, Gu Jianming realized that someone who could ask such questions could not be ordinary.

Even if this person's current martial arts realm was low, it showed that he was a person of great talent with great potential for development.

Why not recruit such a talented individual when he was still in a humble position?

With the intention to recruit him, Gu Jianming began to inquire about Xu Yi's background. Furong Town was not large, and as a local figure, it was naturally easy to inquire about an outsider's background.

After figuring out how Xu Yi had joined the Mu family, Gu Jianming had already made his own judgment about Xu Yi's identity.

But he didn't want to delve deeper. In this era, the martial world was rife with vendettas, as common as eating and drinking. Those who concealed their identities were even more numerous. Unless he, Gu Mou, had nothing better to do, he wouldn't bother investigating them one by one.

On the other hand, although Gu Jianming had no intention of exposing Xu Yi, he had accurately predicted Xu Yi's desire to conceal his identity. Therefore, when he extended the invitation, he offered the condition that identity and origin need not be worried about.

As expected, this immediately struck a chord with Xu Yi, drawing him into his trap.