Lu Yan Gifts the Martial Arts Compendium!

Lu Feng finished speaking and walked directly to the opposite side of the County Magistrate, then shot forward in a single stride. As he closed in, he raised his hand and blasted out a palm strike.

County Magistrate Wang Lichuan faced Lu Feng's sudden attack with only a faint smile on his face, then sidestepped and dodged it with ease.

Immediately after, Lu Feng pressed forward again, unleashing a series of linked palm strikes in rapid succession.

His dual palms fell like a continuous drizzle, striking with fierce, gusty force.

County Magistrate Wang Lichuan raised an eyebrow at this—this chain of palm strikes clearly couldn't be evaded by dodging alone.

So Wang Lichuan turned his right hand into a fist and met it head-on.

"Bang bang bang!~"

Fist and palm clashed a dozen times in an instant. The County Magistrate, who had been calm and composed moments before, now wore a serious expression.

From the collision just now, Lu Feng's palm force had clearly reached the limit of a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist.

It was even a bit stronger than an ordinary Ninth-Rank Martial Artist, which both surprised and delighted Wang Lichuan.

Still, to test Lu Feng's full strength, Wang Lichuan had to continue the assessment.

So Wang Lichuan stopped defending and took the initiative to attack instead.

At that moment, Lu Yan, standing outside the Martial Arts Arena, stroked his beard and revealed a meaningful smile.

As the County Magistrate launched his assault, Lu Feng didn't retreat but chose to stand his ground and fight head-on.

His palms flowed like a great river, ceaseless and torrential, completely dismantling Wang Lichuan's offensive.

Seeing such exquisite palm techniques, Wang Lichuan's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Excellent palmwork! But this set of palms alone won't stop this official."

With that, Wang Lichuan used both fists and feet, sending a dozen fist and leg shadows hurtling toward Lu Feng in an instant.

Lu Feng's face remained calm as he slowly moved his arms, his palm momentum deep as an abyss. His palms churned like a heavenly net, impenetrable and airtight.

The next moment, they clashed again, and a series of explosive sounds rang out from the Martial Arts Arena.

But as Wang Lichuan's attacks increased, he found his fists and feet seemed locked by an invisible net of shackles, and those shackles were tightening more and more.

At this point, Lu Feng was clearly not using any Martial Skill, yet Wang Lichuan felt the pressure mounting.

The reason for this was that Lu Feng had cultivated the Cloud-Dispelling Palm to the Mastery Realm.

This invisible shackling force came from the sixth form of the Cloud-Dispelling Palm: Heavy Clouds Deeply Locked.

This palm form focused on defense—like clouds sealing the heavenly pass, layer upon layer of cloud force binding like chains, hindering every move and technique of the enemy.

Under such a formidable defensive palm technique, Wang Lichuan gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Seeing that continuing like this might cost him face, Wang Lichuan let out a loud shout and directly unleashed the strength of a Martial Master Realm expert, sending Lu Feng stumbling back repeatedly.

But after steadying himself, Lu Feng showed no fear and instead launched another attack.

At that moment, Wang Lichuan, standing opposite, suddenly spoke, "Alright, Captain Lu! Your assessment is passed!"

At these words, Lu Feng's figure abruptly halted, then he smiled and cupped his hands.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, County Magistrate!"

Wang Lichuan waved his hand casually and said, "This is all earned by your own efforts. This official merely went along with the flow."

After speaking, Wang Lichuan's gaze toward him held not only appreciation but also a glimmer of expectation.

Based on the strength Lu Feng had just displayed, even if he couldn't defeat a Martial Master Realm expert, he was undoubtedly one of the best among Ninth-Rank Martial Artists.

In the upcoming prefectural Martial Examination, he still had a chance to contend for a spot in the top ten.

Just as Wang Lichuan was thinking about this good prospect, Lu Yan, who was offstage, suddenly spoke, "County Magistrate, since Captain Lu has such martial talent, this official believes he deserves proper nurturing. So his treatment should be raised a bit."

Hearing this, Wang Lichuan immediately understood. "Mm, Lord Lu speaks well! Captain Lu, once this prefectural Martial Examination is over, regardless of your results, this official will give you a gift."

Lu Feng was puzzled by this, but since the County Magistrate was offering a gift, it certainly wouldn't be anything poor.

"Yes, then this subordinate thanks the County Magistrate in advance, and also thanks Lord Lu for his kind words."

The two men laughed heartily at that, then everyone left the Martial Arts Arena and returned to the County Magistrate's study. The two officials carefully went over the procedures and precautions for the prefectural Martial Examination with him once more.

After the briefing, Lu Feng and Lu Yan left the County Magistrate's study together.

Taking this opportunity, Lu Feng decided to ask Lu Yan about the Grandmaster Realm.

So he cupped his hands to Lu Yan and said, "Lord Lu, you mentioned earlier that above the Martial Master Realm are Grandmaster Realm experts. I wonder what makes these Grandmaster Realm experts different?"

Lu Yan turned to look at him and said with a smile, "Heh heh, Captain Lu, why the sudden interest in Grandmaster Realm experts?"

Lu Feng scratched his head and replied, "It's just that I'm heading to the prefectural city for the Martial Examination. If I happen to run into a Grandmaster Realm expert without realizing it, that could be trouble."

Lu Yan nodded slightly at this. "Mm, that's a fair point. There are indeed Grandmaster Realm experts in the prefectural city. If you inadvertently offend such a powerhouse, it would be hard to smooth things over!"

After saying this, Lu Yan didn't directly answer his question but instead said, "Tell you what, I have a book on the essentials of martial arts in my possession. Take it and read it first, then return it to me when you're done."

"Yes, thank you for your kindness, Lord Lu."

Afterward, the two went to Lu Yan's study, where he took a book titled Martial Arts Compendium from a cabinet and handed it over.

"Lu Feng, this book is a family heirloom of mine. Remember the contents for yourself, but do not pass it on to others," Lu Yan said seriously.

Lu Feng took the book and nodded. "Yes, this subordinate understands."

From Lu Yan's attitude, it was clear that the contents recorded in this book were anything but ordinary.

At the very least, ordinary martial artists would never get to see such a book; perhaps only those Noble Families possessed such things.

Accepting the book, Lu Feng returned to his room.

Over the next two days, he did not continue training in martial arts but instead devoted himself to studying this Martial Arts Compendium.

This book not only recorded the state of martial arts in this world but also contained knowledge about some exotic beasts.

First, the book described a total of five Martial Realms: Martial Artist, Martial Master, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, and Transcendent.

To begin with, the Martial Artist Realm was the gateway to the path of martial arts, a stage of laying foundations. When cultivated to its peak, Internal Force could reach two thousand jin, though geniuses were an exception.

As for the Martial Master Realm, it was the initial glimpse into the doorway of martial arts. When cultivated to its peak at this realm, Internal Force could reach six thousand jin.

Such force had already far surpassed the scope of ordinary mortals, yet this was only the second realm on the martial path.

Once all the tendons and meridians in the body were fully tempered, one could break through to the Grandmaster Realm.

The greatest difference between the Grandmaster Realm and the Martial Master Realm was not the magnitude of Internal Force, but that Grandmaster Realm experts could achieve Internal Energy Projection, integrating offense and defense!