Genius?

Who cared...

Chu Fan rolled his eyes and said nothing.

But Zhao Tianxing was a born chatterbox. Looking utterly carefree, he did not mind Chu Fan's coldness in the slightest.

He went on by himself, "I grew up mingling with wild beasts in the mountains and forests. Though I could trade a few rounds with a blind bear, I'd never come into contact with real martial arts..."

"Later, I heard that the Seven Star Gang's Twelve Forms Boxing was modeled after beasts, so I came here specifically for this boxing art!"

"With my understanding of those beasts, I'll definitely cultivate this boxing art ten times faster than you lot!"

"This guy could trade a few rounds with a blind bear?" Chu Fan glanced at the dark-skinned Zhao Tianxing, his face full of disbelief.

Zhao Tianxing was looking at him smugly, fully expecting a few envious remarks.

Who would have thought that Chu Fan would raise an eyebrow and ask blandly, "Then have you ever seen a dragon?"

"..." Zhao Tianxing was instantly speechless. The corner of his mouth twitched as he rolled his eyes. "You really are good at arguing for argument's sake. One sentence from you is enough to choke a person breathless."

The two quickened their pace and arrived at the dining hall, where several long lines had already formed. There were hundreds of people packed together in a dark mass.

"Judging by their ages, they're all between twelve and eighteen... There are actually so many newcomers in the Seven Star Gang?"

Chu Fan looked at the scene before him, unable to hide his surprise.

Eight Hundred Li Qingyang County and the Three Thousand Li Blackwater River supported who knew how many people.

Yet the Seven Star Gang, one of the three major gangs, had hundreds of new miscellaneous workers alone. It was truly beyond his expectations.

He had heard that the Seven Star Gang had once been a Caravan Gang, but how could a Caravan Gang afford to feed so many people?

Besides, how could the authorities tolerate a gang of such scale?

Chu Fan only felt as though thick mist lay before his eyes.

His understanding of this world was truly like that of a child gazing up at the starry sky. He recognized only a few bright stars, yet could not even understand why the stars shone, much less explore the mysteries hidden in the depths of that sky.

Weishi.

On the Training Ground, the crowd surged in like a tide, filling the central area to the brim.

Some were New Recruits who had joined the gang only days ago, their faces still carrying the restraint of those newly entering the mountain gate;

Others were veterans who had lingered in the gang for several months, with a trace of the competence of gang members already between their brows.

By the Seven Star Gang's rules, Weishi every day was when Chief Instructor Cao Feng imparted his arts, teaching that renowned set of Twelve Forms Boxing.

This Twelve Forms Boxing was one of the Seven Star Gang's Guardian Martial Skills. Thus, whenever Instructor Cao demonstrated martial arts and taught, few were willing to miss it even if knives rained from the sky.

But today was somewhat different...

In the blue-stone pavilion beside the Training Ground, Cao Feng lay slanted in a bamboo rocking chair, his eyes half-closed. He let the shadows cast by several Old Locust Trees overhead drift slowly across his body, showing no intention whatsoever of getting up.

Chu Fan and Zhao Tianxing were squeezed amid the crowd, their gazes seemingly drawn by magnets, firmly fixed upon the figure in the pavilion. They could not wait to hear him explain the Boxing Principles and demonstrate the Moves.

Yet Instructor Cao was usually exceedingly imposing. Though everyone was anxious beyond measure, not a single person dared urge him aloud.

Across the vast Training Ground, only the rustling of wind through leaves could be heard.

After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, a Beautiful Silhouette approached from outside the pavilion. It was Li Qingxue.

Her steps were light, and her Plain-colored Dress shimmered faintly beneath the afternoon sunlight, like an immortal maiden walking upon rippling waves.

The originally tranquil atmosphere in the pavilion seemed to gain a touch more gentleness with her arrival.

"Second Uncle, the Deputy Gang Leader and the Punishment Hall Master just summoned me for a talk."

Li Qingxue swept the distant sea of shifting heads with the corner of her eye and lowered her voice. "They are already extremely dissatisfied with how strictly you have been controlling the number of people joining the gang."

"In their view, there are many Vagrants at present. This is the perfect chance to recruit talented people far and wide and strengthen the Seven Star Gang."

"But every day, you only allow a mere handful through. Even today, when you accepted the most, you only took in eight..."

"Recruit talented people far and wide?" Cao Feng abruptly opened his eyes, Bright Light flashing through them before vanishing.

He snorted coldly. "Hmph. Where are there so many talented people?"

"These people only know how to expand blindly, yet they never stop to consider how much grain, Provisions, and supplies the Seven Star Gang has in reserve... Can the Seven Star Gang afford to feed so many mouths? Could they truly not know that in their hearts?"

Li Qingxue's Eyebrows furrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "Second Uncle, you and the Li Family have gradually been weakening within the gang. You were pushed outside the core of power long ago..."

"Why insist on confronting them needle for needle, point for point, and make enemies for nothing?"

"If this place will not keep us, there will naturally be another place that will."

"Back when the Seven Star Gang was first founded, if not for the Li Family's wholehearted support, how could it have become what it is today?"

"Without the Seven Star Gang, the Li Family could still thrive in Qingyang City. It is not as though we must cling to them!"

"It is only that I am unwilling to accept it." Cao Feng let out a long sigh, his voice carrying a trace of bleakness. "This Seven Star Gang was a foundation built by the Old Gang Leader, myself, and the others through blade and spear."

"How could I be willing to watch it be ruined like this in the hands of a pack of short-sighted rats?"

As his words fell, he slowly rose to his feet.

Li Qingxue looked at his back and found that it carried a touch of aged frailty, none of its former vigor remaining.

He walked toward the Training Ground step by step, each step seeming to weigh a thousand jun.

When the people on the Training Ground saw him approach, the faint murmurs from moments earlier vanished without a trace.

Hundreds of gazes turned toward him in unison. There was reverence, there was anticipation; every one of them held their breath and craned their necks in expectation.

Just as all sounds fell silent...

A group of people appeared, surrounding a Brocade-Clad Youth as they sauntered over. Judging by their manner, they had actually arrived late.

"Eh, isn't that Ling Feng?"

Someone in the crowd suddenly cried out softly, surprise in his voice.

"Could that be Ling Feng, the one who broke through the first threshold of Martial Dao Foundation Establishment, the Nourishing Blood Realm, less than a month and a half after joining the gang?"

Someone beside him immediately chimed in, his voice full of disbelief.

"It's him!" The first person lowered his voice, but could not conceal the admiration in his tone.

"The news has spread throughout the Seven Star Gang. They say that after Senior Sister Li Qingxue, he is a rare genius the Seven Star Gang has not seen in decades. In only one and a half months, he not only broke through Nourishing Blood, but also cultivated the Eagle Form of the Twelve Forms Boxing to Major Accomplishment!"

"But since he has already broken through, shouldn't he have gone to Seven Star Fort? Why has he appeared here again?" another person who did not understand asked.

"That is where you are mistaken..."

An older young man took over. "Even if he is exceptionally gifted, he has only been in the gang for two months. Though his Twelve Forms Boxing has reached Minor Accomplishment, it is still far from reaching the summit. How could he be willing to miss Instructor Cao's teachings?"

"So long as there is no external assignment, he always comes here to attend the lesson every day at Weishi."

"Hmph, what a grand display!" There were also those in the crowd who disapproved. Seeing the Brocade-Clad Youth surrounded by so many people, they spoke with a touch of disdain.

In an instant, hundreds of gazes shot toward the slowly approaching young man like searchlights.

The crowd seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, naturally making way for a path leading straight into the center of the grounds.