A Ray of Hope

The sky was darkening; it was already dusk.

The clamor of the crowd had faded, leaving only the mechanical noise of transport equipment and the weary chatter of staff. The air was thick with dust and the exhaustion that follows a long day of bustle.

Li He walked alone on the sidewalk.

His starting point, the Pine Listening Courtyard, had already vanished.

The Evergreen Gate, in which he had placed such high hopes, had also closed its doors to him.

But how could the path of martial arts end here?

His gaze swept across the exhibition booths of various martial arts halls, both large and small.

Many booths were already vacant, with staff loading tables, chairs, and equipment onto transport trucks. The smaller martial arts halls, which had been huddled in corners with nothing but a single table, had long since disappeared.

He looked toward the brightly lit exhibition hall of the Evergreen Martial Arts Hall in the distance, his eyes growing more resolute.

"My vitality is genuine, and my mastery of five Ancient Martial Arts at the minor success stage is also genuine. The Federation is vast, and there are countless martial arts halls; there will always be a place that values talent regardless of convention. As long as I can access the formal Federation martial arts system, with the power of the system and my own hard work, I will eventually find my way to success."

He stopped lingering, turned, and prepared to leave the square to return and recharge, preparing for the second day of martial arts hall selections.

The martial arts hall assessments lasted for seven days in total.

He had to seize this opportunity; once this period passed, it would be difficult to get into a martial arts hall again.

Just then, a slightly urgent voice came from behind: "Please wait a moment, student Li He!"

Li He paused and turned to look.

In the twilight, he saw a young man wearing a white martial arts training uniform running quickly toward him.

The young man was in his early twenties with a plain, honest face.

"Student Li He!" The young man stopped a few steps away from Li He. "I finally caught up to you. I watched your entire assessment at the Evergreen side and waited until it was over!"

Li He's heart stirred, but he remained silent, waiting for what was to come.

The young man's eyes were eager as he said, "Your Ancient Martial Arts are simply divine. If I'm not mistaken, your footwork, fist techniques, and the final Penetrating Power are three different types of Ancient Martial Arts, right? To have cultivated all of them to the minor success stage without any conflict in your blood-qi—that is truly remarkable."

"That's correct, they are indeed three types of Ancient Martial Arts: the Wild Goose Eight Steps, the Cloud Hand Eighteen Forms, and the Silk-Reeling Power," Li He said.

"I knew it! I am familiar with these three Ancient Martial Arts, and they have extremely high requirements for comprehension and physical coordination. The fact that you can practice them all to the minor success stage simultaneously—this talent is simply incredible."

The young man became even more enthusiastic.

"Student Li He, my name is Lin Feng, and I am from the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall. I came to find you because I want to invite you to join us!"

"Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall?"

Li He double-checked; he had never heard of this name.

"Uh, we are a small martial arts hall right now, so it's normal that you haven't heard of us... But! A hundred years ago, our Yellow Mountain Daoist Hall was glorious, and our signature technique was the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist!"

Speaking of their signature fist technique, a hint of pride entered Lin Feng's tone: "This Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist is fierce and domineering in its power, yet it contains the elegance and agility of an ape, full of variations. It was once famous in the region, and our master is the last contemporary successor!"

Li He's heart stirred.

Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist?

Wasn't this the advanced martial art for his Old Ape Stretches Arms?

A month ago, he had looked up this fist technique in the Federation Martial Arts Library and even practiced it a bit following the tutorials. It was a pity he hadn't mastered it, but he never expected to meet a successor of this technique today; it was truly fate.

Li He thought for a moment and asked, "Since you watched my entire assessment, you should know that I have fifth-grade aptitude. Why do you still want me to join?"

Lin Feng did not hesitate at all. "Our master often says that martial arts lie in the heart, not the bones! Our Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall has never believed in that rigid grading system for aptitude. Although your aptitude is lacking, your comprehension and character far exceed those of ordinary people. That is true talent. A person lacking character will not go far in martial arts."

These words struck a chord deep within Li He.

He didn't know if the other party was trying to deceive him, but he knew that the sincerity in the eyes of the Lin Feng before him could not be faked.

"Student Li He, why don't we add each other on WeChat first? I'll send you the location. You can come over and take a look whenever you have time. Don't feel pressured; just treat it as a visit to experience the atmosphere of our martial arts hall."

Li He was slightly stunned.

He had expected the other party to pull out an old-fashioned address card like in the movies, but he hadn't expected such a modern way of communicating.

It was a bit beyond his expectations, but it did reflect the other party's natural and sincere demeanor.

Beep!

With a soft sound, the friend request was accepted.

"I've sent you the location. I'll head back now. I look forward to your arrival. Goodbye, student Li He!" Lin Feng waved his hand vigorously, a satisfied smile on his face, and turned to run away quickly. His figure soon blended into the deepening night at the edge of the square.

Li He stood where he was and glanced down at his phone.

The location was in the nearby Yellow Mountain Park, an old park. In his memories, his mother, Zhang Xiujuan, had taken him there to feed the monkeys. It wasn't far from home, only a half-hour drive.

He looked up again toward the dim lights of the Evergreen Martial Arts Hall exhibition booth in the center of the square, then looked back down at the small location icon on his phone screen.

The road ahead was not entirely dark.

The city lights flickered on one by one.

He pushed open the door to his home.

"Little He, you're back?" His mother, Zhang Xiujuan, stood up immediately. "How was the assessment at Evergreen Martial Arts Hall? Did it go smoothly?"

"Not exactly. I didn't make the cut. Evergreen's scoring system places a high weight on bone structure, and mine was rated as fifth-grade. My overall score fell a bit short."

"Fifth-grade bone structure..." Zhang Xiujuan's eyes dimmed. She had assumed that since her son possessed the strength of a first-tier martial artist, getting into the martial arts hall was a sure thing.

She set down her plate, walked over to Li He, and patted his arm. "It's alright, Little He. We don't need Evergreen. We'll just look for another one. The Federation is so vast, and there are so many martial arts halls; someone is bound to recognize your talent. Back in the day, your father..."

Li He was just about to tell his mother that he intended to go to Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

His mother's phone vibrated with a video call request. She took it out and saw her husband's name on the screen.

The screen lit up, revealing the dark-skinned, cheerful face of his father, Li Jianguo. "Son, the assessment is over, right? How did it go? Did you get the acceptance letter from Evergreen Martial Arts Hall? Hahahaha!"

"Dad, Evergreen Martial Arts Hall didn't accept me."

"What?" Li Jianguo's smile froze on his face, his voice rising a few notches. "They didn't accept you? Why? Are they blind? My son is already a first-tier martial artist, and they still don't think you're good enough?"

"My bone structure rating was too low—fifth-grade," Li He explained briefly.

"Bone structure again? Damn it, it's always bone structure. These big martial arts halls only know how to look at bone structure. Can my son's ability be measured by bone structure alone? If they don't want you, it's their loss!"

He was so angry he slammed his hand on the table on the other side of the screen. "Son, don't be sad. Dad will find a way. If it comes down to it, I'll swallow my pride and pull some strings..."

"Dad, Mom," Li He interrupted his father. "Don't rush to comfort me yet. Listen, after the assessment ended, a senior from Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall approached me and invited me to join."

"Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall?" Li Jianguo and Zhang Xiujuan exclaimed in delight at the same time.

"Is that the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall that passes down the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist?"

"Yes," Li He nodded in confirmation.

His parents actually knew about this martial arts hall. It seemed Lin Feng hadn't lied to him; Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall had indeed once been famous throughout the region.

"That senior was very sincere, so I plan to go check out Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall tomorrow."

"Go, you must go," Li Jianguo said decisively. "Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall is no simple place. After the Federation established its unified system, they were one of the first martial arts halls to be founded. Son, seize this opportunity."

The three of them changed the subject and chatted for a while.

"Oh, right," Li Jianguo suddenly remembered something.

"The new supervisor here at the mine, a third-tier martial artist sent by the Federation, is incredibly powerful. Today, an Iron-Armored Earth Dragon crawled out of the mine shaft—it was vicious. But the supervisor went up and, with a single punch, blew the head off that Earth Dragon."

"The supervisor is kind-hearted, too. Out of a six-meter-long exotic beast, he only kept the essence parts for himself and distributed all the rest of the meat to us."

"I specifically picked out a large, prime piece and sent it back. It should arrive in a couple of days. You and your mother should have a good taste of it; it's very nourishing."

However, Zhang Xiujuan didn't sound as happy, saying with concern, "Why did they suddenly send a third-tier martial artist there? Won't there be any danger? You need to watch your safety."

"Don't worry, there's no danger. I'll be back in another month," Li Jianguo said cheerfully. "Alright, I won't talk anymore. I have to go eat; we're having extra rations today. Son, go check out Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall tomorrow. Dad is waiting for your good news."

"Mm, Dad, you take care of yourself too," Li He nodded in response.

"Alright, hanging up!"

Li Jianguo waved with a smile, and the screen went dark.