"What? An Outer Courtyard disciple took a temporary escort job?"
In an instant, the voices of many disciples drew everyone's attention.
They all looked toward the Job Posting Board. From a distance, they saw a tall, straight-backed young man taking down a job notice.
That person was Zhou Yun.
"Him?"
Chen Jingping stood among the crowd, his eyes lighting up slightly.
Farther out, Zhang Hu was utterly dumbfounded.
He truly couldn't believe that Yun-ge, who had once been as close to him as a brother, had quietly reached the point where he could take a job off the board.
Had he gone somewhere to drink and gotten drunk out of his mind?
No. Knowing Yun-ge's nature, even if he'd been drinking, he wouldn't do anything he wasn't sure he could handle!
But just how hard would someone have to train to go from having fewer than ten days to progress from the Third Aperture to knocking on the Bright Force threshold?
Could it really be that Heaven rewarded the diligent?
Among the crowd, Lu Meng recognized Zhou Yun, and his pupils trembled with shock.
"Zhou Yun? How could he take a job off the board? Could he have reached Bright Force?"
"No, impossible! I needed a Blood Coagulation Pill to open the Seventh Aperture. How could a fisherman with no resources or connections reach Bright Force?"
Lu Meng couldn't believe it. He gritted his teeth and sneered. "He's definitely just showing off for a moment. Does he not know the Martial Hall's rules? He dares take a job off the board on a whim? Just wait until Master Liang kicks him out of the Outer Courtyard!"
The Inner and Outer Courtyard disciples gathered around the Job Posting Board were all curious about the sudden appearance of a Bright Force expert.
Especially since he was wearing an Outer Courtyard uniform.
Amid the chatter around him, Zhou Yun merely smiled calmly, then walked out of the crowd.
"Wait."
A sharp cry stopped him in his tracks. Shen Qingxue walked toward him.
"I posted this job. May I ask, Junior Brother, have you knocked on the Bright Force threshold?"
Her eyes fixed on Zhou Yun, and she found him more and more familiar.
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. If I dared take this job, I wouldn't be overestimating myself."
Zhou Yun cupped his hands.
"I know everyone in the Outer Courtyard who can knock on the Bright Force threshold. How come I've never heard your name?"
Liang Chengshi stepped forward, raising his chin slightly. "Junior Brother from the Outer Courtyard, Senior Sister Shen's job isn't something any stray cat or dog can take. Don't break the Martial Hall's rules just to show off for a moment."
"Senior Brother, what advice do you have?"
Zhou Yun could tell the other man meant him no good, but he didn't back down.
Now that he'd reached Bright Force, he needed someone to spar with. These Inner Courtyard senior brothers were the perfect opponents.
"Junior Brother seems eager for a little fun. Let your senior brother keep you company."
Liang Chengshi grinned and charged forward with the Black Ape Movement Technique.
The sight made the other disciples click their tongues in astonishment.
"Is that the Black Ape Movement Technique? Even among Bright Force disciples, not many have mastered it, right?"
"You don't know who he is? Master Liang's only adopted son! I hear he has Fourth Form Bone, so knocking on the Bright Force threshold is as easy as child's play for him."
Zhou Yun didn't let his guard down. He also used the Black Ape Movement Technique and rushed forward, his gaze locked on a dark blur.
Bang!
A fist shot out at incredible speed and struck Liang Chengshi in the chest. His expression froze, and he staggered back several steps.
Clearly, he hadn't expected an Outer Courtyard disciple who'd only just broken through to Bright Force—or might not even have knocked on the threshold—to know the Black Ape Movement Technique.
"Interesting."
Liang Chengshi's lips curled up. He rubbed his faintly aching chest and grew serious.
He narrowed his stance, drew a deep breath, and took a few quick strides toward Zhou Yun.
Whoosh!
The Black Ape Fist drew its power from the shoulders and back, letting out a sharp whistle as it hurtled toward Zhou Yun's face at tremendous speed.
Zhou Yun's eyes shifted. He planted his right foot and twisted aside, dodging the punch. His left hand changed from a fist to a palm and seized Liang Chengshi's right arm, his five fingers clamping down hard.
Though neither of them had used a killing move, this was no lighthearted exchange of punches. It was clear the outcome could turn on a single move.
With his arm caught, Liang Chengshi tried to wrench it free, only to find that the harder he struggled, the tighter Zhou Yun's grip became.
It seemed to be a close-quarters technique from the Black Ape Movement Technique, combined with the clever shift from fist to palm in the Black Ape Fist.
A martial artist who'd only just begun learning either of those two techniques couldn't possibly wield them with such skill.
Liang Chengshi furrowed his brow. He used the momentum to turn in midair, borrowing Zhou Yun's strength to wriggle free of the predicament.
"I didn't expect you not only to have knocked on the Bright Force threshold, Junior Brother, but also to have made considerable progress in both techniques. I suppose I misjudged you."
Liang Chengshi's expression shifted as he cupped his hands in greeting.
"He's only just knocked on the Bright Force threshold, but he's already made considerable progress in the Black Ape Movement Technique? Could he have learned it before reaching Bright Force?"
Shen Qingxue's eyes lit up slightly. It seemed she'd found another talent worth cherishing.
Wait. If Lu Meng hadn't been the person at the Black Market that day, then this man fit the candidate's build, age, and martial arts skills extremely well.
"Did you visit the Black Market run by my Sky Sea Escort Agency a few days ago?"
Shen Qingxue stared at Zhou Yun and pressed him, each word deliberate.
"I've never been to any Black Market. I'm just an Outer Courtyard disciple who focuses on martial arts."
Zhou Yun cupped his hands and said no more.
But Chen Jingping, standing among the small circle of Inner Courtyard disciples, kept his refined gaze fixed on Zhou Yun, as though he'd discovered something interesting.
"Say, Junior Brother, anyone who successfully knocks on the Bright Force threshold has to pay Master Liang a visit. How about we show you the way?"
Liang Chengshi smiled and leaned closer to Zhou Yun. "I've been struggling to make much progress in the Black Ape Movement Technique. I wonder if I might have the chance to ask you for some pointers?"
"Certainly, Senior Brother. Please."
Zhou Yun smiled faintly. He neither refused nor agreed.
"Please, please!"
Liang Chengshi was quite pleased and gestured for him to go ahead.
Just then, Chen Jingping walked over and smiled warmly at Zhou Yun. "Junior Brother Zhou, it's been a long time."
"It's Senior Brother Chen. Thank you for explaining things to me that day."
Zhou Yun hadn't expected to meet Chen Jingping here. It was clear that these four people, including Senior Brother Wang Lan, all belonged to the same circle.
It seemed he'd somehow ended up among the younger generation's inner circle at the Black Stone Martial Hall.
"Junior Brother Zhou, there's no need to be so polite. I should be congratulating you for knocking on the Bright Force threshold."
Chen Jingping said with a smile, seemingly not taking what had happened back then to heart.
Shen Qingxue followed the three of them from a distance. She glanced at Wang Lan beside her and lowered her voice. "Senior Brother Wang Lan, that man..."
"Indeed. His martial arts are exactly like the person we saw at the Black Market that day."
Wang Lan nodded decisively, then said, "If it really is him, he shouldn't have been left in the Outer Courtyard with how quickly he's progressed. Could the Martial Hall have misjudged his bone structure?"
"That seems unlikely. For now, we can only see Master Liang first."
Shen Qingxue watched Zhou Yun's retreating figure, finding him more and more mysterious.
"When we get the chance, we should use my family's influence to investigate him."
The five of them soon crossed the large courtyard where the Inner Courtyard disciples lived and arrived at a spacious Martial Hall, with racks of weapons nearby: sabers, spears, swords, halberds, and more.
A burly, middle-aged man with a little gray at his temples stood in the center of the hall. He seemed to be practicing some kind of leg technique, moving so quickly that only his afterimages were visible.
The group could see familiar traces in his moves, yet the technique wasn't from the Black Ape style. It seemed to be a new martial art.
After a while, the movements in the Martial Hall came to a halt.
"Master Liang, a new Outer Courtyard disciple has knocked on the Bright Force threshold."
Wang Lan stepped forward and cupped his hands respectfully.
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