Moving into the Inner Courtyard, Receiving Sponsorship

"Oh? A Bright Force disciple from the Outer Courtyard?"

Liang Wanshan sat in his chair, lifted a cup of hot tea to blow on it, and sized Zhou Yun up from head to toe.

He said with a hint of gratification, "Not bad. Your blood and qi have fully transformed into force, and your foundation is quite solid. It is no small feat for an Outer Courtyard disciple to achieve this."

"How many months have you been in the hall? What is your name, and what is your bone structure?"

Zhou Yun cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to Master, this disciple is named Zhou Yun. I came to the martial hall to study three months ago and possess a First-Form Bone Structure."

"A First-Form Bone Structure?"

The teacup in Liang Wanshan's hand paused, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He walked up to Zhou Yun, ran a large hand along his spine to his shoulder blades, and nodded slowly. "Indeed, it is truly a First-Form Bone Structure. It is no small feat that you were able to break through to the Bright Force."

"First-Form? A First-Form Bone Structure can break through to the Bright Force this quickly?"

Shen Qingxue's shock was beyond words. Even for her and the people in her inner circle, who possessed at least Fourth-Form Bone Structures, it had taken a full month to break through to the Bright Force.

With a First-Form Bone Structure, when she saw him at the Black Market last time, he seemed to have the strength of only about six orifices. And yet, only a few short days had passed?

If this was not a coincidence, such a growth rate was terrifyingly formidable.

Perhaps he is a talent worth recruiting.

Shen Qingxue's cold, aloof expression shifted slightly as a plan formed in her mind.

On the other side, the look in Wang Lan's eyes toward Zhou Yun also changed significantly.

Only he and this Miss Shen knew Zhou Yun's true identity, so naturally, he was curious about the reason for Zhou Yun's rapid breakthrough.

Could it be that this man truly encountered some miraculous opportunity?

Wang Lan narrowed his eyes slightly. His assessment of Zhou Yun rose a notch, though he did not yet view him as a rival.

After all, his own path had never been confined to this small Black Stone County, but rather the Twelve Main Cities and the entire dynasty.

"Since you have already broken through to the Bright Force, have you chosen a job posting that suits you?"

Liang Wanshan did not say anything more.

Even if a First-Form Bone Structure managed to break through to the Bright Force by luck, their potential was almost entirely exhausted. Breaking through to the Dark Force would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Let alone becoming a Transformation Force master—that was essentially impossible.

It was impossible to focus resources on him like the few in the inner circle, but as his master, some guidance was still necessary.

"Reporting to Master, this disciple has already accepted a position from the Job Posting Board. It seems to be related to the Sky Sea Escort Agency."

Zhou Yun did not know what the others were thinking and spoke frankly.

"The Sky Sea Escort Agency is a posting related to Qingxue's lineage. You can ask her for advice on that matter."

Liang Wanshan took a sip of tea and said, "After you finish the formalities for the job posting, find Chen Jingping to collect a set of Inner Courtyard disciple robes, and you may move into the Inner Courtyard."

"Move into the Inner Courtyard?"

Zhou Yun had never heard of such a thing.

"Senior Brother Zhou might not know."

Liang Chengshi stood up at this moment and said with a grin, "Although our martial hall tests bone structure upon entry, and those with Three-Form Bone Structures can directly become Inner Courtyard disciples..."

"We also leave a path for Outer Courtyard disciples: breaking through to the Bright Force."

Liang Chengshi patted his shoulder, turned his head to glance at Master Liang, and added, "After all, a Transformation Force master once said that a person might be an Outer Courtyard disciple for a time, but they cannot be one for a lifetime."

"Master Liang, am I right?"

Hearing this, Liang Wanshan did not even lift his eyelids. He said calmly, "When you can defeat me, then what you say will naturally be right."

"Old fossil."

Liang Chengshi curled his lip and fell silent.

"Junior Brother Zhou, once you are settled in the Inner Courtyard, you may come to Earth No. 3 Courtyard to find me during dinner tonight."

Shen Qingxue's pretty face remained cold as she turned and left the Martial Hall.

"Many thanks, Senior Sister."

Zhou Yun watched her leave.

He felt as though he had seen this Senior Sister Shen somewhere before and found her somewhat familiar, but he did not take the matter to heart.

"Junior Brother Zhou, how about I take you on a tour of the Inner Courtyard?"

Chen Jingping stepped forward and gave Zhou Yun a gentle smile. "Our Inner Courtyard is much more complex than the Outer Courtyard. Senior Brother Wang Lan has just returned to the hall after being away for years, and Junior Sister Shen is busy with the next escort mission. As for Junior Brother Liang..."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Chen, I won't steal your work."

Liang Chengshi voluntarily raised his hand. "Once the courtyard is decided, Senior Brother Zhou can just give me a few pointers."

"That depends on Junior Brother Zhou's wishes."

Chen Jingping did not follow up, merely smiling without another word.

Liang Chengshi had clearly already touched the threshold of Dark Force, yet he still insisted on calling a disciple who had just entered the Inner Courtyard and was at a much lower realm than himself "Senior Brother," clearly intending to use the other party as a free mentor.

He had looked down on Zhou Yun before, but now his face changed faster than flipping a book; this was likely one of the secrets to his rapid progress in martial arts.

"Easy to say, I shall rely on Brother Liang's care in the future."

Zhou Yun cupped his hands in a salute.

"That goes without saying!"

Seeing Zhou Yun agree so readily, Liang Chengshi couldn't help but step aside to clear a path:

"Senior Brother Zhou, please!"

"Junior Brother Zhou, the Inner Courtyard is mainly divided into three areas."

Chen Jingping walked in front, introducing them to Zhou Yun one by one: "The first is the Inner Martial Hall where Master Liang resides; it is where he usually practices martial arts and imparts his teachings."

"Second is the Dining Hall where we eat daily, and the last is the courtyard where we Inner Courtyard disciples usually live."

Speaking of this, Chen Jingping couldn't help but smile: "Come to think of it, our Black Stone Martial Hall consistently maintains around thirty Inner Courtyard disciples, all of whom possess at least the potential of Bright Force or the Three-Form Bone Structure."

"In other words, in the entire Black Stone County, aside from our Black Stone Martial Hall, even the government cannot muster thirty Bright Force experts at once."

Zhou Yun was lost in thought; he had assumed the Black Stone Martial Hall was just an ordinary faction, but he hadn't expected such a large number of Bright Force experts.

Could they really not fear the government's wariness? After all, even an ordinary gang of several hundred people would only have one or two Bright Force experts to hold down the fort.

"Junior Brother need not worry. Master Liang returned from Xiang City; even if he takes in hundreds of disciples and has over thirty Bright Force experts under his command, he does not fear the might of the government."

Chen Jingping seemed to see through Zhou Yun's concerns and explained with a smile.

"Not only that, our Black Stone Martial Hall also has as many as nine Dark Force experts, such as Senior Brother Wang Lan who is often out and about, along with some veteran Inner Courtyard disciples; you will meet them one by one later... We have arrived."

As the two spoke, they walked to a square-shaped courtyard.

On the door plaque, it read Earth-Rank Courtyard No. 28.

Zhou Yun pushed the door open and entered; what met his eyes was a standard quadrangle courtyard, with an old locust tree planted inside.

Compared to the large shared dormitories where eight or nine people lived together, this place not only had an independent kitchen for burning firewood and cooking, but also guest rooms where three or five friends could stay.

If this were outside, in a decent location, it would cost at least several dozen taels of silver, and even then, it might not be obtainable.

"Every Inner Courtyard disciple is granted an independent courtyard until they leave the martial hall."

After Chen Jingping finished speaking, he took a small porcelain bottle and some broken silver from his bosom and said: "Junior Brother Zhou hasn't been sponsored by anyone yet, right?"

"Sponsored? What does that mean?"

Zhou Yun humbly asked for guidance.

"Every Inner Courtyard disciple is mostly sponsored by some faction. You should have heard the saying 'the poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts'; resources are indispensable on the path of martial arts."

Chen Jingping changed the subject:

"I represent the Xiang City Chen Clan lineage, offering a sponsorship of one Blood Coagulation Pill and three taels of silver every month. What do you think?"