Martial Arts Competition Quota (Seeking Reads)

"Master, Magistrate Liu... and this senior."

Hearing Master Liang call his name, Zhou Yun had no choice but to step from the doorway to the center of the martial hall, bowing to the three of them in turn.

Although he possessed the internal energy of the fifth finger in the Bright Force realm and could break through to the Great Completion of Bright Force at any time, he was clearly still insignificant in the eyes of these three.

That County Magistrate Liu appeared to be a mere mortal, but the old man beside him was a genuine Transformation Force Grandmaster.

It was highly likely that he was a personal bodyguard specifically assigned by the government to every county magistrate.

"Today, I am not Magistrate Liu; I am merely a father seeking justice for his son."

Liu Bomin's face was grim, his words heavy with a thousand tons of suppressed rage: "I have never placed any restrictions on your three martial halls, and I have performed my duties as magistrate diligently over these years. If your halls had any grievances, you could have brought them forward, but now..."

"Magistrate Liu, the death of your son has nothing to do with Black Stone Martial Hall or Senior Sister Shen Qingxue."

Zhou Yun spoke up: "We encountered an ambush by a Dark Force expert on the road. This was supposed to be a delivery mission that could be handled by a Bright Force practitioner; Young Master Liu should have been aware of this..."

"A Dark Force expert?"

Liu Bomin frowned, suppressing his anger to think.

According to the intelligence he had received, those goods were only being escorted by Bright Force experts.

As for his son's death, it was because he had tried to use his status as the son of the County Magistrate to pay the martial artists less for the escort and force the mountain bandits to yield, which ultimately led to his demise.

Although there were suspicious elements to this information, the pain of losing his son left him unable to care about such things. After finishing his official duties, he had come straight to Black Stone Martial Hall to demand accountability.

To that end, he had even brought along the only Transformation Force Grandmaster in the Black Stone County government to hold the line.

"If there were truly treasures requiring a Dark Force expert to escort them, why would my son have gone to his death?"

Liu Bomin was half-skeptical, then continued: "Since it was a Dark Force expert, how did you and Shen Qingxue manage to escape? Just now at White Phoenix Martial Hall, I saw with my own eyes that you are at most at the Great Completion of Bright Force. Could it be that you..."

"In response to Magistrate Liu, I have already brought two of this hall's martial arts to Great Completion... I naturally possess the strength to kill a Dark Force expert."

Zhou Yun's expression was calm and indifferent, though he felt troubled in his heart that he could no longer hide his true strength.

As his words fell, Liang Wanshan's gaze fixed on Zhou Yun, a flash of disbelief in his eyes.

Two martial arts at Great Completion? To his knowledge, he had only taught Zhou Yun the Black Ape Fist and the Black Ape Movement Technique.

If that were the case, one of these two must be the movement technique... but which martial art did not require a foundation built over time to reach Great Completion?

It seemed this Black Ape Movement Technique had only been taught during the last two sessions at the outer courtyard training grounds... how much time had even passed since then?

"Two martial arts at Great Completion? No wonder he could defeat that Lei Wanjun..."

Liu Bomin did not know Zhou Yun well and was not as shocked as Liang Wanshan, but he understood the concept.

At Zhou Yun's age, having two martial arts at Great Completion was enough to prove his genius.

As for why he had never heard Zhou Yun's name before, he assumed the boy was a genius hidden away by Liang Wanshan, a seedling being prepared for the Three Halls Martial Tournament.

For such geniuses, once they reached the Great Completion of Bright Force, breaking through to Dark Force was merely a matter of course.

Of course, he did not know that Zhou Yun only possessed a First Form Bone, or he would surely have been driven to madness.

"However, since you claim my son was killed by a Dark Force expert, do you have proof?"

Liu Bomin stood up to press him, his gaze sharp.

"I have no proof, but if Magistrate Liu has a Dark Force expert under your command, they may spar with me to verify it."

Zhou Yun said, neither humble nor arrogant.

So much time had passed since he killed that Dark Force Old Woman; where could there be any evidence left?

The only witness was Shen Qingxue, but this Magistrate Liu would surely assume they were in cahoots, rendering her testimony entirely untrustworthy.

Therefore, the best evidence was strength.

"What an arrogant brat."

Liu Bomin laughed in anger, but his face quickly turned as still as water: "I will naturally investigate what you have said, but these past few years, your three martial halls have indeed overstepped their bounds... I have specifically brought orders from the main city to cancel all funding for the three halls."

"From this day forward, each hall shall fend for itself; the imperial court will no longer provide any stipends."

Having said this, Liu Bomin left with the Grey-Robed Elder, leaving one final sentence before departing.

"I hope Hall Master Liang knows his place and does not overstep again..."

Zhou Yun muttered to himself, surprised that a portion of the martial hall's income came from government subsidies; no wonder the meat in the cafeteria was so cheap.

Only at the end did he realize that Liu Bomin's quest for revenge was half-truth and half-pretext, but his desire to use this opportunity to suppress Black Stone Martial Hall and cut off the imperial subsidies was absolutely certain.

After Liu Bomin left, the atmosphere in the air suddenly became much heavier.

Zhou Yun stood in the martial hall and watched as Liang Wanshan stared at his teacup, remaining silent for a long time.

"You have two martial arts at Great Completion? Is one of them the Black Ape Movement Technique?"

After a long while, Liang Wanshan finally spoke.

"Yes, Master, it is the Black Ape Movement Technique."

Zhou Yun replied.

"At your age, mastering two movement techniques is no small feat... I heard that at White Phoenix Martial Hall, you even helped Chen Jingping win his sparring match. Has your realm reached the Great Completion of Bright Force?"

Liang Wanshan continued to ask.

"The force in my dantian is already as thick as five fingers; it should be within these next two days..."

Zhou Yun replied, though he didn't mention that he was actually preparing to break through to Dark Force within those two days, otherwise Liang Wanshan's expression would not have remained so calm.

"Not bad. While your realm isn't at the forefront of the younger generation in the martial hall, you possess natural talent in martial arts attainment..."

Liang Wanshan pondered for a moment and mused, "Are you willing to participate in the upcoming Three Halls Martial Tournament and secure a spot to take root in the main city?"

"The Three Halls Martial Tournament, is it..."

Zhou Yun had anticipated this; he had intended to bring this up with Master Liang once he reached the Dark Force realm, but it seemed the timing had been moved up.

"This disciple is willing to throw a punch for the martial hall."

Upon hearing this, Liang Wanshan nodded slightly and said, "Good, having such a heart is enough."

"But you need not worry. The main combatants for this tournament will be Wang Lan, Chen Jingping, and my foster son, Liang Chengshi. You only need to step in if one of those three falters or during the final martial bout."

"If the three of them proceed without obstruction, you will naturally be able to follow them and obtain a spot to take root in the main city."

Zhou Yun was lost in thought. He truly hadn't known about such a mechanism; could one really enter the main city just by following the senior brothers of one's own martial hall?

Liang Wanshan seemed to see through his thoughts and said indifferently, "Your two senior brothers both hail from the main city, and as for Chengshi, he has me, a Transformation Force grandmaster, as his guarantor... In truth, the quotas for entering the main city are even overflowing; all that is really needed is a name."

It's good to be a second-generation martial artist...

Zhou Yun sighed inwardly, but on the surface, he still cupped his fists and bowed: "Many thanks, Master Liang."

"Very well, if there is nothing else, return to the inner courtyard to practice your punches... As for the matter regarding County Magistrate Liu, I will settle it for you myself."

Liang Wanshan provided this final layer of security and continued, "Afterward, you may go to the cafeteria on the second floor of the inner courtyard to dine. There, I have had rare beasts and exotic creatures caught specifically for you; they are of immense benefit to martial artists."

"Since you are to exert effort for the martial hall, you need not worry about your food."

Hearing these words, Zhou Yun's eyes lit up.

He hadn't even made use of Chen Jingping's perks in the cafeteria yet, and now his meals were going to be completely free. It seemed he had truly boarded a massive ship.

"Many thanks, Master Liang!"

Zhou Yun's bow this time was much more sincere, and he made up his mind to go to the second floor of the inner courtyard cafeteria to feast as soon as possible.

Just then, a familiar figure walked in through the entrance of the martial hall.

"Master Liang, I have returned."

This person was none other than Wang Lan, who had been out investigating the affairs of the Shen Family.

He looked hurried, as if he had some urgent matter to attend to.