"Wang Lan is back."
Seeing the look on his eldest disciple's face, Liang Wanshan turned to Zhou Yun and said, "All right. Since you've earned a spot in the Martial Tournament, go back and train hard."
"Then this disciple will take his leave."
Zhou Yun cupped his hands and left. He had also noticed that something was off about Wang Lan's expression.
Whatever could trouble the young master of a prominent family in a Main City, and the Black Stone Martial Hall's senior Dark Force disciple, was likely beyond Zhou Yun's reach for now.
Of course, Zhou Yun didn't want to get involved anyway. He just wanted to focus on Gate-Knocking into Dark Force.
Bright Force and Dark Force were separated by only one word... yet the difference they represented was vast.
Only after Zhou Yun had left did Liang Wanshan speak gravely. "Well? Did you find out what happened?"
"I found out a little, but even I can hardly believe it..."
Wang Lan opened his narrow eyes slightly and said with a hint of seriousness, "This matter may involve more than just the Main City. It could also concern Yan Kingdom's attitude toward our dynasty..."
"Yan Kingdom? Great Jing has clashed with other nations repeatedly over the years. Many experts have fallen on the battlefield, including some above Transformation Force..."
Liang Wanshan furrowed his brow slightly. "How could a small martial hall like the Shen Family's be caught up in something this far-reaching?"
"No, Black Stone County isn't involved in an affair on that level yet. I just heard it from somewhere..."
Wang Lan's expression turned solemn. "On the other side of the Black Profound Mountain Range, Yan Kingdom has joined forces with the Demon Beasts of legend. They're planning to unleash a full-scale Demon Beast tide against the south of our dynasty... and the six counties of Xiang City will bear the brunt!"
"A Demon Beast tide? Our human race and the Demon Beasts have long been locked in bitter enmity. It began with the martial masters' food... and those great demons have come to regard human martial masters as nourishing delicacies."
Liang Wanshan seemed to sink into his memories. Sitting in his chair, he said, "How long until the Demon Beast tide breaks out? It's only been ten years since that battle ended. Even if the Demon Race in the Black Profound Mountain Range wants to set foot in the Central Plains again, they should need a long time to build up their strength..."
"According to my family's intelligence, the border clashes are still minor for now... but a full-scale war should break out in just a year or two."
Wang Lan lowered his voice.
He knew that Master Liang, the Transformation Force grandmaster famed throughout Black Stone County, had fought in the war between humans and demons ten years ago.
He had lost his strength beyond Transformation Force in that battle, which was why he had come to recuperate in this county town.
Otherwise, with Wang Lan and Chen Jingping's influence in Xiang City, why would they have come to study at a small martial hall in Black Stone County?
"One or two years..."
Liang Wanshan fell silent for a long while.
"By the looks of it, the Shen Family branch at the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall wants to reshuffle the balance of power in all of Black Stone County, then carve out a new path..."
Wang Lan said, "This matter is of great importance. I've already reported it to my family, but they haven't responded yet..."
He knew that without Master Liang holding down the fort at Black Stone Martial Hall, the master of the Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall might truly have a chance of succeeding... but could that path really lead to survival?
Black Stone County lay close to the Black Profound Mountain Range. If Yan Kingdom joined forces with the Demon Beasts, the first outlying counties to be swept away would inevitably be the six counties of Xiang City.
Master Liang surely understood this better than he did.
Every county was positioned around a Main City as a buffer, whether against war, natural disasters, or other calamities.
Perhaps Hall Master Shen wanted to unite the forces of one county, then gradually reach agreements with the other five... As for what he planned to do, that remained unknown.
"For now, let's wait and see."
After speaking, Liang Wanshan picked up a great spear and began to practice.
The spear whistled through the air, its tip flashing with cold light.
Inner Courtyard.
A figure swung a spear as a young man in the courtyard sweated profusely.
"Judging by Senior Brother Wang Lan's expression, something big must be about to happen."
Holding the Black Iron Great Spear, Zhou Yun continued to consolidate the spear techniques of the first turn of the Thunder Meteor Spear Art.
The force within his body surged, as though merging with the entire spear. The momentum of his spear art, in turn, flowed back into him.
"I've got a hint of the second turn's spear art..."
Zhou Yun lowered his spear and stood still. He took out all the pills he had and set them on the small stone table in the courtyard.
He now had five Blood Coagulation Pills and three Blood Solidification Pills.
Along with tomorrow's daily settlement, the qi and blood he'd earned for defeating a Bright Force expert single-handedly should make Gate-Knocking into Dark Force fairly straightforward.
Thinking this, Zhou Yun once again practiced the Thunder Meteor Spear Art, using the force within his body to continuously wash over his meridians.
The force in his dantian grew thicker and thicker, until he finally broke through the six-finger threshold and reached the Bright Force advanced stage.
"I've reached the Bright Force advanced stage. I'll get some proper rest tonight... and prepare to break through tomorrow!"
Zhou Yun exhaled a breath of stale air. It had been no easy feat to reach this point with First Form Bone.
He wondered whether his daily settlement might reward him with Qi Transformation Pills, or pills that could transform his bone structure.
After all, the highest reward he'd earned so far was an A- grade. That was already his rating for defeating an opponent above his level and wiping out a hundred-man gang single-handedly.
If he wanted to earn a higher A grade, or even an A+ rating, would he have to defeat opponents two levels above him?
"Perhaps I can try building up my reputation."
Zhou Yun thought it over carefully. If his achievements affected enough people, would the daily settlement give him a higher rating?
It was worth trying, but he still needed to wait for the right opportunity.
If his bone structure reached the second form, he could break through much faster. With First Form Bone, his body was slow to absorb pills.
"What would happen if I used the force of eight fingers to Gate-Knock into Dark Force?"
Zhou Yun looked forward to finding out. After all, he had taken a very precious Qi Transformation Pill, which had increased the thickness of the force in his dantian.
He had asked Shen Qingxue at the Martial Master Chamber of Commerce. The Qi Transformation Pill had long been lost in Black Stone County, and only a few great families in the Twelve Main Cities still sold it.
Even so, Qi Transformation Pills that increased the amount of force one could contain were extremely precious, even in the Main Cities.
He had heard that even some Transformation Force grandmasters were searching for such pills. They were practically impossible to find.
"What's done is done. I'll get some sleep."
As usual, Zhou Yun bathed and changed, then went into the main room to sleep.
He slept especially soundly that night. With his strength increased, he felt far more confident facing whatever lay ahead.
The sun rose in the east, and a pale streak of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Zhou Yun sat up in bed, got dressed, and walked into the courtyard.
[Daily Settlement: Defeated an opponent above your level and earned a small reputation in the countryside. Rating: B-.] [Received six strands of force and one page of insight into any fist or foot martial art. It can lay the foundation of martial cultivation and help you comprehend martial arts.]
"An entire page of martial arts insight?"
Zhou Yun was astonished. And this time, he had received not ordinary qi and blood, but force that could only be formed after Gate-Knocking.
That meant he could skip the intermediate conversion process and make his breakthrough much easier.
"Though it isn't insight into a weapon art, it's still precious enough..."
Zhou Yun picked up the Black Iron Great Spear, his eyes shining.
"Today, I'll Gate-Knock into Dark Force!"
Before you continue