Superior Bone Structure!

Luo Zheng bared his teeth in a grin.

Everything was understood without a word.

When men express gratitude, they rarely make as much noise as women.

Instead, they keep it in their hearts, waiting for the opportunity to repay the favor in silence.

"Hahaha!" Liang Hangzhou's hearty laughter echoed from the Inner Courtyard. "Breaking through to Dark Force four months after joining the Martial Hall—Qin Feng, would you be willing to become my closing disciple?"

"A closing disciple?! Qin Feng broke through?" In the Outer Courtyard, the many disciples ceased their movements, erupting into an uproar.

Who could have imagined back then that the unremarkable Qin Feng would break through two levels in a mere four months, advancing straight into the Dark Force realm!

"That is Master Liang's closing disciple we're talking about..."

Only then did the crowd notice the bombshell hidden in the latter half of Liang Hangzhou's sentence.

A closing disciple meant the student most valued by the master.

They could be treated as a biological son, perhaps even closer.

This was a person who would provide for the master in their old age, take the blows for them, and inherit the Martial Hall!

The master would inevitably pour all their resources into cultivating them, using their life's accumulation to pave a path to the heavens for them!

Li Chuan could clearly sense that Luo Zheng's breathing had become much more rapid.

With Luo Zheng's Dark Force strength, if he had wanted to conceal his aura, Li Chuan would have been unable to perceive him at all.

It was common knowledge in the Martial Hall that the senior apprentice Tang Xiang and the second apprentice Luo Zheng were competing for the position of closing disciple.

No one expected Qin Feng to emerge from out of nowhere.

A hint of desolation flickered in Luo Zheng's eyes.

"Junior Brother Li, you continue practicing. I am going to offer my congratulations."

A moment later, another middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothing walked in.

"Wang Wenchi, head of the Wang Family of the Inner City. Why is he here?" Someone recognized his identity.

Wang Wenchi laughed loudly.

"Master Liang, congratulations on gaining a closing disciple. I have come to offer my respects!"

Liang Hangzhou walked out from the Inner Courtyard with Qin Feng, smiling as he returned the greeting.

"I dare not accept the title of 'Master' from you. I suspect your Transforming Force has made significant progress, Wang Family Head. This old man feels he is no longer your match!"

Li Chuan's pupils constricted. This was yet another Transforming Force expert.

The Four Great Families of the Inner City: Wang, Liu, Huang, and Zhou.

Since the head of the Wang Family was at the Transforming Force level, the other family heads were likely much the same.

"Wang Family Head!" Qin Feng stepped out from behind Liang Hangzhou, his complexion ruddy and his eyes bright as stars.

Coupled with his Dark Force aura, he appeared incredibly heroic.

"Little Feng, since you have broken through to Dark Force, a monthly stipend of ten taels is far too little for you. From now on, you shall receive thirty taels a month. You need not do anything; just focus on your martial arts. Strive to pass the martial scholar examination and break through to Transforming Force as soon as possible!"

Qin Feng was somewhat overwhelmed by the favor.

"Thank you, Wang Family Head!"

Wang Wenchi shook his head and laughed.

"Why call me Wang Family Head? It sounds distant. Just call me Uncle Wang."

"By the way, my daughter is sixteen, the age for marriage. I wonder what your thoughts are, Little Feng?"

"Nuanyu, come out and take a look."

A beautiful young woman with a lovely face shyly stepped out from behind Wang Wenchi, not daring to look up at Qin Feng.

Wang Nuanyu had a graceful figure and was exceptionally beautiful.

Seeing such a beauty before him, Qin Feng felt his throat go dry and stammered.

"Uncle Wang, I have long held feelings for Nuanyu."

Wang Wenchi laughed.

"That is excellent. I wonder what you think, Master Liang? Wouldn't it be wonderful for our two families to become even closer through marriage?"

Liang Hangzhou stroked his graying beard.

"That would be wonderful indeed!"

"Brother Wang, how did you get a step ahead of me!"

Outside, a short, pot-bellied man walked in, clapping his hands in agitation.

Wang Wenchi wore an apologetic expression.

"Brother Hong, the dock business is too lucrative; it delayed you for a moment, and I took the lead."

Hong Qian shook his head and sighed.

"Forget it, forget it. Nephew Qin, take these fifty taels; consider it a congratulatory gift from your uncle!"

The crowd in the Outer Courtyard gasped in surprise.

Fifty taels!

How many people spent the better part of their lives just to earn fifty taels?

Yet now, Qin Feng stood there without moving a muscle, and someone was already delivering money to his doorstep.

Li Chuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly; talent was truly too important.

With his superior talent, Qin Feng had easily secured a position with a monthly stipend of ten taels upon breaking through to Bright Force.

Now, having passed the gate a second time, he had received a fifty-tael greeting gift right off the bat.

Li Chuan thought of how he had worked himself to the bone, only to earn a mere six taels of silver.

He even had to deliberate repeatedly just to buy a bit of meat.

Some people were simply born at the finish line.

As time went on, wave after wave of people arrived.

Even the stingiest among them brought a bear paw, all just to build a connection.

Li Chuan did not stare at Qin Feng with envy like the others.

Bearing the Primordial Jade Record, he was confident he would be no worse than anyone else.

Steady progress leads to a distant destination.

He returned to the Martial Arts Arena, practicing his Mountain-Holding Stance over and over again.

It was late into the night when Li Chuan finally dragged his exhausted body back to the Common Dormitory.

The moment he pushed the door open, he felt that something was wrong.

The atmosphere in the room was far too cold and quiet.

Hu Yuan sat in the corner, silent, packing his bags with a devastated expression on his face.

Seeing Li Chuan return, Hu Yuan said calmly:

"Senior Brother Li, I failed the gate."

Li Chuan knew very well that for apprentices with inferior talent like them, failing the gate meant there would never be another chance.

The Martial Hall only gave them six months; it was impossible to accumulate enough blood-qi for a second attempt.

Besides... given Hu Yuan's family background, he couldn't afford such expenses.

Li Chuan didn't know what to say, so he could only offer comfort:

"Junior Brother Hu, failing to master martial arts isn't the end of the world; it just means returning to a normal life."

Hu Yuan looked up at him, his calm voice laced with despair:

"My sister gave me her dowry to pay the tuition, and she even borrowed high-interest loans to provide me with meat, hoping I could pay it back once I succeeded..."

Li Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't expected Hu Yuan to have taken out high-interest loans to study martial arts.

Those loans were lethal!

With interest rates that demanded thirteen back for every nine borrowed, it was an impossible trap!

Often, borrowing a single tael would snowball into five or even ten.

Yet, Li Chuan understood why Hu Yuan's sister had made such a choice.

At the rate Hu Yuan had been accumulating blood-qi, he likely wouldn't have reached the threshold by the time he had to leave the Martial Hall.

He had only been able to eat a few scraps of meat every two or three days, and he had trained so ruthlessly—how could his body have held up?

Hu Yuan finished packing his bag.

In truth, there wasn't much: just a straw mat, a tattered quilt, and a few pieces of clothing.

The gifts he had received when he entered the Inner Courtyard had all been returned.

It was like a dream, briefly carrying him to a place that didn't belong to him.

Once the dream ended, he returned to the cruel reality.

Hu Yuan tightened his bag and said with a smile:

"Senior Brother Li, I'm going to be a woodcutter on the mountain. These four months of training weren't for nothing; at least I can chop wood much faster than others."

He held up the bag of sesame cakes in his hand:

"I haven't eaten these yet. I had planned to eat all five to celebrate after passing the gate, but who knew..."

"Senior Brother Li, I know you like the sesame cakes my sister makes. Keep this bag."

Before leaving, Hu Yuan looked at Li Chuan carefully for a few moments, as if trying to etch him into his memory:

"Senior Brother Li, you are a good man. I hope you make it."

"I'm leaving."

Outside, heavy snow was falling.

The Inner Courtyard remained brightly lit, with a constant stream of visitors; the sounds of congratulations and clinking glasses echoed endlessly.

Hu Yuan bowed his head and walked alone into the pitch-black night.