True Martial Sect

Liang Bo gave Purple Sun Temple's representative a slight bow. "My apologies, and thank you, Senior, but I feel that the True Martial Sect may suit me better, so I have decided to join the True Martial Sect. I am truly sorry."

"Alas!" Purple Sun Temple's representative shook his head repeatedly after hearing this, looking deeply dejected.

"Ha ha ha ha..." The True Martial Sect's representative, however, was utterly delighted. As the representative sent to Nanyang Prefecture this time, if he could recruit a genius like Liang Bo into the True Martial Sect, he would receive a handsome reward upon his return. Naturally, he was overjoyed.

Once his excitement subsided, the old man immediately said, "Why wait for another day when today will do? Let us draw up the agreement right away! Once it is settled, you will be a member of our True Martial Sect!"

"So soon? Don't we still have to wait for the arena battles?" Liang Bo froze for a moment.

The old man waved a hand. "Who cares about arena battles? With your strength, could you possibly fail to pass a mere arena battle? Listen to me—sign the agreement now, and then this old man can teach you our sect's foundational cultivation art, the True Martial Canon, ahead of time!"

The reason he was so eager to sign the agreement was simply that he feared long delays might breed new complications. There was still a full month until the arena battles—who could guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen in the meantime?

It was better to sign the agreement in advance. Not only would that be safer, but he could also teach the True Martial Sect's foundational art ahead of time.

That way, after learning the True Martial Sect's foundational art, if Liang Bo still dared to violate the agreement and join another sect, he could wait for the True Martial Sect's relentless pursuit unto death.

For Liang Bo, obtaining the True Martial Sect's foundational cultivation art in advance was naturally a good thing as well, so he did not refuse.

The old man immediately brought Liang Bo to a secret chamber outside the second-round testing grounds, then drafted an agreement. Its contents were roughly that after Liang Bo joined the True Martial Sect, he could directly receive the treatment of a direct disciple, specifically including three rights:

First, he could possess an independent palace within the True Martial Sect's grounds;

Second, he could receive three thousand contribution points. One thousand could be freely used, while the other two thousand could only be used to exchange for cultivation arts or martial skills;

Third, he would be permitted to recruit three attendants, who could enjoy the treatment of outer disciples within the True Martial Sect.

As for the requirements, they were quite simple, mainly consisting of two points. The first was that he could not violate the True Martial Sect's rules, and the second was that he had to complete a certain number of cultivation tasks every year.

These benefits and requirements were basically standard and identical for every direct disciple. Liang Bo gave them a cursory look, found no issues, and signed his name.

After the agreement was signed, the old man took out a small booklet and handed it to Liang Bo. "This is our sect's foundational cultivation art, the True Martial Canon. Of course, this only contains the first two levels. As for the later portions, you can obtain them only after your strength breaks through to the Earth Origin Realm."

"The Earth Origin Realm? May I ask, Senior, how exactly are the cultivation realms divided?"

The old man waved his hand. "Since you have joined the True Martial Sect, do not call me Senior anymore. This old man's surname is Ma, and my given name is Wen. In terms of seniority, I should be one generation above you, so you may call me Martial Uncle Ma. As for cultivation realms, they can specifically be divided into four great realms: the Ninth Grade of Martial Dao, the Human Origin Realm, the Earth Origin Realm, and the Heaven Origin Realm. You little fellows are all still at the Ninth Grade of Martial Dao. You remain far from becoming true peak experts, so you must work hard!"

"Yes, this disciple understands!" Liang Bo hurriedly bowed.

Ma Wen nodded and continued, "As for the detailed divisions within each realm, you will naturally learn them after entering the True Martial Sect, so there is no need to ask further now. This True Martial Canon is an untransmitted secret of our sect and must never be leaked. Therefore, you may only memorize it carefully here. You must not put it into writing, much less teach it to others. If you dare spread this cultivation art outside, then wait for the sect's pursuit!"

Only after repeatedly warning him several times did Ma Wen allow Liang Bo to begin carefully memorizing the cultivation art.

According to Ma Wen, this cultivation art was a heaven-tier art, one of the only few heaven-tier arts in the world today. It contained over a thousand words and was easy to understand, without anything especially obscure.

Perhaps because he had received exam-oriented education in his previous life and had grown accustomed to memorizing texts and vocabulary every day, Liang Bo memorized this cultivation art extremely quickly. In just over an hour, he had fully committed its contents to memory.

During this time, Ma Wen waited patiently. Only after confirming that Liang Bo had memorized everything completely did he smile and say, "All right. This old man must return to preside over the grand competition, and you should head back as well. Over the next month, cultivate diligently and do not slack off. If you encounter any problems, you may come find this old man. Also, do not forget next month's arena battles. Though you have already passed, the necessary formalities must still be observed."

"Yes, Martial Uncle." Liang Bo bowed, then left the room.

After returning to the second-round testing grounds, Liang Bo walked toward Zhao Wu and Zhao Zhao with a face full of joy. But as soon as he approached, he discovered that both of them were clearly downcast. Zhao Zhao in particular looked dispirited, as though she had been wounded.

"You two, what happened...?"

Zhao Wu raised his head and glanced at him. "Don't mention it. Zhao Zhao and I both failed our challenges. Zhao Zhao was all right—she held out for more than a hundred exchanges against that fifth-grade demonic beast before losing. But I was frightened senseless by that Howling Moon Wolf's roar."

"You forfeited?" Liang Bo asked in surprise. He remembered that Zhao Wu had fought demonic beasts before. Even if he could not win, surely he should not have forfeited?

Zhao Zhao explained for him from the side, "Liang Bo, you do not understand. When facing a demonic beast stronger than yourself, the pressure is enormous. I had thought I should be able to succeed as well, but when I truly stepped onto the field, it felt like my hands and feet would not listen to me. My reactions were much slower than usual, and after more than a hundred exchanges, I still lost in the end."

Liang Bo blinked. Why hadn't I felt that way when I challenged that fourth-grade demonic beast, the Swift Leopard?

But he also knew it was not because his mental fortitude surpassed Zhao Zhao's and Zhao Wu's, allowing him to ignore pressure. It was merely because his strength far exceeded that of the Swift Leopard, giving him enough confidence to fully display his power.

Zhao Zhao and Zhao Wu did not have a cheat like his. Naturally, they also lacked his confidence and could not bring all their strength into play.

After thinking for a moment, Liang Bo asked, "Then what are your plans from here?"

"Of course, we will keep working hard and come back for the grand competition next year!" Zhao Zhao said boldly, seemingly unaffected by her failure.