Formal Disciple!

Zhou Chen had already walked up to Old Zheng and briefly reported his breakthrough.

Old Zheng paused mid-step, lifting his eyelids as a flicker of shock crossed his eyes!

"You broke through?"

In his view, with Zhou Chen's natural aptitude, he definitely could not have become a Martial Warrior within three months. Yet on the path of martial arts, no one could say how high one's future achievements might reach.

There were also those with mediocre aptitude who soared into the sky and transformed into true dragons.

But those were, after all, mostly stories from novels.

Still, Old Zheng was delighted by Zhou Chen's breakthrough. He swept his gaze over him from head to toe and confirmed that the surge of qi and blood had indeed reached the level of First-Rank Skin Tempering. Only then did he stroke his beard and nod with a smile. "Not bad, not bad. Though your natural aptitude is a little lacking, this master has seen your daily diligent training. The path of martial arts has always rewarded hard work. As long as you persist, perhaps unexpected delights await you. Now that you've become a Martial Warrior, you must also guard against arrogance and impatience. You may yet have a chance to break through to the second rank."

After saying that, he withdrew his gaze and asked no further questions.

With Zhou Chen's aptitude, it was already no easy feat for him to luckily achieve Initiation. His talent had likely been nearly exhausted, and on the road of martial arts, he would probably stop here.

A trace of gloom flashed through Old Zheng's eyes. In a murmur only he could hear, he muttered, "If not for plotting that matter, then for the sake of that piece of Black Taisui, I could have given you more resources... But right now, I have too many irons in the fire, and I still need to spend my attention on that Zhao brat."

"Tomorrow, go find your eldest senior brother to teach you the Wild Bull Fist. Little Ma! Take Zhou Chen to change clothes."

With his hands behind his back, he strode away.

"Coming!"

Ma Ge had already jogged over. Shock was equally hard to conceal on his face. He looked Zhou Chen over for quite some time before breaking into a grin. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhou! Come, come, I'll take you to change clothes."

"You're too polite, Ma Ge. I merely got lucky." Zhou Chen cupped his hands.

"Oh, no, no, I couldn't possibly accept that!" Ma Ge hurriedly shifted half a step aside and repeatedly waved his hands. "I'm just a handyman. You're now a bona fide First-Rank Martial Artist. I can't accept such a salute."

"You're older than me, Ma Ge. It's only a form of address."

Zhou Chen smiled, his tone natural and calm.

Ma Ge gave him another look and silently nodded to himself.

Over his years guarding the martial hall, he had seen far too many people. Some became beside themselves with pride the moment they entered the first rank; others turned their backs on old friends and could not even be bothered to exchange words with the companions they had once laughed with.

Someone like Zhang Shaojiu had stopped giving him so much as a proper glance after achieving Initiation. Many said Old Zheng thought highly of Zhang Shaojiu and might take him as a Closed-Door Disciple, but Ma Ge knew that was absolutely impossible!

The most important thing in martial arts was not talent, but temperament—especially when accepting disciples, where every martial master acted with the utmost caution! Even someone as outstanding as Zhao Tianhong had merely received Old Zheng's full investment of resources; Old Zheng had never mentioned taking him as a Closed-Door Disciple. That alone showed how cautious Old Zheng was.

Old Zheng had once muttered to himself in private that Zhang Shaojiu had an impetuous temperament and would surely suffer a great loss.

Though Old Zheng usually looked like a lecherous old man, Ma Ge alone knew that he was nowhere near as simple as he appeared. He had served Old Zheng for so many years, yet he had never truly seen through him.

But Zhou Chen had clearly come from a poor background. Now, with one step, he had crossed the threshold into the ranks of Martial Warriors, yet he remained exactly as before—neither arrogant nor impatient. That temperament alone was worthy of Ma Ge's high regard.

Perhaps temperament could not be of much help in martial cultivation, but Ma Ge knew that people like this often lived long. In martial arts, that was the most important thing.

Upon arriving in the inner courtyard, Zhou Chen quickly changed into his new clothes.

The clothes of Ordinary Disciples were gray, somehow even plainer than black, though the material felt quite good. According to Ma Ge, these clothes might look ordinary, but they were woven with a special kind of silk and could not easily be cut apart.

"Master Zheng didn't say much to you just now, so let me add a few words. After becoming an Ordinary Disciple, if you can reach the second rank within three years, you can become a Direct Disciple."

Ma Ge chuckled. "Don't think three years is a long time. Master Zheng has run this martial hall for ten or twenty years, but he has taught fewer than ten Direct Disciples to date, while there are already over a hundred Ordinary Disciples."

Three years truly was not long for a Martial Warrior. Tempering qi and blood and training painstakingly in martial arts—neither was anything but water dripping through stone.

Let alone three years, being able to become a Second-Rank Martial Artist after ten years of grueling training already made one outstandingly gifted.

Generally speaking, the older one became, the harder it was to break through. If one still had not reached the second rank after passing thirty, it became exceedingly difficult even to maintain one's qi and blood, much less break through to the second rank.

This showed just how difficult the path of martial arts truly was.

Thinking of it that way, Zhang Shaojiu's arrogance was understandable. He had successfully tempered his qi and blood and achieved Initiation in less than a week. Now, in under a month and a half, his fist technique was also about to reach Initiation. So long as nothing unexpected happened, reaching the second rank was as certain as a nail hammered into a board.

"Thank you for telling me, Ma Ge. I will certainly work twice as hard."

Zhou Chen nodded.

"Oh, right!"

As if recalling something else, Ma Ge added, "After becoming an Ordinary Disciple, one Direct Disciple senior brother will come each month to guide you. Among the five Direct Disciples, your third senior brother Zhao Tianhong teaches the most earnestly. He's straightforward by nature and answers every question, never holding anything back. If you happen to catch one of his sessions, ask whatever doubts you have. As for Shen Ao, he's narrow-minded, so speak less in front of him."

"Alright, I'll remember that." Zhou Chen's heart stirred.

Ma Ge clearly did not tell everyone these unwritten rules. If others had to figure it out on their own, they would likely have to run into several walls before learning whom they could ask and whom they could not provoke.

Still, Zhou Chen had never seen this third senior brother, Zhao Tianhong, in the martial hall.

Ma Ge noticed his confusion and explained, "He usually isn't at the martial hall. You can only see him when he returns to teach. Master Zheng set down the rule that disciples must nurture martial arts through battle. Your third senior brother has the best talent among the Direct Disciples. Master Zheng has poured a vast amount of resources into him, so there's practically no difference between him and a Closed-Door Disciple. Teaching him so attentively isn't so he can spend every day fighting crickets like your eldest senior brother. In the future, he is meant to support Old Zheng in his old age and take blows for him. So, half a year ago, he was sent into the Night Patrol Bureau as a night guard. Now he has risen to become a Night Patrol Commander. At least a hundred Mist Monsters have died by his hand."

Zhou Chen knew of the Night Patrol Bureau. It was a group of Martial Warriors specifically tasked with patrolling the city at night; they were the Martial Warriors he often encountered while setting up his stall. He had once greatly envied them, never expecting that he now had the qualifications to join them.

Every day at the hour of the Rooster, night patrol soldiers would strike their gongs three times along the streets, urging residents to pack up their stalls and shut their doors. After nightfall, squads would patrol fixed routes until the hour of the Rabbit the next day.

As for what rank a Night Patrol Commander was, he had no time to look into it for now, nor did he need it yet.

He had only heard that a hundred Mist Monsters had died at this second senior brother's hands, and he already knew this second senior brother was definitely a ruthless figure!

Ma Ge added, "Now that you're a First-Rank Martial Artist, before long people will come asking whether you want to take up an affiliated post. If you can't find a suitable household, then it won't be too late to consider work with the Night Patrol Bureau."

He then explained that while the Night Patrol Bureau's pay was above average, the danger was equally real.

Those with good luck might not encounter even one Mist Monster all year. Those with bad luck might run into intermediate- or high-level ones just days after joining. Those things possessed strength comparable to Second- or Third-Rank Martial Artists; encountering one basically meant leaving your life behind.

It was far better to take up an affiliated post with a Noble Family Trading House, where things were much steadier.

Then Ma Ge enthusiastically introduced the situation in the Outer City.

"In our Outer City, there are four great surnames among the first-rate lineages: Su, Cheng, Li, and Sun. They are the heavens of our Outer City, collectively known as the Four-Family Alliance. Even if the Outer City's lord wants to change any rules, he must discuss it with the Four-Family Alliance. There are also two major gangs: the Black Armor Gang in the north of the city and the Money Gang in the south. Among these lineages and gangs are Third-Rank Martial Artists like Master Zheng, holding the fort. As for second-rate lineages with only Second-Rank Martial Artists, there are many more. The lineages of your eldest senior brother Lian Taoze and fourth senior brother Shen Ao are examples. A step below those are lineages that merely have Second-Rank Martial Artists as Attendants, such as the Liu Lineage of your Senior Sister Liu and the Sun Household of Senior Sister Sun."

Ma Ge's explanation was extremely detailed, even distinguishing second-rate lineages with great care. Within second-rate lineages, there was a huge difference between a Second-Rank Martial Artist born into the lineage and one merely attached to it. The most obvious difference was that when a life-or-death crisis arose, an attached Second-Rank Martial Artist would not live and die alongside the lineage.

Zhou Chen finally gained a vague understanding of the powers within the Outer City.