Enhanced Comprehension

Jiang Yan glanced at Li Rui, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.

"Junior Brother Zhu, is that the Groom from your household?"

Zhu Yue smiled delightedly. This was the first time in days that Jiang Yan had taken the initiative to speak to him.

He looked toward Li Rui.

A puzzled look also appeared on his face. It was indeed the Zhu Family's old Groom, but Li Rui was now wearing the uniform of the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

Clearly, something had happened while he had left Clear River and returned to the Huaqing Sect.

Han Qin chuckled. "Everyone has their own fortune. Getting to the Blood Tiger Gang is more important."

Jiang Yan nodded.

They had gone to great lengths to suppress Dao Xiong, and the Qinghe Branch had agreed to act. There was no need to stir up trouble at a time like this.

Before leaving, Jiang Yan gave Li Rui another deep look, an unusual glint flashing through her eyes.

Whoosh!

Watching the three from the Huaqing Sect leave, Li Rui let out a breath of relief.

He did not want to have too much involvement with the Huaqing Sect just yet.

For him now, catching Jiang Yan's attention was certainly no good thing.

The tangled affairs of the mortal world had better stay far away from an old man like him. All he wanted was to practice martial arts in peace.

But then a flash of delight appeared in his eyes.

Jiang Yan's appearance had allowed him to fill his Achievement Points ahead of time.

Achievement attained: Childhood Sweethearts!

Age +2

You became famous in your youth and happened to meet a girl equally young. Childhood sweethearts, you walked together, learning and understanding one another along the way.

Achievement Points have reached 100. Reward being granted.

When a youngster roams the martial world, comprehension is of utmost importance, for only then can one seize opportunities. If an immortal were to stroke my crown, I would gladly become a carefree god.

Comprehension improved!

Young hero, please begin your perfect journey through the martial world!

Name: Li Rui

Age: 7

Talent: Martial Bones, Outstanding Comprehension

Cultivation Method: White Ape Mantle Blade

Achievement: 0/100

Childhood Sweethearts

"Who has ever seen a seventy-year-old man who could still be Childhood Sweethearts?"

The corner of Li Rui's mouth twitched.

He decisively ignored the introductory lines above. After all, according to the system, he was only seven years old.

At last, his gaze settled on the words Outstanding Comprehension.

As everyone knew, a person's aptitude was judged in two parts.

The first was one's bones.

This was easy to assess. Some people could be judged simply by looking at their appearance.

For example, those whose hands reached past their knees were suited to practicing Through-Arm Fist. Those with tiger backs and bear waists were suited to hard-body techniques. Vice Helmsman Zhou of the Qinghe Branch had started losing his hair in his youth—a supreme aptitude for practicing the Iron Head Skill.

Others required a professional bone examiner to determine.

Li Rui's Martial Bones, for instance, were nearly impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.

Thus, many great clans and sects trained bone examiners so they would not miss seeds of martial genius.

The bones of clan members and sect disciples were determined the moment they were born. Those with extraordinary bones were taught according to their talents. They won at the starting line from birth.

How could a Martial Master born with mud on his legs compare?

There was simply no comparison.

The second was comprehension.

Compared to one's bones, comprehension was far more mysterious.

There was no physical means of judging it.

Yet it was not entirely without traces. For instance, prodigies who could form sentences at one year old and compose poems at three were displaying comprehension beyond that of ordinary people.

Applied to martial arts, with the same Cultivation Method, some understood it quickly while others understood it slowly. Those who learned quickly had good comprehension.

Thus, compared to one's bones, comprehension was not all that practical in the martial path.

Because comprehension's greatest use was in creating one's own Cultivation Method.

But unless one had already become a renowned figure in the martial world, creating one's own Cultivation Method was utterly meaningless.

Therefore, many genius disciples with ordinary bones but excellent comprehension were often overlooked, only to fade into the masses in the end.

Improved comprehension was more about raising a martial artist's upper limit.

Li Rui carefully felt the changes in his body.

Other than his mind seeming clearer, there did not appear to be any further changes.

"Perhaps only with the accumulation of days and months will I discover what improved comprehension can do."

"Ah He, I yield, I yield."

Zhou Shulin dropped onto the ground on his butt, panting like an ox. One hand braced against the ground while the other waved repeatedly.

Liang He reluctantly lowered the wooden sword in his hand.

"Shulin, why are you getting weaker and weaker?"

Zhou Shulin rolled his eyes.

"Am I getting weaker?"

"You're the one getting stronger!"

He roared inwardly, but in the end, he did not say those words aloud.

Zhou Shulin climbed to his feet, somewhat dejected.

He, Liang He, and Liu Tong had joined Heaven One Hall at around the same time. Back then, the three had been roughly equal in strength.

He had even been slightly stronger than Liang He.

After all, his family circumstances were far better than those of a commoner like Liang He. Ever since his Vice Helmsman uncle had become a Vice Helmsman, he had never needed to worry about Cultivation Methods.

Yet now Liang He could defeat him in just ten moves.

And this was only the beginning. The gap between them would only grow wider in the future.

He had heard that after Liu Tong went to the Civil and Martial Hall, he had shone brilliantly in the most recent internal assessment there and had already made something of a name for himself.

That meant that of the three disciples from Heaven One Hall, he alone was useless.

Naturally, Zhou Shulin was depressed.

It was not that he did not work hard. His talent truly could not compare.

Thinking of the upcoming assessment made him feel even worse.

Liang He also noticed Zhou Shulin's low spirits. Ever since Hall Master Li had given him guidance, he had become better at sensing changes in other people's emotions.

He immediately guessed that Zhou Shulin's reaction was because of the assessment.

"Shulin, you practice diligently and have improved greatly. It's only that I've improved a little faster. You'll certainly achieve a good ranking in the assessment as well."

Only then did Zhou Shulin feel better. "Really?"

Liang He nodded seriously. "Of course."

He had once been solitary by nature and had almost no friends in the Heaven and Earth Alliance. Zhou Shulin counted as one.

He did not want to lose his only friend.

Simply comforting Zhou Shulin by saying he was already strong would have little effect. No one was a fool. Only encouragement grounded in fact could truly help.

Only then did Zhou Shulin grin. "That's good, then."

He did not expect to surpass freaks like Liang He and Liu Tong. As long as he could remain working in one of the seven halls of the branch, that would be enough.

Just as he was about to speak—

Liang He's expression changed, and he said respectfully, "Hall Master."

Zhou Shulin turned his head and saw Li Rui standing behind him at some unknown moment.

He hurriedly turned around and stepped back.

"H-Hall Master."

Seeing his two disciples practicing seriously, Li Rui nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Continue. The assessment is about to begin, so you must practice diligently. Don't tarnish the name of our Heaven One Hall."

Then he thought that Heaven One Hall did not really have much of a name to tarnish, so he added, "Your Hall Master is already old. The future belongs to you."

The two youngsters immediately flushed red.

Recognition from the Hall Master!

Liang He stretched his neck and said, "Hall Master, I definitely won't let down your expectations."

Li Rui patted both youngsters on the shoulders. "Not bad. Carry on."

With that, he walked into Heaven One Hall.

He first made a circuit of the first and second floors, then selected a copy of the "Nanhua True Explanation."

A cup of tea, a book.

Li Rui sat leisurely in a wooden chair.

He would not trade this life even for a Prince.