Star Sky Professional

The next day.

"Hei Hu... come on, let's spar!"

Although Ye Fengchun was exhausted like a dead dog yesterday, in reality, any young person who has reached this stage possesses a certain toughness. Early this morning, he got up and even took the initiative to invite.

His eyes were eager, as if they were saying, 'Come on... let's have fun... let's hurt each other...'

Xun Heihu glanced at him, shook his head, and mentally apologized, then found the head instructor Yu: "Head Instructor Yu... I have entered a grade."

"What?"

Although he spoke softly, the square was filled with martial artists, all of whom had sharp ears and keen senses.

Head Instructor Yu's eyes shone brightly, her hands flew as she pressed various points on Xun Heihu's body.

Xun Heihu's skin tensed almost like a reflex, his bronze color deepening with a hidden power ready to burst forth.

"Not bad, not bad... your body is like a bronze figure, strong as a bull... indeed a sign of entering the ninth grade."

Head Instructor Yu praised him: "It's a pity you're not a girl; otherwise, I'd want to take you as my disciple."

"Is that... Xun Heihu? Has he broken through?"

"He's only been here for a few months?"

The young boys and girls discussed among themselves, some silently practicing their sparring.

"He... he broke through?"

Ye Fengchun's mouth dropped open, feeling both bitter and helpless...

Seeing this, Jiang Yu Yan showed no expression, merely moving to a wooden stake nearby.

Bam bam!

Each of her strikes seemed stronger than the last, her arms soon becoming red and swollen. But the girl appeared to feel nothing, letting the stake grind her skin to make the medicine more effective...

...

"Come with me."

Head Instructor Yu ignored all that; she believed that stimulating the trainees more could only be beneficial.

She led Xun Heihu, walking towards the back of the White Deer Institute.

'This Head Instructor Yu... is definitely an expert of inner strength!'

Following behind Head Instructor Yu, Xun Heihu stared at her graceful back and full hips, letting his thoughts wander: 'If this instructor didn't have a scar on her face, she'd be a beauty... Wait, what am I thinking? Even though martial artists have vigorous vitality, there are still limits...'

He forced himself to look at the buildings on either side, finding themselves in a Jiangnan Water Town styled tile house with its unique charm.

Red bricks, green tiles, horse-head walls, full of flavor.

In front of some villas, small bridges and flowing water passed by lotus-filled ponds, paths paved with bluestone slabs, and atop the bridges stood endearing lion statues, making him marvel.

After all, he was just a poor child, used to commuting between the training ground, dormitory, and cafeteria since joining the White Deer Institute, unaware of such opulence hidden within the Institute.

"Do you like it here?"

"As long as you can cultivate to the seventh grade within two years... even if you can't join the Five Beasts Sect in the future, joining our White Deer Lower Institute shouldn't be much of an issue. By then, you can permanently have a residence here."

Head Instructor Yu took several turns, leading Xun Heihu into a courtyard: "Next, I'll take you to see our headmaster..."

Xun Heihu looked over and saw a fat man lying on a rattan chair.

The person appeared relaxed, wearing a loosely buttoned hemp garment, holding a cattail fan in his hand.

"Ah, it's Little Yu... have we got another good seedling?"

The headmaster, short and stout like a meatball, spoke with a strong northern accent.

"Indeed, this young man is named Xun Heihu, and he has already entered a grade!"

Head Instructor Yu replied with a bow.

"Greetings, Headmaster!"

Xun Heihu hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

"Excellent, excellent. In your cohort, there are now three who have entered a grade; aside from Wei Chigang and Situ Yanyan, add you to the count. Maybe in the future, we can even secure a place in a sect, which would be an achievement for us, wouldn't it?"

The fat man continued to lie on the rattan chair, waving his cattail fan: "I am Zhang Kaitai, in my youth I mingled in the northern lands, and with the non-abandonment of my martial friends, I earned the nickname 'Taiyin Hand'..."

Immediately, Xun Heihu felt a deep sense of respect.

In today's Jiuzhou martial world, gaining a nickname and earning a reputation is no easy feat.

Then, they heard Zhang Kaitai's voice continue: "...Since you have entered a grade, you can move over here, have an independent house and courtyard, and no longer need to eat at the canteen. Here, there's a special medicinal diet... and you have a ration of one 'Gold Mercury Pill' every five days, you should know the rules, so I won't go into detail... Besides, after reaching the ninth grade, you're allowed to learn martial arts techniques. You can choose an instructor to become your master, provided that they agree."

Martial arts realm is the Dao!

Martial arts techniques are the art!

Only having the Dao without the art is like a stubborn bull, a fat pig...

Whereas having only the art without the Dao is an illusion.

Before entering a grade, White Deer Institute didn't teach martial arts techniques because it would just be posturing without the grade.

After entering a grade, one could indeed start learning.

"Yes."

Xun Heihu repeatedly affirmed.

In fact, he had already learned quite a few martial arts techniques, all from the ancient martial schools!

Ancient Martial Arts are most adept at combat, crafted from the generations of ancestors battling Fierce Beasts and comprehending techniques from these encounters.

Thus, their strikes are exceedingly ruthless, ending only in death or injury!

Even though Xun Heihu has practiced it, he dares not employ it even once.

'I don't necessarily need to seek a master to learn... but the shortage of money is a significant problem.'

A Ninth Grade Martial Artist already has many avenues for making money, such as becoming a bodyguard or joining an escort agency.

But each option requires a substantial investment of time and energy, unsuitable for Xun Heihu at the moment.

He has no choice but to take it one step at a time.

...

After visiting Zhang Kaitai, Xun Heihu followed Coach Yu to register and choose an empty villa to live in.

'It seems I don't need to seek a master; after all, I am familiar with Martial Arts techniques, but regarding money... surely I can't shamelessly follow what the Artifact Spirit said?'

Xun Heihu felt uneasy and was about to speak when Coach Yu said, "Alright, everything's done... However, I have some unfortunate news for you: it seems no coach has their eye on you, otherwise you would have received some indication by now."

"Why?"

Xun Heihu was relieved in his heart, but his face showed some dissatisfaction: "In this year's martial apprentices, I'm clearly ranked third..."

"Because you are not from a Family; the two ahead of you, Wei Chigang and Situ Yanyan, both come from Martial Arts Families... What is a Martial Arts Family? In every generation, they have experts in Inner Strength, and even Grandmasters from the top three grades in their ancestry; only then can they be called a Family."

Coach Yu said: "You can keep up with the backs of those two geniuses, your Martial Arts talent is decent, but it's just that... it hasn't reached the point where it moves us to invest heavily in you."

"Invest?"

Xun Heihu seemed to understand something.

"Lower Third Grade Martial Arts is about cultivating hard skills, with the emphasis on resources... For example, that Wei Chigang, he has to take a 'Jade Dust Pill' every day; this Elixir can neutralize the toxic effects of the 'Gold Mercury Pill', allowing him to take another pill every two days... Of course, the extra quota is something he must buy himself, but they can afford it, the value of Jade Dust Pill exceeds that of Gold Mercury Pill..."

"Breaking through the Lower Third Grade is significantly tied to resources, so Martial Arts is like a gold-eating beast! And the cultivation of Inner Strength is better the younger you are... Do you understand?"

Coach Yu looked at Xun Heihu with a hint of pity in his eyes: "Those martial apprentices outside cannot see the backs of the Family heirs; this is how their lives will be. Someone like you, a genius who can see but cannot reach, is the true despair..."

"But... didn't Coach Yu accept Jiang Yu Yan as a disciple?" Xun Heihu seemed to think of something: "It seems, Coach Yu also can't stand this kind of..."

"Yes, you are smart. If I had someone to support me back then, how would I have been stuck at the Sixth Grade for life?"

Coach Yu said: "I suggest you accumulate as much as you can in these few years, and then join the Five Beasts Army immediately, perhaps making a breakthrough..."

"Thank you, Coach Yu, for the advice."

Xun Heihu thanked him and went to his own courtyard.

Bam!

After closing the door, he exhaled and thought to himself: 'Anyone else might despair... but I won't.'

'I have the True Martial Talisman; it's already an unimaginable fortune that enables me to train ten times harder than others each day. There's no way the Family heirs can leave me in the dust!'

...

A few days later.

White Deer Institute, main gate.

"Father?"

Xun Heihu looked at the dusty, road-worn Xun Old Six, his eyes slightly reddened: "I... I've reached Ninth Grade..."

"Haha, good child, worthy of being mine, achieving the grade in just a few months."

Xun Old Six patted Xun Heihu's shoulder, feeling somewhat unbelieving himself.

He knew best his son's character.

Did he misjudge?

Was it because he had been traveling for the past few years, not observing closely?

He thought it over and handed over a package: "These are clothes and shoes your mother made for you... Training is tough, eat more."

Xun Old Six stepped forward, lowered his voice: "Inside the clothes, there are a thousand silver notes sewn in, all payable at sight from the Baoyuan Office in denominations of five taels... Don't be reluctant to spend it."

"Dad, where did you get so much money?"

Xun Heihu was stunned.

He had been secretly anxious lately, almost ready to sell himself...

He never thought his dad would turn out to be so wealthy.

"Borrowed from a friend..."

Xun Old Six casually brushed it off, hesitated, then added, "Also... remember you must never privately sell 'Gold Mercury Pills'! If you really need to sell, I have connections!"

...

Watching Xun Old Six's departing back, Xun Heihu fell into silence.

He returned to his courtyard, closed the door and windows, and tore open the clothes to reveal the shiny silver notes.

"Baoyuan Office, it's a monopoly of Chu State's large note issuer, backed by Five Beasts Sect..."

"A thousand taels, truly enough, saved for use, will last a long time."

"The way my dad moved just now... clearly knows Martial Arts and is quite strong!"

Xun Heihu grasped the True Martial Talisman on his neck, wanting to ask his father about this treasure.

But recalling his vow not to reveal anything about the True Martial Talisman to anyone, he fell into a dilemma...