"Xu Qing! Xu Qing! Xu Qing!!!"
"..."
Suddenly, someone in the stands began to shout Xu Qing's name, and the rest of the audience quickly joined in.
And so, the name "Xu Qing" echoed throughout the entire underground fighting arena. At that moment, Xu Qing became the brightest star of the underground circuit.
'How can this be?'
Fan Yanbin stood frozen on the spot. He could never have imagined that Xu Qing could actually defeat Pang De. The fight had been so clean and decisive, without a single wasted move.
One punch.
Just one punch.
And Xu Qing had crushed Pang De.
"Hahaha..."
Yu Chen burst out laughing and looked at Fan Yanbin. "Looks like even you can be wrong sometimes. Didn't you say Xu Qing would only last three punches? And what happened? Pang De couldn't even take one punch from him."
"Xu Qing."
Fan Yanbin's expression turned ugly. He stared intently at Xu Qing, snorted coldly, and left without another word.
In fact, Fan Yanbin had also placed a bet on this match—one hundred silver. He had lost everything; all one hundred silver had gone down the drain.
"There's more to this Xu Qing than meets the eye!"
Lv Wei remarked.
"Of course."
Yu Chen said.
The match was over. Even though many spectators had lost everything they bet, no one was shouting about fixed matches or demanding refunds anymore. Xu Qing had shown them his true strength, and they accepted their losses without complaint.
「The scene shifted to Xu Qing's room in the underground fighting arena.」
"Xu Qing."
Yu Chen took out another money pouch and handed it to Xu Qing. "This is for you. A total of sixty silver. That's on top of the thirty you won from your own bet, plus your principal."
"A grand total of ninety-three silver."
"Thank you."
Xu Qing smiled and secured all the money.
"Xu Qing, I really didn't expect this. You actually managed to beat Pang De. That's Pang De we're talking about! You've really impressed me."
Yu Chen said with deep emotion.
"It was just a fluke."
Xu Qing said.
"What are your plans now?"
Yu Chen asked.
"Now that your strength is out in the open, it won't be so easy to earn this much money in the underground fights anymore. Too many people will be betting on you."
Yu Chen continued, "So, even if you keep fighting here, you'll probably only make the appearance fee at most."
"I'm planning to join the Cangying Martial Arts Hall."
Xu Qing said.
"Ah, right."
Yu Chen nodded in sudden understanding. "With your Talent, you mastered the Baji Fist I gave you yesterday in a single day. If you join the Cangying Martial Arts Hall and learn their real skills, you'll be like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss—unstoppable!"
"Haha..."
Xu Qing chuckled. "I'll take that as a good omen."
"You're the person I've seen spend the shortest amount of time in the underground fighting circuit."
Yu Chen remarked with emotion again. "Just yesterday and today. Not even two full days."
「That afternoon.」
Xu Qing spent a few silver, bought a set of clean clothes, and washed his hair and body. Looking like a completely different person, he headed for the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
「At the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall.」
Xu Qing once again saw the students from the day before.
"Who are you?"
One of them blocked Xu Qing's path.
"I'm here to join the hall."
Xu Qing said.
"Join the hall."
The two students from the Martial Arts Hall exchanged a glance. They suddenly froze, having clearly recognized Xu Qing. With shocked expressions, they exclaimed, "It's you! The beggar from yesterday! How are you...?"
"Is there a problem?"
Xu Qing's tone was calm.
"This... You..."
Shock.
Disbelief.
Incredulity.
The two students from the Martial Arts Hall could never have imagined that in less than two days, Xu Qing would undergo such a complete transformation. They were thoroughly stunned.
Moreover, they had originally thought Xu Qing would be beaten to death in the underground fights. But not only was he not dead, he had changed so much they almost didn't recognize him.
"Lead the way."
Xu Qing said in a deep voice.
"Did you bring the money?"
one of them asked.
"Of course."
Xu Qing said.
"Then follow me."
the student said.
Xu Qing followed the student inside, passing through the Outer Courtyard and toward the Inner Courtyard. The Outer Courtyard was filled with students who had just recently joined the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, and it had the most people.
The Inner Courtyard was different.
Only students recognized by the Cangying Martial Arts Hall's Hall Master, Du Cangying, were allowed in the Inner Courtyard. They could be considered Official Disciples of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
「Inner Courtyard.」
"Senior Brother."
Xu Qing saw Huo Yi again. Upon reaching the Inner Courtyard, the student leading him dared not go any further. He stopped and bowed respectfully to Huo Yi.
"What is it?"
Huo Yi asked.
"Someone is here to join the hall."
the student guide said.
"Joining the hall."
Huo Yi looked over at Xu Qing, and his expression also faltered. A look of astonishment crossed his face as he sized Xu Qing up for a long moment. "Xu Qing. It's you."
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded.
Surprise.
Huo Yi was genuinely surprised.
Although Huo Yi was the one who ran the underground fighting ring, he was mostly hands-off. He just needed to check the accounts each month and take his share of the profits.
Therefore, Huo Yi didn't yet know what had happened with Xu Qing.
"You have the money ready?"
Huo Yi asked.
"It's ready."
Xu Qing nodded.
"Then come with me."
Huo Yi said.
"Yes."
Xu Qing once again followed Huo Yi, this time to the main courtyard of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. Only True Disciples of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, like Huo Yi, were permitted to enter this courtyard.
"Master."
Outside the door, Huo Yi bowed. "Someone is here today to join the hall."
"Bring him in."
A dignified, elderly voice came from inside the room.
"Yes."
Huo Yi nodded, gave Xu Qing a look, then pushed the door open and led him inside.
Inside, Xu Qing saw an elderly man whose temples were mostly white. Despite his advanced age, he sat in a chair holding a teacup, yet the aura he exuded made Xu Qing feel as if he were facing a terrifying beast.
This was the Hall Master of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall, Du Cangying.
The Hall Master's strength was considered among the best in the entire Outer City of Qingbei Town. The Cangying Martial Arts Hall's businesses were in the Outer City, which was why he hadn't moved into the Inner City.
"So you're the one who wants to join?"
Du Cangying asked, sizing up Xu Qing.
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded.
"Times have changed."
Du Cangying said, "Starting today, joining the Cangying Martial Arts Hall requires three months of tuition paid upfront. It's ten silver per month, so that's thirty silver in total."
"Thirty silver."
Xu Qing was taken aback for a moment, but he still took thirty silver from his robes and respectfully presented it to Du Cangying. "This is my tuition. Please count it."
"Oh."
Du Cangying was slightly surprised. He gave Huo Yi a meaningful look, and Huo Yi, understanding immediately, took Xu Qing's thirty silver and put it away.
"Good."
Du Cangying smiled and nodded. "Starting today, you are a student of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall. For the next three months, the hall will teach you the most basic Martial Arts. If you still haven't reached the Entry Level after three months, it means you have no Talent for Martial Arts, and you might as well give up early."
"Of course, if you insist on continuing to learn, that's fine too. You just have to keep paying."
"Disciple Xu Qing pays his respects to Master."
Xu Qing began to bow.
"You are not yet qualified to call me Master."
Du Cangying interrupted him.
Du Cangying had someone give Xu Qing a set of Cangying Martial Arts Hall student robes and then dismissed him. Xu Qing then made his way to the Outer Courtyard of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall.
Here, at least three or four hundred people were practicing their martial arts together.
"You're the new one?"
In the Outer Courtyard, Xu Qing met the Outer Courtyard Instructor, Zhang He, a bald man who sized him up from head to toe. Other students were also watching Xu Qing.
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded and clasped his hands in a salute to Zhang He. He then discreetly slipped a single silver into Zhang He's hand. "Greetings, Outer Courtyard Instructor."
"Ah, very good."
Zhang He felt something unusual in his hand and, upon realizing it was a silver, immediately broke into a smile. He had originally planned to let Xu Qing cool his heels for a few days, but now he became very enthusiastic.
"Now that you've joined our Cangying Martial Arts Hall, you are qualified for Cultivation of our hall's Training Technique, the 'Cyan Eagle Force'."
Zhang He slowly explained, "Of course, you can't just start practicing the 'Cyan Eagle Force' right away. You need to build up your body and possess sufficient physical fitness first."
"In addition, besides the Cyan Eagle Force, you can also practice its complementary fighting style, the Eagle Claw Technique."
"Before that, however, I need to explain to you what a fighting style is, what a Training Technique is, and what a Fundamental Skill is. This is of the utmost importance for us practitioners of the Martial Dao."
"Yes."
Xu Qing nodded. "I ask for Instructor Zhang He's guidance."
Time passed, and before he knew it, evening was approaching.
Zhang He gave Xu Qing a thorough and serious explanation of fighting styles, Training Techniques, and Fundamental Skills, from which Xu Qing benefited greatly.
"For practitioners of the Martial Dao, the first step is the 'Power Realm'. This Realm is further divided into Ming Jin, An Jin, Huajin, and Dan Jin."
"Only by reaching the 'Dan Jin' level are you qualified to come into contact with a Fundamental Skill. As long as you can master a Fundamental Skill, you can reach the 'Gang Qi Realm'."
"Our Hall Master is a true Gang Qi Realm Martial Artist. In the entire Outer City of Qingbei Town, he is one of the absolute strongest experts. This also proves that our Cangying Martial Arts Hall possesses a true Fundamental Skill."
"So, the fact that you were able to join the Cangying Martial Arts Hall for a mere ten silver a month is your good fortune. As long as you can show enough Talent and cultivate 'Ming Jin' within a month, you can become an Official Disciple of the Cangying Martial Arts Hall."