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Now it was already December, nearing January, and it was almost time for the New Year, so he planned to stay in Huangtong Mansion City until the New Year.

Yes, this world also had the custom of celebrating the New Year.

The precise origins were no longer traceable, but it was said that in the Ancient Mythological Era, Immortals had established the celestial calendar and specified festivals for the mortal world.

Most of these traditions had been lost over time, but fortunately, the custom of celebrating the New Year had been luckily preserved.

Every time Zhou Heng saw these festival divisions, he felt as if he had returned to Earth, whether it was the method of counting years, months, and days, or the division of some festivals, all of which were very similar to Earth’s.

Unfortunately, after that long dark era, many classics had been lost, and with his current cultivation realm, he still couldn’t access too many secrets and wasn’t able to investigate these matters in detail.

He needed to advance his cultivation realm even further first.

…

More than two months ago, Huangtong Mansion City had encountered a great disaster.

A Ghost Immortal sent by the great demon Cang Hua had attempted to unseal the half-piece of a demon’s finger bone that was sealed here.

There was also an attack by the Loose Immortal Yu Long.

This was already a devastating catastrophe.

Luckily, the Celestial Man from Pure Yang Palace had descended, and together with many Great Grandmasters, they had managed to reseal the half-piece demon’s finger bone and killed the Loose Immortal Yu Long.

Huangtong Mansion finally returned to peace.

As a result, the martial arts academy, rebuilt from the original Longxing Martial Arts Hall, became even more prosperous, with strong support from both the prefectural and county government offices in the construction of martial arts facility grounds.

The reputation of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall was thoroughly established, and the reflection of Yan Shouyi’s divine-like, powerful means was still fresh in the memories of all the people in Huangtong Mansion.

Now that over two months had passed, the premises of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall were already spread all over, with six of them in use.

The number of apprentices had also increased significantly, far exceeding the past.

Moreover, many former students of Longxing Martial Arts Hall, who had “gone astray”, wanted to be accepted into the now Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

However, there was no such thing as a pill for regret in this world, and such apprentices were outrightly rejected.

After all, Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall now had a very large number of apprentices.

They simply weren’t worried about “student resources”.

Zhou Heng followed his old memories to the front of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, only to find that it had been converted into a place resembling a memorial hall.

Visitors were coming and going in an endless stream, and there were also a lot of robust-looking youth acting as guards, maintaining order.

However, these people were all strangers, and they seemed to be from other places.

At the entrance to the martial arts hall, an old grandfather was sitting and seemed to be checking and verifying the information of the visitors.

“So it really turned into a tourist attraction, eh? It must be Yu He’s masterpiece,” Zhou Heng looked around with interest and thought to himself, “Listening to the accents of these ‘staff members’, they should be from the counties under Huangtong Mansion’s jurisdiction. Are they here to work in the city?”

Looking at this somewhat familiar scene, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn upward slightly.

As Zhou Heng was strolling around, suddenly a figure blocked his way.

It was a young boy with a somewhat youthful face, dressed in a blue tunic, who looked to be only about fourteen or fifteen years old.

“Big brother, are you also here to visit the number one Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, drawn by its fame?” he seemed to muster tremendous courage to speak to Zhou Heng, “Are you interested in having me as your guide?”

“Guide?” Zhou Heng responded with a smile, “So you are very familiar with this place?”

“Of course!” the youth nodded, speaking earnestly, “Although I’ve only been in the prefectural city for a month, I’ve long heard of Zhou Heng and the fame of Pure Yang Palace. I know everything there is to know about Zhou Heng, just ask and I’m sure I can provide answers.”

When he spoke of Zhou Heng, his face was full of admiration and longing, and his tone was one of praise.

“This Zhou Heng you’re talking about, is he very impressive?” Zhou Heng asked with a smile.

“It’s not a matter of being impressive or not…” the youth shook his head vigorously, spread his arms wide, and drew a huge circle with all his might, correcting himself, “He is extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely impressive!”

“That strong?” Zhou Heng pretended to be surprised and asked, “Then do you know what this Zhou Heng looks like?”

“Ah, well, um…” The youth’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he stammered, “They say that only core disciples of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall can see Zhou Heng’s portrait, and, and I haven’t become a core disciple yet.”

“I see you have the potential of a great talent,” Zhou Heng patted the youth’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Work hard on your martial arts, becoming a core disciple is just a matter of time.”

He noticed that this young man had a faint spiritual root, and his physique and bone structure were not bad, indicating that he likely had a talent for martial arts.

As for the ‘potential of a great talent,’ that was just him playing a joke on a whim, nothing serious.

“Ah?” The young man was bewildered, exclaiming, “Great, great talent? I, I don’t dare to think about that. I would be completely satisfied to become an Eighth Rank martial artist in my life.”

Great talent? That refers to the powerful ones at the Upper Third Rank, at the very least, those who have reached the realm of Celestial Men, the kind of people like terrestrial immortals!

How could he possibly have the potential of a great talent when he didn’t even get selected as an apprentice in Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall before…

When he had just mentioned that he was not yet a core disciple of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, it was true but not the whole truth.

In fact, he was not even a regular apprentice.

The current selection tests for apprentices at Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall are very strict. They require one to be in good health, not too skinny, and it’s best to have some martial arts foundation.

He didn’t meet any of those requirements.

His father died early, and his mother supported him by selling noodles, but that was barely enough to keep him alive; they seldom ate meat, so naturally, he was rather skinny.

Now, he was working as a tour guide to earn money. He wanted to help his mother, and at the same time, he wanted to use the money he earned to build up his physique in hopes of the next time Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall would recruit apprentices.

For him, becoming an Eighth Rank martial artist in his lifetime was indeed an enormous ambition.

“People should have dreams, what’s your name?” Zhou Heng said with a smile, while his gaze shifted to someone familiar approaching from behind the youth.

“Ah? I, I’m called Xie Chong,” the young man replied somewhat flusteredly.

In his heart, he was very puzzled. He was usually quite skilled at communicating with people, otherwise, he couldn’t be a tour guide – but somehow, speaking with this man made him feel unusually nervous.

“Zhou Heng, you actually came back! And didn’t even give a heads up?!” Just then, an exclamation rang out, and a teenager about eighteen or nineteen years old jogged over, his face alight with joy.

It was indeed Yu He.

“Zhou, Zhou Heng?!!” Xie Chong was stunned, he rapidly turned around and immediately recognized the young man jogging over, exclaiming in shock, “Yu, Manager Yu, you, you just said this person, this person is, is Zhou Heng??”

His words came out with a stutter.

Yu He now was the external manager of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, overseeing all matters like finances, publicity, activities, and the like.

He was, in essence, the actual operator of the martial arts hall.

Lei Xiuyan, Lin Cang, and others mainly served as the hall’s public face and taught martial arts.

The job Xie Chong had, drawing people to visit the number one Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall as a tour guide, was actually planned out by Yu He, so Xie Chong recognized Yu He.

He also knew the weight Yu He’s words carried within Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

Which means that Yu He’s address just now must have been true, the man who was talking to him just now, was actually, really Zhou Heng?!

“Oh my god! What did I just say??” Xie Chong’s face turned red again, and he lowered his head wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself.

It was too embarrassing.

“`

“Yes, planning to come back for New Year’s,” Zhou Heng smiled, not revealing his true purpose.

After all, that was quite a distant prospect for Yu He, who hadn’t yet reached Entry Rank in martial arts. To live a peaceful and stable life was the best thing for him.

“That’s great, New Year’s is always good. Grandmaster Lei and Trainer Lin have been missing you,” Yu He laughed heartily, “Come on, I’ll take you to see them. They’ll definitely be thrilled to see you back.”

“Let’s go,” Zhou Heng smiled.

“That, that… I’m sorry, Senior Zhou Heng, I, I didn’t recognize you earlier…” Xie Chong said, hanging his head low with embarrassment, “And I said a lot of strange things to you, I hope you won’t take them seriously.”

“I’m someone who has always taken people at their word, so naturally, I believed what you said,” Zhou Heng turned his head, smiled, and said, “Likewise, you should also believe what I say.”

Then, he said to Yu He, “This kid’s talent is not bad. When you have a chance, recruit him into the ranks of the ordinary apprentices. It won’t be long before this kid can become a core disciple.”

“Really? That impressive?” Yu He’s eyes widened with astonishment upon hearing this, and he looked at Xie Chong with a face full of surprise, well aware of what being a core disciple of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall now meant.

At least it implies “Ninth Grade Ready”!

Currently, this youngster seemed to only have a basic understanding of martial arts, and judging by his stance, his martial arts foundation wasn’t very solid—mostly peasant’s swordplay, nothing noteworthy.

With such a level, he was hardly qualified to be an ordinary apprentice, let alone a core disciple.

However, Yu He trusted Zhou Heng’s words the most. Since Zhou Heng had said it, it was certainly true, so he went over to Xie Chong and said, “Hmm, boy, you do have good potential indeed.

“Then you will report to the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall’s ‘A’ zone tomorrow. I’ll arrange for you to become an ordinary apprentice, but since you are given special permission to enter, there will definitely be many who envy you. You must work hard and surpass everyone.”

The Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall now has six zones, labeled A, B, C, D, E, F.

Among them, the ‘A’ zone is the core.

The former disciples and trainers of Longxing Martial Arts Hall were there, and Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang personally taught there. Their Pure Yang Palace foundational martial arts were personally imparted by Zhou Heng.

“I, I’ve become a disciple of the ‘A’ zone of Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall?” Xie Chong was astounded, somewhat in disbelief.

He slapped his own face with a snap and immediately grimaced in pain, but the smile on his face just wouldn’t stop, and as he smiled, tears flowed.

The young boy bowed respectfully to Zhou Heng and Yu He, his voice hoarse, “Thank you both so much, benefactors. I’ll definitely live up to your expectations, practice diligently, and never slack off!”

“Work hard, kid,” Zhou Heng smiled, waved his hand, and walked away with Yu He.

Xie Chong stayed in place, motionless for a long time, as if he had been rooted to the spot, his heart overwhelmingly excited. He wanted to shout with joy, he wanted to run wildly.

But remembering that this was the entrance to the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall’s primary branch, he thought it improper to act that way. So, he took a deep breath to calm his emotions and rushed straight home.

He had to bring the wonderful news to his mother who had raised him through hard times!

This was indeed a cause for tremendous celebration.

…

After Zhou Heng and Xie Chong had both left,

The old man who was checking visitor information at the entrance of the first Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall furtively frowned and thought to himself, “The bearing of a formidable being, could it be that Zhou Heng saw something special?

“That can’t be right, that child’s special talent is extremely hidden. Even I had to observe for a full day before confirming it. How did he ascertain it so quickly?

“Was it a preparation from a past life? But who was he in his past life? He is not the reincarnation of the Dream Sage, nor could he be my master. Five Elements Path, the cycle of rebirth, foreseeing the future, Thunder ultimate techniques… Which Daoist Lord is he really?

“However, it doesn’t matter that the child has chosen the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, as I still intend to teach him. My unique sealed techniques are not necessarily inferior to the teachings of Pure Yang.”

The old man looked toward the direction in which Xie Chong had departed, nodding to himself with satisfaction. He had found his disciple with great difficulty.

…

Zhou Heng followed Yu He to meet with Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang.

“`

Compared to when he had left, both their cultivation realms had improved, especially Lin Cang, who had truly stepped into the Eighth Rank of the Martial Path, his strength far surpassing that of the past.

Although Lei Xiuyan was still at the peak of the Seventh Rank, after studying the martial arts of the Pure Yang Palace, his inner landscape had been further perfected. In another decade or so, breaking through to the Secret Six Rank wasn’t impossible.

Secret Six Rank!

Innate Realm!

This was something Lei Xiuyan had never dared to dream of before, but now it seemed within reach.

How unpredictable the world is indeed.

Therefore, both Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang were very grateful to Zhou Heng.

After exchanging pleasantries with the two, Zhou Heng also received invitations from the Bubu War Commander Feng He and the Lord of Huangtong Mansion, Wu Zongshan, both wanting to throw banquets to welcome him and cleanse away the dust from his journey.

Subsequently, he received one invitation after another from other martial arts halls, all hoping to forge good relations with Zhou Heng.

After all, Zhou Heng’s recent rise to fame was simply too astonishing, like the sun at high noon. In such a short time, he had already ranked in the top ten on the Ren List!

For the martial artists and martial arts halls of a prefectural city, Zhou Heng had completed in five months what would take them fifty years, definitely marking him as a major figure of the future.

Forging a good relationship with him was the right move.

However, Zhou Heng declined all of them, excusing himself due to the hardships of travel, and returned to the rental house on the outskirts of the city, once again hearing the familiar scolding of the landlady.

At nightfall, he stealthily concealed his presence and made his way to the large mansion that he called home.

The reason he chose to sneak there was that if he had headed straight to the mansion upon his return, even fools would suspect he might have seen through the secrets of the mansion.

That would be troublesome.

Better to sneak in unnoticed and avoid drawing attention.

Upon entering the mansion again, Zhou Heng felt the same inexplicable shadowy aura.

But unlike before, his Divine Soul was much stronger now.

Yet even though he extended his spiritual perception, he still detected nothing unusual.

Then he looked at the square brick sculpture again.

Carved on it was a three-legged bird standing in the sun, about to spread its wings and soar, but its two legs were bound by cloud-like patterns, unable to struggle free, unable to fly.

Previously when Zhou Heng saw this relief on the screen wall, he felt only strangeness and confusion; but this time, he had a completely different feeling, and his eyes even lit up with a golden light.

The insights from contemplating the “Golden Crow Slaughter God Great Law” suddenly resurfaced, and the Golden Crow on the relief seemed to come alive at once, beginning to struggle and quake.

Immediately after, a beam of golden light rushed towards him, enveloping Zhou Heng entirely.

But Zhou Heng reacted swiftly, dodging the golden light with a quick flicker of his form.

The golden light seemed shocked by this turn of events and momentarily froze midair, uncertain whether to continue chasing Zhou Heng or to simply retreat and act as if nothing had happened.

“What is this thing?”

Zhou Heng furrowed his brow and hid to the side, watching the sudden golden light emerging from the screen wall with great wariness.

He dared not carelessly contact such an inexplicable entity.

“I am your great opportunity!” A will communicated from within the golden light, sounding very sincere.

“I don’t believe you,” Zhou Heng shook his head.

“…” The golden light suddenly fell silent; this was an unseen situation!