In the afternoon, the orange-red sunlight enveloped the sprawling area of self-built houses of varying heights in the western part of Anpeng City. At the end of the street stood a wide courtyard enclosed by a stone wall. The two words, Dragon Eagle, were engraved in black ink, the brushstrokes as powerful as a dragon, exuding a domineering aura that seemed ready to conquer the world.

Zhou Xianchuan stared for a moment, his heart surging with excitement. He turned his head, full of bravado.

"Ah Ze, once we step through this gate today, we’ll be heroes in our own right! Can you imagine how lonely the martial world would be without us?"

Wan Ze said nothing, simply inching a little farther away.

Confused, Zhou Xianchuan turned back and saw two men in training uniforms standing before the gate of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall. They were watching them with faint, unreadable smirks. He immediately flushed red, fumbling awkwardly as one does when embarrassed.

"New here? Want to learn martial arts?" The leader of the two, a burly man in a white jacket, stood before the gate like a solid wall, subconsciously inspiring awe.

Zhou Xianchuan was still red-faced and didn’t dare to speak up.

It was Wan Ze who took the initiative. "Yes, this is our first time."

The burly man glanced at the two of them and nodded. "Come in together."

The wooden gate opened, and Zhou Xianchuan followed closely behind Wan Ze like a timid new bride, full of apprehension.

A group of people stood in the courtyard, all uniformly dressed in earth-gray short tunics and lantern pants. In front of each person stood a wooden training dummy as tall as a man, yellowed with age and coated in what looked like a layer of resin.

"Have you ever trained in martial arts before?" the burly man leading them asked.

Zhou Xianchuan shook his head.

Wan Ze thought for a moment before replying, "Does *Basic Swordsmanship* count?"

To his surprise, both burly men were amused. They shook their heads and chuckled. "I’m talking about orthodox training in the Martial Dao, not that kind of child’s play."

’Child’s play?’

Wan Ze raised a slight eyebrow.

’Old Song clearly said that if you mastered the Eight Maternal Sword Techniques from *Basic Swordsmanship*, you could become an expert...’

"I’m sure you both understand that practicing martial arts can change your life." The leading man smiled faintly. "But only if you learn it well will you have what it takes to make a name for yourself in the martial world!"

"You’re absolutely right, Senior," Zhou Xianchuan said with a sycophantic smile.

The burly man glanced at him with a strange smile and continued, "Today happens to be the practice session for B Class’s Iron Mountain Fist. Come and have a look."

A short while later, Wan Ze and Zhou Xianchuan had changed their clothes and were standing at the edge of the group. From the chatter of others, they learned that the man who had led them in was named Chen, and everyone called him Brother Chen.

Brother Chen was also a student here, just one who had started a few years earlier. He was rumored to be on the verge of taking the assessment to become an Official Disciple of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall!

"Once you become an Official Disciple, not only do you get a monthly stipend, but more importantly, you can learn more High Level combat techniques and even learn the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall’s true Secret Technique!"

"A Secret Technique is a unique, hidden method for training the body. It’s the real foundation of any martial arts hall, effectively improving our physical attributes like explosive power, speed, Power, or Endurance. Each Secret Technique focuses on a different aspect."

Brother Chen spoke with practiced ease, the corners of his mouth turned up in a faint, confident smile. "For example, the Secret Technique passed down in our Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall can massively increase one’s Power. Don’t underestimate any Secret Technique. I once personally witnessed a Martial Dao expert destroy a ten-meter-tall building with a single finger."

GASP!

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

"He’s that strong?"

"But that’s a ten-meter-tall building! With a single finger? Wouldn’t that hurt a lot?"

"..."

Brother Chen changed the subject. "But don’t you worry about that for now. At this stage, you should focus on improving your physical conditioning as much as possible... For the next week, you’ll be taught Iron Mountain Fist. Once you’ve fully grasped the techniques, we’ll move on to sparring drills and begin targeted training."

"Brother Chen, how proficient do we need to be to become an Official Disciple?" someone suddenly asked.

Brother Chen smiled faintly. "When you’ve practiced Iron Mountain Fist to the point where a single one of you can take down five or six ordinary people, you’ll be qualified to take the assessment for Official Disciple. Or, if any of you can take a punch from me, you’ll also be fully qualified to participate."

The crowd grew restless and eager, but after staring at Brother Chen’s powerful, mountain-like physique, no one dared to challenge him... especially not after seeing him strike a training dummy and produce a sound as dull and deep as thunder. Many swallowed nervously in fear.

’Is this the power of a Half-Step Official Disciple!’

’It’s absolutely terrifying!’

An hour later, the observation class was over.

Zhou Xianchuan followed Wan Ze out of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall’s courtyard. A swath of amber light slanted across their shoulders.

"Ah Ze, so what do you think? Are we signing up?" Zhou Xianchuan was itching to join, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to stick with it if Wan Ze didn’t come.

"Of course we’re signing up!" Wan Ze said decisively.

"Really?" Zhou Xianchuan’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately threw an arm around him. "I knew you were a true brother! So we’ll sign up tomorrow?"

"I need some time," Wan Ze replied, not giving a definite answer.

Zhou Xianchuan seemed to realize something and hesitated. "Is it because of... the registration fee?"

Wan Ze nodded, not feeling embarrassed about it.

For him, the registration fee was indeed no small sum.

Zhou Xianchuan, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. He clapped Wan Ze on the shoulder with a smile. "Have you forgotten who my uncle is? No way I’m letting you waste your money on the fee."

"That’s different," Wan Ze said, shaking his head. He knew his friend meant well.

But Zhou Xianchuan insisted. "I’ll be honest with you, my family has always wanted me to practice martial arts, but I’m just lazy and couldn’t be bothered. Before we came today, I specifically told my uncle that we wanted to learn, and he said he’d cover the fees for us. You have no idea how much money these martial arts halls make. They’re all filthy rich. Eight hundred silver coins is probably nothing to them."

Wan Ze was taken aback.

Zhou Xianchuan grinned. "Don’t feel like you’re taking advantage of me. In fact, my whole family should be thanking you. I’m the only child, and I’ve been frail and sickly since I was young. My uncle thinks martial arts is the only way to build up my body, but I’m too lazy. It’s rare for me to have someone like you to come with me..."

"So I’m the Crown Prince’s study partner, is that it?" Wan Ze suddenly laughed.

Zhou Xianchuan froze for a second, then burst out laughing. He said in a deliberately exaggerated tone, "I was trying to hide it from you, but alas, you’ve guessed this Crown Prince’s true identity. Very well, you may be dismissed."

"Get lost."

"Haha, so we’ll come together tomorrow, it’s a deal, right?"

Before leaving, Zhou Xianchuan confirmed it yet again.

Wan Ze hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Thanks, man."

"Don’t mention it. Let’s go, let’s go."

The setting sun sank low, coating the gray-tiled roofs of the old city district in a thick, golden-red hue.

Wan Ze watched Zhou Xianchuan’s retreating back as he waved goodbye and ran toward the bus stop, then quietly looked away and started walking home in the other direction.

...

「Nightfall.」

In a residential building in the eastern part of Anpeng City, a light was on in the north bedroom on the fifth floor.

The black-haired Wan Ze sat at his desk, finishing grading a test paper by the bright yellow light of his desk lamp. He successfully acquired a High Level Math Skill.

Just then, he heard the front door close. He knew his parents were back from work.

"Bro, Mom bought some fruit! Come out and eat! If you don’t come out soon, I’m going to eat it all!"

his sister shouted from the living room.

Wan Ze got up, left his room, and ruffled his sister’s hair. He then looked at his father, his tone complicated. "Dad, do you have a minute? There’s something I want to talk about."

"Did you have another test recently?"

"No..."

"Then did you get rejected after confessing to someone? Your father isn’t against you dating, but as someone with experience, I have to remind you to always use protection."

"..."