There were a total of four Martial Arts Halls in the Outer City.
These halls were presided over by Martial Artists, who collected fees to teach disciples Martial Arts.
Compared to the gangs in the Outer City, the Martial Arts Halls were relatively easier to approach.
The masters of the Martial Arts Halls were all powerful Martial Artists, said to have reached the Tendon Transformation Realm.
The path of Martial Arts was divided into Realms such as Blood Forging, Tendon Transformation, Bone Refining, Rebirth, and Spirit Condensation.
The Blood Forging Realm was further divided into nine layers, with the amount of qi and blood at each layer being double that of the one before it.
Depending on one’s Root Bone, a person could cultivate anywhere from the Sixth to the Ninth Layer.
The Sixth Layer was the minimum requirement to enter the Tendon Transformation Realm.
In the Tendon Transformation Realm, under the nourishment of sufficient qi and blood, the meridians would strengthen and give birth to Inner Strength. The specific details of this realm will not be discussed for now.
It was difficult for an ordinary person to even reach the First Layer of the Blood Forging Realm, as it required double the qi and blood of a normal person.
Without a sufficient Root Bone, it was impossible to even begin cultivating Martial Arts.
This was why Lu Changfeng wanted to use his first copy on a Root Bone.
The Four Great Martial Arts Halls of the Outer City were the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall, the Longxing Martial Arts Hall, the Changfeng Martial Arts Hall, and the Changle Martial Arts Hall.
Lu Changfeng asked around on the streets.
He learned that among the Four Great Martial Arts Halls, Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall had the best business, with over two to three hundred disciples.
Longxing Martial Arts Hall and Changfeng Martial Arts Hall were comparable, with around one hundred and fifty disciples each.
Changle Martial Arts Hall, perhaps because its master was old, had the fewest disciples—fewer than a hundred.
Some were already predicting that the Four Great Martial Arts Halls of the Outer City would soon become the Three Great Martial Arts Halls.
After some thought, Lu Changfeng decided to try his luck at Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall first.
Lu Changfeng soon arrived before the grounds of Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall.
’I don’t have the initiation fee. I have to find a way inside, find someone with a high-grade Root Bone, and figure out how to touch them.’
’This is going to be difficult. Without paying the fee, outsiders probably can’t even get past the main gate.’
Lu Changfeng quickly devised a plan.
With the three cents he had on him, Lu Changfeng found a bookstore, bought a sheet of paper, and borrowed a brush, ink, and a desk.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Changfeng’s brush moved like a dragon soaring through clouds. Four large words leaped onto the paper!
They were the four words: Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall!
Lu Changfeng came from a scholarly family and had practiced calligraphy since childhood. Moreover, having transmigrated, his mindset was anything but ordinary.
The words "Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall" were indeed written quite well.
Lu Changfeng returned to the front of the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall and took his position.
Through his interface, he observed the Root Bone and Talent of the disciples entering and leaving the Martial Arts Hall.
Most of the disciples’ Root Bones were Middle or Lower B Class.
A few were of the worse Upper or Middle C Class, while a few others were of the better B Class+.
Talent was extremely rare; the two or three who had any all possessed a Low-Grade Talent.
Lu Changfeng analyzed the situation. ’A person’s Root Bone determines the upper limit of their Martial Arts potential, while Talent must determine their Combat Power bonus.’
Time ticked by.
As Lu Changfeng, a lone youth, lingered inexplicably near the gate of the Martial Arts Hall, the gatekeeping disciples’ gazes gradually turned hostile.
Just as Lu Changfeng was about to give up and just pick someone to copy their Talent from...
A figure dressed in the uniform of a Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall disciple strode over, making Lu Changfeng’s eyes light up!
The display on his interface showed that this person’s potential was extraordinary!
Name: ??? (Martial Arts Hall Disciple)
Root Bone: Lower A Class
Talent: None
The young man walked extremely fast and was about to step through the main gate.
Not daring to miss the opportunity, Lu Changfeng shouted, "Handsome young hero, please wait!"
Perhaps the word "handsome" did the trick, as the young man stopped and turned around, looking over with a puzzled expression.
Lu Changfeng rushed forward in a few large strides, presenting the paper scroll with both hands!
"Young Hero, I have long admired the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall. This is a piece of my calligraphy, a gift for the hall!"
The young man with the Lower A Class Root Bone was slightly bewildered. He glanced at Lu Changfeng—who, aside from being good-looking, was as thin as a sheet of paper and completely non-threatening—and reached out to take the scroll.
As the young man took the scroll, Lu Changfeng, though not being obvious about it, still managed to let his fingers brush imperceptibly against the young man’s palm.
_Do you wish to copy?_
’Copy his Root Bone!’ Lu Changfeng yelled in his mind.
_Copy successful!_
A warm current flowed from an unknown source, instantly surging through Lu Changfeng’s body.
Lu Changfeng immediately felt his senses sharpen and his body become lighter.
’Is this what it feels like to have a good Root Bone? Even without practicing Martial Arts, there’s a fundamental difference compared to an ordinary person.’
"The calligraphy isn’t bad," the young man said after taking the paper and unrolling it. "But if you want to join the Martial Arts Hall, you still have to pay the initiation fee."
With that, the young man casually tossed the paper to a gatekeeping disciple at the side and, without a second glance at Lu Changfeng’s expression, strode into the Martial Arts Hall.
The young man had completely misunderstood Lu Changfeng’s true intentions.
But that was for the best.
Lu Changfeng played along, putting on a dejected expression.
He then turned and walked away, heading in the direction of the Changle Martial Arts Hall.
The other major Martial Arts Halls required you to pay the initiation fee to join, regardless of your Talent. If your Talent proved to be exceptional after joining, your treatment would be a different matter.
Lu Changfeng was now penniless; he had to rely on his maidservant going out to work just so he could have some thin porridge to drink.
Naturally, he couldn’t scrape together the hefty initiation fee.
But Lu Changfeng had one more chance: the Changle Martial Arts Hall, which was on the verge of collapse.
Rumor had it that the Changle Martial Arts Hall was currently recruiting, and if your Root Bone and Talent were truly outstanding, you could join for free on the spot!
Of course, this was only a rumor.
So far, no one had supposedly managed to achieve this, but it had attracted many poor disciples from the Outer City to test their Root Bone and Talent.
’My A Class Root Bone should be outstanding enough, right?’
Lu Changfeng thought to himself as he arrived before the gates of the Changle Martial Arts Hall.
After the initial commotion over the free admission, the front of the Changle Martial Arts Hall had returned to its usual deserted state, as no one had actually passed the test.
The gatekeeping disciple was dozing off, looking listless with spring fatigue.
Lu Changfeng stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said, "Senior Brother, I heard that if one’s Root Bone is good enough, they can join the Changle Martial Arts Hall for free?"
The gatekeeping disciple yawned but didn’t mock him. "You want to test your Root Bone, right? Follow me!"
The gatekeeping disciple led Lu Changfeng into the Martial Arts Hall.
Upon entering the Martial Arts Hall, a spacious training ground came into view.
Dozens of disciples were practicing Martial Arts in the training ground. They were all practicing the Changle Martial Arts Hall’s entry-level technique, the Changle Palm Method.
The gatekeeping disciple told Lu Changfeng to wait while he went into an inner hall to get someone, as he didn’t know how to test for Root Bone.
Lu Changfeng watched the Changle Martial Arts Hall disciples practice with great interest, taking the opportunity to scan their Root Bone and Talent.
’Changle Martial Arts Hall really is in decline.’ Among the dozens of disciples, the one with the best Root Bone was merely a B Class+.
However, another disciple possessed a Middle Grade Talent, [Swordsmanship], which immediately caught Lu Changfeng’s attention.
This was the first Middle Grade Talent he had seen all day.
If not for this disciple’s pitifully poor Middle D Class Root Bone, his Middle Grade [Swordsmanship] Talent probably wouldn’t have gone to waste here.
As Lu Changfeng was pondering this, a figure walked over.
"I am Zhou Feng, the Second Senior Brother of the Changle Martial Arts Hall."
"You’re the one here for the test, right? Come over here."
The man, who looked to be around thirty, had Lu Changfeng stand still. He then placed his hand on Lu Changfeng’s spine, running it down from his neck.
Upon reaching his lower back, the man’s eyes widened in surprise. "Could this be a superior Root Bone?"
This bone-feeling method wasn’t entirely accurate, so Zhou Feng grabbed Lu Changfeng and led him straight into the inner hall, stopping before an old man who was sitting at a tea table sipping tea.