He clearly hadn't expected to now be considered a Grandmaster, even if the title came with the qualifier 'Below'.

But this made Zhang Beixing quite satisfied, and he couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of life!

Who could have imagined? In just three months, the once frail young man had become so powerful! He now possessed a staggering Constitution of 91, had achieved Great Accomplishment in both Yue Family Continuous Fist and Northern Sect Eight Pieces of Brocade, and had enough Ability Points to directly boost these two Skills from +20 to +30!

"I'm really awesome!" Zhang Beixing exclaimed sincerely.

At that moment, he couldn't help but think of his ex-girlfriend. She used to mock me for being weak. Now, I can mock her for not being able to handle me! It's no exaggeration to say, with my current physique, I could easily turn her into a cream puff!

Zhang Beixing was lost in thought, a slight smugness on his face.

However, he quickly composed himself and looked toward Liu Yi, asking, "Teacher Liu, since I'm now considered 'Below Grandmaster,' what rank are you at? Grandmaster? Or perhaps a Great Grandmaster?"

Zhang Beixing was very curious.

Back when he first went to the Chen Family estate to visit Elder Chen, Zhang Beixing had pondered this.

Liu Yi was clearly under fifty, yet he could converse and laugh so freely with Elder Chen—a man of venerable age who had returned from the battlefield.

This alone was enough to show Liu Yi's high standing in the martial arts world of Great Xia.

And to achieve such esteem in the martial arts world of Great Xia, personal strength was undoubtedly the most crucial factor.

In my view, if even I am now considered 'Below Grandmaster,' then Teacher Liu, as my master, must surely be stronger than me!

Little did he know that hearing his words left Liu Yi nearly numb!

He metaphorically wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, looked at Zhang Beixing, and was momentarily speechless.

Grandmaster? Great Grandmaster? Does he even know what those ranks entail? Currently, across all of Great Xia, there are only a handful of Grandmasters. As for Great Grandmasters, such a being might not appear even once in two or three hundred years. The last Great Grandmaster to appear died forty-five years ago. Before that, one would have to search the ancient texts. And in the history of martial arts development, every Great Grandmaster was a figure whose name was etched in history, renowned from ancient times to the present, their numbers few enough to be counted. And now, this kid, Zhang Beixing, is asking if I, Liu Yi, am one of them... This kid really thinks highly of me!

"No!" Liu Yi replied, looking at Zhang Beixing somewhat awkwardly. "I'm also 'Below Grandmaster.' I've been stuck at this level for nearly ten years."

Mentioning this, Liu Yi felt somewhat exasperated.

He had never, ever imagined that the Hidden Force he had spent over a decade painstakingly honing through arduous training, a skill he had struggled to master, would now be learned so effortlessly by Zhang Beixing.

Moreover, Zhang Beixing's Hidden Force was even stronger than his own.

This is just outrageous!

Listening to Liu Yi's words, Zhang Beixing was stunned, his face etched with surprise.

What? Teacher Liu is also 'Below Grandmaster'? This... That's not quite right!

Zhang Beixing was taken aback.

It seems 'Below Grandmaster' isn't a low rank at all!

Zhang Beixing soon understood. He had initially thought 'Below Grandmaster' wasn't much, but now it seemed this rank was actually very high!

And the main reason I could reach this rank is 'Hidden Force.' Mastering Hidden Force is the sole criterion. Without it, no matter how high or fluid one's martial skill, there's a fundamental difference. So, I can only say I mastered Hidden Force too quickly, skipping the 'accumulation' phase. This is firstly due to my talent, and secondly, thanks to the System's point allocation.

But then, he thought of something, and his expression turned strange.

If I remember correctly, terms of address among martial artists are determined by seniority and status, right? And now, my status is the same as Teacher Liu's—both 'Below Grandmaster.' So, how we address each other...

Zhang Beixing looked at Liu Yi, only to find Liu Yi looking right back at him.

Clearly, they both realized this issue. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, neither speaking.

Mainly, they really didn't know what to say.

I can't seriously start calling Teacher Liu 'Old Liu,' can I? That would be completely out of line, a total reversal of seniority!

The scene descended into an eerie awkwardness.

Teacher Liu was silent, shocked by Zhang Beixing's astounding rate of progress, and simultaneously wondering how he should face this young man in the future.

Zhang Beixing, on the other hand, remained silent because he saw Teacher Liu wasn't speaking and, unsure of what to say, simply chose to say nothing.

Seeing the two, who had been chatting freely just moments before, suddenly fall silent as if struck dumb, Police Chief Bai and Medical Examiner Xing were somewhat puzzled.

They considered asking something, but on second thought, felt it would be inappropriate and held their tongues.

After all, neither of them understood much about these martial arts matters, and it felt improper to interject rashly.

As for Lin Siqi and the other two young women, when Lin Siqi saw Zhang Beixing and Liu Yi fall silent, an idea struck her.

She nudged Chen Rourou with her elbow and asked, "Rourou, if I remember correctly, you've been practicing martial arts with Lao Zhang and Teacher Liu recently, haven't you? Do you understand this 'Below Grandmaster' and 'Above Grandmaster' stuff they're talking about?"

Lin Siqi genuinely didn't understand these matters, but just because she was clueless didn't mean Chen Rourou was too!

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