"Ha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Li Guishen grabbed the manual, flipped through a few pages, and his monkey-like face suddenly revealed a fiercer expression than that of a lion or tiger.

"Hahahaha, heaven helps me, heaven blesses my Douqiong!" His hysterical laughter was terrifying, yet it only filled the room without leaking a bit outside the doors and windows.

Li Bashan looked pained as he covered his ears tightly.

"Bashan, no one can know about this manual, not a word to the brothers and sisters inside the hall, understand?" Li Guishen restrained his laughter, returning to his usual somewhat comical monkey-like appearance.

Li Bashan rubbed his ears and hesitantly said, "Master, I talk in my sleep at night."

Li Guishen's blood pressure surged, and he cursed venomously, "From now on, you sleep alone, and stuff your mouth with a sock when you sleep."

Li Bashan thought about his smelly socks, looked at his master's fierce face, and reluctantly agreed.

Li Guishen waved his hand, signaling Li Bashan to leave, but suddenly ordered, "Go bring back the boy we just sent away."

Li Bashan: "Huh?"

Li Guishen urged, "What are you standing there for? Go quickly. If you don't bring him back, you'll be punished with no food for three days."

Li Bashan's expression changed drastically, and he rushed out the door.

Li Guishen closed the door, sat in the armchair, and while watching the manual, he muttered, "The grandmasters sent that boy to deliver the manual to me. That boy is not an ominous sign but a fortunate star, and now my Douqiong Martial Arts Hall will prosper."

"Once I master the Demon Skill, it will be the day the Yin Snake Monarch roams the martial world again, and all those Azure Dragons and Cangying will be wiped out, keh keh keh—"

Outside the Douqiong Martial Arts Hall, Feng Mu dropped his dull facade, put on a cold face, and slowly pushed his bicycle down the road.

At this hour, Martial Arts Hall Street was bustling with activity, with more vehicles and pedestrians on the road, and each martial arts hall was thronged with people, exceptionally lively.

Most martial arts halls weren't enclosed courtyard types like Douqiong, but had large glass walls facing the street, creating an impressive and orderly appearance.

The Azure Dragon Martial Arts Hall had the best business here, with large rotating screens outside playing its philosophy, attracting the attention of passersby.

Bang bang bang—

The synchronized sounds of punches, the clashes of fists, feet, and various weapons, the shouts led by instructors, the calls of students following the rhythm, and various electronic instruments' cold broadcasts.

All these sounds mingled together and were transmitted through loudspeakers to the street, boiling the blood of passersby inevitably.

Feng Mu's pace slowed down.

Though he disliked this world in every way, in his view, this world was inferior to the previous one, full of deceit and oppression everywhere, and dark corners constantly harbored conspiracies and bloodshed.

Life here was the cheapest expendable material, and most Blank People didn't even count as that, merely considered as recyclable waste of the air.

But,

Feng Mu could not deny that there was one aspect where this world exceeded the previous one: the people here were passionate about martial arts, with a wild beast inside everyone eager to tear at its fellow beings.

This was the era when humanity's worst and animal instincts raged most, constructing an unprecedented martial arts golden age.

And in a foreseeable future, humanity, animalism, and prosperity will continue intertwining, climbing towards an endless extreme.

As Feng Mu pondered this, he suddenly felt that his stomach seemed to have shrunk a bit since earlier.

Shrunk not much, about the capacity equivalent to 1% digestion of the Calamity Iron's Edibility.

Feng Mu stopped in his tracks, his scattered thoughts returned to his body: "No, it wasn't lunch. Lunch was already digested long ago, nor was it raw iron; it was suddenly that 1% of Calamity Iron got digested."

"Can't even digest 1% of Calamity Iron in a week, how suddenly it's down 1%?"

"Did I do something just now?"

"I did nothing!"

Feng Mu's mind raced, recalling scenes that unfolded earlier.

Tracing back, marveling at the martial arts golden age, being momentarily captivated by Azure Dragon Martial Arts Hall's promo video, walking on the road with his bike, leaving Douqiong Martial Arts Hall, surrounded by a group of "killers," an old man with a monkey face whisked by, the plaque fell and shattered on the ground...

Nothing seemed like it could digest Calamity Iron, but if forced to pick one?

Feng Mu's breath halted abruptly, his eyes flashing, locking onto a suspicion fragment.

"But why is this happening, what's the principle, I neither trained nor sweated, and the Calamity Iron digested through my belly by itself?"

Feng Mu could only suspect, unable to be sure, unless he entered Douqiong Martial Arts Hall again, to "replay" that feeling once more.

Time cannot rewind; it can only recreate similar scenarios.

Thus, Feng Mu suddenly harbored an extremely dangerous thought: "Return to Douqiong Martial Arts Hall, should I really smash its signboard this time?!"

Last night, he was contemplating solutions to increase Calamity Iron's Edibility; almost every option was yet untried, and then... fate suddenly hit him unexpectedly?!

Feng Mu secretly rejoiced, seriously considering risking his life to verify this idea.

"Of course, I can't use [Feng Mu]'s face, might wait till dark, switching to [Mask] and try challenging the hall, this time truly kicking it!" He planned in his mind.

"Hey, why are you walking so fast? I almost missed dinner."

An abrupt muffled yet headless voice interrupted Feng Mu's thoughts; without turning, his entire body, along with the bicycle, got enveloped by a burly shadow.

What do you mean I'm walking too fast, so you almost missed dinner?

Is your dinner me?

Feng Mu's heart skipped a beat, turning to look up at Li Bashan, squeezing a bit of awkwardness and puzzlement on his face.

Seemingly knowing you need to smile when inviting someone back, Li Bashan forced a sincere grin: "Don't go, Master changed his mind and wants to accept you into the martial arts hall."

Having been with his master for 30 years, Li Bashan understood him well.

His master, while claiming not to believe in fate, was pretty superstitious inside, chasing someone away for an ominous sign could as easily transform to ushering them in for a lucky one.

This welcoming into the hall might not simply mean letting them enter as... a wallet, ahem, I mean as a student or member, but possibly genuinely accepting them into the family, to eventually become a junior apprentice.

Of course, it will surely be after a period of observation, confirming that the junior's aptitude or nature isn't too poor.

Feng Mu was full of question marks, feeling that the giant's smile was indeed daunting, as if about to devour him whole, making him feel even more like he was being made dinner.

"Just save the sign smashing step, better follow him back, experience that moment's sensation again."

With a heavy heart, Feng Mu nodded on the surface, pushing his bicycle, following Li Bashan.

Seeing Feng Mu agree, Li Bashan's lips slurped slightly, stroking his stomach and striding ahead swiftly.

Crowded pedestrians parted a path, and those with a temper who wanted to curse were all replaced with courteous smiles upon looking up.

Feng Mu scrambled, pushing his bike, almost jogging to barely keep up with Li Bashan's pace.

"Rushing to get eaten, having to chase closely, besides me, there probably isn't a second person like this in the world."

Feng Mu sarcastically noted in his heart, and yet, having a giant plow through the crowd ahead as a vanguard felt pretty exhilarating; if possible, training one like that for himself in the future wouldn't be a bad idea.

Inside the Azure Dragon Martial Arts Hall.

Displaying a well-proportioned figure impeccably outlined by her training attire, Feng Yuhuai glanced outside the floor-to-ceiling window, frowning slightly.

It seemed she had just glimpsed Feng Mu's figure.

"Why is Feng Mu on Martial Arts Hall Street? He's dropped out of school and given up the exams; could it be he's holding onto some unrealistic notion, instead of working honestly and making money? Why does he have to squander the hard-earned money?"

"But fortunately, martial arts halls accept apprentices based on their Root Bone. Feng Mu's laughable Root Bone won't ever get him accepted by any hall."

"Hmm, what if some hall tricked him for money? No way, I need to call him tonight to seriously advise my foolish brother..."

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