Chapter 12: The Martial Arts Meet Begins

Since Lu Hanwen's sudden visit, Feng Zi's life returned to its former tranquility:

His days were very regular; aside from practicing his fist techniques and helping with household chores, Feng Zi's day would come to an end.

Meanwhile, the spirits and health of the two elders at home had also improved significantly—

Feng Fu no longer needed to bury his head in the fields all day, only needing to push the plow behind the ox, which was much less strenuous than his past toil;

Although Feng Mu still did work helping to mend clothes, she no longer needed to take on so many tasks, simply sitting in the courtyard every day to work while watching Feng Zi practice his fist techniques with a smile.

In this regular life, seven days flashed by. (Author's note: This book is first published on Tian Tian Kan Xiao Shuo, accompanying you in your leisure time, ttk. tw is super convenient, providing you with an error-free and orderly reading experience.)

Over these past few days, aside from Lu Hanwen, to Feng Zi's surprise, not a single other person had visited him, this Martial Master:

Perhaps it was because that Young Master Lu had already made a move first, and other big shots dared not go against the Lu Family;

Or perhaps it was because Feng Zi had yet to make a move, and everyone was unsure if his strength was genuine, thus choosing to wait and see...

But regardless of what the reason was, Feng Zi was happy to be idle, pouring all his energy into his cultivation.

Just as dawn broke, Feng Zi, as usual, was bare-chested, practicing the Taizu Changquan in the courtyard.

The speed of Feng Zi's punches was not fast, but they were more powerful.

The speed and angle of every punch, and the way every fiber of muscle exerted force and changed, were all within his perception.

As his practice deepened, Feng Zi no longer purely pursued the number of punches, but instead pursued swiftness and ruthlessness when striking:

For the current Feng Zi, he would not move unless necessary, but once he moved, it would be with the force of a thunderbolt—

Even a giant tree thick enough for several people to embrace would end up shattered to pieces under the power of his punch!

After practicing the Taizu Changquan ten times in full, Feng Zi raised his head and saw that the sky had already completely brightened.

He walked to a corner of the courtyard, determined to test his actual combat ability before setting off:

In the corner of the courtyard, dry fallen leaves were piled up like a small hill.

"Rise!" Feng Zi shouted sharply, sweeping out with one leg.

In an instant, the piled-up leaves were swept up, drifting scattered into mid-air.

Immediately, Feng Zi's figure disappeared!

To say he "disappeared" was not quite right; it was just that his movements were truly too fast, to the point that ordinary people could no longer see his form, only barely catching a few afterimages.

Feng Zi's gaze was like a torch, his figure as fast as a hawk—in just a fleeting moment, the sky full of withered leaves was entirely turned into powder.

Not a single whole withered leaf landed on the ground!

Only then did Feng Zi's breathing finally become a bit rapid.

He took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and reflected inwardly:

"Although I can fully control the Qi and Blood Power within my body, I cannot concentrate all that power into a single point...

"How to precisely control the force is a problem worth improving; I need to pay more attention and practice more in the future."

Thinking this, he sank his mind deep within, and a few lines of text slowly emerged before his eyes:

【Martial Master (Great Accomplishment): 513/1000】

【Taizu Changquan (Pure Mastery): 1453/3000】

【Zhao Family Long Fist (Peak Perfection): 3000/3000】

Just as Feng Zi had previously guessed—due to the lack of external nourishment, the Qi and Blood Power could not grow rapidly, and his realm had not seen much advancement.

But fortunately, the cultivation of fist techniques would not be affected by this:

After these days of diligent practice, his understanding of the Taizu Changquan had reached a higher level, already stepping into the realm of Pure Mastery!

Seeing that the time was about right, Feng Zi drew a bucket of water and casually rinsed his body.

Hearing the sound of water outside the house, the two elders also got up one after another, beginning their work by the stove.

By the time Feng Zi wiped his body dry and put on his upper robe, the plain noodles for breakfast were already cooked.

He finished his breakfast in a few quick bites, and after exchanging a few words with his parents, he set off toward the venue of the Martial Arts Meet.

For the former Feng Zi, the Martial Arts Meet might have been a monumental event.

But as things stood now, he saw it as nothing more than that, and his mind was already set on the more distant future.

Before long, Feng Zi passed through the market in the county and arrived at the Martial Arts Meet venue located in the center of Wutai County.

Calling it a Martial Arts Meet venue, it was actually just the wide square in front of the County Government Office.

Naturally, as Wutai County was a frontier county, this square was not just used for the county's annual Martial Arts Meet—

Whether it was major festivals, sacrificial rites like spring planting or autumn harvest, or major events similar to the Martial Arts Meet, they would all be held here.

When Feng Zi arrived at the square, the center of the square had already been cordoned off for use as the competition arena, and most of the Martial Artists had already arrived.

He passed through the crowd calmly and came before the minor official distributing the number tags.

"Name?" The official looked up at Feng Zi and asked casually.

"Feng Zi." He replied just as casually.

The volume of their conversation was not loud, but when Feng Zi reported his name, the people around subconsciously shut their mouths and looked at him in surprise—

"Is this that legendary Martial Master? Can't tell his background at all..."

"Nonsense, that's a Martial Master! You can't even see through the background of Young Master Lu and Li Shou, and you expect to see through this one's strength?"

"I heard his relationship with the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall is a bit complicated?"

"Hush! You still want to gossip about two Martial Masters? If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

The people around could hear the conversation between Feng Zi and the official, and naturally, he could hear these whispers too.

But Feng Zi clearly had no interest in such boring conversation content, simply looking at the official and saying, "What number am I?"

Hearing this, the official finally came to his senses, hurriedly flipping through the register and handing over a number tag: "Number twelve—sorry to have kept you waiting, sir."

Feng Zi took the plain-looking number tag, toyed with it for a moment, and nodded slightly: "Many thanks."

Having said that, he walked casually to a corner, sat down on the spot, and began to regulate his spirit.

The Martial Artists around were all full of curiosity toward Feng Zi, yet not a single person dared to step forward to disturb him.

No one knew what kind of person this master actually was—the last person to provoke him, Liu Zhong, had spent a full five days lying in bed before he could barely get up!

Before long, a familiar aura arrived beside Feng Zi and sat down casually.

Without waiting for Feng Zi to speak, the other party spoke first: "Looking at Brother Feng Zi's appearance, it seems victory is already within your grasp."

The person who arrived was naturally Lu Hanwen.

Upon hearing this, Feng Zi merely shook his head and said indifferently:

"Since it is a duel, there has never been such a thing as a guaranteed win; Brother Hanwen is perhaps being a bit too pedantic."

Lu Hanwen had not expected that Feng Zi could speak such a profound truth, and he laughed aloud:

"Brother Feng Zi's words are reasonable—giving it one's all is already enough!"

While they were speaking, the County Magistrate and several supervising officials had already appeared.

Seeing this, the Martial Artists present, though not lined up neatly, all fell silent one after another, looking at that Lu Xianling who appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged man.

The Martial Assembly had officially begun!