Chapter 7: Organizing Thoughts

Before Feng Zi and Lu Hanwen could converse in any depth, a detached voice drifted from in front of the County Government Office.

The voice was not loud, yet it drowned out the voices of everyone present: "The hour of Chen has arrived; everyone, be silent!"

Feng Zi turned to look and saw a middle-aged man dressed as a clerk already seated behind a long table, with a Martial Artist dressed as a head constable standing beside him.

Feng Zi did not know much about the officials in the County Government Office, but judging by the Qi and Blood Power within that head constable's body, the other party was very likely a Martial Master at the Great Accomplishment or even the Fullness Realm!

The Martial Artists present, upon hearing this, fell silent as if cicadas in late autumn, not daring to move rashly.

Feng Zi, however, subconsciously rubbed his chin, recalling the way the head constable had projected his voice, and pondered to himself:

"Interesting. The Qi and Blood Power actually has such a marvelous use when concentrated in one place—a method I had never thought of. I wonder... could it be applied to Fist Technique?"

Lu Hanwen, behind him, saw this and naturally understood what Feng Zi was contemplating, which only made him admire Feng Zi even more.

Subsequently, the Registrar of the County Government Office sitting behind the table casually explained the registration details and began letting the Martial Artists come forward to register.

Feng Zi had arrived relatively early, and there were not many people ahead of him, so it did not take long for him to reach the front of the line.

"Name, age?" The Registrar dipped his brush into ink and asked without raising his head.

The registration process was simple: leave the applicant's name to facilitate the County Government Office's identity verification and to determine if the applicant's age met the requirements for the Martial Arts Meet.

If the participating Martial Artist wished, they could also leave the name of the Martial Arts Hall they belonged to.

"Feng Zi," Feng Zi replied immediately.

The Registrar did not hear clearly and subconsciously asked, "Madman?"

Feng Zi also understood that his name was prone to misunderstanding and could only scratch his head helplessly: "It is Feng Zi, Registrar—'Feng' as in 'gui-cun', 'Zi' as in 'mu-xin'."

Hearing this, the Registrar nodded slightly, his brush dancing like a dragon or snake, and continued to ask: "Age?"

"Fifteen," Feng Zi stated frankly.

But upon hearing this answer, the Constables guarding the sides behind the Registrar could no longer stand still and began whispering to one another.

Even the Martial Artists in the queue were shocked upon hearing this—

"Did you hear? This person is only fifteen!"

"How is that possible? Young Master Lu's talent is already terrifying enough; how could there be another expert?"

As the leader maintaining order at the scene, the head constable beside the Registrar, though unaware of what had happened earlier, cleared his throat:

"Silence! In front of the County Government Office, during the Martial Arts Meet registration, what kind of decorum is this, making such a racket!"

Having said that, the head constable turned around and sternly reprimanded: "As court officials, how can you also be so lacking in decorum and sense?"

Seeing that the Registrar and his superior were indeed confused, two constables came to their sides and whispered a few words of explanation into their ears.

Hearing this sequence of events, not only the Registrar but even that stern-faced head constable could not help but have his expression shift—

As a Martial Master, the other party had long since sensed the surging Qi and Blood Power within Feng Zi's body and naturally knew that this young man was also a Martial Master.

But before this, the head constable had only assumed Feng Zi was a hidden prodigy from some Martial Arts Hall, with an age likely on par with Lu Hanwen and Li Shou, a youth of eighteen or nineteen.

Never did he expect that this person was only fifteen—this age was the minimum age allowed to participate in the Martial Arts Meet!

Lu Hanwen, behind Feng Zi, heard this and merely smiled, saying in a low voice:

"I never thought Brother Feng would be such a genius; I was actually deceived by you too!"

Hearing this, Feng Zi was somewhat puzzled: "You never asked, and naturally I would not say. How does that count as deceiving you?"

Lu Hanwen, thinking he had taken it seriously, patted Feng Zi on the shoulder and laughed: "Just a joke, don't take it to heart."

Upon hearing that Feng Zi was only fifteen, the middle-aged Registrar pondered for a moment and followed up with a question: "Which Martial Arts Hall are you a disciple of?"

In the Martial Arts Meet registration, this question was not mandatory information; if the applicant did not say, the Registrar usually would not press.

That the Registrar subconsciously pressed for an answer was precisely because the other party held Feng Zi in high regard.

Of course, generally speaking, disciples of Martial Arts Halls would often proudly state their lineage.

"I..." Regarding this question, for a moment, Feng Zi truly did not know how to answer.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to answer vaguely: "I do not currently belong to any Martial Arts Hall."

Originally, Feng Zi's intention was to answer more decisively, as he had indeed already left the Zhao Family Martial Arts Hall.

But on second thought, the fact that the Martial Arts Hall disciples mocked him had nothing to do with Zhao Feng, the Hall Master—as far as he knew, the other party was not indifferent, but his efforts had little effect.

Considering that his own martial foundation originated from the Zhao Family Fist Technique and the other party's attitude toward him was quite kind, Feng Zi still wanted to leave some room for maneuver.

The Registrar had presided over the County Government Office for many years and naturally understood what Feng Zi meant, so he waved his hand and said: "Very well, it was my unnecessary question."

Hearing this, Feng Zi did not linger; he bowed to the Registrar to take his leave, bid farewell to Lu Hanwen, and departed.

On the way, he happened to run into his father working in the fields and briefly explained the situation regarding the Martial Arts Meet registration.

Before long, Feng Zi returned to the familiar courtyard of his home.

But unlike other days, today, after returning home, Feng Zi did not immediately begin training; instead, he sat cross-legged in front of the wooden post and fell into deep thought.

Of course, Feng Zi was not letting his mind wander, but was recalling what he had just seen and heard.

He thought of those Martial Artists from different Martial Arts Halls—

Although their understanding of the Dao of martial arts was not as deep as his own, from their every move, he could perceive the training habits of different Martial Arts Halls.

Those Martial Artists' insights were admittedly only superficial, yet they allowed him to combine them with his own understanding of Fist Technique, deepening his application of Qi and Blood Power:

Ever since stepping into the realm of a Martial Master, Feng Zi had discovered that because the Qi and Blood Power within his body was too vast and surging, he would occasionally find himself unable to control his strength!

From Lu Hanwen, who was also a Martial Master, and that head constable of the County Government Office, he had never noticed a similar phenomenon.

Therefore, Feng Zi understood that this was because his realm had improved too quickly, causing his control over his own strength to lag behind.

But as a Martial Artist, one should fundamentally have absolute control over every inch of one's own muscles and every thread of one's power!

That said, this was, after all, a task requiring the patience of grinding a pestle into a needle, and Feng Zi understood that this matter could not be rushed.

His thoughts shifted, and he remembered Lu Hanwen, who was also a Martial Master—

The other party appeared to have no defenses, but Feng Zi could clearly perceive that the other party's posture was flawless, and his entire body's muscles were kept in a state of readiness!

This was not something Lu Hanwen did deliberately, but had long since become a part of the other party's instinct after years of cultivation.

Lu Hanwen claimed that he practiced the Blade Technique, and judging by the various postures of the other party, this statement should be true.

However, from pondering the other party's postures, Feng Zi also deepened his own understanding of the Fist Technique!