Chapter 534: Successive Epiphanies, The Question Comes to Me

The bell rang, signifying the official start of the three-day Instruction.

Zhou You took a few more looks at the great tripod and the great bell; these were the standard ritual vessels of an aristocratic family. As the saying goes, "the bell rings for the meal," and these two ritual vessels represented inviolable etiquette and rules.

Since the Fucheng Monarch came from an aristocratic family, it was perfectly normal for him to have these two ritual vessels.

"You are all the future of our martial artists. There is no need to be constrained. During these few days of time, just treat it as casual conversation, discussing miscellaneous matters regarding the practice of fist and martial arts."

The more approachable he was, the less the martial masters dared to be negligent.

Top-tier martial masters like Liu Fengji and Yan Baihu usually treated Strong Martial 【omens】 as commonplace, but they were respectful and reverent in front of the Fucheng Monarch.

The more one knows about high realms, the more one understands the terrifying nature of a Grandmaster.

The Fucheng Monarch smiled slightly and called out a name directly, "Liu Fengji, what insights have you gained from your recent fist practice?"

Sure enough, even if a Fucheng Monarch from an aristocratic family were as selfless as could be, he still could not avoid favoring the outstanding descendants of aristocratic families.

The gazes of the others were filled with jealousy; it was obvious that the Fucheng Monarch was spoon-feeding Liu Fengji.

Beside them, Yan Baihu's expression was calm. Like Liu Fengji, he stood at the peak of martial masters, at the critical juncture of breaking through the Strong Martial Heavenly Moat.

If the Fucheng Monarch favored Liu Fengji, the other party would have a greater and earlier chance of breaking through, and would thus be one step ahead of him.

This one step was a difference as vast as heaven and earth!

Do you not see, the current Yanshan has already become an existence that a crowd of martial masters look up to, high and mighty.

"In reply to the Fucheng Monarch..."

The three-day lecture unfolded in this question-and-answer format.

Zhou You thought of the Analects and Buddhist scriptures; both unfolded in a question-and-answer format to expound on principles, similar to the scene before his eyes.

It was clear that the Fucheng Monarch wanted to elevate Liu Fengji. They were all in the aristocratic camp, so it was understandable to cultivate one's own descendants.

If today's Instruction were passed down to future generations and recorded in text, and the Prefecture Monarch held the status of "The Master says" or "The Buddha says," then Liu Fengji would be equivalent to the roles of "Ziyou" or "Subhuti."

As for Zhou You, he was merely one of the seventy-two disciples or three hundred bhikshus.

However...

The world in Zhou You's eyes was different from others. With the coverage of the Reverse Palm Martial Hall, his connection with the Fucheng Monarch reached 100% tacit understanding.

Under these circumstances, even if the Fucheng Monarch deliberately pointed things out to Liu Fengji, it could not compare to the "inheritance" channel forcibly created by the panel.

This was the power of a domain formed by the combination of the panel and the Seal Script "Instruction."

As time passed, those present began to notice something wrong. The Fucheng Monarch started with Liu Fengji's practice, and the fist and martial principles and experiences he spoke of, while universal, were more applicable to Liu Fengji.

Even the dullest person could see that, apart from Liu Fengji, they, the irrelevant people, were all playing the role of the prince's study companion.

Although they understood, no one dared to be angry or even question it, because the person opposite them was the Fucheng Monarch, a high and mighty Grandmaster.

No one standing on this land was a fool; everyone knew that in an irreversible situation, one must respond calmly to maximize one's benefits.

The Fucheng Monarch was biased toward Liu Fengji, but he did not forbid them from auditing. They should take this opportunity to absorb as much precious experience as possible, to be digested and absorbed later, accumulating potential for charging toward higher realms.

As the sun set and the moon rose, and the stars shifted, a day and a night passed unknowingly. By the afternoon of the second day, Liu Fengji stared at the movement of the sundial's shadow, when suddenly his body shook, emitting a familiar aura.

"Strong Martial Omen!"

Zhou You saw at a glance that this was the momentum Yanshan once possessed.

After a day and a night of listening to the lecture, Liu Fengji did not disappoint; he had comprehended a Strong Martial Omen, equivalent to having one foot inside the door of the Strong Martial realm.

The Fucheng Monarch was quite satisfied to see this. He had the intention to cultivate, but the beneficiary also had to be capable of being cultivated. Liu Fengji's performance did not disappoint him; comprehending a Strong Martial Omen during the lecture could be considered a rare genius seen once in a hundred years.

Above once in a hundred years, there were peerless geniuses seen once in a thousand years, or ten thousand years.

If it were a peerless genius seen once in ten thousand years, would they not have an epiphany on the spot and condense a Grandmaster Mark? Thinking of this, the Fucheng Monarch's heart surged; he raised his hands and crossed them to change his posture, calming this absurd thought.

The so-called Grandmaster Mark, as the name implies, is one level higher than a Strong Martial Omen.

Comprehending a Strong Martial Omen means one is destined to break through the Strong Martial Heavenly Moat, and future breakthroughs in realms will be easier. But possessing a Grandmaster Mark has even more astonishing effects; breaking through to Strong Martial is without suspense, and there is even a chance to sprint toward becoming a Grandmaster in the future.

It can be said that whenever someone condenses a Grandmaster Mark, major sects scramble to take them in as disciples, and aristocratic families would rather send their legitimate daughters to be concubines just to pull them into their own camp.

If the Fucheng Monarch saw one, he would make the decision without a second word; no matter what the other party's status was, he would take them as a disciple.

"How could it be that easy?"

The Fucheng Monarch had only heard of one person who condensed a Grandmaster Mark at the martial master realm; that person was the eighth son of an Enfeoffed Monarch far away in Dijing.

If someone in Fucheng could do it, even with his power and status, he would not be able to keep them; he would be afraid and would have to beat drums and gongs to send them to Dijing.

He sighed and continued the lecture. Since Liu Fengji had broken through, he would let him slowly digest his insights and give the opportunity to others.

Next were the martial masters in the front row like Yan Baihu; their status was not much different from Liu Fengji's, so it was only right for them to receive the grace.

The martial masters in the back row were quite disappointed. Zhou You noticed a flash of unwillingness on Liu Jinguo's face; as members of the same Liu family, the two had a world of difference in their treatment.

As the second day was coming to an end, in the middle of the night, Yan Baihu's body trembled, and he also had an epiphany of a Strong Martial Omen.

The second person in this session to have an epiphany had appeared.

By now, Liu Jinguo had calmed her state of mind and even whispered to Zhou You, "Hall Master Zhou, if you become the third person to have an epiphany of a Strong Martial Omen, it might be difficult to apprentice under the Fucheng Monarch, but joining any sect would be no problem at all."

"If you are willing to join my aristocratic family, there are plenty of legitimate daughters waiting for you to marry."

Zhou You smiled politely, "The former is fine, but the latter is unnecessary; I am already married."

"It doesn't matter, it's not like there is no precedent," Liu Jinguo chuckled.

Zhou You thought to himself that this aristocratic woman was different from those he had met before; she was bold and unconstrained, truly possessing the style of a woman of the pugilistic world.

He suddenly asked, "If I join the Liu family, can I marry you, Liu Shifu?"

Liu Jinguo was stunned, a flush flashed across her cheeks, and then she returned to normal, "Hall Master Zhou is joking."

Neither of them took this conversation seriously. To Liu Jinguo, she had not even considered the possibility of Zhou You having an epiphany of a Strong Martial Omen; after all, Zhou You was only an Intermediate Martial Master, he was far off!

Zhou You did not take it to heart either; he was more concerned about the progress of his task.

With Yan Baihu's breakthrough, time entered the third day. The Grandmaster Mark had been condensed for the most part, just missing that final push.

His expression was incomparably serious; he could not afford to slip up at this critical moment.

Time passed minute by minute, and as the end approached, time seemed to pass especially quickly.

At the dead of night, the stars filled the sky, and there was less than a quarter of an hour left until the end.

"Hmm!"

The Monarch had just finished a round and was stroking his beard when he inadvertently caught sight of Zhou You in the crowd, "Hmm, Zhou You of the Daqian Martial Arts Hall, do you have anything you wish to ask?"

He considered himself to have a slight impression of Zhou You, so he bestowed the final opportunity to ask a question upon him.

(End of this chapter)