In Heiyun Town, there were generally three paths for those who wished to go further in the martial arts world.
The first was to join a martial hall, step by step, breaking through your limits until you caught the attention of the various hall masters.
The second was to enter the realm of physical cultivation and try to join the government forces, attempting to pass their rigorous examination and become a government martial artist.
The last option was to enter one of the powerful families in Heiyun Town, where many martial artists resided and could offer training.
However, becoming a government martial artist was the hardest path to walk, and joining a family could be even more restrictive—it was almost like selling yourself.
If you were trained by one of those families, they would expect you to stay loyal to them forever, making it hard to leave once you were entrenched.
So for most people, the martial hall was the best option, and it was also Han’s choice.
As for self-taught martial artists...
Well, let's just say two words: Good luck.
After learning about Han’s background, Bai Tian, the headmaster, had already formulated his own plans.
At that moment, two new visitors walked in: a young man and an older man.
“Master Bai, I won’t take up much of your time since I have to visit a couple of other martial halls,” the young man, Meng Hao, said with a smile.
“I won’t keep you any longer, Young Master Meng,” Bai Tian nodded. “Rest assured, I will join you for the Black Mountain expedition.”
Meng Hao’s smile grew even wider. “That’s perfect!”
Meng Hao was about to leave with the old man when his gaze fell on a registration form on a nearby desk, and he stopped in his tracks.
“Huh?”
Meng Hao pointed at the form. “Old Mu, isn’t this the address of the place we visited last night?”
Old Mu glanced at the form. “Young Master, you’re right.”
Bai Tian furrowed his brow. “What’s the matter with this address?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, but last night, while I was strolling through the town, I sensed some strange, dark energy at this location,” Meng Hao explained, shaking his head. “But before I could get closer, it disappeared. From the intensity of the energy, it seemed like a minor ghost.”
“And the owner of that house, is he still an apprentice at your martial hall?”
“Yes, he just joined today. He’s quite talented, and I plan to take him as a disciple,” Bai Tian nodded.
“Just joined today?” Meng Hao’s interest was piqued. “So he’s still a regular human?”
“Right.”
“Interesting... how does a regular human manage to survive a ghost encounter?” Meng Hao thought for a moment but said nothing more, leaving with Old Mu.
However, as they exited the martial hall, Old Mu suddenly spoke.
“Master Bai’s martial hall has a regular human with impressive physical strength and vitality. But he has no signs of practicing any martial arts or possessing magical tools or charms.”
Old Mu had never been to the backyard, but it was as if he had seen everything with his own eyes.
Meng Hao chuckled helplessly. “Old Mu, try not to do that so often. It’s a bit impolite.”
“Still, it’s quite interesting. A human without any external aid... how did he deal with a ghost?”
“By the way, Old Mu, did you sense anything else at the house last night?”
Old Mu shook his head. “No, nothing related to Taoism or any magical items.”
“And Young Master, even with a magical tool, a regular human wouldn’t be able to use it.”
Meng Hao thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with any answers. He chuckled and shook his head.
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“Forget it. I’m just here to have some fun. It’s none of my business anyway.”
The old and young duo walked down the street, while on the third floor of the martial hall, Zhang Yuantao approached Bai Tian.
“Master, those two guests have left.”
Bai Tian nodded. “In three days, I will join them for the expedition to Black Mountain. You all stay here and keep an eye on the hall.”
Beyond Heiyun Town, there were towering mountains, with the highest peak known as Black Mountain. There was also a mighty river, the Yun River, after which the town was named.
Thanks to the presence of these two geographical features, Heiyun Town was more prosperous than some small cities.
Zhang Yuantao couldn’t object to Bai Tian’s decision. After agreeing, he brought up another topic.
“Master, what about Han...?”
Bai Tian pondered. As the master of a martial hall, and with his own experiences from his youth, he knew all too well about dark energy and ghosts. Meng Hao’s curiosity was also his.
He had thought that Han’s situation had been thoroughly investigated, but now it seemed like this prospective disciple wasn’t as simple as he had initially assumed.
“Go ahead and leave for now,” Bai Tian said, signaling for Zhang Yuantao to step away.
In the backyard, Han had already been learning a great deal about martial arts theory from Bai Ruoyue.
Throughout their lessons, Han continued to surprise Bai Ruoyue.
He was learning at an astonishing pace, his mind quick and sharp. He could easily make connections and understand concepts, and there seemed to be no problem that could stump him.
Han was pleased with his progress.
He had a rough idea of why his transformation had been so dramatic. The first reason was the enhancement of his life force.
It didn’t just improve his physical body but also his soul.
The second factor was the help he received from the Sensory Period.
Bai Ruoyue sighed. “Han, you truly are a genius.”
“A genius who hasn’t yet grown is nothing special,” Han replied with a smile.
Bai Ruoyue glanced at him, finding that sometimes Han was a bit too rational.
Logically, when an ordinary person first learned they were a genius, they should feel somewhat smug or proud.
But Han, though happy, seemed remarkably clear-headed.
It was a bit strange.
Bai Ruoyue only thought Han was an ordinary person—she never imagined the extraordinary experiences he had gone through.
She glanced out at the sky, wondering where her father, the hall master, was.
"Let's stop here for today. It's almost time for dinner," Bai Ruoyue said.
"Han, why don't you stay at the martial hall for dinner?"
"Wait, the martial hall provides food?" Han asked, surprised.
"They offer regular meals, but just one per day," Bai Ruoyue replied, packing away her books. "Come with me later, we'll eat together."
Han hesitated. "Isn’t that a bit inappropriate? After all, I’m not one of the hall master's disciples."
But deep down, he was eagerly anticipating the chance to sample a martial artist’s meal.
The real reason? He was running low on money...
Even though he was in such a situation, Han still found it hard to be rude, as politeness had been deeply ingrained in him from his past life.
It wasn’t pretense; it was genuine courtesy.
"It’s fine, one more person won’t make a difference," Bai Ruoyue said, insisting. Han smiled and agreed.
"There’s no rush now. You can look around the hall for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner."
Bai Ruoyue was planning to speak with her father about the current situation.
The two parted ways, and Han returned to the hall on the first floor.
As soon as Han walked in, a group of people immediately surrounded him, chattering away.
"Hey, brother, what were you doing in the back yard? Did you meet the hall master?"
"Big bro, did the hall master take you as a disciple?"
"No way! I heard from Li Wu that you’re already 22. At that age, how could the hall master take you as a disciple?"
"Right, maybe you did something wrong and got called in for questioning."
The crowd was buzzing with gossip—some were merely curious, others envious, and some even tried to hurt Han with their words.
There were those who darkly speculated that Bai Ruoyue might have taken a special interest in Han, maybe even played with him a little. After all, he certainly looked like a pretty boy.
But these thoughts remained unspoken, as no one dared voice such things out loud in the martial hall.
"I haven’t been accepted as a disciple of the hall master," Han clarified simply, then said no more.
Just that one sentence, however, excited some of the onlookers.
"I knew it! A 22-year-old apprentice, what qualifications does he have to be accepted as the hall master’s disciple?"
"Pfft, what’s with all the acting? Who do you think you are? You’re not that talented."
"Hey, you’re Han, right? Got the guts to spar with me? I’ve been here longer than you. Let me show you a thing or two."
Since Han wasn’t a hall master disciple, his status was no different from theirs.
So naturally, they weren’t worried about anything. They said what they wanted, some even thinking about taking a swing at Han.
Sparring was allowed in the martial hall.
Seeing the way these people were acting, Han couldn’t help but feel amused.
The disciples of Bai Yun Martial Hall gave off a good impression, but the apprentices? Well, they were a mixed bag.
When it came to accepting apprentices, the hall focused on talent, not character.
And now, everything had finally reached a familiar stage for Han.
Han glanced around at the loudmouths. After dismissing a few younger ones, who looked no older than 12 or 13, he pointed to several others.
"You, you, you, and you. Some of you wanted to spar with me, and others seem to have issues with me."
"Well then, I’ll give you the chance. Let’s spar."
The crowd was stunned by his words. Even those who had been quietly training in the corner and showed no interest in Han couldn’t help but glance over.
A few of the hall master’s disciples who happened to be patrolling nearby also turned their heads.
"What are you looking at? I’m talking about you guys," Han said, his tone oozing arrogance. He didn’t care one bit for these senior apprentices who had been training for a while.
Han had no habit of pretending to be weak, nor did he have the mindset to smile when others ridiculed him.
He had crossed over to this world, and he certainly wasn’t here to take anyone’s nonsense!
If he was supposed to suffer when he hadn’t crossed over, fine. But if he crossed over with a cheat code only to still get pushed around, then what was the point of the damn transmigration?
He wasn’t about to waste this chance!