Registration

Dawn, as the sun, not yet risen from the horizon.

At the forest near the Lu sect territory.

Lu Zhou walked in front of a giant boulder that weighed three or four hundred pounds.

With one hand Lu Zhou grabbed the boulder. In a very relaxed manner, he began brandishing it about. That three-hundred-pound boulder, in Lu Zhou's hands, seemed to be as light as wood.

" Quite strong." With a casual toss, Lu Zhou sent the boulder flying several dozens of meters.

Crash!

It smote the ground next to a large tree and the entire ground trembled. Not satisfied, Lu Zhou walked in front of some random stones.

" Hah!"

Lu Zhou breathed deeply. All the veins on his body pooped out prominently as he directly struck at a nearby bluish boulder. His fist shattered the air, creating a howling sound. Lu Zhou fist smashed the boulder.

Crash!

The sound of the fist smashing into the boulder made an echo rang through the forest. The bluestones boulder trembled. Suddenly, six or seven giant cracks appeared on it, as with a ' peng ' sound, it split into four or five pieces. However, Lu Zhou's fist wasn't injured in the slightest.

" With this, the amount of spirit energy I could hold would be twofold from the previous level."

Lu Zhou knew that if his body is too weak, even if he gains access to powerful martial arts his body won't be able to hold much spirit energy.

Many martial apprentices, due to not having received proper guidance in their youth, only understand the connection between internal energy and body strength much later in life. But by that age, they wouldn't make much progress when they trained.

" Status " Calling of the panels, Lu Zhou glanced at the crack and smiles.

[Lu Zhou]

[Lifespan: 13/100]

[Cultivation: True Martial Artist / Novice Mage]

[Technique: Origin of the Internal Energy( Beginner )]

[Physical Body: Lower State Level 4]

[Spells: Tier 1 Explosive Salvo Level 1]

[Spirit Energy: - - -]

[Inventory: 10/10]

" My physical state doubled as well as my lifespan." As the words brought Lu Zhou back to reality, he shook his head for he knew his lifespan increase instead of decrease.

After confirming his power, Lu Zhou began to train.

His training regime was regulated, Lu Zhou would practice every day, it happened twice, once at dawn, and once at dusk.

At this moment, he only needed one thought to emit a faint white glow from his palm. If one did not look closely, one would not be able to see it.

Once someone formed their inner strength, the forces they can hold were equal to the dozens of people at the martial apprentice rank.

Inner strength was one's strength compressed into a higher level. To consolidated his Inner Strength, Lu Zhou meditated for one day and one night.

...

There was still one month left until the family sparring contest. And today were the time for signing up for the family sparring contest.

The family sparring contest was held once every three years and the signup time was one month before the contest itself.

" Sister Yu Yin, are you sure this would work...My strength is only at the second rank..." A nervous-stricken female disciple asked the beauty before her as he look around. Afraid of the eyes of the male's disciples.

At the registering place for the family sparring contest, many disciples were lining up.

This included the beauty of the sect and her friends behind her.

Lu Yu Yin nodded her head," You have already reached the peak of the second rank. You should be able to reach the top one hundred."

" Top one hundred?" The female disciple sighed as she shook her head. Looking at her expression, Lu Yu Yin felt certain that her friend was afraid of showing off.

" It's okay for you, as you're main disciples, look at them." Lu Yu Yin gazes at some female and male disciples from the side branch family and continues," They will be kicked off the sect if fail before even reaching the second rank, you should be grateful." Saying so, she turned her head around.

Upon hearing the remarks from Lu Yu Yin, the disciple trembled. As she look around and saw the determined look on the side branch disciples, she straighten up her back and firmly said," Thank you, sister Yu Yin."

" You welcome." Lu Yu Yin smiles.

This conversation not only happened at this place, as many other disciples were curious and first time entering the competition.

" Did you hear? This year's rewards are extremely good!" One Lu disciple said.

" Rewards? Tell us! No wonder you are inner disciples." A few surrounding disciples had interesting expressions as they looked towards the inner disciple.

That's a new one.

This discussion caught Lu Zhou's attention. He already arrived at the registering place after his morning routine.

As he was looking at the inner disciple who had the cultivation at the peak of the third rank, the person's body trembled and almost collapse.

" What are you doing?" One of the listeners asked the inner disciple when he finished steadying himself.

" Nothing...." The face of the inner disciple was full of dread.

What happened?

He surveyed the surrounding disciples. When he found nothing, he shook his head and continues his bragging.

'Any random inner disciple has such strength.' Lu Zhou thought. Previously when he look at the inner disciple, he activated the new technique he learned from the Martial Arts Library.

" Those that become one of the top fifty will become inner disciples and will have the chance to enter the third floor of the Martial Arts Library and choose an upper-rank martial art skill. They will also receive a four-hundred-year-old blood plant. Those that reach the top twenty can choose two upper ranked martial arts skills and will get two, three-hundred-year-old blood plants."

The inner disciple pause.

" Whoa! Four-hundred-year-old blood plants! The sect is spending a lot of money for those year's contest."

"Upper-rank martial arts skill! Normal disciples will probably never even learn one." The disciples around seemed shocked by the news.

A three-hundred-year-old blood plant was worth two thousand silver. Meanwhile, the four-hundred-year blood plant cost five thousand silver each!

But the most important thing is, the fact that they got to enter the third floor of the Martial Arts Library was more exciting to them.

" If I get the chance to go inside the third floor of the Martial Arts Library, I can learn the Inner Strength!" The passionate disciples were full of hope.

This time the inner disciple continued," The top ten can choose two upper-ranked martial arts and will also get a six-hundred-year-old blood plant!"

Six hundred-year-old blood plant!

Many disciples rubbed their plan together as they thought about it. A six hundred old blood plant was worth ten thousand silver!

"The top three can choose a peak-ranked skill, two upper-ranked skill, and will also get a Blood Gathering Pill."

" Peak rank martial art!"

" Blood Gathering Pill?"

Someone who trained a peak rank martial art could cultivate up to the ninth rank of the Martial Path. As for the Blood Gathering Pill, it was a precious pill that helped increase Ine's cultivation below the fourth rank and was beneficial for the fourth rank Martial Artist.

This type of precious pill was worth over ninety-thousand silver...

The second rank of the martial apprenticeship allowance per month was only a meager amount of twenty silver. Of course, this large amount of money was affordable for his family at the Cloud Step City.

" Still, a single pill was equivalent to the one year of income for the Cloud Step City...." Lu Zhou thoughts and neglected the idea of asking for money from them and continue to listen to the next words from the inner disciple.

" What does a first place get?" Someone asked.

" You are right. Usually, first place gets an extra reward." A few Lu disciples said.

" First place will have extra rewards, but even I do not know what that is." The inner disciple shook his head.

Sighed...

The disciples felt disappointed. However, because they did not know, they felt more intrigued to find out.

" Fellow brother, where the other fourth-ranked outer disciples?" Lu Zhou asked the side branch disciple near him as he cupped his fist and smiled.

" Lu Zhou? " The disciples stunned for while, then returned the greet as he cupped his fist and said, " I don't know, this was my first time registering too."

Sadly the answer he expects was something that all the side branch disciples had given him from the moment he arrived here.

" What's going on?" Lu Zhou frown on the fact that the side branch disciples were low level on cultivation compared to the main disciples. As he knew that all of the disciples at the registering place were first-time participants, he concluded that the new rules has something to do with it.

.....

After waiting for a long time. Lu Zhou finally arrived at the place where the disciples signed up their names and took a badge. The badge had the number 121 on it.

The Lu sect had a few hundred disciples entering the contest. According to the rules, there were only fifty spots for inner disciples under the age of eighteen.

There were fifty inner disciples at the moment.

This meant that some inner disciples may be eliminated and then replaced by the newer generation of disciples.

After signing up Lu Zhou returned home.

As he arrived at the door, he saw Lu Chen, one of the five people who had been accepted by the main family from the northern territory of the Lu sect.

Lu Zhou cupped his fist and greet him as normal disciples should do.

Receiving the manners as politely as possible, Lu Chen said," Here the hundred gold coins master Lu Fen had promised to you." There is a hint of hostility in his voice.

Master?

Lu Zhou squinted his eyes and swept his gaze at the surrounding area of his home.

Confirming no sneak attack, Lu Zhou takes the pouch of money from the outstretched hand of Lu Chen.

" Farewell." Saying his words, Lu Chen walked past him. The expression on his face changed to disdain as he thoughts. ' I'll kill you...'.

Closing the door, Lu Zhou summoned a scroll from his inventory.

Ding!

[Portal of Reminiscent a three-time use items of the normal rank]

The line of words from the system was glowing before him. This item was his prize after killing the Red Horned Tiger at the Sacred Heart Forest.

' I don't want to use this, but the increase of my strength was important.'

As this was his trump card for escaping enemies, Lu Zhou sighed and activated the scroll.

After a while, the only thing that remains in the house was the breeze of the wind from the effect of the scroll as Lu Zhou vanished from the spot.....