Within Changping City, the five major martial arts halls are Thunderstorm, Celestial Python, Golden Furnace, Hong Yun, and Jingtao.
These five halls each teach different skills: some teach fist and palm techniques, others teach leg techniques, and still others teach Horizontal Refining of Hard Skills, each offering something unique.
"The disciples of these five halls often compete among themselves, but the hall masters have never publicly demonstrated their skills."
"As such, even the residents of Changping City do not know which of the five martial arts halls possesses the superior teaching…"
Zhang Yao paced back and forth in the room, deep in thought, soon making a decision.
"Then it's best to choose the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall."
Since he couldn't determine which was stronger, naturally, he prioritized skills that ensured survival.
From this perspective, the Horizontal Refining of Hard Skills taught by the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall seemed more suitable for him compared to the other halls.
With a decision made, Zhang Yao didn't immediately visit the hall to become a disciple but rather left the inn to explore various parts of Changping City to investigate the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall.
He mainly gathered information on the character of the hall master and the reputation of the martial arts hall.
If the hall master was tyrannical or aggressive, or if the disciples frequently caused trouble and had a bad track record, he would have to reconsider choosing a different hall.
After a busy stint, Zhang Yao returned to the second floor of the inn and organized the information he collected.
"Overall, the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall has a fairly positive reputation in Changping City."
"The hall is strict in disciplining its disciples; although there have been instances of using martial arts inappropriately and being aggressive, these are rare cases and not protected or concealed afterwards."
"The hall master and several direct disciples often perform acts of altruism, earning them considerable recognition among the townsfolk."
On reaching this point, Zhang Yao resolutely decided to join the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Zhang Yao checked out of Yunlai Inn and after eating breakfast from a street vendor, headed to the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall.
Changping City, the administrative center of the region, is wide and deep, home to nearly a hundred thousand people, booming with commerce and numerous marketplaces.
The Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall is located on West Main Street, surrounded by various restaurants and shops, bustling with pedestrians and the endless calls of vendors and peddlers echoing all around.
"Oh, it's quite majestic."
Zhang Yao approached the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall, seeing its blue bricks, green tiles, stone steps, and red doors, with a gold-plated sign shining brightly under the sunlight.
Even across the courtyard walls, one could hear the unified shouts from inside the hall, proving that there were many apprentices practicing martial arts early in the morning, indicating the hall's prosperous business.
He arrived at the entrance and explained his purpose to the two disciples on guard, and soon someone escorted him inside.
His guide was a young man in white, who first took him on a tour of the hall, then led him to the inner courtyard's accounting office to pay his dues.
To study martial arts at the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall costs ten taels of silver per year, excluding board and lodging.
The accountant verified the payment, confirmed it was the proper weight of True Silver, asked for his name, age, and origin, then recorded it in the roster.
Thus, Zhang Yao officially joined the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall as a disciple, specifically under the hall master's name.
"Junior Brother Zhang, come, I'll take you to meet the master."
The young man in white, named Zhang Yannian, who is a direct disciple of the hall master, spoke gently, "For the first few days, the master will personally instruct new disciples."
"After that, if you wish to seek guidance, you will have to find Senior Brother or me; our skills are naturally not as good as the master's."
"Junior Brother Zhang, you must seize this opportunity!"
"I understand."
Zhang Yao nodded.
Following Zhang Yannian, they crossed several courtyards and arrived at the main hall, finally meeting the master of the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall.
He was about fifty years old, with a square face, a short beard on his chin, dressed in a black martial arts uniform, seated on a Taishi Chair, radiating an aura of natural authority without anger.
This was the master of the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall, Zhou An, known throughout Changping City for his "Vajra Divine Fist."
"Master."
Zhang Yannian respectfully saluted and said, "This is the new Junior Brother, Zhang Yao."
"Greetings, Master."
Zhang Yao stepped forward and bowed to salute.
"Hmm."
Zhou An nodded slightly, looked Zhang Yao over, and said, "Good physique, complete Divine Qi, you're a promising candidate."
"The Horizontal Refining of Hard Skills taught at Golden Furnace is called 'Golden Furnace Technique,' which consists of three stages. When perfected, it can make you immune to swords and spears..."
He briefly explained the "Golden Furnace Technique" and then directly began instructing.
"Watch closely."
Zhou An first assumed a Horse Stance, then began demonstrating fist techniques, incorporating footwork and turning movements, executing each move with precision.
"Boom…"
His movements were slow but not sluggish, appearing to be moving slowly, yet they subtly caused the air to hum and whistle, evidently containing immense force.
Such a punch, if landed on a person, could likely tear them to shreds on the spot.
"Marvelous."
Zhang Yao watched intently, amazed at the display.
In his past life, he saw excavators, machines a hundred times stronger than humans, yet even machines couldn't create such an impact due to their lack of speed.
He understood that this was a peculiar and special way to utilize force that could unleash tremendous destructive power—this was what martial arts were about.
"The martial arts taught at Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall are indeed incomparable to any Health Cultivation Method."
Zhang Yao focused entirely, not daring to miss a single movement, mentally recording all he saw.
After several breaths, Zhou An finished his demonstration, exhaled lightly, and not a single drop of sweat was visible on his forehead.
"These are the basic level techniques of the Golden Furnace known as 'Twenty-Four Bear Pole Forms,' developed specifically for stretching tendons, strengthening bones, and enhancing power."
Turning to Zhang Yao, he asked, "Zhang Yao, did you see clearly?"
Zhang Yao nodded and replied, "I saw clearly."
"Good, now show me."
Zhou An returned to his Taishi Chair, gesturing him to proceed.
The Twenty-Four Bear Pole Forms appeared simple, but for first-time learners, even mimicking three or four parts correctly would be commendable.
One's martial arts talent and future accomplishments could be roughly gauged from this initial teaching and instruction.
"All right, Master, please critique."
Zhang Yao responded, steadied himself, assumed his Horse Stance, and began performing the "Twenty-Four Bear Pole Forms."
His extraordinary memory allowed him to remember all the details in one go, and combined with a physique that surpassed ordinary people, his performance was striking, attaining at least seventy to eighty percent accuracy in movement.
"This…"
Watching from the side, Zhang Yannian was astounded: "This Junior Brother Zhang's talent is remarkably exceptional?"
Such martial arts talent, not even Senior Brother could match.
He noticed that Zhang Yao was genuinely encountering the "Twenty-Four Bear Pole Forms" for the first time, evident from errors in minor details, which further highlighted his extraordinary talent.
"I wonder what the master thinks…"
Zhang Yannian subconsciously turned to look at Zhou An, only to find his brows furrowed, perplexing him.
"What's Master thinking? Is he not satisfied?"
"Zhang Yao!"
Suddenly Zhou An spoke, his gaze fixed on Zhang Yao, asking in a serious tone: "Have you practiced Internal Martial Arts before?"