Demon, come and cultivate for me.

Outside Jiling Temple, the one-eyed old man was still standing at the entrance.

Zhou Chu thought to himself, could it be that this old man was the one who collected the corpses of Ji Ling Dao Ren and his disciple?

Why is he still here?

The one-eyed old man turned around, but his face was full of a kind smile.

"What's wrong with you...?" Zhou Chu was somewhat puzzled.

"Young friend, you have avenged my master. I would like to express my gratitude to you here." After saying this, the old man bowed to Zhou Chu.

Revenge? Didn't your master die in the miasma-filled land? Could it be that this Taoist Jiling harmed your master?

Zhou Chu had no interest in their past grievances, so he said:

"It's alright. This old Taoist priest has done countless evil deeds; killing him is acting on behalf of Heaven. Farewell."

He returned the old man's greeting, hoisted the box, dragged the spider's corpse, and strode away.

He hadn't gone far when he noticed the old man was following him the whole time.

He sped up, and the old man sped up as well, as if deliberately maintaining a fixed distance.

This made Zhou Chu very uncomfortable.

Zhou Chu stopped in his tracks, and the old man also stood still.

"Strange!"

Zhou Chu simply walked towards the old man.

"What is it, young friend?" The old man still had a smile on his face.

"Old man, why have you been following me?" Zhou Chu asked, staring at the old man's only remaining eye.

The old man's single eye was cloudy but gleaming, his gaze meeting Zhou Chu's directly and frankly.

"Young friend, what makes you say that? I'm going back to Wuyang City, how does that mean I'm following you?"

Alright, alright, is this how you play? You old geezer, you think you can outrun me?

Zhou Chu smiled slightly, secretly channeling his spiritual energy into his legs, and turned to run.

The official road was wide and flat, and the bright moon shone in the sky, illuminating the road.

Zhou Chu took off running at top speed, and the surrounding scenery receded like a tide.

This speed is so fast that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it covers a thousand miles a day.

In a short while, Zhou Chu arrived at the foot of Wuyang City.

It was curfew time, and the city gates were closed.

Zhou Chu looked up at the city wall, which was more than three zhang high, and suddenly realized that the mandrill's talent was climbing.

Why not try transforming into a mandrill or a spider monster and climbing directly up the city wall?

Just as he was about to act, a hand suddenly patted Zhou Chu on the shoulder.

Zhou Chu turned his head and saw that it was a one-eyed old man.

They caught up so quickly, that's impressive.

So what? I can transform into a mandrill and crawl into the city. You can just obediently squat outside the city and wait for dawn.

The old man nodded to Zhou Chu, raised his hand to cover his mouth, and imitated two bird calls:

"Coo coo~ Coo coo~"

Soon, two identical bird calls came from the city wall, as if in response.

To Zhou Chu's astonishment, the wide and heavy city gate was opened from the inside, revealing a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

The old man went in first, beckoned to Zhou Chu, and gave him a mocking look:

"What? You want to climb up there? There are at least a dozen martial artists on the top of the wall. You'll be shot into a pincushion before you even get halfway up."

Zhou Chu looked up and, by the moonlight, saw seven or eight heads peeking out from the city wall, staring at him.

Zhou Chu pursed his lips, quickened his pace, and squeezed through the city gate before it closed.

Only a fool would climb the wall instead of using the main gate.

"Hey, old man, how did you do that?" Zhou Chu caught up with the old man and pointed to the city gate behind him, asking.

This old man is definitely more than just an old man.

The old man's identity must be extraordinary to be able to open the city gate with just two bird calls.

"According to the laws of Yan State, registered martial artists are allowed to patrol at night. Don't you know that?" The old man always had an inscrutable smile on his face.

Zhou Chu shook his head: "I've never left Guniu Mountain, so I don't know these things."

This is the truth. The original owner of this body grew up in Baishi Village at the foot of Guniu Mountain and had never been to the city.

Although I've heard people talk about how amazing martial artists are, I don't understand the details of their abilities.

The old man pointed at the spider's corpse and said, "You dragged this thing back, are you going to the government to claim a reward?"

Zhou Chu nodded.

The old man's smile deepened:

"These initial-stage demons don't even have demon cores, so the government won't take them."

"Huh? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Zhou Chu threw the spider's corpse directly on the ground.

"You didn't ask earlier," the old man added. "Please do not litter."

Zhou Chu bent down to pick it up, but was stopped by the old man.

The old man made a hand seal with his right hand, his lips moved slightly, and he shouted, "Go!" He pointed at the spider corpse, which immediately burst into flames and turned to ashes in a moment.

Zhou Chu was taken aback, thinking to himself that one should not judge a book by its cover. This old man was unremarkable in appearance, yet he knew magic.

"It seems you truly don't understand the rules of this city." The old man stopped his magic spell. "Then I'll explain them to you..."

He spoke as he walked, his voice not loud, but Zhou Chu could hear him clearly.

In the Yan state, warriors could be registered as warriors after passing the government's examination.

Registered martial artists enjoy numerous privileges, including exemption from taxes and corvée labor, the ability to travel freely without a travel permit, and the right to collect their monthly military pay from the government.

Becoming a martial artist meant being qualified to serve as an official in the Yan Kingdom. The higher the martial artist's rank, the higher the official position they would be appointed to.

The government divided martial artists into two stages, totaling six levels, based on their strength.

The first stage is the Acquired Martial Artist stage, which has three levels: Initial Martial Artist, Intermediate Martial Artist, and Peak Martial Artist.

Under normal circumstances, peak martial arts masters represent the limit for ordinary people, and they cannot break through to the next level.

If a martial artist possesses a family-inherited secret method of guidance, or if an extraordinary opportunity arises, a peak martial artist may be able to break through again and further advance to become a Xiantian martial artist.

The second stage is the Innate Martial Artist, which has only three levels: True Body Realm, Grandmaster Realm, and Great Grandmaster Realm.

Those who reach the Innate Martial Artist realm have a lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary people.

The internal energy flows like a mighty river, endlessly.

The strength of a master of innate martial arts is unfathomable; they can split mountains and cut through rivers, and are impervious to water and fire.

Above that is the Martial Saint realm.

The title of "Martial Saint" is not within the scope of official certification.

In fact, becoming a Martial Saint is already a transcendence of worldly existence, and does not require official certification.

The Martial Saint realm is further divided into nine levels.

The first stage is the Mountain Touching Realm, where one's strength can break through all laws, and one's physical body can withstand the impact of mountains.

The second stage is the Sea-Reclaiming Realm, where the internal energy is like a deep, vast abyss...

Finally, the old man looked up at the starry sky and sighed:

"Those who reach the Martial Saint realm have transcended the mortal world and become like gods."

Ordinary martial artists, without an extraordinary stroke of luck, can only dream of it.

The street was eerily quiet, with only the footsteps of Zhou Chu and the old man echoing on the bluestone slabs.

Occasionally, a few sword-wielding night patrolmen would pass by the two and stop to bow to the old man.

The old man nodded in return, but his steps did not falter at all.

Is he really that imposing? Zhou Chu saw all this and his opinion of the old man changed once again.

Could this old man be the mastermind behind some organization, traveling incognito?

"Are they all your subordinates?" Zhou Chu asked curiously.

The old man shook his head: "No, I am just like them, a registered martial artist of the Yan Kingdom."

Why are they all so respectful to you?

"In this Wuyang City, there are only two peak-stage acquired martial artists: one is the Wuyang Prefect, and the other is myself." The old man said, then, as if remembering something, added:

"Including you, there are three now."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu was secretly delighted. "Am I really that amazing? My strength is on par with the prefect?"

"May I ask your esteemed name, senior?"

"Fan Li".