The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

Just as he returned to his room, Lin Xuan suddenly sent someone to call Ye Sheng back to the study.

"The Grand Alchemy Gathering is your only chance to return to the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, and it is also the safest path."

Lin Xuan's voice was calm and unhurried, each word carrying undeniable weight: "But before that, there's something you must take care of first."

Ye Sheng stood quietly, without saying a word.

"Your household registration." Lin Xuan tapped the table lightly with his knuckles. "Your status as a vagrant is your biggest obstacle. The laws of Dayuan are strict, and the word 'registration' is heavier than Mount Tai. Even if my Lin family is powerful and the Qingyun Sword Sect is aloof, we cannot openly violate the ironclad law of the court and accept a vagrant without household registration as a guest minister."

"If you want to stand legitimately on the stage of the Alchemy Grand Gathering, you must first have an identity that can be presented in public."

Ye Sheng's heart skipped a beat; he understood Lin Xuan's meaning. Although he was currently under the protection of the Lin family, he was ultimately a rootless duckweed. Once his identity as a migrant worker was exposed, people like Wu Fei could easily have the Qingyun Town garrison arrest him with just a single official document, and at that point, the Lin family would have no way to intervene.

"Then, in the patriarch's opinion, what should I do?"

"Go to the Martial Arts Guild and get certified as a martial artist." A glint of light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. "You are already a martial artist at the Opening Meridian Realm. As long as you pass the certification, you will receive a martial artist's seal. At that time, I will use some connections to change your registration and badge at the Garrison Command, changing you from a 'vagrant household' to a 'martial household'."

To leap from the lowly "rural households" to the privileged "military households" in the Great Abyss Dynasty was nothing short of meteoric.

"I have already made arrangements for this matter for you." Lin Xuan took out a letter from his sleeve. The envelope had an ancient "Lin" character branded with gold paint. "Take this letter to the Martial Arts Guild in the west of the city tomorrow, and someone will meet you there."

"Thank you, Patriarch Lin." Ye Sheng took the letter, which felt slightly heavy in his hand. He knew that the weight of this letter went far beyond what he had received.

The next morning, Ye Sheng changed into a set of ordinary martial arts attire prepared by the Lin family, with a black spine knife at his waist, and went to the Qingyun City Martial Arts Guild alone.

The Martial Arts Guild of Qingyun City is located in a vast complex of buildings in the west of the city. The main building is a magnificent octagonal stone tower with five stories high. The tower is covered with marks from being carved and cleaved, exuding a sense of desolation and dominance that has been weathered by time.

People came and went at the guild's entrance, mostly burly martial artists. They either chatted and laughed loudly in groups of three or five, or hurried along with menacing expressions. Ye Sheng walked among them, inconspicuous.

He walked into the guild hall, which was extremely noisy. Various bounty mission notices were hung on the walls, and many martial artists were gathered around the notices, pointing and commenting.

Following Lin Xuan's instructions, Ye Sheng remained silent and walked straight to a counter on one side of the hall that was specifically responsible for authentication matters.

Behind the counter sat an elderly man with a goatee, resting with his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the noise around him.

"Old sir, I've come to apply for martial arts certification." Ye Sheng handed over Lin Xuan's letter along with ten taels of silver as "tea money."

The old man didn't even lift his eyelids. He simply stretched out his withered hand, slid the silver into his sleeve, and then slowly picked up the letter, opened it, and glanced at it.

In a single glance, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his previously cloudy eyes. He abruptly opened his eyes and scrutinized Ye Sheng from head to toe, his gaze filled with astonishment and suspicion.

"Pulse Opening Realm certification?" The old man's voice was hoarse, tinged with disbelief. "You?"

He saw that Ye Sheng was very young, only seventeen or eighteen years old, and his aura was restrained, so he didn't look like a master.

Ye Sheng didn't speak, but simply nodded calmly.

"Hmph, I can't refuse the face of Patriarch Lin." The old man stood up and walked out from behind the counter, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny. "But the rules of the Martial Arts Guild cannot be broken either. Come with me, let's see what you're made of."

After saying that, he led Ye Sheng through the hall to a training ground in the backyard, which was specifically used for testing.

In the center of the training ground stood a huge, black rock over three zhang tall, its surface covered with fist and palm prints of varying depths.

"This is the 'Power-Measuring Mystic Iron Stele'," the goatee-bearded elder said calmly, pointing to the boulder. "This stele is forged from meteorite iron from outer space, making it incredibly hard. It can also sense the strength and purity of a martial artist's qi and blood. You only need to strike it with all your might to leave a mark on it."

"The standard for a martial artist at the Meridian Opening Realm is to be able to leave a three-inch-deep fist imprint on the monument. If you can do that, I will personally issue you a martial artist's seal."

By this time, a number of martial artists had gathered around the training ground to watch the excitement. They had all come over after hearing that someone was going to undergo the Meridian Opening Realm certification.

"This kid? Has he even grown his pubic hair yet? He wants to get certified as a Qi Opening Realm cultivator?"

"Judging by his thin appearance, he's probably some good-for-nothing playboy trying to make a brief appearance and gain some prestige, right?"

"Hey, this is going to be good. This Strength-Testing Iron Tablet doesn't discriminate; if you don't have real skills, going up there will only make you look foolish."

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Ye Sheng walked to the Xuan Tie Stele, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right fist.

He didn't immediately throw a punch, but instead closed his eyes and slowly circulated the true energy of the "Thick Earth Technique" within his body. The vortex of true energy in his dantian spun faster, and a thick and pure power surged into his right arm along his meridians.

His entire demeanor subtly shifted at that moment. If before he was like a piece of uncut jade hidden in its sheath, now that jade had been unsheathed, its brilliance fully revealed.

"Drink!" Ye Sheng suddenly opened his eyes and let out a low shout. He took half a step forward with his right foot, twisted his waist, and his right fist, like a cannonball, slammed heavily onto the pitch-black iron tablet with a heavy, mountain-like momentum!

"Bang--!"

A deep, muffled bang echoed throughout the entire training ground.

The massive iron tablet, weighing tens of thousands of kilograms, was struck by Ye Sheng's punch, causing it to tremble and emit a buzzing sound.

The expressions on the faces of the martial artists who had been laughing at them instantly froze.

All eyes were fixed on the point where Ye Sheng's fist would land.

On the incredibly hard black iron tablet, a clear fist imprint was deeply dented.

Around the fist imprint, there was even a ring of fine spiderweb-like cracks!

"This...how is this possible!" The goatee-bearded old man's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He rushed to the monument and measured the depth of the fist imprint with his finger.

"Five...five inches! It's actually five inches deep!" The old man gasped, his voice trembling.

Five inches! This far exceeds the standard for the early stage of the Meridian Opening Realm, and even some peak Meridian Opening Realm martial artists may not be able to achieve it!

What shocked him even more was that, judging from the cracks around the fist imprint, the power of Ye Sheng's punch was concentrated and pure, without any leakage. This showed that his control over his own power had reached a level of consummate skill.

"A prodigy! A true prodigy!" The old man looked at Ye Sheng, his eyes no longer showing any contempt, but instead filled with awe and excitement at the prospect of seeing such a peerless genius.

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings. Everyone was speechless with shock at the scene before them.

Ye Sheng slowly withdrew his fist, his expression calm, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

He walked up to the utterly stunned old man with the goatee, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Sir, do you think I've passed?"

"Passed...passed! Of course it passed!" The old man seemed to wake from a dream, nodding repeatedly, his face beaming with a chrysanthemum-like smile, his attitude completely different from before. "Young hero, you are so young yet possess such cultivation; your future is limitless! I was blind to your greatness just now; I hope you will forgive me!"

After saying that, he personally led Ye Sheng back to the hall, took out a seal made of red copper and engraved with a pattern of crossed swords, and respectfully handed it to Ye Sheng.

"This is your martial artist seal. With this seal, you will enjoy many benefits in my martial artist guild in the future."

Ye Sheng took the seal, its warmth touching his hand. He knew that from this moment on, his life would be completely different.

That afternoon, Lin Xuan used his connections to arrange for Ye Sheng to change his household registration and get his license plate changed at the Qingyun Town Garrison.

When Ye Sheng received the brand-new household registration plate with his name and the words "Military Household" engraved on it from the garrison's chief clerk, he was filled with mixed emotions.

He was no longer the homeless vagrant who was bullied and whose livelihood depended on others. He was now a member of the privileged class of the Great Abyss Dynasty—a military household.

When he returned to the Lin family's villa, Lin Qingxue was waiting for him in the courtyard.

"How did it go? Did it go smoothly?" She greeted Ye Sheng when she saw him return, her bright eyes filled with concern.

Ye Sheng didn't say anything, but simply handed the brand-new household registration card to her.

Lin Qingxue took it and looked at it, a genuine smile appearing on her face, a smile as bright and beautiful as the warm spring sun.

"Congratulations," she said softly.

"Hmm." Ye Sheng nodded, looking at the girl's smiling face, and the ice in his heart, which had hardened due to days of running around and fighting, seemed to melt a corner.

He suddenly felt that the sky in Qingyun City seemed to be a bit bluer than elsewhere.