From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

No sooner had he finished speaking than the girl leaned in on him.

Two palms, whistling through the air, came straight at Lu Yunzhou's chest, the attack decisive and without the slightest hesitation.

"Whoa!"

Lu Yunzhou was so frightened that he took a step back, his heel sliding half a step off the concrete.

He simply said "I'd like to learn from you," was that really necessary?

Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough, twisting his waist to dodge to the side. The girl's palm slap grazed his ribs, bringing a warm sensation.

"Girl, you must have made a mistake!"

Lu Yunzhou shouted as he retreated.

"Enough with the nonsense! You managed to withstand my attacks, and you still say you're not here to cause trouble?"

The girl completely ignored his explanations and delivered a side kick to the back of his knee, the force of the kick was fierce and carried a heavy weight.

Lu Yunzhou jumped up, twisted his body in the air, and used the momentum to flip into the yard when he landed.

"Don't run!"

The girl lightly touched the ground with her toes and launched herself into the air.

When Lu Yunzhou had gained a firm footing, he noticed a detail.

A layer of almost invisible energy flowed around her, and her fists and palms were wrapped with external force, making her attacks heavier than before.

This is not something an ordinary martial arts coach could do.

Lu Yunzhou was secretly delighted.

We've found the right place.

The fact that one can cultivate external strength to this level indicates that there are indeed true inheritors of ancient martial arts hidden here.

The girl in front of him was probably at the fourth rank, which would be considered a master among ordinary people, but compared to him, she was more than one level below.

The two exchanged more than a dozen blows in the courtyard.

Lu Yunzhou only defended and did not attack throughout the entire process. His footwork was so agile that it was as if his feet were oiled, and the girl's punches and kicks always missed by just an inch.

After a dozen or so moves, the girl's breathing became noticeably heavier, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her movements became sluggish.

Lu Yunzhou stopped his stance, took two steps back, and spread his hands: "Miss, I really didn't come here to challenge you. I just wanted to meet the master in the school and chat about martial arts cultivation. That's all."

"You...you really mean it?"

The girl stopped what she was doing, her chest heaving, her brows furrowed, and she looked him up and down.

"really."

"You used the wrong word just now. When I said I wanted to learn from you, I didn't mean we should have a physical fight. I just wanted to ask the master for some advice on a few things I was wondering about."

Before the girl could reply, a deep, steady voice came from deep within the courtyard.

"Xiaoxi, aren't you going to apologize to them?"

"grandfather!"

The girl looked behind Lu Yunzhou.

Lu Yunzhou turned around.

An old man walked out from under the porch in the backyard.

He looked to be over seventy, with completely white hair and beard, a slightly hunched back, and not very tall.

But those eyes were frighteningly bright, and when they swept over, the hairs on the back of Lu Yunzhou's back stood on end for a moment.

His aura was restrained and deep, pressing down silently, like a deep well with no bottom in sight.

Lu Yunzhou immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Senior."

The old man stopped in front of him, his gaze sweeping over him from top to bottom, then back up from bottom to top.

The feeling was like having your skin scraped inch by inch with a needle tip, leaving nothing hidden.

The old man spoke, his tone as indifferent as if he were commenting on the weather: "Young man, with your Qi cultivation at the six acupoints fully open, why don't you seek out grandmasters from prestigious families to spar with? What are you after?"

Lu Yunzhou's heart tightened suddenly.

The old man scanned him with his eyes and immediately understood his cultivation level.

He is definitely a top-notch expert.

"I have only been practicing for a short time and have only a superficial understanding of many things about martial arts. I would like to ask a few questions to someone who truly understands."

"A wise person."

The old man chuckled and waved to the girl, "Go boil some water."

"Okay, Grandpa."

The girl glared at Lu Yunzhou, then turned and ran into the small kitchen at the back.

The old man gestured for Lu Yunzhou to enter, leading him through a narrow gate into the backyard.

The backyard is more spacious than the front yard.

An old locust tree spreads out a large area of ​​shade, and under the tree is a stone table and several low stools.

The chirping of cicadas leaked through the branches and leaves, creating a world apart from the hustle and bustle of Jingwu Road outside.

The two sat down.

"This junior is Lu Yunzhou."

Lu Yunzhou registered first, "May I ask how I should address you, senior?"

The old man pulled an old tea canister from under the stone table, pried open the lid with his fingernail, and scooped a few pinches of tea leaves into the pot.

"Bai Heming. An old man has been holed up on this street for decades, teaching a few students to make a living. Nothing special."

"Senior Bai."

Lu Yunzhou said sincerely, "I have always been confused about the division of martial arts realms. I am taking the liberty of coming here today to ask for your guidance."

"You've cultivated to the six apertures, and you still don't understand the distinctions between different realms?"

Bai Heming looked up at him.

"The path I took was quite different from the norm. I figured out a lot of things on my own, and no one taught me any systematic things."

Bai Heming sized him up for a few seconds and nodded.

The girl brought out a pot of hot water, poured a cup for each of them, glared at Lu Yunzhou, and then stepped aside.

Bai Heming picked up his teacup, blew on it, and slowly began to speak: "The nine ranks of martial arts correspond to nine acupoints in the human body."

"With each opening of acupoint, the flow of qi and blood doubles, and the body and strength increase accordingly."

"The first to third grades are the foundation building stage, which involves strengthening muscles and bones and nourishing qi and blood."

"The fourth to sixth grades are called Condensing Strength, where external strength is internalized, and one begins to touch the threshold of true qi."

"Only those who reach the seventh rank or above can be considered to have truly entered the realm of True Qi, where Qi can be freely directed and used for both offense and defense."

He paused, glanced at Lu Yunzhou, and said, "You now have six apertures, just one step away from the seventh rank. Have you already crossed that threshold?"

Lu Yunzhou didn't hide anything: "It was only recently broken."

Bai Heming's eyebrows twitched, and his hand holding the teacup paused for a moment.

"So young, yet already so perceptive..."

He put down his cup, his tone more serious than before, "From the seventh to the ninth rank, hard work alone is far from enough. It requires true life-and-death tempering, as well as comprehension. Some people spend their entire lives squatting at the threshold of the ninth rank, unable to cross it even in death."

"And after the ninth rank?"

Lu Yunzhou pressed for more information.

Bai Heming was silent for a few seconds, then tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Above the ninth rank, there is a realm known in the circle as the tenth realm. Those who step into the tenth realm can draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for their own use. At that level, the gap between them and the ninth rank is greater than the sum of the first to ninth ranks."

He stared at Lu Yunzhou, his gaze sharpening: "But young brother, this old man has lived to this age and has seen many geniuses, but those who can reach the ninth rank are extremely rare."

"The Ten Realms exist only in fragments of oral tradition."

"The path you're taking is different from the old-fashioned approach of those of us who practice external martial arts and internal strength."

"That energy within you doesn't seem to be pure martial arts qi."

Lu Yunzhou didn't reply, but picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Bai Heming didn't press further, waving his hand: "Everyone's path is different, this old man won't pry into your background."

"But here's a piece of advice for you: if your foundation isn't solid, the faster you go, the harder you'll fall."

"Your seven orifices are just beginning to open, and your true energy is not yet stable. Don't rush to push it upwards; first, solidify your foundation."