12: Chapter 12 Zhou Family Head

Although he had lived here for over a year, this was the first time Xiao Yuchen had come to the park so early.

After jogging a lap, Xiao Yuchen was surprised to discover that the Spiritual Qi here was much denser than at home, perhaps because of the abundant vegetation.

Xiao Yuchen stopped, carefully sensing the surrounding Spiritual Qi. Eventually, he found a spot where the Spiritual Qi was most concentrated, sat down, and activated his Energy Absorption Technique to begin absorbing it.

The sky had been clear and windless, but within a five-meter radius of Xiao Yuchen, a breeze began to swirl, causing the trees to creak. However, Xiao Yuchen was too focused on his Cultivation to notice his surroundings.

Just then, an old man who was doing his morning exercises in the park suddenly frowned and looked toward Xiao Yuchen.

"Eh? This Aura? Could there be a Neijin Martial Artist Cultivating here?"

The old man quickly stopped his exercise and walked briskly toward Xiao Yuchen. When he reached his vicinity, he was instantly shocked by the scene before him.

In Jiangcheng, Martial Artists were already rare. Even if they existed, most were External Strength Martial Artists. Neijin Martial Artists were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, generally controlled by the various major Families.

Furthermore, those who could Cultivate into Neijin Martial Artists were mostly in their forties or fifties; he had never seen a young Neijin Martial Artist like Xiao Yuchen before.

And for some reason, although Xiao Yuchen possessed the Aura of a Neijin Martial Artist, he couldn't feel any True Qi fluctuations from him.

"This boy is definitely not simple."

Thinking this, the old man quietly approached Xiao Yuchen. Just as he was less than ten meters away, he stepped on a branch. Although the sound was very slight, it was still heard by Xiao Yuchen.

"Who is it?"

Xiao Yuchen suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the old man not far away.

"Young friend, don't misunderstand, I have no malicious intent. You should be a Neijin Martial Artist, right? Can we chat?"

Hearing the old man's words, Xiao Yuchen fell into deep thought. He knew the Ranks of a Cultivator, but he was unclear about the Ranks of martial arts. The old man speaking like this meant he was likely a Martial Artist himself.

"Sure."

Xiao Yuchen was quite interested in the classification of Martial Artist Ranks.

"Then please come with me, young friend."

Xiao Yuchen didn't say anything and followed the old man to a secluded place to sit down.

"May I ask what to call you, young friend?" the old man asked first.

"Xiao Yuchen."

Hearing Xiao Yuchen's name, the old man frowned even deeper. There was no major Family with the surname Xiao in Jiangcheng, and among the Martial Artists retained by those Families, there was no one named Xiao Yuchen.

"Hello, young friend Xiao. Let me introduce myself; I am Zhou Tiancheng, the head of the Jiangcheng Zhou Family."

Hearing the old man's words, Xiao Yuchen was visibly stunned. "The Zhou Family? Do you mean the Zhou Family of the Four Great Families?"

"That's right. Just now, seeing you Cultivate, I could vaguely tell that you were a Neijin Martial Artist, but I don't know why I cannot feel any True Qi fluctuations around you," Zhou Tiancheng asked curiously.

"You seem very curious about me. It is because my Cultivation Technique is somewhat special and can hide my Aura."

Xiao Yuchen naturally couldn't tell the truth. His strength was currently low, and many secrets could not be revealed, or else his life would be in danger.

"I see. I wonder if young friend Xiao has joined any Family? If not, I, Zhou Tiancheng, hope that you can join the Zhou Family. The benefits will definitely not be lower than any other Family in Jiangcheng."

Facing the olive branch offered by Zhou Tiancheng, Xiao Yuchen was not very excited. Although the Zhou Family was one of the Four Great Families in Jiangcheng, in Xiao Yuchen's eyes, it was just so-so.

"I'm sorry, I am currently the personal bodyguard of Li Yiran, the Young Miss of the Shengkai Group. I haven't thought about joining any other major Family for the time being."

"The Li Family of the Shengkai Group? Although the Li Family's strength in Jiangcheng is decent, it is still a bit inferior compared to the Four Great Families. Will young friend Xiao not reconsider?"

Zhou Tiancheng clearly didn't want to give up. Such a young Neijin Martial Artist would have limitless achievements in the future; becoming a Grandmaster was even possible. If the Zhou Family could recruit him, they would certainly be able to use this to become the head of the Four Great Families.

"Elder Zhou, to be honest, the Li Family's Young Miss, Li Yiran, is now my girlfriend, so it is impossible for me to join any other Family. I hope Elder Zhou can understand." Xiao Yuchen refused directly.

"Oh, I understand. A fair lady is a good match for a gentleman. However, I have a granddaughter named Zhou Yuyan. Whether in appearance or temperament, she is no worse than the Li Family's daughter. If you are willing, young friend, I can introduce my granddaughter to you."

Hearing the old man's words, Xiao Yuchen was stunned. He hadn't expected that the Zhou Family, one of the Four Great Families, would be willing to use their own granddaughter to recruit him. It could be considered full of sincerity.

"Thank you for your kindness, Elder Zhou, but feelings are not a transaction; it depends on fate. At the very least, I have no intention of leaving the Li Family for the time being."

"Alright, then that is a pity."

Seeing that Xiao Yuchen remained unmoved, Zhou Tiancheng was helpless. However, even if he couldn't win Xiao Yuchen over, he didn't want to offend him. After handing his business card to Xiao Yuchen, he prepared to get up and leave.

"Elder Zhou, please wait a moment. The reason I was willing to chat with you is also because I have questions I would like to ask."

Hearing this, Zhou Tiancheng stopped and sat back down.

"I wonder what you would like to ask, young friend Xiao?"

"It is like this: I have not been practicing martial arts for long, and I am not very familiar with the Rank classification of Martial Artists. I wonder if Elder Zhou could enlighten me?"

Hearing this, the old man's heart was filled with stormy waves. "Could it be that young friend Xiao did not practice martial arts from childhood?"

"No." Xiao Yuchen shook his head. "I have only been practicing martial arts for just a few months, so there are many things I don't understand."

In fact, it had only been a few days since Xiao Yuchen's Awakening of the cultivation system. If he told the truth, surely no one would believe him. He estimated that normal Cultivation to the so-called Internal Strength should take a few months.

"A few months? You became a Neijin Martial Artist in a few months? Are you joking with me, young friend Xiao? I am fifty-eight years old this year. I started practicing martial arts at ten, and until now, I am only at the Mid-stage Hua Jin Realm."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuchen was also stunned. He had deliberately lengthened his Cultivation time, but he hadn't expected that there would still be a slip-up. The key was that he really didn't feel that Cultivation was that difficult. Could it be because he was a Cultivator?

"Ahem, that... perhaps I am just lucky." Xiao Yuchen casually found an excuse.

Zhou Tiancheng was an old fox; he naturally wouldn't believe Xiao Yuchen's words, but this made him value Xiao Yuchen even more. Becoming a Neijin Martial Artist in a few months—this talent for Cultivation was simply Heaven-Defying. Even the descendants of those major Families in the provincial capital and Yanjing could never achieve this.

"Since you are unwilling to say, I will not ask further. Since you want to know how Martial Artists are classified, I will tell you what I know."

"I am all ears."

"Martial Artists are divided into External Strength, Internal Strength, Hua Jin, Houtian Realm, Xiantian Realm, Grandmaster Realm, Martial King Realm, and Martial Soul Realm. And each Realm is further divided into four Ranks: Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, and Great Perfection."

Hearing the old man's introduction, Xiao Yuchen fell into deep thought. He was unclear about how the Ranks of Cultivation and martial arts corresponded, but since Zhou Tiancheng just said he was a Neijin Martial Artist, it was evident that the threshold for Cultivation was much higher than that of Martial Artists.

"You said you are at the Mid-stage Hua Jin? Then how about we spar? I want to fully understand my own strength."