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墨書 Inktalez
In the morning light, Ye Tian got up early. After his conversation with Cold Boyuan yesterday, Ye Tian had resolved his inner turmoil. For him now, staying with the Cold Family was no longer a burden but a necessary task.
Splashing cold water on his face instantly refreshed Ye Tian.
"Today is the day of the Demonstration; I can't be late for my first time attending."
Every month, the Cold Family holds a Demonstration day, where the seniors explain martial arts to numerous Cold Family relatives and juniors. On this day, almost everyone gathers at the Training Square. The juniors seek breakthroughs in their martial arts understanding through the seniors' insights, while some important figures of the Cold Family observe all disciples to assess their talents and potential.
Ye Tian hurriedly tidied up and then left his room.
The Training Square is located at the center of the Cold Family Garden, a bit far from Ye Tian's residence. He rushed along the way, anxious about being late and losing face.
Ye Tian's footsteps were quick as he passed through many pavilions and arched bridges. After winding around, he finally arrived at the Training Square.
The Training Square is quite spacious, paved with bluestone and measuring a hundred zhang in width. At its center stands an arena about ten feet high, surrounded by spectator stands. The arena rises from the ground and has a square area of several dozen zhang, constructed entirely of massive square stones about three feet in size. In the middle of the arena stands a straight flagpole, with a large flag fluttering at its top. Both sides of the flag bear symbols: one side features a grand 'Cold' character, while the other showcases the powerful words 'Martial Arts'.
"This Training Square is truly magnificent!" Ye Tian exclaimed inwardly.
Although he had been living in the Cold Family for over a month, he had never been here before due to his previous injuries that prevented him from attending the last Demonstration.
At this moment, Ye Tian stood on the steps at the edge of the arena, looking around as morning mist enveloped everything in a somewhat ethereal atmosphere.
"I guess I arrived too early..." Ye Tian shook his head helplessly, surprised that despite his hurried arrival, there wasn't a single person in sight.
Ye Tian found a spot on the Stone Steps to sit down and began to consolidate the various Seal Techniques of the Bagua Seal Palm in his mind. His fingers moved swiftly, performing dozens of Seal Techniques with remarkable agility. Many of the finger movements were quite peculiar, yet within just two breaths, Ye Tian completed all the transformations. It was evident that he had mastered the Seal Techniques to a considerable degree.
Logically speaking, although Ye Tian possessed Jujutsu, it was somewhat unreasonable for him to master the Seal Techniques of the Bagua Seal Palm to such an extent in such a short time. However, he had indeed accomplished it. Of course, if one were to investigate the reason behind this, Ye Tian would have to thank the Silver-Maned Leopard, as the memories from that life-and-death moment were evidently more profound than months of regular practice.
Although he could activate the Seal Techniques in a short time, he was still far from mastering them perfectly. According to Ye Tian's understanding, experts in this field could form seals in an instant, seamlessly transitioning from forming seals to executing techniques within the blink of an eye.
"Hey, who is that? They came so early."
"I don't know; the fog is quite thick, so I can't see clearly."
A few voices pulled Ye Tian back from his thoughts. Following the sound, he saw several figures approaching him on the Stone Steps.
As they drew closer, their faces gradually became clearer. There were four people in total: two men and two women.
"It's you, Ye Tian." As they reached him, both sides finally recognized each other's faces.
"Sister Ningyue," Ye Tian replied. The speaker was none other than Cold Boyuan's eldest daughter, Cold Moon.
"Long time no see, Brother Ye Tian," said a young man beside Cold Moon.
Ye Tian glanced at him and felt he looked somewhat familiar. After a moment, he slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Oh! Leng Ping! How could I forget you?"
Leng Ping had met Ye Tian once before; although their encounter hadn't left a deep impression, it had been pleasant enough, giving off a sense of steadiness and kindness.
"Come, let me introduce you," Cold Frost said as he pulled Ye Tian over to the other two individuals. "This is Cold Heart, who shares your status as a Cold Family Relative. This little chubby guy is Wu Xiaozhuang, son of Guard Captain Wu Tianci. Right now, he's considered the top among our Cold Family Guardian youths."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tian felt a slight stir in his heart. Although Cold Moon appeared cold on the outside, she was actually warm-hearted within. However, from her tone when introducing Wu Xiaozhuang, it seemed she was unaware of the internal strife within their Cold Family. It appeared that Cold Boyuan had not mentioned these matters to anyone at all.
"Sister Ningyue, I have heard a lot about him."
The speaker was a girl named Cold Heart. Her voice had a slight rasp, but it was not unpleasant. Her appearance could not be described as extraordinary, but it could be characterized as beautiful, and there was a glimmer in her eyes as she looked at Ye Tian.
"Hello." Ye Tian smiled at Cold Heart before turning to the boy called Wu Xiaozhuang, extending his hand and saying, "Hello, my name is Ye Tian."
Wu Xiaozhuang seemed a bit hesitant, but he eventually reached out to shake Ye Tian's hand without saying anything.
Cold Moon frowned slightly at this but quickly returned to normal. "Let's go up," she said, walking towards the stone platform.
The other four youths, including Ye Tian, followed her.
At this moment, the mist had dissipated significantly, and people began to walk up the eight steps of the Arena. Before long, over a hundred people had gathered.
As the crowd gathered, the surroundings gradually became noisy.
Groups of three or five stood together, chatting casually among themselves.
With the increasing number of people, no one else seemed to be coming up the steps; it appeared everyone had arrived.
After about an incense stick's worth of time, the crowd began to split into three circles. The largest group was on the west side of the Arena; from their vague conversations, they appeared to be relatives of the Cold Family. Next was the area where Ye Tian was located; this seemed to be the legitimate younger generation of the Cold Family. In addition to Cold Moon, Cold Yang, whom Ye Tian had met yesterday, was also among them. The smallest group on the north side of the Arena consisted of outsiders; they were children of guards who likely qualified to listen to the demonstration due to their talents or other reasons.
"I'll go over first, Sister Ningyue." Wu Xiaozhuang said goodbye to Cold Moon and headed toward the crowd on the north side of the Arena.
Ye Tian's gaze followed Wu Xiaozhuang as he entered the northern group and was immediately welcomed. Many people approached him with smiles, indicating that his status among the children of guards was evidently significant.
"Everyone quiet down!"
A deep voice echoed, drawing everyone's attention to the center of the Arena, where a figure slowly emerged from the steps. This person was robustly built with a bushy beard—none other than Cold Bo Stone.
Following him, several more figures ascended the stage. Most of them appeared to be middle-aged, around their thirties or forties, likely the instructors for this Demonstration.
The group reached the center of the Arena and lined up in a row. Cold Bo Stone spoke, "As usual, find the corresponding instructor for whatever martial arts you are practicing."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to stir. Cold Moon exchanged a few words with Ye Tian before heading towards one of the instructors, who had a thin and dark complexion.
Soon, the crowd split into nine teams, standing neatly in front of the nine instructors.
At this moment, each instructor's team seemed to consist of about ten people, except for Cold Bo Stone's, which had only a handful of individuals. The reason was that Cold Bo Stone specialized in Bagua Seal Palm, a martial art with an extremely complex practice method. Although its power was well-known, hardly anyone was willing to train in it.
"Foolish boy, what are you looking at?" Cold Bo Stone shouted, pointing at Ye Tian, who was unsure of where to go.
Hearing this, Ye Tian awkwardly smiled and replied, "Uncle Leng, where should I go?"
The already assembled crowd erupted in laughter. Their amusement at this newcomer was mostly to showcase their own experience and to tease him intentionally.
"You silly dog!" shouted a burly youth at Ye Tian with a mocking expression on his face.
From his voice alone, it was clear that this person was undoubtedly Leng Yong.
Ye Tian dismissed him entirely; there was no way they would fight in front of so many elders from the Cold Family. It would only end up being a war of words—meaningless. After all, there were only four months left until the Martial Arts Selection Tournament, where he could teach Leng Yong a lesson then.
With that thought in mind, Ye Tian pushed through the crowd towards Cold Bo Stone, who was waving him over.
"Kid, from now on during the Demonstration, you'll stick with me. Go stand in line," Cold Bo Stone said as he patted Ye Tian's shoulder, indicating for him to join the group.
The team of Cold Bo Stone can hardly be called a team, as there are only three people including Ye Tian.
When Ye Tian approached them and was about to greet them symbolically, he realized that the only two present were Cold Yang and Wu Xiaozhuang, both of whom he had met before.
Ye Tian was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly at them.
Cold Yang also smiled and nodded in return. However, Wu Xiaozhuang turned his head away, pretending not to see.
Wu Xiaozhuang's continuous disdain did not make Ye Tian feel angry; on the contrary, it strengthened his determination to master the Bagua Seal Palm. Since they all practiced the same martial art, the true skill would be revealed in due time, and there was no need to be affected by his contempt.
At this moment, other teams had already begun their explanations, while Cold Bo Stone led them to the far corner on the east side of the Arena.
"I prefer quietness; it's much better for us to be here in peace," Cold Bo Stone chuckled.
Ye Tian and Cold Yang exchanged glances, both with slight smiles. They understood that Uncle Leng was not truly averse to noise; it was simply that their numbers were too few to compete with others' voices.
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