Upon hearing Zhou An's words, Zhou Hongxiu showed a hint of hesitation on her face:
"If I go to him, A Yao will definitely not refuse."
"But with his abilities, I'm afraid he can't handle that guy surnamed Lü..."
The Martial Arts tributors of the Governor's Mansion generally had Great Success level strength, with an annual salary of about a hundred taels.
The strongest among them were masters of External Perfection, with yearly salaries reaching three or four hundred taels, and with quite high status.
Seven years ago, Zhang Yao switched to practice the Taiyi Hun Heaven Skill, and as per Zhou An's instruction, he temporarily gave up training in the Golden Furnace Technique before achieving Perfection in his internal martial arts to avoid ruining his great prospects.
The Inner Family True Inheritance required higher aptitude and was more difficult to cultivate.
Over the years, even with Zhang Yao's astonishing talent, he hadn't yet achieved Perfection in the Taiyi Hun Heaven Skill; at least she hadn't heard of his Martial Arts advancing greatly or his annual salary increasing significantly.
In her view, Zhang Yao's strength wasn't much stronger than Meng Zongwei's. How could he solve the current trouble?
Of course, if Zhang Yao had focused solely on the Golden Furnace Technique, he'd probably have reached Perfection long ago, and she wouldn't have such a headache.
"No, you don't understand A Yao."
Zhou An coughed twice, earnestly advising: "A Yao doesn't care about silver coins, status, or hollow reputation; he also habitually hides his true abilities."
"Since leaving the martial arts hall, even I have no idea about his progress in Martial Arts, and outsiders certainly wouldn't know."
"But from what I understand, his Taiyi Hun Heaven Skill must have already reached Perfection; that guy surnamed Lü is definitely not his match."
Zhou Hongxiu was taken aback upon hearing this.
After calming her mind, she said, "Since you say so, Father, I'll go find A Yao in the afternoon and ask for his help."
......
Governor's Mansion, West Garden.
By the lakeside rockery, there were dozens of courtyards, all housing the Governor's Mansion's Martial Arts tributors.
In an inconspicuous courtyard, Zhang Yao, dressed in white, sat cross-legged under an osmanthus tree, slowly adjusting his breathing, with divine light faintly visible in his eyes and his aura long and deep.
The talent of the Primordial Energy Spring granted him endless longevity, yet he hadn't stopped maturing.
Seven years ago, he was still an immature fifteen-year-old boy, but now, he had grown into a tall and handsome young man.
However, he could sense that unless something unexpected happened, he would no longer change in appearance or stature in the many years to come.
Name: Zhang Yao
Talent: Primordial Energy Spring, Essence Qi Transformation
Martial Arts: Taiyi Hun Heaven Skill (100%), Golden Furnace Technique (100%)
Martial Techniques: Great Vajra Fist (100%), Falling Star Dart (67%)
Skills: Herb Mastery (50%), Alchemy (37%), Medical Skill (43%)
"Still no movement."
Zhang Yao withdrew his gaze, closed the attribute panel, and frowned slightly.
"How does one break through to the Grandmaster Realm?"
Over the past seven years, his abilities had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Even Zhou An probably couldn't guess that Zhang Yao hadn't followed his arrangement back then but instead advanced in parallel, cultivating both internally and externally.
The fact proved that, relying on his unique talent, he was still progressing rapidly despite practicing both, having achieved dual Perfection months ago, stepping into the ranks of Absolute Peak Experts.
To the outside world, he still appeared to be just a Martial Artist with Great Success level abilities, but being young and talented, he had great prospects.
His true strength was something only he knew, serving as his greatest trump card.
Moreover, in these seven years, his gains extended beyond this:
After mastering the Great Vajra Fist, he specifically sought out a hidden weapons skill, reaching a decent level of proficiency.
Besides, in his spare time, he picked up his former Alchemy again and also self-taught a decent level of medical skill to guard against others poisoning him.
"The road ahead is bleak!"
Zhang Yao sighed, feeling somewhat disheartened.
Currently, his biggest dilemma was that he couldn't find a way to break through to the Grandmaster Realm, not even a clue.
His understanding of the Grandmaster Realm was very limited; he had asked his master Zhou An but didn't get a reliable answer, only some ambiguous guesses.
"In Changping City, only the Wang Family has a Grandmaster."
"With my status, it's impossible to meet the old master; approaching rashly also carries risks. I can only plan for the long term."
Zhang Yao pondered for a moment and could only temporarily suppress certain thoughts.
Having reached Perfection both internally and externally, he was in urgent need of guidance from a true Grandmaster, or obtain some insights into breakthroughs, newly cultivate something to guide him forward.
If he couldn't find an opportunity, he could only rely on the long years to comprehend it himself. Eventually, he'd still break through, so he wasn't overly anxious.
"But now, it seems there might be a good opportunity."
Zhang Yao calculated secretly, weighing the pros and cons: "But I need to take a bit of a risk..."
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just as he was deep in thought, a servant from the Wang Family knocked on the courtyard door.
"Tributor Zhang."
The respectful voice of the servant came from outside: "Madam Zhou of the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall has some business with you and is currently waiting at the side gate."
"Oh? It's Senior Sister looking for me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao appeared somewhat surprised and immediately got up, saying, "Alright, I'll go there at once."
As a tributor of the Governor's Mansion, not being a host, he had to personally go to greet guests.
Soon, Zhang Yao met his senior sister Zhou Hongxiu at the side gate of the Governor's Mansion. After some small talk, he invited her into his residence in the West Garden.
Once seated, Zhou Hongxiu couldn't help but reveal her purpose for visiting: "A Yao, it's like this—a few days ago, a foreign Martial Artist named Lü suddenly came, and he is very powerful..."
She carefully recounted the predicament faced by the Golden Furnace Martial Arts Hall.
"That guy surnamed Lü keeps coming to provoke us for several consecutive days, wanting to challenge my father publicly."
"Although Zong Wei has tried every means to stall and avoid him, the business of the martial arts hall has also been greatly affected; many apprentices are watching, and there are all sorts of rumors."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened slightly: "These foreign Martial Artists, these past two years, have taken advantage of my father's ill health and Zong Wei's unfinished Martial Arts to see us as easy targets."
"Before, we managed to drive them away through the connections in the Martial Arts circles, but now Thunder Martial Arts Hall is ignoring it, and the other halls are silent. I... I really don't know what to do..."
Zhang Yao listened quietly until she finished, his eyes gaining a touch of coldness: "A foreign Martial Artist surnamed Lü... I understand now."
He looked at Zhou Hongxiu and, after offering a few words of comfort, gently said, "Don't worry, Senior Sister. Leave this matter to me."
"I will make him retreat in the face of difficulties."
Hearing this, Zhou Hongxiu felt a rush of joy and repeatedly said, "A Yao, I knew I could rely on you. Thank you so much..."
She went on to express a lot of gratitude.
With her understanding of Zhang Yao, his acceptance of this matter indicated a confidence level of at least seventy to eighty percent, giving her quite a sense of relief.
Moments later, Zhang Yao escorted Zhou Hongxiu out of the Governor's Mansion. After seeing her off, he turned and headed toward East Main Street.