Martial Arts: Starting from a Seemingly Real System

The giant building is a pavilion, built against the city wall. The base alone has 36 steps, flush with the city wall, and the pavilion is built on the city wall and the base. It is 99 feet long, 88 feet wide, and 66 feet high. It is magnificent and majestic. There is a plaque in the middle of the top floor, with three large gilded characters "Qinglian Pavilion" written in a magnificent manner. Since the rough man approached this "Qinglian Pavilion", he changed his initial boldness and became cautious and respectful. Everyone followed the man to the second floor, only to see that it was empty and quiet, without a single sentry. Gently push open the door of a side hall and look inside. An old man quietly flashed out from inside. It was Uncle Fu.

The burly man was startled, and when he saw who it was, he smiled and said, "It's Mr. Fu. Is the Grand Commander in there?"

Uncle Fu nodded with a smile and said, "Hong Gang, you did a good job. His Highness is very satisfied!"

The burly man named Hong Gang grinned and said happily, "It's all thanks to the great leadership of the Grand Commander and Master Fu's guidance. I, Xiao Hong, dare not take credit for it!"

Uncle Fu smiled and kicked him, scolding him, "Don't try that on me, you bastard! Don't delay any longer! His Highness will let you in!"

Hong Gang put away his playful smile, and with a serious face, he led everyone and followed Uncle Fu into the side hall.

The tea table in the side hall has been removed, replaced by a dozen double seats filled with fruits, wine and meat.

In the middle of the room sat a handsome young man, the Grand Commander. He was smiling like a spring breeze, motioning everyone to sit down, raising his glass and saying, "Thank you for your hard work, please drink this glass!"

Upon seeing this, Hong Gang was the first to stand up and raise his glass, saying, "It's not hard, thank you, Commander-in-Chief!" After that, he drank it all in one gulp, then wiped his mouth and looked at everyone else.

Everyone followed suit, raised their glasses and stood up, saying, "Thank you, Grand Commander!"

"You all have worked hard for a long time and must be hungry. There is no need to be formal. Please feel free to eat and drink!" The commander-in-chief waved his hand and announced the start of the banquet.

Everyone had just arrived here and didn't like the many ancient etiquettes. Plus, they were really hungry, so they all drank and ate to their heart's content. Those three days were indeed hard to endure. Even if they managed to grab food, it was just enough to fill their stomachs and had no taste. This big meal actually gave them a taste of happiness.

"Eat. I promised to treat you to a big meal, but someone got there first!" Qiao Rui picked up a piece of honey ham and handed it to Liu Xinyue, saying with a smile.

"You can just owe me yours for now, but you are not allowed to default on it!" Liu Xinyue took the ham and ate it in one bite, speaking incoherently, her eyes narrowed into crescents.

The Grand Commander drank slowly, without eating any food, and occasionally ate some fruits. He carefully looked at the people below, with a slight smile on his face, and was obviously in a good mood. When he saw Qiao Rui's table, he stayed a little longer, and seemed to be interested.

When everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, a maid came to take away the plates and added tea for rinsing the mouths. The Grand Commander then spoke: "You are all outstanding people of your time. I wonder what your plans are for the future?"

Everyone was confused, so someone asked, "What does the Grand Commander mean? Please explain."

"Okay! Then I'll be frank. I'm forming the Sky Guard on the orders of His Majesty. Now is a time when everything needs to be rebuilt. I hope you can lend me a hand!" The Grand Commander said with a smile.

"What are the Sky Guards? What benefits will we get? What responsibilities do we need to bear?" someone else asked.

"Any disputes in the martial arts world, murders in the martial arts world, and any incidents that cannot be handled by the government detectives and yamen runners will be handled by us, the Qingtian Guards. We will publish them internally in the form of tasks, and you can choose to accept tasks within your capabilities. By accumulating merits, you can purchase various magical weapons, brocade clothes and armor, precious elixirs, magical secrets, etc. in the inner treasury..."

"Treasure Pavilion!" Someone couldn't help but exclaimed. Isn't the inner treasury that the Grand Commander mentioned the same as the Treasure Pavilion...

"Treasure Pavilion? Well, you can say that." The Grand Commander didn't know why everyone was so surprised, but when he thought about it, it was indeed appropriate to call the inner treasury of the Sky Guards that.

"Are there any weapons forged from deep-sea black iron?" someone asked.

"Have!"

"Are there any pills that can enhance your power?"

"Yes! All of them, you just need to make meritorious deeds and accumulate achievements..." The commander-in-chief smiled, knowing that these people probably could not refuse!

As expected, someone shouted immediately before the Grand Commander finished speaking: "That's fine, I'll join!"

"I'll join in too!"

"Me too!" Someone took the lead, and a large group of people rushed to join in.

"Silence! Anyone who intends to join our Qingtian Guard should follow General Hong to the government office to complete the employment procedures." The Grand Commander shouted.

Hong Gang stood up quickly upon hearing this and asked everyone to follow him. He must be the General Hong mentioned by the Grand Commander, but he didn't know how high his rank was.

As everyone left in twos and threes, only Qiao Rui, Liu Xinyue and a young man at the table opposite were left. The side hall suddenly became quiet.

So many people followed General Hong to join the Sky Guard, and Liu Xinyue didn't know what Qiao Rui was thinking about staying here, so she quietly pulled his sleeve. Qiao Rui turned around and smiled, holding her little hand under the table, patting it gently, signaling her to stay calm.

The Grand Commander looked at the remaining three people below and asked, "Don't you three want to join my Sky Guard?" His tone was light and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

The young man opposite Qiao Rui also had short hair, but unlike the other people who left, he was dressed in brocade clothes, with a fine steel sword hanging from his waist. He looked nonchalant. When he heard the commander-in-chief's question, he smiled and said, "I don't like being restricted. I think freedom is more important than anything else!"

"What if my Sky Guards have a position that does not restrict freedom?" the Grand Admiral said again.

"That won't work! Once you enter the civil service, you can't be completely free of constraints. At most, you can only have relative freedom. I can't accept this." The young man paused, looked at the Grand Commander, and seeing that he was not angry, he said, "Besides, my family is rich. I should be able to get the rewards the Grand Commander mentioned if I spend a little more. Why should I be ordered around by others!"

"In this case, I won't force you. You can go, but never go against the government in the future!" The commander-in-chief still had a cold and calm expression, neither happy nor angry.

The young man nodded, bowed to the commander-in-chief, and left leisurely.

The Grand Commander looked at Qiao Rui and Liu Xinyue and asked, "What's your reason?"

"General, I cannot be restrained!" Qiao Rui saluted.

The Grand Commander raised his eyebrows, his aura suddenly exploded, and a sense of pressure from a superior enveloped the entire place.

"You also have a lot of money?"