Inside the main hall of Gu Family Manor.
A child of about seven or eight years old stood there timidly, his eyes filled with awe as he looked at Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng was also looking at the child before him.
Different from his past emaciated appearance, a month's worth of nutritious meals, along with practicing martial arts, had considerably improved the child's vitality and health.
"Vitality like a robust ox!"
"Indeed, it's a symbol of stepping into the Martial Arts path!"
Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction.
Just by observing the child's vitality, one could understand whether he had truly entered the ranks of martial artists.
Martial artists possess profound vitality.
Even a beginner in the Refining Skin Realm would have a strength of vitality unmatched by ordinary people.
"Reporting... Reporting to the manor master, my... my name is Gouwa—"
The child was so nervous that he was stammering.
Gu Qingfeng asked, "Where is your ancestral home, and do you have any other family?"
"My ancestral home... I've forgotten, and there's only my parents in my family. However, they died of famine in earlier years, now I am all alone."
This time, Gouwa's answer was much more fluent.
Gu Qingfeng nodded slightly.
"Since that is the case, from today onwards you will be known as Gu Quan, becoming a formal disciple of the Inner Hall. This is Gu Yang, the Inner Hall Master, and from now on, he will guide you in your cultivation."
At this point, Gu Qingfeng gestured towards Gu Yang who stood beside him.
Gouwa, now Gu Quan, was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed, bowing his thanks.
"Thank you, manor master!"
"Nice to meet you, Hall Master!"
During his time joining Gu Family Manor, Gu Quan had heard of the existence of the Inner Hall, a level higher than the Outer Hall disciples, a place only for direct descendants of the Gu Family or those given the Gu surname.
As for the Inner Hall, Gu Quan had no particular aspirations.
In his mind, his real goal was to enter the Refining Skin Realm within a year, to become a true Outer Hall disciple, and to no longer live a life of starvation as before.
What Gu Quan didn't expect was, not only did he become an official disciple of Gu Family Manor, but he was also directly initiated into the Inner Hall and granted the Gu surname, how could his heart not be thrilled?
Gu Yang took him to familiarize himself with the surroundings of the Inner Hall.
He was the first disciple of the Inner Hall.
As the true core of Gu Family Manor, Gu Qingfeng naturally wouldn't let just anyone qualify to join the Inner Hall; one had to be either a direct descendant of the Gu Family or truly loyal to the Gu Family with sufficient talent.
These two types of people could become disciples of the Inner Hall.
Gu Quan was young and also an orphan, with just the Gu Family Manor's careful nurturing and the seeds of loyalty planted in his heart from a young age, under subtle influence, his loyalty wouldn't be much of a problem.
That went without saying.
To step into the Initial Stage of Refining Skin in just one month.
Was not something ordinary people could match.
Back then, Gu Qingfeng himself took several years to barely make a breakthrough to the Initial Stage of Refining Skin, revealing how great the gap between them was.
Someone who could break through to the Initial Stage of Refining Skin within a year could be grudgingly called a talent, and there would be no problem in later advancing to Blood Refining, and even having some hope of reaching Bone Refining.
If it were a breakthrough in half a year, Bone Refining would be almost a certainty.
As for a breakthrough in three months, without an unexpected demise, there would be hope of achieving the title of Little Master.
And to become a beginner in just a month, that is the seed of a master.
With Gu Quan's talent, if he doesn't die in the future, he might even have a chance of challenging the Grandmaster Realm.
The probability of breaking through to become a master is very low, but there is still some chance.
There are numerous martial artists in the world, but how many of them can truly reach the Grandmaster Realm.
Gu Qingfeng was somewhat surprised when he learned about Gu Quan's aptitude.
Who could have thought.
That among a thousand orphans, there would emerge such a top-notch talent.
Even if the remaining nine hundred and ninety-nine were useless, this batch would still be a complete win for the Gu Family Manor.
In the residence of the Inner Hall disciples, Gu Yang handed a secret manual to the person in front of him.
"This is the Gu Family Boxing, which I believe you have practiced in the Outer Hall. However, the Gu Family Boxing practiced by registered disciples is only partial. What I am giving you now is the complete medium-grade martial arts manual.
This martial art is sufficient to lay your foundation, enabling you to advance to Blood Refining.
Nevertheless, this martial art can only be practiced by you alone. If it is transmitted without authorization and discovered by the manor, it will be an unforgivable capital offense!"
"Your subordinate understands!"
Gu Quan's face turned pale as he hurriedly bowed his head.
Gu Yang nodded, "Good, practice well. With your talent, you should have a place in the Inner Hall in the future. Do not disappoint the manor master's expectations of you."
Gu Quan nodded solemnly, his youthful hands receiving the manual of Gu Family Boxing.
Then Gu Yang added a few more words of caution, telling Gu Quan that he could come to seek guidance on anything he didn't understand, before turning and leaving.
There were people in the Inner Hall.
Gu Yang was also somewhat pleased.
After all, this meant that his position as the Inner Hall Master was not just an empty title.
And in the Inner Hall disciples' residence, Gu Quan surveyed his surroundings. Different from the Outer Hall, where registered disciples shared a room with four or five others, each formal disciple of the Inner Hall had a private room that was clean, tidy, and noticeably more spacious.
Such changes made Gu Quan all the more grateful.
Over the following several months.
Gu Qingfeng dedicated himself to quiet cultivation; regrettably, among the many registered disciples of the Outer Hall, there emerged no other top-notch talent like Gu Quan.
After all, top-notch talents are scarce; having one emerge from a thousand people is already extremely astonishing. The likelihood of another appearing was near impossible.
While there was no other top-notch talent who reached Martial Arts in one month, there were four who broke through the Martial Arts realm in three months, all with above-average talent.
These individuals had backgrounds not too different from Gu Quan's.
Gu Qingfeng granted them the Gu surname and brought them all into the Inner Hall.
For such a place as the Inner Hall, Gu Qingfeng had no intention of filling it just for the sake of numbers; at minimum, one needed the potential to break through to the Little Master of Refining Organ to be considered for entry.
Gu Qingfeng had set his sights high for Gu Family Manor, benchmarking it against top forces. At present, the Gu Family Manor might seem frail, but this was merely because it was newly established, with some foundational differences compared to larger forces.
Given several decades or even a hundred years for the Gu Family Manor to grow, it would likely not be inferior to anyone.
Gu Qingfeng naturally would not lower the Inner Hall's standards.
Later, those disciples who only managed to break through to the Refining Skin Realm after half a year or a year were all made official disciples of the Outer Hall by Gu Qingfeng. As for whether they could enter the Inner Hall, they would have to be carefully assessed later on before a final determination could be made.