Richest Rag-picker

As Fang Chenyi’s gaze fell upon the paper, he immediately saw a very familiar name.

Huaxia Wang Family, ranked 69th.

"Brother Ma, is this Wang Family the Baida Group?"

Brother Xiaoma nodded.

"That’s right, it’s the Baida Group. But they’re a bit different from the other Baida Clans. This Baida Group is ranked purely based on their capital.

"Let me put it this way: other clans have, more or less, a certain number of Martial Artists. But in their family, besides Old Wang, there isn’t a single other Martial Artist. It’s just that Old Wang’s level is so high that he alone got them into the world’s top hundred."

Listening to Brother Xiaoma’s explanation, Fang Chenyi couldn’t help but feel bewildered. ’Martial Artists? Do Martial Artists really exist in this world?’

With this thought in mind, he voiced his question. However, when Brother Xiaoma heard it, he seemed even more perplexed than Fang Chenyi.

Under Fang Chenyi’s confused gaze, Brother Xiaoma glanced just as perplexedly at Qi Xiaotian by the door, then gave a strained smile.

"Hey, little bro, don’t mess with me."

Brother Xiaoma’s remark only made Fang Chenyi more confused. ’Messing with him? When did I ever mess with him? I seriously have no idea what he’s talking about.’

"What joke? I really don’t know! What’s the deal with these Martial Artists? Don’t tell me someone like ’Master Ma Guobao’ is a Martial Artist? And don’t tell me what Martial Artists do is that... that Lightning Whip thing? Oh, right! That master’s surname is Ma, too. He’s not one of your family’s Martial Artists, is he?"

After hearing this, Brother Xiaoma, who was sitting opposite him, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"The Lightning Five-Chain Whip... Haha, you’ve got a point, he really is a ’master.’ But he’s not a Martial Artist—more like a ’Dancer.’ And he’s definitely not from our family. I don’t know him at all."

At this point, Brother Xiaoma paused for a moment. Then, his gaze shifted to Qi Xiaotian at the door as he spoke with a sense of helplessness:

"Little bro, you’ve got a super-powerful Martial Artist right by your side, yet you’re asking me what a Martial Artist is. If you’re not messing with me, then what are you doing?"

Hearing this, Fang Chenyi followed Brother Xiaoma’s gaze to the doorway in confusion and saw Qi Xiaotian standing there as straight as a spear.

He then pointed at Qi Xiaotian and asked in astonishment, "Wait, you’re saying *he’s* a Martial Artist?"

Brother Xiaoma’s statement not only puzzled Fang Chenyi, but even Qi Xiaotian, who was standing at the door, couldn’t help but turn to look at Brother Xiaoma, his eyes filled with the same doubt and confusion.

Faced with their strange reactions, Brother Xiaoma was also baffled.

"What? You two really don’t know? That can’t be right! The moment I met this brother, I sensed something extraordinary about him. His level is definitely above mine. I’m afraid he’s already reached the level of a Peak Martial Artist, hasn’t he?"

Hearing Brother Xiaoma’s baffling words, Fang Chenyi couldn’t help but cut him off.

"Wait, wait, I’m still a bit lost. Brother Ma, can you first explain to us what a Martial Artist is?"

After saying this, Fang Chenyi turned to Qi Xiaotian at the door and waved him over to listen as well.

Qi Xiaotian was also very curious about the matter. He didn’t refuse and walked right over, sitting down next to Fang Chenyi with an expression that showed he was all ears.

At this moment, Brother Xiaoma was also starting to feel uncertain whether they were really pulling his leg. Mainly because, judging by their expressions, they genuinely seemed to have no idea what a Martial Artist was.

After a moment’s thought, he concluded that it was possible they really didn’t know. After all, they had no reason to hide anything from him.

And so, Brother Xiaoma gathered his thoughts and began to explain:

"It seems you two really don’t know. In that case, let me explain. The concept of a Martial Artist is actually quite simple. You’ve read Wuxia novels, right? It’s not that different from what’s written in them. They’re just people who are exceptionally good at fighting.

"Martial Artists are divided into nine levels, from Level One to Level Nine. A Level Nine Martial Artist is also commonly known as a Peak Martial Artist. One step above that is the realm of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

"Once you reach the Peak Martial Artist realm, you can fight one against a hundred. Of course, that doesn’t include firearms. We’re talking about a 1 vs. 100 fight with cold weapons."

Brother Xiaoma paused here, running through his mind how to explain it more clearly, before continuing:

"I’m not sure if you’ll understand it put this way, but every Martial Artist has a lineage. Behind every Martial Artist is a reclusive family, and their ancestors were surely from one of those legendary sects, like Shaolin, Emei, and so on...

"It’s just that with the development of modern times, people have lost interest in these martial arts. After all, with a gun in hand, even a Peak Martial Artist can be taken down. This has led to fewer and fewer Martial Artists."

Fang Chenyi and Qi Xiaotian felt as if they were listening to someone read from a Wuxia novel. It all seemed so incredible. This was the first time they had ever heard that martial arts and Martial Artists actually existed in modern society.

Hearing this, Fang Chenyi seemed to grasp something and said to Brother Xiaoma:

"Brother Ma, in that case, you’re a Martial Artist too, right? What level are you? And how can you tell my brother here is one? Also, how are the levels even determined?"

Hearing Fang Chenyi’s barrage of questions, Brother Xiaoma didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up and said to Fang Chenyi:

"Indeed, I am a Martial Artist. As for the classification of levels, it’s not something that can be explained easily in a few words. How about this? I’ll take you somewhere."

Seeing this, Fang Chenyi and Qi Xiaotian also stood up and followed Brother Xiaoma out.

After leaving the study, Brother Xiaoma led them directly toward the courtyard in the back.

Once they were inside, Fang Chenyi and Qi Xiaotian were immediately captivated by the courtyard’s layout. The reason was simple: in the center of the spacious yard was a huge open area, surrounded by rows of large weapon racks. A quick glance revealed sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, tomahawks, hooks, and forks—all eighteen of the legendary weapons seemed to be present.

It looked exactly like an ancient martial arts training ground. ’I never would have guessed Brother Xiaoma was into this kind of thing.’

Brother Xiaoma stopped and turned to see the two of them staring blankly, a helpless smile on his face.

’Honestly, he really couldn’t wrap his head around it. How could someone who was possibly even stronger than him have no idea that he was a Martial Artist?’