Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The wind and rain had just cleared, and the peaceful days were like flowing water.
With the help of the Bodhi Bead, An Jing’s body was filled with large amounts of pure Yang energy. Coupled with his heaven-bestowed talent, his cultivation improved by leaps and bounds.
In the martial world, cultivation was divided into nine ranks.
Rank Six to Rank Nine were categorized as the lower-third tier. At this realm, those with cultivation were the small creatures in the martial world. This included the gang members of Cao Gang, ordinary constables, some escorts of the Escort Agency and young people.
These people had a certain amount of internal energy and were indeed somewhat stronger than ordinary people. However, in the vast world of martial arts, they were not worth mentioning.
Wang He and Wang Zhiping were among them.
Such people were the most common. They were also the most pitiful in the martial world.
Rank Three to Rank Six were known as middle-third tier Martial Artists. Most of the experts who reached this realm had decades of internal energy and had mastered some famous martial arts. They were the cornerstones of the entire martial world.
They were also the main targets of recruitment from some gangs and various large factions. Some of them had quite a bit of fame in the martial world and were respectfully addressed as experts by the younger generation.
Cao Anmin and Liu Haoping were the cream of the crop among them. In the eyes of ordinary people, this kind of person was already a renowned expert. Ordinary people would not be able to see him easily, but in the eyes of true experts, they were just chess pieces that could be discarded at any time.
Finally, it was the upper-third tier.
Such a person was a true expert in the eyes of those who had been in the martial world for many years.
If someone jokingly called a middle-third tier martial artist an expert, then an upper-third tier martial artist would be an expert amongst experts.
In order to become an upper-third tier expert, all three conditions had to be met.
Firstly, one had to have at least a Black Tortoise cultivation method. From low to high, there were nine ranks. Above Rank One were the Earth, Black Tortoise, True Martial, and Heaven levels.
The Martial Arts Heart Technique was the foundation of a person. It was also the quality of a bowl of water. No matter how deep this ancient well was, no matter how good the opening of the cup was, without a mouthful of clear spring water and sweet wine, it was still a pity. Yet, this was only one of the conditions.
The second condition was that only one in a thousand possessed this ability. There were not many people who possessed this ability, but if one looked carefully, they would still be able to find it.
The last was to persevere, persevere day after day.
Even if he had the best ability and the best martial arts in the world, it would be useless if he did not persist in cultivating. Therefore, his temperament was also extremely important.
An Jing possessed the Earth Book and was extremely talented. He had bitterly trained for ten years before reaching Rank One.
There was a huge gap between Rank One and Grandmaster.
Not to mention the difficulty of condensing the three flowers at the top, even the accumulation of Man Flower, Earth Flower, and Heavenly Flower would require a lot of effort.
It had not been long since An Jing condensed the Man Flower. It would still take some time for him to condense the Earth Flower.
In the leisurely afternoon, the faint sunlight shone through the leaves and onto the ground, forming a mottled shade.
Zhao Qingmei brought two small wooden stools with her and followed An Jing to the teahouse. The couple ordered a cup of tea together. The two of them did not speak and found a corner to sit down. The harmonious couple was like a ray of sunlight that warmed the afternoon in the teahouse.
“It’s been half a month and that swordsman still hasn’t appeared. I think he’s afraid that Tie Yunshan will run away.”
“Who is Tie Yunshan? He is an expert ranked 73rd on the martial world rankings.”
“That swordsman’s strength isn’t bad either. I see that sword aura condensing without dispersing. He’s also an expert.”
“What do you know? Who is behind Tie Yunshan? That’s the Cao Gang that is like the sun in the midday sky. Who isn’t afraid?”
…
In the teahouse, there was a flurry of discussion, recklessly discussing matters of the martial world.
“Why isn’t Zhou Xianming here today?”
Zhao Qingmei glanced outside the door and chuckled. “We were talking about the Mortal Sect yesterday. I wanted to hear more about it.”
Zhao Qingmei had nothing to do for the past few days, so she followed An Jing to the teahouse to listen to some stories. She was rather curious about how Zhou Xianming was going to share about the Demon Sect.
An Jing said angrily, “He was just bragging. If the Demon Sect demon stood in front of him, he would be so scared that his third leg would tremble.”
“Nonsense!”
Zhao Qingmei glanced at An Jing coquettishly.
“Sorry for the wait, everyone.”
At this moment, Zhou Xianming walked out from the back hall with a red face. He cupped his hands at everyone and said, “Thank you for your support during this period of time. Recently, some unforeseen events have occurred, and I plan to stop my storytelling. Please forgive me.”
“Mr. Zhou, what’s going on?”
“I haven’t had my fill yet.”
“Exactly, why are you stopping?”
…
Although the storyteller’s job was not fixed, and there were often other storytellers who came, most people in the teahouse felt that Zhou Xianming’s stories were the most exciting and pleasant to listen to.
However, Zhou Xianming refused to talk about it. Moreover, his attitude seemed very firm, as if he had already made a decision.
Everyone looked disappointed. Then, they continued to drink their tea, talk about family matters and gossip.
At this moment, Zhou Xianming walked over. An Jing asked curiously, “Old Zhou, what happened?”
“I’m not going to do storytelling anymore. I plan to work hard and retake the Imperial Examination!” Zhou Xianming said seriously.
“Imperial Examination?”
“This year’s autumnal exam is about to begin. I want to participate in it and strive to win first place.” There was a hint of hope in Zhou Xianming’s eyes.
“There’s something wrong with you!”
An Jing looked at Zhou Xianming who was working hard and analyzed calmly.
A person who was able to say that a scholar should listen to music should work hard and study hard. Would you believe it?
Anyway, An Jing did not believe it.
When Zhou Xianming heard this, he immediately jumped up and down in anxiety. “Doctor An, why do you say that? Why do you think that I, Zhou Xianming, am someone who doesn’t know how to improve, doesn’t know how to learn, doesn’t have skills, and doesn’t want to improve?”
“Yes.”
An Jing nodded seriously.
Zhou Xianming’s face darkened.
Zhao Qingmei nudged An Jing with her elbow and said, “Darling, how can you be so sarcastic? I think it’s a good thing that Mr. Zhou wants to take the imperial examination.”
An Jing said angrily, “Madam, this old man isn’t a good person. Don’t be fooled by his appearance…”
“Madam An, you’re absolutely right.” Zhou Xianming hurriedly interrupted An Jing before revealing a troubled expression. “Madam An, actually, I have a request that I would like to ask…”
“I knew it.”
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An Jing interrupted Zhou Xianming with a sneer and said, “I knew that Brother Zhou was waiting here. Tell me, are you going to borrow money to visit the Red Mansion?”
“Nonsense, nonsense!”
Zhou Xianming’s thoughts seemed to have been pointed out, and his face flushed red.
“Old Zhou, just admit it.”
Zhou Xianming said angrily, “You’re slandering me and hurting me with your malicious words. I’m clearly borrowing money for the examinations. I’ve already promised Miss Li Yue that as long as I pass the exam, I’ll definitely come back to redeem her..”