Wang Chen's understanding of the Cangqing Realm basically came from Ling Zhiyuan's memories.
But Ling Zhiyuan had been born into an aristocratic family and protected too well by his father. He normally kept to himself within the estate and knew very little about the outside world, whether the imperial court or the martial world.
So he had not known that joining the Blood-Clad Guard was no easy matter!
Like most violent organizations, the Blood-Clad Guard needed to continuously take in fresh blood to maintain its power structure.
But because of the Blood-Clad Guard's special nature, it imposed strict requirements on its recruits.
First, they had to be respectable children of unblemished background, and their origins could not be too lowly. At the very least, they had to come from poor scholarly families. Commoners and lowborn folk could forget about entering this system unless they possessed heaven-defying talent.
As for people of unknown origin, no matter how gifted they were, they would not be accepted.
Ling Zhiyuan fully met this requirement. Though the Ling Family of Anyang City in Jingnan was not a wealthy and illustrious clan, it still ranked among the local aristocratic families. His identity was crystal clear and could be verified at any time.
Second, those with mediocre aptitude or weak character had no chance of becoming Blood-Clad Guards either.
The Blood-Clad Guard bore weighty responsibilities, and the enemies they faced were often vicious villains beyond redemption. Without sufficient strength and an unyielding will, how could they complete their missions?
When Zhang Weiran had guided Wang Chen earlier and given him a precious Recommendation Order, it was not because he thought highly of Wang Chen. Rather, he had some karmic entanglement with Ling Hongyun and had merely used this opportunity to settle it.
As for whether Wang Chen