I'm going to fight ten!

The next morning, Huo Yuanhong brought his father to the main street. To his father's astonishment, he took out a key and opened the gate of the mansion before them.

"Ah Hong, you... how do you have the key to this place?"

Huo's father was completely bewildered. He looked at the flowers and plants in the front yard and the brand new three-story house, walking with extreme caution as if afraid he might break something.

This kind of place was only for officials or wealthy merchants. How could their family enter?

"Aunt Wu gave me the key. From now on, this will be our new home."

Huo Yuanhong smiled and handed one of the keys to his father.

"Such a big house! Just for the two of us?"

Huo's father couldn't help but ask, finding it hard to believe.

He had never been here before, but that didn't mean he didn't know the property prices. This area was truly worth its weight in gold!

He estimated that the money he saved from pulling rickshaws his entire life wouldn't even buy a shack!

"Ah Hong, tell your dad the truth..." Huo's father hesitated, then said with a complex look, "Did you get together with Aunt Wu's daughter?"

"No, she didn't seem interested. We barely talked that day."

Huo Yuanhong was a bit confused, not knowing why his father was asking this again.

"You really didn't get together?"

Huo's father was somewhat suspicious.

"Really not. From sitting down to leaving, we only exchanged a few words."

Huo Yuanhong felt like crying and laughing at the same time.

"Is that so..."

Huo's father wanted to say more but stopped himself. Thinking of something, he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

He was an honest man, but not a fool. His son had saved the daughter, but how could beating up a few thugs warrant such a large house as thanks!

After much thought, there was only one possibility: the two young people had gotten together.

Even...

His son might be becoming a live-in son-in-law, and this mansion was perhaps the betrothal gift given in advance.

Fine...

Huo's father sighed inwardly.

As long as Ah Hong is happy, that's enough. If he's a live-in son-in-law, so be it. It's not a big deal...

Going to Wu Xiaoxia's house means at least he won't worry about food and clothing, and they can live in such a clean, large house. It's much better than suffering in the slums...

Besides, for their family to take a liking to Ah Hong, someone from such a wealthy family like Wu Xiaoxia, it means my Ah Hong is already quite remarkable. Perhaps in the future, he could become a big businessman earning hundreds of silver dollars a month, or even a respected master like the owner of a carriage shop.

"Dad, you don't need to go to work anymore. I get a living allowance of one hundred silver dollars every month, which is enough for our family."

Huo Yuanhong said with a smile.

"Good, good, I understand! I know Ah Hong is promising. After he finishes his training, he might even earn more than the boss, maybe three to five hundred yuan a month. I won't need to earn money anymore..."

Huo's father readily agreed.

But seeing his expression, Huo Yuanhong, who knew his father well, understood: his father was likely still unsettled and wanted to continue working.

However, it was understandable. After all, their family had lived so difficultly for so many years. Now, to suddenly eat meat every day and move into a wealthy neighborhood felt more unreal than a dream.

Huo Yuanhong also knew clearly that the root of his father's unease was a lack of confidence. He hadn't completely shaken off his past impression of his son. Subconsciously, he still felt that their family's circumstances didn't deserve to live in a wealthy area.

Get stronger, I need to keep getting stronger!

Huo Yuanhong thought to himself.

As long as he kept getting stronger, allowing himself and his father to gain more respect and recognition from others, his father would truly realize their change and be able to live out his retirement peacefully.

After familiarizing his father with the mansion, Huo Yuanhong returned to the Divine Spear Martial Hall.

During the brief period before receiving the Crimson Refining Paste, he planned to learn some practical combat techniques!

The fight with Old Ghost Luo made him realize that he needed specialized combat techniques. Otherwise, it would be difficult to fight against masters, as he couldn't always catch them off guard like he did with Old Ghost Luo!

Especially when he had to fight the masters from the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall next, fighting multiple opponents without proficiency in practical combat techniques would easily lead to being attacked from all sides.

That's right!

Fighting multiple opponents!

If it followed the normal arrangement for martial hall competitions, where each hall sent ten people, they would fight one match and rest for a few, and it would take at least two days to determine the first place!

He couldn't wait that long!

The fastest way would naturally be to defeat all opponents single-handedly and take the Crimson Refining Paste.

He had specifically inquired, and the main event of this competition was actually the clash between the Divine Spear Martial Hall and the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall. As for the people from other martial halls, they were just there to broaden their horizons.

Therefore, as long as he defeated the people from the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall, and seeing his record, his fellow disciples from his own martial hall would likely be very understanding.

"I can't believe how much my mindset has changed without me even realizing it."

Before, back at the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall, he used to be so cautious around even ordinary disciples, barely daring to speak loudly.

But now...

Storming the gates, taking down all the most elite disciples, it all seemed like a mundane, minor event to him.

Even more so...

He hadn't even considered it a big deal, just wanting to get his hands on the prize a couple of days earlier.

Practicing martial arts truly could bring about earth-shattering changes.

"Martial Saint Sun Lutang once said, 'If you're not arrogant, what are you even practicing martial arts for?'"

"Especially for Baji practitioners, without that fierce spirit, you can't unleash that explosive power that spreads in all directions, that stomping force that shakes mountains and rivers!"

"I'll just challenge everyone in the first round and beat them all down! As long as everyone else is lying on the ground and no masters can stand on the stage, the competition will be over in one go! No more dragging things out!"

Of course, arrogance and recklessness were two different things. With his current peak Manifest Strength, in a one-on-one fight, he could crush them with sheer power and win with certainty!

But in a one-against-ten situation, with two fists against twenty hands, it would be best to practice specialized combat techniques first! He'd have to learn them eventually anyway!

Plus, he learned so quickly. If he found a skilled combatant to spar with him, with the 365x multiplier, practicing three sessions would be equivalent to a thousand, and he could instantly reach an unbelievable level of combat proficiency!

Huo Yuanhong walked through the martial hall, lost in thought.

It wasn't quite mealtime yet. As he passed the mess hall, the rich aroma of steamed buns wafted towards him, igniting his appetite. He headed into the dining area.

He didn't have anyone to eat with, so being alone made him stand out a bit.

Unlike some of the other core disciples, who were either surrounded by a group of regular disciples or walking alongside influential managers.

As he entered the mess hall, Huo Yuanhong saw the portly manager he'd met once before, sitting at a table with two or three other managers.

But as he walked in, the portly manager's gaze flickered away, as if he hadn't noticed him.

Whether he genuinely hadn't noticed or didn't want to acknowledge him, Huo Yuanhong couldn't be bothered to figure out. He walked straight to the counter, got a bowl of medicinal soup, two servings of fresh meat buns, and a steaming bowl of soy milk.

He sat down in a quiet corner and began to eat heartily.

The martial hall's own fresh meat buns had skins as thin as paper, packed with filling. They were said to be made with fresh front leg meat, three parts fat and seven parts lean, handcrafted by a renowned chef hired at great expense. Combined with the pork skin jelly made from boiling pork skin, each bite was filled with broth, fragrant but not greasy – truly a divine taste.

"Hey, you're new here too?"

As he was eating, a voice sounded from beside him. Huo Yuanhong looked up slightly and saw a handsome young disciple.

He was wearing the martial hall's standard training uniform. Perhaps he also didn't have anyone to eat with, and seeing Huo Yuanhong alone, he'd come over to join him.

"Yeah, new here," Huo Yuanhong replied casually.

"Looking at you, I bet you weren't well-regarded at home either. Just like me, as a son born to a concubine, I was sent to the martial hall to learn martial arts as soon as I came of age...

I thought that once I got out here, being from a noble family, I could boss people around. But I never expected this martial hall to be full of noble family disciples. Someone like me, born to a concubine, is still at the very bottom, only slightly better off than those from impoverished families..."

This person was probably bored out of his mind and finally found someone to talk to, so he just kept going.

It wasn't good to review martial arts while eating, as it could affect digestion. So, Huo Yuanhong ate heartily while listening to this person talk about matters within the martial hall during his rare leisure time.

As a member of the martial hall, he wasn't entirely uninterested in these things, he just hadn't had the time to find out due to his busy training schedule.

He soon learned that this person, Cheng Yonghuai, was actually the son of Jinmen's governor. However, the governor had too many sons, even several legitimate ones. As a son born to a dancer, this person had barely met the governor a few times.

But regardless, as the governor's son, it was easy for him to secure a spot as a martial hall disciple, something an impoverished family could only dream of.

Yet, within the martial hall, he was like a transparent person. He didn't want to associate with people from impoverished families, nor could he integrate into the circles of noble family disciples.

Seeing Huo Yuanhong's extraordinary bearing and the fact that they were both wearing the standard training uniforms, Cheng Yonghuai assumed he had encountered another neglected, mediocre noble family disciple born to a concubine, feeling a sense of shared misfortune.

"Here, look at those two tables."

Cheng Yonghuai tilted his chin towards the two tables in the center. "The two sitting at the main seats are renowned martial arts prodigies, among the strongest in the peak Manifest Strength realm. They're bound to make a big splash in this competition. Even the wealthiest Fang family values them highly, not only providing them with abundant resources but also planning to marry their noble daughters to them for alliances..."

Huo Yuanhong glanced over. He had noticed those two tables were very lively when he first came in. Old disciples were eagerly toasting the people at the main seats, a stark contrast to the quietness here, as if they were in two different worlds.

"Of course, if we're talking about the most formidable, it has to be Wang Tianlong. If it weren't for his desire to reach the extreme of Manifest Strength and deliberately holding back from breaking through, he would have achieved Heart-Mind Unity by now..."

"Wang Tianlong has been exceptionally talented since childhood. He was taken in as a disciple by the elder of the Fang family, who personally guided his martial arts..."

"Almost everyone believes that if Wang Tianlong hadn't already become a disciple of Elder Fang, making it inconvenient to switch allegiances, the school master would have certainly accepted him as his sixth true disciple..."

As he spoke, Cheng Yonghuai lowered his voice, "You should know that the grand prize for winning this competition is Crimson Refining Paste, right?"

"I know, what about it?" Huo Yuanhong asked.

Cheng Yonghuai let out a scoff. "This Crimson Refining Paste, actually, was prepared by a certain important figure for Wang Tianlong. They just used the name of the first prize in the competition as a cover."

"Oh?" Huo Yuanhong's chopsticks paused. "You don't mean to say the first place is already decided, do you?"

"Why would it need to be decided? Anyone with eyes can see it."

Cheng Yonghuai shook his head and smiled. "No one in our martial hall is a match for Wang Tianlong. This Crimson Refining Paste is essentially a disguised reward for Wang Tianlong. It's not like the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall is going to snatch it away..."

"Oh, right, let me tell you another secret. That new sixth true disciple with the surname Huo, although he's publicly known to be from an impoverished background, his true identity is rumored to be extraordinary. Either he's the illegitimate son of some important figure, or he's the school master's illegitimate son..."

Cheng Yonghuai glanced around, then leaned in, lowering his voice as he spoke.

"Illegitimate child?"

Huo Yuanhong glanced at him strangely.

"More or less! Otherwise, why would the school master take him as a true disciple? Is he better than the geniuses from the established families who were trained from childhood?"

Cheng Yonghuai looked earnest and quickly reminded him, "You absolutely can't tell anyone. If that Huo family true disciple finds out and complains to the school master, I'll be in big trouble!"

"...Alright."

Huo Yuanhong nodded, made a mental note of the man, and then continued to deal with the food in his bowl.

As they were about to finish, a commotion suddenly broke out in the dining hall with the entrance of a person.

"Wang Tianlong! Look! It's Wang Tianlong!"

Cheng Yonghuai exclaimed involuntarily, quickly putting down his chopsticks and standing up to show respect.

"Here comes True Disciple Wang!"

The fat steward, whose gaze had been wandering, also stood up with a few other stewards, greeting the newcomer with a beaming smile.

Huo Yuanhong looked up and saw a man with a powerful stride, around twenty years old, with unusually long arms that almost reached his knees.

An inch longer is an inch stronger; one could imagine how fierce he would be in a fight. No wonder he dared to claim invincibility in Manifest Strength!

Huo Yuanhong estimated that before he reached the peak of Manifest Strength, it would be hard to say who would win between him and Wang Tianlong.

But now...

With his technique of concentrating all his strength for a single explosive burst, he wouldn't need any fancy footwork. Pure brute force alone would be enough to kill even the strongest Manifest Strength practitioner in one blow.

Even without using this extreme burst technique, after perfecting Manifest Strength to a state of smooth integration, his control over his strength had improved by another level. He could use one part of his strength to achieve the effect of two parts, and with double the power, he could still easily defeat the so-called invincible Manifest Strength practitioners in a one-on-one fight.

At this moment, the fat steward had already reached Wang Tianlong first, cupping his hands with a smile:

"True Disciple Wang, your arm swings are like moving mountains, heavy and solid. I presume your Tai Chi Support Hammer has made further breakthroughs. It's likely you'll reach the peak of Manifest Strength soon and become another peerless prodigy after Wu Yuanchu..."

Although Wang Tianlong was not Li Shuxing's disciple, in the eyes of everyone in the hall, his status was no different from that of a true disciple.

Especially as he drew closer to the peak of Manifest Strength, and with Old Master Fang confirming he had a thirty percent chance of truly reaching the extreme, his prestige within the hall grew day by day, almost catching up to those masters of Transforming Strength!

After all, even Li Shuxing, in his youth, did not fully reach the peak in the Manifest Strength stage. He only rose to prominence later after perfecting Hidden Strength and Transforming Strength. If Wang Tianlong truly reached the peak, it would mean his achievements in Manifest Strength surpassed Li Shuxing's, which was a truly astonishing accomplishment, naturally earning him everyone's reverence!

In comparison, Huo Yuanhong, a true true disciple of the school master, seemed non-existent. He had been sitting there eating for so long, and no one he knew had come to greet him.

"Support is the earth, hammer is the heaven. With Tai Chi Support Hammer practiced to near perfection, even the school master's Baji Quan, perhaps only the Ground-Shattering Cannon move can be compared! With True Disciple Wang here, the match against the Sword Inquiry Martial Hall is secured!"

"To fully reach the peak of Manifest Strength, one might even have the potential to surpass Transforming Strength in the future. I think in the future, our martial hall will have a Wang-style Tai Chi lineage!"

"Indeed, indeed!"

Facing the early congratulations and flattery from the fat steward and other influential figures, and even from two senior disciples who had achieved Hidden Strength...

Wang Tianlong's expression was calm. He merely nodded slightly at them and walked past them as if they weren't there, taking a seat in an empty spot.

"True Disciple Wang, your meal. This is a stir-fry personally cooked by the head chef, and top-quality rice transported from the Central Plains..."

The fat steward smiled and held the meal tray. Despite being a steward with real power, and a renowned Hidden Strength master in his youth, he was now actively serving food.

"You're too kind. Alright, everyone, don't crowd around. Please be seated."

Wang Tianlong's acknowledgment immediately caused the other stewards and senior Hidden Strength disciples around to show envious and regretful expressions. They regretted not thinking of this themselves and regretted not being as willing to humble themselves as the fat steward.

In the eyes of almost everyone, Wang Tianlong was destined to be the new master of Transforming Strength in a few years. With another twenty or thirty years of cultivation, he might even break through to surpass Transforming Strength. To be able to befriend him early and gain the favor of a future master would be a huge gain!

Even looking at the present, in the upcoming martial competition, Wang Tianlong was destined to take first place. Once he became the champion, not only would he receive a large amount of precious resources from the Fang family, but he would also have the right to propose suggestions for the resource allocation of others, greatly influencing the treatment of other disciples!

If not now, when else would they seize the opportunity to show their faces?

"Sycophant."

Cheng Yonghuai, after squeezing through the crowd for a long time without being able to get close to Wang Tianlong, could only dejectedly return to his seat with the others and curse under his breath.

Everyone sat down and continued eating.

However, almost all of them were absent-minded, occasionally stealing glances in Wang Tianlong's direction, trying to find an excuse to approach and show their faces.

Yet, not long after they sat down, the dining hall erupted completely with the arrival of Fang Yu, personally leading a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious attire.