Not Worth Remembering Their Names! Gentleman Sword's Calculations!

Huo Yuanhong knew the middle-aged man who had arrived.

On the day he registered, Old Xu, the steward, had taken him to pay the man a visit. He was Fang Yu's clan uncle, a highly influential figure from the Main Branch of the Fang Family, the wealthiest family in the city! He was also the Fang Family's man in charge at the martial hall!

He wielded enormous authority over which disciples qualified for Fang Family sponsorship, how much support they received, and what benefits they enjoyed. Most of the time, he could settle such matters with a single word!

The reason Wang Tianlong enjoyed prefecture-grade resources, could claim superior secret medicines at will, and received the right to allocate one top-grade Great Medicine every three months was because this Fang Family middle-aged man personally arranged those resources.

His personal appearance startled the stewards with real authority and the old Dark Force disciples present. Even several respected Instructors rose with smiles to welcome him.

After entering, the middle-aged man swept his gaze around the room. When he noticed Huo Yuanhong in the corner, his eyes paused slightly before he walked over to Wang Tianlong's table first.

"Tianlong, may you succeed the moment you take the field and seize the top spot."

The middle-aged man smiled and patted Wang Tianlong on the shoulder. Several old Dark Force disciples immediately felt a surge of envy, knowing that after this tournament, Wang Tianlong's treatment would likely be elevated again.

As for the prize of the tournament—the top-grade secret medicine, Crimson Refining Paste—there was no need to think twice about it. This Fang Family grandee had clearly prepared it specifically for Wang Tianlong, merely using the tournament as a pretext to give it to him, supporting Wang Tianlong through this disguised act of favoritism.

"Rest assured, Mr. Fang. Looking over the disciples of Sword Inquiry Martial Hall, they are nothing more than heads stuck on poles, waiting to be claimed!"

Wang Tianlong raised his cup, drained it in one gulp, and smiled.

Next, the middle-aged man went to the other two tables and offered words of encouragement to the other two martial prodigies in turn, wishing them victory at the first clash in the upcoming tournament.

Only then did he head toward the corner.

"Disciple Huo, have you grown accustomed to the martial hall's food?"

The middle-aged man spoke with a smile.

The order in which he greeted them made his priorities abundantly clear.

Huo Yuanhong had plainly been ranked outside the top three.

"Not bad. These Xiao Long Bao suit my taste quite well."

Huo Yuanhong remained composed, showing no restraint because of the other man's lofty status.

This bearing caused a flash of surprise to pass through the Fang Family middle-aged man's eyes.

As the Fang Family's man in charge at the martial hall, he had already received word from the family: the old ancestor had personally decided to make an exception and grant this young man from the Commoner Faction prefecture-grade treatment.

He was quite displeased with that decision. In his view, Li Shuxing must have personally stepped in, prompting the old ancestor to grant him this favor.

With great changes approaching, medicinal resources were becoming ever more precious. The resources allocated to the martial hall were already insufficient, yet now they had to squeeze out a portion to give Li Shuxing face. How was he supposed to distribute them?

Surely they could not take resources that ought to have gone to an unparalleled genius like Wang Tianlong and give them to someone admitted through connections?

If that delayed Wang Tianlong's training and prevented him from ultimately reaching the utmost limit of Manifest Strength, would that not be an enormous loss?

Of course, displeased as he was, Li Shuxing's face still had to be respected. That was why, after currying favor with Wang Tianlong and the other two martial prodigies, he had lingered a while longer before coming over to greet the man in the corner.

Yet to his surprise, at this very meeting, the young man had completely shed the green, constrained air he had possessed when they first met. Every word and gesture revealed an ease that arose from within.

This ease was not the sort of calm feigned for appearance's sake. It was the composure of renowned great masters—an ease born of absolute confidence in oneself, and thus free of fear and apprehension.

Not simple!

As a giant of the Fang Family who had overseen the martial hall's resource allocation for years, the middle-aged man naturally possessed keen judgment. At a glance, he recognized Huo Yuanhong's extraordinary qualities!

With this calm and steady bearing, even if he failed to achieve great things in the martial arts in the future, he would still be highly suited to serve as the martial hall's chief steward, handling guests and coordinating with all sides. No wonder Li Shuxing had taken a liking to him!

For a time, Huo Yuanhong's importance in his mind rose to a level comparable to the other two martial prodigies, second only to Wang Tianlong!

The way he looked at Huo Yuanhong gained a few more degrees of regard.

"For this tournament, I await Disciple Huo's stunning debut. Charge into the top five!"

"Thank you for your auspicious words."

Huo Yuanhong smiled.

"Junior Brother, you're here too. How has your training been lately? If you have any questions, this Senior Sister can help answer one or two."

Fang Yu also walked over. After all, this was her true Junior Brother. It would not do to show such glaring favoritism before others.

"Not bad. I just have some questions about practical Combat Methods and wanted to learn from Master."

Huo Yuanhong replied.

"Practical Combat Methods?"

Fang Yu was slightly taken aback. Had Junior Brother not only just begun training Manifest Strength? Why was he interested in practical Combat Methods already?

Normally, core disciples like them only began studying practical Combat Methods after reaching the peak of Manifest Strength, when they needed to step into the ring and seek further advancement through clash after clash of fierce combat.

But she quickly understood.

Perfectly normal!

Just like when she had first encountered martial arts, she had been intensely curious about Dark Force and Transformation Strength.

Junior Brother must be the same—curious about fighting techniques like practical Combat Methods!

Besides, she had heard from the people below that Junior Brother seemed to have already reached Great Accomplishment in Manifest Strength. Reaching the peak would only take a few months, so it really was appropriate for him to begin familiarizing himself with them early.

It was simply a pity that she had never put much effort into the practical side of Baji Quan, so she was not in a position to teach him lest she lead him astray.

And Master had yet to return. As for the other Instructors in the martial hall, even those few Transformation Strength master instructors who lived in seclusion were still far inferior to Master. They were not suited to teach in Master's place.

For a moment, Fang Yu found herself in something of a dilemma.

Just then, the middle-aged man's lips moved slightly, and an almost imperceptible voice reached Huo Yuanhong's ears.

"If Disciple Huo wishes to experience real combat methods, you may seek out Old Xu—the one who brought you to see me that day. On the surface, he is Hall Master Li's steward, but his true identity is the guardian of the Baji lineage. He is also a hidden Peak Expert within the martial hall, a figure above Transformation Strength and from the same era as the Fang Family Patriarch..."

"Especially when it comes to real combat methods, even Hall Master Li can scarcely distinguish himself from him."

Such information was a secret of both the martial hall and the Fang Family, a fallback plan and trump card for when Li Shuxing was absent. By rights, it could not be revealed lightly. Even Fang Yu, Li Shuxing's personal disciple, did not know of it, lest she let it slip by accident.

Yet the calm composure that seemed to arise naturally from within Huo Yuanhong made the middle-aged man realize that he was no ordinary person, and so he told him in secret.

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Fang."

Huo Yuanhong thanked him.

Seeing this, Fang Yu knew the matter had been settled. She brought Huo Yuanhong a bottle of wine shipped all the way from the Western Lands, then leaned closer and said in a low voice, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself during the little match against Sword Inquiry Martial Hall later, Junior Brother. You're still young; there's no need to compete with those older disciples. By this time next year, won't first place still be yours?"

As she spoke, she stuffed a thick red envelope into Huo Yuanhong's pocket.

"Eat well and drink well. Why fight those old geniuses for it? You're Master's most cherished youngest disciple. Once you take charge of internal affairs in the future, you can make whoever you want wear the shoes that pinch. Won't those people still have to watch your expression and beg you to approve funds and release money...

"While you're still young, go out and have some fun. If you're short on money, just tell your Senior Sister."

Like the middle-aged man, Fang Yu believed that Huo Yuanhong had been cultivated by their master to become the chief steward who would manage the martial hall's affairs in the future. Though his martial path might not be as promising as Wang Tianlong's, he was more trusted by their master, so maintaining good relations with him would help preserve the Fang Family's relationship with Li Shuxing.

After chatting with a smile for a few more moments, Fang Yu finally left with the middle-aged man.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yonghuai, who was sitting nearby, was already completely dumbfounded. He held his chopsticks without moving, utterly unaware even when his meat bun fell to the floor.

"B-B-Bro, y-you... you're that Sixth Personal Disciple?"

"That's me."

Upon hearing Huo Yuanhong admit it, Cheng Yonghuai's eyelid twitched violently. He forced out a smile uglier than crying. "Then the things I said earlier... surely the Personal Disciple has forgotten them already, right...?"

"I remember. Didn't you say something about an illegitimate son?"

Huo Yuanhong patted Cheng Yonghuai on the shoulder, stacked up his empty bowls and carried them to the large dishwashing basin, tossing in his chopsticks as well before walking away as though no one else existed.

It was as if he had not noticed at all the managers and older disciples in the dining hall, each wearing a different expression after hearing the middle-aged man's conversation with him, nor that whatever-his-name was invincible at Manifest Strength.

His memory was limited. It had to be used for remembering martial arts; he had no room to remember so many people.

Those old geniuses who only entered Dark Force when they were nearly thirty were not qualified to earn a second glance from him.

As for those who had yet to reach the limit of Manifest Strength, no matter how monstrous their talent, they could never catch up to him.

They were not worth making him remember another name.

"Second Brother, you must take first place in this little match."

Inside a room, Gentleman Sword took a sip of tea and spoke blandly to his younger blood brother seated beside him.

"Don't worry. Under Senior Lu's guidance, my Internal Force has advanced another step. I'm only one final small step away from the limit of Manifest Strength—one notch above Wang Tianlong. And as for real combat methods, those days of slaughter in the octagon cage were not spent training for nothing..."

"I wonder what kind of wonderful expression that great figure of the Fang Family will wear when he sees that the Crimson Refining Paste originally prepared for Wang Tianlong has been intercepted by me?"

Yue Xiuwen smiled.

As the younger brother of Gentleman Sword, Yue Xiuqun, he appeared gentle and refined, like a scholar. Yet in his bones, he was an out-and-out Martial Maniac whose favorite thing was life-and-death combat in the octagon cage.

When it came to fighting and killing, he was absolutely among the foremost of the younger generation, with scarcely any rivals to be found.

"Good. With you making a move, I can rest easy."

Gentleman Sword nodded slightly, his fingers lightly tapping the rosewood tabletop. "For second and third place, I've also found two skilled men. They're both vicious sorts who fought their way out of octagon cages since childhood—deadly warriors. Such people may have exhausted all their potential, but in actual combat, they are far beyond martial hall disciples who have never experienced life-and-death battles. Taking second and third will not be a problem."

"Brother, if you arrange for such people to impersonate disciples of our hall, Divine Spear Martial Hall probably won't allow it..."

Yue Xiuwen frowned slightly.

When the competition began, Transformation Strength masters would surely be present. With their eyesight, they could tell at a glance the difference between such deadly warriors and martial hall disciples.

"No matter."

Gentleman Sword smiled faintly, gently swirling the teacup in his hand as he watched the tea leaves rise and sink within it, never able to leap over the rim.

"Divine Spear Martial Hall has been far too overbearing, and it has long provoked the dissatisfaction of many forces. This little match may seem like a contest among the younger generation, but in truth, it is a joint probing attempt by the Jinmen Martial Arts Guild—to suppress some of their arrogance..."

"More than half of the veteran luminaries in attendance, as well as the guild's witnesses, stand on our side. Even Li Shuxing has people assigned to keep him occupied. Aren't the rules ours to dictate?"

"In fact, if it were not to cultivate someone capable of suppressing Wang Tianlong, why would a reclusive master like Senior Lu, a Divine Dragon whose head is seen but whose tail is not, personally teach you?"

"Besides, who says martial hall disciples cannot be deadly warriors?"

Gentleman Sword's gaze was deep and shadowed, as though he saw that familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar commoner apprentice rising and sinking within the teacup, yet ultimately unable to leap from the palm of his hand.

So what if he had been lucky enough to catch Li Shuxing's eye?

During this period, he had done everything possible to conceal the news, unwilling to let word spread that an apprentice from his own hall had become Li Shuxing's disciple. He had also worked hard to prevent the matter from reaching his master—the chief hall master of Sword Inquiry Martial Hall—all because he had been waiting for this competition!

As the leader of Jinmen's martial hall world, if Divine Spear Martial Hall failed to claim even one of the top three places, it would become the laughingstock of all Jinmen!

Then everyone would know that Li Shuxing's disciples were nothing but empty names, far inferior to the younger generation of Sword Inquiry Martial Hall under his leadership!

With such a great achievement under his belt, even if his Hall Master learned of Huo Yuanhong's matter later, he would not make too much of it!

Besides, with the top three all being swept aside, even if word got out that Commoners had been taken as Li Shuxing's disciple, those unaware of the truth would only think that he was a second-rate genius rejected by their martial hall, then taken in by the Divine Spear Martial Hall, whose new generation had withered away.

Not that he, Gentleman Sword, had failed to recognize talent despite having eyes!

"Once the tournament results are out, Master will surely be overjoyed..."

A faint smile appeared on Gentleman Sword's face as he drained the tea in his cup, leaves and all.

From beginning to end, he had never regarded Huo Yuanhong as a true opponent. Even when dealing with the fallout from the earlier matter, his sights had been set on the Divine Spear Martial Hall's finest few. He had sent his younger brother and two deathsworn guards to defeat Wang Tianlong and those other geniuses.

This would prove that it was not because he lacked discernment and failed to recognize talent, but because he had cultivated too many talents already—he had no need for one more Huo Yuanhong.