Decision

The reason for this was simply that Wang Yu had too many concerns in his heart.

He did not know enough about the internal situations of those families, merchant associations, and gangs.

Whether a family was on the right path of development, whether it was flourishing or declining.

Whether the character of a family's upper ranks and their style of conduct were aggressive or conservative.

Whether he could withstand the internal struggles and factional suppression.

How many enemies a family had, how strong its future opponents might be, and a whole series of other issues were all uncertain variables in his eyes.

If he rashly joined a faction and bore the brand of its identity,

then even if he wished to act cautiously and keep a low profile in the future, the grudges and feuds within and outside that family would still become entangled with him.

Such helplessness was something he did not wish to encounter.

He knew his own advantages well. As long as he was given enough time and worked hard enough, he could steadily build up proficiency in his cultivation methods, advancing step by step until he grew stronger.

The cultivation resources and conditions those factions offered did not hold that much temptation for him.

Of course, it was not that he could not join some faction.

The prerequisite was that he needed to understand that faction well enough, and that it had to be relatively safe.

Most importantly, it needed to give him the chance to obtain at least one complete set of the Blood Burning Method within a short period of time for cultivation.

Among the family factions that had tried to recruit him, some did possess the Blood Burning Method, but it was basically a core possession kept within the family.

For an outsider who had just joined to directly cultivate their Blood Burning Method was simply impossible.

Usually, one had to work tirelessly for that family for several years, or even decades, and render great merit before one might earn the family's trust and gain the opportunity to receive instruction in the Blood Burning Method.

Such a means of obtaining it was far too time-consuming and exhausting. Wang Yu would not consider it at all.

The two watched the mine for a while before bidding Meng Lao Er farewell and heading toward the boxing gym.

"What are your plans, Master?" Wang Yu asked in return.

Sun Chengshan had now also reached the Body Tempering Sixth Level. The problem of finding a cultivation method was just as pressing before him.

Sun Chengshan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I've only just entered the Body Tempering Sixth Level. I'm still far from the great completion of this realm, and that process will likely require several years of tempering.

"The Blood Burning Method isn't quite so urgently needed for me.

"Perhaps in three to five years, I'll pass the martial arts school on to He Zheng. Then I'll consider where I should go."

This was the first time Sun Chengshan had revealed his true plans to someone else.

Wang Yu was his disciple, not an outsider, so there was no harm in telling him.

"Actually, the Garrison Commander has discussed the future with me many times. If nothing unexpected happens, perhaps I'll try to find an opportunity with the Lu Family then.

"Of course, no one can say what things will be like several years from now. There may well be unforeseen changes along the way."

Sun Chengshan said with a smile. He knew well that plans could never keep pace with change.

He had originally planned to run the martial arts school for at least another ten or twenty years, but now, because his cultivation had broken through ahead of schedule, he had no choice but to reconsider the road ahead.

At the very least, he felt that Garrison Commander Lu Pan and the Lu Family were quite decent.

After hearing this, Wang Yu could not help shaking his head. "Even you, Master, are going down the path of joining a family faction. It seems I ultimately won't be able to avoid it either."

Sun Chengshan shrugged. "There's nothing bad about it. Most unaffiliated martial artists eventually end up joining some powerful faction.

"One person's strength is ultimately thin. When all is said and done, we humans are social creatures.

"The key lies in how you see it yourself. In my view, the most important thing is finding a faction that suits you, one that can provide you with enough room to develop, and also..."

Halfway through, something suddenly occurred to Sun Chengshan. "What do you think about joining the army?"

"Joining the army?" Wang Yu frowned slightly. "You mean the military of the Nanxi Empire?"

Sun Chengshan nodded. "The military is different from those family factions. What you serve is the entire Nanxi Empire, and what you obey is the command and deployment of the army.

"You don't need to strictly abide by a family's clan rules. By comparison, military regulations are fairer and more rigorous, and they will also allow you to perform better.

"Geniuses from every corner of the country gather in the military. The Blood Burning Method you want will be within arm's reach as long as you earn enough merit!

"Moreover, the number of Blood Burning Methods stored in the military treasury is surely the greatest. That is an advantage no other family faction can match.

"To be honest, with your talent, only a grand stage like the military is truly suited for you.

"In those families, you might instead waste away your years."

The more Sun Chengshan spoke, the more excited he became. It was as though he could already see his disciple shining alongside the other geniuses in the military. The more he thought about it, the more he felt Wang Yu belonged there; going anywhere else would be a waste of his talents!

In less than two years, he had gone from nothing to the Body Tempering Sixth Level.

Such an achievement would be enough to call him extraordinarily gifted anywhere!

Listening beside him, Wang Yu was somewhat tempted as well.

The military judged heroes by merit. With sufficient merit, he really could obtain the Blood Burning Method in a short time, along with all kinds of other cultivation resources.

That was indeed what he wanted most, and it could spare him quite a few troubles in cultivation.

As for what Sun Chengshan had said about competing with geniuses from all over the country to determine who stood above the rest,

Wang Yu had no interest in that.

A tree standing above the forest would be battered by the wind. He was even worried that if he performed too well, another country might send people to assassinate him.

That was also one of his concerns. The military's stage was certainly large enough, but its corresponding dangers were undoubtedly great.

After all, a nation would not nurture you for nothing. Especially once war broke out, how could anyone stationed on the front lines possibly be safe?

This is truly a difficult choice, Wang Yu muttered inwardly, weighing the matter again and again.

No matter how Sun Chengshan talked himself dry along the way, Wang Yu did not make a decision immediately.

It was not until they returned to the boxing gym, on the following day, that Wang Yu finally decided to join the army.

To him, joining the army was indeed somewhat dangerous, but he felt this path was truly better than relying on those family factions.

Moreover, he had thought many things through.

Since he had chosen to walk the path of martial arts, the possibility of remaining safe and peaceful in everything, wherever he went, had never been high to begin with.

Those martial artists had to fight over everything—territory, benefits, resources, wives.

Even if Wang Yu remained as cautious as possible, how could he avoid every trouble that came his way?

If he truly wished to pursue peace and stability, he might as well return directly to being an ordinary person, hide away among the common folk, live out those hundred-odd years in mediocrity, and grow old.

That would indeed be fine. Unfortunately, it would have been one thing if he had never witnessed the extraordinary world of martial artists.

But now that he was already within it, how could he easily give up pursuing those powerful martial arts and that wondrous path to immortality?

So after thinking it through, Wang Yu would fight for what he wanted as well. He would simply do so more steadily than other martial artists, fighting in his own way.