Han Zheng had considered why Zheng Zhishan had come, but he had never expected the man to try bribing him into withdrawing voluntarily.
And with that look of charity on his face, Han Zheng could not help laughing.
"What are you laughing at?"
Zheng Zhishan frowned. "Do you think one thousand taels is too little? With your background, one thousand taels is enough for you to live comfortably in Black Stone County for the rest of your life!"
What Zheng Zhishan said was not wrong.
In a small county like Black Stone County, one thousand taels really was enough for an ordinary person to live quite comfortably.
With one thousand taels, one could buy a three-room house and ten mu of land, then use the remaining money to open a shop and run a small business.
The escorts of those escort agencies might risk their lives for years without necessarily earning a thousand taels of silver.
Had it been the Han Zheng from before his transmigration, he might have been tempted.
But now, what Han Zheng wanted was not silver, but power.
"One thousand taels of silver may be enough to live comfortably in Black Stone County for a lifetime, but the problem is, I never intended to stay in Black Stone County for the rest of my life."
Han Zheng looked at Zheng Zhishan with a faintly mocking smile. "Song Tianqing actually sent you to bribe me into admitting defeat voluntarily. Could it be that he has no confidence in tomorrow's match?"
"Presumptuous! You dare insult my young master!? You don't know what's good for you!"
Zheng Zhishan flew into a rage at once, pointing at Han Zheng as he berated him.
The smile vanished from Han Zheng's face as he said coldly, "Old bastard, you were the one who insulted me with silver first!
If I refuse the money, I don't know what's good for me? If Guo Mingyuan wins today, were you planning to use one thousand taels to bribe him too?"
As soon as the words fell, Han Zheng abruptly stepped forward, a thread of icy Killing Intent surging from his body.
Zheng Zhishan felt a chill run through his entire body, and his face turned pale in an instant.
Han Zheng had killed people. He had seen blood.
Zheng Zhishan had made a grave mistake by treating him like one of those sheltered Martial Arts Academy disciples.
"Uncle Zheng, I told you already. You don't need to concern yourself with my affairs."
From the back of the alley, Song Tianqing strode over and positioned himself in front of Zheng Zhishan.
Narrowing his eyes as he sized up Han Zheng, Song Tianqing said coldly, "I knew nothing about what happened today. If I had known, I would not have let Uncle Zheng come.
Uncle Zheng is not worried that I will lose. He is only worried that I will waste my strength on you. My opponents were never you people.
Han Zheng, if you had known your place and taken the money today, I would not have said anything even after learning of it. I would have owed you a favor.
But unfortunately, you don't know what's good for you. You will not get the money, and you are likewise fated never to obtain the White Ape Through-Arm Fist!"
Song Tianqing was not merely trying to save face with those words. He truly had never regarded the Martial Arts Academy's disciples as worthy of notice.
Not even Lin Qing, who had already been accepted into the Changshan Sword Sect, was an exception.
In his eyes, the achievements of common-born disciples like Han Zheng and Chen Zhao could be seen at a glance; in the future, they would only be fit to look up at people like him.
Guo Mingyuan was nothing but a good-for-nothing. He soaked in medicinal baths every day merely to attain this little bit of cultivation, and was not even as capable as Han Zheng or Chen Zhao. Other than money, he had nothing.
Lin Qing had merely been lucky. His path had been smooth sailing all the way, and he had never encountered any setbacks. What did he amount to compared with Song Tianqing?
Song Tianqing knew very clearly that he had never treated the Martial Arts Academy disciples as enemies. At most, they could only serve as his stepping stones!
The position of Song Family young master, even the position of family head—those were what he had always wanted.
"What a coincidence. I never regarded you as an opponent either.
A person may be confident, but they cannot be arrogant. Victory and defeat will be decided tomorrow."
Han Zheng could not be bothered to waste words with Song Tianqing, and turned to leave.
Watching Han Zheng's departing back, Zheng Zhishan lowered his head. "Young Master, please forgive me. This old servant acted on his own initiative. I did not expect Han Zheng to be so incapable of appreciating kindness."
Song Tianqing narrowed his eyes and said blandly, "It's fine, Uncle Zheng. Since Han Zheng does not know what's good for him, then he cannot blame me for being ruthless tomorrow!
I have never regarded these Martial Arts Academy disciples as opponents. Surely you do not think I cannot defeat them?"
"This old servant naturally has faith in you, Young Master. But in a few days, the family head will assess all the Song Family's younger disciples. This old servant worries that you may waste your strength or suffer injuries in the Martial Arts Academy competition, putting you at a disadvantage during the Lineage assessment."
"Uncle Zheng, dealing with a common-born Martial Arts Academy disciple will not take much strength.
Besides, the White Ape Through-Arm Fist is no longer a necessity for me. At most, it would add flowers to brocade.
I have already contacted that outer sect steward of the Changshan Sword Sect, and he has agreed to arrange for me to enter the Changshan Sword Sect.
If nothing goes wrong, when the Transmission Elder of the Changshan Sword Sect comes to Black Stone County next time, he will not only bring Lin Qing into the sect, but me as well.
Chief Clerk Lin, Lin Qing's father, spent who knew how much effort and wealth to obtain such an opportunity, only for it to end up making a wedding dress for me?"
As Song Tianqing spoke, he could not help revealing a smug smile.
A top great sect like the Changshan Sword Sect went out every year to recruit disciples with good Talent and Aptitude into the sect, but they only went to major prefectures and rarely came to little places like Black Stone County.
Chief Clerk Lin had paid an enormous price to contact that outer sect steward of the Changshan Sword Sect and bring him to Black Stone County.
Song Tianqing had precisely seized this opportunity. Using heaps of gold, silver, and jewels to pave the way, he easily persuaded the other party to accept him into the Changshan Sword Sect as well.
Although the Changshan Sword Sect was a top great sect and its disciples possessed exceptional cultivation,
these outer sect stewards were usually disciples who were somewhat older and whose cultivation had stagnated for a long time.
Their realm in the martial path had already reached its end, so they naturally chose to pursue all manner of worldly wealth. Song Tianqing's method of clearing the path with money was, of course, invincible wherever it went.
But the prerequisite was that your Talent and Aptitude had to be passable as well. Otherwise, the other party would not dare decide on his own to accept you into the Changshan Sword Sect.
Otherwise, if you could not pass the Transmission Elder's scrutiny, the outer sect steward would be punished too. He could not just bring any stray cat or dog into the sect.
Zheng Zhishan was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Congratulations, Young Master! Congratulations!
Once you enter the Changshan Sword Sect, which member of the Song Family's younger generation will still be qualified to stand shoulder to shoulder with you?
Even if the family head dislikes you no matter how much, he will still have to hold his nose and give you the heir's position!"
"What I want is not merely the heir's position!"
A trace of coldness appeared in Song Tianqing's eyes. "I want to take back everything I have lost over these years!"
At this moment, Han Zheng did not know that Song Tianqing had already regarded him as a stepping stone on his road ahead, and had arranged his fate down to the last detail.
After returning home, Han Zheng opened the Gluttonous Crucible and checked it. He had thirty points of Satiety remaining.
He had deliberately saved this from before for unforeseen circumstances, to use for an emergency breakthrough.
After hesitating for a moment, Han Zheng still did not use those thirty points of Satiety.
Thirty points were neither much nor little. They could increase Han Zheng's strength somewhat, but not enough to let him advance by leaps and bounds.
Moreover, the only martial arts Han Zheng could currently use to raise proficiency were the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill and the Vajra Demon Subduing Seal.
Of these two techniques, he could at most use the strength enhancement granted by the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. He did not want to expose anything else before outsiders.
So, apart from opening a few more Acupoints and increasing his strength somewhat, consuming Satiety would not bring any major improvement.
He should continue saving this bit of Satiety for unforeseen circumstances.
After making up his mind, Han Zheng took out the Blood Fiend Saber Art and began studying it.
Although weapons could not be used in tomorrow's match, every additional martial art was another trump card.
A weapon was an extension of the body.
With no sword in hand, one could join two fingers and make them a sword.
With no saber in hand, one could turn one's palm into a saber.
Li Jingzhong had said that the Blood Fiend Saber Art's power lay somewhere between Houtian and Xiantian. Its sole flaw was the need to beware of Killing Intent entering the body and affecting one's state of mind.
After reading the entire manual, Han Zheng truly sensed the eerie nature of this saber art.
The saber momentum of the Blood Fiend Saber Art was ruthless and absolute, attacking without defending. It could be called extreme to the utmost.
Furthermore, its secret was not to draw upon the meridians for power, but to invoke the Killing Intent within one's body and attach it to the saber momentum to enhance its might.
Killing Intent was not inner force. It could neither be seen nor touched, only sensed.
The method of gathering Killing Intent was simple: kill people.
But some people could gather Killing Intent after killing one person, while others might kill ten and still fail to gather any.
What if one still could not gather Killing Intent?
The saber manual made it very clear: then keep killing!
Even if you were a compassionate monk, killing on like that would turn you into a life-taking Buddha wreathed in Killing Intent.
Following the Blood Fiend Saber Art's description, Han Zheng calmed his heart and quieted his breath, sensing the Killing Intent within his body.
Perhaps Han Zheng was naturally suited for life-and-death combat. So far, he had only killed Wang Xiong and a Pig Demon, yet he instantly sensed the Killing Intent flowing through his body.
Yin-cold and bone-chilling, incomparably violent.
Before learning the Blood Fiend Saber Art, Han Zheng could only unconsciously stir this thread of Killing Intent when enraged, just as he had when berating Zheng Zhishan earlier.
But now, Han Zheng could actively gather this thread of Killing Intent to face enemies.
Throughout the night, Han Zheng did not spend much time practicing the saber techniques. Instead, he focused on learning how to condense Killing Intent.
In the Blood Fiend Saber Art, the saber techniques were secondary. The method of condensing Killing Intent was what mattered most.
He cultivated until midnight before entering sleep while circulating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, resting as he practiced.
Early the next morning, Han Zheng arrived at the Martial Arts Academy while chewing on two steamed buns, immediately drawing the gazes of the disciples.
Previously, Han Zheng could only be considered somewhat famous within the Martial Arts Academy, about the same as Chen Zhao.
Only today did everyone realize that the ever-low-key, silent Han Zheng might actually be the strongest among their generation of disciples.
Chen Zhao, whom Song Tianqing had struck into coughing blood yesterday, had also come to the Martial Arts Academy today, though his face still looked somewhat pale.
He walked up to Han Zheng and said quietly, "Brother Han, be careful of Song Tianqing. Like Guo Mingyuan, he has definitely learned other martial arts outside!
It is only that my strength was lacking, so I failed to force out his true trump card.
He attacks with extreme speed, and every move is incomparably vicious. It is absolutely unlike the Vajra Fist's broad, sweeping style of crushing opponents with momentum. It should be another school of martial arts entirely.
Yet Song Tianqing is indeed extraordinarily talented. He was actually able to fuse these two completely different styles of martial techniques together so that outsiders could not detect the slightest incongruity."
"Thank you for the warning."
Han Zheng thanked him.
He had watched yesterday's battle as well, but since he had not truly fought Song Tianqing himself, there were some details he could not possibly understand better than Chen Zhao.
This could be said to be experience Chen Zhao had summed up through defeat, and it was very useful to Han Zheng.
Gazing at Han Zheng, Chen Zhao said, "Before my parents died, their greatest wish was to see me make something of myself. So when I cultivated at the Martial Arts Academy before, I regarded every one of you as an opponent.
Unfortunately, I failed to live up to expectations. I lost disgracefully, and I lost miserably.
But compared with Song Tianqing, I would rather the person who obtains the White Ape Through-Arm Fist be you."
After saying that, Chen Zhao turned and left.