That Year, Eighteen, in the Moon Drinking Pavilion, Like a Minion

"My apologies, my apologies, I'm late, hic!"

Lin Wenzheng clasped his hands in apology while letting out a drunken burp.

Song Kangyuan's expression turned a little sour, feeling as though he had lost face in front of Qian Songyuan.

A hint of disdain flickered in Qian Songyuan's eyes, but he said, "Lord Lin is also a man of passion. It's nothing, please sit."

Zhang Tianyang, who followed behind Lin Wenzheng, remained expressionless, but Han Zheng could sense that he probably wished he could stab Lin Wenzheng to death right now.

The relationship between the imperial court and the martial arts sects had never been harmonious.

The righteous are beyond the law.

Those righteous individuals were not tolerated by the imperial court, let alone a major sect like the Cangshan Sword Sect that dominated one region.

Lin Wenzheng didn't feel embarrassed himself, but Zhang Tianyang, as someone from the Demon Extermination Division, felt incredibly disgraced at this moment.

If not for the need to conceal his identity as a member of the Demon Extermination Division, Zhang Tianyang would have definitely thrown Lin Wenzheng out.

Song Kangyuan clapped his hands and called for the food to be served.

Dishes of exquisite delicacies were brought out, some of which Han Zheng had never even eaten in his previous life.

The rising grain prices in Black Stone County did not prevent these big figures, standing at the pinnacle of the county town, from enjoying fine dining.

Everyone was fawning over Qian Songyuan, praising the Cangshan Sword Sect.

Chief Clerk Lin, in particular, was extremely excited.

He had always wanted to send his son out of Black Stone County, to prevent his son from wasting his life in a small county town.

He never expected that not only would Lin Qing be accepted into an external sect, but it would be a top sect in Shannan Dao like the Cangshan Sword Sect!

Zhang Tianyang looked at the attitude of these people and only felt a sense of sadness.

Chief Clerk Lin was an official of the imperial court, yet he only thought of sending his disciple to a sect.

It was something that was highly taboo in the early years of the Great Zhou for a sect to recruit so many disciples and gather talented heroes.

You, a sect, are gathering talent on such a large scale, are you trying to rebel?

But now? No one paid attention to such matters anymore.

Even people like Chief Clerk Lin would eagerly send their outstanding disciples to sects instead of serving the imperial court.

Lin Wenzheng, as the County Magistrate, was not at all sensitive to such matters. Instead, he kept toasting, as if he had only come for a drink.

At this moment, Shen Chengshan, the ancestor of the Shen family, raised his cup to Qian Songyuan and said, "Elder Qian, you've accepted two disciples into the Inner Sect in Black Stone County this time. Do you mind accepting one more?"

Qian Songyuan smiled, "Of course not. My Cangshan Sword Sect welcomes talented individuals, so the more, the better."

Shen Chengshan pulled Shen Conghai, who was beside him, and made him stand up.

"This is the legitimate son of my Shen family, Shen Conghai, the younger twin brother of Shen Congyun, the number one among the younger generation in the Tiangang Sect. He just recently entered the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm. I trouble Elder Qian to examine his talent and aptitude, and see if he can also join the Cangshan Sword Sect."

Shen Conghai was a few years older than Han Zheng and Song Tianqing, appearing to be twenty-four or twenty-five.

Reaching the Xiantian realm at this age could be considered a remarkable achievement, but considering his background as the legitimate son of the Shen family, this age coupled with this cultivation level was a bit borderline.

Moreover, Han Zheng noticed that Shen Conghai had looked quite pleased when Shen Chengshan introduced him.

However, after Shen Chengshan first mentioned Shen Congyun, and then introduced him as Shen Congyun's brother, Shen Conghai's expression instantly turned a little gloomy, and he forced a smile.

Beside them, Pang Feiyan, the daughter of Pang Heihu of the Black Tiger Gang, was quietly making a gesture of encouragement to Shen Conghai, her eyes shining as if she was quite fond of him.

However, Shen Conghai didn't notice her at this moment, only looking at Qian Songyuan with expectant eyes.

Han Zheng stroked his chin, seeming to understand Shen Conghai's mindset.

Having a genius brother overshadowing him, being compared to him since childhood, it would be strange if his mentality wasn't affected.

"Could it be Shen Congyun of the Tiangang Sect, who, upon entering the Inner Sect, immediately received the true inheritance and cultivated one of the Tiangang Sect's four divine qis, the North Star Ice Soul Divine Qi, in just one month?"

The Tiangang Sect and the Cangshan Sword Sect were both top sects in Shannan Dao, belonging to the Five Families and Seven Sects.

Therefore, they were well aware of each other's outstanding disciples.

"Precisely."

Shen Chengshan said with a slight hint of pride.

The Song family in the east city was a branch of the Heavenly Saber Song family, but the Shen family in the west city did not have such deep roots. They were merely a martial arts family in a small county town.

It was only in Shen Congyun's generation that they truly stepped out of the small county town and made a name for themselves in the martial world.

"Then I must take a good look."

Qian Songyuan clasped Shen Conghai's wrist, and a wisp of true qi entered his body.

Actually, examining one's aptitude and talent was simple; it was about observing the speed at which true qi circulated and grew within the body.

With the same wisp of true qi circulating in the body, some could only double their strength after one cycle, while others could increase it a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold.

You might cultivate diligently for a year to break through, while they could break through in a day. The gap in innate talent was that immense.

Although a martial artist's strength could not be solely determined by innate talent, it also depended on their state of mind, comprehension, perseverance, opportunities, and even combat experience, among other factors.

These were all too vague and ethereal. Root bone talent was the most practical thing, and the standard by which major sects and aristocratic families selected disciples.

A moment later, Qian Songyuan released his hand and carefully chose his words. "As expected of Shen Congyun's brother from the Tiangang Sect. His root bone talent is naturally quite good.

However, since his brother is a true disciple of the Tiangang Sect's Inner Sect, I believe he would be more suited to join the Tiangang Sect, where he can also be looked after by family."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chengshan immediately understood what was going on.

Shen Conghai's talent was very ordinary, so ordinary that he didn't even qualify for the outer sect of the Cangshan Sword Sect.

The Xiantian cultivation he had built up with medicinal baths and spirit pills was something they simply didn't value.

They were only giving the Shen family face by saying he was more suited to join the Tiangang Sect.

But in reality, it was another way of saying that since they were all Shen family disciples, if Shen Conghai truly had good talent, he would have joined the Tiangang Sect long ago and wouldn't still be stuck in Black Stone County.

Shen Conghai couldn't even force a smile anymore. His expression instantly turned incredibly grim.

Fearing he might say something inappropriate, Shen Chengshan quickly thanked him and then pulled him down to sit.

Pang Feiyan sidled up to Shen Conghai and comforted him, "Brother Hai, don't be discouraged. We won't go to this Cangshan Sword Sect anyway.

They don't know a good thing when they see it. We'll definitely join a more powerful sect in the future."

Shen Conghai waved her away irritably, ignoring her.

If he couldn't even get into the Cangshan Sword Sect, how could he possibly join a greater sect?

At this moment, Guo Kai also pulled Guo Mingyuan over enthusiastically.

"Elder Qian, could you please examine my son and see if he is fortunate enough to join the Cangshan Sword Sect?"

It was just one more person to examine, so Qian Songyuan didn't resist.

After the examination, Qian Songyuan said directly, "The path of martial arts is fraught with difficulties and dangers. I suggest you not have your son practice martial arts. It would be better for him to be a wealthy gentleman for his entire life."

Shen Conghai was Shen Congyun's brother, so Qian Songyuan gave him some face and spoke more tactfully.

But Guo Kai was just a rich bumpkin from a county town, so Qian Songyuan didn't bother giving him any face. He directly stated that someone like Guo Mingyuan was completely unsuitable for practicing martial arts.

In an instant, Guo Mingyuan's expression became even more unsightly than Shen Conghai's.

Li Jingzhong stood up at this point and said, "This is Han Zheng, a disciple of my Zhenwei Martial Arts School. He had no martial arts foundation before, but he reached Xiantian in less than a year. His comprehension is definitely not bad."

Qian Songyuan glanced at Han Zheng's age and asked in surprise, "He truly reached Xiantian in a year? Without the assistance of medicinal baths and other resources?"

Chen Baiqing, standing nearby, said, "I can vouch for that. All the medicinal baths in Black Stone County were supplied by my Shenghe Hall.

Young Brother Han only used one medicinal bath before breaking through to Xiantian; he had no external assistance before that."

"Let me take a look."

Qian Songyuan's interest was immediately piqued.

It was quite difficult for someone from a common background to break through to Xiantian at this age.

He hadn't expected that a small place like Black Stone County would have hidden talents, producing so many promising young disciples.

Han Zheng extended his hand to let the other man examine him.

He wasn't worried about Qian Songyuan discovering that he had learned other techniques or that there was anything amiss within his body.

Examining talent merely involved circulating true qi within the body; it didn't go deep. Once it delved deeper, the acupoints and meridians within a martial artist's body would immediately generate resistance.

A moment later, Qian Songyuan released his hand, frowning slightly.

"To be honest, your talent can only be described as average, very average.

Among ordinary martial artists, it would be considered middle-tier, but within my Cangshan Sword Sect, it's bottom-tier, not even enough to qualify for the outer sect.

Do you have any combat experience?"

Li Jingzhong interjected, "He does. Han Zheng's combat ability is very strong. When he was in the Houtian Realm, he escorted a merchant caravan and even killed a Pig Demon at the late Houtian stage."

Qian Songyuan nodded. "That makes sense. Cultivation advances rapidly in the early stages of martial arts, and combat can stimulate acupoints and meridians, aiding breakthroughs.

This is especially true in life-or-death struggles, but this is limited to the Houtian and Xiantian realms.

Talent and root bones are not judged by the present, but by the future."

Song Tianqing, who was nearby, was shocked to hear that Han Zheng had broken through to the Xiantian Realm.

He knew that after becoming the heir of the Song family, he no longer lacked resources like medicinal baths, but he was still one step away from the Xiantian Realm. How could Han Zheng be faster than him?

Only now, after hearing Qian Songyuan's explanation, did he feel somewhat balanced.

"Thank you, Elder Qian."

Li Jingzhong pulled Han Zheng down to sit and whispered, "Don't be discouraged. Although the path of martial arts is different, who can predict the future?"

"Don't worry, teacher. This won't bring me down," Han Zheng said indifferently.

Talent?

He found it laughable to talk about talent with a cheater like himself.

After the aptitude assessment, everyone resumed their feasting and toasting.

Qian Songyuan was quite skilled at navigating social situations, praising each family's disciples in turn, not even overlooking Han Zheng.

He said that although Han Zheng's talent and bone structure weren't the best, his comprehension was good, and he might even surpass his master in the future.

He also praised Li Jingzhong's high teaching standards, noting that both disciples he had trained were qualified to enter the Cangshan Sword Sect, and one would be considered skilled even out in the jianghu.

The others joined in with their compliments and flattery, but their praise was all directed towards Lin Qing and Song Tianqing.

Han Zheng, on the other hand, seemed to be invisible, quietly eating his food.

That year, at eighteen, in the Yin Yue Tower, he looked like a mere underling.