Transformation I

"The reason why the Jade Sea Gang can run rampant is also related to the fact that martial arts are not very popular in Citong."

At this moment, Ouyang Shuyi spoke up, "Ci Tong Port has a large number of people coming and going, and is well-connected in all directions. It has a huge amount of trade, and the vast majority of people are engaged in business."

Some people transship goods abroad for resale, while others import goods from abroad and resell them domestically. Through a lot of language communication and networking, the inflow and outflow of goods generate substantial profits.

So, who would be willing to spend their days carrying stone weights and suffering through martial arts training?

"There's some truth to that. If you have money, you can just hire a bodyguard who knows martial arts. That's the philosophy of many families," Fang Wuxue nodded.

"But have you ever considered that if the master is weak and the servant is strong, trouble will inevitably arise sooner or later?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Clearly, they were all thinking about things that had happened to people around them.

Zhao Yanzhi's emotions calmed down slightly, and he sighed, "That's true. Therefore..."

He paused.

"Therefore, I began learning martial arts at the age of ten, and have been practicing for seventeen years now, all to guard against this."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man at the next table slammed his hand on the table.

"Brother is right."

I started learning martial arts at ten, and now, after twenty years, I've reached the Fifth Grade, which is about the limit. From now on, I need to seriously plan for my children's future.

He sighed.

"Three years to Blood Nourishing, three years to Tendon Forging, whether one enters the Entering the Ranks depends on luck and willpower."

For the next three years, I climbed the ranks First Grade at a time. Any slight delay, and by my age, I was completely set in my ways.

"In other words, if a person starts practicing martial arts at the age of seven, they will have to be at least thirteen years old to have a chance of Entering the Ranks."

After that, one could only reach the First Grade every three years until the age of thirty, and even if everything went smoothly, one could only reach the rank of six or seven at most.

This is still the ideal situation.

Even for families with ample resources, it would take over twenty years of painstaking effort to raise someone to a sixth or seventh rank. It's hard to say whether it was worthwhile.

Furthermore, most ordinary martial arts practitioners are considered quite skilled if they reach the Fifth Grade by the age of thirty.

"Even so, it still requires smooth sailing along the way, without being delayed by choosing the wrong teacher, without suffering hidden injuries from martial arts battles, and without any unexpected changes affecting the practice."

If you're unlucky enough to encounter a master, it only takes a dozen or so moves to wipe out decades of accumulated effort.

The man was clearly deeply moved.

His words successfully attracted the attention of those around him.

"A Fifth Grade is actually enough... A Fifth Grade, placed in the Government Office, can at least hold a formal official position," the middle-aged man couldn't help but say.

"That's because you don't know," the man shook his head. "Those who get hired through martial arts, without family connections or support, are always the first ones pushed forward when there's any dangerous work."

Such military officers, on average, accumulate numerous injuries every few years, and their retirement benefits are poor. They are purely expendable.

Retiring due to injury is considered good. If one is unlucky and encounters a master, they could be killed instantly, like in the previous battle to annihilate the White Ten Sect. Many High Grade Expert were killed in one fell swoop, and behind them were vassal groups with them as the core of their Lineage, which also collapsed in an instant.

That battle seemed simple, but do you know how many properties were sold off cheaply, how many homes were seized, how many people were reassigned or had their jobs changed, and how many families became playthings for others? Nobody knows.

As soon as he said that, everyone around him fell silent.

That's true. From this perspective, learning martial arts is indeed a very low-return activity. "That's why many people say that if you don't have the talent for martial arts, you'd be better off studying literature and joining a religious sect." Fang Wuxue agreed with the man's statement.

"That's right. I plan to enroll my child in a Peace Class, and then send him to the academy later. As long as he can read and do math, that's fine."

"Practicing martial arts requires a huge investment, both in money and energy. It's something only the wealthy can afford. It's something to add to what you already have." The man shook his head and sighed.

Zhang Rongfang, who was standing nearby, understood what was going on.

This was the first time he had heard, up close, an analysis of how ordinary people learn martial arts.

The other party's words were simple yet powerful.

In such a realistic era, most ordinary people actually don't have many choices.

Even someone like this man is considered middle class with some spare money.

But there is still a huge gap between them and the extremely wealthy and powerful.

Not to mention the Ninth Grade and above, which is an absolutely powerful force completely controlled by the upper echelons.

Only the upper classes, with their abundant resources, had the energy and time to practice martial arts. Then, generation after generation, their genes improved, making the next generation even more suited to martial arts.

Only in this way can one rise to High Grade and continue to occupy more resources and power.

Such prolonged interactions will solidify class distinctions in the outskirts of Ci Tong Port.

Boom!!

A huge ball of flame, like a ground firework, suddenly exploded, completely engulfing a Mountain Villa behind the suburban hills.

The fire, like countless clouds of smoke, expanded rapidly and engulfed all the buildings in the entire Mountain Villa.

The sweeping flames lasted only a moment before rapidly receding.

But by this time, the Mountain Villa had been completely engulfed in flames.

Through the gaps in the firelight, one could vaguely see corpses lying on the ground inside the Mountain Villa, with blood flowing like a stream.

"Another one."

Dozens of meters outside the Mountain Villa, a group of people dressed in the uniforms of Government Office constables were watching the raging fire with a solemn expression.

The leader wore a black veil hat, a gray-white outfit, and a black veil over which he wore a short jacket. He had a curved sword hanging at his waist and was strong and robust.

This man was none other than Du Chengqing, the Chief Constable of Citong, who was in charge of investigating cases.

"This is the third case in the last two months." Du Chengqing's face was grim. The first two cases hadn't been resolved yet, and now another one had come.

"The Zhong Family had a conflict with the Jade Sea Gang because Zhong Chengxian was unwilling to transfer his family's Pine Bright Autumn Mountain Painting, and then he even got into a fight with the Jade Sea Gang's manager."

At that time, the Jade Sea Gang made a statement, telling the Zhong Family to wait and see. Now...

Kong He, the deputy standing to the side, shook his head and said no more.

"The methods are exactly the same as before, so it can be basically confirmed that it is the work of the Jade Sea Gang," Du Chengqing said in a deep voice.

"To exterminate an entire clan over a mere disagreement—this is utterly lawless! I refuse to believe that the Great Ling still reigns supreme!" He gripped the hilt of his sword, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Then, Mr. Du, should we go directly to Jade Sea Gang interrogate the person now? Or...?" Deputy Kong He asked, frowning.

"Go straight to the Jade Sea Gang, bring back that manager who made those threats, interrogate him for a few days! Throw him in the Dungeon for a few days, go through the whole process, I don't believe he won't tell the truth!" Du Chengqing said fiercely.

A faint buzzing sound suddenly approached rapidly from a distance.

The sound was like a tuning fork being struck and vibrating, or like a human voice wailing and singing; the sound quality was extremely strange.

"What's that sound?!" Du Chengqing frowned, looking around for the direction from which the sound came.

The other constables also looked around, some of the more nervous ones already raising their crossbows and cautiously aiming at their surroundings.

Whoosh! In an instant, a gray shadow descended from the sky, passing over the heads of several constables.

Bang bang bang!!

Instantly, the skulls of the three men caved in and shattered, and they collapsed to the ground dead.

The gray figure used the momentum to leap, then spread its arms and swung them out.

Swish, swish, swish!!

Large shards of flying stones, like bullets, struck the surrounding constables hard.

With immense force, the flying stone pierced through the leather armor and struck the five men in vital areas.

In the blink of an eye, five more constables collapsed to the ground.

"Shoot!!"

The three men wielding crossbows Entering the Ranks all highly skilled, and they fired their arrows as soon as they aimed.

Unfortunately, just a second before they raised their hands, the gray figure swayed, almost leaving a blur, and dodged the three arrows.

He rushed forward, and with a flick of his hand, a Silver Light whip slashed across the throats of the three men.

At the same time, that same sound rang out again.

That was clearly caused by the silver whip.

Three constables armed with crossbows clutched their throats, bleeding profusely, and collapsed to the ground dead.

The silver whip was exceptionally sharp, and with the added force, it almost sliced open half of the three people's necks, which was extremely horrifying.

At this point, Du Chengqing and Kong He caught up with Gray Shadow, knives in hand.

"You scoundrel, you're asking for death!!" Du Chengqing was furious, pouring all his strength into the blade he was wielding.

It cuts diagonally downwards.

His veins bulged all over his body, his face was contorted, and his eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he had entered Limit State for a short period of time.

As Eighth Grade master, his Cambrian Saber Technique, even after reaching perfection, also has its own Limit State.

In addition, he Innate God, and when he unleashed his full power, he could fight against a Ninth Grade opponent.

In that instant, Du Chengqing's usually confident Cambrian Saber Technique Limit State – the Cold Sun Martial.

But it meant nothing in the face of this gray shadow.

The gray figure moved like a fish, easily bending over to dodge the blade's attack, then raised his hand and flicked his Silver Whip.

Whoosh! A tremendous force, accompanied by a flash of Silver Light, rushed towards us.

The thick leather armor Du Chengqing was wearing was completely ineffective; his face was struck in the eyes by the sharp whip.

A scream followed.

Gray Shadow lashed out again with his whip, striking Kong He, who lunged out from the side, across the chest.

Blood splattered.

The two rolled to the ground, one on the left and one on the right.

Before they could utter a sound, the Silver Whip reappeared, striking their necks, and Du Chengqing and Kong He instantly fell silent.

"What a pity. I wasn't planning on harming you." The gray figure landed and stood still, revealing a fair and delicate face that resembled that of a woman.

But he had strong muscles and a lithe figure, which was completely male.

"Unfortunately, you don't know what's good for you."

He sheathed his Silver Whip, turned, and strode away. In the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace.

***Outside Cotton Cloud Residence.

After boasting and having eaten and drunk his fill, Zhang Rongfang leisurely walked out of the teahouse alone.

He was in a very good mood. After a heated debate, he successfully convinced several of his fellow critics and also swept away the frustration of being unable to win the arguments of the previous days.

This is the joy of life.

He has long since handed over the affairs of Chen Xiang Temple to his deputy in the government.

Using the techniques he employed at the Golden Wing Tower, he crudely crafted a Leather Mask of his own and had the other person wear it, allowing them to disguise themselves as meditating and cultivating in their daily lives.

With a little makeup, I can wander around freely.

Anyway, the yamen (Guardian Teaching Office) had nothing to do. They were either going out to be invited to preach and chant scriptures, or receiving officials and dignitaries who came to and from Citong.

He was impatient with doing these things, so he simply dumped them all on his deputy.

Feeling relaxed, I strolled along the harbor shore.

Zhang Rongfang gazed into the distance.

A thousand sails form a forest, ten thousand oars resemble grass. White sails, red sails, black sails, and the various patterns adorning them all become part of the scenery at this moment.