Apology, Regret!

Fang Chen waved his hand with a smile, "It's fine. At least Senior Sister genuinely wanted to help me, so I won't take it to heart."

Seeing that Fang Chen wasn't blaming her, Jiang Qiutong felt a surge of joy.

She took out an elixir and handed it to Fang Chen.

"I see Junior Brother seems to be in great need of elixirs. I'll give this one to you."

Fang Chen felt a bit surprised and was about to refuse, but Jiang Qiutong directly tossed the elixir over, not giving him a chance to refuse, and turned to leave.

Helpless, Fang Chen accepted the elixir and placed it with the other six in the same bundle.

Next, Fang Chen's gaze turned towards the merchant.

"Are you the one who sponsored Yang Hua? What business do you have with me?"

When the merchant saw it was his turn, a smile immediately spread across his lips. He stepped forward and said:

"Heh heh, Young Master Fang, do you need sponsorship right now? I heard you come from a poor family, just like Young Master Yang. Perhaps you might need my help."

The merchant no longer had the condescending attitude he had towards Fang Chen earlier.

After learning the news of Fang Chen's successful breakthrough, feelings of loss and regret immediately flooded his mind again.

If only he had invested in Fang Chen earlier!

But he truly couldn't have imagined Fang Chen would actually be so formidable.

Both had mediocre aptitude, so why hadn't he broken through in all these years, while Fang Chen succeeded in less than a month?

This disparity left the merchant deeply disappointed!

Ironically, he had originally intended to come and witness Fang Chen's downfall, and even expected to gain some sense of superiority from Fang Chen's failure.

In the end, all he gained was a profound sense of frustration!

Why could Fang Chen do it, but he couldn't? Was he truly that incompetent?!

The merchant didn't understand, but he quickly adjusted his emotions.

He was, after all, a businessman, and knew this wasn't the time for such disappointment and regret.

As soon as he saw the crowd disperse, he immediately moved forward, aiming to secure the opportunity to sponsor Fang Chen!

However, what the merchant didn't know was that Fang Chen was already being sponsored by Zhou Hai.

As a small merchant, what he offered couldn't possibly be more than Zhou Hai.

Therefore, Fang Chen directly refused, "No, thank you. I already have someone sponsoring me, and I have enough elixirs for now. I don't really need any other sponsorship."

The merchant was stunned, not expecting Fang Chen to already have a sponsor.

But he felt there might still be a chance and spoke up, trying to persuade him:

"Young Master Fang, may I ask who is sponsoring you? Perhaps what they're offering isn't as much as I can provide?"

Zhou Hai, standing by, let out a cold laugh.

"I am the Young Master of the Three Rivers Gang. Do you think I'm not qualified to sponsor Senior Brother? Can what you offer possibly be more than mine?"

Upon hearing this, the merchant abruptly turned to look at Zhou Hai. His gaze immediately dropped, "Qualified! Absolutely qualified! How would I dare compare myself to you! I truly didn't recognize your eminence just now. If I have offended you in any way, I beg for your forgiveness!"

With that, the merchant hastily hurried away.

In Baihe County, the name of the Three Rivers Gang was enough to intimidate.

Seeing Zhou Hai personally speak, the merchant's petty intentions vanished instantly.

After the merchant left, Fang Chen's gaze fell on Qin Yun. "Senior Brother Qin, do you need something?"

Qin Yun glanced at Zhou Hai, pondered for a moment, and then spoke, "Junior Brother Fang, even with Junior Brother Zhou's sponsorship, my Qin family can still offer you some assistance. I wonder..."

Before he could finish, Fang Chen shook his head and interrupted, "No, thank you."

Fang Chen had learned from Zhou Hai that the Qin family had close ties with the Green Robe Gang.

Because of Zhao San, he didn't have a good impression of the Green Robe Gang. Furthermore, since Zhou Hai was from the Three Rivers Gang, Fang Chen naturally didn't want to get too entangled with the Qin family.

However, Senior Brother Qin had given him something before, so if there was an opportunity in the future, he would have to repay the favor!

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author. They might have just changed the name!

Qin Yun had anticipated Fang Chen's reaction and could only sigh helplessly. He cupped his hands and said, "Since that's the case, I won't disturb you any longer."

As he turned to leave, a sense of regret welled up in Qin Yun's heart.

He had underestimated Fang Chen's potential back then.

If he had invested earlier and more, perhaps it would have been him, Qin Yun, enjoying a good relationship with Junior Brother Fang today, not Zhou Hai.

He shook his head, trying to comfort himself. "Forget it, it's already happened. Besides, Junior Brother Fang has only just broken through to the Skin and Muscle Realm. Whether he can enter the Sinew and Bone Realm is still unknown."

"Perhaps... this breakthrough was just a stroke of luck."

Qin Yun really couldn't understand why Fang Chen's progress was so rapid and why he had successfully broken through. But in the end, he preferred to believe it was luck. That way, he wouldn't regret it too much.

After Qin Yun walked away, Zhou Hai approached with a smile. "Haha, Senior Brother, you've hit the jackpot this time!"

Fang Chen smiled faintly.

Zhou Hai continued, "Senior Brother, now that you've reached the Skin and Muscle Realm, you can take up a position at an escort agency or with a gang to earn money. Do you have any plans?"

"If you're willing, why not join my Three Rivers Gang? I'll give you a position as a Steward, and the monthly salary will definitely be good."

Fang Chen had the same idea and nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll do that. Also, I want to find an escort agency to join."

"On one hand, to earn some extra money. On the other hand, I want to go out and gain experience. If there are any mountain bandits or demonic creatures, it'll be a good opportunity to practice and gain some real combat experience."

Zhou Hai was delighted to hear this. "No problem! I'll take care of it."

Fang Chen cupped his hands. "Thank you, Junior Brother."

Zhou Hai added, "Even as a Steward, you'll need to manage a territory. How about... we choose the area near your home?"

Fang Chen's heart stirred. Near my home? That's where Li Hu and the others are working. He wondered what they would think when they saw him as a Steward...

"Fine, Junior Brother can arrange it," Fang Chen nodded.

They didn't say anything further and went back to their respective martial arts training.

Fang Chen's thoughts stirred, and he looked at his panel:

[Martial Arts]: Tiger Subduing Fist (Minor Accomplishment 0/800); [Whirlwind Blade Technique (Minor Accomplishment 0/400)]!

With Jiang Qiutong's contribution, Fang Chen now had eight elixirs, which could sustain him for fifty-six days. With the elixir's boost, Tiger Subduing Fist would gain about twenty proficiency points daily, and Whirlwind Blade Technique about ten. In forty days, both martial arts could break through to Major Accomplishment! Then, the Sinew and Bone Realm would be within reach! The elixirs were enough!

Fang Chen made a rough calculation, his mind made up. He immediately calmed his mind, assumed a stance, and threw himself back into the grind of gaining proficiency.

A day passed in the blink of an eye.

During the disciples' rest time at the martial arts school today, the focus of their discussion was still Fang Chen. His breakthrough was too astonishing, leading everyone to speculate about the reasons, but they only arrived at contradictory and self-defeating conclusions. Fang Chen had quietly become the most mysterious existence in the martial arts school. Some disciples even started debating: could he break through to the Second Realm, the Sinew and Bone bottleneck? Some believed that his aptitude was limited and it was impossible; others felt that Fang Chen couldn't be judged by normal standards and might succeed.

Fang Chen occasionally overheard these discussions, his heart remaining calm. Time would prove everything anyway.

As dusk began to fall, the disciples gradually dispersed. Unlike previous days, a few disciples who were leaving today specifically went up to greet Fang Chen.