Choices Matter More Than Effort

White Crane Hall.

Yin Zhong sat in a chair, gazing at Jiang Yan with a complicated look in his eyes. "Congratulations!"

In just a few short months since joining the White Crane Merchant Association, the man before him had gone from an obscure young martial artist in White Crane Hall to the one in control of Jianghai Hall.

He had risen to the ranks of the Merchant Association's higher-ups, alongside people like Xie Jun and Gui Tonghai. Even though Yin Zhong had watched Jiang Yan grow step by step, looking back on it now still felt almost unbelievable.

Especially when it came to his progress in martial arts.

Back then, Jiang Yan had only been a lowly Golden Core Realm martial artist.

When they first met, Yin Zhong had simply thought the young man was talented, had considerable fighting strength, and was worth cultivating.

But now, that fellow had cultivated as if he'd climbed aboard a rocket, crossing two major realms in succession and becoming a Wén Realm martial artist.

He was already a whole level above Yin Zhong.

It really was enough to make a man die of envy—like tossing away a useless old tool after comparing it with a fine one!

The waves behind the Yangtze pushed the waves ahead, and the waves ahead died on the shore.

Compared with Jiang Yan, Yin Zhong felt like a complete waste. He had spent more than a decade stuck in the Talisman Realm, and had only just managed to advance by one minor level, even with all sorts of Spirit Medicines, pills, and cultivation aids.

Jiang Yan gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, then changed the subject. "You know what things are like on my end. It's just an empty shell, without many capable people to support it.

"So..."

He