Aspiring to the Martial Examination

The return journey went fairly smoothly.

Jiang Ping encountered no ruffians along the way and returned safely to the Four Seas Escort Agency.

"Right now, there are no skills I can train. I can only focus on my Martial Dao cultivation."

He pondered this inwardly.

Skills maximized one's strength, while the path of Martial Dao was the foundation.

Although Jiang Ping pursued the ultimate heights of skill, he did not dare forget his roots. In fact, he usually spent most of his time tempering his skin.

"Actually, if I exchanged the eight Silver Notes on me for high-quality nutritious food, I might be able to improve dramatically in a short time, perhaps even achieve Golden Skin within half a month."

Lingxi Meat was highly effective. If Jiang Ping ate it in the optimal amount, his cultivation could advance much faster than it did now.

However, even Eighth Grade Great Perfection could not contend with a prodigy like Song Yuanshan.

"If I want to crush Golden Bone in a short time, or even clash with Sixth Grade, I'll have to rely on Grandmaster Level skills." Jiang Ping raised his brows.

He was not looking to measure himself against Song Tianjiao. His sights were on Chen An.

Jiang Ping intended to take the Martial Examination, so naturally he had to reveal his talent and demonstrate his strength. That way, when he appeared three years later with Seventh Rank or even Sixth Grade cultivation, it would not seem abrupt.

Yet to accomplish that, his talent would need to be at least First-rate Genius level, perhaps even among the Super First-rate.

Jiang Ping had concealed his abilities before because he did not understand the situation in Yang City and feared the Jidao Martial Academy and Chen Weimin.

Now that the situation was clear, the greatest threat to him was Chen An, one of the top ten on the Martial Examination Ranking.

Twelve taels of silver truly was not much, but it concerned Chen An's dignity.

Even if the other victims realized they had been cheated, they were insignificant figures whose words carried little weight. They would not affect Chen An in the slightest.

But Jiang Ping was different. Once he began presenting himself as a First-rate Genius, his words would carry a different weight. If he deliberately brought up this matter, it would be magnified and would inevitably damage Chen An's reputation.

Therefore, if Chen An noticed him, the other man would face two choices.

First, he could offer silver to settle the matter.

Second, he could specifically seek out Jiang Ping and use absolute strength to make him shut up, or cripple him in secret.

Jiang Ping naturally preferred the first option: Chen An taking out several thousand taels of silver to settle the matter.

This was not because he was opening his mouth like a lion.

It was because this trifling sum had nearly ruined his life!

It had even made Jiang Ping fall out with his family, leaving them to never associate with one another until death.

If the actions of the Jiang family parents were the fruit, then the Chen father and son were an important cause!

No matter what, Jiang Ping could not swallow this anger. He had to vent it.

So, the money was not much, but it held different meanings for both sides.

Of course, this was Jiang Ping's own demand.

The crucial question was whether Chen An would give him what he wanted.

Who was Chen An? One of the top ten on the Martial Examination Ranking, hailed as Yang City's most outstanding talent of the past twenty years.

Even if Jiang Ping displayed first-rate talent, would Chen An willingly fork over several thousand taels?

After all, where was the last person to demonstrate first-rate talent?

Oh, working as an "ox-horse" at the Four Seas Escort Agency. He had no resources to speak of and still had to take Escort Missions to earn silver. His future path was practically set in stone.

So, if Chen An was arrogant and unruly, cared nothing for Jiang Ping's talent or future, and only offered a paltry sum, or compensation at the original price to make him settle, would that not be humiliation? Would Jiang Ping agree?

Or if Chen An simply acted directly, how should he handle himself then?

"Going to the Martial Academy through Martial Examination Merit is the best way to reach the more magnificent world of Martial Dao. Therefore, I must take the next Martial Examination."

"The Martial Examination concerns a higher level of the Martial Dao path. Our generation must fight for it!"

"And for that reason, I must display first-rate or Super First-rate talent. I am bound to step into the spotlight and catch Chen An's attention."

However, before stepping into the spotlight, Jiang Ping first had to maximize his strength.

And Grandmaster Level skills were what he relied upon.

Skills at this level could suppress Golden Bone and battle Sixth Grade experts!

Jiang Ping did not think that possessing Grandmaster Level skills would let him contend with Chen An. What he wanted was to make Chen An unable to do anything to him.

Only then could he step into the spotlight with greater confidence and take the Martial Examination without worry!

"Once I master Grandmaster Level skills, I'll reveal part of my talent and strength. Let the Four Seas Escort Agency produce an ox-and-horse Twin Stars and give our enemies a scare."

Jiang Ping's train of thought continued.

In short, revealing his talent was so he could lead his own teams on Iron Escort and even Silver Escort missions at the Escort Agency, earning more resources before naturally taking the Martial Examination.

Training Grandmaster skills, meanwhile, was to keep himself from falling into danger during that time, like adding another layer of insurance.

Time flowed on, and more than half a month passed.

During this time, Jiang Ping visited the Prefecture City twice more, yet failed to get what he wanted.

The only news that could be called good was that his cultivation had already embarked on the road toward Golden Skin Great perfection:

[Eighth Rank Golden Skin (53/1200)]

Jiang Ping had not only set foot upon the path of Golden Skin, but unlike other geniuses, he felt none of their difficulty. He still found it smooth sailing, making considerable progress in just two short days.

However, the progress required was immense, showing just how difficult Golden Skin was.

Even with his aptitude, it would take him over a month.

Of course, that was the result of Jiang Ping devoting himself wholeheartedly to cultivation. If he obtained Grandmaster Swordplay next, the time would have to be pushed back.

That afternoon.

Jiang Ping arrived at another nearby Single House.

Qian Dele opened the door to receive his guests. He had become an escort master.

In truth, it had been a full four months since they entered the Escort Agency. His talent was inferior to Liu Wensheng's, but still somewhat better than that of ordinary people, so he had completed the assessment ahead of schedule.

Liu Wensheng came with Jiang Ping, as did Sun Qi, who had likewise become an escort master.

"Why do you look so unhappy?" Sun Qi asked.

Qian Dele's expression was complicated. With a sigh, he said, "Sun Zheng is dead."

"How did he die?" Liu Wensheng asked, looking somewhat shocked.

"Didn't I mention it before? With Fang Yong backing him, Sun Zheng often bullied Luo Da Niu and the others in the dormitory. I fell out with him over that, and afterward, I simply stopped getting involved."

"The result was that Sun Zheng bullied them even more viciously, pushing his luck inch by inch. In the end, Luo Da Niu could no longer bear it and strangled him to death with a rope last night."

Qian Dele was somewhat rueful. Sun Zheng had been his old friend, after all, and he had actually had a chance to become an escort master. Unfortunately, his character had been too poor, and he had ultimately suffered the backlash.

"Don't dwell on it. It wasn't your fault. Today is the day you became an escort master. We all brought you gifts, and brother Jiang even brought you Lingxi Meat. Tonight, we'll drink until we drop." Sun Qi offered a word of comfort.

Qian Dele finally calmed down. He ate Lingxi Meat and drank merrily with the others.

The next morning.

Escort Huang came to Jiang Ping's room and asked, "Have you made any progress lately? When will you become a Martial Artist?"

"Almost there," Jiang Ping replied casually. Escort Huang nodded and did not say much more.

Then Huang Youren said, "I came to tell you that the two Escort Agencies have reached an agreement. We can take Escort Missions again, and we won't have to worry about them resorting to dirty tricks from now on."

"Oh?" Jiang Ping raised his brows.

This time, the two Escort Agencies had nearly torn all decorum apart. Neither side had taken Escort Missions for over a month, and their losses had been substantial.

Yet Escort Huang suddenly sighed and said, "Do you know what condition they agreed upon?"

"What was it?"

"Fang Yong!"