Ningjin Pill (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

The entire arena fell silent.

A breath later, a fierce roar of cheers erupted from the direction of Tianqing Martial Hall.

Yin Shanshan wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead in silence and let out a sigh of relief.

Yin Tianqing's expression was complex, though mostly filled with joy.

On the sparring ground.

Luo Hou's face was etched with disbelief.

Chen Mo cupped his fists toward him and said, "I appreciate you letting me win," to which the other man offered a slight, heavy-footed bow before walking behind Zhao Huayuan, head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze.

Whispers rippled through the surrounding crowd as they looked toward the young man who, after defeating Luo Hou despite a gap in cultivation, showed no arrogance or vanity, simply walking back to where the disciples of Tianqing Martial Hall stood.

"A Ming Jin defeating a Dark Jin, and the opponent was a student of the Zhao Family head at that. Tsk tsk, Chen Mo is going to be famous for a while now."

"What exactly is Chen Mo's background? How did he suddenly appear in Black River Town? I've never heard of him before."

"Perhaps he's a scion of some hidden family..."

Rumors flew, growing more exaggerated with every retelling.

Chen Mo paid them no mind, walking up to Yin Tianqing and Yin Shanshan.

Yin Tianqing patted his shoulder lightly. "How do you feel?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment. "I wasn't used to it at the start, but it got better later."

Yin Tianqing nodded in satisfaction, his face looking far more radiant than it had moments ago!

The face that Zhang Chong had trampled upon for Tianqing Martial Hall had been picked back up by Chen Mo.

Although Zhang Chong had become a thorn stuck in Yin Tianqing's throat that could never be removed, Chen Mo's performance today made him rekindle some hope for this batch of disciples.

In front of Hua Pavilion.

Zhao Huayuan cast a sharp glance at Luo Hou, his face as dark as iron, but as a long-renowned Hua Jin expert, he immediately regained his composure.

He announced loudly, "Chen Mo of Tianqing Martial Hall defeating my young disciple is truly a case of a hero emerging from the youth. Let this sparring match end here; I hope everyone will be able to cut down generals and seize flags at the Martial Examination."

The surrounding crowd began to disperse.

Liu Zongsheng of Black Tiger Hall whispered a few words to Zhao Huayuan before leading his entourage away.

Yin Tianqing did not wish to linger either, leading his disciples back to Tianqing Martial Hall.

After all, Yue Lun's condition remained unknown.

At the entrance, once Zhao Huayuan finished speaking, his expression darkened slightly. He asked in a low voice, "How did you lose?"

Luo Hou paused, his face burning. He stammered, "That Chen Mo... every strike he threw was..."

"Was what?"

"It was bizarre and tricky... I truly couldn't adapt. If I run into him next time..."

The teacup in Zhao Huayuan's hand shattered instantly. A shard of porcelain sliced a bloody line across Luo Hou's face, but the latter dared not move a muscle.

"You won't have a chance to run into him next time..."

A flicker of ruthlessness appeared in Zhao Huayuan's eyes. "When the time comes, let Chong'er handle it."

He knew clearly that now that Chen Mo had defeated Luo Hou, what would others say?

In the eyes of others, Yin Tianqing's Ming Jin disciple could defeat his, Zhao Huayuan's, Dark Jin disciple!

In the eyes of the heads of the great families in Anyang County, this was absolutely intolerable!

Luo Hou stood with his head bowed, not daring to refute.

Just then, the vice-leader of the Hansha Gang came down from the second floor and walked to the entrance. Seeing the look in his eyes, Zhao Huayuan dismissed Luo Hou and the others, entering the building with the vice-leader.

The vice-leader bowed and said, "Leader, this Chen Mo is a mere commoner who suddenly joined Tianqing Martial Hall. He reached Ming Jin in half a month, then killed the men we sent to intercept the Wu Family caravan, and later killed two more of our Ming Jin experts. I suspect..."

"You suspect he possesses a mysterious cultivation technique?" Zhao Huayuan asked immediately.

Hearing this, cold sweat dripped down the vice-leader's back. "Yes, my thoughts cannot escape you, Leader."

"Speak your mind."

The vice-leader swallowed hard. "Should we make him disappear before the Martial Examination to see what he is hiding?"

Zhao Huayuan sat down, his fingers tapping slowly against the sandalwood table as he fell into deep thought.

A moment later, he shook his head. "No. The roster for the Martial Examination has already been submitted. If we cannot dispose of him during a formal sparring session like today and resort to assassination instead, should the prefecture inquire, and if we don't do it cleanly, it will only invite trouble."

The vice-leader nodded in agreement.

Zhao Huayuan stood up. "Keep things quiet for this period."

The vice-leader acknowledged the order once more.

Tianqing Martial Hall.

Yue Lun was currently lying unconscious on a bed in the inner chamber, while an elderly man with white hair and beard was prescribing medicine.

Yin Tianqing asked urgently, "Old Physician, how is my disciple's condition?"

The old man sighed and said, "His internal organs are damaged. He will not recover in the short term and must take medicine to recuperate for several months; we shall see then."

Hearing this, Yin Tianqing's expression turned complex. He, the old physician, and a group of disciples left the inner chamber, leaving Yue Lun to rest properly.

After stepping out of the inner chamber, Yin Tianqing cupped his hands toward the old physician and said, "Old Physician, tell me the truth: is there any hope for my disciple to recover as he was? If you can heal him, I will thank you with a heavy reward."

The old physician returned the gesture, "Master, you speak too seriously. If there were even a sliver of hope, I would certainly give it my all, but his injuries... they happened to crush multiple tendons and bones."

"You should know, Master, that tendons are the foundation of martial arts. Once they are severely damaged, they are difficult to restore. Therefore, I fear your worthy disciple will find it hard to return to his former self; at most... he might recover thirty or forty percent."

"Thirty or forty percent..." Yin Tianqing muttered in a low voice.

The disciples standing nearby also hung their heads in silence.

For a martial artist, being left with only thirty or forty percent of their power meant they were finished with the path of martial arts.

"Senior Brother Yue, who was so dashing just yesterday, has ended up like this today. Sigh, that god-forsaken Zhao Family!"

Ji Chang punched a wooden post, filled with rage.

Standing to the side, Chen Mo pondered internally.

This incident served as a warning to him.

Since he possessed the Mountain and Water Cultivation, he already had a shortcut that others lacked. There was no need to be headstrong in everything and put himself in danger; keeping a low profile whenever possible was the best approach.

However.

As the saying goes, once you are in the pugilistic world, you are not the master of your own fate.

In the great waves that wash away the sand, only by entering the game can one become the gold that finally shines with brilliance.

Yin Tianqing walked over and patted Chen Mo on the shoulder, "Chen Mo, come with me. I have a few things to give you."

Chen Mo paused, then followed in Yin Tianqing's footsteps.

The two walked one after the other into Yin Tianqing's private room.

Yin Tianqing closed the door and said, "Chen Mo, since you entered the sect, I haven't paid as much attention to you as I have to Zhang Chong, Yue Lun, Shanshan, or Li Xuan; I haven't even paid as much attention to you as I have to Luo Heng or Zhou Pi."

His words were sincere and true.

Chen Mo listened calmly, not rushing to reply.

Yin Tianqing continued, "But you have surprised me time and again. After today, perhaps my prejudice regarding your aptitude will change significantly."

"With your comprehension, there is not much I can offer you in terms of guidance, but I can assist you with external resources."

As he spoke, he opened a drawer in the cabinet, took out a simple gray bottle, and handed it to Chen Mo.

"This is a bottle of Ningjin Pill; it will be helpful for your breakthrough to Dark Jin."

Chen Mo was startled.