Opportunity Knocks!

The Zhao Family's training grounds.

Li Yuan and Zhao Qin took their positions in the ring, then began exchanging punches.

Throughout the match, Li Yuan fought using only his Tiger Form Fist at the Grandmastery level, since Zhao Qin had only mastered one fist technique to that level as well.

Their fists and feet struck with heavy force and blinding speed, while faint tiger roars echoed through the air.

The longer they fought, the more alarmed Zhao Qin became.

Only a few short months ago, Li Yuan could barely hold out against his attacks. Now, in the blink of an eye, Li Yuan handled him with ease.

His progress was astonishingly fast.

But when their master had tested his junior brother's bone structure, it hadn't seemed particularly good.

Had he taken some kind of medicine, or experienced a sudden epiphany?

And Li Yuan's Tiger Form Fist was fierce and explosive, clearly at the Grandmastery level. The depth of his qi and blood was no less than Zhao Qin's, either.

When their fists and feet collided, Zhao Qin couldn't gain the slightest advantage.

They traded blow after blow for dozens of exchanges, yet neither could get the better of the other.

Li Yuan steeled himself, quietly eased up, and cupped his hands. "Third Senior Brother, your skills are formidable. I admire you."

Zhao Qin also settled into a stop, looking at Li Yuan, whose breathing remained steady. Surprise was plain in his eyes as he praised him. "Junior Brother, your progress is truly astonishing.

"With your current strength, you could probably hold your own against Second Senior Sister."

Zhao Qin had already gone all out. He could tell Li Yuan still had strength to spare and was clearly only holding back to save him face.

Li Yuan smiled without replying. Zhao Qin still didn't know that his Bear Form Fist had also reached Grandmastery.

Not far away, Huang Wei hurried into the grounds, led by a servant.

Her face was pale, and her eyes were rimmed with red.

Seeing her, Zhao Qin went to meet her. "Huang Wei, what brings you here? Is something the matter?"

When Huang Wei saw Zhao Qin, she spoke urgently. "Brother Zhao, I... you must have heard about what's happened to my family.

"My father has fallen ill, our family's businesses have been shut down, and we're now short by thirteen hundred taels of silver. I really... I really have no other choice but to ask you for help. Could you... could you lend my family some money to tide us over?

"Once things improve at home, I'll repay you double!" By the end, her voice had begun to choke with sobs.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Qin sighed inwardly.

He had a good impression of the Huang Family and knew how much pressure Huang Wei was bearing as a woman.

After a brief pause, he said, "Don't worry. I've managed to save a little over the years. I can lend you three hundred taels of silver. I hope it'll help your family weather this crisis."

As he spoke, he turned to have the servant beside him fetch the banknotes.

Hearing that Zhao Qin was willing to lend her three hundred taels, Huang Wei quickly thanked him. "Thank you, Brother Zhao! I'll remember this kindness for the rest of my life!"

At that moment, Li Yuan spoke up. "I have some money as well. Perhaps I can help a little."

From their conversation, Li Yuan had naturally learned that this girl was Huang Wei, the woman he'd missed meeting that day.

At his words, Huang Wei turned to look at him.

"Who are you?"

"Li Yuan."

Huang Wei realized who he was. She hadn't expected they would end up meeting here after all.

But she wasn't in the mood to chat with Li Yuan. Forcing a faint smile, she replied, "Thank you for the offer, but the amount we need is quite large. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

In Huang Wei's eyes, Li Yuan had been a hunter before joining the martial world. Just learning martial arts must have cost him all his savings.

Even at the Stone Skin Realm, Zhao Qin had only been able to lend three hundred taels after spending so long at that level. Li Yuan had probably saved a few dozen taels at most.

A few dozen taels wouldn't solve the problem.

Li Yuan had spoken up mostly out of politeness to Zhao Qin, or perhaps to make up for the impression he'd left by arriving late that day.

Seeing her refuse, Li Yuan remained calm, nodded, and said nothing more.

He had only offered because he still felt a little guilty about being late that day, and because he did have quite a bit of money on hand now.

When he'd killed Qin Ming and Zhou Deshun last time, he'd searched them and found several banknotes worth hundreds of taels each. He also received money every month from a few minor gangs and from his nominal position with the Zhao Family.

Add the money he occasionally earned from hunting bandits, and it might have come to more than a thousand taels of silver altogether.

That was why he'd offered. Since Huang Wei had clearly said she didn't need it, Li Yuan wasn't going to insist.

That day, Yang Chong summoned several of his personal disciples to the back courtyard.

He looked at the core disciples before him—Cao Chuan, Liu Yan, Zhao Qin, and Lin Mingsheng—as well as Li Yuan, standing a little farther back.

His gaze finally came to rest on the invitation atop the stone table, and he let out a deep sigh.

"Another Inner City tournament."

Yang Chong's voice was low. "But this one is unlike any we've had before."

He glanced around at everyone and slowly continued, "This time, it's not just an affair for Wuxi County. Wuxi County, Qingquan, and Black Stone are holding it jointly.

"More importantly, the Inspectorate, established by the imperial court, has sent people here in person."

"The Inspectorate?" Liu Yan asked.

"Mm." Yang Chong nodded.

"For this tournament, the Inspectorate will send a team to serve as judges. Each team's chief judge will be a powerhouse at the Organ Refining Realm."

"The Organ Refining Realm?!" Cao Chuan's eyes turned solemn as he asked.

That was a level above the Bone Forging Realm, and there wasn't a single Organ Refining expert in all of Wuxi County.

"The top fifty in this tournament won't just receive extremely generous rewards.

"More importantly, they'll qualify to join a team of the imperial court's Inspectorate.

"And this year, they've changed the old rule that only martial arts hall disciples and scions of prominent families could enter. Anyone under thirty can sign up, regardless of background or current strength!"

That meant competition would be fiercer than ever. Many skilled fighters from ordinary backgrounds, previously barred because of their age or birth, now had a chance to enter the arena.

"Master, what kind of institution is the Inspectorate? Does it hold a lot of power?" Zhao Qin asked after a moment's thought.

Yang Chong explained, "The Inspectorate wields immense authority. It handles arrests and oversees local affairs, and it can even place severe restrictions on local officials. It reports directly to the central court, beyond the reach of local governments.

"In simple terms, once you join the Inspectorate, you become a direct agent of the imperial court. Your status is worlds apart from that of ordinary yamen runners and soldiers."

"To put it simply, when there's a problem to deal with, you can execute first and report afterward."

"Even if someone wants to target you, they can't just sentence and punish you on a whim!"

He paused and looked at them. "The top fifty can freely choose whether to join. Those who accept will be sent together to the Prefecture City for training, where the best will eventually be selected.

"Those ranked fifty-first to one hundredth can join as reserves, with their future depending on their performance.

"The imperial court is making such a show of force because it urgently needs to expand its ranks, especially with martial arts experts."

"I expect the same thing is happening in the counties elsewhere."

The group fell silent, taking in the news.

In the past, the inner tournament had been a contest between martial arts halls and prominent families. Those who stood out, or showed promise, were usually supported or recruited by various forces.

Now the imperial court was recruiting directly, breaking with tradition. It was an excellent chance for fighters from humble backgrounds to rise to the top in a single bound.

"With your current strength, you might have had a chance at placing in Wuxi County alone. But now, facing the under-thirty fighters from all three counties, I'm afraid..." Yang Chong shook his head, his voice tinged with worry.

Cao Chuan was at the Iron Skin Realm, and in three months, he would probably have mostly recovered. Yang Chong wasn't worried about him.

But the others...

His gaze passed over everyone except Cao Chuan. Most of them were still honing their skills at the Stone Skin Realm.

"You'll have to give it everything you've got to have even a sliver of hope. Fortunately, this tournament will be held right here in Wuxi County, so we have the home-field advantage.

"Besides, the chief judge will personally oversee the drawing of lots this time. There's no chance of a repeat of what happened to Cao Chuan last time."

At that moment, Li Yuan stepped forward and asked, "Teacher, when does registration begin?"

After hearing the news, Li Yuan knew he had to fight for a place.

Even a lean camel was bigger than a horse. No matter what, the imperial court had resources beyond anything they could match.

With the imperial court behind him, he could wield real authority and receive further training in the Prefecture City.