Opportunity Arrives!

On the martial arts training ground of the Zhao Family.

Li Yuan and Zhao Qin stood their ground in the arena and immediately began to exchange blows.

During the bout, Li Yuan only used his Tiger Form Fist at the Great Success realm to face his opponent, as Zhao Qin also only had one fist technique at the Great Success level.

Their strikes were heavy and powerful, their speed fierce, and the faint sound of a tiger's roar accompanied their movements.

The more they fought, the more shocked Zhao Qin became.

It had only been a few short months; at the start, Li Yuan could only struggle to defend against his offensive, yet in the blink of an eye, Li Yuan was now handling him with ease.

This rate of progress was simply too fast.

And yet, when their master had tested the Junior Brother's aptitude back then, it hadn't been particularly impressive.

Had he been taking medicinal pills, or had he experienced a sudden enlightenment?

Furthermore, Li Yuan's Tiger Form Fist was rigid, fierce, and violent—clearly at the Great Success realm—and the density of his blood-energy was not the slightest bit inferior to his own.

As their fists and feet collided, he found he could not gain the slightest advantage.

The two traded blows for dozens of rounds, ending in a stalemate where neither could overcome the other.

Li Yuan felt settled in his heart, quietly reined in his strength, and cupped his hands, saying, "Third Senior Brother's strength is formidable; this Junior Brother is impressed."

Zhao Qin also withdrew his stance and stood still, looking at the steady-breathed Li Yuan with unconcealable astonishment in his eyes, praising, "Junior Brother, your speed of improvement is truly startling. With your current strength, I fear you could even trade blows with Second Senior Sister."

Zhao Qin had already used his full strength, and he could sense that Li Yuan still held back; it was clear he was simply giving him face.

Li Yuan smiled without speaking; Zhao Qin did not yet know that his Bear Form Fist had also reached Great Success.

Not far away, Huang Wei walked in with hurried steps, guided by a servant.

Her face was pale, and her eyes were slightly red.

Seeing this, Zhao Qin walked up to meet her: "Huang Wei, why have you come? Is something the matter?"

Seeing Zhao Qin, Huang Wei said urgently: "Brother Zhao, I... I assume you have heard of the matters in my home. My father has fallen ill, our family business has been sealed, and we are currently facing a deficit of one thousand three hundred taels of silver. I truly... I truly had no other choice but to come and beg you. Could you... could you lend some silver to help the Huang Family turn things around? Once the situation at home eases, I will certainly repay you double!" By the end, her voice was choked with sobs.

Watching Huang Wei in this state, Zhao Qin sighed inwardly.

He had a good impression of the Huang Family and understood the pressure a woman like Huang Wei was currently bearing.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he said: "Do not worry. I have saved up some modest savings over the years; I can manage three hundred taels. I hope this helps the Huang Family weather this crisis."

With that, he prepared to have the servant nearby fetch the silver notes.

Hearing that Zhao Qin was willing to lend three hundred taels, Huang Wei said gratefully: "Many thanks, Brother Zhao! Huang Wei will keep this kindness in her heart!"

At this moment, Li Yuan, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up: "I also have some silver here; perhaps I can be of some help."

Through their earlier conversation, Li Yuan naturally realized that this girl was the Huang Wei he had missed meeting that day.

Hearing this, Huang Wei turned her gaze toward Li Yuan.

"Who are you?"

"Li Yuan."

Huang Wei suddenly realized, not expecting to run into him here of all places.

However, she was in no mood to chat with Li Yuan at the moment, so she forced a faint smile and replied: "Thank you for your kind intentions, but the amount required is not small, so I won't trouble you."

In Huang Wei's view, Li Yuan was a hunter by trade; he likely spent all his savings just to learn martial arts.

Even if he had reached the Stone Skin Realm, Zhao Qin had been at that level for so long and could only lend three hundred taels; she figured it would be good if Li Yuan had even a few dozen taels saved up.

A few dozen taels could not solve her problem at all.

Li Yuan speaking up now was likely just a polite gesture for Zhao Qin's sake, perhaps to make up for the impression of his tardiness that day.

Seeing her refusal, Li Yuan's expression remained calm; he nodded and said no more.

He had only offered because he felt a slight sense of apology for his tardiness that day, and because he was indeed quite well-off at the moment.

When he had killed Qin Ming and Zhou Deshun and searched their bodies, he had obtained several silver notes worth hundreds of taels, in addition to the monthly stipends from the small gangs and his position at the Zhao Family.

Combined with the money he occasionally made from hunting mountain bandits, he likely had over a thousand taels of silver in total.

Therefore, he had offered voluntarily, but since Huang Wei had clearly indicated she did not need it, Li Yuan naturally would not force the issue.

That day, Yang Chong called his several personal disciples into the backyard.

He looked at the core disciples before him—Cao Chuan, Liu Yan, Zhao Qin, Lin Mingsheng, and Li Yuan, who stood slightly behind the others.

His gaze finally settled on the invitation resting on the stone table, and he sighed deeply.

"Another Inner City Grand Tournament."

Yang Chong's voice was low: "But this time, it is different from any that have come before."

He scanned the crowd and said slowly, "This time, it is not just a matter for our Wuxi County alone; it is a joint event held by Wuxi County and the surrounding counties of Qingquan and Black Stone."

"More importantly, the Inspectorate established by the imperial court has personally sent people down."

"The Inspectorate?" Liu Yan asked.

"Yes," Yang Chong nodded.

"For this grand competition, the Inspectorate will send teams to serve as judges. Every team leader responsible for judging is a powerhouse in the Organ Refining Realm."

"Organ Refining Realm?!" Cao Chuan's eyes grew grave as he asked in a deep voice.

This was a level above the Bone Forging Realm; currently, there was not a single person in all of Wuxi County who had reached the Organ Refining Realm.

"For this competition, the top fifty will not only receive extremely generous rewards."

"More crucially, they will earn the qualification to join an Inspectorate team."

"Furthermore, the rule from previous years that limited the competition to Martial Arts Hall disciples and aristocratic families has been changed this year."

"Anyone under thirty, regardless of background or current strength, may register!"

This meant the competition would be unprecedentedly fierce, as many talented folk martial artists who were previously excluded due to age or background now had a chance to enter the arena.

"Master, what kind of organization is this Inspectorate? Is its authority very great?" Zhao Qin asked after a moment of contemplation.

Yang Chong explained, "The Inspectorate holds immense power. It oversees the arrest and supervision of local areas and even has the ability to impose significant restrictions on local officials. It reports directly to the central government, and local authorities can hardly keep it in check."

"It can be said that once you join the Inspectorate, you are a direct subordinate of the imperial court, and your status is worlds apart from ordinary yamen runners or soldiers."

"Simply put, if you encounter a situation that needs handling, you can act first and report later."

"Even if others want to move against you, it is impossible for them to convict or punish you at will!"

He paused and looked at the group: "The top fifty in the competition can choose whether or not to join. Those who are willing will be sent to the prefecture city for unified training, with the best being selected in the end."

"Those ranked fifty-first to one-hundredth can serve as reserves, with their status determined by their performance."

"The fact that the imperial court is making such a big fuss this time shows that they are in urgent need of expanding their manpower, especially regarding martial arts experts."

"I estimate that the county towns in other regions are facing the same situation."

The group fell silent, digesting this information.

In the past, the internal grand competition was a contest between Martial Arts Halls and aristocratic families, where those who performed well or showed potential were basically invested in or recruited by various factions.

Now that the imperial court was directly entering the fray to recruit people, breaking the norm, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for low-level martial artists to ascend to the heavens in a single step.

"With your current strength, if it were only within Wuxi County, you might still be able to fight for a ranking."

"But now, facing the experts under thirty from three counties, I fear..." Yang Chong said with some worry, shaking his head.

Cao Chuan was at the Stone Skin Realm, and he would likely be fully recovered in three months, so Yang Chong was not worried about him.

However, as for the others...

His gaze swept over the others besides Cao Chuan; most of them were still honing their skills in the Stone Skin Realm.

"You must give it your all to have even a glimmer of hope. Fortunately, the location for this competition is within our Wuxi County, which counts as having the advantage of the terrain."

"Moreover, the chief judge will personally supervise the drawing of lots, so the kind of rigging Cao Chuan encountered last time will absolutely not happen again."

At this moment, Li Yuan stepped forward and asked, "Teacher, when is the registration period?"

Upon hearing this news, Li Yuan understood that he must fight for a high ranking.

A lean camel is still bigger than a horse; no matter what, the resources possessed by the imperial court were incomparable to what they had.

With the backing of the imperial court, holding real power, and gaining the opportunity to go to the prefecture city for further cultivation—this was everything.