The Ruthless One, A Young Prodigy

"Your natural aptitude goes without saying, and your Angry Dragon Spear Technique is indeed a Profound-grade art, so you are certainly capable of competing on the same stage. However, the world is unpredictable; whether he ends up testing your spear or you end up testing his sword remains to be seen."

Huang Hui glanced at Cao Yang and spoke.

"Unless he has already entered the ranks, I can definitely defeat him!"

Cao Yang stated with absolute, unwavering confidence.

"His name is Chu Jun. Not only is he the son of Blazing Sun Martial Hall master Chu Kuang, but like you, he is a top-tier genius with exceptional aptitude. He is also highly gifted in the way of the sword. In terms of natural talent, he is not inferior to you, and in terms of resources, he has more than you. Having trained for several years longer than you, it is not impossible for him to have already entered the ranks!"

Huang Hui shook his head as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Cao Yang could not help but fall silent.

"Entered the ranks!"

Zhang Feng, Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others all wore expressions of envy.

They had not even managed to step into the Transformation Jin stage yet, while this Chu Jun might have already entered the ranks.

"Give me another half a year, and I will definitely catch up to him!"

Cao Yang took a deep breath, then clenched his fists slightly.

"Although my Zhou Family is wealthy and willing to provide you with resources at any cost, we simply cannot compare to the Blazing Sun Martial Hall!"

At this moment, Zhou Wen sighed and shook his head.

"Cao Yang, you don't need to compare yourself to him. As long as you pass this year's Martial Examination, you can head to the county Martial Academy. By then, at least in terms of resources, you will not be inferior to him!"

Zhou Wu also spoke up.

"But my goal is to take the title of Martial Champion!"

Cao Yang's expression darkened; his pride would not allow him to be inferior to anyone.

"You are too impatient. You started later than him and have fewer resources; wanting to surpass him is almost impossible!"

Master Huang frowned slightly.

"If that Century-Old Blood Ginseng were given to me, none of this would be a problem!"

Cao Yang shot a cold glance at Lu Yuan, his resentment growing deeper.

Hearing this, Huang Hui, Zhou Wen, and Zhou Wu could only shake their heads helplessly, unable to find a response.

Lu Yuan remained standing there quietly. Although he preferred to be steady and low-key, he would still fight for what he deserved.

How could he possibly let a precious medicine like the Century-Old Blood Ginseng slip through his fingers?

If he hadn't been able to compete for it, that would be one thing, but since it was already in his hands, he would never give it up.

"Zhou Wen, are these the so-called geniuses your Zhou Family is sponsoring? Why do they all look so incompetent?"

At this moment, a group of people suddenly walked over.

The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in silver finery, toying with two iron balls in his hand.

"Zhao Shuo, the ones your Zhao Family is sponsoring don't seem to be much better, do they?"

Zhou Wen's expression remained unchanged as he replied indifferently.

"Enough talk. We'll see who has the real skill in a moment!"

Zhao Shuo snorted coldly, then led his people directly forward.

The young geniuses behind him all swept their provocative gazes over Cao Yang, Chen Zheng, Lu Yuan, and the others.

"I heard that the Zhao Family's Wanhe Hall has always been at odds with Guangchun Hall. Whether it's medicinal soups or pills, if Guangchun Hall sells it, Wanhe Hall will definitely sell it too. They even meddle in the various medicinal herbs that Guangchun Hall acquires."

"I even suspect that the Black Cloud Stronghold incident from last time might have had the Zhao Family's shadow behind it."

"When we spar later, be very careful of those guys from Wanhe Hall. Who knows if they'll play dirty!"

Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others looked solemn as they discussed the matter.

"A bunch of trash who haven't even reached Dark Jin—I could send them flying with a single strike of my spear!"

Cao Yang gave a contemptuous laugh, his eyes filled with disdain.

The expressions of Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others immediately turned sour.

After all, they were also "trash" at the Dark Jin level, and there were even those at the Bright Jin level who were worse than trash.

"Brother Lu Yuan, this genius seems to have never looked at us fellow disciples—who only have ordinary aptitude and are merely at the Dark Jin stage—with any respect!"

Zhang Feng grumbled quietly to Lu Yuan, feeling quite indignant.

Although they hadn't formally taken a master and were only receiving sponsorship from the Zhou Family to practice in the backyard of Guangchun Hall, he felt they could at least be considered fellow disciples.

"What others think isn't actually important, and there's no need to care," Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Although he was already at the Transformation Jin stage and on the verge of truly entering the ranks, he had never thought of showing off, nor would he compare himself to anyone, let alone care about how others perceived him.

"You are truly carefree, Brother Lu Yuan!"

Zhang Feng looked at Lu Yuan with a surprised expression.

The person before them, though the youngest, always seemed to possess a sense of maturity that shouldn't belong to his age.

To put it simply, he was an old soul in a young body.

"Look over there. That is Xu Qing, a first-class talent sponsored by the Zhao Family. Not only is his constitution exceptional, but he has already mastered the Iron Thread Fist. Even though he hasn't entered the ranks yet, he can easily defeat an ordinary Transformation-Jin expert!"

At this moment, Huang Hui pointed toward the group behind Zhao Shuo.

Everyone followed his finger and saw a short-haired youth in a cyan cotton jacket standing there quietly.

"Except for Cao Yang, none of you should cross him. Otherwise, even if his iron fists don't kill you, they will certainly leave you bedridden for months, causing you to miss the Martial Examination!"

Huang Hui warned.

"Doesn't Lu Yuan have that hidden weapon that can kill Transformation-Jin experts? Just let him go!"

Cao Yang glanced at Lu Yuan with a mocking smile and said directly, "Although the methods are a bit underhanded and despicable, as long as he can cripple that guy, it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"Do not act recklessly!"

Huang Hui frowned and said, "Sparring and exchanges are not life-and-death struggles. Hidden weapons, poisons, and such means are strictly prohibited. Lu Yuan, you must remember this!"

"I understand!"

Lu Yuan nodded without saying more.

Although he had not yet truly entered the ranks, he had successfully opened his Dantian. The blood-qi accumulated in his body was far stronger than that of an ordinary Transformation-Jin expert. Coupled with his mastery of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and Gale Steps, he was more than capable of easily suppressing any Transformation-Jin expert.

There was no need to use the Flick Finger Technique, let alone combine it with his custom-made iron pellets.

Moreover, even if it were a true life-and-death struggle, once he perfected the Blazing Sun Sword Technique, the Blazing Sun Sword Qi he would condense would be just as lethal, if not more so, than the Flick Finger Technique combined with iron pellets.

"Hahaha... I hope this old man isn't late?"

At this moment, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out.

The next instant, several dozen young men and women dressed in uniform attire strode over.

On the chests of these people was a golden inverted triangle pattern.

Leading them was an old man with graying hair.

"This is the master of the Sanhe Martial Hall, the venerable elder Xu Song, and one of the few ranked experts in Qinghe County."

After Huang Hui introduced him to the group, he stepped forward to the old man and cupped his fists in a salute.

"Ah Hui, it has been a long time. Have you entered the ranks yet?"

Xu Song nodded at Huang Hui with a smile.

"This junior's talent is mediocre; I fear there is no hope of entering the ranks," Huang Hui said, shaking his head with a helpless sigh.

"You are still young; with effort, there is always hope!"

Xu Song raised his hand and patted Huang Hui on the shoulder in encouragement.

"Brother Xu, for you to come in person truly makes our Blazing Sun Martial Hall shine with brilliance!"

Just then, the master of the Blazing Sun Martial Hall, Chu Kuang, also walked over quickly and laughed heartily.

"Watch closely, this man is a true ruthless character who once slaughtered over a thousand water bandits single-handedly!"

Everyone looked at Chu Kuang with expressions of awe.