The Situation

[Physical damage is healing.]

In the small courtyard, Jiang Chen sat submerged in a medicinal barrel, his consciousness turned inward.

He could "see" the gentle energy from the medicinal liquid seeping into his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

The hidden injuries caused by his grueling practice of White Ape Fist over the past few days were being mended.

Splash.

After a long while, as the effects of the medicinal bath faded, Jiang Chen stood up and dressed.

Although he had returned home, he did not slacken, continuing to practice White Ape Fist.

As the saying goes, one cannot reach a thousand miles without taking small steps, and one cannot form a river or sea without the accumulation of small streams.

If he were to become lazy just because he had left the Martial Arts Hall, he would never achieve anything on the path of martial arts.

It was not until Zi Hour that he finally bathed and went to sleep.

The next day.

Jiang Chen still woke up early, and only after his morning exercises did he go to eat breakfast.

"Father, we've hired so many guards at home; has something happened?"

At the dining table, Jiang Chen asked about the guards again.

"Chen'er, you don't need to worry about family matters. Your focus right now should be on cultivating well and striving to step into the True Martial Realm as soon as possible."

Jiang Sihai's reaction was the same as Lin Shuyun's—they only reported the good news and kept the worries to themselves.

"Father, I am a martial artist now. Whether it's family matters or clan affairs, at least let me have an idea of what's going on."

Jiang Chen replied.

In this world, age is never the deciding factor.

Strength is the only standard!

"Fine."

Seeing this, Jiang Sihai knew that Jiang Chen must have heard some rumors. After thinking it over, he decided that rather than letting Jiang Chen guess wildly, it would be better to reveal the truth.

"A few days ago, City Lord Yu left..."

Immediately, Jiang Sihai detailed the current situation.

With the departure of City Lord Yu, various factions in the Prefecture City were surging with undercurrents.

Take the East District, for example; the recent clashes between gang forces were essentially those major powers fighting for territory.

And since they had lost the City Lord's Mansion as their backing, all their businesses had been affected.

Other merchant firms were already squeezing them out, both openly and covertly, to snatch up their market share.

Furthermore, there were many other forces coveting them from the shadows.

It could be said that the entire clan's situation was precarious.

"Upper Sect? City Guard?"

After listening quietly, Jiang Chen's mind was flooded with thoughts.

"So, the clan is hoping that Jiang Xuan will place high in the year-end Martial Exam?"

Soon, Jiang Chen analyzed the pros and cons and deduced the clan's strategy.

If they did not want to become fish on the chopping block, they had to find a way to sit at the table.

And the only way for them to sit at that table was through the Martial Exam.

Only by placing high in the Martial Exam and entering the City Guard would they have the capital to stand their ground.

"After the clan discussed it a few days ago, they decided to fully fund Jiang Xuan. Every branch must contribute, and we have to hand over five hundred taels of silver every month."

Jiang Sihai nodded.

"Five hundred taels?"

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes.

Although their family owned several shops, none of them were monopoly businesses.

Five hundred taels a month would almost drain all of their monthly profits.

No.

Now that the chaos in the city had begun and their shop business was being squeezed and suppressed, they would likely have to dip into their savings every month.

"There's no other way; the hope of the entire clan rests on Jiang Xuan now."

Jiang Sihai sighed helplessly.

Such was the big picture, and he had to contribute with all his might.

Otherwise, once the clan weathered this crisis, his family would likely be purged and cast out.

Each branch pays tribute to the clan, and the clan handles the various parties to provide protection for each branch in return.

All clan forces operate in this manner.

"Father, let's delay the matter of those five hundred taels of silver for now."

Jiang Chen said.

He had to be joking.

He had yet to step into the Second Qi and Blood Gate, yet his guaranteed monthly consumption was already nine hundred taels of silver.

If one were to factor in medicinal baths, massages, acupuncture, and food, it would be nearly a thousand taels.

And this was only for the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

Once he broke through to the Three Qi and Blood Gates, or even attempted to breach the True Martial Realm, the silver required would be even greater.

Although they had been in business for many years and the family certainly had savings, they couldn't afford to sit idly by while the mountain of wealth was depleted.

Therefore, every cent in the household was of vital importance to him.

If he handed it over to the clan, it would be difficult to get it back when the time came.

"Chen'er, do you have the confidence to participate in the Martial Exam?"

Seeing this, Jiang Sihai felt his heart fill with hope.

There were only about five months left until the Martial Exam at the end of the year.

Could Jiang Chen step into the True Martial Realm in such a short span of time?

In the past, he wouldn't have dared to dream of such a luxury, but Jiang Chen's current performance had given him a glimmer of hope.

"Naturally, I do."

Jiang Chen nodded.

With the help of the Myriad Dao Chart, as long as the resources kept up, stepping into the True Martial Realm within five months was entirely possible.

And when the Martial Exam arrived, given his combat experience, even if his cultivation were slightly weaker, dealing with martial artists of the same realm would not be a difficult task.

The strength of a martial artist's combat power does not depend entirely on the level of their realm.

Cultivation, martial arts, weaponry, environment, state of mind, combat experience, and so on—all of these can influence the final combat power.

By then, even if he couldn't top the Martial Exam, he would at least be able to make the list.

"Good, then we won't hand it over for now."

Seeing Jiang Chen's demeanor, Jiang Sihai's hope grew even stronger.

As long as one is human, one has selfish motives.

In the past, Jiang Chen was lazy and unaccomplished, so he could only rely on the clan.

But since Jiang Chen now had the confidence to rise, he naturally had to prioritize Jiang Chen first.

Even if Jiang Chen failed to place high in the Martial Exam, as long as he stepped into the True Martial Realm, the clan would not make things too difficult for their family.

It still came down to the same point: martial artists are the ballast that determines everything.

"Besides the Martial Exam, we can also put some effort into the martial hall."

Subsequently, Jiang Chen added.

After City Lord Yu left, their family no longer had a backer in the Prefecture City.

Naturally, they had to find a way to secure a new one.

In the event that he and Jiang Xuan failed to place high in the Martial Exam before the new power structure in the Prefecture City was formed, they would be carved up.

Therefore, they had to walk on two legs.

"A martial hall? Are you talking about the Zhou Clan?"

Jiang Sihai understood the meaning behind Jiang Chen's words.

Martial halls are a highly profitable industry.

Take the White Ape Martial Hall, for example; the tuition for a single ordinary disciple is twenty taels per month, which amounts to two hundred and forty taels a year.

And that doesn't even count the other additional earnings.

One must know that martial halls take in hundreds of disciples every year.

And what are the expenses of a martial hall?

It's just sending a few people to teach and instruct; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a business with ten thousand times the profit.

Naturally, this type of industry is almost entirely monopolistic; it is impossible to operate without a sufficiently strong background.

The reason the White Ape Martial Hall could become a long-established martial hall in the East District was because the force behind it was the Zhou Clan, one of the great clans of the Prefecture City.

The Zhou Clan has been entrenched in the Prefecture City for hundreds of years and is a powerful family in the true sense of the word.

Not only in the Prefecture City, but even in the provincial capital, and even within the Upper Sect, there are members of the Zhou Clan.

This shows just how deep the foundations of the Zhou Clan truly are.

If they could establish a connection with the Zhou Clan, that would indeed be a brilliant strategy.

"But would the Zhou Clan even look twice at a small, humble outfit like ours?"

Jiang Sihai felt uncertain.

The reason they were able to connect with the City Lord's Mansion was that when City Lord Yu first took office, he lacked a foundation or established industries; to line his pockets, he needed to develop a few white gloves.

Most of the profits each branch handed over to the clan every year were offered up to the City Lord's Mansion in exchange for the opportunity to gain a foothold in the Prefecture City.

But the Zhou Clan was different.

As far as he understood, the White Ape Martial Hall was merely a minor asset to the Zhou Clan.

That was right.

This martial hall, with its incredibly lucrative and stable income, was just a small business to the Zhou Clan.

One could even say that the Zhou Clan didn't open martial halls for profit, but rather to unearth outstanding martial arts talent.

From this, one could see just how vast the Zhou Clan's industries truly were.

"Compared to wealth, the Zhou Clan values talent more."

Jiang Chen spoke up.

Things obtained by chasing after them are rarely good deals.

What he needed to do was make the Zhou Clan take the initiative to recruit him.

In the past, that would have been impossible.

But now, things were different.

These past few days at the martial hall, Sun Wu's attitude toward him had clearly changed.

He figured that as long as he maintained this level of cultivation talent, he would sooner or later enter the Hall Master's line of sight through Sun Wu.

When that time came, the Zhou Clan would naturally reach out to him.

A genius, in any faction, would always be held in high regard.

"If we can establish a relationship with the Zhou Clan, then even if I don't pass the Martial Exam, it will be enough to secure a foothold in the Prefecture City!"

Jiang Sihai's eyes brightened.

Government offices are iron-clad, but officials come and go like flowing water.

Compared to the City Lord's Mansion, the Zhou Clan was a much more reliable backer.

After all, the City Lord's Mansion could change hands at any time, but these deeply rooted, interconnected noble families were passed down from generation to generation.