Talent

White Ape Martial Hall.

Outer Courtyard Practice Field.

"Look, it's Senior Brother Sun and Jiang Chen!"

When Jiang Chen and the others returned, the Outer Courtyard disciples all turned to look.

"An Inner Courtyard Token..."

"I can't believe Jiang Chen really became an Inner Courtyard disciple!"

"How did he manage it? He wasted more than half a year, yet still reached the Three Qi and Blood Gates. Could it be that, like Junior Brother Tang, he has Superior Bone Aptitude?"

"But I heard from an Inner Courtyard senior that Jiang Chen's bone aptitude is pretty ordinary."

"No way. How could someone with ordinary bone aptitude cultivate so quickly?"

"Maybe he used some underhanded method..."

The Outer Courtyard disciples whispered among themselves. Some were shocked, some curious, some envious, and some jealous.

No one could have imagined that after Jiang Chen came to his senses, he would achieve so much.

The change was simply too great—so great that it was hard to accept.

After all, Jiang Chen had always been dead last.

"Three Qi and Blood Gates..."

At the edge of the Practice Field, Luo Yang watched Jiang Chen, who was brimming with confidence, his expression complicated.

He had sensed that Jiang Chen's talent was extraordinary back when Jiang Chen had reached the peak of the First Qi and Blood Gate and then advanced to the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

Even so, he had never expected Jiang Chen's talent to be this exceptional.

He hadn't slacked off for even a moment in the past half year, yet he was still stuck at the Second Qi and Blood Gate.

And Jiang Chen? He had spent half a year fooling around, yet had easily reached the Three Qi and Blood Gates.

They both had ordinary bone aptitude. How could the difference between them be so huge?

"Qingzhu, are you sure you don't want to go talk to Jiang Chen?"

On a nearby corridor, two figures were also watching Jiang Chen.

"He made his position perfectly clear. Why would I go embarrass myself again?"

Wang Qingzhu stood there in silence.

What Jiang Chen had said to Zhao Xiaoyue at noon had completely shattered her confidence.

Now that her greatest advantage—her looks—was useless, she no longer had the nerve to stand before Jiang Chen.

"Senior Brother Sun, I'll head back and cultivate, then."

After parting ways with Sun Wu and the others, Jiang Chen went to the Inner Courtyard Martial Arts Arena.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After loosening up a little, he began practicing the White Ape Combat Method. The low whoosh of his fists rang out.

[White Ape Combat Method, Experience +1]

[White Ape Combat Method, Experience +1]

[White Ape Combat Method, Experience +1]

With the Myriad Dao Chart enhancing his comprehension and his past martial arts experience blending in, lines of intangible text drifted across the Myriad Dao Chart.

As his experience grew, Jiang Chen became more and more proficient in the combat method.

Every move flowed naturally, with a grace all its own.

Thrum!

Around the hour of the dog, the familiar, ethereal Daoist sound echoed through his Soul Sea.

[Martial Art: White Ape Combat Method · Minor Mastery 0%]

On the Myriad Dao Chart, the White Ape Combat Method advanced from Beginner to Minor Mastery.

Jiang Chen's understanding of the White Ape Combat Method had clearly reached a new level.

He was no longer bound by fixed forms and routines. Now, he could use the techniques as he pleased.

He figured that once the White Ape Combat Method reached perfection, it would fully merge with his past experience.

"Who's watching me from the shadows?"

Jiang Chen, drenched in sweat, finished his training. As he drew water to wash his face, his thoughts churned.

He had never doubted his instincts.

In his previous life, his intuition had helped him escape death several times.

Someone had definitely been watching him in secret.

"Either the Azure Dragon Gang, or... the Zheng Clan!"

After thinking it over, Jiang Chen decided those two factions were the most likely suspects.

The Azure Dragon Gang might target him for the shop his family owned.

As for the Zheng Clan, there was no need to explain. Their families had a blood feud.

After Zheng Hao and the others died, the Zheng Clan had been quietly investigating the matter.

Perhaps they had uncovered a clue and begun to suspect him.

"Whether it's the Green Wolf Gang or the Zheng Clan, both threats have to be dealt with."

Jiang Chen gathered his thoughts, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

And how would he deal with them?

By pulling them up by the roots, of course.

Once his enemies were dead, the threats would be gone.

There was no point in worrying about it. The right path was to focus on improving his cultivation.

With that thought, he returned to his quarters and began tempering his second aperture.

Over the next few days, Jiang Chen returned to a life of arduous cultivation.

He spent most of his time tempering his second aperture.

In his spare time, he practiced the White Ape Combat Method.

Both his second aperture and the White Ape Combat Method progressed steadily.

Time passed.

Four days went by.

Thud! Thud! Thud...

Two figures were locked in fierce combat on the Martial Arts Arena.

One was swift as a monkey, his attacks ruthless and sharp.

The other moved with steady steps, countering every move.

They were Jiang Chen and Sun Wu.

"Has Junior Brother Jiang perfected the White Ape Combat Method?!"

As the two sparred, Zhou Yuqing appeared at some point. When she saw Jiang Chen's technique, her bright eyes narrowed.

Jiang Chen had only been promoted to the Inner Courtyard a few days ago, yet he had already mastered the White Ape Combat Method completely?

His comprehension was terrifying!

"Hm? Why does it seem like Senior Brother Sun is having a little trouble keeping up?"

After watching for a while, Zhou Yuqing noticed something else. Shock welled in her eyes.

Sun Wu seemed to be effortlessly deflecting Jiang Chen's attacks, but his expression was deadly serious. He looked as if he were fighting someone on his own level.

But Jiang Chen had only just reached the Three Qi and Blood Gates.

And Sun Wu? Even injured, he was a genuine True Martial Realm expert.

Given the vast difference between them, even with Sun Wu suppressing his cultivation, he shouldn't have been struggling.

"Senior Brother Sun, let's take a break."

After they had fought for a long while, Jiang Chen's Blood Qi ran out, and he lowered his hands.

"Hah!"

At Jiang Chen's words, Sun Wu finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

If they'd kept going, he would have had to use his full strength to keep up.

"Just the White Ape Combat Method isn't enough to match a True Martial First Layer expert. But if I combine it with Soul Seal Perception, I can fight across realms."

Jiang Chen stood in a stance to recover his Blood Qi, reviewing their sparring match in his mind.

Over the past few days, Sun Wu had come to spar with him from time to time.

The purpose, of course, was to help him get familiar with the True Martial level in advance, so that he would have a better chance in the Martial Exam at the end of the year.

After sparring for the past few days, Jiang Chen had gained a clear understanding of the True Martial Realm.

He couldn't say for sure about the True Martial Second Layer, but he was confident he could defeat a True Martial First Layer expert.

The Soul Seal's perceptive ability was the trump card that would decide the fight.

"Senior Brother Sun, did your old injury flare up?"

Just then, Zhou Yuqing walked over and asked Sun Wu.

Clearly, she thought Sun Wu was struggling because his old injury had acted up.

Otherwise, a True Martial Realm expert should have been able to crush someone in the Blood Qi Realm with ease, even while suppressing his cultivation.

"It's not my old injury. Junior Brother Jiang's combat talent is just too fierce."

Sun Wu could tell what Zhou Yuqing was implying.

A martial artist could have many kinds of talent.

The most important was bone aptitude, which determined the speed of cultivation.

Then there was comprehension, which affected how well one understood cultivation methods and martial arts.

Besides those, there was also combat talent.

Just as the name suggested, this was a talent born for battle.

Among the Inner Courtyard disciples, plenty had perfected the White Ape Combat Method.

But Sun Wu had never seen anyone use it as masterfully as Jiang Chen.

Ordinary disciples followed the set patterns when using the White Ape Combat Method, making their routines obvious.

Only through repeated tempering in real combat could those traces of routine be erased.

But Jiang Chen had only encountered the White Ape Fist a few days ago, and now he was already using it without being constrained by the martial art's framework.

He simply used whichever move was useful.

He could break apart a string of linked moves decisively, then smoothly connect them with other techniques.

That was why Sun Wu had struggled.

He couldn't predict Jiang Chen's moves at all, and the pressure only grew as the fight went on.