Dead End

"Senior Brother Meng, is there a movement technique like this among the final three layers of the White Ape Mountain-Suppressing Technique?"

A personal disciple asked Meng Wentao.

The surrounding disciples all turned to look.

Among the Inner Courtyard disciples, Meng Wentao was one of the few personal disciples who had entered the True Martial Third Layer and cultivated the complete White Ape Mountain-Suppressing Technique.

"That should be a martial art taught by the Zhou Clan."

Meng Wentao slowly shook his head, his expression solemn.

Tang Mu's talent made him feel an indescribable pressure.

Not only had he entered the True Martial Realm within a month, but he also possessed such astonishing comprehension in martial arts. He was simply a monster.

Sure enough, his decision back then had been right.

Joining the City Guard as early as possible was the best course of action.

If he waited until next year, the daylilies would be cold.

"Sure enough, the White Ape Combat Method is merely a foundational martial art."

Jiang Chen's eyes gleamed.

The movement technique Tang Mu had just displayed was definitely some kind of high-level martial art.

Its explosive speed and shifting rhythm surpassed the White Ape Combat Method by several levels.

And judging from the Inner Courtyard disciples' reactions, they clearly did not recognize that martial art either. Perhaps only geniuses acknowledged by the Zhou Clan had the chance to cultivate it.

This only made his desire to grow stronger burn ever fiercer.

"Alright, disperse."

Zhou Rongfeng waved his hand, dismissing the Inner Courtyard disciples.

Then, wearing a broad smile, he walked toward Tang Mu, entirely devoid of his usual majesty.

Tang Mu remained as bashful as ever, clearly not yet fully accustomed to his new status.

"Senior Brother Sun."

As the Inner Courtyard disciples dispersed in twos and threes, Jiang Chen found Sun Wu and the others.

"Junior Brother Jiang, you're finally back."

Upon seeing Jiang Chen, Sun Wu, Zhou Yu, and the others greeted him before walking over with smiles.

By now, Jiang Chen's Aperture Breaking Pills should have nearly run out.

"Senior Brother Sun, sorry for troubling you again."

Without wasting words, Jiang Chen took out six thousand taels' worth of silver notes.

"It's a simple matter. Why call it trouble?"

Sun Wu smiled, then looked toward Jiang Chen. "Junior Brother Jiang, how far has your cultivation progressed?"

In the past, he could easily sense Jiang Chen's cultivation. Yet today, he could not fathom its depth.

There were only two possibilities: either Jiang Chen's cultivation far exceeded his own, or Jiang Chen had cultivated some secret technique.

"I just opened the Fourth Aperture!"

Jiang Chen dispelled the Qi Concealment Technique, and his martial Blood Qi surged.

"The Fourth Aperture?!"

Sun Wu was both shocked and delighted.

He was delighted by Jiang Chen's progress in cultivation.

Jiang Chen was a genius he had discovered, so naturally, the stronger Jiang Chen became, the better.

What shocked him was Jiang Chen's cultivation speed.

Judging by the time, Jiang Chen's cultivation speed had actually risen at a constant rate?

The First Aperture had taken only seven or eight days, and the Fourth Aperture seemed to have taken only seven or eight days as well.

How had he done that?

One had to know that tempering the Seven Apertures required increasing caution the farther one went, while the difficulty multiplied severalfold.

After all, the Seven Apertures were exceedingly fragile. One careless mistake could leave a person crippled.

Yet Jiang Chen seemed to have no such concerns, singing all the way to victory.

"Junior Brother Jiang, there isn't anything wrong with your body, is there?"

Sun Wu immediately asked.

"I can eat, I can sleep, and I'm perfectly fine."

Jiang Chen smiled.

"The Seven Apertures must be tempered with caution. You cannot covet temporary speed and leave lasting damage in your body."

Hearing that, Sun Wu relaxed, then offered another reminder.

"I understand."

Jiang Chen nodded.

For other martial artists, tempering the Seven Apertures naturally required extreme care.

But he was different.

Not only did he have the Myriad Dao Chart's inner vision, he also had the Soul Seal's perception. Naturally, nothing could go wrong.

"Little Yuqing, what are you looking at?"

At the Martial Arts Arena, after Zhou Rongfeng finished explaining Tang Mu's mistakes in the earlier battle, he saw Zhou Yuqing looking in a certain direction and asked curiously.

"Father, do you remember Junior Brother Jiang, the one I mentioned to you some days ago?"

Zhou Yuqing withdrew her gaze.

The person she had been watching was Jiang Chen, who was leaving with Sun Wu.

She had wanted to seize the chance to call out to Jiang Chen and introduce him to her father, but Jiang Chen had already gone too far away.

"Jiang Xuan's clansman?"

Zhou Rongfeng naturally knew something about the martial academy.

Among the Inner Courtyard disciples, Jiang Xuan's talent was fairly outstanding. Although he was inferior to Zhou Yuqing and Meng Wentao, he far surpassed the other disciples with Medium Bone Aptitude.

If he could enter the True Martial Realm, he would be worth focusing on.

As for Jiang Chen, Zhou Rongfeng could not even be bothered to remember his name.

With Ordinary Bone Aptitude, even if Jiang Chen entered the Inner Courtyard, his potential would only amount to that much.

"Father, although Junior Brother Jiang has Ordinary Bone Aptitude, his comprehension is truly astonishing. I think that if he is properly nurtured, he might even be able to enter the True Sun Sect in the future."

Seeing that her father did not care, Zhou Yuqing voiced her judgment of Jiang Chen's potential.

"For you to value him so highly, I believe his comprehension is indeed extraordinary. But he cannot possibly obtain a quota for the Upper Sect!"

Zhou Rongfeng shook his head slightly.

No matter how outstanding one's comprehension was, it could not make up for mediocre bone aptitude.

"Why not?"

Zhou Yuqing did not understand.

One of the reasons the Upper Sect had established the City Guard was to select martial arts geniuses.

In other words, as long as one distinguished oneself in the City Guard, one was fully qualified to obtain a quota to enter the Upper Sect.

"Because throughout the True Sun Sect's history, it has never accepted a disciple with Ordinary Bone Aptitude."

Zhou Rongfeng said.

This was also why, after learning that Jiang Chen had Ordinary Bone Aptitude, Zhou Rongfeng had not the slightest interest in him.

Whether Jiang Chen had cultivated to the Three Qi and Blood Gates within half a year, or had truly entered the Three Qi and Blood Gates within two months, was unimportant.

Bone aptitude determined how far one could travel down the path of martial arts.

And for Ordinary Bone Aptitude, the upper limit was already set.

At the Three Qi and Blood Gates, one could still avoid falling behind through resources and hard work.

But upon reaching the True Martial Realm, even with resources to assist them, they would still find it impossible to advance even a single step.

With potential at that level, let alone entering the True Sun Sect, one would not even have a place in the City Guard.

"But wasn't Sister Yun Xi an example of someone with Ordinary Bone Aptitude?"

Zhou Yuqing gave an example.

"That's right. Yun Xi does indeed have Ordinary Bone Aptitude, and she did indeed enter the True Sun Sect. But she did not enter the True Sun Sect through the selection process."

Zhou Rongfeng smiled.

"Not through selection? Could it be because Sister Yun Xi is from the Duanmu Clan?"

Zhou Yuqing was puzzled.

Wasn't it said that the Upper Sect's rules were extremely strict, and that one had to pass layer after layer of selection to enter the sect?

If one failed the selection, then even a disciple from a great clan in the Prefecture Capital could not enter the True Sun Sect, could they?

"This has nothing to do with the Duanmu Clan. The real reason is that Yun Xi's grandfather died for the True Sun Sect back then, which is why the True Sun Sect granted her special treatment."

Zhou Rongfeng revealed the truth.

The Duanmu Clan was indeed considered a major clan in the Prefecture Capital.

But compared to the True Sun Sect, it fell short by far more than a single level.

Able to make deals with the imperial court and control the entirety of Anning Prefecture, the True Sun Sect's foundations were far beyond what aristocratic clans and wealthy families could compare with.

Naturally, the True Sun Sect would not make an exception for the Duanmu Clan.

Let alone the Duanmu Clan—even the few most prominent old-established aristocratic families in the Prefecture Capital would be no exception.

"Then does that mean Junior Brother Jiang has no hope at all?"

Zhou Yuqing found it deeply regrettable.

With Jiang Chen's comprehension, his future achievements would certainly not be poor.

Yet now, because of his bone aptitude, his path to the Upper Sect had been cut off!

"It is not that he has no hope at all. He does not have even the slightest hope."

Zhou Rongfeng directly sentenced Jiang Chen to death.

In his eyes, with the potential of Ordinary Bone Aptitude, Jiang Chen could forget about laying a finger on a quota for the Upper Sect. Even the City Guard would not value him. His whole life would amount to no more than this.