Decision

Li Yun was resting nearby, completely unaware that, in just this short while,

Chen Bin had already decided what to name his and Yu Qingqing's child.

"Senior Brother, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable. Do you know the styles of the other martial halls?"

Li Yun didn't know whether Chen Bin did, but he started with a little flattery anyway.

Chen Bin was pulled back to his senses by the question, though images from his earlier wild imaginings still lingered in his mind.

For no apparent reason, his cheeks warmed, and a flicker of barely perceptible embarrassment crossed his face.

He coughed quickly, suppressing that awkwardness.

"I know a little."

He sauntered over and plopped down beside Li Yun.

"Let's not bother with those second-rate little martial halls. I'll tell you about the three biggest ones around here.

"White Crane, Wild Ox, and our own Subduing Tiger."

He paused, then continued.

"First, there's the most famous one: White Crane Martial Hall.

"They practice White Crane Fist, which emphasizes lightness and speed, along with a matching footwork style.

"In past tournaments, no matter the realm, their disciples were always among the top three.

"Just picture them, slipping and sliding around as if they'd been greased.

"Their fists strike like a white crane pecking for food—quick and sharp. Let your guard down for a moment, and they'll peck you right in a vital spot. They're a real pain to deal with.

"Then there's Wild Ox Martial Hall.

"Those guys practice Wild Ox Fist. They fight hard and charge straight in, with powerful limbs.

"They're all built like iron towers, a bunch of muscle-bound brutes."

Chen Bin had only shared information available on the surface, the sort Li Yun could find out with a little asking around.

What he wanted to know was where the other halls came from, and whether they had any grudges against Subduing Tiger Martial Hall.

"Oh. Have they ever had any conflicts with our hall?"

"Conflicts?"

Chen Bin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No."

That didn't seem right.

Wasn't it said that rivals in the same trade were enemies?

The information he got wasn't what he'd expected, but Li Yun didn't show any surprise.

To be safe, he'd ask Second Senior Brother Xiao Shun.

After all, Xiao Shun was a Dark Force martial artist and handled the hall's daily affairs, so he'd likely know more of what went on behind the scenes.

The two chatted for a while.

Li Yun suggested they continue sparring fists, and Chen Bin didn't refuse.

During their sparring afterward, Li Yun made a strange discovery:

Chen Bin kept his blood and qi a little higher than Li Yun's, but not enough to bring out the full power of Bright Force.

He used his blood and qi to make up for his shortcomings in technique, acting as if he were giving Li Yun a fair spar.

At dusk,

Li Yun finished dinner and was about to head back to practice his saber technique.

At last, he ran into Second Senior Brother Xiao Shun at the entrance to the Dining Hall.

Xiao Shun no longer wore the smile that had always seemed to hang on his face when they'd first met.

He had a stern, "Don't mess with me" look. Combined with his eight-foot frame and all those bulging muscles,

it was a little intimidating.

"Second Senior Brother, there's something I'd like to ask you. Do you have a moment?"

Xiao Shun stopped at the sound of the question and looked at the person who'd asked it.

Li Yun. Of course he remembered him.

He'd entered the Inner Courtyard just three days ago, yet had already mastered the basics of Tiger Subduing Fist. His foundation was solid.

After that, he'd sparred fists with the other senior and junior brothers in the Inner Courtyard every day.

The others had even teased him by calling him "Martial Fanatic."

"Go ahead." Xiao Shun's expression didn't change, and his voice was calm.

"I wanted to ask about the Year-End Tournament."

Li Yun lowered his voice a little.

"Our Subduing Tiger Martial Hall and the other halls are bound to have some friction when we recruit disciples.

"I mean, on the tournament stage, if someone stands out, will the other halls start keeping an eye on him?"

Though Li Yun spoke hesitantly and vaguely, Xiao Shun more or less understood what he meant.

He was asking whether an outstanding performance might attract dirty tricks from the other halls.

Xiao Shun's brow furrowed without him realizing it.

"Junior Brother, if I remember correctly, you only entered the Body Tempering Realm a few months ago, right?

"Without money to support you, even by year's end, your accumulated blood and qi... will only be average.

"Rather than worrying about this, you'd be better off practicing more."

Li Yun recalled that he hadn't looked for Xiao Shun to spar since he'd made a small breakthrough in his fist technique.

And Xiao Shun had become rather dispirited after being passed over as the master's direct disciple.

It was only natural that he didn't know.

"Senior Brother, I was lucky enough to make a small breakthrough in Tiger Subduing Fist. Master said I have a good chance of placing in the top three in the Body Tempering Realm at the Year-End Tournament."

"Oh?"

Hearing that Li Yun had made a small breakthrough in Tiger Subduing Fist, Xiao Shun was startled.

How long had it been?

It had taken him nearly a year and a half to reach that level.

But then he remembered how Li Yun sparred with people in the Inner Courtyard every day, and his surprise faded.

"If that's really the case, you don't need to worry too much.

"First, our Subduing Tiger Martial Hall isn't made of clay. Master's blood and qi are complete, and his Tiger Subduing Fist has long since reached the Transformation Realm.

"They'll have to think twice.

"Second..."

Xiao Shun hesitated, but in the end he said it.

"The martial halls in our Outer City are all outsiders. If we don't stand together, how can we resist being squeezed out?"

Li Yun saw Xiao Shun point toward the Inner City.

He understood a little.

Wushan County had only so much land.

With so many forces in the Inner and Outer Cities, there weren't enough resources to go around.

The Mountain Gang and the Four Great Families in the Inner City were deeply intertwined; one tug could set everything in motion. Naturally, they could unite more easily.

The forces in the Outer City came from various counties, so they clearly lacked cohesion.

They could only huddle together for warmth.

In that case, Li Yun didn't need to fear dirty tricks from the other martial halls. He needed to watch out for people in the Inner City instead.

"I see. Thank you for clearing that up, Senior Brother."

For some reason, Xiao Shun stopped Li Yun as he was about to leave, his voice tinged with envy.

"You don't need to worry too much. Even if the Inner City forces decide to target promising young talents,

"they'll only go after someone with a fourth-grade bone structure, seven months of martial arts training, three Bright Force rings, and a small breakthrough in his fist technique."

"..."

Xiao Shun hadn't named anyone, but Li Yun immediately understood.

He was talking about Zhu Daqi.

By comparison, Li Yun felt that Zhu Daqi really did have impressive talent.

It seemed that a good bone structure made a great deal of difference on the path of martial arts.

But Li Yun wasn't discouraged.

At every stage of martial arts, there was a bottleneck to overcome before advancing to the next.

For ordinary people to enter the Body Tempering Realm, for instance, they had to open the blood-and-qi pathways beneath the skin.

To produce Bright Force, a Body Tempering martial artist needed abundant blood and qi, to grasp the explosive power of hard force, make their sinews and bones ring together, and condense force.

But Li Yun had no bottlenecks in martial arts.

After listening to Xiao Shun explain the general state of affairs in Wushan County, Li Yun felt his heart settle back into his chest.

With "outside enemies" looming, the other martial halls would show restraint and wouldn't resort to dirty tricks.

And if anyone did, they'd go after Zhu Daqi, who stood out more.

That settled it. Li Yun decided he'd take first place at the Year-End Tournament and claim the Blood Ginseng.

Being mediocre wouldn't do; he wouldn't get good guidance, support, or techniques.

Being a genius wouldn't do either; people would fix their eyes on him.

It was best to be above average, stand out just a little, and nothing more.

That way, he could get resources without drawing dirty tricks from hostile forces.

Xiao Shun came back to himself and regretted letting those things slip.

"Ahem, Junior Brother, what I just—"

"What just now?

"You were just telling me what to watch out for at the Year-End Tournament.

"I'm very grateful."

Seeing Xiao Shun's regretful expression, Li Yun immediately pretended not to understand.

He'd nearly even thumped his chest and promised not to tell anyone.

Xiao Shun nodded, quite satisfied. This junior brother knew how to read the room.