Mid-Stage Manifest Force

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Shu's name had vanished from the Zhao Family Martial Arts Academy.

Only newly arrived disciples occasionally heard this prematurely fallen genius senior brother mentioned by other senior brothers, their words seemingly carrying a hint of gloating.

With Lin Shu gone, Master would naturally turn more of his attention toward the other disciples.

Especially those disciples who had entered the academy but had yet to develop force—they now had a chance to distinguish themselves, hoping Master would lend them a hand and help them become Manifest Force Martial Artists sooner.

With Lin Shu's untimely death and the increasingly chaotic situation outside, Zhao Jie had been in a state of turmoil. He simply began recruiting disciples again, hoping to make money while perhaps discovering another genius disciple.

This time, Zhao Jie took in nearly a hundred new disciples at once, and even the entire front courtyard could no longer hold them all.

So Zhao Jie bought the neighboring courtyard and knocked through the walls, creating a huge yard comparable to a small football field.

It was spacious, but it had also become far more chaotic.

Many Manifest Force disciples trained at the academy for only half a day before hurrying off. They found it too bothersome, and the foreign invasion and rebellion in the neighboring prefecture had left them too unsettled to patiently practice martial arts.

Wang Sheng paid no heed to any of that. No matter how the winds and clouds churned outside, he continued diligently practicing martial arts and boxing, swallowing pills and nurturing his force.

He spent nearly a hundred taels of silver buying several Premium Blood Replenishing Pills, consumed ordinary Blood Replenishing Pills, drank Sweet Medicine Wine, and tempered his body day after day. His progress could truly be called soaring by leaps and bounds.

In a single month, his Great Tablet Shattering Hand surged from Minor Accomplishment (1/1000) to Minor Accomplishment (376/1000).

Because of this, the force within Wang Sheng's body had increased by more than half, and his cultivation rose from early-stage Manifest Force to mid-stage Manifest Force.

One had to know that the sour and vicious Fang Mingguang had spent more than a year just reaching mid-stage Manifest Force from early-stage Manifest Force not long ago.

Wang Sheng had caught up with him so quickly. It was not merely because of medicinal pills, but because of Wang Sheng's golden finger: [Heaven Rewards Diligence: Study shall surely bear fruit.] As long as he cultivated diligently, he would certainly improve.

Furthermore, Wang Sheng had also used his evenings to more or less master the first layer of the Blood Stacking Technique.

The Blood Stacking Technique was not a martial art, but a secret method for stimulating one's potential. As long as one knew several acupoints and followed the technique's instructions, using force to stimulate them in sequence, it would create a powerful surge of blood and qi, temporarily erupting with tremendous might.

Suddenly,

A voice rang out.

"Hey, Junior Brother Wang, training again!"

"Tell me, Junior Brother Wang, when are you going to repay those fifteen taels of silver you owe me? It's only fifteen taels, yet you've dragged it out for so many days. Drag it out any longer, and it'll become twenty taels!"

Fang Mingguang walked into the courtyard with an ugly expression. One look was enough to tell that he had lost money gambling again, and the new disciples along the way hurriedly stepped aside.

The moment he saw the taciturn Wang Sheng, he immediately recalled the ten taels of silver he had lost two months ago in a wager with Wei Yu.

Originally, Fang Mingguang had not planned to force the matter. He only needed to apply pressure now and then. Could this new disciple with no talent possibly resist him, a Manifest Force senior brother?

Besides, the ten taels had grown by another five taels simply through being delayed, so Fang Mingguang was in no hurry.

But Fang Mingguang had lost ten taels gambling with someone today, and he wanted to get it back from Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng finished a set of boxing techniques and slowly withdrew his hands.

Wang Sheng had also heard Fang Mingguang explain the origin of these so-called fifteen taels.

Put bluntly, Fang Mingguang was simply bullying him for being talentless and newly initiated.

"Senior Brother Fang is joking. Those ten taels of silver were nothing but a mirage in the first place. Where did fifteen taels come from?"

Wang Sheng spoke calmly.

Fang Mingguang smiled and nodded slightly, as though he did not care.

Many new disciples saw the two senior brothers clash and secretly cast glances over, whispering among themselves. There would never be a shortage of spectators eager to feast on gossip, much less gossip happening right beside them.

Naturally, most of them did not think highly of Wang Sheng, a senior brother regarded by many as terribly untalented but lucky.

Fang Mingguang strolled toward Wang Sheng, but he had no intention of speaking to him face-to-face. As he passed him, he paused slightly and threatened in a cold voice so faint that only the two of them could hear, "Thirty taels of silver. If I don't see it next month, you can go die."

Fang Mingguang had even deliberately given Wang Sheng a month to gather the silver.

He also knew that thirty taels was a huge sum for an ordinary disciple who had not developed force.

Wang Sheng's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

Fang Mingguang gave a soft laugh and strode toward the inner courtyard.

The gloom from losing money gambling had been swept away. He felt that bullying people like this was much more satisfying, and even his strides grew larger.

What he did not know was that Wang Sheng was considering whether to beat him to death in a few days, or wait a month before doing it.

With Wang Sheng's current mid-stage Manifest Force cultivation, the Blood Stacking Technique, and a sneak attack, there was a high chance of success. At most, he would suffer a minor injury.

But one had to be cautious in all things. Wang Sheng did not want to capsize in a gutter because of carelessness.

"Let him live another month."

Wang Sheng murmured inwardly. He knew that the longer he delayed, the more advantageous it would be for him.

In another month, he would very likely reach the peak of mid-stage Manifest Force. With the Blood Stacking Technique assisting him, he might even be able to kill a late-stage Manifest Force Martial Artist, much less ambush and kill a mid-stage Manifest Force Martial Artist. He should be able to do it without injury.

During the afternoon break,

A youth approached Wang Sheng and spoke in a low voice.

"Senior Brother Wang, my family can provide ten taels of silver to help you!"

The youth was named Ge Xiaogu. His family ran a small general store and had some spare wealth.

Ge Xiaogu had once boldly asked several initiated senior brothers for guidance, but only Wang Sheng and one or two others had responded to him.

So Ge Xiaogu began deliberately drawing close to these senior brothers who had helped him.

Wang Sheng guessed that Ge Xiaogu's family might also have their own considerations.

A small general store could not afford to hire a Manifest Force Martial Artist to guard it year-round, so they wanted to build good relations with Martial Artists who had yet to reach Manifest Force.

"No need. Go cultivate."

Wang Sheng waved his hand.

He was no longer in the desperate state he had once been in. A few taels of silver were not worth owing someone a favor.

Just then,

A message arrived at the martial arts academy's entrance, looking for Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng turned to look and saw a man with a pair of bull horns embroidered on his chest peering about at the academy gate.

He was a confidant of Ox Cyclone, specifically responsible for contacting part-time workers like Wang Sheng.

It seemed the Golden Bull Gang needed manpower—either to hold territory or seize it.

Wang Sheng frowned slightly and quickly led the man out of the martial arts academy.

Inside the academy, a man watched Wang Sheng leave, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Heh heh, Wang Sheng has been entangled by that stingy, sinister Fang Mingguang, and now he's mixing with street thugs and hooligans. He's lost that ruthless drive to train desperately. What right does he have to achieve Manifest Force and obtain Master's reward?"

"When his Stone Stance Technique first reached entry level and he defeated Meng Xu, I thought he was a hidden genius! Now it seems I thought too highly of him."

"This man is not worth mentioning. Among these initiated brothers, my opponent, Wu An's opponent, is Li Chaodong."

"Master promised that whoever reaches Manifest Force first will be rewarded with a Bone Strengthening Pill. This is a pill useful even to Dark Force experts. A single pill is worth fifty taels of silver, and even with money, it cannot be bought. To Manifest Force Martial Artists, it is a priceless treasure."

"I must reach Manifest Force before everyone else, obtain the pill, and change my opportunity and destiny."

Wu An calculated inwardly, secretly making up his mind to cultivate with all his might, desperately hoping to seize that sliver of opportunity to develop force.