And Yet You're the Most Promising (Please Keep Reading)

That night, Li Xiuwen could not sleep.

It was his first time carrying such a huge sum of money. He could not rest easy until he turned it into strength as soon as possible.

Early the next morning, he wandered around Longjin Road, listening to the neighborhood gossip.

"Did you hear? Third Master is dead. The Thirteen Guardians too—they all died miserably in the sewers."

"I heard. No idea what expert acted on heaven's behalf and got rid of those three scourges."

"Could it have been someone from Ever Joy?"

"Maybe. The Thirteen Guardians were too arrogant, collecting money on Ever Joy's turf. It was only a matter of time before they got what was coming to them."

Li Xiuwen returned home and relaxed slightly. Word had already spread.

But no one from Ever Joy had come looking for him yet. That meant the higher-ups in the stronghold did not consider this matter important.

He had even helped Ever Joy ease the burden of maintaining order. There was no reason for them to come looking for trouble with him.

Li Xiuwen arrived at the martial arts hall.

During the meal, Silly Qiang asked, "A Wen, Third Master from your Longjin Road got wiped out. Heard about it?"

Li Xiuwen smiled. "I did. Good riddance. Things will be much quieter from now on."

"Don't tell me you did it?" A Zhen joked.

Liu Chun smiled. "I heard Third Master was at the peak of the Black Membrane realm in his youth. His vitality declined and he fell back to Purple Membrane, but he was still outstanding.

"Though he practiced wild boxing, his fighting methods had at least reached the minor mastery stage. He had roamed the martial world for years and survived countless battles. To kill him, one would probably need Black Membrane cultivation.

"The Thirteen Guardians had been arrogant for years. It was only a matter of time before they fell. I'd guess... Ever Joy made a move."

Liu Chun was not looking down on A Wen. He was simply putting himself in his shoes.

If he had not advanced to Black Membrane, he would never have dared to go into the sewers and trouble Third Master.

A Wen had only advanced to Purple Membrane recently, and he had relied on Fish Ball. His vitality was shallow, his realm unstable, and his combat strength weak.

With his courage, there was no way he would do something like that.

"Senior Brother Liu Chun is right!" Li Xiuwen said with a smile.

When you appeared weak enough, there would naturally be "great scholars" to argue your case.

Several days later,

Only a few days remained before Night Heron Martial Arts Hall came to challenge them.

Huang Sihai's ten-day special training for Liu Chun, Li Xiuwen, A Zhen, and Silly Qiang had also ended.

Once the special training was complete, Huang Sihai had everyone demonstrate their progress before him.

After everyone finished practicing the Sand-Turning Palm, Huang Sihai commented on them one by one.

"Liu Chun, your goal is to reach major mastery as soon as possible and develop the Hard-Soft Palm. Only by balancing hardness and softness will you have even a sliver of a chance against Longlegs Seven."

"Silly Qiang, your fighting methods are still a little short of minor mastery. Train harder these next few days. You were born with great strength. Other than Liu Chun, you have the best odds here."

"A Zhen... handle yourself however you like. Just don't surrender the moment you step up and embarrass me."

"A Wen, you should have grasped a trace of the essence of the Soft Palm by now. That counts as minor mastery. Not bad. It shows you have decent comprehension."

Huang Sihai looked at Li Xiuwen last, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

The boy he had not thought highly of had surprised him several times recently.

Forty days to enter Purple Membrane.

Just over a month to reach minor mastery in his fighting methods.

"Master, are fighting methods tied to comprehension?" Li Xiuwen asked.

Huang Sihai said, "Internal and external bone structure affect training methods more. Of course, they affect fighting methods too, but not nearly as much.

"Without eating Fish Ball, Liu Chun's stance training still progressed a little faster than yours. His external bone structure is... a little better than yours."

Hearing that, Liu Chun grumbled inwardly. Master Huang really liked sparing people's feelings.

His external bone structure was far more than just a little better than A Wen's.

But Huang Sihai abruptly changed the subject. "Yet Liu Chun's fighting methods have not progressed much faster than yours.

"That shows your comprehension is no weaker than Liu Chun's. So don't give up on yourself.

"To be honest, I did not think highly of you at first. But after looking everyone over, you were the one who turned out to be the most promising.

"Now, in my eyes, you can be considered a prospect for the second floor.

"Ahem... don't forget to renew next month's fee! Keep training. I think highly of you!"

Clearly, the key point of Old Huang's praise was that final sentence: renew your membership!

Li Xiuwen nodded. "Understood, Master."

Bone structure corresponded to training methods and cultivation realms.

Comprehension corresponded to fighting methods and technical realms.

Old Chen had said, "Changing one's bone structure is easy; changing one's comprehension is hard."

If one encountered a great opportunity or stroke of fortune, there might be hope of changing one's bone structure.

But comprehension was mysterious and elusive. First, it depended on one's innate talent; second, it depended on the accumulation of some indescribable foundation in martial arts.

If Old Chen was right, reading more Daoist scriptures and martial classics to strengthen one's theoretical foundation could help improve comprehension.

But that was only theory. Whether it actually worked was impossible for ordinary people to tell, because comprehension was far too intangible.

Li Xiuwen guessed that the effect of [Beginner Martial Arts Knowledge] was most likely related to comprehension.

He looked toward the [Incense Burner].

[Beginner Martial Arts Knowledge: Beginner (91%)]

I'll soon find out what this first skill does.

Elsewhere,

Hearing Huang Sihai praise Li Xiuwen so highly, Liu Chun's expression shifted slightly.

When I renewed six months of fees for you, Master, you certainly didn't talk like this!

A sense of urgency grew in his heart.

He had been far ahead for so long that having Li Xiuwen suddenly close the gap naturally put him in such a state of mind.

Liu Chun was somewhat unwilling to accept it, so he asked, "Master, does our Fish Ball help with practicing fighting methods?"

What he meant was that he suspected Li Xiuwen had reached minor mastery in his fighting methods by eating Fish Ball as well.

Huang Sihai said expressionlessly, "Fish Ball can only stimulate your acupoints and create vitality out of thin air. Fighting methods are techniques. Raising your vitality does not make them improve.

"There may be miraculous pills that can aid one's understanding of fighting methods, but they are exceedingly rare. The vast majority of martial arts schools, whether orthodox sects or renowned masters, cannot produce them.

"Don't get any crooked ideas. Fighting methods can only be improved through hard practice, real combat, arena matches, and sparring! You have to fight to improve! If you don't fight, then no matter how great your vitality is, you're just a beast. Understand?"

Liu Chun lowered his head and clenched his fists, murmuring inwardly, A Wen didn't take shortcuts. His comprehension... is actually no worse than mine.

That day, he truly began to regard Li Xiuwen as a potential formidable rival. He did not dare let his guard down, lest he stumble when climbing to the second floor and fall flat on his face.

These days, A Zhen and Silly Qiang also felt as if they had only just met Li Xiuwen.

They still could not imagine that A Wen, who had kept such a low profile not long ago, had first reached Purple Membrane and then mastered the Soft Palm, already pulling slightly ahead of them.

"Go eat. After lunch, gather here. This afternoon, I'll take you out for some real combat," Huang Sihai said.

A Zhen asked excitedly, "Where are we going for real combat? Master's taking us out to fight?"

Silly Qiang was eager too.

Most people who learned martial arts instinctively liked fighting and sought excitement. Li Xiuwen was the exception.

Huang Sihai sneered. "This is Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, not the Four Seas Gang. Fight my ass! This afternoon, I'm taking you to see the legendary Nine Dragons Grand Arena!"

"Whoa! Nine Dragons Grand Arena? We can enter the grand arena too?" A Zhen, Silly Qiang, and Liu Chun all rubbed their hands together eagerly.

Li Xiuwen was somewhat tempted as well. He had no interest in performing on the arena stage.

But taking this chance to see the legendary Nine Dragons Grand Arena would be excellent too.

Guangwang Street.

The Dragon-Chasing Dukes lay sprawled on the ground, puffing away amid clouds of smoke.

An abandoned factory was hidden among the buildings.

At the entrance stood a cannon from a hundred years ago. Its barrel was already rusted, and three large characters were engraved on its surface.

"Thunder God Shed"!

Inside the factory, four men sat around a table playing mahjong.

The most eye-catching among them was a burly man with nine giant pythons tattooed on his arms.

Even seated, he was taller than some short men. Standing up, he was likely two meters tall.

Dao Youming was known as Thunder God Shed's strongest Straw Sandal. His strength was unfathomable.

The other three were Copper Hammer, Za Jiu, and Chang San. They were also Straw Sandals and Dao Youming's confidants.

"Brother Ming, your cousin died. Aren't you going to look into it?" Straw Sandal Za Jiu asked with a grin.

Dao Youming sneered. "Look into shit. Dead is dead! If he hadn't gotten himself into trouble back then, the branch leader wouldn't have started neglecting me. I was already being generous by sparing his life."

Za Jiu smiled. "True enough. But he was still your cousin, and Longjin Road is part of our turf. Whoever dared kill him is pretty arrogant..."

Dao Youming frowned. "Za Jiu, you got an idea?"

Za Jiu volunteered, "If Brother Ming doesn't have the time, why don't I investigate it for you?"

Chang San sneered. "Za Jiu, you really have plenty of schemes. You want to put on a show for Brother Ming so he'll reward you with a Flood-Dragon Elixir, right?"

Za Jiu smiled without taking offense. "Brother Ming handles countless affairs every day and doesn't want family matters delaying the bigger picture. What's wrong with us little brothers sharing some of the burden?"

Dao Youming took a drag from his pipe and said flatly, "Za Jiu, if you can really find the killer, fine. But you know how rare that elixir is. For such a small matter, that'll be difficult."

Za Jiu smiled. "Brother Ming, everything I have today came from your support. Everything I do is for the brotherhood of Guangwang Street's Five Tigers!

"As for the Flood-Dragon Elixir, I'll earn it openly and honorably through merit and loyalty!"