Feng Yuancheng

Meng Qi lowered his voice.

"Deer Placenta Pills are an extremely rare medicinal pill. They aren't particularly expensive, but they're hard to obtain and greatly benefit the cultivation of True Art. Plenty of people would be tempted by them."

In truth, many disciples from prominent families might not have been unable to afford such a reward, but that was an entirely different matter from winning it themselves.

"Some outer disciples have long since cultivated inner breath. Some have even mastered second-tier or first-tier manuals early on, while others have mastered more than one strength-training art..."

Strength-training manuals varied enormously.

The vast majority of those lacking talent could only master third-tier manuals. Even if they cultivated True Art, their martial path would at most remain at the third level. With a poor foundation, their strength naturally could not amount to much!

Chen Fan asked,

"Are there many outer disciples like the ones you mentioned, those who cultivated inner breath early and trained in several strength-training manuals?"

Meng Qi shook his head.

"Not many, but every martial academy always has a few... This isn't the first time the martial academies of Flying Spirit County have jointly held an exchange tournament, but one on this scale, with rewards this generous, is rare!"

As he spoke, Meng Qi lowered his voice further. "I heard this tournament is being hosted by the Flying Tiger Sect. Its scope has expanded to cover all of Flying Spirit County, and it's the largest event in recent years. I just don't know if there's some special reason behind it..."

Flying Spirit County consisted not only of the county seat and its outskirts, but also numerous towns and villages under its jurisdiction. The area covered was enormous!

The confidence Chen Fan had felt in abundance was somewhat tempered at this moment, but a desire for battle surged from his chest.

Ever since he began practicing martial arts, aside from ambushing Pi Liu, he had never fought anyone. He only occasionally sparred in forms with classmates, which could not reveal his true strength at all. This was not only an opportunity to show his abilities, but also a good chance to exchange pointers with others.

"Senior Brother Meng Qi, have you cultivated inner breath?"

Meng Qi shook his head. "My talent is limited, so I focused solely on one art, the Wind-Thunder Palm. I'm just a hair away from comprehending inner breath... But although I haven't cultivated inner breath, dealing with some True Art martial artists with poor foundations wouldn't be difficult."

As he spoke, he displayed immense confidence.

The first level of martial cultivation was merely the beginning of True Art cultivation, transforming inner breath into true essence. The body had not yet begun tempering, so although such martial artists were stronger than inner-breath practitioners, the difference was quite limited!

Chen Fan nodded, his heart stirring. He was also cultivating the Wind-Thunder Palm, one of the best manuals at White Cloud Martial Academy beneath the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm!

In Flying Spirit County, anyone who could master a second-tier manual like the Wind-Thunder Palm at sixteen or seventeen could be considered a genius, though only the most ordinary kind!

Half an hour later, several carriages from White Cloud Martial Academy stopped before an open area.

Chen Fan stepped down from the carriage and could not help freezing.

This was a vast open venue. Before him stood enormous fighting stages, one after another!

Young men and women in martial academy uniforms of various colors wandered about the surrounding area!

There were five massive fighting stages in total, each marked with a huge number from one to five.

Stage One stood in the center, while the other four stages occupied the four corners around it.

Flying Spirit County was relatively prosperous and ranked near the top among the counties of Clear River Commandery.

Nearly five hundred disciples had come to participate in this exchange tournament, gathering almost all the outstanding talents under eighteen from across the county!

Naturally, the largest numbers came from the martial academies within the county seat!

White Cloud Martial Academy was the foremost.

Besides it, the Flying Tiger Sect, Cold Plum Pavilion, and Four Symbols Sect had the most participants, and they were also the three strongest factions.

Chen Fan even spotted martial artists wearing ribbons bearing the Black Tiger Gang's emblem...

It seemed this time, it was not merely the various martial academies that had come to compete.

Among ordinary people, perhaps fewer than one in ten possessed the talent to practice martial arts. So many martial artists gathered in one place was quite a rare sight even in Flying Spirit County.

As Chen Fan watched the surging crowd, he grew increasingly excited, almost eager to give it a try!

After completing the drawing of lots with Instructor Zhu, Chen Fan and Meng Qi discovered they had drawn the same stage: Stage Five.

So they headed toward Stage Five together.

There were many martial artists around them, most of them young martial artists of roughly the same age. Chen Fan was naturally curious, looking around and observing everyone.

Then—

"Make way! Make way!"

A group of people shouted arrogantly, treating the venue like their own home as they barged recklessly through the crowd.

They all wore black martial robes and looked like trouble.

A tall youth walked at the front, his chin raised toward the sky, his entire body radiating a vicious aura.

Meng Qi narrowed his eyes and quickly pulled Chen Fan aside to make room.

Chen Fan frowned. "Aren't they also tournament disciples? How dare they act so arrogantly?"

Meng Qi sneered.

"They're disciples of the Four Symbols Sect. The one leading them is Yu Xingzheng. His second-tier foundation isn't particularly outstanding, but he's a junior relative of Gao Yi, the Four Symbols Sect Master, and Gao Yi dotes on him greatly. He's grown used to acting arrogantly in Flying Spirit County... He and that 'useless brat' from the He Clan are known as the two greatest playboys of Flying Spirit County!"

Chen Fan was quite surprised. He had seen the young master of the He Clan riding recklessly through the streets. He had not expected this to be someone equally notorious.

He could not help asking, "Does he dare act this arrogantly even on an occasion like this?"

Meng Qi shook his head.

"Don't underestimate Yu Xingzheng. Though his foundation is ordinary, his cultivation is not weak. He may even have the highest cultivation among all participants in this tournament. He's nearly eighteen already, and with Gao Yi favoring him, who knows how many medicinal pills he's swallowed... I heard he reached the second level of martial cultivation half a year ago!"

Chen Fan frowned. It seemed this man was precisely the sort of exception he had anticipated.

Still, reaching the second level of martial cultivation a year ago meant his cultivation was indeed formidable.

"Besides the major martial academies in the county seat, most participants in this tournament are disciples of small sects and schools. None of the important figures from the major martial academies will attend these preliminary matches, so Yu Xingzheng has nothing to fear... We should be careful and avoid clashing with him unless necessary."

Chen Fan could only nod silently.

He arrived at Stage Five with Meng Qi.

The other disciples had long since arrived.

By coincidence, Chen Fan also saw Su Qingyang!

Unfortunately, Chen Fan and Su Qingyang had a distant relationship and did not interact much.

Still, since they were all disciples of White Cloud Martial Academy, they gathered in the same area.

Chen Fan and Meng Qi chatted as they waited for the matches to begin.

Su Qingyang, however, stood beside an older youth, his posture notably deferential!

The other White Cloud Martial Academy disciples assigned to Stage Five also vaguely gathered around this person, treating him as their leader.

Chen Fan vaguely remembered this youth. He was the "Junior Brother Feng" whom Bao Tianyou had mentioned at Jiangshan Tower. Though he was an outer disciple, several formal disciples followed his lead. He was clearly no ordinary person!

Seeing Su Qingyang's enthusiastic attitude toward him, then recalling Su Qingyang's previous indifference toward himself, Chen Fan could not help shaking his head.

Compared with Bao Tianyou and the others, Su Qingyang was far too narrow-minded...

Noticing Chen Fan's gaze, Meng Qi lowered his voice and said,

"That guy is Feng Yuancheng, a third-generation disciple of the Feng Clan. He's known as the strongest outer disciple of the White Cloud Branch Hall... They say he was born with an exceptionally powerful physique and vigorous blood and vitality. He mastered the Feng Clan's foremost strength-training manual, the Crimson Chain Palm, long ago and cultivated inner breath. Yet, in order to train the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, he held himself back from cultivating the Feng Clan's True Art ahead of time!"

The Feng Clan was also one of the five great families, and Feng Yuancheng's strength and talent were far beyond those of ordinary people.

As Meng Qi spoke, a hint of envy entered his voice.

"His talent was already astonishing. This is his fourth year at White Cloud Martial Academy, and he's seventeen now. He's already on the verge of a breakthrough and can comprehend the inner breath of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm at any moment... His strength surpasses that of some second- or third-level martial artists whose strength-training manuals are inferior!"

"Among the formal disciples of White Cloud Martial Academy participating in this exchange tournament, only Ge Yuantong can compare with him! Ge Yuantong turns eighteen next month. He cultivated inner breath from two second-tier manuals and is already at the second level of martial cultivation, currently tempering the muscles throughout his body!"

Chen Fan was startled.

Once one cultivated inner breath, one could practice True Art. Transforming inner breath produced true essence. At the second and third levels of martial cultivation, one had already begun tempering the muscles, lungs, and internal organs, greatly increasing one's strength!

What was more, the other party had cultivated inner breath from two second-tier manuals. Even if their quality was inferior to something like the Wind-Thunder Palm, his strength could not be underestimated.

Feng Yuancheng was merely an inner-breath martial artist, yet he could stand shoulder to shoulder with someone at the second level of martial cultivation. Chen Fan found this quite astonishing.

Hearing that Feng Yuancheng could rival Ge Yuantong, who had cultivated two second-tier manuals, Chen Fan could not help asking, "Is the Feng Clan's Crimson Chain Palm that powerful? How does it compare to the Wind-Thunder Palm?"

"They aren't even comparable!"

Meng Qi smiled and shook his head.

"Put it this way: the Crimson Chain Palm is one of the finest strength-training manuals in all of Flying Spirit County apart from the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm. It's a first-tier manual!"

Chen Fan's expression turned solemn. "I see..."

Meng Qi continued, "In fact, the Crimson Chain Palm and the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm may not differ greatly in their effects on body tempering and foundation building. The only reason the Crimson Chain Palm ranks beneath the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm is that only after mastering the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm can one cultivate the White Cloud True Art, and the White Cloud True Art is unquestionably stronger."

The differences between martial artists were determined as early as the foundation-building stage.

Whether one comprehended inner breath, the quality of the strength-training manuals one cultivated, how many one had mastered, even one's upbringing, diet, and innate physical differences—all of these could create disparities in strength.

Meng Qi was also seventeen. Being at the threshold of mastering the Wind-Thunder Palm already made him a genius, but compared to Feng Yuancheng, who was not much older than him, the gap was simply enormous!

This was a true genius. It would already be impressive if He Hongshan from his Black Cloud Class could match Feng Yuancheng in the future!

Although Chen Fan had mastered more than ten strength-training manuals, his upbringing and innate physique differed. It would not be easy to overcome the natural advantages of someone like Feng Yuancheng!

Meng Qi sighed.

"People simply can't be measured by the same standard. Even cultivating the same manual at the same pace, different people will vary because of their physical constitutions. Some are born with deep and solid foundations, while people like us must work hard at strength-training manuals just to catch up. How could we possibly catch them?"

Chen Fan nodded gravely.

Feng Yuancheng had already mastered a strength-training manual no weaker than the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, and he was only a hair away from comprehending the inner breath of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm as well. His foundation was likely unimaginably solid!

A first-tier manual was several times more effective than a second-tier one, and its practical combat power was also far greater. Feng Yuancheng had mastered two such manuals, while the dozen or so manuals Chen Fan had cultivated were all of rather ordinary quality. They might not measure up at all.

Chen Fan had never seen him fight and lacked combat experience himself, so he truly could not say with confidence that he could defeat this man.

After all, no matter how many manuals he cultivated, not a single one could compare to the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm!