Thanks to You, Little Brother Zhong Jing!

The next day, early morning.

Black Dragon Outer City, inside a small courtyard in the eastern part of the city.

The surroundings were filled with houses of gray brick and tiled roofs, without any carved decorations. It was exceedingly plain.

No one would have imagined that Fu Lin, the Commandant who oversaw Black Dragon Outer City, actually lived here.

A minor official led the way, winding through one turn after another before bringing Lin Nan and the other two to the small courtyard.

"It's here. Please wait patiently." The minor official spoke gently, then slowly withdrew.

Compared to the expectant Zhong Jing and Ding Qianyu, Lin Nan felt far more nervous.

To him, the earlier contest had merely been a minor interlude.

The real test still lay ahead!

If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to be an undercover agent anymore!

Ever since Zhong Jing had been defeated by Lin Nan yesterday, he had been much more dispirited. Now he slumped in his chair without saying a word.

Ding Qianyu, the youth from the Red Lion Gang, was instead quite interested as he strolled around the courtyard before coming over to strike up a conversation with Lin Nan.

"Brother Lin, I heard Brother Chang mention you before. He said you were loyal and worth befriending."

Ding Qianyu smiled broadly, his gaze covertly slanting toward Zhong Jing. "Those of us who live by the streets value loyalty above all else. We absolutely can't be like certain people, who won't even spare their own brothers."

"Who are you talking about?!" Zhong Jing slammed his palm onto the table.

"Whoever answers, that's who!"

"Hall Master Zhang is also one of the few truly righteous people I've ever met."

Lin Nan wore a gentle smile as well.

Just as the two exchanged pleasantries, a voice sounded from behind the three of them.

"This outer city is poor and chaotic, and stray evil spirits sometimes slip in. It is a buffer zone built by the inner city between the wilderness and the city-state."

Everyone turned to look. A woman dressed in a fitted blue martial outfit with black hair tied behind her, looking more like a young man, strolled toward them.

It was the female Commandant, Fu Lin!

The three of them felt their hearts skip a beat and hurriedly cupped their fists and bowed.

"Greetings, Commandant!"

"No need for such formalities."

Fu Lin walked expressionlessly before the three of them. Her gaze swept across the battered Zhong Jing and Ding Qianyu before lingering briefly on Lin Nan.

"You must be this year's top newly promoted inner disciple, yes? Not bad. A true hero indeed emerges... from youth."

"You flatter me, Commandant."

"No need to be modest. Even shallow waters can produce flood dragons. The more chaotic the furnace of an era, the more likely it is to forge martial prodigies."

Fu Lin's expression turned wistful. "That is also why we from the inner city come to the outer city every year to select disciples. Only with a constant influx of fresh blood into the inner city can the flame of martial arts burn without end."

"You are absolutely right, Commandant."

Lin Nan looked respectful. While no one was paying attention, he quietly crushed the lotus talisman in his pouch.

I'm sorry, Commandant. You wouldn't want those Blessed Life Cult people to keep doing evil, would you?

I can only let the Commandant suffer a little this time, so we can wipe out the Blessed Life Cult in one stroke.

The thoughts flashed through Lin Nan's mind.

Fu Lin continued speaking and raised two fingers. "I will now give the three of you three choices. First, become registered stewards of one of the Four Great Families of the inner city. Your monthly pay will be seventy taels. The benefit is that you may live in the inner city and no longer have to suffer the threats of demons and evil spirits."

"The second choice is to become outer disciples at one of the three great martial academies in the inner city. However, outer disciples of the inner-city martial academies do not receive residence rights. Only by passing the test can you formally enter the inner sect. The benefit is that you may learn the supreme martial arts of the academies."

"The third choice is to enlist and become a member of my Fu Family's Valiant Cavalry Army. You will switch to military body martial arts. The benefit is immediate entry into the inner city, along with free supplies of great tonics such as blood and qi pills and meat."

"...Make your choices."

Three choices...

For a moment, all three found themselves conflicted.

The first option appeared favorable, but registered stewards would always be outsiders. Apart from collecting their monthly pay, they would live in the Four Great Families' homes, working like oxen and horses and doing all the dirty work. In plain terms, they would be high-ranking hired hands.

The second option seemed ordinary, but it happened to fall within Lin Nan's preferred range. The martial arts of the inner-city academies were far superior to those of the outer city. The Origin-Revering One-Qi Art alone showed that advanced stance methods were vastly more effective at increasing blood and qi than ordinary martial arts such as the Spirit Serpent Art.

As for the test, Lin Nan still had some confidence, given that he possessed the Creation Furnace.

The third option, enlisting in the army, was clearly Fu Lin's personal preference. Joining the Fu Family's Valiant Cavalry Army meant becoming part of the Fu Family, and that was not what he wanted.

After a short while.

All three had made their decisions.

"I choose the first!"

"I choose the second!"

"I choose the third!"

Zhong Jing, Lin Nan, and Ding Qianyu chose the first, second, and third options respectively.

Fu Lin nodded, forming her conclusions about the three.

Zhong Jing appeared clever, but he was actually too eager for quick success. A registered steward position in a family might look glamorous, but it would be difficult to rise through the ranks.

Ding Qianyu was loyal and resolute, a rare potential soldier worth cultivating.

As for Lin Nan, he was extremely confident and showed no concern at all for the inner-city martial academies' assessment. He could practice martial arts, but if he enlisted, he would definitely be a thorn in the side.

"Very well. Since everyone has chosen, in seven days, I will bring the three of you to the inner city... Why is there fog?!"

Before Fu Lin could finish speaking, her eyes suddenly widened. A faint white mist was rising from the gray-brick walls around them.

In the outer city, fog had never been a good omen.

"Guards!"

Fu Lin seemed to have sensed something and fiercely gripped the long saber at her waist.

The next moment, the entire courtyard became unnaturally silent, as though not even the sound of a mosquito flying could be heard.

No one came!

All four of them changed expression at once.

"Hehehe... Don't bother calling. Everyone in this courtyard has been knocked unconscious by our sleeping incense."

A sinister laugh echoed through the air.

"Commandant Fu, it has been a while. Your residence is well hidden—we had quite a time finding it!"

In an instant, three men in black emerged from three different corners of the courtyard.

The three wore dark cyan masks, each engraved with the image of a black lotus.

One of them felt incomparably familiar to Lin Nan.

It was Elder Lai Quan.

"The Blessed Life Cult! How did you damned cultists find my residence?!"

Fu Lin gritted her teeth and drew her steel saber, fury blazing in her eyes.

"We naturally have our methods." Lai Quan sneered.

Suddenly, Fu Lin seemed to think of something. She turned toward Lin Nan and the other two, her face full of rage. "It was you?! One of you is a Blessed Life Cult follower!!"

"Hehehe, that's right. And we have you to thank for it, Little Brother Zhong Jing..."

Lai Quan looked toward Lin Nan.

But at this moment, the female Commandant's gaze had already shifted to Zhong Jing, and she looked as though she wanted to tear him to pieces.

Zhong Jing looked utterly baffled. "Me? Me?"

Those Blessed Life Cult bastards really didn't intend to leave me a way out. Damn it. Good thing I habitually kept something in reserve.

Lin Nan suddenly felt that not giving his real name had been an incredibly wise decision.

"Come with us."

The three Blessed Life Cult elders laughed wildly as the fog around them grew thicker and thicker.

At that moment, Lin Nan caught a faint whiff of fragrance and immediately felt his entire body go limp. It was sleeping incense!

Fu Lin did not reply. Instead, she gripped her steel saber tightly, gritted her teeth, and charged at the three Blessed Life Cult elders.

"Stop struggling. All you rely on is the military momentum of the Valiant Cavalry Army. Within the army, you can contend against martial masters. But now your guards are absent. You are merely a first-level Sinew and Bone Realm military body martial artist!"

The three Blessed Life Cult elders leaped into the air and instantly clashed with Fu Lin.

In an instant, flames shot into the sky throughout the courtyard!