Fifth-Rank Realm

"Hmph!" Liu Xiaoqiang's expression finally softened as she let out a cold snort. She lightly patted Xia Daoming's shoulder with her delicate jade hand and said, "Junior Brother Xia, don't listen to Senior Brother Yuchi's nonsense. You're young and full of vigor; you can't always hold back. Relax when you need to. If you want to come sit with your senior sister, I'll definitely find you a beautiful, considerate girl to sing a song and have a drink with."

Even though Xia Daoming came from a very open-minded world in his previous life and had flirted with girls on many occasions, he still felt too naive and inexperienced facing this senior sister. His old face flushed slightly.

"Haha, Junior Sister Liu understands us men and cares about us. How about after tonight's events here, you arrange something at your Jade Flower Pavilion?" Zhuo Xingji said.

"If Senior Brother Zhuo asks, this little sister will naturally obey," Liu Xiaoqiang smiled.

"You two guys, this is your first time with..." Yuchi Xiao pointed at Zhuo Xingji and Liu Xiaoqiang, who were egging each other on.

"Senior Brother Yuchi, are you coming or not?" Zhuo Xingji interrupted.

"Yes, how can I miss listening to music at a pleasure house!" Yuchi Xiao replied without hesitation.

"This..." Xia Daoming looked at Yuchi Xiao, speechless.

"This is Gu Ren. You've met him at the martial arts school. He's actually a year younger than you, twenty-three this year, but he joined earlier, so you still have to call him Senior Brother. Don't let Gu Ren's younger age fool you; he's the second-highest expert in our martial arts school. He became a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master at twenty-one and has a great chance of becoming a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master before thirty. If he's lucky, he might even reach Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master," Yuchi Xiao quickly introduced, pointing to the last man in the private room.

When he mentioned Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master, Yuchi Xiao's eyes clearly showed a hint of reverence and longing.

Gu Ren was the young man Xia Daoming had seen when he first went to the inner courtyard of the martial arts school. His facial features were sharp, his eyebrows were like swords, and he wore white, giving off a very cool impression.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Gu," Xia Daoming bowed and greeted him.

"No need for formalities!" Gu Ren replied, truly cool.

Yuchi Xiao seemed unfazed and continued, "Master has taken fifteen disciples in his lifetime. Besides the six of us here, three are making a living in other cities, and I'll introduce them to you if there's a chance. The remaining six are no longer with us."

Xia Daoming's heart sank slightly at the news.

Out of fifteen disciples, six had died prematurely. That was a very high ratio! It seemed he really needed to cultivate diligently and improve his strength as soon as possible!

The food and drinks soon arrived.

Although everyone except Yuchi Xiao was meeting Xia Daoming for the first time, their shared connection as fellow disciples made them all feel comfortable with him, as if they had known each other for a long time. They chatted and laughed, clinking glasses.

Of course, this excluded the genius and cool guy, Gu Ren. He spoke sparingly, observed with a cold eye, but drank heartily, accepting every offer.

Xia Daoming initially felt a bit out of place. After all, he came from another world and couldn't truly grasp the meaning of "fellow disciples" for Yuchi Xiao and the others.

However, Zhuo Xingji, having traveled extensively and seen much, had a few drinks and started boasting, sparing no topic. Liu Xiaoqiang, who ran a pleasure house, could even out-flirt Zhuo Xingji. As for Jiao Yongbao, who managed a restaurant, he was smooth, sophisticated, and eloquent. With these three setting the mood, Xia Daoming soon felt a sense of camaraderie, similar to how he used to hang out with his rowdy friends in his past life.

After the meal, the group walked to the Jade Flower Pavilion in the Golden Flowing District. To Xia Daoming's surprise, Gu Ren had several paramours at the Jade Flower Pavilion. Not only that, but he completely shed his silent, aloof, and arrogant demeanor from the restaurant, becoming incredibly unrestrained. His flirtatious words were so cheesy they gave Xia Daoming goosebumps.

"It seems Junior Brother Gu has been holding back too much. Now that he finally has a chance, he can let loose," Zhuo Xingji said, listening to the music and glancing at Gu Ren, who had a woman on each arm, touching them freely, his mind clearly not on the music. He shook his head.

"There's no other way. Many talented disciples have ruined their cultivation by indulging in wine and women. Now, Master places almost all his hopes on Gu Ren, so he naturally keeps a strict watch on him. Not long ago, Junior Sister Liu was severely reprimanded by Master for letting Gu Ren indulge in pleasure here. If it weren't for Xia Daoming today, do you think Junior Sister Liu would dare to let Gu Ren come here?" Yuchi Xiao explained.

"Sigh, Master has it tough. If Senior Brother Liang Kai were still here, he wouldn't have to worry so much and could have enjoyed his old age with his grandchildren. Now, we can only hope Junior Brother Gu becomes a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master soon, so Master can truly enjoy his twilight years," Zhuo Xingji sighed.

Yuchi Xiao's expression turned somber for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and patted Xia Daoming, who was listening to music beside him, with a smile. "We're all brothers. Since your Senior Sister Liu is treating us today, you don't need to be reserved. Relax and enjoy yourself."

"This music is very good, and Miss Wanqing plays beautifully. I feel very relaxed already," Xia Daoming said, tapping his fingers to the rhythm with a look of enjoyment.

In terms of looks and figure, Liu Qiaolian was far superior to the girls at the Jade Flower Pavilion. Moreover, she was skilled at cards and had good sportsmanship. Most importantly, he had feelings for Liu Qiaolian. Indulging himself here was nowhere near as enjoyable as going home to play cards with Liu Qiaolian.

"You are quite disciplined, a pity..." Yuchi Xiao remarked with a sigh, but he didn't finish what he was going to say. Xia Daoming pretended not to know what Yuchi Xiao regretted and continued to listen to the music with an enraptured expression.

That night, Gu Ren stayed at the Jade Flower Pavilion. Xia Daoming listened to the music and then headed home early.

Upon returning home, the lights in the courtyard were still on. Liu Qiaolian was sitting in the front hall, reading a yellowed book. Seeing Xia Daoming enter, she happily put down the book.

"Master is home!" Liu Qiaolian stepped forward and curtsied. Her delicate nose twitched slightly, and her expression changed a little.

"Today was a gathering with fellow disciples. Senior Sister Liu Xiaoqiang treated us to listen to music at her Jade Flower Pavilion. I was the guest of honor, so I couldn't refuse and went along to listen."

"Don't worry, I'm just here to listen to music, a respectable pastime," Xia Daoming said with a smile. Having lived two lives, he knew exactly what Liu Qiaolian had sensed.

"Master, you are the master. You don't need to explain anything to this servant," Liu Qiaolian replied, her pretty face blushing. She looked incredibly alluring in the lamplight.

Although Xia Daoming disdained the common women at Jade Flower Pavilion, their youthful bodies had still stirred some desire within him. Seeing Liu Qiaolian's shy and seductive demeanor now, that spark quickly blazed into a bonfire.

"Heh heh, it seems words aren't enough. You don't believe me, Master. Then I'll prove it to you with actions," Xia Daoming said. He reached out, encircling Liu Qiaolian's soft waist, lifted her up, and strode towards the backyard.

That night, the backyard was filled with the colors of spring.

The following days were peaceful and quiet.

Xia Daoming practiced Hidden Strength at home daily, following the divine essence of the secret diagrams he had comprehended.

Every few days, he would visit the Hidden Dragon Hall. Firstly, to seek guidance. Secondly, as a personal disciple of Liang Jingtang, he had some supervisory and teaching duties in the outer court.

Yuchi Xiao, on the other hand, was a full-time disciple assisting Liang Jingtang in managing the martial arts school.

Every half a month, Liang Jingtang would give Xia Daoming a secret medicinal paste called Dragon Abyss Paste.

After taking it once and finding it had no effect on his condensation of Hidden Strength, Xia Daoming stopped taking it. Instead, he gave it to Liu Qiaolian to keep.

Xia Daoming's speed in cultivating Hidden Strength was astonishing.

However, Hidden Strength was inherently reclusive and dormant. Without an outward burst of power, it was difficult to detect.

This was unless a Great Martial Master of the same or a higher rank specifically investigated.

Liang Jingtang never expected Xia Daoming to cultivate Hidden Strength so quickly, so he didn't bother to investigate his power specifically. Furthermore, Xia Daoming had already glimpsed some profound insights into the seventh and eighth layers of the Dragon Serpent Art from the secret diagrams. Not only was the Hidden Strength he cultivated more condensed and pure, but his ability to conceal and suppress it was even more advanced than Liang Jingtang's.

Even if Liang Jingtang had specifically investigated, he likely wouldn't have found anything.

Therefore, no one at the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School knew that Xia Daoming had not only cultivated Hidden Strength but had done so at an incredible speed. In just two months, the Hidden Strength he had accumulated surpassed that of a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master.

This night marked the fourth month since Xia Daoming had joined the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School.

The bright moon hung high in the sky.

Xia Daoming slowly opened his eyes. His body, through which the fifth Meridian flowed, emitted a fluctuating aura of power.

Xia Daoming lifted his foot and stomped lightly on the ground.

Almost no sound was made, and the spot where he landed remained flat. However, originating from that point, cracks spread outwards.

"Finally, a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master! The power and quality of my Hidden Strength have also significantly improved," Xia Daoming said, a joyful smile spreading across his lips as he looked at the cracks on the ground.

However, looking at the simple system interface in his mind, the smile on Xia Daoming's face quickly vanished.

Xia Daoming—

Cultivation: Fifth-Rank Martial Master

Level One Meridian Strengthening Progress: 0%.

"Next, I need to replenish my body significantly to strengthen my meridians! I wonder how many times the meridian strengthening for the Fifth-Rank realm can be supported by eight thousand taels of silver," Xia Daoming mused, stroking his chin with a worried expression.

After several windfalls, Xia Daoming had accumulated around six thousand taels of silver before formally becoming a disciple.

Liu Qiaolian also had about six thousand taels.

Together, they had a total of twelve thousand taels.

After paying the three thousand taels for the discipleship fee, nine thousand taels remained.

Over the past three months, one thousand taels had been spent.

Xia Daoming only cultivated Hidden Strength and did not strengthen his meridians, so his expenses were very low. Besides the daily expenses of the Xia family, this one thousand taels was mainly spent on purchasing tonics to strengthen Blood Essence for Liu Qiaolian.

This massive investment made Liu Qiaolian feel very guilty and touched every time she took the nourishing items. She cultivated even more diligently and tried harder to please him when playing cards with Xia Daoming.

Being supported to this extent made Xia Daoming feel very guilty.

"It seems I need to find a way to make money. But with the system's insatiable appetite for funds, what other way is there to earn money that can keep up, besides robbing and killing?

Robbing and killing might be occasional opportunities, but if it were to become a profession, it would be a path of no return!" Xia Daoming was full of worry and had no solution.

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