How Did You Become a Martial Warrior?

"You!"

The pockmarked-faced man was so furious that he nearly blacked out. In his eyes, Zhou Chen came from a poor family and had limited talent; a little intimidation should have made him submit. Who would have thought Zhou Chen would actually tell him to get lost!

What he hated most was people mentioning the pockmarks on his face!

No matter who it was!

"Ah! Junior Brother Pockmarks! You mustn't force him. It is entirely up to Junior Brother himself; I never force anyone to do anything."

Ma Pengcheng raised a hand at just the right moment to stop the pockmarked-faced man, waving it as he put on an air of generosity and magnanimity.

"I..."

The pockmarked-faced man shot Zhou Chen a vicious glare, clenched his fists, then turned and smiled at Ma Pengcheng. "Senior Brother Ma, my surname is Zhang..."

"Did I remember wrong?"

Ma Pengcheng looked at him.

"It's fine. Junior Brother Pockmarks sounds nice too."

The pockmarked-faced man smiled, then added silently in his heart, Other than senior brothers stronger than me, no one else can mention the pockmarks on my face!

After placating the pockmarked-faced man, Ma Pengcheng smiled at Zhou Chen. "But Junior Brother, are you truly not going to reconsider? Once I enter the Noble Family Trading House, my benefits will double. When that happens, why wouldn't I be able to repay you for a few Qi-Blood Soups? A hundred taels, a thousand taels—those are trivial matters."

His voice sounded mild, but anyone could hear the threat beneath it: I'm giving you one last chance.

In his view, with the status of an Ordinary Disciple and his own strength, applying pressure again would surely make Zhou Chen obediently agree, as long as he was not an idiot.

But in the next moment, Zhou Chen merely shook his head calmly. "Thank you for your kind offer, Senior Brother."

He did not believe a single word Ma Pengcheng said.

For anyone who stepped onto the martial path, money only became less and less sufficient the farther they went.

Once one reached the Flesh Tempering Realm or Bone Tempering Realm, maintaining one's Blood Vitality and preventing it from declining required daily supplies of meat, fish, and nourishing soups.

Even if Ma Pengcheng truly reached Major Accomplishment in the Flesh Tempering Realm and secured a good position at the Placement Fair, the resources he earned would only barely sustain himself. Where would he find spare money to "repay Zhou Chen a thousand taels"?

Anyone who believed that crap was a damned idiot!

"Fine!" The smile on Ma Pengcheng's lips did not change, though an imperceptible chill flashed through his eyes. Still smiling warmly, he said, "Whenever Junior Brother changes his mind, come find me."

After saying that, he turned and left with his men, as if his earlier words had merely been a casual suggestion.

But after taking only two steps, the people behind him began cursing in low voices:

"Damn it, that piece of trash really doesn't know what's good for him. We gave him face, and he still acts up! There are only forty days left of the three-month deadline. If he can achieve Initiation, I'll eat shit standing on my head!"

"That's what I'm saying. Letting him drink Qi-Blood Soup is a waste anyway. He has drunk so much of it, yet his Stake-Standing Exercise still hasn't achieved Initiation. I've never seen anyone so useless. It would be better to give it to Senior Brother Ma and help build his cultivation. If Senior Brother Ma hadn't stopped me, I'd have shown him some colors today."

"People like him have never been beaten, so they don't know what's good for them."

Their voices were not loud, yet they drifted perfectly into Zhou Chen's ears.

Zhou Chen stood where he was, watching their retreating backs as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

That was how the world worked. If you refused to obey, you were in the wrong. Even if you had done nothing wrong, hatred could still come knocking from the most inexplicable places.

Yet on the martial path, stealing another's providence and opportunities was no different from murdering their parents!

Ma Pengcheng had repeatedly coveted his Qi-Blood Soup. He had already crossed Zhou Chen's bottom line!

Besides, Zhou Chen did not believe Ma Pengcheng was truly as generous as he pretended to be.

Who knew how he might trip Zhou Chen up in the future? He might even make a move against him!

"At the end of the day, I'm still too weak... If I were stronger, who would dare snatch anything from my hands?"

Zhou Chen punched the wooden training dummy, his gaze icy.

Although he had already broken through and become a First-Rank Martial Artist, Ma Pengcheng had been at First Grade for several years. His Blood Vitality had long reached Major Accomplishment, and his fist technique had also reached Minor Accomplishment. His overall strength was unquestionably above Zhou Chen's.

For now, he could not tear off all pretense!

From the moment he began practicing martial arts, he had made up his mind: even if conflict arose, in public, he would yield whenever he needed to yield. He only needed to strike from the shadows afterward.

After all, in his view, only fighting across realms was the safest course.

Of course, by fighting across realms, he meant using a higher realm to crush a lower one!

Higher over lower was still fighting across realms. Nothing wrong with that!

"I'll write this down for now. Once I'm strong enough... just watch how I kill you!"

Zhou Chen muttered inwardly and placed Ma Pengcheng on the blacklist in his heart.

Several fellow disciples beside him watched him with concern.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you were too impulsive. Senior Brother Ma carries considerable prestige even among the Ordinary Disciples. He is right too—there is no hope of you achieving Initiation within three months. You might as well forge a good relationship with him."

"Exactly. If he becomes your backer, when you return to do business, even gangs may waive your monthly protection fees."

"And Senior Brother Ma is in charge of us Registered Disciples this month. He will inevitably make things difficult for you then!"

Zhou Chen paid them no heed. Seeing that he would not listen to advice, some people quietly began keeping their distance from him, afraid of being dragged into trouble.

But it did not matter. Fierce tigers traveled alone; only cattle and sheep flocked together.

Du Song, however, eagerly came over. He pulled a flatbread from his clothes and began munching on it, then plopped down on the ground and indignantly defended Zhou Chen. "Damn it, that Ma bastard is really pushing his luck! Don't take it to heart. If he won't give it to you, he can't just openly steal it from you!"

As he spoke, he held the flatbread out toward Zhou Chen. "Hey, want some? My family's flatbread—crispy outside, soft inside, and it smells amazing!"

Zhou Chen glanced at the black grime beneath Du Song's fingernails and quickly smiled as he shook his head. "No, I need to save room for lunch later."

Du Song was truly a good guy. While everyone else avoided Zhou Chen, he had still eagerly come over and offered him flatbread. It was just that his hygiene habits were far too careless. The flatbread did smell delicious, but Zhou Chen really could not bring himself to eat it.

"True enough. You eat with the personal disciples, so your meals are much better than my flatbread."

Du Song took a huge bite, his cheeks puffing up like a hamster's. As he chewed, the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by an unconcealable melancholy. "Chen, have you figured out your way out yet? In just a few more days, my three months will be up. Neither my Stake-Standing Exercise nor my fist technique has amounted to anything. I'm still far from it. My parents won't let me work as a guard—they say it's too dangerous—and insist that I go home and sell flatbread... What about you? What are you planning?"

In his eyes, Zhou Chen was just like him. There was absolutely no way Zhou Chen could achieve Initiation within three months.

Before Zhou Chen could answer, Elder Zheng came over for his usual inspection. Zhou Chen could only say, "I got lucky. I broke through yesterday and became a First-Rank Martial Artist. Master Zheng is here, so I'll report to him first."

"Mhm, mhm. Go ahead." Du Song took another huge bite of flatbread and waved casually.

Then he suddenly froze.

The flatbread in his hand hung in midair. His mouth was still chewing, but his entire body seemed to have been nailed in place.

He raised his head, eyes wide as he stared fixedly at Zhou Chen's retreating back, his face filled with disbelief. He wanted to say something, but the dry flatbread lodged in his throat. He could only pound wildly at his chest, his face turning crimson as blood vessels showed in his bulging eyes.

What had he just heard?

Zhou Chen, who had middling-to-low natural aptitude just like him, had achieved Initiation?!

"Holy shit!!!"

Du Song finally swallowed the flatbread. He snatched up his bamboo tube and gulped down a mouthful of cold water, choking into a coughing fit, but his eyes remained fixed in Zhou Chen's direction as he walked away. His mind buzzed, and his face was full of shock!

Zhou Chen had become a Martial Warrior!!!

No, brother!

Didn't we agree that we'd go back and sell flatbread together?

How did you become a Martial Warrior first?!