The major powers in the County Town fought both openly and in the shadows, but those struggles remained between the powers themselves. For ordinary people, daily life was no different from before.
For ordinary martial artists, however, this was not a crisis at all. It was an opportunity.
Whether they entered the mountains to search for Spirit Grass or hunt spirit beasts, either could make them rich overnight.
Even martial artists unwilling to risk their lives could seize this chance to join the four major powers. As the fighting intensified, every power was continually recruiting martial artists.
None of this had much to do with Zhao Er, though.
Zhao Er had always kept an extremely low profile. Aside from entering the Mountain Range to obtain toxins, he stayed secluded in his little courtyard and rarely ventured out.
Apart from his eldest brother and sister-in-law, only Dian Zhang of the Martial Pavilion knew anything about his strength. His brother and sister-in-law merely knew that he cultivated extraordinarily quickly, and none of the three would casually reveal his strength.
As for the Ning Family, Zhao Cai, Wang Ze of the Wang Family, and Sun Yuanying of the Sun Family, they only knew that Zhao Er was a talented martial artist who would surely shine in the Grand Exam three years from now. But that was three years away. Zhao Er had never publicly displayed his strength, so naturally, he had not attracted the attention of other powers.
Inside the Cultivation Chamber, the White Marten lay sprawled on the floor with its limbs splayed wide. A small, earth-yellow snake lay near death beside it. Its round eyes watched Zhao Er cultivating cross-legged, and every so often, it reached out a paw to pull the little snake over and give it a lick.
In