Since waking up the 'Purple Mist Palace', Yan Chuan has dedicated himself entirely to cultivation.
In the past, he was hindered by his aptitude, and hard work rarely yielded results.
Now, because of the 'Purple Mist Palace', and the mutual teaching and learning experience, every bit of Yan Chuan's efforts and sweat brings some improvement. He cherishes this opportunity, trains diligently, and is unwilling to slack off.
But cultivation is not just about sweating; it also requires 'thinking' and 'wisdom'.
Yan Chuan is diligent but not reckless.
Aside from hard training, 'instructing martial arts academy disciples' and 'reading various books' is Yan Chuan's pastime and also his alternative form of cultivation.
...
"...After three years, through comprehensive evaluations, the Great Yan Court announced the list of the 'Ten Great Martial Arts Schools' and ranked the academies—'Yanjing Academy' ranked first, 'Tianpeng Academy' ranked tenth, and 'Guangling Academy' ranked three hundred and ninth."
"A month ago, the first batch of disciples from Guangling Academy, the leading figure of the new faction martial artists, known as 'Golden Feather Cross Spear' Tu Tiannan, challenged the famous master 'Golden Saber User' Chu Cheng of the great sect Immortal Mist Mountain in Guangling County and won. Chu Cheng agreed to join Guangling Academy with the Immortal Mist Mountain's 'Eight Diagrams Dragon Saber' from the 'Seven Sabers and Three Skills'. Following the southern faction 'Songhe Sect', the northern faction 'Immortal Mist Mountain' might also align with Guangling Academy."
"Recently, six death incidents were discovered in Guangling City one after another, where the victim's blood was drained dry, leaving the corpses shriveled yet without apparent injuries on the surface..."
...
At the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, after reading the Daoist text, Buddhist scripture, and medical books, Yan Chuan felt dizzy and switched to the 'Guangling Newspaper' to refresh his mind.
"Among the four hundred academies of Great Yan, the 'Guangling Academy' opened eight years ago, only ranking at three hundred and ninth, which is at the lower end."
"Yet the first batch of disciples from such a lower-ranked academy, who began martial arts training only eight years ago, such as 'Tu Tiannan', managed to defeat the elders from the great sect Immortal Mist Mountain!"
Yan Chuan had heard of 'Golden Saber User' Chu Cheng's reputation, proficient in the 'Eight Diagrams Dragon Saber', with a sharp saber skill. Over ten years ago, he held prestige in the Guangling martial world, rivaling the 'Guangling Ten Tigers'.
Yet such a figure was defeated by a young talent.
It's truly thought-provoking.
"More than ten years ago, my master was evenly matched with Chu Cheng."
By this comparison, Cheng Fengxiao might not be a match for Tu Tiannan either.
And that 'Golden Feather Cross Spear', Yan Chuan had also heard of. He was as famous as Zhong Le, the leader of the 'Seven Star Boxing Club', known for 'Boxing Four Directions', and was listed among the 'Guangling Ten Outstanding'. At only twenty-five years old, he was even a year younger than Yan Chuan.
"At twenty-five, comparable to elders, not weaker than heroes!"
"Guangling Academy is getting stronger and stronger!"
Yan Chuan sighed.
For years, he has not been able to enter Guangling Academy, yet he has always paid attention and can clearly sense that the masters at Guangling Academy are increasing day by day, with more strong individuals emerging.
Of course, this is partly because good seedlings are being absorbed by the martial arts academy, but more so because the martial arts academy has its unique training mechanism, hidden yet advanced, far beyond what a martial arts hall or sect can compare to.
"Martial arts."
"Secret medicine."
"There are great secrets in the martial arts academy!"
Yan Chuan's eyes flickered. He had guessed as much before but had the self-awareness to suppress his curiosity.
But now—
With rapid progress, his heart is in agitation.
...
While flipping through the 'Guangling Newspaper', Yan Chuan's heart couldn't stop racing. Suddenly, at this moment, Wei Quan came to report: "Brother Wei from county government is here."
"Wei Wude."
"What is he here for?"
Yan Chuan frowned, but he couldn't avoid seeing him, "Let him in."
"Probably here to recruit strong men again!" Wei Quan muttered, but he still went out to bring the person in.
The visitor was dressed in blue, with a long saber at his side and a token on his waist, looking very efficient. He approached Yan Chuan from afar, greeting him with "Senior Brother, haven't seen you in over a month, how have you been lately?"
"Very well."
Yan Chuan welcomed him with a smile.
This Wei Wude, now a first-layer, is one of the Four Great Constables in Guangling County's Nanning County Government. Continuing his father's career, he has made a name for himself. In his early years, he trained in the 'Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall', focusing on 'Tiger Form Boxing', and thus called Yan Chuan 'Senior Brother'. But whenever he visited, it was never good news. It usually meant the government office encountered thorny cases, and with not enough skilled hands under his command, he would visit the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, hoping to enlist a few capable individuals as reinforcement.
For Wei Wude, this was a safe choice; regardless of performance, his life was the priority.
And for the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, having someone in the government office was advantageous. Although Wei Wude was not a high-ranking official, he was still a useful ally. It was always good to maintain a positive relationship.
Furthermore, Cheng Fengxiao often helped graduates from the martial arts hall with finding a path and livelihood, and Wei Wude's department had positions for government officials and constables, something Cheng Fengxiao desired.
Therefore, Wei Wude and the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall had a relatively close cooperative relationship.
Mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
And Wei Wude was never without purpose when visiting, so coming here today surely meant bad news.
"Come on!"
"Every time I come, Senior Brother never gives me a good face."
Wei Wude feigned a troubled expression, complaining: "But I have no choice, Nanning lies close to the city, with countless menaces coming and going every day, numerous strange incidents as well, and the government office's and my own subordinates, those few rookies, are simply not enough. I can only come to Senior Brother and Master for reinforcements. If I had skills like Senior Brother, handling it all alone, why would I need…?"
"Stop it!"
"Get to the point!"
Yan Chuan waved his hand, interrupting Wei Wude's endless chatter.
"Hehe!"
"Senior Brother is so righteous!"
Wei Wude quickly straightened up and said: "A few days ago, a menace entered Guangling City. It's said he's a veteran disciple from Guangling Academy who lost his mind due to cultivation and left the academy to hide in the city. The higher-ups ordered the Guangling Government Office, along with our Nanning County Government and Tea Nest County Government constables, to spread out and search the area in a net-like manner. Once found, report immediately, without engaging with the individual. I'm short on manpower, so I had to come to Senior Brother for help."
"What kind of menace?"
"Unclear, how can I give you men?"
"And you see, the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall is operating poorly now, with over twenty newbies just starting their horse stance. The rest, besides me, are only Jinpeng, Yutang, and Wei Quan. Wei Quan is unreliable, Yutang isn't short on money, and Jinpeng avoids trouble, you know this, truly no one."
Yan Chuan shook his head, unwilling to lend people.
Hearing this, Wei Wude looked around, seeing no one else, he leaned forward and whispered: "Senior Brother, I came this time to request you and Master to join forces. Adding my father, my older brother, and second brother, we aim to capture that menace!"
"Stop with the riddles!"
Yan Chuan was impatient.
Wei Wude still whispered: "There are rumors that the menace has treasures stolen from Guangling Academy, perhaps secret medicine, or maybe an absolute skill secret manual. Whatever it is, it's exceedingly valuable. I'm sending people to search, and once discovered, we'll all charge in. With my father and Master's strength, taking down the menace is no problem. Then, we would surely profit greatly!"
"Did you already find that person's tracks?" Yan Chuan inferred from the tone and understanding of Wei Wude that this guy most likely had already targeted the individual.
...