Front Courtyard of the Martial Arts School
As Wang Jin and Shen Congyun appeared, the previously noisy courtyard fell silent.
"Master Wang!"
"Greetings, Master Wang!!"
"Greetings, Master!!"
Voices rang out across the courtyard.
At the back of the crowd, Jiang Ning and Cheng Ran also turned their gazes toward the newcomers.
"It's Master Wang!" Cheng Ran said excitedly. "With Master Wang here, we'll soon get to witness the tiger's ferocity up close. Today is a crucial opportunity for my Tiger Fist to reach major mastery!!!"
At this moment, Jiang Ning's attention was drawn to Shen Congyun, who stood beside Wang Jin.
Jiang Ning asked, "Is that the Deputy Head Shen Congyun you mentioned earlier, Senior Brother Cheng?"
In Shen Congyun, Jiang Ning saw the aura of a true master.
Elegant, approachable, and exuding an air of mystery.
He didn't look like a martial arts expert but rather like a scholarly Confucian master, radiating wisdom and refinement.
As Jiang Ning spoke, Cheng Ran's gaze also settled on Shen Congyun.
He nodded excitedly. "Yes, that's the big shot, Deputy Head Shen Congyun of Wanhua Tower! If I can catch his attention, I'll truly rise to greatness and change my fate!!"
Hearing Cheng Ran's words, Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
Rise to greatness!
Change one's fate!
Could Shen Congyun's recognition have such an effect?
After all, Cheng Ran's family owned thousands of acres of fertile land, making them a wealthy household.
Cheng Ran didn't lack the resources needed for martial arts advancement.
Jiang Ning also knew that without his family's wealth, Cheng Ran wouldn't have reached this level!
At his age, Cheng Ran had already achieved full circulation of qi and blood throughout his body and was on the verge of becoming a ninth-rank martial artist.
This was largely due to the resources his family had provided.
Scholars thrive on poverty, but martial artists require wealth.
Rapid progress in martial arts demanded a wealth of precious medicinal herbs, tonics, and pills blood-nourishing pills, qi-replenishing pills, bone-strengthening pills...
All of these were expensive.
For someone like Cheng Ran, who had such resources, to say that Shen Congyun's recognition could change his fate seemed exaggerated.
Could being recognized by a figure like Shen Congyun have such a profound impact?
Jiang Ning felt a bit skeptical.
At this moment, Wang Jin stood in the front courtyard, looking at his disciples with a sense of satisfaction.
The prosperity of the martial arts school made him feel proud.
"Brother Shen, these are my less-than-stellar disciples. What do you think?" Wang Jin asked Shen Congyun.
"Not bad," Shen Congyun replied, nodding slightly.
As he spoke, his gaze casually swept over the crowd.
He fully understood Wang Jin's intentions.
Earlier, when Wang Jin had suggested he come out and take a look, it was essentially a request for him to evaluate the disciples and see if any were worthy of Wanhua Tower's investment.
Out of respect for Wang Jin, he was willing to oblige.
From his perspective, this also reflected well on Wang Jin's character.
Even while focusing on his own martial arts journey and not yet needing to rely on his disciples for support, Wang Jin still cared about their futures and sought opportunities for them.
This spoke volumes about Wang Jin's integrity.
This, in turn, made Shen Congyun feel even more positive about their friendship.
Whether investing or forming friendships, no one wanted to deal with someone of questionable character.
However, deep down, Shen Congyun didn't hold much hope for Wang Jin's disciples.
The martial arts geniuses Wanhua Tower valued were those with the potential to become first-rate experts those who could surpass internal strengthening and reach the fourth rank of martial arts.
Only such individuals were worthy of Wanhua Tower's attention and investment.
As for those with the potential to become grandmasters, they were rare and unpredictable.
Historically, any grandmaster was a combination of talent, background, opportunity, and luck.
Even the top-ranked individual on Guangning Prefecture's Hidden Dragon Ranking was merely praised as having the potential to become a grandmaster in the future.
In a remote place like Luoshui County, discovering Wang Jin, a late-blooming talent with the potential to glimpse the realm of a grandmaster, was already a significant find for Shen Congyun.
He didn't expect to find more.
Thus, as he looked at the disciples in the courtyard, Shen Congyun's gaze was somewhat indifferent.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xing was stunned when he saw Shen Congyun. The deputy head's appearance was completely unexpected.
In the next moment, his shock turned into elation.
He had long wanted to meet the three heads of Wanhua Tower in Luoshui County.
He was confident in his talent and believed he might catch Wanhua Tower's attention, leading to a life-changing opportunity.
However, despite his best efforts, he had never been able to meet any of the three heads.
Even his father's invitations had gone unanswered.
He knew that while the Zhou family held some status, it was only within the small confines of Luoshui County.
Moreover, there were many families in the county more prosperous and powerful than the Zhou family.
In the Great Xia Empire, families like his couldn't even touch the threshold of being considered a true aristocratic family.
Even the Cao, Liu, and Xie families, the three great families of Luoshui County, hadn't reached that level.
Thus, Zhou Xing understood that without fate's favor, he had no chance of meeting Wanhua Tower's leaders.
If he couldn't even meet them, how could he hope to gain their recognition?
So, he had long buried this hope in his heart.
But now, seeing Shen Congyun in person, that hope reignited.
If he could secure Wanhua Tower's investment and recognition, the Zhou family's chances of rising to the level of the Cao, Liu, and Xie families would increase significantly.
In the Great Xia Empire, sufficient martial strength could achieve anything.
For example, if he became strong enough to pass the martial imperial examination and earn an official title, the Zhou family would immediately gain prestige, and he, Zhou Xing, would bring glory to his family.
A martial scholar was a symbol of both strength and status.
However, only those under thirty were eligible to take the martial imperial examination.
Once past that age, no matter how strong one was, the opportunity was lost.
Even in these turbulent times for the Great Xia Empire, becoming a martial scholar would be a tremendous achievement.
After all, a dying camel is still larger than a horse, and the empire, though shaky, still stood.
At this moment, Zhou Xing knew his opportunity lay before him in Shen Congyun.
If he could gain Shen Congyun's recognition, all his imagined possibilities could become reality.
His future would expand, and he could lead the Zhou family to a higher level, potentially joining the ranks of aristocratic families.
This was the only way to fulfill his ambitions and aspirations.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhou Xing's heart was anything but calm, and his fists clenched unconsciously.
"Later, I must step forward and showcase myself."
Zhou Xing's resolve was firm.
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