Chen Yuan replied modestly, "Senior Brother Tao, you flatter me. The path of the Martial Dao only grows more difficult the further one goes. A moment of rapid progress doesn’t mean much. Perhaps one day I’ll find myself stuck at a bottleneck."
At this thought, the first person who unexpectedly popped into his mind was Senior Brother Fang. He hastily apologized in his heart, "Please don’t take offense, Senior Brother Fang! I didn’t mean any disrespect!"
Tao Ping laughed. "Stop being so modest. There are less than three months left until the Martial Exam, which should be enough time for you to forge Iron Bones and break through the Muscle Pass. Our Huo Courtyard is relying on you and Junior Brother Xu now. I hope you both make it onto the Rank A list and bring glory to our master’s lineage."
When he had participated in the Martial Exam back in his day, he had only barely managed to scrape the bottom of the Rank C list. Although Qingyuan County was small, it was teeming with hidden talents. There were only fifty passing spots in total, and the four major families would claim at least half of them. The rest would be fiercely contested by disciples from various Martial Arts Halls, Martial Arts Academies, and other lesser families. For a Martial Arts Academy to have even one person pass the exam was already considered a decent achievement.
Chen Yuan nodded. He thought, "Breaking through the Muscle Pass shouldn’t be a problem. All I need to do is upgrade my Hidden Force to Minor Achievement, while bringing Dragon Sinews and Ripple Step to a preliminary level of Minor Achievement." However, realizing just how many aspects he needed to improve, he knew his time wasn’t actually that abundant.
After eating and resting for a while, Chen Yuan spotted Senior Brother Fang arriving late. It seemed that with the Fang Family’s troubles resolved, he could once again visit the Martial Arts Hall frequently to practice. However, since Senior Brother Fang hadn’t yet comprehended Hidden Force, he no longer seemed suitable as a sparring partner.
Yet Fang Minghai walked over with a smile and called out, "Junior Brother Chen, come, spar with me for a bit."
Chen Yuan stood up and smiled back. "Sure, Senior Brother Fang, after you." Even though he felt a spar might be pointless, outright refusing would inevitably hurt Senior Brother Fang’s feelings.
But the moment they exchanged blows and Chen Yuan felt the continuous, subtle power transmitting from Fang Minghai’s hands, he realized something was different. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. "Senior Brother Fang, you’ve comprehended Hidden Force?"
He couldn’t be mistaken about this kind of power!
Fang Minghai burst into hearty laughter. "Yesterday, seeing you utterly defeat those bugs from the He Family felt so incredibly satisfying. Somehow, in that moment of elation, I managed to grasp Hidden Force! I really must thank you, Junior Brother, for helping me break through this bottleneck that’s held me back for years."
By breaking through the Muscle Pass and mastering Hidden Force, he now met the standard qualifications of a Second-class Martial Artist. In an ordinary family, someone of this caliber would be treated as a Tributor-level figure.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands and smiled. "Congratulations on comprehending Hidden Force, Senior Brother Fang. I’m sure the He Family will be even more afraid to act out of line in the future." He was genuinely happy for Fang Minghai; it meant they could continue sparring together going forward.
At that moment, three figures approached from the direction of the Inner Courtyard. It was Master Huo, Xu Heng, and Song Bridge.
"Master Huo," the surrounding disciples, including Chen Yuan’s trio, stepped forward to greet him.
Huo Lin waved his hand slightly. He first looked at Chen Yuan, a satisfied smile hanging on his face. "Not bad. Your progress on the Martial Dao has surprised me once again. Keep up this momentum and strive for a good result in the Martial Exam."
To him, cultivating Xu Heng was a deliberate endeavor, whereas Chen Yuan’s growth was a fortuitous surprise.
Chen Yuan nodded gently. "Thank you, Master Huo. Your disciple will continue to work hard."
Master Huo grunted in acknowledgment before offering a reminder. "Still, it’s best to be careful when you’re out and about. Try to avoid getting into fierce fights. I’m getting old, and my vitality has waned significantly. Those who wish to harm you might not be deterred by my name anymore." He had naturally heard about Chen Yuan’s battle record at Wankou Mountain; killing two people in succession bore a strong resemblance to his own demeanor back in his younger days.
Chen Yuan nodded. "Your disciple will keep that in mind."
Behind Master Huo, the two other men were also sizing Chen Yuan up, each harboring their own thoughts. Xu Heng wasn’t surprised by Chen Yuan’s current progress; in fact, he felt somewhat gratified. After all, standing completely alone at the top was rather boring. Occasionally seeing Chen Yuan’s figure chasing him from behind added a certain flavor to his training. However, the combat power Chen Yuan had displayed gave him a sense of urgency.
His own strength was still steadily improving during this period without hitting any bottlenecks. In a few days, he would finish forging his Iron Bones and break through the Muscle Pass, while his techniques were also on the verge of reaching Minor Achievement in Hidden Force. He was practically suppressing Chen Yuan by a full minor Stage, yet even he didn’t have absolute confidence in being able to kill Ge Jinhua. But Chen Yuan had done it—and emerged completely unscathed. That feat made Xu Heng look at him in a new light.
As for Song Bridge, hailing from the Song Family—one of the four major families—he prided himself on having a good eye for talent, but he had to admit he had misjudged Chen Yuan. He previously thought Chen Yuan was merely a flash in the pan who absolutely couldn’t be compared to Xu Heng. Yet, almost a year had passed, and the power gap between the two hadn’t widened significantly. Chen Yuan had tenaciously kept up. Given his current performance, he might even be able to compete for one of the twelve spots on the Rank A list.
Song Bridge glanced at Fang Minghai, a trace of envy in his eyes. His own sponsorship of Xu Heng was a high-investment, high-reward endeavor, but Fang Minghai’s sponsorship of Chen Yuan was a low-investment, incredibly high-reward bet. Just by helping the Fang Family reclaim the ownership rights to their mine, Chen Yuan had earned back the initial investment countless times over. Was it just good luck, or did fools simply have foolish fortune?
After encouraging Chen Yuan, Huo Lin shifted his gaze to Fang Minghai and gave a slight nod. "Minghai, you’ve done well too, finally comprehending Hidden Force. With your Root Bone, achieving Great Success in muscle tempering shouldn’t be an issue. If you endure for another few years and train your Hidden Force to Minor Achievement, you can be considered to have made a name for yourself."
Among his disciples, Fang Minghai was already considered one of the standouts.
Fang Minghai smiled upon hearing this and cupped his hands slightly. "I will definitely remember Master’s teachings." His joy was present, but composed.
Over the first few days, Chen Yuan could clearly sense the changes in how others treated him. But habit was a terrifying thing; gradually, his life returned to its usual tranquility. Naturally, this was exactly what he had hoped for.
A few days later, while still on duty at the Fourth Medicinal Garden, Chen Yuan finally received a summons from General Manager Li. In Courtyard Number One, he met the smiling manager and bowed with cupped hands. "Chen Yuan pays his respects to General Manager Li."
General Manager Li waved his hand dismissively and smiled. "Chen, I heard about what happened a few days ago. You’ve given me yet another pleasant surprise. Based on your actual combat performance, I’ve found a suitable position for you."
He had considered this role for the young man before but felt it inappropriate since Chen Yuan had only just broken through. Now, however, his worries were put to rest.
Chen Yuan’s heart stirred. "Please enlighten me, General Manager Li."
Li Song spoke slowly, "You will serve as a hidden sentry for the Medicinal Gardens. Your main responsibility will be providing reinforcements and tactical support. I’ve assigned you to a central location between the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Medicinal Gardens.
"There’s a small building there where you can rest, and you can spend your usual time cultivating. Whenever you hear a whistling arrow or any other signal, you must quickly rush to assist and help the on-duty guards resolve the crisis.
"You’ll have a partner acting as a hidden sentry alongside you, and your shift will remain during the afternoon. What do you think?"
This job was relatively relaxed and required substantial combat power—a perfect fit for Chen Yuan. Recognizing General Manager Li’s good intentions, he agreed on the spot. "Thank you, General Manager Li, for securing this role for me. I will definitely do my utmost."
Li Song smiled faintly and changed the subject. "I heard that rascal Changfu has been looking for a marriage match for you within the family recently?"
Chen Yuan gave a bitter smile. "That is indeed the case. Steward Li is far too polite, and it was difficult for me to refuse his great hospitality."
He thought, "It seems this Li Changfu is no pushover either. I just hope he doesn’t broadcast it to the whole world; it’s not like I’m holding a bridal competition."
Li Song laughed. "It’s a good thing. Our Li Family currently holds the momentum to be the head of the four major families, and we have abundant resources. If you marry into the family, you will absolutely receive our full support and cultivation.
"However, the young ladies of the Li Family have high standards. Your battle record at Wankou Mountain alone might not be enough to win them over. In half a month, we’ll hold our internal clan tournament to prepare for the Martial Exam.
"If you can perform exceptionally well in the tournament, I’m sure you’ll be able to win the hearts of many young ladies. I have high hopes for you."
Hearing this, Chen Yuan practically shivered in dread. He had never said he wanted to participate! One look at this Li Family clan tournament and anyone could tell the waters were deep; it would be incredibly easy to offend people. Although the Li Family wouldn’t skimp on rewards for top performers, he had already taken risks to earn enough cultivation resources for his near future. There was no need to gamble further. Keeping a low profile and steadily growing stronger was the best strategy.