Chapter 51: The Four-Way Chamber of Commerce

Soon, Liu Zhixiang found several people on the list.

Cheng Ran, an ordinary disciple of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

His blood and qi were at perfection, possessing strength that permeated his entire body.

At a fast pace, within one month, or at a slow pace, within two months, Cheng Ran would enter the Skin Refining stage, with his skin membrane connecting throughout his body, placing his martial arts in the ninth rank.

Entering the ranks of martial arts is the basic requirement for joining the Inspectorate.

The Canglang Martial Arts Hall had five slots, and the Sihe Chamber of Commerce knew that Cheng Ran had a significant possibility of securing one of them.

Furthermore, he possessed considerable family wealth, which could support him in traveling further on the path of martial arts.

Xiao Peng, a true disciple of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

He also had a significant chance to compete with Cheng Ran for that slot.

In the eyes of the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, Xiao Peng's advantage lay in his more outstanding skills; he had already become a true disciple of Wang Jin, and being half a year younger than Cheng Ran, it suggested that Xiao Peng's talent might be even more exceptional.

As for the other four true disciples of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall, their slots for the Inspectorate had long since been locked in.

To Liu Zhixiang, Zhou Xing and Zhang Tiesheng offered absolutely no opportunity for investment.

This was because the Zhou family, to which Zhou Xing belonged, possessed industries and influence that were not much inferior to the Sihe Chamber of Commerce.

As for Zhang Tiesheng, he had already been recruited by Zhou Xing to become his retainer, making him one with the Zhou family.

The remaining two true disciples were Li Qing and Zhao Hu.

In the eyes of the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, Li Qing also had little chance.

After all, the Li family was also quite formidable, existing at the same level as the Sihe Chamber of Commerce.

How could they provide "charcoal in the snow" assistance to such people?

Therefore, in the eyes of the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, there were only three people in the entire Canglang Martial Arts Hall truly worth pursuing.

Cheng Ran, Xiao Peng, and Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu came from the outer sect; his family background was poor, but his constitution was extraordinary and his martial talent was quite high.

In terms of talent, he was not much inferior to Zhou Xing.

The only thing he lacked was resources.

Someone like Zhao Hu was exactly the kind of talent the Sihe Chamber of Commerce valued most.

Liu Zhixiang first approached Cheng Ran.

After introducing his identity and stating his purpose, he handed over an invitation.

Then, he headed toward the direction of the second target, Xiao Peng.

***

The front courtyard of the martial arts hall.

The corners of Cheng Ran's mouth curled up slightly as he smiled at Jiang Ning. "Junior Brother Jiang, see that? I told you, people definitely still think highly of me, Cheng Ran!"

Jiang Ning smiled. "Then, who does Senior Brother Cheng favor more?"

Cheng Ran said, "If we are talking about closeness of relationship, it is certainly Senior Brother Zhou Xing, as we share the bond of fellow disciples! But at a time like this, we don't judge by relationship, but by who provides me with greater benefits!"

"The Sihe Chamber of Commerce offers a larger investment. If their conditions are equally relaxed, I would naturally be willing to accept their investment."

"Otherwise, I would accept Senior Brother Zhou Xing's investment."

As he spoke, Cheng Ran looked at the two invitations in his hand and then looked at Jiang Ning.

"Then again, Junior Brother Jiang actually needs this investment more than I do!"

Facing Cheng Ran's words, Jiang Ning smiled.

He knew that even if he received no investment at all, it would not affect the upper limit of his future achievements in the slightest.

It was just that, in his heart, he felt somewhat regretful.

Because he was currently so desperately lacking in resources!

If he had sufficient resources, his strength would increase much faster, and he would enter the ninth rank of martial arts much earlier.

To him, the Inspectorate held great significance.

Patrolling the nine provinces, monitoring the world, and acting before reporting.

It was a towering tree.

When navigating the world, one ultimately had to rely on background and connections.

Unless one became a figure like a Martial Saint, capable of facing a nation alone and suppressing the entire world, one could ignore all of this.

These stray thoughts flashed rapidly through Jiang Ning's mind, but he immediately shook his head with a calm expression.

"My blood and qi have only barely reached minor success; how could I gain the favor of Senior Brother Zhou Xing or the Sihe Chamber of Commerce?"

Cheng Ran closed the invitation Liu Zhixiang had just given him. At this moment, his heart held both certain ideas and some hesitation.

After the battle this morning, he knew that Jiang Ning possessed far more talent than he had previously imagined.

In terms of fist technique, Jiang Ning was clearly superior to him.

The only thing lacking was the accumulation of blood and qi, and this accumulation could be greatly accelerated through resources.

Although, even with resources, he believed Jiang Ning still wouldn't be able to catch up in time to pose a threat to his own struggle for the Inspectorate slot.

But one should never rule out the possibility of a miracle.

In the next moment, his gaze became firm.

"Junior Brother Jiang, how about you accompany me to the Sihe Chamber of Commerce's banquet tomorrow night?"

"I know you need this investment more than I do. Even without it, I have resources from my father."

"But you are different. Your family background is ordinary, and you started practicing martial arts a bit late. This investment is crucial for you."

"The invitation from the Sihe Chamber of Commerce says the investment terms are to be discussed in person. I want to invite you to come with me. At the banquet, I will recommend you and strive to secure an investment from them for you. Since the Sihe Chamber of Commerce values me, they will naturally consider my proposal."

After hearing Cheng Ran's words, Jiang Ning's expression turned serious.

"If Senior Brother Cheng helps me like this, aren't you afraid I will pose a threat to your slot? Our hall's four slots are already decided; there is only one slot left to be determined."

Cheng Ran gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I have thought about that! But in my heart, Junior Brother Jiang is not just my fellow disciple, but a friend I, Cheng Ran, have personally recognized! Since you are a friend I have recognized, I must naturally strive for benefits for my friend."

Cheng Ran smiled again. "Besides, there is also Xiao Peng, who is my competitor! It is not certain whether I can win against Xiao Peng. If you can join in, it would be better for the Inspectorate slot to go to you than to him."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning felt a surge of emotion.

After thinking for only a moment, he cupped his hands in thanks.

"Since Senior Brother Cheng has said so, I shall follow your arrangement! In the future, I will never forget your kindness in helping me!"

He also wanted to strive for this investment.

Because Jiang Ning knew he was very short on resources and wealth.

For the advancement of his martial arts, he needed wealth.

For the energy points on his panel, he also needed wealth.

With sufficient wealth and resources, his strength would grow faster, allowing him to gain self-protection capabilities sooner.

It would also allow him to secure the safety of his elder brother, sister-in-law, and his niece and nephew much earlier, and allow him to repay the kindness of his brother and sister-in-law for their care.

Therefore, he wanted to seize this opportunity.

At worst, it would just be a wasted trip.

But if he could actually secure an investment from the Sihe Chamber of Commerce, it would be resources worth thousands of taels of silver.

That would be a windfall of immense fortune and wealth that would be of great help to him now.

Traveling with Cheng Ran, he was not worried about any threat from Xu Yunfeng.

Hearing Jiang Ning's nod of agreement, Cheng Ran was quite happy. He slapped Jiang Ning's shoulder heavily.

"Good! That's more like it, Junior Brother Jiang! Straightforward, no hesitation—it's a pleasure hanging out with you!!"