Chapter 54: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Immortals and Gods

The front courtyard of the martial arts hall.

Shen Congyun looked at Jiang Ning. On the surface, he appeared calm, but his heart was anything but.

Two months ago, he had handed the introductory chapter of the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique to Wang Jin. Now, he had detected the aura of the Essence of Solar Radiance on a third person besides Wang Jin.

The residual information from breathing in the Essence of Solar Radiance was precisely the characteristic of practicing the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique.

Thus, he naturally understood that this youth had clearly also practiced the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique and had achieved considerable success.

Success comparable to Wang Jin, who had managed to reach the introductory level of the technique.

It was because of this realization that Shen Congyun's heart was currently surging with waves of emotion.

These waves were not due to any grievance regarding Wang Jin spreading the technique.

Rather, it was because the cultivation requirements for the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique were not simple; only those born with innate spiritual intelligence, combined with his secret medicinal formula, could sense the Essence of Solar Radiance emitted when the great sun rises.

Only by sensing this energy could one breathe in the Essence of Solar Radiance to temper the internal organs, thereby allowing them to master this supreme art that ranked above high-tier martial arts.

He was also well aware that the amount of secret medicine he had previously provided to Wang Jin was not much. Given Wang Jin's cultivation progress, it should not have been enough for two people to reach the introductory level.

That left only one possibility.

That was that this youth before him did not need the secret medicine he provided to sense the Essence of Solar Radiance at sunrise.

This incredibly exaggerated talent was what shocked him the most.

Only a top-tier innate spiritual genius could achieve this.

In his view, if such talent were placed in the ancient era, there would be hope for such a person to become an existence comparable to gods and immortals.

Shen Congyun's gaze quietly fell upon Jiang Ning once more, as he muttered to himself.

"There are no such coincidences in this world. This kid has either stolen Wang Jin's Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique, or he has received private instruction from him."

"Whichever the reason, it is no longer important."

"I only gave the technique to Wang Jin two months ago, yet this kid managed to reach the introductory level without the aid of secret medicine."

"This is enough to prove that his comprehension and talent are extremely high, and that he is a top-tier innate spiritual genius!"

"With the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique in his hands, he will surely be able to cultivate it to the Great Success stage, reaching the realm of 'Thunderous Sounds in the Five Viscera' and 'Internal Breath like Astral Qi'."

"He is still quite young. Combined with his talent and my assistance, this kid will surely enter the ranks of the Fifth Grade in the future, and the possibility of him reaching the Fourth Grade is not low! His chance of claiming a seat among the Grandmasters is even higher than mine, and higher than Wang Jin's!"

"An innate spiritual genius like this is more suited to practicing the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique than Wang Jin. I cannot let him slip away!"

"But what a pity! This child is a top-tier innate spiritual genius with such high talent in the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique, yet this supreme art happens to lack the method for Perfection!"

"What a true tragedy!!"

"If there were a method for Perfection... even if my own talent could not achieve it, based on this kid's current performance..."

"His ability to sense the Essence of Solar Radiance without secret medicine, to reach the introductory level of the technique, and to do so in at most two months..."

"In the future, he might just be able to master the Perfection method of the Inner Dan Vitality Cultivation Technique, achieving the legendary state of 'Body like a Blazing Furnace, Condensing the Golden Core'."

Shen Congyun sighed inwardly. At this moment, he had made his decision.

He would use his investment quota on Jiang Ning.

He believed that Jiang Ning's future performance could bring him sufficient returns and sufficient profit.

However, before that, he had to go back and investigate thoroughly: exactly how long had Jiang Ning been practicing martial arts? And exactly how good was his martial talent?

Only then could he decide how much to wager on Jiang Ning!

Following this, driven by the hope of finding more, Shen Congyun scanned the entire area seriously.

A moment later.

Seeing that Shen Congyun had withdrawn his gaze, Wang Jin spoke up.

"Brother Shen, what do you think of my disciples?"

Shen Congyun nodded slightly. "Not bad!!"

Seeing Shen Congyun's indifferent expression, Wang Jin felt a sudden sense of disappointment.

How could he not understand that "not bad" in Shen Congyun's vocabulary meant he did not see them as exceptional talents?

"So be it!" Wang Jin sighed inwardly. "I have done my best to fight for the opportunity. Whether it succeeds or fails depends on the will of Heaven! It is not easy to find a prodigy that the Wanhua Pavilion would take notice of."

***

On the other side.

The Mingyue Pavilion.

Inside a third-floor private booth.

Xu Yunfeng stood before a middle-aged man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a majestic countenance.

He bowed slightly, keeping his head low, demonstrating his submission to the man in his thirties.

*Thump—*

*Thump—*

*Thump—*

The square-faced middle-aged man lightly tapped his index finger on the Eight Immortals table, producing a heart-shaking sound in the quiet room.

Feeling the oppressive atmosphere, Xu Yunfeng bowed even lower, his expression filled with tension.

"Still no progress?" the middle-aged man asked in a low voice.

"Chief Cao, none yet!" Xu Yunfeng reported with his head down.

The man Xu Yunfeng called Chief Cao picked up the teacup in front of him. The lid slid against the rim, making a faint rustling sound, causing some of the scalding tea to overflow.

He gently blew on the steaming tea, pushing aside two floating tea leaves to reveal the clear liquid beneath.

The entire booth was terrifyingly silent, save for the sound of the man blowing on his tea.

Xu Yunfeng grew even more nervous.

"Speak. I will give you a chance to explain!" Chief Cao spoke, breaking the silence of the booth, before taking a small sip of the scalding tea.

Xu Yunfeng immediately spoke up: "Chief Cao, Jiang Li's greatest weakness is his younger brother, Jiang Ning. I originally intended to strike through Jiang Ning—to sever a finger to force Jiang Li to comply. But after that day, he sent Jiang Ning to the Canglang Martial Arts Hall to learn martial arts!"

"Canglang Martial Arts Hall?" Chief Cao set down his teacup.

*Clang—*

The teacup collided with the surface of the Eight Immortals table, letting out a crisp sound.

"Is it Wang Jin's Canglang Martial Arts Hall?" Chief Cao asked again.

"Yes!" Xu Yunfeng lowered his head. "It is indeed Wang Jin's Canglang Martial Arts Hall! Ever since Jiang Ning became Wang Jin's disciple, he went home once, and since that day, he has never stepped foot outside the hall! He must have obtained Wang Jin's permission to reside in the hall long-term."

"Wang Jin!!" Cao Bin tapped his finger lightly on the Eight Immortals table.

*Thump—*

*Thump—*

*Thump—*

A series of sounds immediately followed the tapping against the table.

The entire booth fell silent once more.

After a moment.

Cao Bin spoke: "Wang Jin is not someone to be provoked directly!"

"Then, should we target Jiang Li's children, or temporarily give up?" Xu Yunfeng asked cautiously.

Cao Bin shook his head slightly. "We cannot give up. My eldest brother wants to force the County Magistrate to take a stand, or to step in personally. Jiang Li is a very good target. Since my brother entrusted this matter to me, I must see it through!"

"Then how should this subordinate proceed?" Xu Yunfeng asked for instructions.

*Thump, thump, thump—*

Cao Bin tapped his middle finger lightly against the tabletop, appearing to be lost in thought.

(End of Chapter)