Turbid World: Martial Arts Master of the Republic of China Era, I Cultivate Immortality!

"Overage, disqualified, next!"

"Poor physical constitution, not qualified, next!"

"Opium smokers want to sign up? Get the hell out of here!"

"Damn it, a martial artist who practices the Bloodthirsty Sect's Life-Snatching Technique dares to come and register? Men, seize him and ask him where he got his technique from..."

"Hmm? This potential is good! Not bad, you've passed!"

"Huh? These foreign bloodline sorcerers dare to sign up? Looks like you really think we're all blind!"

"Your feet... cough cough, your bone structure isn't good enough, you're not qualified!"

As the sounds entered his ears and the scenery entered his eyes, Zhao Zheng suddenly realized that the world seemed to be far more wonderful than he had imagined.

Just as he was about to continue watching, his clothes were tugged at by a fellow student from the same inner courtyard.

A student who always had a furrowed brow and rarely smiled asked him somewhat nervously.

"Brother Zheng, is it really possible for me to be accepted into Xinmin Martial Arts School?"

Zhao Zheng did not answer immediately, but looked at Ge Nuo, who was wearing patched clothes and came from a poor background like Wei He and the other two.

Ge Nuo, a child his age, was able to practice martial arts at the Su Family Martial Arts School only because his family supported him. Like most people, he had only reached the minor level of martial arts proficiency.

The opponent failed to cultivate their Qi and Blood!

Zhao Zheng's silence not only attracted Ge Nuo's attention, but also that of Li Feng and the others.

Even Wei He and his companion, who had already cultivated their Qi and Blood, along with Lü Ran and the others, subconsciously tensed up, after all, there were just too many people!

There are already more than 10,000 people!

"The rain has stopped..."

Ge Nuo forced a stiff smile and didn't press Zhao Zheng further. Instead, he very tactfully, or rather, out of inferiority, changed the subject.

No, that's not quite right. It should be said that the other person very maturely changed the subject, demonstrating a maturity far beyond their years due to family reasons.

Sometimes, this isn't called maturity.

This is... there's nothing we can do!

Seeing the expressions on Ge Nuo's and the others' faces, Zhao Zheng suddenly smiled and said, "I can't guarantee that all of you will be accepted..."

"...However, I can increase your chances of being accepted. Now, line up again as I say!"

Zhao Zheng's left hand, hidden in his sleeve, kept calculating the auspicious location for each person using divination techniques such as Xiao Liu Ren and Plum Blossom Divination.

Although he is a person who likes fairness, he is a contradictory person. Sometimes he will side with his own people instead of those who are right.

For example... right now!

After all, Ge Nuo and the others had called him "Brother Zheng" before, so he had to help them out in some way!

As for whether his actions would be unfair to others, he has said that he sometimes sides with his own people regardless of right or wrong.

At worst, he can simply bear the karmic consequences, large or small, arising from helping the thirty-six members of the Geno group.

Cause and effect are changing, the energy is shifting, and as time goes by, the positions of Geno and the others have changed.

The group was no longer crammed into one line, but scattered into fifty different lines. The last student who had called him "Brother Zheng" was then directed to a position by him.

Zhao Zheng stopped calculating, his face slightly pale. He looked at Cheng Qingqing and Li Feng, who were staring at him expectantly, practically saying, "What about me? What about me?" He rolled his eyes and said.

"Didn't your family make all the arrangements?"

"What if things don't go well? Zheng-ge, you know my father. What if he gets fooled again, Zheng-ge~"

Cheng Qingqing pitifully grabbed Zhao Zheng's arm and whispered, while Li Feng also looked at Zhao Zheng with a pitiful expression.

"Yes, Zheng-ge'er, you know what kind of person my father is. He's just like Qingqing's father—a drunkard..."

"...I already calculated it for you, the position you're standing in right now is your auspicious spot!" Zhao Zheng said in a low voice, looking speechless.

"Brother Zheng, don't worry, I'll definitely treat you to a meal after this!" Cheng Qingqing said happily, and Li Feng quickly added.

"Me too! Me too!"

"Yes, and him too. He just invited you to dinner, Zheng-ge!" Cheng Qingqing took the opportunity to joke around, which made Li Feng glare at her in anger.

"Alright, you two behave yourselves. I need to go outside, or these people will ask me to leave!"

Zhao Zheng glanced at the soldiers maintaining order around him and spoke, then paused and reminded them again.

"A lucky spot doesn't guarantee admission; it only increases your chances. Anyway, take it seriously!"

Zhao Zheng said, "With such a large investment in martial arts schools, the enrollment methods must not be limited to this kind of physical fitness test."

Real-world practice is a must!

"Mmm, don't worry, Zheng-ge'er!"

Cheng Qingqing and Zhao Zheng nodded, and Zhao Zheng left the area where the troops were located as the soldiers' expressions finally calmed down.

Just as he reached the edge of the playground, a faint middle-aged male voice rang in Zhao Zheng's ear in a way that was transmitted through sound.

"Master Zhao, isn't it a bit unfair of you to openly cheat by using divination and feng shui to choose auspicious locations for them? It's not fair to others!"

"I can't help it, I'm the kind of person who sides with my friends regardless of right or wrong. I can't bear to see my friends suffer, and besides, aren't they all cheating?"

Zhao Zheng pointed to the people around him and in the line who were using similar methods to cheat, and said to Principal Luo Siyuan who was walking towards him.

If everyone were to cheat, it wouldn't be called cheating anymore; it would be called an open-book exam. At most, he was just handing books to Cheng Qingqing and the others.

"Really? But all I see is you cheating?" Principal Luo of Xinmin Martial Arts School said with a smile.

"Let's fight first!"

"..."

No, which of us is the martial arts practitioner?

How come you have an even more fiery temper than me!

Principal Luo's expression froze for a few seconds, staring speechlessly at Zhao Zheng. But then, remembering that he had gone to great lengths to invite Zhao Zheng to take up a temporary post at the martial arts school, his smile returned immediately.

"My school can't afford this..."

"Hey, Zheng, Uncle Luo..." ×2

Two female voices spoke in unison again, and Zhao Zheng knew without looking behind him that the two Miss Shis had arrived.

However, after Principal Luo clenched his fist, coughed, and said to the two Miss Shis, "When speaking, refer to your official title."

Then look at the two fathers of the Shi family, who greeted Principal Luo with great enthusiasm, calling him "Brother Luo," and then went up to talk to him in a low voice.

Zhao Zheng understood. It turned out that Principal Luo had not only cheated, but had also led the other party in cheating. Really…

"Um?"

Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow as he looked at the subtle yet obvious resentment emanating from Shi Lianlian and Shi Bingbing.

Similar to the resentment emanating from Wu Laosi!

What happened? Is the girls' school haunted?

The thought only flashed through Zhao Zheng's mind for a moment before he extinguished it. Almost subconsciously, he thought of the rain that made him feel uneasy.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at us like that?"

Shi Lianlian spoke casually, but her slightly flushed face betrayed her truest thoughts.

Shi Bingbing's pretty face also flushed slightly, but her tone revealed a lack of gentleness in her question, unlike Shi Lianlian's soft voice.

"Zheng, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Oh, by the way, this is for you!"

Zhao Zheng shook his head, his gaze lingering for half a second on some women not far away wearing the same school uniforms as Shi Lianlian and the other two girls.

He quickly folded two talismans from his pocket and handed them to the two women, saying, "Here, these are the new protective talismans I learned!"

"There are so many people watching..."

Shi Lianlian was initially shy, but she quickly overcame her shyness and looked at Zhao Zheng, who was looking at her like she was an idiot.

She snorted and reached out to take the thicker and somewhat oily amulet. Just as she was about to ask why there was oil on the amulet, Shi Bingbing asked curiously before she could.

"Why is there oil on this talisman?"

"For waterproofing!"

Zhao Zheng pointed to the overcast sky, which was still gloomy even though it had stopped raining, and said that ever since the battle with Charming, the armor talisman on his leg had become ineffective after it got wet.

He began to think about how to prevent the talisman from getting wet, and then he thought of applying magic oil to make it waterproof.

The effect is okay.

It's just a bit troublesome!

Master Tianyi: …………

"oh oh……"

The two women nodded, then carefully put the amulets away from their bodies. Zhao Zheng, watching the resentment slowly dissipate from the amulets on the two women, asked, "Why are you two only arriving now?"

"Let's wait for the classmates to come together..."

Shi Bingbing pointed to the female students from the martial arts school who were also there to participate in the school's recruitment, not far away.

"Actually, we wouldn't have come this late, since our school is just across the river. But the pontoon bridge over the Ping'an River was flooded because of the rain, so we had to take a detour..."

Shi Lianlian spoke helplessly, and Zhao Zheng thought of the Xiqiao Girls' School, where Shi Lianlian and her companion were located, on the other side of the Ping'an River.

"Oh, I see..."

The three were chatting enthusiastically, but the two Master Shi had lost interest in the conversation. They looked at Zhao Zheng, who was in charge of the conversation, with dark expressions, and then at their own daughter, who was in charge of the enthusiasm!

The two exchanged a glance, and for the first time in perfect unison, said to their daughter, "Time to go line up!"

Although it's a done deal that my daughter will be admitted to the martial arts school, we still have to go through the formalities.

"Okay, let's go line up!"

Shi Lianlian and her two daughters responded, said something to Zhao Zheng, and then went to line up under the guidance of their father, whose face was dark with anger.

"I never expected that Abbot Zhao would know my two nieces, and judging from their expressions, they seem to have feelings for Abbot Zhao..."

Principal Luo began with a smile, but before he could finish speaking, Zhao Zheng interrupted him, saying, "This humble Taoist is devoted to the Tao!"

"..."

That's really strange.

Why did I ask you to take up a temporary post in the first place?

I understand now, it's because my eye condition flared up back then!

Principal Luo thought to himself expressionlessly. He was too lazy to look at Zhao Zheng anymore. He simply raised his head and looked at the sky, which had become even more gloomy and was now slowly drizzling with autumn rain.

Reach out—

shoot--

There was no earth-shattering force, only a simple, gentle tap on the sky, and the dark clouds that stretched for miles suddenly froze under that single touch.

Then, starting from the point directly opposite Principal Luo's palm, the layers of dark clouds in the sky began to dissipate and recede in all directions.

Sunlight poured down through the gaps in the clouds, and in an instant, the rain stopped—no, it didn't stop, it just stopped because it dared not rain anymore.

"Who's making the move?"

"Oh, it's Brother Luo!"

"Why are you calling me Brother Luo? Call me Principal! I didn't expect that after so many years, the Principal's Purple Heaven Palm technique has improved even further..."

"Indeed, the principal's palm strike has reached at least the legendary level of 'When the Heavenly Capital is unleashed, all laws retreat'..."

A dozen or so martial artists instantly appeared beside Principal Luo and began to flatter him, which Principal Luo responded with a smile.

His gaze fell upon Zhao Zheng, whose expression remained unchanged, and a thought crept into his mind: "Strange, why isn't this kid afraid of me?"

If it were an ordinary martial artist or cultivator, upon witnessing the power of his palm strike, they would probably have been filled with fear and would have started flattering and currying favor with him.

But Zhao Zheng didn't react at all.

His expression remained indifferent.

"As expected, this young man's strength is not as simple as it seems. After all, he is the abbot of the seventy-two temples of Maoshan..."

Principal Luo's mind was in turmoil, and the intense emotional changes made Zhao Zheng look away. With the broken version of the Changming Guanyin technique, he vaguely read the other party's inner thoughts and looked at Principal Luo with a strange feeling.

"What's that old bastard thinking? What do you mean, 'I'm not afraid of him'? He wants to attack me? Is he crazy? What did I do to him?"

"Hmm? A look of disgust? A fleeting glimpse of killing intent and fighting spirit... As expected, I knew this Abbot Zhao's strength wasn't as simple as it seemed. Interesting, very interesting..."

Principal Luo understood, and with a faint smile and appreciation in his eyes, he glanced at Zhao Zheng before chatting and laughing with his subordinates as they walked away into the distance.

"???"

That's really weird!

Zhao Zheng frowned inwardly as he looked at Principal Luo, whose favorability rating had suddenly increased by ten points, from sixty to seventy.

One to say one,

He didn't understand what was going on!

However, Zhao Zheng didn't think much of it and started wandering around the area, while continuing to collect the energy of the people on the playground to improve his favorability system's database.

About ten minutes later, Su Ming finally returned, but his complexion was not good, which puzzled Zhao Zheng.

"What's wrong? Is it about the enrollment quota?"

"Um……"

Su Ming nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions and a strange sadness as he looked at the men and women queuing in front of him.

"I've found out the enrollment numbers for this year. A total of two thousand people will be admitted, and seven hundred of those spots have already been reserved by members of aristocratic families... That means only thirteen hundred of them will actually get into the martial arts school..."

"Actually, this is already pretty good..."

Zhao Zheng really wanted to talk about the kind of targeted recruitment in later generations where you shoot an arrow first and then draw the target, but after thinking about it, he decided to forget about it.

"It's not just this..."

Su Ming's expression was grim, but he didn't continue speaking. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, but... a meeting was about to start!

It's a ghost!

Meetings became popular at that time!

Zhao Zheng, who was also going to a meeting, complained inwardly. Then he followed Su Ming and the other martial artists, who were also the teachers of the martial arts school, to the meeting room in the school.

There's not much to say about the meeting itself; even though times have changed, the same old things still happen.

Zhao Zheng was dozing off while listening, but he perked up after Principal Luo and other school leaders pointed out the key points after the rambling conversation ended.

After listening for a while, Zhao Zheng silently looked at Principal Luo and the others. How to put it, the idea was wonderful, but it was a bit difficult to implement.

The other party's idea was too idealistic, so idealistic that Zhao Zheng felt it was unrealistic. However, seeing that these words came from the heart of Principal Luo and others, he felt that he hadn't made a mistake in assigning them the position.

that's it,

Time flies,

It was four o'clock in the afternoon.

The martial arts school's enrollment process was finally completed, and the list of admitted students was announced on the spot. Zhao Zheng also learned the number of applicants.

"A total of 50,312 people applied, and 2,000 will be admitted... minus the 700 places reserved by aristocratic families..."

Zhao Zheng stood expressionless in the crowd, watching the various aspects of life unfold before him as the admission list was released.

Looking at Wei He and the others cheering in front of the list for being admitted to the martial arts school, he thought to himself, "Well, only seven of the thirty-six people I invested in were admitted." Thinking about this, he couldn't help but murmur a poem.

"Fifty thousand talented men vie for the title of Martial Arts Champion, a thousand are selected amidst joy and sorrow. Some ascend to the highest heavens, while others weep in despair upon seeing their names on the list..."

"What a beautiful poem!"

A shout of praise and applause rang out. Zhao Zheng looked at the newcomer, nodded, and said, "Indeed." The newcomer was so speechless that he swallowed back all the words he was about to say and could only smile.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao's words are truly witty!"

"really!"

"..."

"What's up?"

Zhao Zheng looked at Abbot Zhang, who was about the same age as him, had a rather ordinary appearance, and was from one of the thirty-six temples of Longhu Mountain, just like him. Hmm, the other party was not from Anping County.

"Yes, Principal Luo asked the three of us to take those female students to the Xiqiao Girls' School to familiarize them with the way!" Master Zhang nodded and said directly.

"The three of us? Who's the third one?"

"Um, it's that Miss Chu who kept glaring at you during the meeting. To be honest, Fellow Daoist Zhao, haven't you offended her before?"

"This is the first time I've seen her!"

"what?"

After half an hour,

On the Ping'an River pontoon bridge.

Zhao Zheng and his two companions led a total of 103 female students who wanted to stay nearby to the Xiqiao Girls' School across the river.

Instead of taking a car, the group walked, since the girls' school was not far across the river, only about two miles round trip.

As for why the female students from the martial arts school were assigned to the neighboring Xiqiao Girls' School, according to some leaders of the martial arts school, it was for the sake of the female students' reputation.

Of course, in Zhao Zheng's opinion... these school leaders never even considered letting these female students live in the martial arts school.

The reason... is due to the times!

Although the martial arts school admitted a total of 2,000 students this time, only 172 of them were girls.

It doesn't even reach nine to one!

Moreover, 70% of these 172 girls were daughters of wealthy families, while the remaining 30% were girls from ordinary families.

The reason... is still a matter of the times!

"What are you thinking about, Fellow Daoist Zhao? Why are you so lost in thought?"

Master Zhang asked curiously, while Zhao Zheng glanced at the feet of the female students who had been indoctrinated by Chu Wuzhe with the idea that women should rely on themselves.

"I was thinking that if the Great Chen Dynasty hadn't so vigorously promoted foot binding, we probably would have had more female students than we do now..."

Zhao Zheng's voice was calm. To be honest, he felt that the chances of him reopening this time were quite high. The reason? It was just his intuition.

Before it lies the return to the source, in the middle lies the breaking of shackles...

In addition to the current situation...

Master Zhang was stunned for a few seconds, then sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhao has the well-being of all living beings in his heart; I am no match for him!"

"Hmph, let me tell you, don't be fooled by those handsome men. Have you ever heard the story of Chen Shimei...?"

Chu Wuzhe, who was in her early thirties, had a pretty face and walked with a swagger, though it was unclear whether she was carrying a child. She glanced at Zhao Zheng with displeasure and snorted coldly at the female students who were looking at Zhao Zheng.

Ignoring the strange expressions on the faces of Shi Lianlian and the others who had come to join in the fun, Master Zhang stared blankly for a moment at Chu Ruoxi, who was practically speaking ill of Zhao Zheng, before looking at Zhao Zheng, whose expression remained unchanged, with admiration.

To be honest,

His cultivation of mind and character is truly remarkable!

Master Zhang sighed inwardly. Just as he was sighing, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, and then heard a loud bang.

When he looked over, he was stunned. He saw Zhao Zheng punch Chu Ruoxi several meters away, and then clapped his hands.

"Miss Chu, you don't need to thank me. I was just trying to calm you down because you seemed to be getting too angry. As fellow martial arts school teachers, this is simply a matter of mutual help!"

"you……"

Chu Ruoxi glared angrily at Zhao Zheng, her face flushed, before disappearing in a blur, leaving Zhang Daoshi completely bewildered.

No, you weren't angry, were you?

"This is the Five Qi Rejuvenation Technique, which is specifically designed to treat imbalances in the five internal organs and the five energies!" Zhao Zheng said calmly, patting the shoulder of a female student who had been sneezing the whole way.

"Excuse me!"

As the palm fell and then fell back, the female student, who had been sneezing, changed her expression, paused for a moment, and touched her nose, which no longer felt uncomfortable.

"Hey, my cold is all better!"

Leaving aside the fact that the female students had surrounded Zhao Zheng again because of the absence of Miss Chu, Master Zhang looked ashamed, realizing that he had just judged a gentleman by his own petty standards.

Upon further reflection, Chu Ruoxi's seemingly fiery temper does indeed fit the symptoms of excessive liver fire.

Thinking about it, he stepped forward to apologize, but he couldn't squeeze in. Only after the female students finally dispersed did he come to Zhao Zheng's side and say something.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, I'm sorry. I was just being petty and judging you by my own standards..." Master Zhang said apologetically.

"fine!"

Zhao Zheng smiled and looked at the cultivation technique section of his "Life's Many Faces" panel. After he opened it...

A martial art technique has emerged!

[Practice Method: Five Qi Rejuvenation Exercise (Minor Success)]

[Introduction: Although this method is derived from the Five Elements Supreme Classic, with your imaginative ideas and re-examination, it has acquired the ability to arouse the opponent's lust or cause them to urinate by adjusting the five elements within their body...]

The treatment was just a side effect; Zhao Zheng's palm strike had directly triggered the vital energy of this Miss Chu's kidneys, heart, and liver.

This caused the opponent to experience a temporary state of weakened kidney yin, strong heart fire, and excessive liver fire. In other words, his palm strike just now directly aroused the opponent's lust.

To put it bluntly, this Miss Chu was knocked away by his palm... cough cough, those who know, know; those who don't, don't.

There was nothing he could do; this shrew had been arguing with him the whole way. He might be handsome, but he wasn't the scumbag who abandoned this shrew.

As for how he knew the other person had been dumped by a scumbag, it's simple: he has a friend who is a so-called scumbag.

Yes, he's not a jerk!

As for ending this state of rejuvenation, it's actually quite simple: first, self-control; second, being a man; and third...

Enter QQ Space!