Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 133 Testing

Before Yan Zhan could finish speaking, Yan Shengwan's gaze had already passed over him and landed on Ye Ci.

"An outsider martial arts master?"

"Yes."

"It is not easy to live in Wucheng for a long time, so I should strive to do my best."

The same words, spoken by Yan Shengwan, sounded quite different from those spoken by Yuan Mulin.

One was mockery, the other was advice from a senior.

Since he was being paid to do a service, Ye Ci didn't beat around the bush and directly took out the silver notes.

Yan Shengwan gestured for Yan Qing to accept the silver notes, and the group walked towards the quiet room. Yan Zhan exchanged a few simple pleasantries and then left first.

The group saw Yan Zhan off.

Only then did Yan Shengwan take a serious look at Ye Ci.

In the eyes of a master like Yan Shengwan, Ye Citai was not taken seriously, and he simply asked a question calmly.

"How long have you been practicing martial arts?"

"Formal martial arts training would take a little over a year."

Ye Ci did not include the time spent practicing various skills in the military.

Yan Shengwan didn't say much, since normally, one should start by practicing internal strength before truly learning martial arts.

But then he thought about it for a moment and realized something was off: "Didn't you say you had mastered the Transformation Realm?"

"Yes."

"You trained for over a year in total?"

"Yes."

"More than a year?"

Yan Qing, standing nearby, was startled. The girl abruptly turned to look at Ye Ci, her eyes wide with disbelief, and exclaimed, "A little over a year, and you've progressed from Ming Jin to Hua Jin?"

Ye Ci nodded gently, her expression calm.

Even for an average person with good aptitude, practicing martial arts through the coldest and hottest winters and summers would take at least seven or eight years to develop the "transformation energy" (化劲). A slightly less skilled individual...

If you slack off, you'll only stay at the level of internal strength for most of your life.

Even among the inner disciples of the Yanqing Sect, very few can reach the Transformation Realm before the age of twenty.

Moreover, it's simply unbelievable that a martial arts master like Ye Ci, who came from a county or township, could reach the Transformation Realm in just over a year.

"Young man, don't boast. If you really had that kind of ability, wouldn't both Baichuan Academy and Jiulong Academy have refused to accept you?"

Yan Shengwan's tone became more somber.

At the same time, he glared at his daughter, disliking her for acting like she had never seen the world before, with her eyes wide open like a bull's.

Secondly, I don't really like young people who, relying on the fact that no one knows their background, exaggerate their qualifications and abilities.

"My physical constitution is too poor; the three major sects wouldn't even consider me."

"Yeah?"

There was a hint of surprise in Yan Shengwan's tone.

Without him.

Just considering Ye Ci's attitude, a smooth-talking person like him wouldn't calmly say, "Others look down on me."

"No matter what, you're this age. Reaching the Transformation Realm around twenty years old is quite impressive."

Yan Shengwan gave a word of encouragement and then beckoned Ye Ci to go to another room.

The group entered the house, which appeared to be a reception area. It was furnished with tea tables and chairs, bonsai trees, and incense, creating a rather elegant atmosphere.

"You are different from other new disciples. Since you have reached the Transformation Realm, you only need to pass the sect's inner sect examination to directly enter the inner sect, and you may even become an instructor for outer sect disciples. Depending on your ability, the sect will definitely provide you with resources."

Yan Shengwan gestured for Yan Qing to serve tea. After Yan Qing handed over a cup of tea, she looked at Ye Ci and slowly asked, "Have you ever participated in the martial arts examination or had any results in the city's martial arts competitions?"

Ye Ci accepted the teacup, bowed slightly to express his gratitude, and said in a calm tone, "I have only been practicing martial arts for a little over a year, and I haven't had enough time to take the martial arts exam. I studied martial arts in the county before and have never been to the prefectural city, so I don't have any results from the major competitions."

"More than a year —"

Yan Shengwan found it somewhat amusing that he had brought this up again, but still said calmly, "Most martial artists participate in martial arts exams. If you could participate as one of my disciples and achieve a good result, it would also benefit my sect."

He paused for a moment, then said, "The Great Qian Dynasty was founded on military strength. In the counties and townships, almost every martial artist with internal strength could pass the imperial examinations and achieve a grade of A or B."

Becoming a scholar (秀才) in Wucheng is extremely difficult. Even some so-called martial arts talents from other places who come to Wucheng to take the exam often only manage to obtain a second or third-class ranking.

"Many martial arts masters from outside the city come here because of the reputation of Wucheng, hoping to become a top-ranked scholar, something to brag about. Unfortunately, things often don't go as planned."

Ye Ci nodded: "I understand what you mean. Even among those at the Transformation Realm, there are still differences, not to mention the many experts in Martial City."

Comparing Chen Sanshou's skills with those of Duan Wu and Zhang Guan, he naturally knew that even among those of the same level, there were differences in skill.

As for what the other party said about gaining a reputation, Ye Ci knew that the value of a first-class scholar varied from region to region.

Seeing Ye Ci speak calmly, Yan Shengwan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and she was secretly surprised.

In the world of martial arts, the greatest taboo is arrogance. Many outside martial artists are unaware of this, and ultimately experience a sense of disappointment.

This person frankly stated that there are differences even among those who have reached the level of Transformation Realm, unlike the impetuousness of ordinary young grandmasters.

Yan Shengwan nodded: "We've just met, and I'm telling you so much because you're young. Even if you can't reach the Core Formation stage in the future, don't slack off. Become an inner disciple under my tutelage. If you have real skills, I, Yan Shengwan, will also plan your future path."

"If I achieve the highest rank of scholar, the Po Jun Sect will reward me for my contribution to the sect's expansion. Of course, I will also reward you—"

After a moment's thought, Yan Shengwan spoke again: "Now that you have mastered the Transformation Realm, I will find someone to lend you a hand and see how your foundation is."

"it is good."

Ye Ci nodded slightly, her expression remaining calm.

He understood what the other party meant. If he were a master of the Transformation Realm, Yan Qing's attitude towards him would probably be different from that of a disciple of the Transformation Realm.

The purpose of spending 100,000 taels of silver was to obtain the Elixir-Embracing Technique.

However, those skilled in the Hua Jin realm are also pillars of their sects.

"Xiao Qing".

Yan Shengwan called out to her daughter.

"Shall I?"

Yan Qing chuckled twice: "Father, I'm a 'Bao Dan' (a type of cultivator), which is a bit bullying."

The girl spoke clearly and had a crisp, efficient air about her.

Yan Shengwan glared at her: "Won't you go easy on her?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Qing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Ye Ci, let's go to the boxing ring and give it a try. I won't use my gun. Let's have a friendly spar and not hurt each other's feelings."

"it is good."

Ye Ci calmly said, "Now that I've reached the Core Formation stage, I can use all my strength."

He knew in his heart that this place was not like Master Yang's small martial arts school. In a place where there were many strangers, he would have to show some skills if he wanted to gain a foothold in the sect.

If he hadn't reached the Transformation Realm at such a young age, even with the Yan family's introduction, this Dan-Positioner might not have given him a second glance, much less had his daughter serve him tea and speak to him as an equal.

I had heard Yan Zhan mention before that Yan Shengwan was skilled with a spear, and his daughter must also be proficient in this skill.

Therefore, the fact that no gun was used indicates that the other party genuinely wanted to stop short of a confrontation, and also shows that the other party was very confident.

However, Ye Ci was also very confident that his second-level eruption of the Mountain Embracing Seal was not necessarily worse than his opponent's.

Yan Qing said no more and walked out first.

"Please," Yan Shengwan said.

Ye Ci nodded and, led by Yan Qing, walked to the open space in the center of the training ground, where thick bluestone slabs were worn smooth and shiny by years of practice.

Yan Qing turned around, looked at Ye Ci, raised his hand to brush away the stray hairs from his forehead, and said in a crisp, clasped fist, "Please."

Her outfit made her look heroic and spirited, showing no trace of feminine gentleness, but rather exuding a dashing and valiant air.

Ye Ci calmly cupped his hands in greeting: "Please."

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