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

Master Yang continued, "In another six months, I plan to recommend Xiao Hua to the Mountain Sect in the prefectural city, so that he can go there to gain experience and compete with others."

"Mountain Sect?"

"The martial arts schools in the county have some connection with the sects in the prefectural city. Sending talents to the sects is also beneficial to the martial arts schools. Moreover, the techniques above the Transformation Realm all have a source. What the sects teach is orthodox. In the future, if Xiao Hua wants to take the martial arts examination, he will need a sect background as a qualification."

Ye Ci barely paid any attention to Xiao Hua, because they had almost no interaction with each other. The only time they spoke was when they first joined the sect.

Ye Ci thought that Yang Shi was inaccurate in judging people, but he wouldn't say much.

"Why six months later?"

"At Xiao Hua's current pace, I estimate that he should reach the Transformation Realm in less than half a year."

"Transformation of internal energy?"

Ye Ci was surprised, and his heart was filled with emotion.

Geniuses are truly extraordinary. The tonics that kid is taking are far inferior to mine, yet... he's still faster than me, someone who's already started taking them.

Yang Huaichuan looked on with satisfaction and sighed, "Your junior brother Xiao told me that he admires your perseverance in cultivating diligently the most. So these days you have been cultivating diligently every day, from dawn to dusk, without the slightest slack. With his talent and comprehension, half a year is a conservative estimate for him."

"Ever since you became a retainer of the Shen family, he has seen a clearer goal and said he is grateful for the encouragement you have given him."

Ye Ci: "Did he really say that?"

No...no.

Jiang Du's voice could be heard from outside the window.

The bald young man stammered as he walked in and greeted Master Yang.

Qi Wang followed behind, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, grinning: "He said thank you to your ancestors for eight generations."

"You two, don't try to sow discord between the fellow disciples."

Teacher Yang glanced at them and scolded, "What are you doing barging in here?"

"The backgrounds of the six people who attacked and killed Junior Brother Ye Ci last night have been investigated."

"Liu...Liushan..."

"The Seven Fiends of Liushan!"

Qi Wang interrupted Jiang Du, who was about to speak, and the latter gave a grateful look:

"Yes, Qiqi... ominous..."

"Don't speak."

Qi Wang reached out and covered his mouth, then put his arm around his shoulder and said, "We just heard from the county government's express clerk that the autopsy was performed overnight last night, and they happened to identify one of the victims. So, this morning, Commandant Qin personally led a team to investigate."

"Oh, no wonder..." Yang Huaichuan nodded slightly: "When the captain came this morning, he was also in a hurry. He mentioned to me that they were related to the Demonic Sect."

The Demonic Sect?

Ye Ci felt a chill run down his spine. How did the Demonic Sect find him?!

No wonder Commandant Qin didn't come to cause me trouble today, but only mentioned that he wanted to have a duel.

This person must be a good official, able to distinguish between priorities, and has gone to handle his official duties with the task of eliminating evil as his own responsibility.

"How did you get involved with the Demonic Sect?" Qi Wang asked, turning his head.

Ye Ci pondered, "I don't know, but you mentioned the Seven Fiends of Liushan, but I only encountered six of them, which means I let one of them escape."

He remembered that last cold arrow.

Qi Wang, unaware of the cold arrow incident, waved his hand and said, "The Seven Fiends of Liushan only consisted of six people, all of whom you killed. They were originally wanted bandits who committed arson, murder, and robbery, earning a long-standing notoriety. The people hated them and called them 'fierce.' In reality, only four of them had mastered the Ming Jin skill. Later, one of them died, leaving only six."

Their information about the Seven Fiends of Liushan was the same old information they'd heard from the constables.

No one knew, not even Ye Ci himself, that it was he who reunited these seven people.

Moreover, the person killed yesterday was a hidden expert.

"Their leader, Liu Hualong, was a veteran of Ming Jin (a type of internal strength cultivation), but he ended up becoming a demonic medicine man. A demonic medicine man should at least have the physique of An Jin (another type of internal strength cultivation). In my opinion, it would be difficult for him to break through to An Jin. I guess he also used Bone Spirit Mushroom."

Qi Wang ultimately made the correct deduction.

He said this to Yang Huaichuan, and upon hearing "Bone Ganoderma," Yang Huaichuan's expression indeed darkened.

"A scourge that harms others, utterly devoid of conscience!"

Ye Ci's eyes flickered slightly, then he slowly asked, "Is there any information about why they wanted to attack me?"

"The person is already dead, how could we know!"

Qi Wang looked at him: "You're not even leaving anyone alive?"

"I kept it."

Ye Ci shook his head: "There was another person in the darkness who suddenly shot an arrow and killed the last person."

Is there one person left?

Qi Wang stroked his chin and said, "So it's related to the Demonic Sect, and they even went out of their way to find you? Well, let me give you a piece of advice: you'd better stay in the Shen family until you've mastered your footwork. That would be safer. The Shen family actually has some experts..."

"hide……"

Ye Ci thought this was a good idea, and decided to wait and see how things developed before making any further plans.

Before long, a waiter from Wan Hua Lou called out from the door, saying that a cart of fine wine had been delivered. Ye Ci then respectfully informed him that a banquet had been prepared for that evening.

Yang Huaichuan smiled and instructed a few people to fetch the wine.

"Actually, just drinking isn't fun, senior brother has some money..."

Qi Wang winked, and Ye Ci immediately said, "You can talk to Senior Brother Jiang. He's good at this. The girl's money can be on my tab."

Ye Ci then took his leave, and as for the evening, he claimed he was afraid of assassins and therefore did not go out.

Just as he reached the door, he heard someone behind him call out "Senior Brother Ye." Out of the corner of his eye, Ye Ci saw that it was Xiao Hua calling him.

"Senior Brother Ye, the county-wide competition is next month. At that time, all Dark Force practitioners in the county, regardless of whether they are new or old, can participate. I hope you won't disappoint me."

As he finished speaking, there was a hint of gritted teeth in his voice.

Ye Ci did not stop.

I walked past him.

They've moved on.

******

They returned to the Shen family home.

In the training ground of the outer courtyard, a dozen or so muscular young men gathered by a pavilion. Some were practicing stances, some were practicing boxing, and some were wielding knives. When they saw Ye Ci, they all called out "Lord Ye".

Ye Ci politely cupped his hands in greeting, but the middle-aged men sitting in the pavilion, all dressed in brocade and close-fitting clothes, seemed not to see Ye Ci at all.

The Shen family has a large number of guards, and those pavilions are staffed with veteran martial arts experts.

These guards used to be under Chen Sanshou's command, but now they've been placed under Ye Ci's command. Since they're both at the Dark Force level, the old folks are naturally dissatisfied.

Shen Zonghan suggested sending one of his Grandmaster-level subordinates, but Shen Wanzhou refused.

Shen Zonghan had his own residence outside, and a Grandmaster of Transcendent Realm was usually there to oversee things. Seeing his father's insistence, he said no more.

However, since there were no Grandmasters in the compound, these old people often spoke sarcastically behind their backs.

"Life is all about luck. If he hadn't happened to meet Master Shen, what merit would he have to obtain such resources?"

"Old Wu, don't say that. Luck is also a kind of strength. You and I don't have that kind of luck, otherwise we might have reached the Transformation Realm after three attempts."

"Don't be jealous." Someone deliberately shook their head, with a hint of sarcasm: "Didn't Constable Huang just come to the manor to announce that Ye Gongfeng killed the Seven Fiends of Liushan last night?"

"Those few good-for-nothing bandits, are they even worth mentioning?"

The speaker was named Wu Tan, about forty years old. It is said that he was considered a young genius in the county back then, but his family was poor and could not provide more tonics, so he was not strong enough when he tried to master the technique, which prevented him from developing the Hua Jin skill.

They didn't take the bandits seriously; in fact, only the dead knew they were all skilled in internal energy cultivation.

"The county's grand competition is just around the corner this year. If I see that Master Ye is going to take the stage, I'll ask him for a lesson and see if he's really worthy of being called a master."

"..."

These people talked a lot, but they didn't dare to contradict Ye Ci in front of him at the Shen residence. Ye Ci, on the other hand, didn't care about them at all, which made them feel extremely frustrated.

There has always been a saying: "In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second."

How can a martial artist submit to others?