Martial Saint: Starting with Accumulating Experience

"Come on! Let's drink! Master Chen, let me start by toasting you!"

Nighttime, the elegant room on the second floor of Baiweilou.

The mahogany tables and chairs were polished to a shine, and the tables were laden with delicacies: steamed river fish, stir-fried shrimp and crab, clams and tofu... the table was overflowing.

Several jars of aged wine were unsealed, and the rich aroma of the wine mingled with the fragrance of food and drink.

All the members of the Canglang Gang's western branch gathered here to congratulate Chen Feng on taking office.

At the round table covered with silk, Chen Feng sat in the main seat opposite the door, while the other gang members sat on either side of him according to their rank.

There were ten people at the table, all of whom were official members of the Canglang Gang.

"You're too kind, I'll drink it all too." Chen Feng raised his glass and drank the wine in it.

The man who had just stood up to offer a toast was named Wu Mang, a martial artist at the Bone Forging Realm. He was tall and strong, and his mere presence made Ma Song, sitting next to him, appear weak and frail.

Another person at the Bone Forging Realm was named Zhang Rong, a woman with an extremely forthright personality. After Wu Mang offered her a toast, she followed closely behind.

"Thank you all for your kindness. Now that I am here, I will take responsibility and do a good job as the head of this hall."

Chen Feng's gaze swept over the crowd, memorizing their appearances and matching them with their names.

"To be honest, this is my first time serving as the head of the hall, and there are many things I don't know and still need to learn. Please bear with me for now."

Chen Feng poured himself a full glass of wine, raised his glass in a gesture of greeting, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Everyone raised their glasses.

They secretly observed Chen Feng, trying to figure out what the new leader was thinking.

The western part of Yongning Bay is a lucrative market. The merchants here are very shrewd and all want to pull strings and use the back door of the Canglang Gang to sign low-priced contracts.

Occasionally receiving a small benefit can lead to a fortune, and even the so-called "low price" is subject to fluctuations permitted within the gang.

As long as you don't go too far, no one will hold you accountable.

Other churches weren't so rosy.

The northern border area of ​​Yongning Bay is embroiled in a fierce battle with the Canal Gang, with both sides locked in a struggle for territory, creating a tense and dangerous situation.

The inland areas south of Yongning Bay are remote and impoverished, with no opportunities for profit.

Therefore, in comparison, the West District is a coveted place, and the position of Hall Master is highly sought after.

To become a hall master, one must either have extremely strong methods or an extremely powerful background.

While everyone was drinking and eating, they were all wondering which type Chen Feng belonged to.

After exchanging toasts and several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became harmonious, and the relationships among the group grew closer.

After the banquet, the group saw Chen Feng off onto his carriage and then went their separate ways.

After that, Chen Feng officially began his life as the head of the hall, living a simple life between his residence and the hall every day.

He discovered that being a hall master wasn't actually that troublesome; many things were unimportant, or even completely unnecessary.

For example, most of these matters were pretexts for merchants to bribe Chen Feng. They spent money, found beautiful women, and set up banquets to test Chen Feng's preferences.

Chen Feng rejected all such offers; his only concerns were cultivation and contributions to the gang.

They had absolutely no desire for worldly temptations.

When the gang members first saw that Chen Feng refused to accept gifts and maintained a strictly businesslike attitude, their hearts skipped a beat, fearing that Chen Feng would be impartial and incorruptible.

After all, if the leader doesn't accept it, the subordinates wouldn't dare to accept it.

Later, they gradually figured out Chen Feng's temperament and discovered that he just disliked trouble.

As long as it's not too excessive and doesn't cross the bottom line of the gang rules, Chen Feng will turn a blind eye.

This led to the absurd development of subordinates attending banquets, receiving gifts, and handling all tasks on behalf of others.

The merchant was very satisfied that the matter was handled well; the gang members were very satisfied that they received silver; Chen Feng was even more satisfied that he was able to do a good job and also receive silver.

Everyone has a bright future.

After focusing most of his energy on cultivation, Chen Feng's cultivation level steadily and slowly increased.

The system did not disappoint Chen Feng—becoming a hall master increases experience points, with a fixed amount of experience points credited to his account every day.

There are currently no suitable cultivation techniques to add points to, and experience points are only going in and not out. The numbers on the panel are slowly accumulating, giving Chen Feng immense confidence.

In addition to circulating the Five Elements Technique and gradually expanding his Qi overseas, Chen Feng also bought several books on painting and calligraphy to study and enhance the power of his Ink Splash Sword Technique.

The characteristics of the Five Elements Fist are too obvious, making it easy to expose one's own background, while the Splashed Ink Sword Technique does not have this concern.

After all, the original sword technique scroll was in Chen Feng's possession, and logically speaking, only he knew it.

Moreover, this ink-splashing sword technique is extremely unique, closely related to the user's skill in painting, and each person's understanding of the moves is different.

For example, Chen Feng comprehended "flying white skimming the sky" by relying on the essence of painting.

As for the difficulty of learning calligraphy and painting? Just add some tips.

The experience required to learn calligraphy and painting is far less than that required to learn martial arts techniques. The amount of experience required to learn even one book is less than what Chen Feng earns as a Heavenly Lord for a day.

Through his painstaking study, his swordsmanship skills improved steadily.

To complement his swordsmanship and establish Chen Lang's persona as a "master swordsman," Chen Feng also studied the coordination between internal energy and sword techniques.

He figured out a "pseudo-sword aura" that could be generated by using sword techniques to unleash true energy.

However, the Five Elements Kung Fu ultimately evolved from the Five Elements Fist and is more suited to fist techniques. When true qi is added to sword moves, the effect will be somewhat weakened.

Among the five elements of true energy, only the metal element is helpful to sword techniques; the others will only hinder the sword and are somewhat useless.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Indoor martial arts arena.

This is the training ground reserved for the hall master. It is not large, but it is fully equipped with weapons, wooden dummies, stone locks and other forging tools.

"Bang!"

The stone lock, weighing hundreds of kilograms, landed with a muffled thud. Chen Feng let out a long sigh, adjusted his breathing, and stopped circulating the Five Elements Technique.

He discovered that by simultaneously lifting weights to stimulate blood and qi while circulating the Five Elements Technique to stimulate the dantian, he could slightly improve the efficiency of his cultivation.

Just then, a knocking sound came from the door.

"Enter."

The newcomer was Ma Song. He strode over to Chen Feng's side, bowed, and said:

"Master, a jewelry procurement contract has expired, and we need your decision on whether to renew it."

Merchants who wish to purchase seafood in Yongning Bay must sign a contract with the Canglang Gang and are prohibited from engaging in private transactions with the Pearl Merchants.

"What's your opinion? To continue or not to continue?" Chen Feng asked.

Ma Song is extremely capable, well-versed in business, and adept at mediating and handling disputes among merchants.

Over the past month, he has assisted Chen Feng in handling numerous matters, large and small, within the gang, allowing Chen Feng to focus more on cultivation.

Chen Feng trusted him completely and often sought his advice on many things.

"I think it's not worth renewing. This merchant was speculating and taking advantage of loopholes during the contract period. Many of the villagers who cooperated with the company didn't make much profit. Sometimes they even tried to avoid the commission from the gang."

"Then let's cancel it. The contract will be terminated when it expires," Chen Feng said. "You can handle these kinds of things yourself in the future. You don't need to come to me specifically."

Ma Song explained, "They wanted to meet with you to discuss things in person. I have met with them, but they refuse to talk to me."

When faced with such a strong demand from the other party, Chen Feng, as the hall master, needs to personally step forward to demonstrate the Canglang Gang's respect for the merchants.

Chen Feng frowned: "Alright, then let them come directly to the branch to find me."

"Yes."

……

……

Yongning Bay, west of the city.

The autumn wind was bleak, bringing a chill to the air. Winter was approaching, the weather was getting colder, and pedestrians were wearing thicker clothes.

A horse-drawn carriage was traveling on a bluestone road, and the sound of conversation could be heard from inside the carriage.

"Be smart! Today we're meeting the leader of the Canglang Gang. Whether we continue to be rich and powerful depends entirely on him!"

"Yes, yes, Big Brother is right, I will definitely do my best." Wang Xu nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice.