Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

"I...I...I want to achieve fame and success. Once I'm out of here, I'll persuade my father to marry my sister to you as a concubine!"

"Please! Please!"

For the sake of martial arts qualification and fame, Qin Feng was even willing to give up his own sister.

Such a mindset and character are truly despicable.

Chu Hong, too lazy to listen to his incessant chatter, kicked Qin Feng to the ground and said coldly:

"Your sister? Forget being a concubine, I'd rather she were my maid than a disgrace to our family!"

"Ah! Please, no!" Qin Feng roared desperately, gripping his identity card tightly with both hands, unwilling to let go.

"Don't take my ID card! Please!"

Chu Hong wasn't going to be polite with him and snatched the identity token away.

"Give it to me!"

The authoritative, cold voice rang out again: "Qin Feng, eliminated!"

At this moment, on the training ground.

Qin Ruhai's face was gloomy, and his aura was extremely oppressive.

Qin Lin, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed, her heart filled with turmoil.

She never expected that Qin Feng would say such absurd things for the sake of martial arts.

Chu Hong's answer was like a cold nail, piercing her heart.

Dirty?!

He said I was dirty?!

Qin Lin shuddered as she recalled the times she was pointed at and gossiped about behind her back.

"No, don't..."

The Qin family's side was gloomy and oppressive, but Song Qingshan and the others had smiles on their faces.

They didn't take advantage of Qin Ruhai's misfortune to provoke him; instead, they chatted amongst themselves in hushed tones.

"Young Master Chu's movement skills have improved again. No one should be able to beat him in this martial arts competition."

"Not only his movement skills, but Chu's leg techniques have also improved."

On the high platform, Xiong Zhen stared at the light screen, watching Chu Hong's every move.

But his face showed no emotion, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Upon seeing this, Magistrate Huang quickly introduced, "Sir, that is Chu Hong, who was involved in the Wuyou Sect's rebellion back then..."

-----------------

In the Canglang Mountains.

After eliminating Qin Feng, Chu Hong did not rush to hunt down other candidates or seize their identity tokens.

He was well aware of the rules of the martial arts trial. Fighting in the early stages would only waste his energy and make him easy to be targeted by other strong people, or even be surrounded and killed.

Perhaps we should try a different approach and a different method.

Following his memory of the mountains and rivers, he traversed the dense forest, intently searching for useful plants and herbs.

The master of the pavilion had marked some herb locations on his map.

But when Chu Hong walked through several places, he found that they had all been picked clean.

He simply stopped relying on map locations and instead explored and searched for them in the mountains and forests on his own.

Before long, a clump of half-leg-high fire peppers came into view, with slender, bright red peppers hanging from the upright branches.

Hellfire peppers are special plants that can mature in all four seasons, but if they are not harvested within two months of maturity, they will fall to the ground and decompose into nutrients.

Chu Hong moved swiftly and picked all the Fire Peppers.

Immediately afterwards, he dug a pit on the spot, found some dry branches and leaves, placed a stone slab on it, and lit a fire to smoke and roast the peppers and other plants.

Smoke curled upwards, and a pungent, spicy aroma filled the air.

Even Chu Hong found it pungent.

Those observing Chu Hong's actions on the light screen in the training ground were stunned.

"What is Chu Hong doing? Is he starting a fire to cook?"

"That thing looks like a hellfire pepper. What's he going to do with it?"

"He's being way too casual. Is he treating martial arts like a game? This..."

Even Song Qingshan was somewhat baffled and couldn't figure out Chu Hong's intentions.

Zhou Sanhe, however, looked at the scene with a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

In the mountains and forests, the smoke and spicy smell quickly attracted several groups of examinees, but after catching a glimpse of Chu Hong from afar, they dared not approach. They slipped on their feet, afraid of being targeted by Chu Hong.

Before long, the Hellfire Peppers were completely dehydrated, and Chu Hong found some stones to grind them into powder.

Then mix in some wood ash and put it all into a cloth bag.

Only then did some people realize the truth.

Immediately, some people began to criticize:

"No way, Chu Hong is so strong, why would he resort to such underhanded tactics?!"

"Martial artists should fight head-on. What he did was a violation of the rules of martial arts and an insult to the dignity of martial artists."

"In my opinion, Chu Hong's qualification should be revoked! We can't let him succeed."

Of course, some people also spoke up to argue:

"Who says martial artists have to fight head-on? Martial arts trials are not like arena battles where you can do anything as long as you can win."

"Don't you guys think about it? If we have to fight head-on every time for three days, even if he's made of iron, he'll be worn down and die there."

"Having these self-defense measures is understandable."

Many other quick-thinking martial artists silently kept Chu Hong's methods in mind, planning to do the same themselves.

It will later be used for surprise attacks and chaotic battles, achieving unexpected victories and proving invincible.

After preparing the Hellfire Pepper Powder, Chu Hong ground several other herbs into powder, packed them up, and stored them away.

They worked for two full hours before finally finishing.

He patted the bulging bag of his achievements at his waist, a smile playing on his lips.

"Now we can proceed according to plan."

As the sun gradually sets in the west, dappled sunlight filters through the gaps in the trees, casting shadowy patterns.

Chu Hong arrived at the outside of a secluded cave and threw the wild deer he had casually hunted onto the ground.

They cleaned the wild deer using the babbling brook outside the cave.

Chu Hong worked quickly and soon set up a simple barbecue grill.

The deer leg rotated continuously on the grill, dripping oil onto the fire with a sizzling sound.

The rich aroma of meat wafted on the wind, spreading through the forest.

In martial arts, open flames are a major taboo, as they easily expose one's whereabouts and attract hidden schemes.

Therefore, even if they brought tinder, ordinary candidates only dared to eat dry food and dared not light a fire.

This is why the wafting aroma of meat aroused suspicion and uncertainty among the nearby examinees.

"Where's that smell of barbecue coming from? Who actually dares to start a fire and barbecue?"

"Such recklessness suggests either absolute confidence in one's abilities or the audacity of a fool. Let's go take a look."

The nearest team hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the craving and followed the aroma.

The person leading the group was Wang Ping from the Wang family in the inner city.

He was not just a pretty face built on pills; he possessed solid strength and had guards accompanying him, giving him ample confidence.

Even when facing a strong opponent like Zhou Mingrui, he was confident that he could escape unscathed.

Before long, the three of them arrived outside the cave.

Beside the glowing fire, Chu Hong sat leisurely, slowly turning the grill to ensure the deer leg was heated evenly.

Seeing the three enter, Chu Hong's eyes lit up, and he spoke in a friendly and natural tone:

"You've come at the perfect time. Sit down and try the venison leg; I can't finish it all by myself."

Wang Ping frowned slightly, instinctively took a step back, and looked wary.

"Chu Hong, what are you doing? Inviting us out of the blue, are you perhaps plotting something?"

Chu Hong didn't argue. He tore off a piece of cooked venison, sprinkled some seasoning on it, and stuffed it into his mouth, eating with his mouth full of oil.

Upon seeing this, Wang Ping and the other two swallowed hard.

After eating a piece of meat, Chu Hong responded calmly:

"If I wanted to target you, why bother with all this? I could just rob you directly."

Wang Ping was taken aback: "You don't want your identity tag?"

"It's not that I don't want it, it's just that there's no rush right now," Chu Hong said with a faint smile. "The martial arts training has only just begun. Why bother trying to snatch identity tokens? It's time-consuming and laborious to obtain just one; it's too much trouble."

"It would be better to wait and see, conserve our strength, and then strike and reap the rewards on the last day."

Chu Hong frankly laid out his thoughts without the slightest hint of impatience.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping was immediately shaken and had to admire Chu Hong's confidence and strength.

Chu Hong took a knife, cut off a large piece of venison, and casually tossed it to Wang Ping:

"Feel free to enjoy it; why would I harm you?"