Gou Zai Wudao Shi Lian Shen

After Lu Chen advanced to the Lesser Mastery of Blood Transformation, the Chen family's support for him also increased.

Originally, it was four taels of silver per month, but now it has increased to ten taels per month.

Lu Chen did not refuse. He was currently accumulating qi and blood to break through to the Great Perfection of Blood Transformation, and what he lacked most was resources. These ten taels of silver would allow him to use several more Blood Qi Powders each month.

As the saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts."

Martial arts training can never be achieved with just enthusiasm.

Every martial arts practitioner is a money-burning machine.

After parting ways with Chen Chong, Lu Chen returned to the Chixia Mountain Herb Garden.

There is no hustle and bustle of the county town there, making it a more suitable place for peaceful cultivation.

In the herb garden, whenever the martial artists saw Lu Chen cultivating, they felt a strange sense of peace in their hearts.

It seems that with him around, the herb garden has a stabilizing force.

Days passed by in this kind of cultivation.

Lu Chen could almost clearly feel the changes in himself.

He used to think that reaching the Great Perfection of Blood Transformation was still a long way off, but now, with each Blood Qi Powder and each day of arduous cultivation, that threshold seems to be getting closer and closer.

At the same time, the first batch of medicinal herbs after the start of spring is ready for harvest.

These medicinal herbs survived the winter in the greenhouse and endured a night attack by snow wolves; it was extremely difficult for them to be preserved. Wang Zhong personally led the team to load the herbs onto trucks and escort them into Chixia County.

Before leaving, he instructed Lu Chen: "I'm going into the city. Please keep an eye on the herb garden."

Lu Chen nodded: "Don't worry, Chief Wang."

Wang Zhong smiled, but his eyes held a hint of worry as he reminded him, "You cultivation fanatic, I'm actually more worried about you overdoing it and going into qi deviation than about the herb garden!"

"You're still young, there's no need to rush to pass this year's martial arts exam. You'll have another chance next year!"

He watched Lu Chen eat the Blood Qi Powder like candy every day, and he was really worried that Lu Chen would overdose the drug, causing the drug's effects to accumulate and become toxic, leading to qi deviation and ruining his future.

Lu Chen laughed and reassured Wang Zhong, "Chief Wang, you're overthinking it. I know what I'm doing when it comes to cultivation."

Once the convoy left, the herb garden became much quieter.

Lu Chen continued his cultivation as usual, but he would also patrol the area around the herb garden at night.

It wasn't until five days later that Wang Zhong returned with his convoy.

The medicinal herbs were delivered to the yam shop, and a lot of daily necessities such as grain, salt, and cloth were brought back with them.

But it's rather unusual that he's been gone for so long.

After Wang Zhong returned, Lu Chen asked with concern, "Chief Wang, why did you take so long? What happened?"

Wang Zhong smiled and shook his head, "It went very smoothly."

"However, I went to observe the Gathering of Heroes in the county town, which delayed me for a few days."

"A gathering of heroes?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.

Seeing the puzzled look on his face, Wang Zhong sat down on a stone bench in the herb garden, had his men prepare tea, and beckoned to Lu Chen: "Come, let me tell you something. Aren't you planning to participate in the martial arts examination? This gathering of heroes is closely related to the martial arts examination."

Lu Chen sat down opposite him.

Wang Zhong then said, "Chixia County has five major martial arts schools: Weiyuan Hall, Qianhe Martial Arts School, Canglong Martial Arts School, Panshi Martial Arts School, and Benlei Martial Arts School."

Every spring, these five martial arts schools take the lead in organizing a gathering of young martial artists.

"This is the Gathering of Heroes."

Lu Chen pondered, "A gathering of young martial artists?"

"good."

Wang Zhongdao: "On the surface, it's about letting the younger generation from different families come out to exchange martial arts skills and make friends."

"But in reality, there are many intricacies involved."

"First, it's to promote our outstanding disciples."

"When a family produces a genius, they take this opportunity to show off to all the various forces."

"Once the reputation spreads, the martial arts school will naturally gain prestige, and naturally more people will come to the school to sign up for martial arts lessons."

Wang Zhong took a sip of tea and continued, "Secondly, it's about attracting sponsorships and investments."

"Training disciples at a martial arts school requires money; meat, medicine—everything costs money!"

"If the disciples of the Gathering of Heroes perform well, they will be noticed by medicine shops, security escort agencies, and families. Resources will come their way, making it easier to negotiate cooperation with these forces."

Lu Chen nodded, understanding the purpose of this gathering of heroes.

This is equivalent to a large-scale martial arts promotion event jointly organized by the five major martial arts schools in Chixia County.

Lu Chen thought for a moment and asked, "So, how did things go at this gathering of heroes? Which disciples from each martial arts school participated?"

Wang Zhong said slowly and deliberately, "Although this Gathering of Heroes is not a martial arts competition, it can be considered a trial run before the martial arts competition."

"The more you know, the clearer you'll be about the opponents you might face in this year's martial arts competition."

Lu Chen nodded; that was exactly what he meant.

If they only focus on closed-door training, they will have no idea about the strength of the younger generation in Chixia County. When they actually go to the martial arts arena in the future, they will inevitably suffer losses.

Wang Zhong wasn't in a hurry. He sipped his hot tea and explained slowly, "Qianhe Martial Arts School and Weiyuan Hall are the most popular martial arts schools in recent years, and they have been vying for the top spot among martial arts schools in Chixia County."

"Both of these families have produced disciples who have achieved mastery of the Blood Transformation Technique."

"One is seventeen, and the other is eighteen. Both are strong contenders for this year's martial arts exam."

"Mastering Blood Transfusion?" Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.

This news gave him a more direct understanding of the strength of the two martial arts schools.

Among the younger generation of Canglong Martial Arts School, there is still no one who has truly mastered the Blood Transfer Technique.

Although Song Tieshan and Liu Qingping, these true disciples, have already mastered the Blood Transformation Technique, they are both in their mid-twenties and have long passed the age limit for martial arts training, so they are not candidates for the younger generation to participate in martial arts training.

Wang Zhongze continued, "I estimate that these two families are still hiding their true strengths and haven't brought out their real core disciples to show for themselves."

"The bigger the martial arts school, the less likely it is to reveal all its secrets."

"These two martial arts schools, which are vying for supremacy in Chixia County, cannot possibly only have one or two disciples who have mastered the Blood Transformation Technique to prepare for the martial arts competition."

"In previous years, there were more than ten."

"More than ten?" Lu Chen fell silent, now he understood the difference between Canglong Martial Arts School and these two martial arts schools.

Wang Zhongdao said, "Your Canglong Martial Arts School has always been considered one of the worst among the five major martial arts schools in the county over the years."

"It's been several years since we've produced a martial arts scholar."

Lu Chen did not refute.

He hadn't been at Canglong Martial Arts School for long, but he could sense that Canglong Martial Arts School was indeed not as powerful as Weiyuan Hall and other forces.

At this point, Wang Zhong suddenly changed the subject.

"but……"

Lu Chen looked up: "But what?"

A slight smile appeared on Wang Zhong's lips: "However, this year, your Canglong Martial Arts School has truly shone at the Gathering of Heroes."

"Oh? Why is that?" Lu Chen was slightly surprised.

"Because your martial arts school's genius, Shi Hao, has made a name for himself at this gathering of heroes," Wang Zhong said with a smile, while keeping an eye on Lu Chen and watching the latter's reaction.

"What's wrong with Shi Hao?" Lu Chen asked, his face showing little sign of surprise.

"That kid is indeed talented. At such a young age, he has already mastered the Blood Transformation Technique. At the Gathering of Heroes, he defeated two top masters from Weiyuan Hall and Qianhe Martial Arts School in succession, making him the talk of the town!"

Wang Zhong praised it highly.

Lu Chen recalled Shi Hao's former appearance, that wild boy from the mountains who was a hunter, a year younger than him, who had now become famous in Chixia County.

"Shi Hao's success is also a good thing for our Canglong Martial Arts School."

Lu Chen said with a smile.

Wang Zhong stared at Lu Chen and said, "What, aren't you even a little jealous?"

Lu Chen laughed and said, "I'm not that petty."

"Besides, we are from the same school. The more outstanding he is, the better it is for the other disciples of our Canglong Martial Arts School. We can all benefit from it, and whether we are traveling in the martial arts world or working in a shop, we will be able to get better treatment."

Lu Chen saw things very clearly, and his goal was the stars and the sea; he would never limit his vision to a small place like Chixia County.

Wang Zhong nodded. "You're right."