Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

Prefect Yue Zichuan is inspecting various counties. He has been staying in Gaoshan County for several days and is departing today.

He called Zhou Yuan to the sedan chair right there in the street.

This scene was witnessed by people from all the major powers in Gaoshan County, who couldn't help but think more highly of this newly appointed county magistrate.

It's not uncommon for county magistrates to be awarded the title of "county magistrate"; it happens every year.

But there aren't many county magistrates who can earn the special attention of the prefect.

As soon as Yue Zichuan left, people from various forces surrounded Zhou Yuan and tried to get close to him.

"Zhou, I am Zhao Si from the Zhao family. I have long admired your name but have never had the chance to meet you. Today, we meet by chance, and I offer you this small token of my respect."

A middle-aged man in fine clothes handed a silver ingot directly to Zhou Yuan.

The incident happened so suddenly that he didn't have time to prepare a gift, so he could only make do with this mundane item for now.

The others followed suit and presented their congratulatory gifts.

"I heard before that Brother Zhou has passed the county examination with top honors, but I haven't had a chance to come and congratulate you. Today is the perfect opportunity."

Everyone was all smiles, as if they were genuinely congratulating Zhou Yuan.

If they really wanted to congratulate Zhou Yuan on his high school entrance exam, they should have come to offer their congratulations long ago, instead of waiting until they saw that Zhou Yuan and the Prefect had an unusual relationship.

However, Zhou Yuan didn't care about these trivial details. He accepted all the money without hesitation and had Zhuo Changyu write down the names of the gift-givers.

In the crowd, a person watched from afar, his eyes filled with jealousy.

Back in the blacksmith shop, he and Zhou Yuan entered the business one after the other. Now, Zhou Yuan is a county magistrate, while Guo Liang couldn't even pass the martial arts exam and was implicated by Yuan Qingfeng. Now, he doesn't even have a martial arts school willing to take him in.

Guo Liang couldn't understand why, despite all their impoverished backgrounds and the hardships he had endured, he was still inferior to Zhou Yuan.

"Your natural talent is not as good as mine. If you hadn't been lucky enough to marry the young lady of the Zhuo family, how could you be where you are today?"

If I had the same resources, my achievements would certainly be no less than yours!

Guo Liang clenched his fists, his face contorted in a grimace. "Zhou Yuan, don't blame me. I need a stepping stone to climb the ladder!"

He lowered his head and squeezed through the crowd toward the city outskirts.

He had already found out that Liu Jin, the county magistrate from a few years ago, was coming to Gaoshan County with the Shenbing Valley's apprentice recruitment team.

If I seize this opportunity and get in touch with Liu Jin, I can soar to great heights and even have the chance to become a disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley!

He and Liu Jin were not related, so if he wanted to establish a connection, he would have to offer a pledge of loyalty.

Liu Jin's younger brother, Liu Yin, was killed not long ago. The murderer could be Xu Nian, so why couldn't it be Zhou Yuan?

Guo Liang sneered, his heart beginning to heat up, and his steps quickened.

…………

Zhou Yuan felt an unfriendly gaze, but when he looked up, the gaze had disappeared. He only saw a somewhat familiar figure flash by and then vanish.

Without much thought, Zhou Yuan bowed to everyone and took his leave, then pulled Zhuo Changyu towards his home.

Zhuo Changyu held a pile of silver coins, his little face full of emotion.

She wasn't unfamiliar with money, but when she thought back to a year ago when she had just left home, Zhou Yuan was conscripted for corvée labor, and she had to do laundry and mending to barely make ends meet.

In just one year, those once powerful and wealthy families, whom her father would fawn over, were now vying to send her money.

Zhuo Changyu had mixed feelings, wondering if her father would regret his decision if he saw this scene.

"The Zhao family, the Li family, the Wang family... all sent silver."

Zhuo Changyu had a good memory and had already written down who delivered the silver. He then repeated it to Zhou Yuan.

"You don't need to tell me who delivered it, just tell me who didn't."

Zhou Yuan said casually.

Today, Yue Zichuan deliberately called him over in public and spoke for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, so that he would soon find out that he was Luo Baiyan's disciple.

In this situation, those who show goodwill are not necessarily friends, while those who do not are definitely enemies.

"They would never have guessed that Yue Zichuan talked to me for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and most of it was just nonsense."

Zhou Yuan recalled what had happened.

Yue Zichuan's public summons of him was clearly intended to support him, but Yue Zichuan also made it clear to him that before he officially joined the sect, he, as a nominal disciple, would not receive any special treatment.

The only guarantee this identity can provide is that no matter who deals with him, they will have to follow the rules.

In Yue Zichuan's words, the old man couldn't just make a move against Zhou Yuan, but neither Luo Boyan nor Yue Zichuan would interfere with the competition between peers.

If Zhou Yuan is killed by means within the "rules," it can only mean that Zhou Yuan is incompetent and not qualified to be Luo Baiyan's disciple.

It's cruel, and it's also very realistic.

But this is all normal. They're not his parents, so how could they take care of him unconditionally?

Reaching this level has already exceeded Zhou Yuan's expectations.

At least, he got relative fairness.

With this relative fairness, the rest is a competition of who works harder, and Zhou Yuan has never lost in this regard.

Zhou Yuan told Zhuo Changyu to put the silver away, while he changed into a short-sleeved outfit and went back to the courtyard to practice his boxing.

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Although Zhou Yuan never left his home, people came to visit and bring gifts every day.

Zhou Yuan responded politely, demonstrating his worldly wisdom and social skills, which is itself a form of self-cultivation.

Early that morning, He Yuguang knocked on his door.

When Zhou Yuan was working at the blacksmith shop, he was taciturn and inconspicuous, and he didn't know many people.

Later, the blacksmith shop collapsed and most of its members scattered, completely losing contact with the business.

Only a handful of people, such as Cheng Jiuhe and He Yuguang, still keep in touch.

"Senior Brother He, what's going on?"

Seeing He Yuguang's bruised and swollen face, Zhou Yuan asked him something strange.

He Yuguang is a martial artist who has broken through the barrier twice, and his strength is quite strong. Moreover, the He family is considered a wealthy family in Gaoshan County. Who can bully him?

"I'm fine, just superficial injuries."

He Yuguang shook his head, "But Senior Brother Cheng's situation is not so good."

He was severely injured by Chen Ming of the Martial Alliance. I just visited him at the Cheng family home; he hasn't woken up yet.

"Martial Alliance?"

Zhou Yuan's expression changed, and he asked in a deep voice, "What is the background of the Martial Alliance? Why did they injure Senior Brother Cheng?"

"Junior Brother Zhou, you've been staying indoors all the time, unaware that things have changed in Gaoshan County."

He Yuguang smiled wryly.

"Didn't Commander Pang suspect that someone in our Gaoshan County colluded with the notorious bandit Xu Nian to steal the 'Collection of Military Skills' from Shenbing Valley?"

He felt that this person was extremely well hidden and that ordinary methods might not be able to find out about him, so he had someone set up a martial arts alliance and asked all the families in the county to join it.

Senior Brother Cheng merely expressed some dissatisfaction, and Chen Ming used this as an excuse to attack him, severely injuring him in front of everyone.

Chen Ming is a disciple of Hongsheng Martial Arts School. He passed the imperial examination for martial arts two years ago and is now a master who has broken through the barrier three times.

Commander Pang is too domineering. Once you join the Martial Alliance, not only will all the martial artists have to obey his orders, but each family's businesses will also have to hand over 30% of their profits.

Which company is willing? If they aren't, they'll use deadly force...

After nagging for a while, He Yuguang got up to say goodbye and left. The He family couldn't fight against the powerful, and they were already prepared to give in.

If he doesn't back down, it won't just be a beating; he doesn't want to end up like Cheng Jiuhe.

As Zhou Yuan watched He Yuguang's somewhat unsteady figure walk further and further away, his brows furrowed.

The trees may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease; Gaoshan County is becoming increasingly chaotic.

…………