My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than several dark figures darted out from behind the pillars on both sides of the corridor.

The four servants walked quickly, their shouts like thunder:

"Insolence! Where did this madman come from!"

The four men surrounded them from different directions, their large hands already outstretched.

"Wait!"

Liu Zhiyuan raised his hand and waved it, creating a gust of wind as his sleeves rolled up.

The four servants seemed to have bumped into an invisible wall, stopping in their tracks.

Liu Zhiyuan lowered his eyes and carefully examined Lu Ming for a moment.

After a long pause, he chuckled softly:

"It's you. Come with me."

Having said that, he turned and went up the steps.

Lu Ming followed closely behind.

The four servants behind him exchanged glances and silently followed at the back.

The hall was brightly lit by candlelight.

Liu Zhiyuan sat in the main seat, slowly holding his teacup and savoring the tea.

Lu Ming stood below, with his hands at his sides.

After a long pause, Liu Zhiyuan finally put down his teacup, stroked his long beard, and spoke with a smile:

"Tell me about it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming slightly raised his head and spoke calmly:

"Sir, don't you think that Yinhu County lacks its own core group?"

He paused, a hint of resentment in his voice:

"As the Marquis of Baili, I merely used some resources reasonably, yet I was given the infamous reputation of 'scraping the ground three feet deep.' Those who fanned the flames behind the scenes are truly despicable."

He stepped forward, his back straight, his voice becoming clearer:

"In my opinion, as the upright and just magistrate of Yinhu County, you should be called 'Three Feet Above Heaven.' Serving the people and allocating resources fairly, these petty villains are ungrateful and their hearts are despicable!"

He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble servant is willing to serve you, my lord, even at the cost of my life!"

Liu Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the young man in front of him who was trying so hard to stir up trouble and generously recommending himself. The corners of his mouth gradually widened.

After a long pause, he suddenly burst out laughing:

"Only by digging three feet into the ground can one see how high the sky is."

He pointed at Lu Ming, "Are you indirectly insulting me?"

Lu Ming trembled, his expression filled with fear, and he waved his hands repeatedly:

"I am of limited knowledge and my wording was inappropriate. Please forgive me, sir!"

Liu Zhiyuan waved his hand dismissively and placed the teacup back on the table.

He hesitated for a moment, tapped his fingertips lightly twice on the armrest, and then suddenly spoke:

"You want a spot as a martial arts prodigy?"

Without waiting for Lu Ming's response, he continued on his own:

"Although Zhang Yuquan's performance this time was somewhat lacking, the Zhang family has made tremendous contributions as pillars of Yinhu County. How can I easily abandon them?"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze now carrying a hint of scrutiny:

"What makes you think you can take Zhang Yuquan's spot?"

Lu Ming remained calm, but inwardly he rolled his eyes.

I eliminated Zhang Yuquan, but you, on the contrary, pulled him out of the game, and now it's become my achievement to squeeze him out.

It's just that you accepted the favors from them and can't bear to let go.

He suppressed his inner grumbling and maintained his smile.

"My lord, I never intended to displace anyone. The 'Regulations on the Rectification of Military Preparedness' states, 'Military cadets should be dismissed once the matter is settled, without violating regulations.'"

He looked up and stared directly at Liu Zhiyuan, then slowly began to speak:

"My lord, you couldn't bear to see Zhang Yuquan's talent go to waste, so you specially granted him the qualification to be a candidate for the imperial examination. This kindness and benevolence will be a well-known story."

It directly points out that Zhang Yuquan's performance was poor, which is common knowledge. It also offers a compromise, avoiding putting him in a difficult position.

This was a statement he had already rehearsed countless times in his mind.

Trying to oust Zhang Yuquan is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

But if it's just about securing one more spot for himself, he still has room to maneuver.

Liu Zhiyuan's smile deepened, and he secretly praised him:

This kid's not bad. Now we have another reason to make these gentry pay their taxes properly.

He picked up his teacup, took another sip, but remained silent with a smile.

"Old man. Empty words really won't work on him."

Lu Ming cursed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

His body jolted violently, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, and his inner energy surged forth.

A powerful, refined, and nearly perfect essence of the Wild Bull Fist emanated from his limbs and bones.

The hem of her clothes fluttered even without wind, and even the floor tiles beneath her feet trembled slightly.

Liu Zhiyuan's body suddenly straightened, and his hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air.

He stared intently at Lu Ming, his eyes gleaming.

The Wild Bull Fist is nearing completion!

Without resources or renowned teachers, he single-handedly mastered a mediocre martial art to perfection at the age of sixteen.

Even someone from a prestigious family like him couldn't help but take notice of this talent.

"Demons are rampant outside, and the four powerful families in the city are becoming increasingly disobedient. With such talent, and a little nurturing, they might truly be able to be of use to me."

A thought struck him, and he naturally rose from his seat, quickly walked to Lu Ming, and helped him up with both hands, his voice filled with just the right amount of enthusiasm:

"Please rise quickly, please rise quickly. I have seen how hard your father, Lu Wenqing, works in the yamen. What I was doing just now was merely a test for you."

He grasped Lu Ming's hand and patted it gently twice, adopting a respectful and courteous demeanor.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of you from now on."

Lu Ming took a step back in fear and trepidation, and bowed again:

"My late father was always grateful for your kindness. From now on, Lu Ming will take my late father as his role model, and will never dare to disobey any order from you."

But inwardly, he sneered.

Lu Wenqing died, and he didn't even see a trace of the compensation. He was also extorted fifty taels of silver by Wang An and given a "death warrant".

He didn't believe Liu Zhiyuan was completely unaware of this.

Given this upright and ruthless official's penny-pinching nature, he probably got a share of that compensation money.

Liu Zhiyuan, of course, was unaware of his inner turmoil. He stroked his long beard with satisfaction and smiled, telling him to go back and wait for the results to be posted.

Lu Ming repeatedly thanked him and bowed as he withdrew.

……

Late at night. Deep in Blackwater Alley.

After leaving the Liu residence, Lu Ming hurried along the wall.

The night was as dark as ink, and the moonlight was completely obscured by the clouds.

He finally stopped in front of a bluestone brick house, and soft whispers kept coming from the crack in the door.

Lu Ming silently crept to the corner of the wall, squatted in the shadows under the window, and listened intently.

Inside the room, Zhou Tao was respectfully pouring wine for a thin, elderly man dressed in gray.

"Uncle Zhang, I am extremely grateful for your help this time. That little bastard Lu Ming is hiding his true abilities too well; he has quietly entered the path of martial arts."

The old man glanced at him, picked up his wine cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

He put down his cup and said calmly, "Speak, you've been watching this family for months now, what are your thoughts?"

Zhou Tao paused abruptly as he poured the wine, nearly spilling it over the rim of the glass.

His face stiffened for a moment, then he forced a smile:

"Uncle Zhang is joking. I was only keeping watch for two days on the Second Young Master's orders, how could it be several months?"

Uncle Zhang glanced at him, his eyes narrowing slightly:

"Zhou Tao, remember this: you rose to a minor leader position in the canal gang because of my Zhang family. Although Chief Wang is powerful, he may not be willing to protect you."

Zhou Tao's body trembled, his knees buckled, and he knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly, his forehead hitting the blue brick floor with a dull thud.

"Zhang Bo, please forgive me! I deserve to die! I deserve to die! I was so ungrateful..."

He looked up, his forehead already bearing a red mark:

"Foreman Wang promised me that he would have his men keep a close watch on the Lu family. After it's all done... before he sells that woman into a brothel, he'll let me have some fun with her for a few days first..."

Outside, Lu Ming's eyes flashed with a cold light.

It really was that bastard.

The fear in her heart will not subside until he is eliminated.

In an instant, a murderous intent filled his chest.

Inside the house, the old man watched as Zhou Tao's forehead slammed open, leaving bloody marks, before slowly waving his hand dismissively.

"Get up, let's get down to business."

Zhou Tao felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly stood up, carefully filled the old man's wine glass, and said:

"That little bastard Lu Ming is indifferent, but he's surprisingly attentive to his mother. I'll send some of my gang members to keep an eye on him. After he leaves home, you can abduct his mother..."

He lowered his voice, a sinister smile playing on his lips, and leaned closer: "We've laid a trap to lure him here, using sleeping potion as a snare..."

A treacherous and vicious plan slipped out of his mouth, every step meticulously calculated.

After Zhou Tao finished speaking, he picked up a slice of beef and put it into the old man's bowl, his face full of a fawning smile:

"Uncle Zhang, as an elder of the Zhang family, you are considered one of our own by the master, who even passed down the spiritual classic-level martial art, 'Thunderclap Finger'."

"With your already mastered Thunderclap Finger, what can Lu Ming's Wild Bull Fist do even if he has reached its full potential?"

He raised his glass and respectfully offered it to the person in charge: "With you here, we'll surely succeed with ease."

Uncle Zhang glanced at him, picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly with a slight smile on his lips.

The lewd look in Zhou Tao's eyes was obvious to him, but the other party's flattery tickled his itch.

However, at that moment, his hand holding the food suddenly paused.

As I slightly twitched my nostrils, a faint, peculiar aroma wafted in from outside, mingling with the smoky smell of food and wine.

Unless one has very keen senses, one would not notice it at all.

His expression changed drastically, he slammed his chopsticks on the table, held his breath, and abruptly stood up.

Zhou Tao, who was standing to the side, was still in a daze. After blinking twice, he felt a tingling sensation surge up from his limbs and bones, and he collapsed softly to the ground.

"Bang--!"

A figure smashed through the window, sending splinters flying everywhere.

Lu Ming leaped in, his body already bent low and ready to strike while he was still in mid-air, and he threw a punch.

With immense force and the sheer power of a bull charging at its horns, the fist's wind slammed the candlelight down.

The old man reacted extremely quickly, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his withered right hand forming a pair of fingers with a faint crackling sound emanating from the fingertips.

He pointed sharply, his finger strikes fierce and powerful, colliding head-on with Lu Ming's iron fist.

"boom--!"

Where their fists met, a surge of energy erupted, causing the bowls, plates, and glasses on the table to bounce.

Both of them took a few steps back, their faces showing disbelief.

"The Raging Bull Fist...at its peak?"

The old man's eyes widened, and his words were filled with undisguised shock.

Lu Ming did not answer.

He endured the numbness from his fist and stepped forward again.

The blue bricks shattered, and the second punch was unleashed like a thunderbolt.

"Bang bang bang bang—!"

The two exchanged blows repeatedly, the sound of their fists colliding echoing through the closed room.

Lu Ming's punches were powerful and heavy, each strike imbued with his full strength, fearless and desperate.

The old man's Thunderclap Finger technique was powerful and fierce, each strike carrying a paralyzing effect like a lightning strike.

The force of their punches surged, and their finger strength spread outwards; in the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.

Lu Ming felt a sharp, piercing force coursing through his body like a rolling electric snake, causing his blood and qi to surge like a tide.

But faced with the old man's increasingly fierce attacks, he gritted his teeth and refused to back down an inch.

Trading injury for injury, risking life for life.

"uh-huh?"

Suddenly, the old man swayed, let out a muffled groan, and his lightning-fast finger strike paused slightly.

Lu Ming's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he forcefully deflected the old man's thrusting finger with his right fist. Taking advantage of the moment when the old man's chest was wide open, he unleashed a powerful punch with his left fist.

"Bang--!"

The fist slammed solidly into the old man's chest.

After a dull thud that made your teeth ache, the old man's face turned deathly pale, and a fist-sized indentation appeared in his sternum.

He flew backward, his back slammed heavily against the wall, and he slid to the ground.

Lu Ming lunged forward, taking a step forward and gripping the old man's head with both hands like iron clamps.

"Snap!"

The old man's eyes were wide open, his pupils dilated, and he slumped softly to the ground, his face frozen with resentment and despair, as if accusing Lu Ming of his despicable shamelessness.

Lu Ming glanced at him calmly, his heart unmoved.

If he loses tonight, his and Shen Ru's fate will only be worse than this.

Moreover, he was merely giving them a taste of their own medicine.

This is the chaos of the world. If one cannot ascend to the heavens, one can only fall into the abyss forever.

He turned away indifferently and walked towards Zhou Tao, who was standing to the side.

"Spare me...spare me, Master Lu! I...I'll be your dog, please, please spare my life!"

Zhou Tao lay sprawled on the ground like a rag doll, watching Lu Ming approach step by step, his eyes filled with unprecedented fear.

Lu Ming glanced down at him, his gaze indifferent.

He raised his right foot and kicked out with lightning speed.

"Snap!"

Zhou Tao's neck was twisted to one side at an eerie angle, his eyes wide open, as if he had died with his eyes open.

"puff--"

At this moment, Lu Ming groaned, and a trickle of blood slowly oozed from the corner of his mouth.

He knelt down, supporting himself with one hand on the ground, feeling as if he had been struck by a thousand lightning bolts, with waves of tearing pain surging through his body.

"So this is a martial art of the Spirit Scripture level... its power is indeed astonishing."

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with envy:

"I wonder when I will be able to learn such martial arts?"

If it weren't for the fact that his Wild Bull Fist technique had reached perfection, and if it weren't for the help of the incense, he would probably be the one lying on the ground tonight.

But soon, he shook his head and laughed, feeling speechless at his own insatiable greed.

Just as he was about to get up, the scene before his eyes suddenly unfolded on its own.

White mist surged and clouds billowed, and lines of text emerged on the scroll like ink spreading into water:

[Ding! Prodigies from all realms rise up, all heavens pay homage to my attainment of the Dao, new cultivation techniques emerge, the scroll owner may choose one of the following to replace...]

Lu Ming was taken aback.

In the vast and desolate world, Shi Chongshan comprehended the low-grade spiritual classic "Wild Ox Strength" from the "Wild Ox Fist," which can increase the toughness of one's skin three times.

[Cross-Celestial Dissemination Rate: ★★★★★, Refine?]

[In the Supreme Great World, Xu Lingxian comprehended the mid-grade spiritual classic "Azure Ox Record" from the "Raging Ox Fist." Practicing it can increase one's qi and blood threefold, and the toughness of one's skin threefold.]

[Cross-Celestial Dissemination Rate: ★★★★★, Refine?]

[In Shenxiao Cave Heaven, Xiong Gang comprehended the superior spiritual classic "Kui Niu Yin" from the "Raging Bull Fist." Practicing it can increase one's Qi and Blood by three times, increase the toughness of one's skin by three times, and imbue attacks with lightning strikes, increasing damage tenfold.]

[Cross-Celestial Dissemination Rate: ★, Refine?]

Lu Ming stared blankly at the words, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

The Heavenly Heart Scroll... It has this function too?

The prodigy of all realms, has truly become my external talent?