At the fourth mark of the Chen hour (around 8:00 AM).
Jiang Ning opened the gates of the martial arts hall.
The disciples immediately filed in.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang!"
"..."
The disciples greeted Jiang Ning one after another, their faces filled with respect.
"Junior Brother Jiang!"
Xiao Peng appeared in front of Jiang Ning and spoke slowly.
At this moment, Xiao Peng's eyes were sharp as he looked at Jiang Ning.
"Senior Brother Xiao!" Jiang Ning smiled.
Xiao Peng said, "I heard that Junior Brother Jiang was officially accepted as a true disciple by Master Wang the day before yesterday?"
Jiang Ning nodded slightly, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Peng's gaze became even more intense as he looked at Jiang Ning, "Junior Brother Jiang, how about a spar with me?"
"There's no need for that," Jiang Ning shook his head, "I still need to go home."
"Junior Brother Jiang, are you afraid?" Xiao Peng, seeing Jiang Ning about to leave, couldn't help but provoke him.
Jiang Ning smiled. He knew that if he continued to refuse, Xiao Peng would not give up.
Then, he extended his hand and said, "Senior Brother Xiao, we are fellow disciples, both practicing the Five Animals Fist. Let's just shake hands!"
Xiao Peng met Jiang Ning's gaze and then said, "Alright!"
He then also extended his right hand.
In the next moment, their right hands clasped together.
Xiao Peng immediately exerted force.
In an instant, he felt that the three-tenths of his strength he used to grip Jiang Ning's hand was like mud sinking into the sea, causing no ripples.
Xiao Peng's eyes showed a trace of surprise as he looked at Jiang Ning.
At this moment, Jiang Ning's right hand also began to exert force slowly.
Xiao Peng's brows furrowed, and the distance between them grew narrower and narrower.
On Jiang Ning's slowly tightening right hand, he felt a force that was continuously increasing.
In just a few breaths, fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Peng's forehead, and his right hand, clasped with Jiang Ning's, trembled slightly within his sleeve.
At this moment, Jiang Ning released his grip and withdrew his hand.
"Senior Brother Xiao, you have quite the strength. I admire you!" Jiang Ning cupped his hands in respect and then turned to leave.
Watching Jiang Ning's carefree departing figure, Xiao Peng's eyes were filled with complex emotions.
He could feel the immense strength in Jiang Ning's hand just now. Under the continuous pressure, it had already become difficult for him to resist, and the pressure on the bones of his hand had reached its limit.
Judging from Jiang Ning's expression, it was obvious that he still had room to spare.
If Jiang Ning had continued to exert pressure, Xiao Peng would have had to beg for mercy, or else his hand bones would have been crushed.
So, how could he not understand that Jiang Ning's words were meant to save face for him?
Otherwise, if he had begged for mercy in front of everyone, it would have been a great loss of face.
"His strength is greater than mine! He has mastered all five forms of the Five Animals Fist! I am no match for him!" Xiao Peng thought to himself.
At this moment, a disciple among the onlookers asked, "Senior Brother Xiao, how is Senior Brother Jiang's strength?"
"Very strong!" Xiao Peng nodded, then added, "As expected of someone so highly regarded by Tower Master Shen!"
"Then how does he compare to Senior Brother Xiao?" the disciple continued to ask.
"To ask further would be impolite!" Xiao Peng glanced at the disciple.
After saying this, he also turned and walked out of the martial arts hall.
For him now, there was no need to stay at the martial arts hall any longer.
He had private tutors at home and professional training partners, so he rarely returned to the martial arts hall.
The reason he came back today was because he had heard that Jiang Ning had been accepted as a true disciple by Wang Jin.
As Xiao Peng left, the disciples in the martial arts hall began to discuss fervently.
"Brothers, did you see who was stronger between Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Brother Xiao?"
"I couldn't tell! But I think Senior Brother Xiao should be stronger in terms of strength! After all, Senior Brother Xiao has been at the martial arts hall for several months, and even before that, he had been practicing martial arts for a long time."
"I think so too. After all, Senior Brother Xiao has long reached the level of great achievement in Qi and blood, with his strength circulating through his limbs. His single-arm strength has already exceeded four hundred jin."
"I'm not so sure!" someone said. Seeing the gazes of the others, he continued, "Look! When Senior Brother Jiang left just now, he was relaxed and at ease, clearly in good condition! But I saw fine beads of sweat on Senior Brother Xiao's forehead!"
"Fine sweat?" someone asked doubtfully, "Is that true?"
"Of course!" the person nodded, "So I think... perhaps Senior Brother Xiao is no match for Senior Brother Jiang. Don't you remember Senior Brother Xiao's temperament? When has he ever been so silent?"
"But... but Senior Brother Jiang has only been at the martial arts hall for less than a month and a half! How could his strength compare to Senior Brother Xiao's?"
The person continued, "Before this, could you have imagined that Senior Brother Jiang while practicing all five forms, would pass Master Wang's test in just over a month and be accepted as a true disciple?"
"You must remember that Senior Brother Jiang is a genius highly regarded by Tower Master Shen! And Tower Master Shen's level of regard for Senior Brother Jiang is extremely high, to the point of standing against the Cao family and breaking the rules of Wanhua Tower for him."
"With Tower Master Shen's help, it's normal for Senior Brother Jiang's martial arts progress to be rapid! Even if he reaches the ninth rank of martial arts in a month, I wouldn't be surprised!"
The disciples in the front courtyard of the martial arts hall pondered these words for a moment, then slowly nodded in agreement.
On the other side, after Xiao Peng walked out of the martial arts hall, he extended his right hand from his sleeve and suddenly saw the finger marks left by Jiang Ning on his palm, clear and distinct.
He clenched his fist again, mobilizing the Qi and blood in his body to wash over his palm, and the finger marks gradually faded.
"What immense strength!"
"Jiang Ning's strength must be around six to seven hundred jin!"
"He's only been practicing for such a short time, yet he already possesses such formidable strength. I wonder how many good things Shen Congyun has given him to allow his strength to improve so quickly!"
Xiao Peng thought to himself, his eyes revealing a trace of jealousy.
"Why wasn't I the genius that Shen Congyun favored?"
"If Jiang Ning competes for a spot in the Inspectorate, with Shen Congyun's help, how can I compete with him?"
Thinking of this, Xiao Peng's heart was filled with intense unwillingness.
He had originally thought that defeating Cheng Ran and then reaching the ninth rank of martial arts would be enough.
He had been very confident about both.
In his opinion, defeating Cheng Ran wouldn't be difficult!
Reaching the ninth rank of martial arts wouldn't be difficult either!
He had already achieved perfection in Qi and blood. At this stage, with his skin-tempered, reaching the ninth rank of martial arts would be a natural progression.
The most difficult part of reaching the ninth rank of martial arts was accumulating Qi and blood to perfection, circulating it throughout the body.
Once perfection in Qi and blood was achieved, reaching the ninth rank of martial arts, with sufficient resources, wouldn't take too long.
He estimated that in another month to a month and a half, he would be able to fully temper his skin and reach the ninth rank of martial arts, just in time for the opening of the Inspectorate.
But now, Jiang Ning's sudden appearance had completely disrupted his plans.
So today, he came to the martial arts hall to test Jiang Ning's depth.
After all, in Luoshui County, the news that Shen Congyun favored an ordinary civilian from the outer city and had even stood against the Cao family for him had spread throughout the major factions.
Xiao Peng naturally knew about it.
Being so highly regarded by Shen Congyun, he couldn't help but take Jiang Ning seriously.
However, after today's test, his heart sank.
Not only was he no match for Jiang Ning in fist techniques, but he was also inferior in strength.
The level of strength was closely related to the abundance of Qi and blood.
From the strength he felt in Jiang Ning's right hand just now, he knew that Jiang Ning was either naturally strong or had an extremely abundant amount of Qi and blood. Even if he hadn't reached perfection, he was very close.
Xiao Peng stood still, staring blankly at the blue sky above.
After a long time, he let out a sigh.
"Ah"
He sighed deeply, feeling somewhat dejected, and slowly walked forward.
Wanhua Tower.
This was the most luxurious place in all of Luoshui County.
When Jiang Ning arrived at the entrance of Wanhua Tower, it was already past noon.
After opening the gates of the martial arts hall, he had gone home.
He had also successfully delivered the silver to Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan.
It wasn't until after lunch that he set out for Wanhua Tower.
His purpose for coming to Wanhua Tower was simple.
He was here to collect the gift that Shen Congyun had left for him, which he could only receive after achieving perfection in Qi and blood by visiting Lin Qingyi.
"Sir, I am Xiao Lu. May I ask what you would like to purchase at our Wanhua Tower?"
As soon as Jiang Ning stepped through the doors of Wanhua Tower, a maid dressed in a light green dress approached him, curtsied, and inquired.
"I would like to see Tower Master Lin Qingyi," Jiang Ning said.
As he spoke, he extended his arm from his sleeve, revealing a small white jade token, no larger than the palm of his hand.
This token had been given to him by Shen Congyun before his departure. Possessing this token granted significant privileges at Wanhua Tower and the right to meet with the deputy tower master.
When the maid heard Jiang Ning's words, her mouth opened slightly, ready to respond.
But the moment Jiang Ning revealed the white jade token, her mouth closed, and her expression became one of deep respect as she curtsied again.
"May I ask for your esteemed name, sir? I will convey your request to the tower master, but whether she will see you, I cannot say."
Jiang Ning cupped his hands in respect, "I am Jiang Ning. Thank you for your trouble, miss."
"Please wait a moment, sir," the maid in the light green dress said.
She then hurried over to another maid and whispered something to her.
Shortly after, the other maid quickly approached Jiang Ning.
"Sir Jiang, please follow Xiao He to the VIP room for some tea. It may take some time for Tower Master Lin to respond."
"Alright," Jiang Ning nodded.
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