Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 144: Shenghai Martial Arts Association, Ye Zhenren
「Three days later.」
Five Beasts Training Room.
Fu Juemin stood by the bars of the Tiger Cave. The sleeves of his dark robes were casually rolled up, revealing his well-defined forearms. Reaching through the bars, his fingers gently smoothed back the king-like pattern of stripes on the fierce tiger’s forehead, one stroke at a time.
The striped, ferocious tiger was half-crouched on the ground, its body still reeking of blood and the untamed wilderness.
Under Fu Juemin’s touch, however, it was utterly docile. Its amber eyes were half-lidded, squinted in contentment. It would occasionally tilt its head up to meet his hand, the very picture of enjoyment.
Not far away, five men and women of varying ages, all dressed as Martial Artists, stood respectfully with their hands at their sides. Witnessing this scene, their eyes filled with shock and alarm.
After all, the Mountain Lords in the Tiger Cave were ferocious beasts captured from the wild forests just a few days ago. Their wild nature was untamed, making them frenzied and difficult to manage.
Usually, the servants of Ink Garden trembled with fear whenever they fed and cared for them, terrified of being dragged inside and eaten. Yet under the hand of Young Master Fu, these tigers were as meek and obedient as house cats raised from birth.
It was simply unbelievable.
"These past few days..."
Just then, a calm, gentle voice spoke softly. The five of them instantly snapped to attention, raising their heads to look at Fu Juemin by the bars.
"...you have all worked hard. I’ve had my people prepare a small gift for you, a token of my gratitude for your teachings."
Fu Juemin patted the tiger’s head, then turned around. He picked up a neatly folded, snow-white handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands as his gaze swept over the five Martial Artists. He smiled and said, "If you Masters are in a hurry to return, I’ll have someone buy your tickets home. If you’d like to stay in Shenghai for a few more days, I’ll arrange for people to show you around. All expenses will be on my tab..."
"Thank you for your generosity, Young Master Fu."
Upon hearing this, the five of them quickly bowed.
When they were done, one of the five seemed to come to a decision. He gritted his teeth and strode forward.
He first bowed again to Fu Juemin, then leaned in slightly to speak to him in a low voice.
Fu Juemin listened nonchalantly at first, but a look of surprise and curiosity gradually appeared on his face.
"Since you have such lofty ambitions, Master Miao, I am of course more than willing to support you."
The man, however, looked quite embarrassed. "Whether or not I have such ambition will be put to the test at the upcoming Martial Arts Association," he said shamefully. "If I am fortunate enough to place well, then I will be bold enough to ask for your favor, Young Master Fu, so that I may establish a place for myself here in Shenghai."
"If I fail, then... well, you can just pretend everything I just said was me talking out of my ass..."
Fu Juemin couldn’t help but chuckle. He waved his hand, having all five of them led away.
After the five had departed, a glint appeared in Fu Juemin’s eyes. He summoned Big Cat and asked casually, "The Shenghai Martial Arts Association is about to start?"
"Yes."
Big Cat replied, "This Martial Arts Association is held once every five to ten years, jointly hosted by the Shenghai Martial Dao Association and the Jiangnan Martial Dao Association.
"The Martial Artists who take first place always win considerable prize money and prestige. That’s why every time it’s held, it attracts many Martial Artists from all over Jiangnan. Some even travel thousands of miles from the north to compete."
"Are there many experts?"
"Not many."
Big Cat shook his head. "Years ago, the Central Plains Martial Arts Association was filled with experts. There were even peerless masters competing...
"Unfortunately, after the establishment of the New Dynasty, a Martial Arts gathering of that scale has never been held again."
Fu Juemin nodded slowly.
The Martial Artist from before, Master Miao, was one of the Five Meridians’ Transmission Masters for the Five Beasts Skill. He had approached Fu Juemin not to accept the gift, but to express his hope of using the influence of Fu Juemin and the Qinglian Gang to open a school and take on disciples in Shenghai after the Shenghai Martial Arts Association.
Fu Juemin didn’t mind one way or the other. He just wondered if the man would still dare to ask for his help if he knew that the son of the Shenghai Martial Dao Association’s president—who was also the head of the local Martial Arts world—was currently rotting in jail thanks to him.
Naturally, Fu Juemin had no interest in something like the Shenghai Martial Arts Association.
That was a path for low-level Martial Artists to fight their way to the top, and he looked down on a tournament with such a wide disparity in skill.
The five-point [Attack] bonus from achieving minor success in the Dragon Elephant Skill had caused Fu Juemin’s Qi Blood to surge dramatically, bringing him to the brink of the Blood Barrier Great Success realm.
The only thing now preventing him from becoming a Tongxuan Martial Artist was the final step: circulating his power throughout his entire body to condense a complete Protective Qi Membrane.
’Demon Martial Arts... Demon Martial Arts... Although the Demon Talent is the core, the Martial Dao is the foundation. If I don’t build it one solid step at a time, how can it possibly support my future ambitions?’
Fu Juemin had now achieved Great Success in his Pharmacist Skill and minor success in his Dragon Elephant Skill, but he was still a long way from being able to fully activate all three of his Demon Species Talents simultaneously.
He could manage small-scale, partial activations, but doing so required an extremely high degree of control over his physical body.
Therefore, whether it was to break through to the Tongxuan realm or to further deduce the Demon Martial Dao, he had no choice but to practice the *Five Beasts Skill*.
However, the heirs of the Five Beasts Skill’s Five Meridians that he’d found were of a somewhat lower skill level, and they also lacked the crucial Form and Intent Integration Technique. As a result, he’d been unable to even reach the Entry Level.
Thus, Fu Juemin’s thoughts turned to the complete lineage of the Five Beasts Skill in Shenghai, which Big Cat had mentioned repeatedly.
"Have things been settled over there?"
Thinking of this, Fu Juemin asked Big Cat.
Big Cat answered, "It’s all been arranged.
"As long as you are willing to become his disciple, Young Master, you will be received as his chief and final disciple.
"We scheduled it for an auspicious time this morning. By my calculations, that time is almost here..."
"Then get everything ready. Let’s head over directly."
Fu Juemin nodded. He casually tossed the handkerchief to a nearby servant and was about to leave the beast room.
After taking two steps, he suddenly remembered something.
"Right, that person... what was his name again?"
Big Cat replied, "Ye Zhenren."
......
「South City Old Town, Training Ground Street.」
A seven or eight-year-old boy with messy, short hair and a worn-out jacket stood by the side of the road, his bright, clear eyes darting about as he curiously took in the scene.
He looked at the cloth banners hanging in front of nearly every establishment on the street, each with a yellow background and large, black characters.
Some bore the massive character for ’Escort,’ while others read ’Weiyuan,’ ’Divine Fist Gu,’ ’Hu Family Spear,’ or ’Tan Tui Orthodox Sect.’ The banners came in all sizes; some were brand new, while others had long been faded and bleached by wind and rain. The calligraphy on them ranged from elegant to wild.
The air was filled with shouts of "HIYAH!" and "HAH!" from the various courtyards, the sharp exhalations of martial artists in training. These sounds mingled with the dull thuds of fists and feet hitting sandbags and the low hum of bodies being conditioned.
Not far off, a bare-chested man stood by the road, tossing stone locks. He seemed to be in a competition with a man across the way who was practicing with a red-tasseled big gun. The two trained with ferocious intensity, pausing only to trade insults in a local dialect the boy couldn’t understand.
Nearby were a few stalls selling medicinal plasters. The boy found it all fascinating. Even the strong, bitter, and pungent smell of brewed liniment for bruises, which perpetually hung in the air, seemed wonderfully fragrant to him.
Suddenly, a man ran up to him with quick steps.
"Dad!"
The boy cried out. The man grinned, deftly pulling an oil-paper package from his robes and stuffing it into the boy’s hands.
Unwrapping the oil paper revealed two plump, steaming-hot meat buns.
The boy’s eyes instantly lit up.
"Meat buns!"
"Eat up."
The man smiled and patted the boy’s head. The latter was already starving; he nodded and began to wolf down the food.
But even as he ate, his eyes remained restless, darting back and forth across the bustling street as if he could never get his fill of the sights.
Just then, a commotion broke out at the end of the street.
A large group of men in short jackets, pistols tucked into their belts, rushed onto the street. They shouted at the pedestrians, forcing them aside to clear a path.
Immediately after, several shiny, new Western-style cars drove slowly onto the street.
