Chapter 18

At the Snow Flower House, in a private room, Qin Huai and Luo Fei sat in the second seats.

Sitting on the main seat was the main examiner of Qin Huai’s exam, Gu He. As they toasted, the three of them laughed continuously, as if they were good friends who had not seen each other for many years.

“Your son-in-law’s aptitude is really a bit poor, so it’s hard to explain in a few words. That money really can’t get those guys to talk. I’m naturally too embarrassed to talk about it since I didn’t get it done.” Gu He held his wine glass and punished himself by drinking it.

“It’s a pity, you know. If I had known that Qin Huai was manager Luo’s son-in-law, I would have paid for those old fogeys with my own money!” Gu He was remorseful.

“Is there any chance of turning things around?” Luo Fei asked. He naturally did not believe in Gu He’s ‘regret’. From the other party’s words, it seemed that he had not given enough money.

“The name list for the test is still in our room, but what if we pry the mouths of the others?” Gu He suddenly stopped.

As expected. Luo Fei then asked, “How much do you think is appropriate?”

“There are four people in total who are going to be assessed. Each of you will have to take a…” Gu He made a gesture.

Luo Fei looked at Gu He’s outstretched fingers with some pain. ‘2,000 taels of silver! That’s the Luo family’s income for half a year!’

However, he still decided to bid two thousand taels of silver. Although Qin Huai could still go to the Changshan Dojo and the Tyrant Fist Dojo, he naturally had to work hard if he had the opportunity to go to the best martial arts center.

On the path of martial Dao, a slight difference could lead to a huge difference. He couldn’t miss this.

“Brother Luo, don’t worry! Leave the matter of your son-in-law to me!” Gu He patted his chest and kept the two thousand silver notes. Then, he left after eating and drinking.

…

This journey took another five days.

Not only did Gu He not reply, but the news of Qin Huai being rejected for the small test at the Thunderbolt Dojo had also spread throughout Pingnan City.

And like a whirlwind, it became the topic of gossip in the entire city.

“Tsk, tsk. I didn’t expect this. The qi and blood are mixed under the root bone. It doesn’t seem to work.”

“Isn’t that so? This Qin Huai’s talent is extremely poor. He’s not even as good as me!”

“I wonder how he managed to cultivate to the second refinement.”

“The Thunderbolt Dojo is indeed the number one martial arts school. This Qin Huai is also considered a young hero in our Pingnan city. How many people will he win if he is accepted?”

“Tsk, they’re the Thunderbolt Dojo, so justice comes first! Number one in talent! You have a conscience~”

“According to my sources, Qin Huai has already reached the end of his second refinement.”

“What a pity. You’re at the peak when you’re out of the Dao~”

In the tea stalls, restaurants, and apothecaries, ridicule, delight, and pity, could be heard. All sorts of people were discussing this matter with different states of mind.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Luo residence was heavy. Now, even a fool would know that they had been played by Gu He.

“This guy from the Thunderbolt Dojo took the money but didn’t do anything!” Luo Ya clenched her fists in anger.

“The instructor of the Thunderbolt Dojo is not fair at all.” Luo Fei’s face was filled with anger.

Qin Huai’s expression was also cold. Two thousand taels of silver was something that he would have to work as an apothecary disciple for ten years to earn. But now, Gu He had slandered him.

“Not only did he take the money, but he also spread the news and used Senior Brother to promote the nobility of the Thunderbolt Dojo.” The more Luo Ya spoke, the angrier she got.

However, although they were angry, they could only stare at him. After all, no one would dare to cause trouble for the Thunderbolt Dojo.

“I’ll go to the Tyrant Fist Dojo and the Changshan Dojo to try again.” Qin Huai stood up, put away the tokens of the two dojos, and ran out of the city again.

He first went to the Tyrant Fist Dojo, which was the closest to the Luo residence.

In the end, after the other party had tested Qin Huai’s talent, he had been kicked out on the spot.

“Even if you are kicked out of the Thunderbolt Dojo and your body is weak, my Tyrant Fist Dojo would still not want you.”

As for the promise and token, naturally, he would treat them as if they didn’t exist.

Qin Huai had no choice but to go to the Changshan Dojo with his last hope.

The Changshan Dojo was located halfway up the mountain. The entire place was inclined at a 50-degree angle on the White Flow Mountain.

This was the dojo with the most apprentices among the eight major dojos, and it was also the dojo with the lowest threshold.

Qin Huai stood at the foot of the mountain and looked into the distance.

He had also tried to practice the Qi-nurturing technique, the thunderflash technique, and the breath control technique in the past few days at the Luo residence.

The results were extremely bad. Even if he was given another ten years, he might not be able to reach the third refinement.

“If the Changshan Dojo doesn’t accept me, I can only go to the mountains around Pingnan City and wipe out the mountain bandit gangs guarded by martial artists. I’ll use their lives to improve my cultivation. I’ll find other ways later.”

The only trump card he could think of was to slaughter the bandits.

“But it’s too risky. If we don’t handle it well, we might be wanted by the mountain bandits for revenge. I definitely can’t choose it unless I have no other choice.”

There was another point. The more cultivation techniques one had, the more blemished one’s Qi and blood would be. Therefore, the difficulty of entering the dojo or other forces would increase.

Qin Huai touched his chest. Inside was a map of more than ten kilometers around Pingnan City. On it were the approximate locations of the bandit gangs of all sizes on the mountains around the city.

He had found out about them one by one with his breath control technique over the past few nights.

“I hope we can succeed this time. I don’t like to be too high-profile, nor do I like to kill too many people,” Qin Huai muttered to himself.

He had wanted to keep a low profile when he massacred the gang last time. However, he didn’t know how the people in the city found out about it. Before he even entered the city, he was carried in as a hero.

…

Changshan Dojo.

It was still a small test. The main examiner was considered an acquaintance of Qin Huai, Gu Shengcai, who had given him the token.

Qin Huai watched nervously as Gu Shengcai finished touching the bone. He shook his head in a familiar manner.

Then, it was the strength of vitality and the mottled vitality. They still had the same expression as the previous two.

Qin Huai’s mood suddenly fell to the bottom of the valley. It still wasn’t enough?

“By the way, you learned the cultivation technique from the Liu family’s apothecary, right?” Gu Shengcai suddenly spoke.

“Yes. I practiced the Qi-nurturing technique at the Liu family’s apothecary and broke through to the second refining realm with this,” Qin Huai answered honestly.

But Gu Shengcai’s expression became strange. “You must be joking. The Liu family’s apothecary’s yang Qi technique is a simplified version of my Changshan Dojo’s long breath technique. The previous shopkeeper of the Liu family’s apothecary was a slightly famous genius in our Changshan Dojo. Unfortunately…”

Gu Shengcai sighed and immediately changed the topic. “Master is kind and allowed him to simplify the breathing technique. He left behind a Qi-nurturing technique that can only be cultivated to the first refining realm, and now you’re saying that you’ve reached the second refining stage by cultivating Qi? My Changshan Dojo doesn’t need people who are full of lies.”

“Every word that I said is true.” Qin Huai was determined. “At first, I also thought that my Qi would not be able to break through to the second refinement. It was only when I cultivated the Qi to level 50 that I suddenly welcomed the second blood Qi transformation.”

“How many levels?!” Gu Shengcai’s eyes widened.

“Fifty.” Qin Huai was calm. He knew that this might be his last chance to join the dojo.

“Try activating your cultivation technique.” Gu Shengcai stood up, his eyes full of interest.

With a thought, the white dragon in Qin Huai’s body overflowed from his palm. An invisible wave of air was pushed in front of Gu Shengcai, blowing his hair back.

“He’s actually able to form the ‘white dragon’ with his Qi cultivation technique. This is the sign of a martial artist entering the first stage of the breathing technique. You won’t be able to cultivate a white dragon with the Qi cultivation technique.” Gu Shengcai was surprised and happy.

He didn’t know if Qin Huai’s Qi cultivation had really reached level 50, but the second refinement and the white dragon couldn’t lie.

Gu Shengcai sighed. “Come to the dojo and try, but you have to start as an apprentice.” He though that Qin Huai might have a unique compatibility with the breathing technique.

“Hu, Hu, Hu.” Qin Huai heaved a long sigh. No matter if it was an apprentice or a disciple, it was considered a success to be able to enter the dojo.

There were nineteen people in the small test, and in the end, ten people passed on the spot. The passing rate was more than half.

As expected of the dojo with the lowest threshold. This also meant that he had a lot more opportunities to collect experience balls.

“Next, I’ll bring you to your living quarters.” Gu Shengcai led the group into the depths of the dojo.

“The eight major martial arts centers cannot be compared to Pingnan City and the mountains. In your eyes, the second-level martial artists who can run around and act unscrupulously are just ordinary existences in these martial arts centers.” Gu Shengcai was obviously implying something.

Deafening shouts reverberated in the sky above the Changshan Dojo. The few of them stopped at the edge of a drill ground. There were about twenty to thirty bare-chested people inside, waving their fists.

“There are twenty-seven people in this branch field. Half of them are in the first refinement, and the other half are in the second refinement.” Gu Shengcai played it down.

Qin Huai and the others behind him couldn’t help but gasp. It was as if the place they had just been to was not the same world as this martial arts center.

There were more than a dozen second-tier martial artists in a small drill ground?

“If the dojo is so powerful, why don’t they go and exterminate the bandits?” Sun Ziyao asked. He was also a rookie wild cultivator who had passed the test.

“It’s impossible to kill all the bandits. Any of the eight martial arts centers of the bandit gangs within a hundred miles of Pingnan City can be wiped out within a month. But after that, more bandits will definitely appear. That’s why it’s useless for us to make a move,” Gu Shengcai explained.

Qin Huai was also silent, feeling the same way. After the Blackhawk Gang was exterminated, it was said that their original territory was taken over by other mountain bandits.

However, Qin Huai didn’t need to consider these things now. His eyes swept over them one by one, picking up all the experience balls that could be seen on the field.

Qin Huai could clearly see the range where the experience balls were dropped and collected.

“Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +50!”

“Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +41!”

“Ding! You have collected a [Breathing Technique Essence (Green) ], [Breathing Technique] Experience +65!”