Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

Inside the lobby, the air suddenly seemed to freeze.

The musician's fingers stopped playing abruptly, and the diners' eyes all turned to him.

Zhao Mingyuan pressed down on Li Tian's arm again, but his gaze turned to Su Derong, and his voice turned cold: "Junior Brother Su, we have important matters to attend to today and do not wish to argue with you. But if you utter any more foul words, don't blame me for disregarding our fellow disciples."

"Sibling bond?" Su Derong scoffed. "You dare to even mention those four words?"

Just as he was about to make another sarcastic remark, he caught a glimpse of Chen Jianghe shaking his head slightly out of the corner of his eye.

His gaze was calm, yet carried an undeniable composure.

Su Derong took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and sat down again, coldly uttering, "Fine, I won't reason with a dog. Because dogs don't understand."

Li was so angry that his face turned red, his eyes widened, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but he couldn't lash out because of Zhao Mingyuan's previous intervention and the current situation.

Zhao Mingyuan's expression remained cold and stern, but a hint of gloom flashed deep in his eyes.

He ignored Su Derong and turned his gaze to Chen Jianghe, who remained silent throughout, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "This is Master's new junior brother? I've heard... there are some rumors circulating in the martial arts school lately, saying that you've made quite rapid progress?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tian abruptly turned his head, his gaze falling on Chen Jianghe as he scrutinized him, trying to discern some clue.

Chen Wanglong, standing to the side, kept his eyes lowered, as if he hadn't heard anything. Only the faint curve of his lips revealed a hint of contempt that was hard to detect.

Chen Jianghe understood perfectly.

Zhao Mingyuan's words, though seemingly casual, were actually a test.

He had just begun to develop internal strength, and his aura was well-concealed. Unless a master of internal strength deliberately probed him, it would be difficult to see through him.

Zhao Mingyuan's question at this moment may not be a confirmation, but rather a probing and observation.

He calmly put down his wine glass, stood up, and gave a slight bow in Zhao Mingyuan's direction, his expression composed yet carrying just the right amount of shame and unease: "Senior Brother."

He still used that title, his voice steady, "I am of dull talent, but with sheer hard work, I practice diligently every day without daring to slack off. My so-called progress is entirely due to Master's strict supervision, Third Senior Brother's care, and a little enlightenment I gained while escorting goods. I have only made a few lucky breakthroughs, and I really don't deserve the word 'quite fast.' Compared to the heroic figures of Eldest and Second Senior Brothers in their prime, I am far inferior."

These words were perfectly watertight.

It acknowledges that there has been some progress, which is in line with the progress a diligent disciple should make, and attributes the credit to the master, senior brothers, and the experience of escorting goods, which is reasonable and justifiable.

At the same time, he humbly admitted that he was not as good as Zhao and Li, giving them enough face and making it difficult for people to investigate further.

Sure enough, Zhao Mingyuan scrutinized him for a moment, then slowly nodded, no longer probing, and simply said, "Diligence can make up for lack of talent, that's a good thing. Don't let down your master and your third senior brother's expectations."

Li Tian snorted, clearly unimpressed by Chen Jianghe's modesty. But seeing that Zhao Mingyuan wasn't pressing the matter, he could only reluctantly withdraw his gaze and mutter under his breath, "Pretentious..."

Su Derong waved his fan, glanced sideways at Zhao Mingyuan, and said sarcastically, "Instructor Zhao is so busy with important matters these days, yet he still has the leisure to concern himself with the younger generation of the martial arts school? That's truly remarkable. However, you're meddling too much; be careful not to break your wrist."

Zhao Mingyuan slightly raised his eyelids, gave Su Derong a cold glance, didn't reply, and turned to enter the private room.

The suppressed whispers around them then began to hum.

"That boy is Chen Wanglong? The genius from Zhenlei Martial Arts School who reached the Ming Jin level in just six months and the An Jin level at the tender age of eighteen?"

"It must be him! I heard that the Zhao family offered him twenty catties of exotic beast meat per month, not to mention an unknown amount of silver, in order to recruit him!"

"Tsk tsk, an eighteen-year-old with hidden strength... Such talent is top-tier even among the direct descendants of the five great families in the inner city. The Zhao family has truly struck gold this time. With proper nurturing, they might very well produce a Grandmaster of Transformation Strength in the future!"

"If it weren't for that incident at Linjiabao, the Zhao family would probably have already dealt with Chen Wanglong..."

"Shh! Watch your mouth! Let's not pry into those things..."

The murmurs drifted over, but Chen Jianghe seemed not to hear them.

He slowly sat down, picked up the wine pot that was warming in hot water, and slowly filled a cup for himself.

Breaking through the obvious force in half a year, developing hidden force at eighteen.

The name of genius shines brightly.

But it only took Chen Jianghe a little over a year to go from changing his internal strength to developing internal strength.

If you include the three years of slaughtering experience before transmigrating when you had no background in it, it's more than four years in total.

He is destined for "heaven rewards diligence," so he doesn't need to worry about talent limitations. As long as he has enough resources and keeps practicing diligently, his hidden strength and transformative strength will come naturally.

Chen Wanglong is exceptionally gifted, but Chen Jianghe, relying on his destiny, remains fearless.

It's just... resources.

His gaze fell back to the three expensive dishes of wild game on the table.

This table contains four taels of gold.

What kind of life must Chen Wanglong have been living in Zhenlei Martial Arts School and Zhao Family?

When Zhao Mingyuan resolutely left the Xingyi Martial Arts School and joined the Zhao family, wasn't it precisely for this resource?

Seeing Chen Jianghe's silence, Su Derong assumed he was troubled, so he gently tapped the back of his hand with the rib of his fan and whispered, "Jianghe, don't pay attention to those two ungrateful bastards. Your master was truly blind to have taken them in."

Chen Jianghe shook his head: "Senior brother, I'm fine."

Su Derong gestured towards the private room with his chin: "That Chen Wanglong from just now?"

Chen Jianghe twitched the corner of his mouth: "My cousin, who is born of the main wife."

Su Derong understood and laughed, "What's wrong? Feeling bad? Don't worry. You've already mastered internal strength; you're just hiding your true abilities now. In terms of talent, you'll definitely beat him. It's just that he has the backing of Zhenlei Martial Arts School and is now being supported by the Zhao family, so his resources are far superior to yours. But you have your own path—Xingyi Quan is a true internal martial art, with the most solid foundation. You might just be able to compete with him in the future."

Chen Jianghe calmly said, "Senior brother, he and I are not on the same path, so why should we compete? The level of martial arts is not determined by one's family background or empty reputation; in the end, it is determined by the strength of one's fists."

Upon hearing this, Su Derong tilted his head back, downed a glass of wine, and laughed heartily: "Good! That makes sense!"

Chen Jianghe lowered his voice slightly: "I was just thinking that Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian's visit here today probably wasn't just for a meal. There's also Chen Wanglong..."

Su Derong's expression turned serious, and he slowed the pace of his fan-waving: "You mean... the Zhao family wants to use Chen Wanglong's 'genius' reputation to gain more leverage at the negotiating table?"

Chen Jianghe nodded slowly.

In chaotic times, genius is also a resource, a kind of capital that can be traded and used to intimidate.

However, the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind.

"Senior brother," he raised his glass, his voice calm and even, "thank you for your hospitality today. This wild game is indeed very nourishing."

Su Derong was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, raising his glass to clink with his: "That's right! Forget about some genius or ingrate, as long as we eat well, drink well, and practice our boxing, that's more important than anything else!"

The cups clinked lightly, and the clear sound lingered around the beams.

Outside the window, the streetlights of the inner city gradually illuminated, swallowing up the last rays of daylight, and the night, as dark as ink, pressed down heavily.