In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

"Lu Yuan...it's you again..."

Chen Yong clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.

At this moment, his resentment towards Lu Yuan for obstructing his path not only resurfaced but also intensified.

"Brother Lu, congratulations on getting third place again!"

"Brother Lu, if you become successful in the future, don't forget about us!"

Many people gathered around Lu Yuan, flattering and trying to please him.

Now, they are almost certain that although Lu Yuan practiced the Five Animal Fist once or twice a day at most while he was in Song Academy, he must have been practicing it intensely after returning home.

Moreover, if they are not mistaken, Lu Yuan has likely already mastered the basics of the Five Animal Fist.

It should be noted that Lu Yuan had only been at Song Academy for less than half a month, yet he had already mastered the basics, which was much faster than some of them who had been cultivating for more than half a month, or even a full month.

Even the fact that he receives a free meat meal every day is enough to show that his natural talent, while not quite at the level that would catch Master Song's eye, is certainly much stronger than theirs.

"Ah Yuan, you really didn't disappoint me!"

Fang Chang also came over, waved to disperse the crowd, and said to Lu Yuan with a smile: "In the next two days, I should be able to master the Five Animal Fist. Moreover, with my master's help, I will definitely be able to successfully undergo my first Qi and Blood Tempering soon and become an External Strength Martial Artist."

"Then, I'll have a chance to defeat Hong Lei and become the true successor of Song Academy. If you can also completely subdue these guys from the outer academy, then the entire Song Academy will be under our control!"

Fang Chang seemed somewhat excited, feeling that everything was under his control.

"Congratulations in advance!"

Lu Yuan smiled and said,

Fang Chang patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder again, then walked over to the newcomers and greeted them with a smile.

Not only did he patiently guide them through various problems in their cultivation, but he also gave each of them a piece of dried meat.

Clearly, he knew that he could no longer win over the old-timers like Wu Yu and Chen Pi who had always supported Hong Lei, and he didn't want to waste his time on them. Instead, he would put more effort into winning over these newcomers who had only been at Song Academy for a short time.

"Thank you so much, Brother Fang!"

"Brother Fang is such a nice guy!"

The newcomers were indeed flattered, calling him "Brother Fang" repeatedly.

Hong Lei naturally saw all of this, but he still stood there quietly with a smile on his face.

It's unclear whether they had already planned it out in their minds or simply didn't care.

Let alone these newcomers, even Lu Yuan himself doesn't seem to deserve his much attention.

After nodding to Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and the others with a smile, Hong Lei turned around and went into the inner courtyard.

"Ah Yuan, the Five Animal Fist isn't difficult to learn, but what follows is not easy. Your physique is average, and your potential is limited, so you shouldn't be too complacent. Let's work hard together; our truly good days are just around the corner!"

Fang Chang walked over and whispered something to Lu Yuan before hurriedly returning to the inner courtyard.

[Mastery of Five Animal Fist (721/10000)]

Lu Yuan didn't say much. Regardless of his own physical constitution, and regardless of whether the Five Animal Fist was becoming increasingly difficult for others, even if he could only practice once a day now, he would still reach the Great Perfection very soon.

"Ah Yuan, have you also mastered the basics?"

Before long, Chen Pi walked over and looked at Lu Yuan with a strange expression in his eyes.

"Um!"

Lu Yuan nodded; he had already mastered the basics ten days ago.

"Your natural talent is indeed better than ours, but I still have to advise you not to get too involved in the fight between Brother Hong and your little brother!"

Chen Pi lowered his voice and continued, "When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured, and no matter who wins in the end, it may not be a good thing."

"Brother Chenpi, what do you know?"

Lu Yuan asked with some curiosity.

Chen Pi and Hong Lei were close friends, so he must know some secrets.

"You probably know that Master Song takes on almost any job to make money, right?"

Chen Pi looked around and then said.

"That's absolutely right!"

Lu Yuan nodded.

The reason he and Fang Chang were able to come into contact with martial arts so quickly was because they took on the job of carrying people to the mass grave from Master Song, which led to this opportunity.

Clearly, Master Song must have taken on this job from the government and then paid them to do it.

Fang Chang had mentioned a few times when he was drunk that Master Song would take any job that could make money.

"It is said that a year ago, when Master Song was working as a镖局 (security escort agency) escorting goods, he offended a very powerful enemy. Although someone intervened and they temporarily put aside their grudges, they also made a bet: within a year, they could focus on training a successor, and after a year, the successor would have a life-or-death battle to determine the winner!"

Chen Pi said with a hint of something unusual in his eyes, "There are only six months left until the deadline of the bet!"

"They probably already know that, right?"

Lu Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

No wonder Master Song went to great lengths to find a disciple with good aptitude, not only to inherit his mantle but also for this bet.

"Of course I know!"

Chen Pi nodded and said, "In Brother Hong's opinion, his natural talent is excellent. As long as he works hard enough, and with Master Song's full support, he can become a Ming Jin or even An Jin martial artist within a year, easily winning that life-or-death battle. I'm afraid your little brother thinks the same way!"

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment. He had never thought about entering the inner courtyard and becoming Master Song's personal disciple, or competing with Fang Chang for something. Now he had even less intention of doing so.

Although he is indeed short of money and resources right now, even if he plays it safe and grinds slowly, he can still grow quickly without having to fight to the death with others or make unnecessary enemies.

Resources can be a bonus and speed up the process, but they are not indispensable.

Moreover, Master Song has been traveling the world for many years and has taken on any job to make money. He probably has more than one or two enemies. If he performs too well, he might be forcibly cut off before he even has a chance to grow.

As the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind."

This is a chaotic world where the strong prey on the weak. Before you have enough strength to protect yourself, it's best to be cautious and low-key.

In short, safety should be the top priority before pursuing anything else.

"I'm already a Ming Jin martial artist. Besides continuing to cultivate and refine my Qi and blood to improve my strength, it seems I can also practice martial arts techniques!"

Lu Yuan pondered to himself that although techniques could not directly strengthen one's body, they could instantly enhance offensive capabilities.

It would be best to learn another movement technique so that you can handle both chasing enemies and escaping with ease.

Anyway, he can only practice the Five Animal Fist once a day, so he has plenty of time to practice his techniques.

But then the question arises: where can one find the techniques?

Unless one enters the inner courtyard and becomes a direct disciple, it is almost impossible to learn techniques from Master Song in a short period of time.

But whether you go to a formal martial arts school to learn or buy from the black market, you will encounter the same problem: you don't have money.

Before he knew it, Lu Yuan had arrived in the bustling city center.

Surprisingly, it was discovered that many members of the Black Tiger Gang seemed to be going door-to-door questioning people about something.

"Could it be... that they're coming for me?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, then walked back quickly without making a sound.

……