Proving God begins with the principle that no effort is wasted.

Inside the Zhao family's inner courtyard, the charcoal fire in the flower hall crackled and popped, the glowing embers fueling the bronze stove.

Zhao Wantang took off her heavy training clothes and changed into a simple coarse blue robe.

Her long, jet-black hair was simply tied up with a plain silver hairpin. A thin layer of sweat clung to her temples, and a few stray hairs clung to her cheeks. Her face was still flushed from practicing martial arts.

She stepped into the hall with steady steps and an upright posture, showing no trace of feminine delicacy. She bowed directly to Zhao Yuanlang, who was sitting at the head of the table.

"uncle."

Zhao Yuanlang slowly put down the celadon teacup in his hand. He calmly glanced at his niece in front of him and sighed inwardly.

The Zhao family's descendants of this generation are truly utterly useless.

The eldest son indulged in sensual pleasures and frequented brothels and taverns, which had already ruined his health and completely severed his path in martial arts.

The second son was frail and sickly from childhood, and always needed medicine. He couldn't even last half an hour on basic horse stance training.

The three sons were dedicated to martial arts and willing to work hard, but unfortunately, their natural talents were mediocre. After five or six years, they were still stuck at the fifth level of martial arts and could not make any progress. They were not even as good as ordinary martial arts school disciples.

Only Zhao Wantang, though born into a collateral branch and lacking the resources of the direct descendants, possesses an innate tenacity, is willing to endure hardship and is patient, and has exceptional talent in martial arts.

He is the only one among the younger generation of the Zhao family who is presentable and can hold his own in the family.

"sit."

Zhao Yuanlang spoke calmly, his tone carrying the gentleness of an elder.

Zhao Wantang sat down on the chair next to him as instructed, keeping her back straight and her hands flat on her knees, maintaining an upright posture.

"I heard you've recently made a breakthrough in your cultivation level?"

Zhao Yuanlang looked at her, a rare hint of genuine joy in his eyes, and asked.

Zhao Wantang's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly suppressed the joy in her eyes. Her tone was calm but could not hide a hint of certainty: "Yes, I just stabilized my realm the day before yesterday and opened the seventh acupoint."

"Seven acupoints." Zhao Yuanlang nodded slowly, his satisfaction growing even stronger. "Not to mention Gaolin County, even among the younger generation of the entire prefecture, you are the only woman who has cultivated to the Seven Acupoints Realm."

"From now on, the Zhao family's martial arts manuals and body-tempering herbs will be geared towards you. You must not fail to live up to this cultivation and must not slack off."

Zhao Wantang's heart skipped a beat. She immediately stood up, bowed respectfully, and said, "Wantang will remember Uncle's teachings and thanks Uncle for his kindness!"

Before he could finish speaking, hurried and chaotic footsteps came from outside the door.

The servant stumbled and ran to the threshold of the flower hall, not daring to enter rashly. He bent over and gasped for breath.

"Master, no, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened to Jinlin!"

Zhao Yuanlang's previously calm tone suddenly turned cold and stern as he rebuked, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful! Speak slowly, what exactly happened?"

The servant swallowed hard, suppressing his rapid breathing, and replied in a flash, "On the Golden Scale Gathering stage, a disciple from the Guangchang Martial Arts Academy has already reached the ninth level of the martial arts realm!"

"He crippled Zhou Liang of the Cangsong Martial Arts School on the ring and severely injured Luo Lie!"

"Zhou Liang's spine was broken and all the major tendons in his body were shattered. The doctor said that he would be paralyzed in bed for the rest of his life and would never be able to get up again."

"Luo Lie's sternum is caved in and shattered. He is still unconscious, breathing weakly, and his life hangs in the balance!"

The charcoal fire in the flower hall was still crackling, but the atmosphere inside instantly plummeted to freezing point, as if the air itself had solidified.

Zhao Yuanlang's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air, his face suddenly darkening. "Nine acupoints? When did such a young expert emerge within the prefectural city?"

"Reporting to Master, this man is not from the prefectural city. He is a poor man from Reed Bay and is a disciple of Guangchang Martial Arts School. His name is Jiang Lan," the servant replied, bowing his head and speaking each word carefully.

Zhao Wantang's expression suddenly changed drastically, and her originally calm eyes instantly became turbulent.

"Jiang Lan?"

She spoke, her voice filled with barely concealed disbelief.

The servant nodded hurriedly: "It is indeed this person, there's no mistake, everyone at the Golden Scale Gathering saw it."

Zhao Yuanlang turned to look at Zhao Wantang, whose expression was unusual, and asked in a deep voice, "Tang'er, do you know this Jiang Lan?"

Zhao Wantang remained silent for a moment, her lowered eyelids concealing the complex emotions in her eyes, before slowly replying, "During the martial arts selection, I fought him in the arena. I... only managed to defeat him by sheer luck."

"Just lucky?"

Zhao Yuanlang frowned deeply. He knew his niece's personality well; she never spoke falsehoods. For her to utter the word "lucky," it was clear that there was more to the story than met the eye in that duel.

Zhao Wantang bit her lower lip and didn't offer any further explanation.

She would never forget the scene on the martial arts arena that day. At that time, Jiang Lan was only at the fifth level of the martial arts realm, but his moves were sharp, his movements were agile, and his strength was heavy. Every move he made forced her to retreat step by step. Whether it was strength, movement, or the dismantling of moves, she was far inferior to her opponent, and the outcome was already clear.

But at the very last moment, Jiang Lan inexplicably slipped and fell off the stage.

The opponent she had "luckily" defeated in the past, who was at the fifth level of the martial arts realm, had become a top master of the ninth level in just a few months. He swept through the Golden Scale Society and crippled two powerful figures from the Cangsong Martial Arts School.

She had exhausted all her efforts, cultivating day and night, and had only just broken through to the Seven Acupoints Realm.

This gap was like an insurmountable chasm between the two, piercing their hearts and leaving them speechless.

"When he fought me, he was only at the fifth level of the cultivation realm..."

Zhao Wantang's voice was extremely low, so low that only she could hear it, and her tone was full of complex and indescribable emotions.

Zhao Yuanlang fell silent, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, the crisp sound particularly clear in the deathly quiet flower hall.

To leap from the Fifth Acupoint Realm to the Ninth Acupoint Realm in just a few months is an incredible speed of cultivation that no ordinary genius could achieve. Even core disciples of major sects in the city might not have such good fortune.

How did a poor farmer from Luwei Bay, with no family background, no connections, and no abundant martial arts resources, manage to reach such a level?

"Was it this Jiang Lan who killed Wang Yaozu, whom Second Master specially invited from the prefectural city, in the turf war at the docks?"

Zhao Yuanlang suddenly recalled the previous dispute at the dock and asked in a deep voice.

The servant bowed and replied, "It was indeed this man. He was invited by Huo Yuanlong of the Canal Gang to fight for them, and he killed Wang Yaozu in one move."

Zhao Yuanlang's eyes turned completely cold. Back then, he thought the dock dispute was just a minor squabble between lower-level forces, and he didn't take that kid named Jiang Lan seriously either.

But now, this insignificant figure he once looked down upon has crippled two of the top martial arts masters of the Cangsong Martial Arts School! He has become an unexpected obstacle in his plans, standing in opposition to the Zhao family and the Cangsong Martial Arts School.

"Understood, you may leave."

Zhao Yuanlang waved his hand, and the servant, not daring to linger, bowed and quickly retreated.

Zhao Yuanlang slowly got up, walked to the window of the flower hall, and turned his back to Zhao Wantang.

The sky outside the window was overcast and gray. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice carrying a belated regret.

"If we had paid attention to him earlier and brought him under the Zhao family's command, he would be a sharp and effective weapon in our hands now."

……

Cangsong Martial Arts School, back room.

The room was dimly lit, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive. Zhao Chongyuan sat upright in a grand chair. The hot tea on the table in front of him had long since gone cold; the steam had dissipated, leaving only a cup of ice-cold tea.

Shi Yunshan walked out of the inner consultation room, his steps heavy, his body surging with a fierce aura.

"How are the injured?"

Zhao Chongyuan looked up at him and calmly asked.

"Zhou Liang is completely ruined. His spine is broken and all the major tendons in his body are shattered. He will be bedridden for the rest of his life and will never be able to stand up again. Luo Lie is still unconscious. Three pieces of his sternum are broken, which has damaged his martial arts foundation. Even if he is lucky enough to wake up, he will probably never be able to practice martial arts again, and his cultivation will be completely ruined."

Zhou Liang was a key disciple of Cangsong Martial Arts School and a backbone of the school; while Luo Lie was his personally trained senior disciple, the student to whom he devoted his life's blood, and his only hope in his later years.

Now that one of them is dead and the other crippled, half a lifetime of hard work has been destroyed in an instant, and hatred is seeping into his bones. However, he can only forcefully suppress the anger in his heart and dare not act rashly.

"Zhou Liang first provoked us on the stage, arrogant and conceited, and didn't know how to hide his strength. He ended up like this, which is a disgrace to himself." Zhao Chongyuan picked up the cup of cold tea, took a small sip, and felt a bitter and cold taste in his mouth. "Even though the two of them joined forces to attack, they were still no match for Jiang Lan. In the end, it was because they were not skilled enough, and they have no one to blame but themselves."

Shi Yunshan's face was ashen, his chest heaving violently, yet he had no way to refute it. In a duel on the ring, life and death were irrelevant; his opponent had won fair and square, and no matter how much he hated him, he couldn't find fault with him.

Zhao Chongyuan put down his teacup, his tone turning slightly somber: "This Jiang Lan comes from a poor background, with no one to rely on, yet he was able to break through to the Ninth Acupoint Realm in a short period of time. He is ruthless and decisive in his actions, and his mind is deep and unpredictable. If we cannot recruit such a person, he will surely become a major threat to us in the future."

"The Chamber of Commerce has just been established, and all forces are watching closely. The power structure is being reshuffled, and this is a critical period." Zhao Chongyuan turned around, looking sharply at Shi Yunshan, and said word by word, "If we rashly confront them head-on now, and go to Guangchang Martial Arts School or Jiang Lan for revenge, not only will we not gain any advantage, but we will also give others ammunition to criticize us, and completely push those neutral forces to the other side."

"Are we just going to let it go like this?!" Shi Yunshan could no longer suppress his resentment and anger. He clenched his fists and roared, his eyes red and bloodshot.

"Of course not." Zhao Chongyuan's tone was firm, his eyes sinister. "But this matter requires careful consideration and cannot be rushed. Once the Chamber of Commerce has firmly established itself and gained control of the martial arts community in Gaolin County, there will be plenty of legitimate means to settle this score. There's no need to rush."

Shi Yunshan remained silent for a long time, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart, leaving only bitterness. He picked up the cup of cold tea on the table, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. The icy tea slid down his throat, chilling his internal organs and completely suppressing the surging resentment.

He slowly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Chongyuan, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Chongyuan, I understand. I'll head back now."

Zhao Chongyuan did not turn around, still facing away from him, but simply nodded slightly, exuding an air of composure and strategic brilliance.

……