Martial arts mastery? But I'm just a spoiled brat!

Martial arts schools in Tianjin have many strict requirements for accepting apprentices. For example, one must first become an apprentice and work odd jobs for the school for five years to test one's character.

Or it could mean paying a large sum of money, an amount that an ordinary family couldn't earn in half a lifetime.

Some martial arts schools operate on a recommendation system, meaning that children from ordinary families may never even qualify for a martial arts school in their entire lives.

Tiger Roar Martial Arts Academy has a different way of accepting disciples. Instead, it selects elites from lower-level martial arts academies as disciples. However, the lower-level martial arts academies do not have the same stringent requirements as other martial arts academies.

These lower-level martial arts schools are affiliated with Tiger Roar Martial Arts School, and their nature is diverse. They are not only open to ordinary people who aspire to martial arts, but also to some professions at the very bottom.

Peddlers and laborers from all walks of life, as long as they are willing and can reach certain conditions with lower-level martial arts schools, can teach their children a skill.

If one is fortunate enough to be selected by the Tiger Roar Martial Arts School, it will truly change the fate of the family.

In this way, Tiger Roar Martial Arts School has preserved the purity of the school to a certain extent and has been better able to select the talents it wants.

This also gives ordinary people more opportunities to become martial artists.

This is why the Tiger Roar Martial Arts School became extremely mysterious in Tianjin. Moreover, the school could provide Yan Qing with a continuous stream of martial artists, who were suitable for various professions, and were most suitable as intelligence agents.

Of course, the interests involved, as well as the entanglements with many local gangs and businesses, are extremely complicated.

However, Zou Qisi is meticulous and good at management, and she can navigate and balance between various forces. She even made Tiger Roar Martial Arts School's strength advance by leaps and bounds in a short period of time, squeezing into the top of the eighteen major martial arts schools in Tianjin, and ranking alongside Xingyi Martial Arts School and Taiji Martial Arts School.

Of course, this included some martial artists who left Xingyi Sect with Steward Cao, as well as the financial support from the Yan family.

But this is enough to show that Zou Qisi's abilities are indeed extraordinary.

"Master! How did the discussions with the other martial arts schools go today? Where will the martial arts duel be held?"

At this moment, Li Er, the deputy director of the martial arts school, stepped forward to inquire.

At Tiger Roar Martial Arts School, Zou Qisi has always been in charge of external affairs, while Li Er has been in charge of the selection and training of students within the school.

Because Li Er was Cao Zongguan's disciple, Zou Qisi always addressed Li Er as her senior brother and treated him with great respect.

"It's confirmed. The martial arts duel will be held at Wei Chun Yuan in the concession."

Zou Qisi had maintained a cold expression since entering the martial arts school, and hadn't spoken to any of the students or instructors. However, her expression softened considerably when she spoke to her senior brother, Li Er.

"The foreign concessions! That makes sense."

Li Er had gotten used to Zou Qisi's attitude. A woman, especially a widow, who had always dealt with martial arts schools and various forces, was not good if she was overly enthusiastic, and it would be difficult for her to earn respect.

Despite her somewhat obsequious demeanor towards Yan Qing, Zou Qisi is known as a "heroine among women" in the Tianjin martial arts world, which speaks volumes about her abilities.

"Well, that's fine too. At least it won't expose our relationship with General Yang."

In fact, at first, Zou Qisi wanted to try to arrange the duel to take place outside the concession, so that with Yang Qing guarding Tianjin, she would have a way to solve any problems that might arise.

"Um!"

When the topic turned to Yang Qing and the Yan family, Li Er fell silent. He was well aware of his own position and dared not say more about these matters.

"By the way, did Wanxing come today?"

Zou Qisi didn't tell Li Er too many details about the martial arts alliance's discussions, but instead started asking about Wanxing's situation.

"She's in the backyard of the martial arts gym right now."

"Okay, I'll go take a look!"

Zou Qisi nodded, then walked straight to the backyard of the martial arts school.

The backyard of the martial arts school is separate from the dormitories of the students and instructors. It belongs exclusively to Zou Qisi, and usually only Li Er, the deputy head of the school, can freely enter and exit. Wanxing was assigned to live there.

In the backyard, Wanxing was practicing martial arts, and she stopped after seeing Zou Qisi.

"Wanxing, how's it here? Are you settling in?"

Upon seeing Wanxing, Zou Qisi's cold demeanor vanished, replaced by a much warmer expression.

"Master Zou!"

However, apart from Yan Qing, Wanxing didn't show much expression to anyone else. After greeting them, she went straight to the point:

"Does Master Zou have any information regarding the latest developments at the Xingyi Martial Arts School and the Tai Chi Martial Arts School?"

Even when she arrives in a new place, Wanxing will not give up on gathering intelligence, especially since Young Master Yan Qing will be coming in person later, so she attaches even more importance to intelligence gathering.

"Yes, I've also received relevant information. Recently, there have been quite a few unfamiliar martial artists in Tianjin. Among them, the new martial artists from Xingyi Martial Arts School and Taiji Martial Arts School are the strongest. Some of them were already famous a few years ago and are now just at the age of thirty."

When Wanxing asked about this, Zou Qisi unconsciously frowned a little. Both Xingyi Martial Arts School and Taiji Martial Arts School have a very deep foundation.

Her Tiger Roar Martial Arts School could invite martial artists from the Yan family, her powerful backer, and the other two martial arts schools could also invite martial artists from their respective backers to help them.

This is Zou Qisi's method. Lower-level martial arts schools mostly deal with all sorts of people, and if they are willing, they can get all kinds of information in the first instance. The appearance of unfamiliar martial artists in Tianjin is the most important piece of information.

"Um."

Seeing that Zou Qisi already knew, Wanxing said no more, nodded, and then began to talk about other things:

"Young Master's train will arrive early tomorrow morning. Would you like me to pick him up?"

"So soon? Of course I'll go pick it up!"

Zou Qisi, who had been frowning slightly, immediately put aside her worries and focused on welcoming Yan Qing when she heard Wanxing say that Yan Qing would arrive early the next morning.

Clearly, Yan Qing's arrival was far more important to her than matters of the martial arts alliance.

"Well, you don't need to worry too much about the other martial arts schools. Now that the young master has come in person, the position of leader of the martial arts alliance will definitely be yours."

Seeing how much Zou Qisi valued the young master, Wanxing was quite satisfied and began to comfort her.

She trusted her young master implicitly, and she was also the one who knew Yan Qing's strength best, knowing that no martial artist of the same level could rival him.

"Yes, thank you, Sister Wanxing. I was planning to accompany you to explore various places in Tianjin today, but now... I'm afraid it will be a bit inconvenient. I also don't know what the young master's habits and hobbies are like, so I'd appreciate your advice."

Yan Qing's arrival was extremely important to Zou Qisi, so she had to arrange everything carefully. The matters were trivial and required meticulous consideration, leaving no room for carelessness.