“Everyone, please don’t panic…” George Lambert reassured them again, “We will definitely resolve this as soon as possible.”

　　Bang—

　　Before he finished speaking, a sudden loud crash came from behind, startling everyone, who all turned to look.

　　It turned out to be Daniel Parker, who was helping the elderly couple who owned the courtyard clear away the sheds that had been burned by the fire.

　　At this moment, the elderly couple were staring dumbfounded at the burly Daniel Parker, their faces full of distress: “Officer, didn’t you say you’d help us tear down the parts that were burned? This shed where we store our wine wasn’t even touched by the fire—why did you knock it down?”

　　“Ah.” David Clark scratched his head in embarrassment, “I just got carried away while tearing things down.”

　　……

　　When George Lambert returned home, dawn was already breaking.

　　He had been busy all night—putting out the fire took nearly half an hour, investigating the scene took another half hour, and then he spent the rest of the night helping the elderly couple rebuild the wine shed that Daniel Parker had accidentally demolished.

　　Even so, he still started by practicing a set of Tiger Might Fist, a technique passed down by the Imperial Guard, right in the courtyard.

　　With each move, he exuded a fierce aura, the momentum growing like thunder.

　　He kept going until a divine light flashed in his eyes, wisps of steam-like white vapor rose from the top of his head, and his face glowed red-hot, as if surrounded by a faint blaze.

　　“Hoo—”

　　Only then did he let out a long breath and choose to stop.

　　For George Lambert, the most fascinating thing about this world was the prevailing culture of cultivation.

　　Here, martial artists could truly split mountains and shatter stones with their bodies, traverse the land, and develop the human body’s potential to a terrifying degree.

　　Not to mention the legendary cultivators of the Three Teachings, who mastered the powers of yin and yang, the five elements, and the mysteries of creation—just hearing about them was awe-inspiring.

　　However, the Liang family’s circumstances were poor, so the only cultivation the original body could access was martial arts, and he had reached the first stage of martial cultivation—the Qi and Blood Realm—by the age of fifteen.

　　By rights, that was considered quite talented, but advancing in the first stage of martial arts depended not only on talent, but also on wealth.

　　Ordinary families could only practice by repeatedly training and exercising, stimulating their internal qi and blood to a boiling state, gradually merging their essence into their blood, and eventually reaching completion. If they could eat some beef or mutton every day, that was already a decent supplement.

　　But wealthy families relied on taking elixirs or consuming the flesh and blood of spirit beasts to replenish their qi and blood, allowing them to reach completion much faster.

　　So, the rich could break through the Qi and Blood Realm in a year or so, while the original body had practiced for three years and was still only at the middle stage.

　　There was nothing to be done.

　　The rich rely on medicine, the poor rely on hard work.

　　However…

　　George Lambert, feeling the fullness of his qi and blood, sensed a warm current seeping into his spiritual palace, making his mind ever clearer. Even after nearly a sleepless night, he felt no fatigue at all.

　　With the same physical foundation, the same Tiger Might Fist, and the same lack of supplements, since his arrival, he had reached the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm in less than three months.

　　He had a feeling that this bottleneck wouldn’t last much longer before he broke through.

　　Because after just a bit of practice at the start, he quickly grasped the essence of the Tiger Might Fist, identified twenty-eight minor mistakes in his previous training, and improved his technique to the most effective method.

　　This was also why, with peak first-stage cultivation, he could match many second-stage practitioners in the martial exams.

　　He had truly comprehended the true meaning of this set of fist techniques.

　　Those who advanced to the second stage through brute force or supplements could never reach his level of mastery and fluidity, even though it was just a basic set of moves.

　　Sometimes, talent may not beat wealth.

　　But absolute talent can.

　　George Lambert felt the threshold of the second stage—an entirely new world—was within reach. If others knew of his progress, they would be shocked.

　　Yet he still shook his head in dissatisfaction and sighed, “Too slow.”

　　……

　　After finishing his practice, he went inside to sleep, not waking until noon. As soon as he arrived at the station, Henry Howard called him over.

　　“Mr. Howard, you wanted to see me?”

　　As soon as George Lambert entered, he saw Henry Howard standing behind the desk.

　　“I heard you had another fire last night?” Henry Howard asked. “Have you found the cause? If it really is the lantern monster at work, we’ll have the court send a cultivator to handle it. If it’s arson, I’ll have to assign more people to catch the culprit.”

　　“Based on the current clues, it’s most likely arson,” George Lambert replied. “No need to stake out for now—I already have some leads. Give me a little time, and I should be able to find the real culprit.”

　　“Oh?” Seeing his confident look, Henry Howard thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll trust you this time. You’ll take charge of this arson case—if you handle it well, you’ll earn a major merit.”

　　“Thank you for your trust, Mr. Howard,” George Lambert said with a smile.

　　“No need for thanks,” Henry Howard nodded. “Just don’t let me down.”

　　Taking the opportunity, George Lambert asked, “Mr. Howard, if I catch the arsonist this time, do I have a chance of becoming a full member?”

　　This was his biggest concern.

　　“Well…” Henry Howard fell silent at the question, then sighed, “You probably know the situation in the Imperial Guard as well as I do. If you’re hoping to get promoted just based on this merit, I’m afraid it won’t be easy.”

　　“I know all too well,” George Lambert replied, a bit helplessly.