A month ago, Miles Lewis succeeded in condensing his meridians, reaching the seventh level of Body Tempering. He leaped from the bottom ranks of the Blazing Fire Hall to become one of the top disciples in the Martial Academy, while Henry Young was still stuck at the sixth level, lagging behind him.

No matter how you compared them, Miles Lewis believed that he now surpassed Henry Young in every aspect.

However, Laura Clark did not like him.

“Senior brother, should we…” The purple-robed youth following beside him saw Miles Lewis frown and made a gesture.

Miles Lewis frowned. “Let them go.”

The three of them watched as Henry Young and his companions walked toward the distant hall.

“Senior brother, I don’t understand.” The purple-robed youth next to Miles Lewis spoke up. “Now that you’ve successfully condensed your meridians, if you fought again, Henry Young would be no match for you. Maybe Senior Sister Clark would then…”

“It’s meaningless.” Miles Lewis shook his head. “If I go after Henry Young now, Laura Clark will only think I’m bullying the weak, and she’ll dislike me even more.”

“Then?” The two followers looked a bit helpless.

“Just wait. Henry Young comes from a commoner background. I admit his martial talent is no less than mine, but he has no resources or connections. Reaching the sixth level of Body Tempering is already impressive for him. In the future, at best, he’ll reach the seventh or eighth level—maybe become a local hero. But what kind of person is General Clark? Miles Lewis said calmly, “Laura Clark is still young. She doesn’t understand now, but she will in the future.”

“Only I am truly suitable for her.”

He paused.

Miles Lewis said softly, “Besides, we won’t have to wait long. At the Blazing Fire Hall trial in half a month, I’ll defeat Henry Young fair and square.”

The two followers exchanged glances, feeling that their senior brother truly saw further than they did.

……

“Brother Young, I thought that guy Miles Lewis was going to cause us trouble,” Quentin York couldn’t help but say. “He used to be pretty arrogant, but ever since he condensed his meridians, he’s become much calmer.”

“There’s some competition, but in the end, we’re from the same academy,” Henry Young said calmly.

Although there was some friction with Miles Lewis, Henry Young didn’t want to provoke him.

There was no need.

Laura Clark smiled from the side. “Quentin York, you need to work hard too. In the county-wide competition in two months, if you can reach the fifth level of Body Tempering, you’ll still have a slim chance of entering the Prefecture Academy.”

“Senior Sister Clark, give me a break,” the chubby Quentin York wailed. “I want to train, but this body of mine holds me back.”

Henry Young and Laura Clark couldn’t help but laugh.

“Quentin York, you entered the Martial Academy a year later than us, and you’re a bit younger. If you don’t make it this year, there’s always next year,” Henry Young said. “But if you still can’t get into the Prefecture Academy next year, you’ll have to help your dad with the restaurant business.”

“Running a restaurant isn’t so bad. If my dad hadn’t sponsored me, I wouldn’t have gotten into the Martial Academy with my talent,” Quentin York said carelessly. “Look at my dad—he makes at least ten thousand taels of silver a year.”

Though they were good friends, everyone had their own ambitions, so Henry Young didn’t say more, lest it spoil their friendship.

It’s just that—

Quentin York didn’t care much about cultivation at the Martial Academy.

But Henry Young couldn’t afford not to care. Compared to the likes of Laura Clark and Miles Lewis, who came from noble families, or even to wealthy merchants like Quentin York, his own background was far inferior.

Although he had reached the sixth level of Body Tempering at just fifteen, and was almost certain to become a martial artist and perhaps a local hero, Henry Young’s ambitions were far greater than that.

“I’m heading to the Blazing Fire Hall first,” Henry Young said with a smile.

Laura Clark and Quentin York responded, and the three of them went their separate ways toward different halls.

Within the Martial Academy, aside from the dormitories where disciples rested, the main training venues were the three giant halls: Zunwu, Qiudao, and Blazing Fire. Ordinary disciples, elite disciples, and Blazing Fire Hall disciples each trained in their respective halls, making it easier for teachers to tailor their instruction.

Only those who reached the sixth level of Body Tempering could enter the Blazing Fire Hall.

It was extremely difficult—one in a hundred, or even one in ten thousand.

You should know, Donghe County had a population of over a million, yet the number of Blazing Fire Hall disciples was always between ten and twenty. Each one could be called a genius.

Because there were so few, every Blazing Fire Hall disciple enjoyed excellent treatment, each assigned a huge martial arts room and a rest room. If they wished, they could live there and train for long periods.

Henry Young entered the Blazing Fire Hall.

In the center of the great hall was a martial arena over a hundred meters wide, but at the moment, only a single purple-robed youth was practicing his swordsmanship. The blade flashed fiercely, swift and unpredictable—quite impressive.

Whoosh~

The blade stopped.

“Junior Brother Young.”

The purple-robed disciple practicing his sword greeted Henry Young with a smile.

“Senior Brother Shaw.” Henry Young smiled in return. Senior Brother Shaw had entered the Blazing Fire Hall last year.

According to the order of entry, Henry Young had to address him as senior brother.

Senior Brother Shaw was a bit older, already sixteen, but in terms of strength, he was probably not as strong as Henry Young. He had participated in the county-wide competition last year but unfortunately lost. This year was his last chance to enter the Prefecture Academy.

In fact, among the thirteen disciples of the Blazing Fire Hall, unless there were classes, only Henry Young and Senior Brother Shaw stayed in the hall to train year-round.

The reason was simple: only the two of them came from commoner backgrounds.

The truly wealthy and noble disciples all had training rooms at home, no worse than the Blazing Fire Hall, with easier access to all kinds of spiritual materials and elixirs. Some even hired professional warriors and martial artists as sparring partners.

So,

Henry Young and Senior Brother Shaw were both somewhat unique within the Martial Academy.