Moreover, the state-level martial arts associations can use their connections to get certified first and then achieve the Dan-holding stage, but the Taibai Martial Arts Federation does not tolerate any falsification.

“How about it? Are you going or not?”

“I’m going.”

Grace Thompson agreed without hesitation.

In his previous life, Dan-holding grandmasters were almost extinct.

Hua Jin was already the pinnacle of martial arts.

He had neither a famous teacher to guide him nor peers to exchange ideas with, relying entirely on his own hard training.

Now, having just adapted to the identity of “Grace Thompson”, he could already come into contact with a Dan-holding master—how exhilarating was that?

“Let’s go, then.”

As Benjamin Sullivan spoke, he led him straight to the school parking lot.

His family was well-off; during college, his parents had already bought him a Bluehorse X5.

This car cost over two hundred thousand yuan, equivalent to ten years’ income for many adults.

Grace Thompson had little concept of money, but he knew well that scholars are poor, but martial artists are rich.

If he had enough funds to buy nourishing medicines, the time needed to recover to the peak of Hua Jin could be shortened even further.

Benjamin Sullivan drove, and soon they left the school and merged into the city traffic.

Taibai covers a total area of six million square kilometers. Thanks to sixty years of peaceful development after the world war, it has become one of the few developed countries in the world, with a population as high as 340 million.

However, since most of the territory consists of wild mountains and dangerous lands, the population is basically concentrated in the southern region, which is less than one million square kilometers.

Take Canglong City, for example—not even a core city, yet it still has a population of three million, with nearly two million living in the urban area.

The roads were packed with vehicles; a single red light could mean a three-to-five-minute wait.

While waiting at a red light, Benjamin Sullivan couldn’t help but glance at Grace Thompson: “You seem… a bit different.”

He added, “It’s been like this for about half a month now.”

“There is great terror between life and death. Surviving a brush with death always brings some changes.”

Grace Thompson replied with a smile.

As a martial artist at the peak of Hua Jin, after half a month of recovery training, his demeanor and spirit would naturally be different.

“True, some people even achieve enlightenment overnight. Looks like I don’t need to persuade you about anything anymore.”

Benjamin Sullivan responded with a smile.

He accepted this explanation.

He was willing to enthusiastically take Grace Thompson to see his fourth uncle, partly because of their good relationship, but mainly because of the changes he’d sensed in him over the past half month.

It was a chance to form a good connection.

Half an hour later, the Bluehorse X5 drove into the underground parking lot of an office building.

After parking and taking the elevator, they went straight to the sixth floor.

Right in front of them was the sign for Changfeng Martial Arts School.

There was also a couplet hanging beside it.

“There will be times when the wind and waves are broken, and I will set my cloud-like sail straight to cross the vast sea.”

The horizontal banner—“Heaven rewards diligence.”

While Grace Thompson was sizing up the entrance of Changfeng Martial Arts School, a tall, slender woman in a fitted skirt came up to them: “Hello, welcome… Are you here for martial arts or fitness? Would you like to learn about our new seasonal packages?”

At this moment, a graceful, mature woman quickly followed: “Young Sullivan is here.”

She then greeted the woman, “This is Young Sullivan, you go ahead with your work.”

“Manager Brooks, where’s my uncle?”

“In the meditation room, I’ll take you there.”

The woman addressed as Manager Brooks led the two of them around a screen and through the training equipment room.

Changfeng Martial Arts School was quite spacious, with brand-new, complete equipment, and still carried a faint scent of recent renovation.

There were a few people working out inside.

Not far away, on a sparring platform of over a hundred square meters, some people were practicing.

Grace Thompson observed carefully.

Did both of them already cultivate Jin?

It had to be said, martial arts in this world were indeed flourishing.

Outside the meditation room, Manager Brooks knocked on the door. Only when a voice inside said “Come in” did she push the door open.

Inside, even while seated, a burly man was reading a document with a refined air.

Grace Thompson could clearly sense the explosive power contained in the muscles stretching his shirt.

And his height was probably no less than 1.9 meters.

Such a powerful man, yet he did not give off any sense of oppression or threat.

This…

He really was a Dan-holder!

A true Dan-holder!

Qi condensed into Dan, a state of perfect unity.

“Xiaobai is here.”

James Sullivan looked up.

“Uncle, can you not call me Xiaobai? It sounds like a pet dog…”

Benjamin Sullivan looked helpless.

Before he could finish, he saw James Sullivan’s gaze already fall on Grace Thompson.

Grace Thompson had not yet reached the Dan-holding stage and could not fully restrain his energy, but just standing there, he exuded a sense of vigor.

Ordinary people would just think this young man was spirited, but in the eyes of a Dan-holding expert like James Sullivan…

“Xiaobai, when did you meet such a young practitioner of Jin?”

“Jin practitioner?”

Benjamin Sullivan was stunned, then suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Grace Thompson in astonishment: “You’ve cultivated Jin!?”

Grace Thompson nodded.

A thousand gold coins can’t buy the sound of Jin.

Cultivating Jin means reaching Ming Jin or Gang Jin, where a punch sounds like thunder.

For ordinary people to cultivate Jin, it takes ten years or more of training through the harshest winters and hottest summers. If they slack off even a little, it’s not unusual to spend most of their life just hovering at the threshold of Jin.