The key is that he has a great foundation. If he hired a stylist to dress him up properly...

Energetic, handsome, and sunny.

Most of the students at the external dojo are beginners.

Some are even very young boys and girls.

Who could possibly resist such a handsome, stylish, and spirited head instructor, who also holds a Level 2 Martial Artist certificate?

Chapter 6: The Tournament

"Master Sullivan's way of doing things has set an example for me. He wants to keep moving forward on the martial path and see the scenery at greater heights. I have the same idea."

Grace Thompson replied with a smile.

"The path of martial arts..."

Coral looked at Grace Thompson, a bit dazed: "That's right, you're only twenty-two. The growth period for martial artists can last until thirty to thirty-five. You still have more than ten years."

"Twenty-two, huh. If only you were eighteen."

At this moment, Benjamin Sullivan said regretfully, "Level 2! If you were only eighteen, you could totally participate in the youth division of the Jiangzhou Martial Arts Tournament and win a ranking. If you placed high enough, you might even qualify for the national tournament, or even the World’s Number One Martial Arts Tournament hosted by Tianyuan. Even if you lost in the first round, just having that experience would be enough for you to land endorsements and lecture invitations left and right."

"Exactly. The current top star, Shen Manjun, started out in the youth division of the 14th Haizhou Martial Arts Tournament. She made it into the top ten, and since she was the only girl among the top ten that year, her management company branded her as the top female martial artist of that youth division. She gained six million fans in a single day, landed fourteen endorsements in a month, and made over a hundred million in just one year."

Coral nodded, and then added, "That's in gold yuan."

"Over a hundred million gold."

Taibai's currency system was once targeted by the Star Alliance and collapsed for a time. Residents would spend tens of thousands just to eat out. Now, although the national currency is still in use, most people have switched to the Tianyuan coin, which is issued by the Tianyuan Dynasty.

The exchange rate between Tianyuan coin and Taibai coin is as high as 1:570. The Tianyuan coin is extremely valuable and is also called the gold yuan.

"That's nothing. Our own Andrew Brooks from Jiangzhou also made his mark in the 15th Jiangzhou Martial Arts Tournament and was immediately recruited by the domestic Sunlight-level Qiankun Martial Arts Hall. Now he's preparing for the national tournament. His signing bonus over five years is as high as eighty million."

Benjamin Sullivan said enviously.

His family is wealthy, but after two generations of hard work, they've only accumulated assets worth a few hundred million, mostly in industry.

If converted to cash, they couldn't even come up with tens of millions.

His monthly living expenses are just about ten thousand gold yuan.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm already twenty-two."

Grace Thompson shrugged.

"Grace Thompson can still participate in the youth division, right? I remember the age limit is thirty-six?"

Jessica Harris said.

"Jessica, you don't understand."

Coral shook her head. "The growth period for martial artists is thirty to thirty-five. In other words, martial artists generally reach their peak between thirty-five and forty, and after a decade or so, they start to decline. The youth division is a true battle of the gods. If you haven't achieved Dan Jin, don't even think about standing out in the Jiangzhou tournament."

As she spoke, she lowered her voice a bit: "The reason my master hasn't been coming to the dojo lately is because he's preparing for the 16th Jiangzhou Martial Arts Tournament."

"The 16th Jiangzhou Martial Arts Tournament..."

Grace Thompson was also thinking about it.

This kind of tournament is held every three years.

It's divided into the state-level tournament, the national tournament, and the World’s Number One Martial Arts Tournament that covers the entire Tianyuan Federation.

Each level of the tournament lasts a month.

Once the tournament begins, it's a nationwide, even federation-wide, celebration.

Especially during the finals, schools and workplaces will give people time off to watch the matches.

There's no number one in literature, but there is in martial arts.

Do martial artists want to earn the highest title—Martial Saint?

The most direct way is to make it to the national tournament and win the championship.

It's said that after the World’s Number One Martial Arts Tournament, there's also the once-a-decade Century King Martial Arts Tournament.

And all those participants, without exception, have broken the limits of the human body, can withstand bullets, and can even suppress ordinary Star Refiners.

But this doesn't have much to do with the Taibai Kingdom.

In the last three tournaments, the crown of the Century King hasn't gone to the Tianyuan Federation.

"If Master Sullivan can make a name for himself in the Jiangzhou tournament, the reputation of Changfeng Martial Arts Hall will be completely established."

Grace Thompson said.

"Right. At that point, we can apply for the Starlight-level Martial Arts Hall rating. If we pass, we'll become a city-supported enterprise, and the scale will expand rapidly. Having thousands or even tens of thousands of students won't be a problem."

Coral glanced at Grace Thompson: "So? Want to reconsider running the dojo?"

"The reason martial artists have such a high status in society is partly because martial arts can assist Star Refiners in their cultivation. Another reason is that many dangerous areas require martial artists, who can't be sensed by monsters, for reconnaissance. However, for a martial artist to grow, the most important thing is real combat."

Grace Thompson said calmly, "The country spares no effort in holding all kinds of tournaments just to give martial artists more real combat experience. So, for this tournament, I want to go and see for myself."

"You want to participate in this Jiangzhou tournament?"