Realm-Hopping Martial Master

He drove to the city and found a decent hotel to stay in.

Jiang Shu slept soundly till deep into the night. His vitality was full, his Qi abundant, and his spirit vigorous.

Coming out from the C-grade Heaven and Earth Secret Realm of Hei Ning Province, he almost felt unaccustomed. Although Martial Artists could cultivate faster in the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, the comfort there was nowhere near comparable to that of Xuanxing.

Stretching his body, he performed the Innate Guiding Skill, move by move. Jiang Shu then reviewed several Martial Arts to familiarize himself with them once more before opening his laptop and logging into the Martial Artist Alliance.

By then, his account already held a high score of 38,000 points. If converted to Xia Country currency, that would be a full 380,000,000!

In the eyes of ordinary people, Arena Martial Artists were already money-making machines. Fighting just one arena match could yield earnings of hundreds of thousands, even millions.

But what they didn't know was that for a Hua Jing Master, a single trip to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm could yield a minimum of tens of millions! One could say that every Hua Jing Master was a hidden billionaire. However, at this stage, Xia Country currency no longer held much significance for them. What truly mattered were the points.

After placing an order for an alloy battle knife and soft armor, as well as the Great Stele Drop Skill, the points in his account suddenly dropped to only 16,000.

After a video call with his parents and younger sister, Jiang Shu calmly cultivated his lungs with Hua Jing. Once the alloy battle knife and soft armor arrived, he focused his mind and traversed.

「Yongning County Town. Danxia Chamber of Commerce branch.」

With his alloy battle knife on his back, Jiang Shu had barely stepped inside when a Maid approached to greet him.

Before heading to the C-grade Heaven and Earth Secret Realm in Hei Ning Province, he had supplied the Danxia Chamber of Commerce with ample moissanite diamonds and perfume. During this period, the Danxia Chamber of Commerce had raked in considerable gold and silver thanks to these two marvels. Manager Zhang, who had signed the agreement with Jiang Shu, received significant praise. Consequently, he had specifically instructed the Maids to be vigilant and notify him immediately if Jiang Shu arrived.

Jiang Shu had been waiting in the private room for less than a quarter of an hour when Manager Zhang entered, his face wreathed in a smile as warm as a spring breeze. He was dressed in a dark cyan robe. Although he only possessed the strength of the Bone Forging Realm, his position as manager allowed him to skim a little off the top, giving him a foundation surpassing countless peers of the same realm. Furthermore, unlike Bone Forging Realm Martial Artists, he didn't need to toil outside battling Mutant Beasts. This naturally made him appear somewhat younger.

As he pushed the door open and entered, his laughter preceded him.

"Young Master Shang, what wind has blown you here today? The gems and perfumes from last time are nearly sold out. I've been waiting day and night for your arrival."

Facing such a cash cow, he naturally wouldn't put on any airs. He even took the initiative to push forward the tea that a Maid had brewed and said, "Try this. It's a rare new acquisition of mine, Tianqing Tea. It has a calming effect on the mind; after drinking it, it's most excellent for studying Cultivation Techniques."

"Effects aside, this tea is also incomparably fragrant. Currently, only the prominent families and the government in the county town possess it."

"I wonder, Young Master Shang, have you come to discuss business this time, or is there something you'd like this old brother to handle for you?"

Manager Zhang, astute and perceptive, noticed that Jiang Shu had arrived lightly packed and wasn't carrying any parcels, which prompted his question.

"I've come to inquire about something, actually," Jiang Shu said candidly. He took a sip of the tea brewed from Tianqing Tea leaves before continuing, "The Danxia Chamber of Commerce evaluates and invests in geniuses who reach the Refining Internal Realm by the age of eighteen. I'm not very clear on the specifics. Could Manager Zhang please enlighten me?"

Refining Internal Realm. Talent investment. Could it be that this Shang Junming is a genius who reached the Refining Internal Realm at eighteen?!

Manager Zhang was inwardly astonished but maintained a calm expression, sipped his tea, and said, "Our Danxia Chamber of Commerce evaluates geniuses based on their bone age and realm to assess their Martial Arts talent. This is because when investing in a genius, what's most important is their potential—whether they can make it onto the Little Dragon Tiger List."

"To put it simply, those who only break through to the Refining Internal Realm at eighteen are considered ordinary geniuses. Those who achieve it by seventeen are top-tier geniuses. Further up, those who step into the Refining Internal Realm at sixteen are supreme geniuses."

"Such geniuses are exceedingly rare in the county town. There hasn't been a single one in nearly a decade. Even top-tier geniuses are scarce; the only one is Zhao Chengxuan, the direct descendant of the Zhao Family!"

"Of course, this evaluation isn't absolute. For instance, if a genius's practical combat ability is outstanding, their evaluated genius equivalent level can also be raised accordingly."

Jiang Shu nodded. Extra points for practical combat were entirely within his expectations. After all, practical combat was the most crucial factor for making it onto the Little Dragon Tiger List. How many could rely solely on overwhelming others with their realm without sufficient combat ability?

Based on talent alone, I would probably only count as an ordinary genius. But if practical combat is considered, I should be able to qualify as a top-tier genius. Although I'm still some way from being a supreme genius, I imagine I should be able to obtain decent resources.

"Then, what kind of treatment do geniuses of different equivalent levels receive? What benefits can they enjoy, and what commitments must they make?"

Hearing Jiang Shu pose such detailed questions, Manager Zhang became somewhat more cautious. By now, I'm almost certain that even if Jiang Shu isn't a Refining Internal Realm genius himself, he must know someone who is. He couldn't possibly be here just to idly pass the time and tease me. Being able to recruit a genius, even an ordinary one, would significantly boost my performance figures. This Shang Junming is truly my lucky star!

He cleared his throat and said, "Firstly, when purchasing Cultivation Techniques, Martial Arts, Elixirs, and weapons from our Chamber of Commerce, ordinary geniuses receive a 10% discount. Top-tier geniuses receive a 30% discount. Supreme geniuses receive a 50% discount."