Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Administrator Zhang knocked at the courtyard gate, whispering. Although the Danxia Chamber of Commerce was busy with its affairs, for him, clinging to Jiang Shu's coattails was the most important matter.

By now, he had also learned that Shang Junming was just an alias of Jiang Shu.

In a few days, Jiang Shu would be heading to the state city to join the headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce and begin his attempt to break into the Little Dragon Tiger List.

And he, thanks to his excellent relationship with Jiang Shu, received much praise from the headquarters. Although his position had not been promoted, his Contribution Value had risen significantly, and bottles of Pills for Strengthening the Viscera were awarded to him.

Advancing to the Refining Internal Realm was nothing but a breeze.

"You've worked hard, Administrator Zhang."

Shortly after, the courtyard gate opened.

Jiang Shu, dressed in very simple attire, stepped out.

After the small success with the Dream Sleep Elixir, his Spirit had become more reserved, and he looked like an ordinary person. Yet, in every movement, he seemed to merge with heaven and earth, extremely natural.

In the Middle Stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, the marrow in his limbs had been completely tempered.

By now, he was confident of securing a spot at the bottom of the Little Dragon Tiger List.

It was time to prepare to leave the county city and head for the state city. Moreover, before leaving, he should meet with Chou Hai and Qi Yuan. In this world, there were not many people he was close to.

In the county city, Chou Hai, being a Hidden Guard and running a martial arts school to take in Disciples, was just a ploy to deceive others; he did not care about the life and death of his Disciples. Therefore, when he and Qi Yuan were dragged into the scheme of the County Magistrate, Chou Hai didn't truly step in to rescue them. However, after he demonstrated enough Talent, Chou Hai indeed invested great effort in him. All Martial Arts basics were imparted to him, and Chou Hai even wrote a letter, enabling him to learn a Middle Grade Cultivation Technique from the Zhao Family. The outcome of this matter, however, was beyond both their expectations. But their intentions were good. And Qi Yuan had been assisting him since his power was weak, taking the initiative to give up part of his share of exotic beast flesh for him when there was none available. Such kindness was something he would always remember.

"Young Master Jiang, that is too kind of you. Do you need me to accompany you?"

"There is no need. You have been through much these days, Administrator Zhang."

Taking a bottle of Morning Origin Elixir from his embrace, Jiang Shu passed it over, saying, "In a few days, I will be heading to the state city. Consider this bottle of Morning Origin Elixir a small token of my appreciation."

Pills for Strengthening the Viscera would fortify the internal organs. Administrator Zhang certainly was not lacking them.

But after stepping into the Refining Internal Realm, to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm and achieve the state where the five Qis converge to their origin, the Morning Origin Elixir was an indispensable medicine. It was also a kind of blessing from him.

Without waiting for Administrator Zhang's thanks, Jiang Shu stepped towards the South City. Every step he took seemed extremely slow, yet after one step, he would already be seven or eight steps away.

His face was as if veiled by a thin mist, indistinct.

His entire being, like a gentle breeze, passed through the crowd in the county city without startling anyone.

「South City.」

"Master, this Yongning County is way too big."

Qi Yuan spoke very softly. Just from afar, the sight of the vast and undulating river outside Yongning County city attracted him, with huge ships setting out from the docks, heading towards other county cities or even the state city.

The ceaseless flow of the scene deeply impressed him, as he had just come out of the mountains.

After all, Pingling County was a very remote county. Its connection with the county city was sparse. The entire county might not see a Refining Internal Realm Martial Artist come by for several years.

But Yongning County was different. Yongning County benefited from convenient transportation and, as a large county in Yunzhou with thriving commerce, saw a multitude of Martial Artists passing through. The Refining Internal Realm was commonplace here, and the Blood Exchange Realm could occasionally be encountered. On significant occasions, common Martial Artists could even witness Acupoint Passage Realm powerhouses.

Here, his path in Martial Arts would be smoother.

"Mhm. It's good that you know."

Chou Hai, who was already in the county city, took a deep breath. He hadn't expected that one day, he could return here so openly and legitimately. A bottle of Great Rejuvenation Elixir had nearly healed his injuries. If he could earn more merits in the Heavenly Patrol Guard and accumulate enough Merit Points, he might even have the chance to advance to a higher Realm! In Martial Arts, how many practitioners don't wish to increase their longevity?

"Master Chou, Senior Brother Qi, over here."

While Chou Hai and Qi Yuan were reflecting on their own circumstances, a familiar voice, like a thread, suddenly rang in their ears. By the time they came to their senses and looked up, Jiang Shu was already standing before them. His voice was very faint as he said, "This isn't a place for chatting. I have a house in East City. Master Chou, Senior Brother Qi, please follow me."

Not even a quarter of an hour later, the three of them moved through South City and arrived at the house in East City.

After pouring a cup of azure tea for both Chou Hai and Qi Yuan, Jiang Shu said to Qi Yuan, "In the county city, there are the officials, one major merchant entity, and the ten great clans. Regarding officials, Master Chou is here, and he can solve many problems. As for commerce, you can visit the Danxia Chamber of Commerce to purchase resources. If you are short on silver coins for the time being, you can use my name."

"As for the great clans, I don't have particularly good relations with any, but you could go to the Zhang Family. I believe I have decent ties there."

Jiang Shu sat down and also took a sip of the clear tea.

Master Chou Hai had returned to the Heavenly Patrol Guard and held the rank of Centurion. But being an official came with its own constraints. He would certainly be traveling all over for his duties and would hardly be able to look after Qi Yuan. The words Jiang Shu was saying were to give Qi Yuan some confidence, in the hope that the next time they met, he'd see a different Senior Brother Qi.

"Jiang..."

Qi Yuan raised his head, refraining from hastily drinking his tea. Looking at Jiang Shu, he felt his once familiar Jiang had become so distant.

He didn't even dare to utter the name "Jiang." Although by now he still didn't know what Realm Jiang Shu had reached. But judging from every move he made, he had likely surpassed Chou Hai in Martial Arts.

"Senior Brother Qi, just be at ease. Master Chou, here are two bottles of Great Rejuvenation Elixir, five bottles of Morning Origin Elixir, and three bottles of Marrow Cleansing Elixir. If that's not enough, you can also go to the Danxia Chamber of Commerce to purchase more; just use my name."

With a wave of his hand, a wooden box appeared from his sleeve, containing ten jade bottles lying quietly inside.

Seeing the elixirs, which would be extremely difficult for a Refining Internal Realm Martial Artist to obtain, so casually displayed by Jiang Shu, Chou Hai completely confirmed that Jiang Shu must have already reached the Blood Exchange Realm.

Calculating his age, his Disciple seemed to be only around twenty years old. Such Martial Arts Talent... is not just confined to the small Pingling County. Even for the whole of Yunzhou, such Talent could hardly be contained.

"Jiang Shu... these are too valuable..."

Gritting his teeth, Chou Hai said, "Besides, you are cultivating right now; the Great Rejuvenation Elixir and Marrow Cleansing Elixir are helpful to you too. I'll just take two bottles of the Morning Origin Elixir."

Coming to the county city and seeing Jiang Shu's Realm, he felt even more remorse for having only written a letter at the time. Although Hidden Guards cannot leave the county city on their own, Pingling County is remote and unlikely to witness any major events. If he had hurried, he could have accompanied Jiang Shu to the county city without issue. That would have helped him get the Middle Grade Cultivation Technique. Thus, making Jiang Shu's Martial Arts cultivation journey in the county city much smoother.

"What are you saying, Master Chou? I'm not lacking these elixir resources."

Jiang Shu smiled.

These elixirs were only of Middle Grade. With enough materials, he could perform Refining to create them. They were nowhere near as valuable as the offer to use his name at the Chamber of Commerce. Of course, both Chou Hai and Qi Yuan had just arrived in the county city and were naturally unaware of his reputation here.

"Then... I'll accept them."

Seeing Jiang Shu insist, Chou Hai sighed and said, "The Marrow Cleansing Elixir is too precious. Later, I'll go to the Danxia Chamber of Commerce to exchange for some Pills for Strengthening the Viscera, which will also be useful for Qi Yuan. As for the issue with the letter, that was my fault for not considering everything fully, causing you to suffer an injustice."

"Once my Realm is stable, I must go to the Zhao Family personally to find Zhao Yuanchang and demand justice."

Chou Hai declared firmly.

To this day, he no longer dared to posture before his Disciple. But in his mind, despite his Disciple's Realm having reached the Blood Exchange Realm, the county city was vast, and the ten great clans had deep foundations. Zhao Yuanchang, although only at the Refining Internal Realm, held a very high position as a direct descendant of the Zhao Family, one of the ten great clans. His Disciple could only swallow the bitter pill from that time. After all, the Zhao Family had more than one Blood Exchange Realm Martial Artist! And he, although only at the Refining Internal Realm, was well acquainted with Zhao Yuanchang. Since Zhao Yuanchang had initiated the affair, it was entirely reasonable for him to confront Zhao Yuanchang and demand an explanation.

As he finished speaking, outside the door, Administrator Zhang gently pushed the door open and, standing to one side, said,

"Young Master Jiang, Zhao Yuanchang from the Zhao Family has come to offer a humble apology, hoping for your forgiveness for his previous rash behavior."