Realm-Hopping Martial Master

Yunzhou.

The State City.

A homing pigeon flew across the rows of tall buildings and, with folded wings, settled down in a tranquil courtyard.

Zhao Zhongming removed a small note from the pigeon, saying, "That Jiang Shu has stayed in Tianqing County for quite some time."

He was tall and muscular, his veins bulging like horned dragons. He had reached Perfection in the "Five Flood Dragon Essence Integration" Cultivation Technique, tempering every bit of his marrow with his strength. Just by standing there, the vitality of his body affected every blade of grass and tree in the vicinity.

"Cousin, what if Jiang Shu doesn't come because he is scared...?" Zhao Chengxuan hesitated before he spoke.

After leaving Yongning County, he arrived in the State City as fast as possible. These past days, he had been practicing Martial Arts in his cousin's courtyard, taking his shame as motivation and successfully breaking through to the Middle Stage of the Blood Exchange Realm.

Even his mastery of the Forbidden Technique had reached small success under Zhao Zhongming's guidance.

"There are no top-grade Cultivation Techniques in the county city. If he wants to advance to the Acupoint Passage Realm, he must come here," Zhao Zhongming replied with disdain. "As you said, drawing upon the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi might just be an interesting form of Martial Arts. Once he arrives, we can forcefully interrogate him. Your goal is to climb onto the Little Dragon Tiger List as soon as possible. Once I break through my current Realm, I will surely head to the Royal City. The family is so distant that my influence is limited. However, if you become a genius on the Little Dragon Tiger List, I can be more at ease."

"Your failure lies in your low Realm and lack of experience. Once you reach the Late Stage of the Blood Exchange Realm, I will find someone to spar with you. How capable can a rustic from a small county town really be?"

"Yes..."

Zhao Chengxuan, once the unrivaled genius of Yongning County, now stood with his hands hanging down, scolded to the point of not being able to lift his head.

He wanted to say that Jiang Shu was not as weak as his cousin described, but he didn't dare to speak.

He had fought with Martial Artists of the same Realm in the State City, but none of them had given him such an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The memory of that powerful figure was still so clear that it had rooted itself in his mind, impossible to forget.

"If Jiang Shu isn't coming, I won't waste any more time waiting for him. My main adversary is still Chu Xisheng. He tied with me last time, but with the Chu Family behind him, it won't be long before he challenges me again. Luckily, I have a well-connected friend, Tang Yujian, who is currently in Tianqing County. I'll send a message and have him casually drop by the Danxia Chamber of Commerce to investigate. That will suffice."

"Alright, I will retreat for closed-door Cultivation in the following days. The guidance I have given you should be enough for you to digest for a while," Zhao Zhongming waved his hand as he spoke.

For him, someone capable of rushing into the top twenty of the Little Dragon Tiger List, Jiang Shu's Talent in Martial Arts, strong though it might be, was only that of a Martial Artist who had entered the Blood Exchange Realm not long ago.

How could that compare to the strength they had truly developed in a state-wide contest of geniuses, after all?

It was only his younger cousin, scared out of his wits by a single defeat, who would be so frightened.

"Tang Yujian... Cousin, is he the Master Tang who ranks ninety-second on the Little Dragon Tiger List?" Murmuring Tang Yujian's name several times, Zhao Chengxuan's eyes gleamed as he looked at his cousin and couldn't help but ask.

The Little Dragon Tiger List gathered the true geniuses of Yunzhou.

Jiang Shu's Talent in Martial Arts was excellent but still required time to develop!

It had been just over two months since that battle.

At most, Jiang Shu could have reached the same level as him, the Middle Stage of the Blood Exchange Realm.

It was utterly impossible for him to defeat Master Tang, who was ranked within the top hundred of the Little Dragon Tiger List!

Taking a deep breath and seeing his cousin nod, Zhao Chengxuan's heart finally relaxed.

This nightmare was about to dissipate.

As long as Tang Yujian defeated him and shattered his martial spirit, he could cultivate well in the State City and surpass Jiang Shu.

His cousin was right.

The Little Dragon Tiger List was his true goal!

Jiang Shu, after all, had come from a small county.

Even if he made it to the State City, he still had to navigate a myriad of complex relationships, accumulating Contribution Value bit by bit to exchange for Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts.

However, with his cousin's support, he could get these things earlier!

Their starting points were not the same.

His future was bound to be broader!

Shaking his head to dispel the daunting figure from his mind, Zhao Chengxuan refreshed his spirits.

「Three days later.」

Under the cloudless sky, a gentle breeze blew.

In East City of Tianqing County, within a massive square, Tang Yujian had already taken his spot on the platform early on, surrounded by the buzzing of voices as countless Martial Artists gathered here to witness a true battle of dragons and tigers.

"It's another challenge involving a genius on the Little Dragon Tiger List. Who knows if this one will be a success or a failure."

"Just a few days ago, Master Tang joined the officials in bandit suppression, beheading a bandit of the Late Stage Blood Exchange Realm with a single sword stroke without even employing a Forbidden Technique! Moreover, I've heard that Master Tang has reached Perfection in a Middle Grade Martial Arts and should stand a fair chance of victory," someone remarked.

"That's difficult. On the Little Dragon Tiger List, the lower the ranking, the smaller the gap. For example, the eight geniuses ranked beyond one hundredth place can be replaced at any moment. But once you're in the top one hundred, you have the strength to secure your position. The gap in strength between Master Tang and Master Ouyang might seem like only ten spots, but the actual difference in their combat power is quite substantial," another discussed.

"Since Master Tang initiated the challenge, he must be confident. He wouldn't be looking for trouble for no reason, right?" a different voice suggested.

"True. And look, on the platform, Master Tang certainly seems assured. Master Ouyang, on the other hand, has yet to show up. We don't even know when the fight will start. A Martial Artist in the Blood Exchange Realm is just one step away from the Acupoint Passage Realm. Reaching that Realm grants a lifespan of 240 years and the capability to effortlessly found a major clan in the county city," someone else added.