Chapter 28: Diligent and Ambitious Zhou Xianming

The rain had just cleared, and the peaceful days flowed like water.

With the help of the Bodhi Bead, An Jing's body was filled with a large amount of Pure Yang Power. Coupled with his exceptionally gifted Root Bone, his cultivation progressed rapidly.

In the Jianghu, cultivation was divided into nine grades.

The Ninth to Sixth Grades were called the Lower Three Grades. Those at this level of cultivation were considered the small fry or henchmen of Jianghu, like the members of the Cao Gang, ordinary constables, escorts from escort agencies, and younger disciples.

These people had some Inner Strength, which gave them a bit more prowess than ordinary folk, but in the vast expanse of the Jianghu, they were insignificant.

Wang Zhiping and Wang He were among them.

These types of people were the most numerous and also the most pitiable in the Jianghu.

Between the Sixth and Third Grades was referred to as the Middle Third Grades. Experts at this level often had decades of Inner Strength and mastered some well-known martial arts. They were the backbone of the Jianghu.

They were the primary targets for recruitment by various factions and sects. Some of them had considerable fame in the Jianghu and were respected and revered by the younger generation as experts.

Cao Anmin and Liu Haoping were outstanding among them. In the eyes of ordinary people, such figures were already renowned experts, not easily seen, but in the eyes of true experts, they were nothing more than pawns, dispensable at any time.

Finally, there were the Upper Three Grades.

These people were regarded as true experts by those who had spent many years in the Jianghu.

If someone jokingly referred to those in the Middle Third Grades as experts, then the Upper Three Grades were the experts among experts.

To become an expert in the Upper Three Grades, three conditions almost had to be met.

First, at least possess a Martial Arts Heart Method above the Xuanwu level. The levels of Martial Arts Heart Methods ranged from the Ninth to the First Grade. Above the First Grade were Earth Martial, Xuanwu, True Martial, and Heavenly Martial.

Martial Arts Heart Method was the foundation of a person, like the quality of water in a bowl. No matter how deep the well, no matter how good the cup, without a sip of clear spring water or sweet wine, it was a pity, and this was just one condition.

The second condition was to have a Root Bone that was one in a thousand. There were not many people with this Root Bone, but if searched carefully, they could still be found.

The last condition was to have unwavering perseverance, the persistence to train day after day.

No matter how excellent the Root Bone and Martial Arts were, without constant cultivation, it was useless. So, mental fortitude was extremely important as well.

An Jing had the Earth Book, and coupled with his outstanding talent, he had painstakingly cultivated alone for ten years, finally reaching a First-Grade cultivation level.

But the gap between First Grade and Grandmaster was an insurmountable chasm.

Not to mention the difficulty of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top. Just the effort and cost required to condense the Human Flower, Earth Flower, and Heavenly Flower would take a significant toll.

An Jing had only recently condensed the Human Flower, and it would still take some time to condense the Earth Flower.

In a leisurely afternoon, the soft sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Zhao Qingmei brought two small wooden stools and followed An Jing into the teahouse. The couple ordered a single cup of tea. Both remained silent and found a corner to sit in. This harmonious couple was like a ray of sunshine, warming the teahouse in the afternoon.

"It's been half a month, and that swordsman still hasn't appeared. In my opinion, he must be afraid of Tieyun Mountain and ran away."

"Who is Tieyun Mountain? He is the Moonlight Flying Arrow, ranked seventy-third on the Jianghu Dragon and Tiger List."

"That swordsman isn't weak either. I saw that his Sword Skill was concentrated and unwavering, truly a master."

"What do you know? Who backs Tieyun Mountain? That's the flourishing Cao Gang. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

......

Inside the teahouse, discussions were rife, with everyone freely talking about affairs in the Jianghu.

"Why hasn't Zhou Xianming arrived today?"

Zhao Qingmei glanced outside the door with a charming smile, "He was talking about the Outer Heaven Human Sect yesterday, and I wanted to hear more."

These past few days, Zhao Qingmei had been idle and followed An Jing to the teahouse to listen to stories. Coincidentally, Zhou Xianming was talking about the Outer Heaven Demon Sect, which piqued her curiosity about how Zhou Xianming would describe her Demon Sect.

An Jing said grumpily, "He's just bragging. If a Demon Sect demon were to stand in front of him, he'd be so scared his third leg would tremble."

"You're talking nonsense!"

Zhao Qingmei glared at An Jing playfully.

"Thank you all for waiting."

At that moment, Zhou Xianming walked out from the back hall with a face full of joy, cupping his hands to everyone and said, "Thank you all for your support these days. Some changes have occurred recently, and I plan to stop storytelling. I hope you all understand."

"Mr. Zhou, what's going on?"

"We haven't had enough yet."

"Exactly, why stop telling stories?"

......

The job of a storyteller was not stable, and it was common for other storytellers to come in and replace them. However, most people in the teahouse felt that Zhou Xianming's stories were the most exciting and engaging.

But Zhou Xianming said he would stop telling stories, and judging by his determined attitude, it seemed he had made up his mind long ago.

Everyone looked disappointed and continued drinking tea and discussing family matters and local rumors.

At this moment, Zhou Xianming walked over, and An Jing curiously asked, "Old Zhou, what's going on?"

"I'm not telling stories anymore. I plan to make great strides and retake the imperial exams!"

Zhou Xianming said earnestly.

"The imperial exams?"

"This year's provincial autumn exam is about to start. I want to participate and strive to take the top spot," Zhou Xianming's eyes revealed a glimmer of hope.

"Something's wrong with you!"

An Jing looked at the suddenly ambitious Zhou Xianming and calmly analyzed,

A person who could say that scholars should frequent brothels and listen to music suddenly wanted to make great strides and work hard to take the imperial exams. Do you believe it?

An Jing certainly didn't.

Hearing this, Zhou Xianming was so anxious that he almost jumped, "Dr. An, why would you say that? Why, in your eyes, am I, Zhou, someone who is unambitious, unlearned, and unmotivated?"

"Yes."

An Jing nodded earnestly.

Hearing this, Zhou Xianming's face turned dark.

Zhao Qingmei nudged An Jing with her elbow and said, "Husband, how can you discourage him like this? I think it's a good thing that Mr. Zhou wants to take the imperial exams."

An Jing said grumpily, "Wife, this old chap is not trustworthy. Don't be fooled by his appearance..."

"Madam An, you are absolutely right," Zhou Xianming hurriedly interrupted An Jing and then showed a troubled expression, "Madam An, I actually have an ungracious request. I wonder if..."

"I knew it,"

An Jing interrupted Zhou Xianming with a sneer, "I knew you were waiting here. Come on, do you want to borrow money to go to the brothel again?"

"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!"

Zhou Xianming's face turned red, seemingly hit the nail on the head.

"Old Zhou, just admit it,"

Zhou Xianming angrily said, "You're slandering me! I'm borrowing money for the imperial exams. I've already promised Miss Li Yue that if I achieve top honors this time, I'll return and redeem her."