100: conflict

Although the courtyard in Yuqian Lane was small, it was well-equipped and exuded a reassuring sense of tranquility.

Chen Linsheng and Su Wan spent a day thoroughly cleaning and organizing the small house, adding some necessary daily necessities, and finally officially settled in.

The next morning, as the first light of dawn appeared.

Chen Linsheng woke up early as usual and practiced the Hunyuan Palm under the old elm tree in the courtyard. The palm wind was thick and smooth, guiding the blood and Qi throughout his body to flow slowly, loosening his muscles and bones after a night of stillness.

Su Wan, on the other hand, practiced the defensive stance of Soft Cloud Nine Strikes. Her palms moved like flying clouds and mist, her aura faintly echoing Chen Linsheng's, making the scene even more harmonious.

After eating the light breakfast Aunt Zhang had prepared early in the morning, Chen Linsheng said to Su Wan, "Wan'er, today we need to report to the martial arts hall branch to familiarize ourselves with the environment and learn the rules here."

Su Wan nodded. She knew Chen Linsheng's heart was set on the martial path, and this prefecture city martial arts hall would be his main stage from now on.

The two locked the courtyard gate, walked through the gradually awakening streets, and arrived once more before the grand entrance of the Yang Wei Martial Arts Hall Branch.

The Disciples on duty today seemed to have received instructions and did not stop them, though their gazes lingered on Chen Linsheng for a moment with a hint of scrutiny.

Upon entering the martial arts hall, the massive Training Grounds were already bustling with noise.

Hundreds of Disciples were shouting and practicing, their blood and Qi surging, creating a magnificent scene.

Compared to the Qinghe Martial Arts Hall, the Disciples' gazes here were sharper, their rivalry more apparent, and the air was thick with an invisible pressure of competition.

Following Master Zhao Zheng's instructions from yesterday, Chen Linsheng took Su Wan to the Record Hall on the east side of the martial arts hall to register.

The person in charge of registration was a stern-faced old Instructor. After verifying Zhao Zheng's letter, he entered Chen Linsheng into the branch's Disciple register, while Su Wan was registered alongside him as a "family member."

"This is your Identity Token." The old Instructor handed over a token made of black ironwood, engraved with the words "exerting might" and a simple number. "With this token, you can freely enter and exit most areas of the martial arts hall. It's also required for accepting and completing missions. Keep it safe."

Chen Linsheng took the token; it felt slightly heavy in his hand.

"The martial arts hall rules and the Contribution Point System are all on that bulletin board over there. Go see for yourself."

After saying this, the old Instructor ignored them and lowered his head to handle other matters.

Chen Linsheng thanked him and walked with Su Wan to the large bulletin board on one side of the Record Hall.

It was densely covered with various notices, regulations, and mission lists.

His gaze first fell upon the "Martial Arts Hall Regulations and Contribution Point Details" written in vermilion ink.

After reading it carefully, Chen Linsheng understood. The operating model of this prefecture city branch was indeed worlds apart from Qinghe County.

In Qinghe, Disciples only needed to pay their tuition on time to listen to the Master's lectures and use the martial arts hall's basic facilities.

Here, however, tuition only granted entry and minimal guidance.

To obtain more profound Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills, use special cultivation rooms or medicinal baths, or even receive personal guidance from the hall Master or Elders, one needed something called "Contribution Points."

There were several main ways to obtain Contribution Points: completing various missions issued by the martial arts hall, such as escorting important supplies, guarding merchant caravans, assisting the Government in patrolling specific areas, or wiping out bandits in the suburbs; achieving excellent results in the martial arts hall's quarterly or annual competitions; or making special contributions to the hall, such as donating precious medicinal herbs or Ore.

The exchange list was even more dazzling: from High Grade mortal grade techniques like "Wind Breaking Saber Method" and "Layered Waves Fist," to Low Grade Spirit Rank fragments like "Flowing Cloud Steps" and "Rock Skill"; from "Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound Pills" that could accelerate muscle tempering, to "Tongmai Powder" that assisted in breaking through to the Jiaojin Realm; there were even qualifications for limited-time use of special facilities like the "Gravity Cultivation Room" and "Cold Jade Bed."

"A bottle of 'Bone Tempering Pills' costs fifty Contribution Points; a fragment of the Low Grade Spirit Rank Movement Technique 'Flowing Cloud Steps' costs eight hundred..." Chen Linsheng calculated silently. "And a common merchant caravan escort mission, which takes several days and carries significant risk, usually only pays ten to twenty Contribution Points."

This meant that to truly grow here, one had to constantly strive and complete missions, exchanging sweat and strength for resources. It was a blatant Law of the Jungle that encouraged competition and struggle.

"It's somewhat similar to the Water Patrol Division, but more systematic and with even fiercer competition."

There was no fear in Chen Linsheng's heart; instead, a sense of fighting spirit rose within him. This model was exactly to his liking.

Just as Chen Linsheng was focusing on studying the rules, several well-dressed young Disciples with fierce auras walked into the Record Hall.

They were clearly familiar with each other. As they chatted and laughed, their gazes swept over Chen Linsheng and Su Wan. Especially after sensing Chen Linsheng's seemingly "ordinary" Flesh Refining Realm aura, their faces showed undisguised contempt.

"Oh, a new face? The one from the Qinghe main hall?" A tall, burly Disciple with knotted muscles on his arms spoke first, his tone provocative. His name was Lei Bao, and he was quite famous among the branch Disciples for his strength.

A thinner Disciple with agile eyes nearby chimed in; his name was Hou Tong. "I heard he performed some feat in that small place and was praised by the special envoy? Heh, achievements from the countryside might not count for much here in the prefecture city."

The last person had a cold expression and stood with his arms crossed, just staring coldly at Chen Linsheng without saying a word, though his arrogance was obvious. His name was Han Leng, one of the few skilled swordsmen in the branch.

All three had tempered over a hundred and fifty muscles and were members of the branch's elite Disciples, usually looking down on everyone else.

Chen Linsheng acted as if he hadn't heard their discussion, still calmly looking at the bulletin board, and said softly to Su Wan:

"Wan'er, look at this mission to assist in patrolling the Western Suburb Mines. The Contribution Points are decent, but it takes quite a while..."

Su Wan understood and nodded in cooperation, also ignoring the men.

Seeing Chen Linsheng ignore them like this, Lei Bao felt he was losing face. He stepped forward, almost pressing against Chen Linsheng's back, and deliberately raised his voice:

"Hey! Newcomer, do you know the rules? Don't you know to greet your Senior Brothers when you see them?"

Only then did Chen Linsheng slowly turn around, his gaze calmly sweeping over the three of them, and cupped his fists neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"I am Chen Linsheng, a newcomer. If I have been impolite, I hope you Senior Brothers can be magnanimous."

His attitude was faultless, but that excessive calmness seemed like a silent arrogance to Lei Bao and the others.

Hou Tong said sarcastically, "Magnanimous? Sure. But the branch has its rules, and newcomers must have the awareness of a newcomer. Don't think that because you have some reputation in the countryside, you can put on airs here. If you're a dragon, you'd better coil up; if you're a tiger, you'd better lie down!"

Han Leng finally spoke, his voice icy. "Strength isn't about talking or connections. In the martial arts hall, Contribution Points do the talking."

Chen Linsheng smiled faintly, not getting angry. "Senior Brother Han is right; Contribution Points are indeed important. I am about to familiarize myself with the environment, so I won't disturb you Senior Brothers any further."

After saying that, he signaled to Su Wan, and the two walked straight past Lei Bao and the others toward the exit of the Record Hall, completely ignoring their provocation.

Lei Bao wanted to say more, but Hou Tong pulled him back and whispered, "Brother Bao, forget it. It's not good to start a fight inside the Record Hall. There will be plenty of opportunities to 'guide' this new Junior Brother later."

Lei Bao snorted coldly, staring at Chen Linsheng's departing back with a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. "Hmph, putting on an act! I want to see how long you can keep it up!"

Chen Linsheng led Su Wan away, as if the previous episode had never happened.

They first took a general tour of the martial arts hall, familiarizing themselves with the locations of various functional buildings—the Training Grounds, the Skill Transmission Pavilion, the Medicine Hall, the Armory, and finally arrived at the "Mission Hall" located in the core area of the martial arts hall.

The Mission Hall was even more bustling than the Record Hall. The massive mission wall was covered with various wooden plaques detailing mission contents, requirements, time limits, and Contribution Point rewards. Disciples were gathered in small groups, either looking up for suitable missions or huddling together in low-voiced discussions.

Chen Linsheng's gaze swept across the mission wall.

There were many types of missions with varying degrees of difficulty.

Some were relatively safe, such as "Escort a Hundred Herbs Hall pharmacist to the east city manor, five days, fifteen Contribution Points"; some were quite risky, such as "Wipe out roaming bandits on the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain, suspected Flesh Refining Realm leader, ten-day limit, sixty Contribution Points"; there were even high-risk, high-reward missions like assisting the Government in capturing notorious criminals or exploring newly discovered small Secret Realms.

"Obtaining Contribution Points is indeed not easy," Chen Linsheng thought to himself. "With my current strength, completing missions worth thirty or forty points shouldn't be hard, but the efficiency is too low. To quickly accumulate Contribution Points and exchange for the 'Flowing Cloud Steps' fragment or those rare Medicinal Pills, I must challenge higher-difficulty missions."

He noticed several wooden plaques marked "Joint Mission," requiring a team of at least three Flesh Refining Realm Disciples, with generous rewards generally between eighty and a hundred and twenty points.

"Perhaps I can discuss it with Senior Brother and the others." A plan gradually formed in Chen Linsheng's mind. Being a newcomer, group activities would allow them to look out for each other and help him integrate faster.

After staying in the Mission Hall for about fifteen minutes and noting down the missions that might be suitable for him in the near future, Chen Linsheng and Su Wan left the noisy place.

Stepping out of the Mission Hall, the sunlight was just right, spilling onto the bluestone-paved paths of the martial arts hall. The shouts and the clashing of weapons from the distant Training Grounds still echoed, full of vitality and competition.

Chen Linsheng took a deep breath of the hot and vibrant air of the prefecture city, his eyes calm and determined.

The rules here were clear and cruel, but also direct and fair.

Contribution Points, huh... He clenched his fist, feeling the blood, Qi, and power within him that far surpassed an ordinary Flesh Refining Realm.

Then he would use his strength to exchange for everything he needed!