“The beginning part of the registration will have too many people. The queue would take up to one or two long hours. Going there now would be a waste of time.”

“Damn it, you won’t even let go of this small amount of time. Do you really have to go that far?” Lin Xiaodong spoke out in exaggeration and walked up to the tree trunk. Observing the indentations caused by the fists and the traces of blood, he turned to see Lin Ming’s bandaged fists. He then let out a sigh of disappointment. “You really are crazy, to be able to damage Iron Wood to such an extent. However, with your current training methods, Iron Thread Grass alone won’t be enough. If you keep this up, your hands would become crippled!”

Lin Ming did not say anything. The martial way is a constant struggle against Heaven. Considering his Grade Three Martial Talent, attaining the Sixth Stage of Pulse Condensation was incredibly hard. If he does not give it his all while he was still young, then he would have no hope at achieving his goal. Once he had given his all, there would certainly be the possibility of him becoming a cripple due to the accumulation of internal injuries. However, there was also the possibility of him attaining success before that happens. And once he could successfully enter the Pulse Condensation Stage, he could attain true primal tempering of the body and the internal injuries would vanish.

For Lin Ming, this was a battle with his back against the raging river2. This was also a gamble with his life on the line.

Lin Xiaodong gave a sigh and pulled out a bundle from his bosom. He unfurled the bundle layer by layer and said. “Brother Ming, take this.”

Lin Ming turned around and was shocked to find a bloody crimson coloured ginseng lying upon the cloth bundle. Judging from its appearance, this strain of blood ginseng is at least a hundred years old. It is a high-grade medicine used for mending wounds and nourishing blood. A thin slice is enough for each use. In addition, the powerful healing properties of this blood ginseng are very gentle. This blood ginseng should be worth at least a hundred and fifty gold liangs, the equivalent of Lin Ming’s family’s annual income.

Lin Ming’s body paused, and he shook his head. “I cannot accept this Blood Ginseng.”

Even though they are close brothers, this Blood Ginseng is simply too expensive. Lin Xiaodong’s position within the Lin Family is very low. Even though his family situation is much better when compared to Lin Ming’s it would still be far from comfortable if their income were used to supplement Lin Xiaodong’s martial training.

Lin Xiaodong forcibly pushed the Blood Ginseng onto Lin Ming and said. “I bought this Blood Ginseng for you. You know how I train, I fish every three days and dry the fishing nets every two days3. My body’s injuries are no more than a fart’s worth. Using this would be a waste. If you refuse then I would have bought this for nothing. I do not have much ambitions in life. I just want to continue holding on to my position as a direct descendant of the Lin Family. As long as I do not end up losing this position and my next generation could also successfully maintain their place in the Lin Family, that is enough for me.”

Lin Ming stayed silent for a moment before keeping the Blood Ginseng. He then spoke out. “Very well, I will accept this Blood Ginseng. For the sake of this ginseng, I must break through to the Pulse Condensation Stage.”

“Haha, now that is more like it. Not only should you break through into the Pulse Condensation Stage, you must also turn that son of a bitch, Zhu Yan upside down. That bastard has been an eyesore for a long time!”

Zhu Yan huh… Lin Ming sighed lightly. Zhu Yan had already been admitted into the Seven Profound Martial House. In addition, Zhu Yan is currently one of the high ranked disciples within the inner Heavenly Abode, his strength having reached the pinnacle of the Third Stage of Physical Training. Even so, Lin Ming had set defeating Zhu Yan as his objective. This decision was not due to Lan Yunyue but rather due to his pursuit of the martial way. This path required him breaking through one threshold after another; conquering one mountain after another. As for Zhu Yan, he has the honourable spot of being the number one to be conquered.

At the foot of the Great Mountain Zhou lied a stretch of buildings extending up to twenty li (10km) in length. This is the area of operations for the Seven Profound Martial House and the Sky Fortune Martial House and today is the day of registration for those who wishes to take the Seven Profound Martial House’s entrance assessment. A crowd was gathered on the field before the Seven Profound Martial House.

Even though Lin Ming and Lin Xiaodong had deliberately chosen to arrive late, they came to realize that they had underestimated the number of applicants. The applicants were all lined up in three lines, with each line extending up to several meters in length. Judging by the current queue, half a long hour (1 hour) would be needed before registration could be completed.

“We will have to wait,” Lin Xiaodong gave a sigh and stood helplessly in line.

“En,” Lin Ming nodded his head.

“Hey, there are very few people there,” Lin Xiaodong pointed towards a small gate nearby. There were only a few people there. Furthermore, the ground was also paved with red carpet.

“That place is reserved for nobles…” Lin Ming noticed the writings on the sign.

Since the Seven Profound Martial House was built upon the grounds, buildings and resources of Sky Fortune Kingdom, it was only natural for them to give some face to the elite classes of the kingdom. In fact, many of the martial house’s affairs would be handed over to the elites to manage. One such example would be today’s registration for entrance assessment.

“Damn it,” Lin Xiaodong muttered in discontent. Nobility was something that only the Imperial Family could grant and could be inherited. Even though the Lin Family is a wealthy family, it is not a noble family.

Lin Xiaodong was cursing off at the nobles while consoling himself when the doors of the gate opened. Two young males strode out from the gate; one of them was wearing blue clothes with a long sword attached to his waist. His hair was tied up into a gold coloured headgear and had a handsome appearance.

Seeing the appearance of this man caused Lin Ming to frown. This was none other than Zhu Yan.

The Zhu Family’s daughter had married into the Imperial Family and had become the Eldest Prince’s favoured concubine. With the Eldest Prince’s position in the royal family, the Zhu Family soared to become the number one family within Green Mulberry City. Moreover, they were also granted the rank of nobility, thus allowing Zhu Yan to ensure Lan Yunyue’s admittance into the Seven Profound Martial House.

“Damn, we end up meeting a detestable person,” Lin Xiaodong muttered unhappily.

Zhu Yan was walking side by side with the other young man. A few other nobles waiting outside then chose to follow the two of them. It would appear that Zhu Yan was bringing the other young man to register. The two of them continued walking forward. At this rate, it was inevitable that Lin Ming and Zhu Yan bump into one another.

With his current position and strength, it was possible that he would end up suffering badly if they were to bump into one another. But, Lin Ming chose not to run and instead looked forward in a calm manner as Zhu Yan approached.

Zhu Yan’s pace was disrupted after catching sight of Lin Ming and Lin Xiaodong. His first reaction was that of shock. After that, he frowned. Seeing Lin Ming made him feel uncomfortable. Although he had snatched away Lan Yunyue, she had refused to engage in any acts of intimacy before their wedding. Clearly, Lin Ming still exists within Lan Yunyue’s heart, not to mention her feelings of guilt. The only reason she had chosen Zhu Yan was due to the Seven Profound Martial House. As a man, Zhu Yan was unable to tolerate the fact that his future wife’s heart remained within the palms of another man.

“You are called Lin Ming, am I right? How unexpected, you would actually follow us all the way here. You, with a mere cultivation level of First Stage in Physical Training want to take the test to enter the Seven Profound Martial House?”

The meaning behind Zhu Yan’s words was obvious. He would never allow Lin Ming to enter the Seven Profound Martial House. Even though Lin Ming’s strength was of no threat to him, Lin Ming’s existence within the Seven Profound Martial House would make it impossible for Lan Yunyue to forget Lin Ming.

“Whether or not I manage to pass the assessment is my own problem. I am not here as a result of following anyone. I am here due to my pursuit of the Martial Way.”

“The Martial Way? A mere above average talent like you dared to utter the words of pursuing the Martial Way? Insolence!” Having said that, Zhu Yan’s finger released a light sound; after that, his long sword shot out from its sheath! Zhu Yan grasped onto the sword and slashed the air, releasing an intense sword qi, which created an air splitting sound. A barely visible wave flew outwards, directly cutting down half the canopy of a nearby tree.