Before they knew it, the two had returned to the docks.
Cheng Ming suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Ah Qing, you still haven't received a sponsorship, have you?"
"Not yet."
Chen Qing shook his head.
In recent days, he had discovered that not all Manifest Force disciples could obtain sponsorship.
Those wealthy merchant and Noble Families were all incredibly shrewd, placing their bets only on young geniuses.
Someone like Qin Lie not only held a position at Wang's but was also favored by major clans like the Luo Family. With a daily, unending supply of meat and medicinal supplements, his Cultivation naturally progressed by leaps and bounds.
Meanwhile, disciples with mediocre aptitude like Chen Qing were mostly ignored.
They would eventually stagnate, and only if they were lucky might they break through their bottleneck to reach Dark Force.
"My Cheng Family is willing to sponsor you," Cheng Ming said suddenly. "Ten pounds of meat per month and one tael of Blood and Qi Powder. It's not a lot, but would you be willing to accept?"
In the time they had spent together, Cheng Ming had come to admire two things most about Chen Qing: first, his diligence and hard work, and second, how devoted he was to his family.
Although his Root Bone was somewhat lacking and his family was poor, his character was truly rare.
Although the Cheng Family wasn't a major clan, the two brothers managed a household of over twenty people, operating two merchant ships and a hundred mu of modest farmland.
To Chen Qing, this was already a significant source of support.
Cheng Ming worked at the River Department, and he was always looking for ways to aid their merchant ships.
Chen Qing's heart stirred, and a flicker of surprise showed in his eyes.
Cheng Ming raised an eyebrow. "What? You think it's not enough?"
"How could I! Thank you for your support, Chief!"
Chen Qing took a deep breath and solemnly cupped his fists.
Cheng Ming waved it off. "I'll have the items sent to your home tomorrow. You just focus on your martial arts practice."
After Chen Qing left, a nearby patrolman sidled up to him. "Chief, are you really going to sponsor that Chen Qing?"
Having spent some time with him, everyone now knew Chen Qing's full story.
At the Zhou Institute, Chen Qing's aptitude was considered lower-middle tier at best. It had taken him months just to reach Manifest Force, and anyone with a discerning eye could see he had already reached his limit.
The Cheng Family had some assets, but every tael of silver had to be spent where it mattered most.
Cheng Ming gazed at Chen Qing's retreating figure and sighed softly. "That boy is about the same age as my own son, but he lost his father so early and now has to support his family all on his own..."
He rubbed the saber at his waist. 'Let's just call it fate.'
...
As twilight settled, Chen Qing returned to the Zhou Institute, his path dappled with the shadows of trees.
"Junior Brother Chen, you haven't been as early as usual these past few days." He Yan, who was wiping down a stone lock, greeted him with a smile.
This senior disciple had been training at the Zhou Institute for seven or eight years. His Cultivation remained stuck at Manifest Force, yet he had become the institute's paragon of diligence.
Ever since Chen Qing had broken through to Manifest Force, the two of them often put in extra practice together—sparring, competing, and exchanging insights. Their relationship was quite good.
"I've been tied up with trivial matters and got delayed." Chen Qing stretched his limbs, the scent of dust from the duty room still clinging to his clothes.
"It felt a lot quieter without you here." He Yan returned the stone lock to its place. "After we finish our Pile Skill practice, let's have a proper match."
Chen Qing stretched his muscles and joints, preparing to begin his Pile Skill training.
「On the other side of the courtyard.」
Qin Lie was speaking in a low voice with Luo Qian, his gaze occasionally darting toward the back of the courtyard.
Zhengzi Bridge was sparring with a few other disciples. The wind from their fists billowed as Strong Qi radiated outwards, forcing several of the ordinary disciples serving as practice partners to retreat again and again in a sorry state.
"Junior Brother Qin, Junior Sister Luo, Junior Brother Zheng."
Zhou Yu's voice rang out like a clear spring. She and Sun Shun walked over together, instantly drawing the gazes of the surrounding disciples.
Qin Lie's eyes lit up when he saw Zhou Yu. "Senior Sister Zhou, is something the matter?"
"The Martial Arts Examination is coming up, so a few of the nearby institutes want to hold a small sparring assembly. Each institute gets seven spots." Zhou Yu smiled faintly. "Brother Liu Ze of Mantis Fist and Senior Sister Liu Xue of Seven-Star Palm have already agreed to attend. Both of them have reached Great Success in Dark Force. If things go well, we might make this a recurring event."
At these words, Luo Qian's fingertips twitched slightly.
'Great Success in Dark Force is just one step away from Transmutation Force. If I can befriend them, it would be a huge help in securing my position in the Luo Family.'
'The Luo Family is large and sprawling. My father has six sons and three daughters. Without some extraordinary skills, how can I ever secure a place for myself within the clan?'
"I'll go," Zhengzi Bridge said without a second thought.
'The Liu Institute's Mantis Fist is renowned. I hear they've produced a few experts. It would be great to get a chance to meet them.'
Qin Lie calculated to himself. 'My blood and qi are abundant, but I lack real combat experience. An event like this is a chance to broaden my horizons and build connections. It's the perfect opportunity for a disciple from a Humble Family like me to leap the Dragon Sect.'
"Counting Brother Liu and Brother Qi... there are two spots left." Zhou Yu counted on her fingers. "Do you have any good candidates in mind?"
Qin Lie remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the other Manifest Force disciples in the courtyard with an air of detached scrutiny. He had no deep connections with these "mediocre" people.
Sun Shun watched Chen Qing's back as he quietly practiced his Pile Skill in a corner. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke up, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible lack of confidence, "What about Junior Brother Wu Lin... and Junior Brother Chen Qing?"
"Junior Brother Wu has reached Great Success in Manifest Force and has attempted to break through to Dark Force once, so... I suppose he barely qualifies," Zhengzi Bridge interjected, his tone still relatively calm.
Then, his brows furrowed deeply. His gaze shifted to Chen Qing in the corner, his voice dripping with incredulous disbelief. "Junior Brother Chen Qing? How long has it been since he just barely scraped into Manifest Force? His foundation might not even be stable yet! Brother Sun, this assembly represents the honor of our Zhou Institute! And you want to bring *him*?"
Clearly, he didn't think Chen Qing was qualified to attend the assembly.
The Zhou Institute had over thirty disciples in total, and about ten of them had reached Manifest Force.
Among the many disciples, Chen Qing was utterly unremarkable. He had neither a prominent family background nor astounding talent. His future in the Martial Arts was easy to predict.
Luo Qian spoke up as well. "Brother Sun, this assembly represents the Zhou Institute's honor. It's a serious matter that determines the level of our exchanges with other Martial Arts Institutes! This isn't a Charitable Hall!"
Her words were barbed, clearly showing her displeasure with Sun Shun's favoritism.
Sun Shun's face flushed. "Junior Brother Chen is a very diligent practitioner..." he said quickly.
"How about this..."
Zhou Yu chimed in at the perfect moment, her voice still gentle. "We're all fellow disciples here. Junior Brother Chen is a relatively new disciple, so there's no harm in letting him come along to gain some experience. For future assemblies, we can just rotate the spots to give everyone an equal chance."
Her words gave Sun Shun a graceful way out and silenced Luo Qian.
Seeing that Zhou Yu had made the decision, Zhengzi Bridge, though still displeased, also kept his mouth shut.
Luo Qian shrugged, tacitly agreeing.
Sun Shun broke into a grin. "Great, I'll go tell Junior Brother Chen right now."
With that, he strode quickly over to where Chen Qing was.
"A sparring assembly?"
Chen Qing relaxed his stance and exhaled, beads of sweat still dotting his forehead.
Sun Shun said enthusiastically, "Liu Zhang of Mantis Fist and Liu Xue of Seven-Star Palm will both be there. We'll all spar and exchange insights..."
Chen Qing thought for a moment before declining. "Brother Sun, I think I'll pass on this assembly."
'It was hard to say whether this so-called sparring and exchange would be a good thing or a bad thing.'
'He possessed the Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence Fate Plate. All he needed to do was train hard and diligently.'
Sun Shun was stunned for a moment. "Junior Brother Chen, this... this is a golden opportunity."
"Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Sun."
Chen Qing shook his head. "I'm just aware that my Cultivation is still shallow and my foundation isn't firm. Rather than go join the excitement, I'd prefer to focus on building a more solid foundation."
Sun Shun tried to persuade him earnestly for a while longer, but seeing Chen Qing's firm resolve, he finally gave up.
When Zhou Yu saw Sun Shun return, she asked, "Is it settled?"
Sun Shun smiled wryly. "Junior Brother Chen... politely declined."
The others were all somewhat surprised to hear this.
They never thought Chen Qing would actually pass up such a great opportunity.
Zhengzi Bridge raised an eyebrow. "He's probably just got stage fright. Afraid he'll lose face, so he doesn't dare to go."
In his view, that was the only possible explanation.
Qin Lie watched Chen Qing's sweat-drenched back and shook his head. "He's a hopeless case. Doesn't even know enough to cherish such a great opportunity. What's the point of just burying your head in training?"
In his opinion, someone like Chen Qing, who came from a poor family, should grasp every single opportunity that came his way.
'Practicing the Martial Arts isn't just about mindlessly training hard.'
Although Luo Qian said nothing, in her mind, she had already branded Chen Qing as "unfit for anything important."
'I have to be more discerning. I must remember never to sponsor someone like him.'
A flash of disappointment flickered in Zhou Yu's eyes, but her expression quickly returned to calm.
'To her, it just meant they were short one person to fill the quota. It didn't matter who they got to replace him.'
'There were plenty of Manifest Force disciples in the institute. Someone would be willing to take this chance.'
...