It really is that kid! This one named Jiang Chen is so young; what skills could he possibly have? Despite having heard Master Chen's words beforehand, everyone still felt a sense of disbelief.
"President Ye, why didn't you have your daughter apprentice under Master Chen? This Jiang Chen is about the same age as your daughter; could he possibly be more capable than Master Chen?" someone boldly asked, voicing their doubts.
"Mr. Jiang's abilities are something I and Master Chen have witnessed firsthand; they are truly remarkable. If you don't believe me, just look at my daughter now. Everyone knows that Ming'er suffered from a strange illness that even Master Chen couldn't cure. Now, thanks to Mr. Jiang, my daughter's condition has been healed," Ye Xinru explained to the crowd.
"Oh, so Mr. Jiang cured Ye Ming's illness? That indeed shows some skill!"
"No wonder President Ye, her daughter, and Master Chen all hold Mr. Jiang in such high regard!"
After the apprenticeship banquet, Jiang Chen continued to stay at Ye Xinru's villa. He guided Ye Ming on how to cultivate her skills, and before they knew it, several days had passed.
As the date of the Martial Arts Gathering approached, Jiang Chen left the Ye Family and set off for Songnan City. He was traveling alone; since Ye Ming had just become an apprentice and was a girl, bringing her along would not only be unhelpful but could also create complications.
Songnan City, located in Central China, is renowned as a birthplace of martial arts. This Martial Arts Gathering was hosted by the Peng Family, one of the Seven Great Martial Arts Families in Huaxia, which holds significant influence in the Huaxia Martial Arts Community.
Since it was a Martial Arts Gathering, only martial artists were allowed to participate. The Peng Family had sent out invitations a month prior; anyone who considered themselves part of the martial world could obtain one. Jiang Chen's invitation was secured for him by Chen Zhi while he was still in the Golden Triangle.
Jiang Chen took the high-speed train to Songnan. After disembarking, he followed the instructions on his invitation and found the shuttle bus waiting outside the train station.
The shuttle buses were all Yutong vehicles; they would depart as soon as someone with an invitation arrived.
After twenty minutes of silence on the ride, the Yutong arrived at a five-star hotel in Songnan City. Upon getting off the bus, Jiang Chen was the first to reach the front desk and said to the attendant, "I’d like to book your presidential suite!"
Typically, a five-star hotel has only one presidential suite, and its price is naturally quite steep. Not every martial artist has money; seeing such a young boy wanting to stay in a presidential suite made others glance at him curiously.
"Certainly, sir. Please present your ID for registration," the front desk clerk replied politely.
Jiang Chen handed over his ID for registration. After she processed his information and returned his ID with great respect, she smiled and said, "Mr. Jiang, your room has been cleaned and is ready for you to check in now. Our presidential suite comes with a private butler; if you need any services, feel free to let him know."
Upon hearing this, everyone else was left dumbfounded—was this presidential suite really that luxurious?
"Who exactly is Jiang Chen? It seems that our famous Martial Arts Families in Huaxia don't have anyone with the surname Jiang. Moreover, that kid is all alone and dressed quite ordinarily. How could he be so high-profile?" Someone had seen Jiang Chen's ID and learned his name.
Originally, everyone thought Jiang Chen was just an insignificant character, but they didn't expect him to be so ostentatious. Did he have some skills?
"Who cares where he came from? Tomorrow at the Martial Arts Gathering, I will publicly spar with him and show him how to be humiliated," a young martial artist said, his face dark as a storm cloud, seemingly confident in his own strength. Jiang Chen looked too young; it seemed anyone would have confidence in defeating him.
About half an hour after Jiang Chen checked into the presidential suite, someone knocked on the door. When he opened it, a young man, clearly older than Jiang Chen, stood there.
"Mr. Jiang, my name is Peng Bo. This gathering is initiated by my family. I heard a young martial artist is staying in the presidential suite, so I came to meet you," the visitor introduced himself.
"Please, have a seat," Jiang Chen invited Peng Bo to sit down.
"Thank you! I wonder why Mr. Jiang came alone, and frankly speaking, I haven't heard of any Martial Arts Family with the surname Jiang?" Peng Bo got straight to the point as soon as he sat down.
"I'm fine on my own. Our family isn't a Martial Arts Family either. I'm just here to take a look. I've heard that some foreigners might look down on Huaxia Martial Arts, so I came to ensure they don't trample on our Huaxia Martial Arts. We Huaxia people can't let that happen," Jiang Chen replied calmly.
So, he's just an unknown martial artist with quite an attitude. Huaxia Martial Arts is profound; does it really need a kid like you to oversee it? Is this person naive or just ignorant of the world beyond?
"Mr. Jiang, at this Martial Arts Gathering, there is someone named Yan Xiaotian coming. This Yan Xiaotian is considered a disgrace in martial arts, but his skills are very high. He was driven away by several major Martial Arts Families working together. Since leaving Huaxia decades ago, he hasn't returned until now. This time he's back in Huaxia likely to establish his reputation again in Huaxia Martial Arts. Of course, my grandfather will deal with him. He should be emerging from seclusion tomorrow and will reach the Divine Realm; handling Yan Xiaotian will be no problem. So Mr. Jiang can remain in the shadows; there's no need for you to show yourself," Peng Bo explained.
"A disgrace in martial arts dares to come back? Does he think there’s no one in Huaxia?" Jiang Chen said lightly.
"Mr. Jiang, I've heard that Yan Xiaotian has already entered the Divine Realm now, so apart from my grandfather, I’m afraid no one can handle him," Peng Bo shook his head at Jiang Chen's nonchalance. This young man might have impressive skills for his age but could not possibly reach the Master of Transformation level yet. The Divine Realm could easily crush a Master of Transformation; they were simply not on the same level.
"Oh really? Then I understand now. Do you have anything else?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
"Nothing else. Then Mr. Jiang, please rest; I won't disturb you any longer," Peng Bo recognized the hint and decided not to linger.
After Peng Bo left, Jiang Chen couldn't help but chuckle; this Martial Arts Gathering was going to be much livelier than he had anticipated.
However, what intrigued Jiang Chen most were these Divine Realm experts; as for everyone else, they were hardly worth mentioning.
The Seven Great Martial Arts Families of Huaxia had deep foundations; each family typically had at least one Divine Realm expert stationed within it, several Masters of Transformation, and at least a dozen Inner Strength Experts—sometimes even dozens. Without this level of martial arts heritage, one wouldn't qualify as a top-tier Martial Arts Family.
To others, Jiang Chen was just a young man who could barely muster Inner Energy; reaching Transcendence was impossible for him—let alone Divine Realm status. Thus, Peng Bo believed that Jiang Chen was merely here as an observer.
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