My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 57 Fame

Liang Cheng walked onto the podium.

Lu Bingchen stroked his beard and laughed heartily, his voice shaking the entire arena: "Excellent! Excellent! Our Martial Academy has gained another prodigy! Liang Cheng has successfully challenged the Heavenly Abode beyond his level and has earned the qualification to enter the Martial Tempering Pool. He is hereby awarded an additional two thousand contribution points!"

Liang Cheng bowed and said, "Thank you, Master Lü."

Two thousand points!

The audience erupted in uproar once again.

With the base reward of 500 points from the competition, Liang Cheng directly earned 2,500 contribution points from this Autumn Grand Competition.

Shen Wenyuan smiled and stood up. He didn't say anything, but simply nodded to Liang Cheng. Liang Cheng and Shen Wenyuan had a history, so he naturally returned the greeting respectfully.

Yue Shan was even more direct, his voice booming: "Kid, the army is in dire need of tough guys like you who dare to fight and take risks. If you ever want to join the army, I'll personally write you a letter of recommendation and guarantee you'll start as a captain!"

Yue Shan's statement carries significant weight.

Wu Zhenshan's face was ashen, his fingernails almost digging into his palms. Shen Wenyuan looked over with a smile, his gaze meaningful.

Wu Zhenshan felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that after today, if he wanted to take action against Liang Cheng again, he would have to plan carefully and meticulously.

Left side of the stands, where the Xu family sits.

Xu Zhi trembled all over, his face ashen white: "Father, how could he be so strong?"

"Shut up!" Xu Zhang hissed, turning to the steward behind him, his voice icy: "Go, prepare a generous gift, in the name of the Xu family, to congratulate Liang Cheng on his entry into the Heavenly Palace."

The steward was taken aback: "Master, this..."

"Since we can't afford to offend them for now, let's just endure it to the end." Xu Zhang said expressionlessly. "Zhi'er, once the gifts are prepared, you should deliver them personally."

The other corner.

Chen Bainian was beaming from ear to ear, and several chamber of commerce managers around him offered their congratulations with clasped hands.

"Master Chen has such discerning eyes; to have befriended such a promising talent so early on is truly a model for us all!"

"Brother Chen, could you please make an introduction? My Zhang family is willing to offer an annual salary of one thousand taels of silver, only requesting that Guest Elder Liang be listed as an official!"

"My Li family will contribute 1,200 taels of silver, plus a mansion in the city!"

Chen Bainian waved his hand with a reserved expression, but in his heart he was already overjoyed. The return on that investment was now more than a hundred times.

The stronger Liang Cheng becomes, the more stable the Chen family's position in Linwu City will be.

At the very edge, Qiao Zhi sat there blankly for a long time.

Uncle Wang sighed softly, "Miss, let's go back to the manor."

Qiao Zhi seemed to wake from a dream, bit her lip, and suddenly stood up: "Uncle Wang, let's go and congratulate him."

Uncle Wang was taken aback: "Miss, I'm afraid this is inappropriate..."

"What's wrong with that?" Qiao Zhi raised her chin, but a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. "Since he has a master-disciple relationship with Yang Wei, he can be considered half a fellow disciple of mine. It's only right that I offer my congratulations."

Uncle Wang sighed inwardly and whispered, "Miss, look over there."

Qiao Zhi followed his gaze and saw that the area where the Tianshe disciples were located had already been surrounded by all sorts of people.

Many of the faces were people that the Qiao family would normally find difficult to talk to. She stood there, stunned, a bitter feeling welling up inside her.

At this moment, Liang Cheng had already stepped down from the platform.

After the black-robed deacon finished registering him, he handed him a black iron token engraved with the character "Heaven".

"This is the Heavenly Abode Disciple Token. With this token, you can receive 1,000 contribution points per month, accept tasks of grade A or below, and apply for a private residence."

The contribution points you earned today can be settled and credited to your account at the Foreign Affairs Hall later. As for the Martial Tempering Pool, we will await further arrangements.

Liang Cheng accepted the token with both hands; it felt heavy, cool, and substantial.

"Thank you, Deacon."

He remained calm as he returned to the area for the disciples of the Heavenly Abode. Seeing Chen Bainian struggling to squeeze through, he quickly pulled him aside.

"Guest Liang! No, Young Master Liang!" Chen Bainian, beaming, bowed deeply, "Congratulations on your renown in Linwu and your rise to the rank of Heavenly Sovereign!"

"You're too kind, Master Chen."

"Young Master's display of might today is a great honor for me!" Chen Bainian lowered his voice. "I have already expedited the purchase of the cold iron essence and red copper sand that Young Master requested, and will definitely deliver another thirty catties to the Martial Academy within five days!"

Liang Cheng nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."

"Furthermore," Chen Bainian's smile widened, "from now on, Young Master Liang's annual salary in my business will be set at three thousand taels, with monthly profit sharing. What do you think?"

Liang Cheng pondered for a moment: "Alright, but cash is inconvenient. Please use this money to purchase cultivation resources such as pills and medicinal herbs."

"Of course! Don't worry, young master, I'll take care of it!" Chen Bainian readily agreed, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to deepen their relationship.

At this moment, Qiao Zhi and Uncle Wang finally squeezed through. Qiao Zhi opened her mouth, but looking at Liang Cheng's calm and expressionless face, she couldn't utter a single polite word she had prepared.

"Senior Brother Liang," she said, unusually using a respectful term, "congratulations."

Liang Cheng looked at her and nodded slightly: "Miss Qiao."

Qiao Zhi's cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice lowered even further: "I apologize for my offensive words earlier, please don't take it to heart."

"It's alright," Liang Cheng said calmly.

Qiao Zhi felt an indescribable bitterness in her heart, and before she could say anything more, Liang Cheng turned to Uncle Wang: "Uncle Wang, is Madam well?"

Wang Bo hurriedly replied, "Madam is well, thank you for your concern, young master."

Liang Cheng nodded: "Please give my regards to Madam, but the affairs of the Martial Academy are quite complicated, so I won't keep you any longer."

After saying this, he bowed to Chen Bainian and the others, then turned and walked deeper into the martial arts academy.

Countless eyes followed his retreating figure until he disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The crowd grew louder, and discussions erupted.

"Having only been a student at the Martial Academy for a few months, he went straight from the Human Dormitory to the Heavenly Dormitory..."

"Two thousand five hundred contribution points, heavenly treatment—truly a meteoric rise!"

"From now on, he will probably be one of the top figures among the younger generation in Linwu City."

On the high platform, Lü Bingchen looked in the direction Liang Cheng had left, stroked his beard and smiled: "Victory without arrogance, composure as always, truly capable of great things."

Shen Wenyuan smiled without saying a word, his gaze distant.

Wu Zhenshan stood up, said nothing, and left in a huff.

Xu Zhang slowly drank the cold tea in his cup, lowered his head, and concealed the murderous intent in his eyes.

……

A dwelling for people.

Liang Cheng packed up his few belongings and prepared to move to the Heavenly Abode. At this moment, Li Mu arrived, followed by several disciples of the Earthly Abode, who were the so-called members of the Fishing Gang.

"Senior Brother Liang!" Li Mu's face was full of excitement. "These are senior brothers from the Fishing Gang, who have come to congratulate you."

The disciples quickly bowed and greeted, "Greetings, Senior Brother Liang!"

Liang Cheng originally didn't want to stay any longer, but seeing Li Mu's expectant eyes, he stopped and exchanged a few simple pleasantries. Before leaving, he said to Li Mu, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to Tianshe to find me."

"Yes! Thank you, Senior Brother Liang!" Li Mu's eyes were filled with undisguised joy.

Several fishermen's disciples nearby exchanged glances, thinking to themselves: This Li Mu actually has such a good relationship with Liang Chengyou; we should take good care of him in the future.

As Liang Cheng left the living quarters area, he could clearly feel a gaze falling on his back.

He didn't need to turn around; he knew it was Yun Jinghong.

He didn't stop walking and went straight away.

Behind a distant pillar, Yun Jinghong gripped her sword hilt tightly, watching Liang Cheng's departing figure with burning fighting spirit in her eyes.

"Liang Cheng, I won't fall behind you for long. Next autumn's grand competition, I will definitely enter the Heavenly Palace, and then we will settle our differences again."

"Wait for me for a year."

……

Tianshe Duyuan.

The courtyard was spacious, complete with a quiet room, a practice room, and a medicinal bath room, far more comfortable than the quiet rooms in the common houses. Liang Cheng closed the door, and the noise from the outside world immediately stopped.

He went to the Foreign Affairs Hall first.

Zhao Ming, who was on duty, was almost obsequious, and quickly processed the transfer of contribution points for him. The black iron token in his palm glowed faintly, and the balance was clearly displayed:

3,680 points.

Resources, permissions, and status are all different from what they used to be.

Liang Cheng sat cross-legged on the couch and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

In today's battle, Lin Pojun's final strike, had it not been for his astonishing defense at the peak of the Iron Armor Realm, would have resulted in an uncertain outcome.

"If the tenth-ranked disciple of the Heavenly Abode possesses such strength, how powerful must the top nine, and even those disciples about to break through to the True Qi Realm, be?"

He was not complacent at this moment; instead, he felt an even stronger sense of urgency.

"I've heard that the Martial Tempering Pool can temper one's bones and strengthen one's foundation, which is very beneficial for condensing true qi seeds. I wonder how effective it will be for me."

"And then there's the Xu family, the Military Equipment Hall... the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, so we need to be even more cautious."

Thinking of this, Liang Cheng prepared to meditate and regulate his breathing, for strength was the most important thing.

Just then.

"Knock knock".

A knock came at the door.