A stick of incense time quickly passed.

Jiang Ping followed the crowd, a hundred strong and vigorous men marching towards the Outer Court.

They soon arrived at the Martial Training Ground. In front, a large board had the character 'Martial' written on it, with weapon racks on both sides displaying various weapons.

The dining hall was on the left side of the Martial Training Ground, connected and very close.

At this moment, Chief Escort Liang was already standing at the entrance of the dining hall, with an Escort Master holding a yellow register beside him.

Jiang Ping realized that from recruiting and selecting people to training them now, it was all likely managed by this Chief Escort.

"Silence, line up properly!"

The Escort Master holding the yellow register stepped forward and sternly commanded. Once everyone was quiet and lined up, he pointed to Chief Escort Liang and introduced, "This is Chief Escort Liang of our Four Seas Escort Agency, an 8th Rank Skin Refinement Martial Artist. For the next six months, he will be responsible for instructing you."

"Hiss! 8th Rank!"

"It's said that becoming a 9th Rank Blood Refinement Martial Artist makes many gentry and wealthy families eager to invite you as a guest, rewarding you with a lot of silver each month. If I reach 8th Rank, I might not be rich and famous, but at least I could live comfortably for a lifetime."

"What are you thinking? 8th Rank? Let's pass the Nourishing Life Art assessment first. Do you think becoming a Martial Artist is that easy?"

"......"

"Silence!"

Seeing the whispers about to turn into a clamor, the Escort Master shouted again, and everyone immediately quieted down.

The Escort Master turned to Chief Escort Liang:

"Chief, shall we begin directly?"

"Yes." Liang Sheng nodded.

Then, the Escort Master opened the register and addressed the crowd, "Step forward when your name is called."

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"Zhang San."

Upon hearing his name, a dark-skinned young man stepped out from the crowd.

"Come over, stand in front of me." Chief Escort Liang said. Zhang San approached until he was stopped at a distance of one foot.

"Punch my chest with all your might. Remember, you only have one chance."

Liang Sheng pointed to his right chest.

"What's this about?"

All the young men were puzzled.

"Hurry up, others are waiting. Just use all your strength, don't worry about anything else." The Escort Master urged as Zhang San hesitated.

Hearing this, Zhang San took a deep breath, clenched his right fist, veins bulging.

The next moment, his fist swung towards the Chief Escort's chest, producing a dull 'thud.'

Liang Sheng remained unmoved, coldly stating, "One hundred and forty-two pounds."

The Escort Master quickly noted it down and then called out the second name.

A muscular young man immediately stepped forward.

By this time, everyone realized that the Chief Escort was testing their fist strength.

"We haven't even started the Nourishing Life Art, what's the point of this test? I heard that newly advanced Blood Refinement Martial Artists have a fist strength of over a thousand pounds." Someone whispered.

"Of course, it's useful. The Chief Escort is recording our initial fist strength, making it easier to track our growth after practicing the Nourishing Life Art."

"I see."

"Li Si, one hundred and forty-five pounds!"

At this point, the second person's fist strength was announced.

"Wang Wu, one hundred and fifty pounds."

"Zhao Liu, one hundred and forty pounds."

"....."

As time passed, one strong young man after another tested their initial fist strength.

Standing among the crowd, Jiang Ping also drew a small conclusion.

That was, everyone's fist strength generally fluctuated between one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty pounds.

However, this conclusion was soon broken when a young man, seven feet tall, punched with a force of one hundred and eighty-three pounds, raising eyebrows among the crowd.

This level was undeniably strong.

"Sun Qi, he's from our dormitory, and we're quite close." A slightly lean young man said proudly.

"Jiang Ping!"

A rather spirited young man stepped out from the crowd.

Jiang Ping hadn't expected it to be his turn so soon.

He walked up to Liang Sheng, took a slight breath, and then swung his fist with all his might.

Jiang Ping was also curious about his fist strength.

"One hundred and fifty-five pounds."

As the Chief Escort announced, the crowd's reaction was relatively calm. This was considered above average among those tested earlier, with a few close to it, but compared to the young man who punched over one hundred and eighty pounds, it seemed insignificant.

"However, his appearance is the most outstanding among us." A sharp-faced young man stared at Jiang Ping's face, eyes filled with envy.

The crowd instantly fell silent, the atmosphere seemed to become quiet, and no one responded to the young man's words until Jiang Ping blended back into the crowd, dissipating the oppressive silence.

"Luo Tiegen, one hundred and fifty pounds."

After Jiang Ping, it was Luo Tiegen from the same dormitory, and his fellow townsmen, whose fist strength was also around one hundred and fifty.

"Qian Dele, one hundred and seventy!"

"This is the second person far exceeding the average level. This person looks only six feet tall, similar to us, yet his fist strength is so high."

Someone looked at the smug Qian Dele, somewhat incredulous.

"Perhaps this is what they call extraordinary talent." Qian Dele's old friend said, proud of his friend.

"***, one hundred and eighty pounds."

Soon, the second person with a fist strength over one hundred and eighty emerged, also extremely burly, seven feet tall.

However, by the end of the test, no third person appeared.

The fifth highest fist strength was only one hundred and fifty-eight pounds.

"Alright, the test is over, you may enter the dining hall to eat."

The Escort Master responsible for recording closed the register and addressed the crowd.

"Hmm?"

Everyone was puzzled.

Is it over? No Nourishing Life Art practice?

"You need to eat well to have the strength to practice. The real training should be after the meal." Someone speculated.

"Whatever, just listen to the Escort Master. Let's eat, let's eat!"

Hearing they could eat, some couldn't wait to head to the dining hall, Jiang Ping among them.

He only had a bowl of noodles last night, and his stomach had been growling for a while.

Entering the dining hall, Jiang Ping easily found the 'employee meal' designated for newcomers.

Because the window had the words 'Newcomer Exclusive' written in large characters.

"There's meat, a big bowl of meat!"

As the first person got their meal, everyone's eyes lit up, unable to contain their surprise.

They usually did hard labor and lived frugally, only indulging in meat once every seven or eight days, some even only once a month.

Yet, the first 'employee' meal at the Escort Agency included meat, and a big bowl at that, equivalent to their yearly consumption.

Instantly, the dining hall was in an uproar, and the previously scattered crowd began to line up, with some impatient ones even trying to cut in line.

"Brother, we're from the same dormitory, can you let us have two spots?"

Someone approached Jiang Ping.

After all, he was among the first to enter the dining hall, at the front of the line.

Jiang Ping glanced at the person, speechless.

How could someone even want to cut in line for a meal, in such a hurry, are they taking a postgraduate entrance exam?

Moreover, it wouldn't take long to get the meal, why so impatient?

But before Jiang Ping could respond, a familiar stern shout rang out.

"Behave, line up properly!"

It was the Escort Master responsible for recording, who walked in, seeing a few people arguing over cutting in line, frowned and said:

"Why act like starving ghosts reborn, waiting a bit won't kill you."

Qian Dele and his old friend, who wanted Jiang Ping to give up his spot, looked disappointed and had to leave reluctantly.

Moments later.

Jiang Ping, having gotten his meal, found an empty table and started eating.

He first tried a piece of meat, discovering it was beef, and quite tasty, immediately devouring it with white rice.

Not long after, Luo Tiegen and his two fellow townsmen from the same dormitory joined Jiang Ping at the table with their bowls.

After exchanging pleasantries and introductions, the four of them focused on eating.

With such a big bowl of meat, who had the mood to chat?

......

The bustling dining hall was filled with the aroma of beef.

Everyone ate the delicious meal, feeling immensely satisfied.

Many even resolved to stay at the Escort Agency.

However, just as they were halfway through their meal, a sharp and capable middle-aged man walked in from the entrance.

The previously noisy dining hall instantly fell silent.

The newcomer was naturally Liang Sheng, the Chief Escort responsible for instructing them.

"Continue eating, don't mind me." Liang Sheng said.

Hearing this, everyone resumed eating, but they noticed that the Chief Escort wasn't there to eat as they had imagined.

Instead, he walked around the dining hall before speaking loudly:

"You came to our Four Seas Escort Agency, you should know, we need strong Escort Masters, not just laborers."

"So, before becoming an Escort Master, the agency will do its best to train you to meet the requirements for escorting."

"And to become strong, the Martial Dao is the path, a broad and open road."

"However, since our agency chose to train you for free, it's impossible to teach you the renowned Stance Art like a Martial Hall. So, what you rely on to become strong is our agency's unique Nourishing Life Art."

Everyone nodded, knowing that the Nourishing Life Art couldn't compare to the Stance Art.

But practicing the Stance Art required money, and they were all poor, with no money to enter a Martial Hall to practice martial arts.

Coming to the Escort Agency was naturally for the free training, and many just wanted to become Escort Masters to improve their lives.

"But you don't need to belittle yourselves, the Nourishing Life Art, when practiced to Great Accomplishment, can also make you a Martial Artist."

"Moreover, both the Nourishing Life Art and the Stance Art have a crucial common point in practice, do you know what it is?"

"Talent?"

"Maintaining Pure Yang?"

"Before thirty years old."

"......"

Everyone spoke according to their understanding.

Liang Sheng shook his head slightly and said, "Not quite right."

"It's simple, eating!"

"Eating?"

Jiang Ping immediately looked down at his meal, vaguely guessing.

But most people looked at the Chief Escort with puzzled eyes.

Liang Sheng explained:

"That's right, eating. You all know, the Initial Realm is about Blood Refinement, internally refining one's own Blood Qi, and this power comes from within, needing to be gradually extracted."

"But we are constantly consuming, if we only practice without eating, not only will we fail, but we'll harm our bodies, because the body's Blood Qi consumption is limited."

"At this point, we need to rely on external things to replenish our Blood Qi, which is what I mean by eating."

"However, eating is also very particular, as everyone knows, the human body actually has the ability to recover on its own, plus eating and sleeping every day, is also a way to replenish Blood Qi."

"For example, most of you feel very tired after a day's hard work, but after eating and sleeping, you wake up the next day feeling quite refreshed."

"But this method only applies to work, once practicing martial arts, just rice, noodles, and random meat and vegetables won't do."

"You need specific foods to practice well, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

"You can guess, what kind of food would that be?"

"Beef?" Qian Dele tentatively said, feeling pleased when the Chief Escort nodded.

"That's right, it's beef. It's a very suitable food for martial artists, even the Martial Halls in Yangcheng City use beef as food to aid their disciples in practicing martial arts."

Liang Sheng spoke slowly, then continued:

"So, the meal you are eating today is specifically for martial artists."

"Once you finish eating, I will teach you the Nourishing Life Art, allowing you to formally engage with the Martial Dao."

Hearing this, everyone became expectant.

Whether they were capable or not, it all depended on the Nourishing Life Art.

"However!"

Chief Escort Liang suddenly changed the subject, adding, "I have one more important thing to mention in advance."

"Our agency cherishes exceptionally talented Escort Masters, and there's even a chance to be favored by the Chief and taken as a disciple."

"The Chief!"

The young men were excited. The Chief of the Four Seas Escort Agency was rumored to be a 6th Rank Martial Artist, almost becoming a Military Licentiate, and his strength was among the top five in Yangcheng City.

Being favored and taken as a disciple was almost like reaching the sky in a single bound.

"Silence!" Seeing the dining hall becoming noisy again,  Escort Master Huang couldn't help but shout.

Once it quieted down, Chief Escort Liang continued, "As I said, exceptional ones will be especially cherished, so in the future, the top five in each fist strength test will receive more attention."

"Sun Qi!"

"Qian Dele!"

"Liu Wensheng!"

"Zhao Lusi!"

"...."

As the names of the five were called, Chief Escort Liang nodded and said, "You are the top five this time, and as per tradition, your beef portion will be doubled for three days."

With that, Escort Master Huang brought out five bowls of beef prepared at the window and handed them to the five.

"Don't underestimate an extra bowl of meat, once you start practicing martial arts, you'll understand the help this meat provides on the Martial Dao path."

The Escort Master Huang glanced around and chuckled.

"Delicious!" Qian Dele exclaimed after eating a piece of the extra rewarded meat.

It seemed like he was praising the beef, but many felt he was flaunting his ranking.

However, most were extremely envious.

Because the Escort Master had mentioned that food was an important part of martial arts practice, if they were allowed to eat more meat continuously, the gap would only widen in the future.

Jiang Ping also felt a bit regretful, he was only three pounds short of the fifth place in fist strength, seemingly ranking eighth.

"You don't need to worry, fist strength tests are every three days, if someone stands out with the Nourishing Life Art in three days, they can receive the same treatment."

Chief Escort Liang looked at the eager eyes of the crowd and smiled.

"A test every three days! This is a reward for cultivating excellence, and also the beginning of our competition."

Jiang Ping felt a sense of urgency.

"Alright, I've finished speaking, continue eating, gather at the Martial Training Ground outside in two quarters of an hour."

After speaking, Chief Escort Liang left the dining hall, with the Escort Master Huang respectfully following behind.