"How many people are there in the Inner Hall? Can they compare to the number of us in the Outer Hall? Of the same batch as us, there are over twenty or thirty of us, and they only have five. Moreover, we have all trained in the deep mountains and old forests for three to five years, killing untold numbers of jackals, tigers, and leopards. How could those fellows in the Inner Hall, who have only enjoyed comfort in the county town, ever compare? When it comes to ruthlessness, I alone am enough to take down two or three of them."

Yang Yicheng grumbled angrily, deeply dissatisfied with Feng Xiao's timidity.

"The ordinary disciples of the Inner Hall are nothing, but what about the Enforcement Disciples in the Inner Hall? They are responsible for maintaining order and always favor the Inner Hall disciples. If we are caught fighting privately, we won't escape a severe beating."

Hearing about the Enforcement Disciples, Yang Yicheng frowned deeply.

The disciples of the Medicine Gathering Hall were divided into two types. One type consisted of ordinary Pharmaceutical Disciples, who wore white robes and were responsible for making medicines or looking after the front shops in the county town; they were all from affluent families. The other type comprised the core Enforcement Disciples, who wore richly embroidered clothes. They had dedicated themselves to martial arts training from a young age, their skills being extraordinary, and their backgrounds were even more profound, often hailing from prominent and powerful households.

The Medicine Gathering Disciples of the Outer Hall wore green robes, and most were commoners with absolutely no background.

Disciples from the Inner and Outer Halls always looked down on each other and frequently quarreled, but none dared to provoke those Enforcement Disciples.

When disputes arose between Inner and Outer Hall disciples, the Embroidered Enforcement Disciples would invariably side with the white-robed Inner Hall disciples. Often, the Inner Hall disciples acted arrogantly precisely because they had the backing of the Enforcement Disciples.

Ye Qin considered the matter, then calmly addressed the four of them:

"There’s no need to rush this. Let’s try our best to find a way to avoid the Enforcement Disciples in their embroidered clothes. Recently, a large number of martial artists from outside the region have arrived in the county town, which will undoubtedly lead to some chaos. Our Medicine Gathering Hall cannot stand by and watch those people cause trouble; we must step up to maintain order. I estimate that even the Enforcement Disciples with the highest martial arts skills will be requisitioned to manage the situation. This gives us the perfect opportunity to find a time when the Enforcement Disciples are busy and have a fight with those Inner Hall fellows. Given the arrogant and self-important nature of the Inner Hall disciples, they will certainly accept a challenge.

"Senior Brother, Third Junior Brother, don't you know many brothers and friends in the Hall? You can invite them to assist us. And Fourth Junior Sister, Fifth Junior Sister, you two should also invite some female disciples from the Outer Hall to join us. Since we are going to fight, let’s thoroughly teach those Inner Hall disciples a lesson so they won't forget it in the future. Senior Brother Yang, you should take the lead in organizing this matter."

"Good. That's settled," Yang Yicheng nodded fiercely, readily agreeing. He had indeed made many sworn brothers and friends in the Medicine Gathering Hall, mostly Outer Hall disciples, with no connections in the Inner Hall. Inviting some Outer Hall disciples to help was absolutely no problem.

As for Feng Xiao, his social circle wasn't as wide as Yang Yicheng’s, though he knew quite a few people and could likely recruit a few helpers.

Qian Ruxiu and Sun Ying nodded in agreement. They knew many female Outer Hall disciples from the sect.

Ye Qin harbored a hidden calculation.

Those Outer Hall female disciples would absolutely not stand by and watch Sun Ying be humiliated; they would most likely step in to help. Once those female disciples were willing to come forward, they would surely attract a host of male disciples eager to protect the fair ladies. When the Outer Hall contingent grew larger, what did it matter if the Inner Hall disciples were highly skilled? They would only end up getting beaten.

"Let’s set the time within the next ten days. During this period, we’ll pick a time when an Enforcement Disciple is out on assignment and have our confrontation with the Inner Hall disciples," Ye Qin finalized the matter.

Among the five fellow disciples, Ye Qin was the most decisive.

Yang Yicheng was bold and impulsive; though he had his own opinions, his actions were often rash and reckless, giving off an unstable impression. Feng Xiao tended to shrink back when faced with difficulty and often dared not make a decision. Although Qian Ruoxiu had some assertiveness, she was ultimately a woman, and her presence lacked a certain commanding aura. Sun Ying had a weak disposition and often needed others to lead.

Ye Qin was usually quiet, but his demeanor was steady and calm. Once he made a decision, the other four were mostly willing to follow. The fight with the Inner Hall disciples was thus decided. Ten days was ample time; they were not in a hurry to seek immediate revenge.

"Second Brother, let's spar a few rounds. Let me see how much your skills have improved and whether you can take a hit! Don't get beaten flat by those bastards from the Inner Hall," Yang Yicheng said, itching for a fight after not seeing Ye Qin for over half a year. He rubbed his iron-like fists enthusiastically.

"Senior Brother, you know my internal energy cultivation is purely auxiliary. It allows me to carry three to five hundred jin for tens of li without issue, but I couldn't withstand two blows from your iron fists. If you want to practice punching, you should find someone else. The training grounds of the Medicine Gathering Hall have plenty of opponents willing to spar with you," Ye Qin thought with a bitter smile, shaking his head faintly.

"Forget it, I knew you’d say that." Yang Yicheng was slightly disappointed, but his fists were already itching. He strode directly toward the Medicine Gathering Hall's training grounds.

"Senior Brother, how about I keep you company for a few rounds, hmm?!" Feng Xiao chuckled strangely and followed closely.

Qian Ruoxiu and Sun Ying did not lag behind. Since the revenge couldn't be enacted immediately anyway, they might as well go to the training grounds to vent some frustration.

Ye Qin paused, then slowly walked toward the training grounds.

He wasn't going to train, because the Zuo Wang Jing he was currently cultivating relied almost entirely on the medicinal power of the dew herbs for rapid advancement. Ordinary training methods had little effect on his cultivation technique.

He merely wanted to observe how much the four of them had progressed in their martial arts over the past six months.

Inside the training grounds, there were perhaps several dozen disciples practicing. Most were Outer Hall youths between fifteen and twenty years old, and their martial arts skills were mostly third-rate or even unranked.

These disciples were either practicing their forms individually or sparring in pairs to practice combat techniques. Swords flashed, fists and feet crisscrossed, and some were shouting loudly, making the atmosphere quite lively.

Ye Qin watched intently from the sidelines for a good while, his brow furrowed.

He noticed that the martial arts of the dozens of young disciples in the field seemed uniformly weak; their movements were slow and exceedingly stiff. He could instantly track the trajectory of their attacks, even discerning the subtle movements of every sword swing, punch, and kick—they moved as slowly as children just beginning martial arts training.

Yang Yicheng’s iron fist possessed considerable power; one punch could shatter five blue bricks stacked flat on the ground.

But in Ye Qin’s eyes, it seemed too slow; he suspected the attack would be dodged long before it could connect.

Feng Xiao’s Ti Yun Zong had reached the fourth layer, allowing him to leap nimbly about the training ground, so agile that few opponents could even touch him. Ye Qin had always envied Feng Xiao's lightness skill, but now he suddenly felt that Feng Xiao's hopping around was rather boring, like a slightly foolish rabbit. If Ye Qin had a pebble in his hand right then and flicked it... Feng Xiao would likely end up lying on the ground groaning, unable to jump.

Qian Ruoxiu was striking a wooden post, making it crackle loudly, but her Zhe Mei Shou (Plum Blossom Hand) was not as fast as he remembered. If she sparred with him now, he estimated he could easily catch her nimble hands, neutralizing any power in her technique.

Sun Ying’s swordsmanship also seemed to have regressed significantly; the sword blade even shook slightly. If she couldn't hold her sword steady, how could she strike anyone?

The entire training ground offered no satisfactory martial arts display; flaws and weaknesses were visible everywhere. What was happening? Had their skills deteriorated substantially, or had his own cultivation improved so much?

As Ye Qin was surprised, he fell into deep contemplation.

The power of the Zuo Wang Jing seemed far greater than he had imagined. He had spent half a year cultivating the first layer—a stage that normally required ten years—to completion, allowing him to easily look down upon the majority of his peers.

If he could master the second and third layers, he should be considered a rare master in the Jianghu (martial world). It was a pity, however, that he lacked enough Azure Rock to cultivate the little dew herbs and accelerate his progress.

Ye Qin felt a deep sense of regret.

Without the herbs, he could now only rely on basic daily meditation for cultivation, a process that was extremely slow. Without a decade or two of focused training, he feared he might never break through to the third layer of the Zuo Wang Jing.