Chapter 179: Complete Success, First Class of Graduates

"Qixia Town Spring Festival Gala... Hey, this is a good name, lively and festive." Tong Xiangyu praised.

Bai Zhantang was a little unhappy and adjusted his hair: "What do you think County Magistrate Lou was thinking? He let this little girl preside over the meeting. Don't we have a person like me who is elegant and steady in our town?"

"Tsk, I am now considered a celebrity in the martial arts world. For the sake of our town's image, I should be the one to make an appearance!"

Mo Xiaobei was not convinced, but continued.

"Okay, okay, Magistrate Lou has already made an initiative. Anyone who wants to appear in our town's party should sign up. This is a good opportunity, and everyone should not miss it."

When everyone in the inn heard that there was more to come, they immediately started discussing it enthusiastically.

Lu Xiucai: "I can perform poetry recitation, Zi once..."

Before he could finish his words, everyone ignored him.

Li Dazui: "I won't go. I can't do anything except being a cook."

Guo Furong: "Since Master Li came, there are no more fights in our town. I am itching to do anything. Is this time my Jingtao Palm finally going to come in handy? I will show you how to break a rock with one palm, Lao Bai, you play the rock..."

Bai Zhantang was speechless for a while.

There was discussion and jokes in the lobby, and the atmosphere was full of joy.

New Year's Eve soon arrived and a heavy snow fell, covering the Qixia Town with a layer of silver coat.

The long-awaited party in town finally kicked off that night.

Because it was New Year's Day, there were far fewer outsiders in the town than usual. Only some traveling merchants and warriors who did not have time to return home joined in the fun with the residents and merchants of Qixia Town.

People who have been busy throughout the year seem to relax on this day and enjoy the New Year atmosphere.

All the merchants in the town were on holiday, and even the martial arts school had a day off for the first time, and disciples flocked out.

The Spring Festival Gala of Qixia Town was held on the newly built high platform at the east end of the town. Even at night, the surroundings were still brightly lit and bustling with people. The bright lights reflected on the snow made the surroundings even brighter.

Li Ming and County Magistrate Lou sat in the attic not far away, warming their wine and chatting idly.

Looking down, there are bustling crowds everywhere.

Zhou Botong and Yang Guo were running around carefree, setting off firecrackers and jumping in the snow, like two children who had not grown up, having a lot of fun.

Even wearing thick clothes and a thick fur hat, it couldn't hide Yang Guo's superior appearance. Basically, wherever he went, he would attract the attention of many young girls and wives.

The martial arts school disciples took advantage of this rare holiday to wander around.

In the attic opposite, several wealthy men in Qixia Town were also getting in touch with each other and laughing from time to time. The amazing thing was that Sai Diaochan also brought Xiao Cui with her to mingle with them, and she seemed to be doing well in the group, getting along well with everyone.

After disguising themselves, Qiao Feng and Azhu also mixed into the crowd.

Qiao Feng first bought some snacks for Ah Zhu to eat while walking. Seeing that Ah Zhu was looking at the various firecrackers played by the children with envy, he simply bought Ah Zhu a few silver flower sticks. After Ah Zhu lit them, she jumped happily at the scene of stars falling from her hands onto the snow.

Qiao Feng looked at Azhu's smiling face illuminated by the silver flower stick and could not help but be stunned.

Even Yue Qing and Zhu Ting were sitting at a makeshift stall not far away. The two people who had always been at odds with each other were competing in drinking capacity, but it turned out that both of them had low alcohol tolerance and got drunk soon.

At this time, they were supporting each other's shoulders and chatting about irrelevant things.

This may be the most harmonious time they have had in a year.

Li Ming even saw Xiyu, who was wearing coarse linen clothes, in the crowd.

Her temperament was somewhat cold, and she was alone, which made her out of place in this lively atmosphere.

But soon after she appeared, several men came to show their courtesy.

It seems that Xiyu, a single young woman with good looks, is very popular in Qixia Town and already has many suitors.

Squeak—bang!

Someone set off a few large fireworks, which exploded in the air and turned into dazzling hydrangeas.

Many people looked up and admired the scene.

Whether it was Lin Pingzhi and Jiang Yuyan behind Li Ming, or the colorist and Lei Bin hiding in the darkness of the dense forest not far away, they all looked up from different angles, looking at this scene, with a hint of tenderness on their faces.

It seemed that time had slowed down on this night, and everyone let go of their worries to varying degrees, fully enjoying the beauty of the moment.

Soon, on the brightly lit platform, in full view of everyone, Mo Xiaobei walked up, wearing exaggerated festive makeup, and announced to everyone that the first Qixia Town Spring Festival Gala had officially begun.

Amid the cheers of the crowd, the selected programs were presented one after another.

First, there was a recitation program performed collectively by everyone at Tongfu Inn in Qixia Town. It ended in chaos with Li Dazui forgetting the words and everyone's good-natured laughter.

Then came the performances of the wealthy families in Qixia Town.

Manager Wei of Hanyuanzhai performed a painting performance on the spot, which drew cheers from the crowd.

Manager Qian's house sent people to perform magic tricks, which amazed everyone from time to time.

The rouge shop owner Liu sang a song for the first time, which made everyone stunned...

The show lasted until midnight, when it came to a noisy end.

The last performance was by the outstanding disciples of Qianming Martial Arts School, who practiced boxing, kicking and weapons together.

"Our Qixia Town has never been so lively."

Magistrate Lou put down the hot wine in his hand and sighed as he looked at the scene.

Today's lively scene seems to symbolize the prosperity of the past year, which is condensed and displayed at this moment.

It seemed as if the turbulent world of martial arts had completely distanced itself from everyone at this moment.

At the end of the event, Magistrate Lou personally took the stage to announce the success of the party and promised everyone that the town would only get better and better. In the future, this Spring Festival Gala would be retained as a feature of Qixia Town and held every year, attracting loud applause from the crowd.

The big guys kept making noise until the second half of the night before gradually dispersing.

But the lively sound of firecrackers rang throughout the night.

With the arrival of a new year, everyone is busy visiting each other's homes and wishing each other a happy new year.

The town was busy until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when it gradually returned to normal.

There is good news again from Qianming Martial Arts School. Several core disciples have once again broken through to the Innate Realm.

Now, apart from the four direct disciples, the martial arts school already has as many as ten innate warriors!
This group of forces alone is no weaker than many famous sects.

Among the new disciples, there was actually one who was a good seedling selected by the Vajra Gate before.

They already had some foundation. Although they were born in the Vajra Sect, Li Ming had received benefits from Gang Lu, so he was not too averse to them and trained them equally.

But he did not expect that this group of disciples were so competitive and fast. One of them even surpassed most of his core disciples and stepped into the innate realm first, which made Li Ming look at them with admiration.

It seems that the famous sects like the King Kong Sect have a keen eye for selecting talents, and they can indeed dig out a lot of talents. Mo Xiaobei and Yang Guo seem to play every day, but they have not put down their kung fu. Instead, they have recently learned a lot of experience in the Nine Yin Manual from Zhou Botong.

The two of them finally broke through to the late stage of the Innate Realm, and with the help of the Cold Jade Bed, they quickly reached the peak.

Mo Xiaobei was anxious. She tried to break through to the Grandmaster level in recent days, but failed as expected. She had no choice but to calm down and rebuild her foundation.

But after the New Year, a group of disciples at Qianming Martial Arts School finally entered a new stage.

The snow gradually melted, but a group of disciples had already gathered in the martial arts training ground which was still filled with coldness.

What is different from usual time is that this group of disciples have now changed out of their martial arts gym's silver-white uniforms and are now dressed in different casual clothes.

Many people still carry large and small bags with them.

The core disciples stood behind Li Ming, all with sad looks on their faces.

This group of disciples are all going to leave the martial arts school and return to the martial arts world.

They are all disciples from other academies who joined at different times.

The core disciples are more loyal, have better prospects, and are paid more generously, so no one will leave.

Li Ming's gaze swept across their faces one by one.

Among this batch of disciples who are about to leave the martial arts school, some paid money to join the school when it was first established. Although their talents are average, they have all reached the acquired realm.

There are also some who joined the martial arts school after it became famous. Their cultivation has improved greatly, and most of them have reached the acquired realm.

Their qualifications are not that good, and their goals are not that high. When they first joined the martial arts school, they hoped to learn some martial arts, improve their strength, and make a better living when they go out.

At this point, the goal has been achieved.

Now that they are strong in the martial arts world, they are much stronger than those at the same level and can also gain a foothold.

They did not set high goals and thought that they had average talent and no hope of rising to become core disciples. They were also surpassed by many latecomers, so they had no will to continue.

Although the atmosphere was a bit sad, everyone understood that this was a normal situation.

Their martial arts school is not a sect, and its main business is to do business. Except for the core disciples who are selected, most of them are allowed to enter and leave easily, and the purpose of many people is to learn martial arts.

Although the martial arts school is large in scale, it cannot continue to expand. In the future, there will be more and more disciples who will graduate and leave.

Li Ming walked forward and straightened the collar of one of the disciples.

"The owner..."

The disciple's eyes turned slightly red, but he quickly calmed down and said.

"Thank you, Master. I came here to learn martial arts with two hundred taels of silver that my family had saved for many years. It was you who gave me the opportunity and allowed me to be able to make it to where I am today in the martial arts world. Master, please don't blame me. I had small ambitions. At the time, I just wanted to learn a few sets of fists and kicks, and then go back to be a caravan guard to support my family."

The disciple scratched his head embarrassedly.

"What about now?" Li Ming asked.

The disciple straightened his chest and said, "Now, let alone the caravan guards, even the chief escort of our local escort agency is no match for me. The strength you have given me is enough for me to lead a caravan and make a fortune when I return!"

Everyone around laughed.

Their situation is the same. With the cultivation level of most people in the acquired realm, going to a small place basically reaches the ceiling of their combat power.

"Master, I plan to open a martial arts school when I return. Although we are just a few small towns and I can only teach them a few moves, I also want to give those young people the opportunity to learn martial arts."

One person said embarrassedly.

"I'm going back to be a bodyguard. Before I came here, I felt that our Gang Realm bodyguards were very powerful. But now...haha!"

"I won't go out. Several villages and towns near us are often invaded by horse bandits. That's why I want to learn martial arts. After I go back, I will get everyone to protect the village together and live a good life."

"I'm different. I've always wanted to be a knight-errant. In the future, I will travel around the Ming Dynasty, doing justice and spreading the reputation of our martial arts school..."

Many disciples talked about their future plans with their eyes full of anticipation.

But after talking for a long time, you finally looked at Li Ming with gratitude.

"Okay, you are the first batch of graduates of our martial arts school. Although you will leave the martial arts school in the future, I hope that you will learn more than just martial arts. Remember the original intention of learning martial arts, and don't weaken the reputation of our martial arts school when you go out to travel the world."

Everyone was cheered up upon hearing this and nodded.

Li Ming tilted his head, and Lin Pingzhi next to him stepped forward and distributed a batch of uniformly made tokens to everyone.

"This is a token made of special materials produced by our martial arts hall. When you meet in the martial arts world in the future, don't forget the friendship between fellow disciples. In addition, if you really encounter any difficulties, don't hide them. As long as you act upright and have no shame, you can show our name when you encounter difficulties in the martial arts world. The martial arts hall is your solid backing. But if you use the name of the martial arts hall to do evil things, no matter where you are, the martial arts hall's law enforcement hall can still take care of you. Remember that."

"Yes!"

The disciples were all very excited and nodded heavily.

After a period of time, these disciples left the martial arts school one after another and went their separate ways.

The vacancies left after their departure were immediately cleared and new disciples were recruited.

After seeing off the first batch of graduating disciples, Li Ming felt a little sad.

Thinking back to the days when I had just recruited disciples, the scale of the martial arts school was far smaller than it is now. Compared with now, it feels like a dream.

Li Ming also asked about the progress of the newly recruited disciples during this period.

The new training method has been put into practice very well, and now the fastest disciple is about to break through to the acquired realm, and they have all shown talent in different directions.

There were even several people that Lin Pingzhi took a fancy to and selected to become poison practitioners.

In short, there is a flourishing of martial arts schools now, with disciples of all kinds of styles.

"Ah."

Li Ming nodded with satisfaction.

After calculating the time, Li Ming also gave Lin Pingzhi instructions.

"It won't be long before we have to go to the appointment at the Deaf and Mute Valley. I'm sure Divine Doctor Xue will send someone soon. Go and make preparations, and don't forget anything."

"Yes!"

When he heard that they were going to the Deaf and Mute Valley, murderous intent flashed in Lin Pingzhi's eyes.

Master’s words have never failed. Since Master said that Yu Canghai will appear, I will definitely not let go of this opportunity!
As soon as Li Ming finished speaking, Yang Guo jumped over.

"Master, there's still me. You must take me with you this time no matter what! Last time you went to Juxian Manor, you took Senior Brother Lin and Junior Sister Jiang with you. This time, it should be my turn!"

Yang Guo pleaded with a look of resentment on his face.

(End of this chapter)