"Members of our Nanhe Province Martial Arts Association all feel the same way, but as the President of the Nanhe Province Martial Arts Association, I greatly admire Grandmaster Zhang, so I am personally willing to offer a family-inherited Ultimate Skill for Grandmaster Zhang to peruse."

"It's the same with us in Dongshan Province. I just called to ask around, and they all graciously declined. However, our association has a history of two hundred years, and there are some Ultimate Skills that have not been passed down. We are willing to offer them to Grandmaster Zhang."

"At our Hang City Association, only Elder Chen is willing to contribute an Ultimate Skill, and surely all of you are already aware of this matter. The other schools and families have all politely refused."

Then two or three more associations stood up to speak, most of whom were surprisingly the same ones that had shown their support for Zhang Beixing online back in the day. They clearly liked Zhang Beixing's temperament, so they gave him some support, albeit not much, but it was already enough to be grateful for—a rare gesture of goodwill.

As for the other dozen or so Martial Arts Associations, they all chose to remain silent, expressing their apologies without words.

Seeing this, the President of the Northern River Province Martial Arts Association sighed deeply. Knowing that further persuasion would be futile and that people should not be coerced, he thanked everyone and then stood up to leave.

In the following days, Liu Yi and his brother, Old Wu, Mr. Chen Hega, the President of the Northern River Province Martial Arts Association, and Elder Chen all bustled around, traveling to various cities. They spared no effort in seeking martial arts secret books for Zhang Beixing.

To achieve this, they really pulled out all the stops. Especially Liu Yi, who offered large sums of money, organized banquets to show respect, catered to people's preferences, and used both reason and emotion—he stopped just short of kneeling down to beg. But, despite all this, he gained nothing.

Elder Chen also used all his connections, but to little avail. Meanwhile, their actions naturally attracted the attention of the Great Xia Martial Arts community. After all, so many prominent figures in the circle, each of whom commanded respect, were going around seeking Martial Arts, all with the same purpose. It was hard for others not to notice.

So much so that now, when these martial artists met, they no longer asked about each other's recent Martial Arts Training, but instead:

"Hey, have Liu Yi and the others come looking for you?"

"They did. They wanted to buy my family's Martial Arts for a large sum of money, but I didn't sell. What about you?"

"I just pretended not to be home and went out to hide for a few days. I decided not to meet them to avoid the awkwardness."

"Someone treated me to a meal, and I still didn't give it to them. It's not that I'm ungracious, but how could ancestral Ultimate Skills possibly be given away? If you give away ancestral Ultimate Skills, are they even ancestral anymore? I'm still holding back one or two moves even when teaching my true disciples, let alone showing everything to someone else. No matter what, that's not something that can be shared with outsiders—the rules left by our ancestors can't be broken!"

"Exactly! They're just thinking too much. Seeing Zhang Beixing become a Grandmaster at twenty-one, they think he can become a Great Grandmaster. That's just not realistic, and I don't know what they're thinking!"

"Speaking of which, I heard that old scoundrel Yongxin has actually raised the price of their Shaolin kung fu because of this matter. It seems that old scoundrel Yongxin is planning a big scam!"

"That old scoundrel! It's bad enough not to share; he's also trying to swindle people—totally unethical!"

「Time passed quickly.」

As Liu Yi, Elder Chen, and the others continued their search, Thursday, August seventeenth, arrived in the blink of an eye. Only a few days remained until the end of summer break and the start of school.

「At Zhang Beixing's home.」

Today, Zhang Beixing's home was bustling—a feast was laid out because Elder Chen and the others had returned. Unlike when they departed full of confidence, their faces now showed fatigue and helplessness.

Zhang Beixing had been waiting outside since early morning and quickly came forward to greet them when they arrived. After ushering everyone into the house to sit down and rest, Liu Yi said, his face full of frustration, "Ah, Beixing, Your master is incompetent. These seven days have passed, and I haven't managed to get you even a single martial arts secret book! I blame myself for having fought too many people back in the day, offending everyone, and being in retirement for so many years that nobody is willing to help!"

Elder Chen sighed. "It's difficult, very difficult. I've practically talked my mouth dry and still couldn't persuade anyone. *Sigh!* In the end, I had to spend a fortune to buy one, but it's of little use."

President Liang lit a cigarette. "Same goes for the association; no one was willing to make a move. However, I did manage to obtain a few lost Ultimate Skills. They aren't much use, but it's better than nothing. Sorry, Vice President."

Wu Yougui spread his hands. "I was even forced into a fight with someone! But that didn't work out either. It's one thing for these bastards not to give anything to Old Liu, but how could they refuse to give me face?"

Liu Pan sighed. "I tried pulling some strings in Yanjing, but it was no use. None of them cared about my connections; they all have their own backers and wouldn't give any face."

Mr. Chen Hega, his face red and neck veins bulging with anger, exclaimed, "They outright refused to meet with me!"

They each spoke of what they had managed to obtain. And the only thing obtained this time... was absolutely nothing!

At this, Zhang Beixing felt helpless but also couldn't help but wonder aloud, "This matter is so difficult! How on earth did those Great Grandmasters of ancient times actually manage to train to their level?"

Goodness, they couldn't even accomplish the first step of 'Master of All,' let alone the later task of creating their own Ultimate Skills. How on earth did those few renowned Great Grandmasters like Zhang Sanfeng manage to do it?!

To this, Elder Chen offered an explanation: "Heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony! To become a Great Grandmaster, these three are indispensable!"

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