A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Chapter 153 Breakthrough! Second Level of Blood Transformation!

Luochuan City.

Half a month has passed since the martial arts competition at the martial arts school.

The rebellion was doomed the moment Shen Xuantong appeared, but what truly chilled the hearts of everyone in Luochuan City was not the rebellion itself, but the purge that followed.

The Business Alliance, a behemoth that had dominated Luochuan for decades, collapsed in just half a month.

Wang Moheng barely survived thanks to his defection on the day of the martial arts competition, but the Wang family's century-old foundation had been completely confiscated, and the whereabouts of Wang Xuanzhao and Wang Xuangan, the most powerful members of the clan, were unknown.

Wang Moheng himself had his cultivation stripped away and now lived in a dilapidated courtyard in the outer city, no different from a cripple.

The Wu and Wei families fared even worse.

Their family property was confiscated, and almost all the clan elders and affiliated martial artists were accused of various crimes and imprisoned.

Three days ago, the patrol inspectorate and the patrol battalion jointly carried out the execution, beheading the victim in public at the outer city's vegetable market.

That day, blood flowed down half the street.

Those wielding the butcher's knife were none other than former members of the Business Alliance: Han Tianming, the head of the Han family, and Jiang Chengxian, the head of the Jiang family.

The two men personally served as executioners, one handing out the execution warrant and the other verifying the head; their cooperation was seamless.

From being an ironclad ally of the Merchant Alliance to now standing on the opposite side of the Merchant Alliance, these two family heads have spared no effort in suppressing the old forces, working harder than anyone else.

Those watching felt a chill run down their spines.

But these two knew better than anyone else that they had no choice.

That day in the prison, Dong Mo severed Wei Tianhe's arm in front of them with a single stroke. The bloodstains on that black longsword are still etched in their memories.

If you don't work hard, you'll be the next one lying on the execution platform.

Thus, the five major family business alliances that had dominated Luochuan City for decades came to an end.

When the word "business alliance" is mentioned on the streets, no one dares to respond.

The backyard of the county government office.

County Magistrate Liu Wenju, accompanied by Chief Inspector Xie Hongwu and Patrol Battalion Commander Xue Wantong, pushed open the gate of an inconspicuous courtyard.

The three were extremely familiar with this place.

Inside the courtyard is a pond where several koi carp swim leisurely. Beside the pond is a pavilion with a chessboard on a stone table.

Shen Xuantong sat upright on a stone bench, holding a black piece, playing chess against the woman in white opposite him.

The woman in white was none other than Bai Su, the elder of Medicine King Valley.

Dong Mo stood silently to one side, holding his long sword.

Liu Wenju stopped in front of the pavilion steps, clasped his hands and bowed.

"Your subordinate Liu Wenju greets Commander Shen."

Shen Xuantong's gaze remained fixed on the chessboard, and he did not raise his head.

"Lord Liu, you've worked hard. How's your injury going?"

"I have fully recovered since taking Elder Bai's medicinal soup."

Liu Wenju's answer was proper, respectful and appropriate.

On the day of the martial arts competition at the martial arts school, the Yin-Yang dual arrows shot by the Duan brothers almost blew him to pieces.

Although Dong Mo saved him in time, the aftershocks of the towering explosion still caused him to bleed from all seven orifices.

For the next ten days, he remained bedridden, even entrusting the daily affairs of the county government to his clerk.

Shen Xuantong placed a black piece on the chessboard, making a crisp sound.

"Now that the rebellion in Luochuan has just been quelled, it is a time when everything needs to be rebuilt."

He looked up at Liu Wenju below the steps.

"You, magistrate, cannot be separated from me for even a moment."

"You jest, Commander."

Liu Wenju gave a wry smile, bowed, and said, "I, Liu Wenju, have governed Luochuan for decades and have fought against that merchant alliance for decades."

But as soon as the Commander arrived, the merchant alliance crumbled. This truly makes me ashamed.

Shen Xuantong neither agreed nor disagreed, only offering a faint smile.

"I'm afraid Magistrate Liu didn't come here today just to say these polite words."

Liu Wenju's smile froze.

He paused for a moment, then took out a document from his pocket, placed it on the stone table in front of Shen Xuantong, and stepped back to the steps.

"As expected of Commander Shen, nothing can be hidden from you."

Liu Wenju cleared his throat and lowered his voice.

"The battle at Xuanhuang Pass is at its most intense, and the supply of provisions is extremely tight. I have been ordered to escort a batch of military provisions to the front lines."

He paused, then added a sentence.

"However, I am completely ignorant of martial arts and am worried about the possibility of accidents on the way. Therefore, I would like to ask the Jingye Division for their assistance in escorting me."

Shen Xuantong opened the envelope, took out the letter, and scanned it.

"I'm afraid it's more than that."

Liu Wenju's body stiffened slightly.

"What the commander says is correct."

He clasped his hands in a fist salute again before revealing his true purpose.

"It is said that a martial artist at the Dragon Transformation Realm has appeared outside Xuanhuang Pass, posing a great threat to the pass's defenses. The commander of the Qingzhou Army requests—please, Commander, go to provide support."

Dragon Transformation Realm.

The moment those three words were uttered, the atmosphere in the pavilion froze.

Xie Hongwu and Xue Wantong exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

The appearance of Dragon Transformation Realm warriors on the battlefield signifies that the intensity of the war has escalated to a new level.

Shen Xuantong remained unmoved.

He folded the letter, put it back on the table, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"A martial artist at the Dragon Transformation Realm has appeared—this is really getting lively."

He remained silent for a moment, his tone still flat.

"Very well. In that case, Dong Mo and I will set off."

"Thank you, Commander!"

Liu Wenju was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him with clasped hands.

"Then this humble official will go and make preparations immediately."

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Shen Xuantong pick up the chess pieces again and return his gaze to the chessboard, so he wisely shut up and led Xie Hongwu and Xue Wantong out.

The sound of the three people's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Bai Su held a white chess piece, hesitating to place it.

"It seems that the matter in Luochuan City is not yet over."

"period?"

Shen Xuantong placed his black piece in a corner of the board, unhurriedly.

"We, the people of the Jingye Division, have no end in sight. As long as this Great Zhou is not peaceful for a single day, we, the people of the Jingye Division, will not dare to relax for a single day."

He stared at the black and white pieces on the chessboard, his eyes growing darker.

"Sixty years ago, that original divine power was stolen from my hands. After sixty years, I will personally retrieve it."

Original species of supernatural powers.

Bai Su paused in her chess game. She glanced instinctively in the direction Liu Wenju had left, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

But after seeing Shen Xuantong's silent and unfathomable profile, she did not continue asking.

"After you and Dong Mo leave, Luochuan County will have to rely on Zhou Yuan."

Dong Mo, who had been silent all along, spoke up at the opportune moment.

"It all depends on him alone."

Shen Xuantong's response was brief and firm.

"Won't there be any risks? After all, his cultivation level..."

"Where are we, the men of the Night Watch, not in danger?"

Shen Xuantong interrupted him directly.

"He has already received many rewards; whether he can accept them is up to him."

He pressed the last black piece heavily onto the board.

"If he doesn't do a good job and lacks the ability, even if he dies, that's his fate. My Jingye Division is not a charity; we don't support idlers."

Dong Mo did not speak again.

Because it is not necessary.

That's how he himself got through it. Life-or-death crises have always been commonplace for the Jingye Division.

Bai Su quietly placed the white piece back into the chess box, letting out a soft sigh.

Even greater turmoil is about to erupt again.

Above the sky, dark clouds, as black as ink, slowly gathered.

A thunderclap exploded.

Large raindrops pounded down, hitting the surface of the pond and creating ripples.

The koi was startled and sank to the bottom of the water.

Deep inside the prison.

Five racks stood side by side.

The five martial artists at the Blood Exchange Realm on the shelf had all their blood and energy drained away, their skin clinging to their bones, shriveled beyond recognition.

Their chests were still rising and falling slightly.

He was alive, but only had one breath left.

This last breath was also to deliver the last trace of residual blood and energy to the blood pool beneath his feet.

The blood pool was now only a few inches deep.

Half a month ago, this place was a pool of crimson blood up to waist-deep, where the immense blood and qi accumulated over decades by five Blood Exchange Realm warriors had all converged.

Now, this vital energy is fading away at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The blood transformed into countless fine, hair-like threads, rushing eagerly into the body of the cross-legged figure in the center of the blood pool.

Zhou Yuan.

He was shirtless, his back ramrod straight. The muscle definition was more pronounced than it had been half a month ago, and a faint dark red glow flowed beneath his skin.

The last thread of blood seeped into his pores.

The Crimson Blood Melting Array on the ground flashed suddenly.

A blinding red light shot out from the array patterns, illuminating the entire dark dungeon.

Immediately afterwards, the blood pool dried up.

All the blood disappeared.

In that very instant of disappearance.

Zhou Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

An incomparably powerful aura suddenly exploded from his body, sweeping wildly in all directions like a burst dam.

This energy far surpasses that of the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic).

It far surpasses the marrow cleansing method.

It was even several times stronger than any Blood Exchange Realm expert he had sensed during the Battle of Yanling Fort.

The energy struck the hard bluestone walls around them, causing the walls to shatter and cracks to spread outwards like a spider web.

Pebbles fell in a rustling sound.

The five racks collapsed simultaneously with a loud crash.

Zhou Yuan slowly stood up.

He casually shook hands.

As the fist passed, the air in front of him emitted a sharp tearing sound.

An unprecedented sense of power filled every bone, every meridian, and every muscle in his body.

This feeling is completely different from when I broke through to the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Realm).

The Yi Jin Jing (易筋境) is the awakening of power.

And at this moment, it is a transformation of bloodline.

Zhou Yuan looked down at his hands.

Beneath the skin of my palm, the blood was flowing several times faster than before, with a faint burning sensation.

At this point, his cultivation level was neither marrow cleansing nor blood exchange.

Instead...

Blood transfusion level two!

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