A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Zhou Yuan followed Zhao Erbao's gaze.

Below the Wangjiang Tower, on a bustling street, a man and a woman were walking side by side.

The woman was beautiful and slender, dressed in an elegant light blue dress; she was none other than Song Fang.

In a place like the muddy alley, in terms of looks alone, she was indeed second only to her older sister, Zhou Ting.

The man beside her, dressed in white, tall and handsome, was Zhang Hao, a core disciple of the Black Tiger Martial Arts School.

The two were a handsome couple, their intimate gestures making them appear like a perfect pair from afar.

The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became somewhat strange.

Li Hu and Zhao Erbao certainly knew about Song Fang's annulment of the engagement; the mud alley was so small that the news had already spread far and wide.

"Ahem!" Zhao Erbao coughed lightly, cautiously observing Zhou Yuan's reaction. "Yuanzi, stop looking. What's so interesting about a woman who's materialistic and snobbish?"

"that is!"

Li Hu also spoke in a gruff voice, pulling the curtains by the window shut to block out the view.

"That kind of woman doesn't deserve my brother! By the time you're rich, Yuanzi, she'll be begging you for money, but it'll be too late! Come on, let's drink!"

Li Hu picked up his wine glass, trying to defuse the awkward situation by drinking.

However, when the two secretly glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes, they found that Zhou Yuan's expression was calm and he did not seem to be provoked at all.

He simply picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and ate it slowly and deliberately, as if the couple outside the window were just two unrelated passersby.

Zhou Yuan really didn't feel anything.

If he hadn't seen her today, he would have almost forgotten about Song Fang.

After all, his soul has already been replaced by another person.

He couldn't empathize with the original owner's hazy, youthful feelings, let alone feel any jealousy or resentment.

His nonchalant demeanor, however, appeared to Li Hu and Zhao Erbao as a forced smile and a stubborn insistence on saving face.

When their brothers were publicly humiliated, they spoke up for Zhou Yuan, but deep down, they all had the same thought: Song Fang made the right move.

Zhang Hao is a martial artist at the Bone Forging Realm, a core disciple of the martial arts school, and his future is limitless.

With Song Fang hooking up with Zhang Hao, she will most likely move into the inner city, become a person of high status, and completely escape the filthy alley.

Even watching Zhou Yuan "suffer a setback," they felt a faint, indescribable sense of schadenfreude rising within them.

The brothers who used to carry heavy loads together are now high-ranking martial artists. This sense of imbalance makes them feel very uncomfortable.

Seeing that Zhou Yuan also has his share of setbacks, that sense of imbalance seems to have been quietly soothed.

……

Ruyi Building downstairs.

Zhang Hao and Song Fang strolled along, enjoying the envious glances from passersby.

"Fang'er, did that Zhou boy bother you after you broke off the engagement?" Zhang Hao asked casually.

"No," Song Fang gently shook her head. "He didn't bother me."

Zhang Hao nodded in satisfaction: "He knows what's good for him."

Song Fang hesitated for a moment before speaking, "However... I heard that he also joined the martial arts school and recently broke through to the Skin Refining Realm."

"Skin Refining Realm?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao let out a sneer, his face full of disdain.

"It took three and a half months to barely pass the initial stage. With that kind of talent, you're only fit to loaf around in the outer courtyard of the martial arts school. Your mere skin-refining skills are nothing more than being a little stronger than an average strongman."

His words were full of arrogant condescension.

As Song Fang listened, her eyes shone with admiration, and her smile grew even sweeter.

"Brother Hao, you...you don't mind that I was once engaged to him, do you?"

"mind?"

Zhang Hao laughed loudly and reached out to put his arm around Song Fang's slender waist.

"He's just a penniless nobody, how could he be worthy of my Fang'er? I'm currently preparing to change my affiliation, and with the increase in my monthly salary, I'll buy you a house in the inner city. You can move in there then."

Inner city!

Song Fang's heart skipped a beat.

She worked as an embroiderer at the Feiyun Embroidery Pavilion in the inner city, so she naturally knew about the prosperity and prestige of the inner city.

But in the inner city, every inch of land is incredibly valuable; an ordinary person could struggle their entire life and still not afford a small house.

Now, Zhang Hao has actually promised to settle her down in the inner city.

This means that she will completely escape the quagmire of the outer city and become a true superior person.

The overwhelming surprise made her so happy she almost fainted. She nestled in Zhang Hao's arms, filled with boundless anticipation for the future.

……

at the same time.

Inner city, Chen family's blacksmith shop.

In the study in the back room, a burly, dignified middle-aged man was frowning as he flipped through a stack of documents in his hands.

He is Chen Chongfeng, the current de facto head of the Chen family and Chen Shaoshang's father.

Recently, undercurrents have been surging in Luochuan County. The bandits of Black Wind Mountain have become increasingly rampant, and the power struggle between the county magistrate and the merchant alliance has intensified.

Chen Chongfeng sensed an impending storm and planned to recruit another group of martial artists as a precaution.

He stopped moving when he turned to one of the pages.

"Zhou Yuan, an outer disciple of Qingyang Martial Arts School, broke through to the Skin Refining Realm in three and a half months."

Chen Chongfeng's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Who recommended this person?" he asked the steward beside him in a deep voice. "Three and a half months to break through to the Skin Refining stage, and they dare to send this kind of trash to my Chen family? If word gets out, won't people laugh their heads off!"

The old steward bowed, looking troubled: "Master, this is... someone recommended by the young master."

"Shaoshang?"

Chen Chongfeng's face darkened, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

"Go, bring him to me!"

Soon, Chen Shaoshang walked in, fanning himself with a folding fan and looking relaxed.

"Father, what brings you here?"

Chen Chongfeng slammed the document on the table and demanded sharply, "This is the talent you recommended? A mediocre skin-refining martial artist, a piece of trash who took three and a half months to break through! Is my Chen family a shelter? Do we take any Tom, Dick, or Harry?"

Chen Shaoshang's smile faded. He picked up the documents, glanced at them, and then said seriously, "Father, although Junior Brother Zhou started late, his willpower is far superior to those so-called geniuses. In the path of martial arts, there are many who accumulate knowledge and experience before unleashing their potential. I believe he will achieve great things in the future!"

"You believe it? What good is it if you believe it!"

Chen Chongfeng flew into a rage, pointing his finger at Chen Shaoshang and yelling, "I told you long ago, stay away from those shady characters from the outer city! Spend more time befriending the scions of powerful families and the descendants of wealthy clans; that's what will benefit our Chen family's business! What future do you have hanging out with these peasants all day?!"

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, grabbed Zhou Yuan's file, and threw it into the corner.

"I've already secured this affiliation spot."

Chen Chongfeng's anger subsided slightly, and he coldly gave instructions to the old steward.

"Give it to Zhang Hao of the Black Tiger Martial Arts School. He's so young and already at the Bone Forging Realm; he's the kind of talent our Chen family should invest in."

After saying that, he didn't even glance at Chen Shaoshang, and turned and left.

"Father!"

Chen Shaoshang was both angry and anxious, and wanted to go forward and argue.

"Young Master, let it go."

The old steward quickly pulled him back and whispered words of advice.

"The patriarch has been under a lot of pressure lately. The county magistrate wants our Chen family to make a statement, and the Merchant Alliance is pressing us harder. He's doing this for the sake of the family, so please be understanding."

Chen Shaoshang stood there, his chest heaving violently.

He knew his father was right; from the perspective of family interests, choosing Zhang Hao was undoubtedly a safer and more profitable investment.

But he just wouldn't accept it.

After a long while, he sighed helplessly, bent down, and picked up the crumpled paper.

He slowly unfolded it, looked at the two characters "Zhou Yuan" on it, and fell silent.

......