A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

The inner city, the Wei family mansion.

The atmosphere inside the mourning hall was extremely solemn.

A still-attractive woman was holding Wei Rong's cold body, crying her heart out, almost fainting.

Beside her stood a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes.

The man had gray hair, but he was tall and imposing, with a dignified face and an aura of authority that suggested he had long held a high position.

This man was none other than Wei Tianhe, the head of the Wei family.

The fourth stage of body tempering, a powerful being at the marrow cleansing realm.

Wei Tianhe stared at his son's corpse on the ground without saying a word, but the chill emanating from him made the temperature in the entire hall drop several degrees.

Although Wei Rong lacked talent in martial arts, he was meticulous and shrewd, and played a pivotal role in the Merchant Alliance.

Now, however, he has become a corpse.

This is not only the pain of losing a son, but also a heavy blow to the future plans of the Wei family.

Just then, an old man with a hooked nose, dressed in black, led several martial artists into the main hall.

The old man approached Wei Tianhe, his face showing difficulty. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.

"Reporting to the patriarch, the county government's message is... Last night, bandits secretly infiltrated the inner city, murdered Young Master Rong, and fled in fear of punishment, only to be captured by the patrol battalion. So..."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tianhe's dignified face instantly twisted in pain.

His aura suddenly changed, and a terrifying aura belonging to a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert erupted, sweeping through the entire mourning hall like a tangible gale.

The white banners hanging in the mourning hall fluttered and rattled even without wind, and the candles on the table flickered violently, almost going out.

The hook-nosed old man Wei Hong and several martial artists all groaned under this oppressive force, feeling as if their chests had been struck by a giant hammer, making it difficult to breathe.

Wei Tianhe clenched his fists, his face ashen. The county government's explanation sounded like the greatest mockery to him.

Mountain bandits?

He sneered inwardly. He knew perfectly well who Rong'er had met and what she had done on behalf of the Merchant Alliance last night!

That was to discuss with Zhao Shanshui of Black Wind Mountain how to join forces against the patrol battalion!

Therefore, the murderer could not possibly be a bandit.

So, who is the murderer? Who has the motive, the ability, and the ability to cover everything up afterwards?

A name exploded in his mind—Liu Wenju!

A few days ago, the patrol battalion's attempt to suppress bandits ended in failure, and Liu Wenju was bound to take his anger out on the merchant alliance.

What a brilliant move to kill two birds with one stone! What a clever tactic to use someone else to do the dirty work!

He killed his most valued son to retaliate and vent his anger, then wiped out the entire Black Wind Mountain and framed the culprits—killing two birds with one stone!

Once he understood this, an overwhelming hatred nearly overwhelmed Wei Tianhe's reason.

"Liu Wenju..." he spat out the three words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse and venomous, "I will never forgive you!"

Upon hearing this, the hook-nosed old man Wei Hong lowered his head even further in fright. He knew that the patriarch had already figured out the key to the matter, and this deduction was reasonable and almost the only truth.

But he was even more afraid that the head of the family would be blinded by hatred.

"Patriarch, please reconsider!" Wei Hong urged, mustering his courage. "Liu Wenju is powerful, and our Merchant Alliance is not confident of victory. If we act now, I'm afraid..."

"Think it over?" Wei Tianhe interrupted him, the terrifying aura slowly receding, replaced by a heart-palpitating calm.

He slowly turned his head, a grim smile spreading across his lips. "My son cannot have died in vain. The price... Liu Wenju must pay."

He paused, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

"I remember, he had a daughter, right?"

......

Zhou's residence in Wuni Lane.

Zhou was eating his breakfast at a leisurely pace: a large bowl of meat porridge and five meat buns.

Since receiving that windfall, Zhou Ting, the older sister, has finally become more willing to spend money, and her meals have visibly improved.

This was something we wouldn't have dared to even imagine before.

Seeing the smile gradually returning to his sister's face, Zhou Yuan felt at ease.

"Sis, I'm going to the martial arts gym."

"Be careful on the road."

Zhou Yuan said goodbye to his sister and went out the door.

Now that he has entered the Bone Forging Realm, according to the rules of the martial arts school, he can become a core disciple. He will not only receive preferential treatment in terms of resources, but will also receive personal guidance from the school master, Zhu Xiaowen.

This is another step in his journey to becoming stronger.

As he walked along the road, passing by the market, he noticed a large group of people gathered around the notice wall, discussing the matter.

Zhou Yuan moved closer and saw that the notice was written in large cinnabar characters: Yesterday, the patrol battalion captured several bandits from Black Wind Mountain outside the city. They will be escorted to the execution ground soon to be publicly executed as a warning to others.

"Good riddance! These bandits should have been killed long ago!"

"That's right, my neighbor's second son had his arm chopped off by bandits while they were robbing him!"

The people deeply resented the mountain bandits and were all delighted.

Just then, a low voice rang out from the crowd.

"Have you heard? Besides capturing the bandits, there was another big event last night."

"Wei Rong, the eldest son of the Wei family, and his lackey named Gao Sheng, are both dead in the alley; their heads have been chopped off!"

"Wow! Really? Who's so bold?"

Another voice chimed in, tinged with speculation.

"Don't you think the timing of Young Master Wei's death is a bit too coincidental? Could it be... that the Wei family has some shady dealings with the bandits?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you crazy?!"

The man immediately interrupted him, "If the Wei family hears you say that, your whole family will be thrown into the moat!"

The crowd quieted down considerably in an instant.

After listening for a while, Zhou Yuan turned and left without making a sound, heading towards the Qingyang Martial Arts School.

There are undercurrents in Luochuan County now. Although the probability of suspecting him is extremely small, we must not relax our vigilance in the slightest.

The only thing we can do is continue to improve our strength.

Only by becoming strong can one survive in this chaotic world.

Qingyang Martial Arts School.

The training ground was packed with people, and dozens of disciples were practicing the Six Harmonies Stance Technique with great effort, sweating profusely.

The owner of the museum, Zhu Xiaowen, was reclining in a grand chair, resting with his eyes closed.

Beside him sat a gentle-looking young man, Shen He, the senior disciple of the martial arts school.

Shen Hegang had just returned from Black Wind Mountain and was telling Zhu Xiaowen about the strange and wonderful things he had encountered in the mountains. As a ghostwriter for the county government, his experience was far richer than that of these martial arts school disciples.

Zhou Yuan entered the training ground.

Shen He spotted him immediately, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

"Junior Brother Zhou is here."

He took the initiative to greet me, "Have you encountered any difficulties in your cultivation?"

Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in a salute and was about to speak.

"Thank you for your concern, senior brother, I..."

He was preparing to announce that he had broken through to the Bone Forging Realm.

But before he could finish speaking, something unexpected happened!

On that armchair, Zhu Xiaowen, who had been dozing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze sharp and intense!

He jumped up from the chair as if he'd been pricked by a needle.

He took a few steps to Zhou Yuan, staring intently at him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

The next moment, Zhu Xiaowen said excitedly.

"Good lad!"

"You...you've actually reached the Bone Forging Realm!"

This sound, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly resounded throughout the entire training ground!

All the disciples who were cultivating in the arena stopped in their tracks, and hundreds of gazes suddenly focused on Zhou Yuan.

Shock!

stunned!

Unbelievable!

Zhou Yuan? That Zhou Yuan, who had mediocre talent and barely managed to enter the Skin Refining Realm by relying on brute force?

How could he possibly have reached the Bone Forging Realm!

"Did I hear that right? The sect leader said Zhou Yuan has broken through to the Bone Forging stage?"

"What a joke! How long has he been a skin refiner? That's impossible!"

"Could it be... that hard work really works? Even if you don't have the natural talent, you can still break through?"

The disciples were in an uproar, their worldviews shaken.

In their view, Zhou Yuan was incredibly lucky to have reached the Skin Refining Realm, and that should have been his final goal.

But now, reality has given them a resounding slap in the face!

Shen He, who had been all smiles, now showed a shocked expression. However, after the shock subsided, a strange look appeared on Shen He's face.

In the corner, Jiang Qian and Han Ming also heard the commotion. They exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock on each other's faces.

Bone Forging Realm!

In Luochuan County, he was already considered a formidable figure, a core force that all the major families were willing to pay a price to win over!

This guy, whom they had always considered mediocre, had somehow managed to get to this point without anyone noticing.

Thoughts raced through their minds, and when they looked at Zhou Yuan again, their previous disdain was gone.

"Let's go take a look."

Han Ming murmured something and walked towards Zhou Yuan's direction with Jiang Qian.

Meanwhile, Wang Tengfei, who was engrossed in his training, paused upon hearing the announcement.

He suddenly looked up at Zhou Yuan, who was surrounded by the crowd, and was stunned for a moment before letting out a disdainful snort.

"It's just stepping into the Bone Forging Realm, what's there to make a fuss about?"

He said this, but inwardly he felt an indescribable irritation.

......