A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Zhou Yuan stared at the two cold corpses on the ground, feeling little emotion, and simply stood there quietly.

His thoughts were somewhat wandering.

From killing Goldman Sachs to just killing Liu Zhi, the fourth leader of Black Wind Mountain, he won far too easily.

Although he had only just broken through to the Bone Forging Realm, his actual combat strength seemed to far surpass that of others of the same level.

A thought flashed through Zhou Yuan's mind: perhaps it was his proficiency panel that made his foundation so solid.

Zhou Yuan snapped out of his thoughts and stopped thinking about it.

He crouched down and began searching through the two corpses.

Soon, he found the brocade box that had just been used to bribe Zhao Dacheng in Liu Zhi's arms.

Upon opening it, four bright green fruits lay quietly inside, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

Lingxi fruit.

Judging from Zhao Dacheng's enthusiastic reaction, this thing must be a treasure that can accelerate cultivation speed.

Zhou Yuan carefully put it away.

He continued to grope around and pulled out an antique-style brass key from Liu Zhi's inner pocket.

I don't know which box it was from.

Zhou Yuan didn't think much of it and put it all into his pocket.

Then he began searching the headless middle-aged man in the long robe.

The next moment, Zhou Yuan paused.

A thick stack of banknotes.

He quickly counted the amount and found it to be nearly a thousand taels.

This middle-aged man must be the one responsible for disposing of stolen goods for Black Wind Mountain, and he has been in charge of a large amount of cash for many years.

What a surprise.

With this money, my sister's prescription and the resources I need for my subsequent cultivation are secured.

Zhou Yuan carefully inspected the body again, and after confirming that there were no other valuable items, he carried the two corpses, one in each hand, on his shoulders.

After entering the Bone Forging Realm, his strength became astonishing, and he carried two adult men effortlessly.

He carried the body and walked several more miles into the depths of the dense forest.

Finally, he stopped in front of a familiar mountain hollow where wolves often roamed.

He casually tossed the two corpses inside, then slipped behind a large tree and waited quietly.

Before long, the strong smell of blood attracted a large group of eerie green eyes.

With a sickening tearing sound, the two corpses were quickly devoured.

A moment later, Zhou Yuan shifted his gaze from the mess, his eyes growing colder.

Although Liu Zhi is dead, Zhao Dacheng is still alive.

Zhou Yuan's thoughts could not be resolved without killing this person.

If it weren't for his improved strength and alertness tonight, Zhou Yuan himself would be lying here being devoured right now.

Thinking of this, a chilling killing intent almost burst forth from his body.

But he immediately took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed his surging killing intent.

Zhao Dacheng was, after all, a government inspector. If he made a mistake in the inner city where there were many people and eyes, the consequences would be endless.

If we're going to take action, it must be a swift and decisive strike, leaving him no chance to escape or cry for help.

"Five days later...a deserted temple outside the city."

Zhou Yuan muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

That place was originally where Zhao Dacheng traded with the bandits; now, it could become his final resting place.

With the plan settled, Zhou Yuan didn't glance at the broken bones on the ground again. He turned and strode away, his figure quickly disappearing into the night as he returned to Luochuan City.

……

The next morning.

After drinking three large bowls of mutton soup cooked by his sister Zhou Ting, Zhou Yuan felt full of energy.

He gave a few brief instructions and then headed to Qingyang Martial Arts School.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the martial arts school.

On the training ground, it seems that another batch of people have been eliminated. Many familiar faces have disappeared, replaced by some younger and more inexperienced newcomers.

Unlike before, the instructors for these newcomers are no longer the headmaster Zhu Xiaowen, but the senior disciple Shen He.

Although Shen He had a fierce appearance, he spoke very gently and was patiently correcting a newcomer's stance.

Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze, found an open space in the corner, and set up the Six Harmonies Stance.

He calmed his mind and guided his abundant internal energy to slowly cleanse and nourish the major tendons throughout his body, following the path of the cultivation technique.

After bone forging comes tendon strengthening.

Once you enter the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Realm), your meridians will expand and pulsate like a bowstring, your body will become supple and coordinated, and your speed and agility will experience a qualitative leap.

Two hours later, Zhou Yuan slowly finished his practice and exhaled a long breath.

A virtual panel unfolded before me.

[Realm: Body Tempering Stage Two - Bone Forging]

[Exercise: Six Harmonies Stance Exercise (Mastered)]

[Progress: 100/1000]

[Martial Arts Skill: Mountain-Shaking Fist (Third Level)]

[Progress: 120/1000]

[Martial Skill: Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace (Level 1)]

[Progress: 220/300]

Martial Arts Skill: Bone-Melting Palm (First Level)

[Progress: 230/300]

The progress in stance training and fist techniques is slowly increasing, but the progress in "Treading Snow Without a Trace" and "Bone-Melting Palm" remains the same as before because they dare not practice in public.

Just then, a familiar voice rang in my ears.

"Junior Brother Zhou!"

Zhou Yuan turned around and saw Chen Shaoshang walking towards him with a smile.

However, compared to before, this fifth senior brother's face showed less carefree attitude and more undisguised fatigue.

Zhou Yuan thought of the newly opened Wang's weapon forging shop in the inner city, and realized that the Chen family's business must have been hit hard recently.

"Congratulations, Brother Zhou Yuan, on reaching the Bone Forging Realm! I knew you were no ordinary person!"

Chen Shaoshang stepped forward and said sincerely.

"It was just luck."

Zhou Yuan smiled calmly.

Seeing Chen Shaoshang's slightly tired expression, Zhou Yuan was about to ask about his recent situation when a steady voice came from not far away, interrupting their conversation.

"Junior Brother Zhou, Junior Brother Chen."

The person who arrived was none other than the eldest disciple, Shen He. He walked over quickly, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Master has summoned us core disciples to the backyard for a meeting."

"A meeting?" Zhou Yuan was taken aback, as he knew very little about the affairs of the martial arts school.

"It's about the martial arts tournament at the martial arts school."

Chen Shaoshang, standing to the side, lowered his voice to explain,

"This is a grand event held every three years in Luochuan County, presided over by the government. Each martial arts school sends its core disciples to participate, as it is related to the school's ranking and reputation."

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly as he realized the importance of this matter.

Shen He sighed at this moment: "Unfortunately, our Qingyang Martial Arts School can only rank in the middle every time."

"Why is that?" Zhou Yuan asked, puzzled.

Chen Shaoshang smiled bitterly, "Because other martial arts schools already have experts who have reached the Yi Jin realm as their core disciples, while we... sigh, if our third senior brother were still here, with his talent, how could we not bring glory to our martial arts school?"

Mentioning the third senior brother whom he had never met, even the usually composed eldest senior brother Shen He had a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Zhou Yuan's heart sank slightly; it seemed there was more to the story.

He kept this in mind and said no more, then walked with the two of them to the backyard.

Inside the attic in the backyard, all the core disciples of Qingyang Martial Arts School had gathered.

Including Zhou Yuan, there are a total of six people.

Wang Tengfei was standing near Jiang Qian and Han Ming. When he saw Zhou Yuan enter, he merely glanced at him indifferently and then looked away.

Zhu Xiaowen sat imposingly in the hall, stroking his goatee and looking around.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, he announced loudly, "The martial arts competition held every three years is just two months away."

"You all probably already know about the martial arts tournament from your own pockets. I won't go into details."

"The martial arts competition is related to the rise and fall of the martial arts school, so I hope everyone will give it their all."

"in addition,"

Zhu Xiaowen looked at everyone, paused for a moment,

"The reward for the champion of this martial arts competition is the Bone-Changing Pill, a grade-three elixir that can improve one's physical constitution."

......