A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Zhou Yuan's wood-chopping knife did not stop.

However, just as the woodcutter's knife was about to slit Wang Meng's throat, a streak of dark light appeared first.

"clang!"

With a sharp crack, the black blade struck the side of the machete heavily.

It was a short, jet-black blade, no more than three inches long.

Although the short blade was small, the terrifying force it contained made Zhou Yuan's arm go numb, and the trajectory of the woodcutter's knife instantly deviated, slamming hard into a boulder next to Wang Meng.

"Snap!"

The boulder split in two with a sound.

Is this the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Realm)?

Zhou Yuan's face was gloomy. Such immense power was contained in a mere strike from a distance.

Having narrowly escaped death, Wang Meng seized the opportunity to scramble away, quickly hiding behind the newcomer and creating a distance of more than ten feet between himself and Zhou Yuan.

The person who arrived was Xu Qingyi.

He first glanced at Zhao Dacheng's headless corpse on the ground, a barely perceptible tremor flashing between his brows.

He then cast a cold gaze at Wang Meng, who was standing to the side, and asked in a chilling voice.

Where is Liu Zhi?

"It's him, it's him!"

Wang Meng, now slightly calmer, pointed to the black-robed figure in the distance and said haltingly,

"This person already knew our transaction location. When Lord Zhao and I arrived, we did not see Hall Master Liu."

Upon hearing Wang Meng's words, Xu Qingyi looked at Zhou Yuan, who was dressed in a black robe.

"Who are you? What happened to Liu Zhi? How dare you touch anyone from my Black Wind Mountain Green Dragon Stronghold?"

Xu Qingyi's aura surged, and her eyes were fixed on Zhou Yuan like those of a venomous snake.

"Liu Zhi? I don't know him," Zhou Yuan replied calmly.

"I advise you to honestly admit it and surrender! This is the deputy leader of Black Wind Mountain, with the cultivation level of Yi Jin Jing. With your strength, you are definitely no match for him!"

With Xu Qingyi backing him up, Wang Meng, who had just been kowtowing and begging for mercy, was no longer the servile figure he had been. Instead, he became arrogant and started shouting.

"Is the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Realm) very strong?"

Zhou Yuan let out a cold snort, and the next moment, he shot forward like an arrow, launching the first attack on Xu Qingyi.

Looking at the figure charging towards her fearlessly, Xu Qingyi was surprised, but even more so, she felt disdain.

The four realms of body tempering are each a different level, and fighting beyond one's level is simply a pipe dream.

"How dare they take the initiative to attack!"

Xu Qingyi laughed in anger. His veins bulged, his body sank slightly, and he clenched his fist, ready to completely obliterate this arrogant person who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

However, at that moment, Zhou Yuan's footwork suddenly changed.

His body suddenly twisted at an odd angle, his target not Xu Qingyi at all, but Wang Meng beside him!

Wang Meng had just reacted when he saw Zhou Yuan charging towards him, and he was immediately terrified.

"Deputy Chieftain, save me!"

He hurriedly cried out for help to Xu Qingyi beside him.

"cunning!"

Xu Qingyi gave a low shout and was about to save Wang Meng, but she was too late.

The cleaver in Zhou Yuan's hand flashed with silver light and sliced ​​across Wang Meng's neck without any resistance.

After killing Wang Meng, Zhou Yuan didn't pause for a moment, not even glancing at the fallen corpse behind him.

He pushed the "Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace" technique to its limit, his figure transforming into afterimages as he raced headlong towards Luochuan City without looking back.

From the very beginning, Zhou Yuan never intended to confront this bandit from Black Wind Mountain head-on.

With his current strength, he has no chance of winning if he uses bone-strengthening and tendon-refining techniques.

Seeing Zhou Yuan flee at top speed, Xu Qingyi's face turned extremely gloomy.

He had never expected that this man in black robes would be so ruthless and decisive.

He killed the person he was protecting right in front of him, a master of the Yi Jin Jing realm!

"You think you can leave after killing the people of Black Wind Mountain?"

A cold smile appeared on Xu Qingyi's lips.

The most prized aspect of the Yi Jin Jing realm is its speed, which far surpasses that of the Duan Gu Jing realm.

The next moment, his figure blurred, turning into a blur, and he chased straight after Zhou Yuan.

……

At this moment, on the official road leading from Luochuan City to Qingzhou City, hundreds of guards were escorting more than a dozen carriages as they slowly moved along.

The carriage at the very front of the procession was the most elaborate.

Inside the carriage, a woman dressed in a light blue silk dress with delicate features was intently looking at the accounts in front of her, occasionally making a few strokes, clearly in a good mood.

"Miss, are we really going to buy up the entire Feiyun Embroidery Pavilion after returning from the capital?"

A woman dressed as a maid asked excitedly.

"That's for sure. Luo Baichuan is narrow-minded and short-sighted. He only cares about his small piece of land in Luochuan City. If this continues, Feiyun Embroidery Tower will surely be destroyed in his hands."

The woman in the blue dress spoke with a firm tone.

"Yes, with these hundreds of bolts of top-quality Shu brocade, Feiyun Embroidery Pavilion will no longer have to worry about its supply." The maid glanced at the dozen or so carriages behind her, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Miss is the second manager of Feiyun Embroidery Shop in Luochuan City. She has many ideas and lofty ambitions, but she is always suppressed by the head manager, Luo Baichuan.

Now, Miss is finally able to take over the entire Feiyun Embroidery Building and put her skills to use.

Just as the master and servant were contemplating the future, a man's voice suddenly rang out from outside the carriage window.

"Rong'er, we'll arrive in Luochuan City in half an hour. How about I treat you to a welcome dinner at Wangjiang Tower tonight?"

The speaker was Xue Renjie, one of the centurions of the patrol battalion. He was ordered to come and meet Liu Rong, the daughter of the county magistrate, who was returning from the prefectural city.

"No, thank you for your kindness, Brother Xue. The Shu brocade has just been transported back, and I need to store it in the warehouse as soon as possible."

Liu Rong responded politely, but her voice didn't reveal much emotion.

"That's true. Shu brocade is expensive, so it should be put into storage as soon as possible." Xue Renjie smiled awkwardly, then added, "How about going to Jin Yu Fang tomorrow? Their Eight Treasure Cake is your favorite."

"The Embroidery Pavilion is about to expand its enrollment, and I need to arrange the expansion tomorrow." Liu Rong's tone remained polite.

"That……"

Xue Renjie was about to ask another question when Liu Rong interrupted him.

"We haven't crossed the Black Wind Mountain territory yet, Brother Xue, you should still be extra vigilant."

Upon hearing this, Xue Renjie could only shake his head with a wry smile.

"Okay, just call me if you need anything."

Having said that, he spurred his horse and rode to the front of the procession.

"Miss, I think Young Master Xue is a very nice person, and besides, aren't you childhood sweethearts..." The maid said with a gossipy expression as Xue Renjie left.

But before she could finish speaking, she met Liu Rong's gaze and immediately swallowed the rest of her words.

"If you say another word, I'll marry you off first." Liu Rong feigned anger, then instructed her maid, "After you get back, immediately post a notice that Feiyun Embroidery Pavilion is recruiting embroiderers."

……

On the official road between Black Wind Mountain and Luochuan City, two figures ran at breakneck speed, one after the other.

Although Zhou Yuan was only at the Bone Forging Realm, his movements were incredibly fast thanks to the profound mystery of the Snow-Treading Without a Trace technique, allowing him to maintain a safe distance from Xu Qingyi behind him.

Even so, due to the continuous high-intensity operation of "Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace," his internal energy and blood were almost exhausted to the limit.

This guy is like a persistent leech.

The city walls of Luochuan were already in sight, but Xu Qingyi behind him showed no sign of stopping, which made Zhou Yuan curse inwardly.

"I refuse to believe he can keep using this movement technique indefinitely!"

Xu Qingyi behind him was also seething with anger.

He believed that with the speed of a Yi Jin Jing expert, catching up with a Duan Gu Jing martial artist would be a piece of cake.

But the black-robed man's movements were too strange, and he could always keep his distance from him.

Furthermore, the fact that the other party killed Wang Meng right under his nose left him with no face to save as a master of Yi Jin Jing.

Before he knew it, he had become truly enraged.

That's the only option we can use.

As the outline of Luochuan City became clearer and clearer before her, Xu Qingyi made up her mind.

He pulled a short, bright red knife from his pocket.

The short knife was covered with intricate patterns and exuded a faint smell of blood.

The Unpredictable Flying Knife automatically targets enemies within a range of three hundred feet.

Let's see how you manage to dodge this time!

Xu Qingyi's killing intent was unwavering.

This is one of his signature moves. The reason he didn't use it earlier is that once he does, he will be in a brief period of weakness. He won't use it unless absolutely necessary.

However, just as he was about to activate the secret technique, a group of people were slowly approaching from the corner of the official road in the distance.

At the very front of the column, a large flag of the patrol battalion fluttered in the night wind.

......