A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

After arranging his sister's shifts, Zhou Yuan headed straight for the North City Patrol Office.

According to the calendar, it's his turn to be on duty today.

But as soon as he reached the entrance of the patrol station, he sensed something was amiss.

The atmosphere was too heavy.

The soldiers who used to chat and joke around at the gate were now standing straight, looking solemn and ready for battle.

Zhou Yuan felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that some important figure might have arrived at the company.

He composed himself and stepped into the patrol office.

Upon entering the back hall, he saw a burly middle-aged man sitting in the main seat, dressed in a black outfit, exuding a calm and imposing aura.

It was none other than Xie Hongwu, the chief inspector of the patrol and inspection headquarters.

The constable Li Tongzheng stood solemnly below the hall, head bowed, earnestly reporting something to Xie Hongwu.

Zhou Yuan immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Your humble servant Zhou Yuan greets Your Excellency the Chief Inspector."

Xie Hongwu looked up and saw Zhou Yuan. He paused slightly, then a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

No need for formalities.

Most of the minions under his command were at the Skin Refining stage, and Zhou Yuan, at such a young age, was the first to have entered the Bone Forging stage.

"Officer Zhou," Xie Hongwu spoke up, "have you seen Inspector Zhao in the last few days?"

coming.

When Xie Hongwu asked about Zhao Dacheng, Zhou Yuan did not show any surprise. Instead, he showed a hint of astonishment at just the right moment.

"Your Excellency, I have not seen him. Could it be... that Inspector Zhao has not been to the patrol office these past few days?"

Seeing this, Li Tong quickly explained for him, "Not only Inspector Zhao, but Wang Meng is also missing."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan's shock deepened, followed by a look of concern.

"Should we go look for him? Inspector Zhao has treated us very well."

"We've searched his house several times, but we haven't found a trace of him," Li Tong sighed.

Hearing Zhou Yuan's answer, Xie Hongwu frowned even more deeply.

Zhao Dacheng has been missing for more than ten days.

If the person cannot be found, the case will be reported as missing.

The disappearance of an inspector is no small matter.

Although his official rank was not high, Zhao Dacheng was still an official appointed by the imperial court. The unexplained disappearance of an official appointed by the imperial court within his jurisdiction was enough to trigger a major case.

Xie Hongwu collected his thoughts and spoke again.

"If Zhao Dacheng returns, I will immediately send him to see me."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"There is another matter. The rainy season is approaching, so we must strictly check everyone coming and going in the area."

Xie Hongwu's voice turned cold.

"That damned thief is about to come out and do evil again."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan was quite puzzled, but he didn't say anything and clasped his hands in agreement with Li Tong.

After giving his instructions, Xie Hongwu walked straight out of the main hall of the North City Patrol Office with his hands behind his back.

Only after Xie Hongwu's figure had completely disappeared did Zhou Yuan turn around and ask Li Tong.

"Brother Li, the thief the Chief Inspector was talking about is...?"

Li Tong glanced around and lowered his voice.

"Who else could it be but a womanizer?"

"In recent years, every rainy season, flower thieves have appeared in the city. This man specifically targets unmarried young girls, and over the years, quite a few women have fallen victim to his cruelty."

Zhou Yuan was quite surprised to hear this.

How come I've never heard of such a major event before?

Li Tong seemed to see through his thoughts and explained, "First, the county magistrate was afraid of causing panic in the city, so he deliberately blocked the news. Second, this is not a respectable matter, so the affected families naturally do not want to publicize it."

Zhou Yuan then understood.

"Do you think our Inspector Zhao will ever come back?" Li Tong suddenly brought the topic back.

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly.

The corpses of Zhao Dacheng and Wang Meng have probably long been devoured by wild wolves in the wilderness, leaving not even a trace of bones.

But he still pretended to be uncertain.

"Inspector Zhao is at least at the Bone Forging Realm, so... there shouldn't be any surprises, right?"

"Making a living on the edge, who knows what the future holds?" Li Tong sighed, then said to Zhou Yuan, "Now that Wang Meng is gone, it's just the two of us left in this patrol office. How about this, from now on, the shifts will be rotated every ten days, and I'll take your place after ten days."

Zhou Yuan had no objection and nodded.

Watching Li Tong's departing figure, Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment.

Although Li Tong was a smooth and tactful person, he was not unlikeable.

He gathered his thoughts, turned around, and went to the training ground in the backyard of the patrol office to begin his training.

……

Meanwhile, in the inner city, at Wangjiang Tower.

In an ordinary guest room, a dozen or so files were laid out in front of Shen Xuantong.

Each file had a wooden plaque with the characters "Wang," "Han," "Jiang," "Wei," and "Wu" written on it.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

Dong Mo walked in, looking travel-worn, carrying a brocade box in his hands.

"Commander, this is a type of pill that's recently been sold on the market, called the Blood Spirit Pill."

"I've heard that this pill is twice as effective as the Body Tempering Pill, but only costs one-third of it."

As Dong Mo spoke, he opened the brocade box, revealing several blood-red pills inside.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xuantong frowned slightly.

He picked up a pill and brought it to his nose.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had extremely strict control over elixirs. Both the formulas and the herbs were firmly controlled by the government, and very few people in the common people could refine them independently.

However, judging from its color, this Blood Spirit Pill is of decent quality.

However, the faint smell of blood lingering on it made him feel uneasy.

"The scent of datura flowers?"

Shen Xuantong muttered to himself.

He never expected that this forbidden flower, which had long been extinct, would reappear.

Upon hearing this, Dong Mo, who was standing to the side, was immediately taken aback.

"But what about the datura flower, which can induce hallucinations and even madness?"

Shen Xuantong did not give a definite answer, but simply put the pill back into the brocade box.

"Immediately send this elixir back to the Qingzhou headquarters so that the alchemy experts there can verify it personally."

……

Ten days passed slowly.

Patrol Office, Drill Ground.

Driven by an urgent desire to improve his strength, Zhou Yuan has been completely immersed in martial arts training these past few days.

He felt his blood and energy becoming more vigorous, and the tendons throughout his body becoming more and more resilient under the repeated impacts and tempering.

With a thought, Zhou Yuan summoned the control panel.

[Realm: Body Tempering Stage Two - Bone Forging]

[Technique: Six Harmonies Stance Exercise (Mastered)] [Progress: 480/1000]

[Martial Arts Skill: Mountain Shaking Fist (Third Level)] [Progress: 500/1000]

[Martial Skill: Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace (Second Level)] [Progress: 390/500]

[Martial Arts Skill: Bone-Melting Palm (Second Level)] [Progress: 400/500]

[Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (Beginner)] [Progress: 160/300]

After another medicinal bath, his progress in various martial arts skills was much faster than before.

Especially the Dragon Elephant Prajna Kung Fu.

This unparalleled martial art, which has driven countless geniuses to despair, is already nearing mastery in his hands.

After a while, he will be able to master the first level.

At that time, he will suddenly possess the strength of three thousand catties, and his combat power will surely surge again.

Just as Zhou Yuan was pondering to himself, a figure strode in.

The person who arrived was none other than Li Tong.

At this moment, Li Tong was excited, even somewhat fanatical.

As soon as he saw Zhou Yuan, he strode forward and grabbed his arm.

"Junior Brother Zhou, your Qingyang Martial Arts School... has produced a dragon!"

Zhou Yuan was taken aback.

Emerging dragon?

What kind of dragon will appear?

Li Tong's voice trembled with excitement.

"Wang Tengfei! That Wang Tengfei, he's broken through to the Yi Jin stage!"

......