A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Unpredictable Flying Daggers, Xu Qingyi.

Upon seeing the scholar in blue robes before him, Xue Renjie instantly recognized his identity.

Xu Qingyi clasped her hands in a fist and smiled at him, her posture elegant. "Commander Xue, how have you been? Today, I have come for no other reason than to bring my young master home."

Inside the prison cart, Zhao Shanshui heard these familiar words, and his gloomy face immediately lit up with wild joy.

Xue Renjie's lips curled into a sneer, tinged with disdain. "You alone are probably not enough."

Xu Qingyi still had a smile on her face and clapped her hands lightly.

Hurala!

From the shadows of the streets behind him, a dozen or so bandits wielding weapons suddenly emerged, each exuding a fierce aura.

The three leaders were all at the Bone Forging Realm, while the rest were all skilled in Skin Refining.

Fire Cloud Village, Black Bear Village?

Xue Renjie caught a glimpse of the Bone Forging Realm warriors and immediately recognized them as members of the Black Wind Twelve Strongholds.

"It's still not enough." Xue Renjie remained calm and composed. "This place is within Luochuan City. Once we make a move, the patrol battalion's reinforcements will arrive in an instant."

"And now?"

A cold, sinister voice suddenly came from behind the escort team.

Xue Renjie suddenly turned around and saw that a group of people had appeared at the back of the group.

This group of people were all dressed in tight-fitting night clothes, their faces covered by black cloth. The aura emanating from the leader was clearly that of a master of the Yi Jin realm!

Behind him followed three Bone Forging Realm warriors.

At this moment, Xue Renjie's composure completely vanished.

With the opponent having an additional Yi Jin Realm cultivator, the battle situation will instantly reverse.

The four realms of body tempering are each a different level. A master in the Yi Jin realm would almost always crush a master in the Duan Gu realm.

"So it was all planned all along." Xue Renjie's voice turned somber. "Even so, do you think you can leave Luochuan City unscathed?"

"Then there's no need for Commander Xue to trouble himself."

Xu Qingyi gave the order.

"Let's do it!"

The two groups of men charged towards the patrol battalion like tigers descending a mountain.

Xue Renjie roared and charged at Xu Qingyi, and the two instantly engaged in a fierce battle.

But no one could stop that black-clad expert with the Yi Jin Jing skill. His figure was like a ghost, and he rushed to the prison cart in a few flashes, completely ignoring the long spears thrust at him by the armored soldiers around him.

He raised his palm and slammed it down on the iron prison cart.

boom!

With a loud crash, the sturdy prison cart shattered into pieces, and Zhao Shanshui escaped from it.

Seeing that the person had been rescued, Xu Qingyi stopped fighting Xue Renjie, made a feint, and then withdrew.

"Trying to leave!" Xue Renjie was furious and drew his knife to give chase.

But at that moment, the man in black suddenly pulled out a handful of powder from his pocket and threw it forward.

A large swath of green poisonous fog instantly spread out.

The patrolmen were shocked and quickly covered their mouths and noses before retreating. When the poisonous fog slowly dissipated, Xu Qingyi and the others were nowhere to be seen on the street.

……

A deserted street corner.

Xu Qingyi and her group stopped, and the dozen or so men in black quietly followed.

The leader of the men in black pushed Zhao Shanshui towards Xu Qingyi and said in a hoarse voice, "Now that your young master has been rescued, shouldn't we proceed with the next part of the plan?"

Xu Qingyi took Zhao Shanshui and nodded slightly.

Zhao Shanshui, standing to the side, was completely confused and full of doubts.

The man in black continued, "After we bring this woman here, we will naturally hand over the travel documents to you."

Old fox!

Xu Qingyi cursed inwardly, but kept a straight face and led Zhao Shanshui and the others straight towards the inner city.

It was still dark, and there were few pedestrians on the road.

Xu Qingyi and her band of bandits were all skilled martial artists, and their agile movements allowed them to easily evade several patrolling groups of soldiers.

Meanwhile, inside the Feiyun Embroidery Building, the lights were on full display.

Liu Rong stood in the center of the hall, watching the group of embroiderers working diligently, and felt quite moved.

If these few orders from the state capital are completed, Feiyun Embroidery Pavilion will be able to make a name for itself in the state capital.

"Sisters, let's give it our all! If we can finish this batch of orders on time, I'll give everyone three days off, and each of us will get an extra five taels of silver at the end of the month!"

Upon hearing this, the already somewhat tired embroiderers immediately perked up, and Zhou Ting was one of them.

A faint smile played on her lips as her needle and thread flew even faster in her hands.

This workload is much easier than the years she spent struggling alone at home. Now that she can earn so much money, she is filled with joy and anticipation for the future.

However, at this very moment...

"Bang!"

The door to the boudoir was kicked open violently, and a group of burly men dressed in black stormed in, each looking fierce and menacing.

The embroiderers in the room were immediately terrified, their faces turning pale, and screams erupted.

"Who are you people!" Liu Rong forced herself to remain calm and stepped forward to question them sharply.

Xu Qingyi sized up the aloof woman before her, offering no reply, but instead gave a wicked smile: "You must be Liu Rong, the county magistrate's daughter?"

"Leave now, or I'll report you to the authorities!"

Xu Qingyi didn't bother with words. With a swift movement, she appeared in front of Liu Rong and delivered a chop to the back of her neck.

Liu Rong didn't even utter a sound before collapsing limply to the ground.

Seeing that the shopkeeper had been knocked unconscious, chaos erupted inside the embroidery building as the embroiderers cried and fled in all directions.

Xu Qingyi hoisted Liu Rong onto her shoulder and prepared to leave.

Zhao Shanshui, who was standing next to him, suddenly stared intently at a trembling figure in the corner, his sinister eyes gleaming with greed.

That person was none other than Zhou Yuan's older sister, Zhou Ting.

Zhou Ting felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze, and her pretty face instantly turned ashen.

Amidst the chaos and cries, Zhou Ting was knocked unconscious and carried out of the boudoir along with Liu Rong. They were thrown into a carriage that had been prepared outside and sped toward the city gate.

In the shadows at the alley entrance, several members of the Black Tiger Gang who were responsible for escorting Zhou Ting witnessed everything, and they were all terrified.

They didn't dare to go forward at all. The weakest of those people was at the Skin Refining Realm, the same level as their own gang leader.

After a brief moment of shock, the group scrambled and stumbled as they hurriedly ran towards the North City Patrol Office.

……

North City Patrol Office, Martial Arts Ground.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, breathing deeply, like a stone sculpture, blending into his surroundings.

Suddenly, his body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Immediately afterwards, it seemed as if ancient dragon roars and elephant bellows intertwined from deep within his body, deep and majestic, causing his blood and qi to surge!

"Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, First Level... Now!"

Zhou Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and let out a low shout.

"Freeze!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an incomparably violent burst of energy erupted from his dantian, sweeping across his entire body!

The surrounding air seemed to be ignited, emitting slight crackling sounds.

His bones trembled and groaned under the force, as if being forged and reshaped by an invisible giant hand.

An unprecedented, immense force surged and roared through his limbs and bones!

As this power stabilized, Zhou Yuan's physique visibly expanded, his muscle lines became more solid, and even when he was just standing still, he exuded a terrifying sense of oppression.

He slowly stood up, clenched his fist, and felt the explosive power that was almost overflowing. He couldn't help but smile.

With a thought, the attribute panel unfolded before my eyes.

Name: Zhou Yuan

[Realm: Body Tempering Stage Two - Bone Forging]

[Skill: Six Harmonies Stance Exercise (Proficiency: 650/1000)]

[Martial Arts Skill: Mountain Shaking Fist (Third Level: 780/1000)]

[Martial Skill: Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace (Second Level: 410/500)]

Martial Arts Skill: Bone-Melting Palm (Second Level: 420/500)

Martial Arts Skill: Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (Beginner Level: 10/500)

Upon seeing the words "Entry Level" after "Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill," Zhou Yuan felt a surge of emotion.

This extraordinary skill, which even countless geniuses hesitate to attempt, was discovered by me so quickly!

"Is this... the strength of three thousand jin?"

He muttered to himself and casually threw a punch forward. He didn't use any technique; it was purely a release of power.

laugh!

Where the fist passed, the air was compressed instantly, producing a sharp and ear-piercing explosion!

Feeling this transformative change, Zhou Yuan was filled with boundless pride. This power was several times stronger than he had anticipated!

However, just as he was immersed in the shock brought by this power, a soldier ran in in a panic.

"Qi-bing Zhou Cha-tou, there are several people outside the door who claim to be from the Black Tiger Gang and they look very flustered."

Black Tiger Gang?

Upon hearing the name, Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition instantly surged into his mind.

The Black Tiger Gang's only mission now is to escort my sister to and from work. They've come looking for me...

Zhou Yuan didn't dwell on it. He strode out of the patrol station and immediately spotted the terrified gang members.

Upon seeing Zhou Yuan, the leader of the gang knelt down with a thud before Zhou Yuan could speak, his voice trembling with sobs.

"Master Zhou! Something terrible has happened! Miss Zhou... Miss Zhou... she's been kidnapped by a group of bandits! They're heading towards the west gate!"

boom!

The next moment, an uncontrollable, overwhelming malevolent energy erupted from Zhou Yuan's body!

......