A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Upon hearing Zhu Mengran's words, Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained calm as he agreed.

"Senior sister, would you like to come in and have a seat?"

"No, I still need to inform the other senior brothers." Zhu Mengran shook her head, exchanged a few more brief pleasantries with Zhou Yuan, and then turned and left.

Zhou Yuan closed the courtyard gate without making a sound. His mind, which had been relatively calm just now, was now churning with undercurrents.

Wang Tengfei is about to become a disciple of Wang Tengfei.

They will also be granted a fundamental diagram.

He had heard the master of the martial arts school mention that the fundamental diagram was the true foundation of the Qingyang Martial Arts School, a treasure that allowed people to glimpse the mysteries beyond the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

If this item falls into Wang Tengfei's hands, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Zhou Yuan had to admit that Wang Tengfei's talent was indeed rare in Luochuan County, and once he obtained the Fundamental Diagram, his strength would inevitably increase dramatically again.

Since it's already a fight to the death, we absolutely cannot give the other side any chance to turn the tables.

Let's do it tonight!

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes.

The night is long and many things can happen. Since my mind is made up, I cannot hesitate for even a moment.

He returned to the house, ate a few bites of food hastily, said goodbye to his sister Zhou Ting, and headed straight for the Qingyang Martial Arts School.

Although the decision had been made to kill Wang Tengfei, the formalities of the apprenticeship ceremony still needed to be performed properly to avoid giving others cause for criticism later.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw a group of people gathered at the entrance of the alley, loitering around the stalls of several small vendors, asking for something from time to time.

The man in the lead was none other than Song Fang's younger brother, Song Tao.

After a few days apart, Song Tao had gathered a group of people and started acting like a thug, bullying everyone in the muddy alley.

Zhou Yuan's expression shifted slightly as he glanced at several Black Tiger Gang members who were keeping watch in a corner not far away.

The gang members understood immediately and jogged over, their faces plastered with fawning smiles.

Zhou Yuan took out a dozen or so taels of silver from his pocket and casually tossed them over.

"Yesterday's report was well done."

If they hadn't delivered the message in time yesterday, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Thank you so much, Master Zhou! Thank you so much, Master Zhou!" The gang members were overjoyed as they received the silver and thanked him repeatedly.

Zhou Yuan raised his chin, gesturing in Song Tao's direction.

"What's wrong with that kid?"

A quick-witted member of the gang immediately replied, "Reporting to Master Zhou, ever since his sister Song Fang got engaged to Zhang Hao, who is at the Bone Forging Realm, Song Tao has been running rampant in the alley, relying on his future brother-in-law's influence. He's gathered a group of people to collect 'peace money.' Our gang leader is wary of Zhang Hao, so he's turned a blind eye."

It turned out to be the case.

A ripple of emotion stirred in Zhou Yuan's heart. The world really does change fast. Just a backer at the Bone Forging Realm is enough to embolden someone like Song Tao to act like a king.

However, he didn't intend to interfere further.

In chaotic times, there are countless small characters who borrow power from others; just don't mess with them.

"Keep an eye on my sister."

Zhou Yuan left with four words, instructing the men to protect his sister's safety, and then headed straight for the Qingyang Martial Arts School.

……

The Qingyang Martial Arts School is no longer the solemn place it once was.

The training ground was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, exuding a festive atmosphere, clearly the result of careful preparation.

The venue was already packed with guests, bustling with noise and excitement.

Zhou Yuan glanced around casually and found that there were quite a few people with powerful auras among the visitors, the lowest of whom was at the Bone Forging Realm.

Most of these people are owners or core disciples of other martial arts schools in Luochuan County.

Meanwhile, in the main seat, the museum owner, Zhu Xiaowen, was chatting and laughing with two elderly men, both over fifty years old.

Although the two were old, they were vigorous and their aura was profound and imposing, clearly indicating that they were also experts at the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Judging from his appearance, he must be a close friend of Zhu Xiaowen.

Zhou Yuan looked away and found a reasonably spacious table in the corner to sit down.

As soon as I sat down, I could hear the conversations from the next table, all of which revolved around today's main character, Wang Tengfei.

"Wang Tengfei is truly a dragon among men! At less than twenty years old, he has reached the Yi Jin Jing realm; even in the entire Luochuan County, he is a genius rarely seen in decades!"

"Yes, Qingyang Martial Arts School has really struck gold this time; their future is limitless!"

Just as everyone was praising Wang Tengfei, a low voice suddenly rang out.

"Besides Wang Tengfei's good news, I also heard about something big last night."

These words immediately piqued the curiosity of those around them.

"What is it?"

The man leaned closer, feigning mystery, and slowly said, "I heard that last night, bandits from Black Wind Mountain, at the Yi Jin realm, infiltrated the city. They not only hijacked Zhao Shanshui's prison cart but also kidnapped the county magistrate's daughter, Miss Liu Rong!"

"What?!"

These words shocked everyone present.

Have the bandits become so audacious? Daring to send a Yi Jin Realm expert deep into the inner city to kidnap someone? And it's the county magistrate's daughter, no less!

"What happened next? What became of those bandits?" someone couldn't contain themselves and eagerly pressed for more details.

"Later..." The man paused, seemingly enjoying the spotlight, "Later, that gang of bandits was wiped out outside the city. Even their leader, who was at the Yi Jin realm, died."

"Dead? Killed by the patrol battalion?"

"No." The person who broke the news shook his head and dropped an even more shocking bombshell: "It's said that only one martial artist killed them all. And he was only at the Bone Forging Realm."

In an instant, the entire corner fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone held their breath.

Forge bones and sever tendons!

This kind of cross-level killing that only exists in legends has actually happened?

The four realms of body tempering are like an insurmountable chasm, and crossing them is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Who is this person?" Finally, someone snapped out of their shock and hurriedly asked.

This question echoed the sentiments of everyone present. In an instant, all attention focused on the whistleblower.

Unfortunately, the man scratched the back of his head and said with a regretful expression, "I don't know. I only heard a senior brother from my sect mention something about this person, saying that he is also a disciple of a martial arts school in our Luochuan County. Because the matter of Miss Rong being kidnapped concerns the county magistrate's reputation, the news has been temporarily suppressed by the government. However, I think that such things cannot be kept secret, and at most, the news will spread throughout the city in a few days."

Unable to hear the mysterious expert's specific name, the people around were somewhat disappointed, but they were all quickly guessing which martial arts school had produced such a heaven-defying prodigy.

At this moment, Zhu Xiaowen, sitting at the head of the table, was stroking his goatee and chatting happily with his two old friends beside him.

One of them raised his glass and laughed, "Brother Zhu, congratulations! Qingyang Martial Arts School has produced a Yi Jin Jing master at less than twenty years old. Given time, he will surely achieve great things!"

Another person chimed in, "In that case, Qingyang Martial Arts School will definitely be able to secure a place in the martial arts competition a few months from now."

Listening to the compliments and praises around him, Zhu Xiaowen wore a faint smile, feeling quite pleased.

Today, I will pass on the fundamental map to Wang Tengfei, and I can finally put my mind at ease.

With such a gifted disciple, I can rest assured about protecting myself in my old age.

After all, he had a fiery temper when he was young and offended quite a few people.

Just as Zhu Xiaowen was pondering this in secret.

"Bang!"

The door to the martial arts school was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

A figure rushed in in a panic.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Xiaowen frowned slightly.

The person who came was his daughter, Zhu Mengran.

Her hair was disheveled, and her white dress was stained with dust, completely lacking her usual composure and elegance.

Under the astonished gazes of all the guests, Zhu Mengran stumbled to Zhu Xiaowen, panting and speaking haltingly.

"Father...something terrible has happened..."

"Junior Brother Wang...Junior Brother Wang, he..."

Zhu Mengran was panting, her face filled with panic and disbelief.

"Junior Brother Wang has been crippled!"

......