A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone's movements seemed to freeze, and countless eyes converged on the center of the arena, on the snow-white silk handkerchief that was slowly falling.

I give up?

That veteran Yi Jin Jing master, known as "Iron-Blooded Eagle Claw," whose attacks were either fatal or severely injured, just like that, admitted defeat?

Wasn't he about to unleash his secret technique, "Seeking Flowers in the Mist"?

Is that all?

A white handkerchief?

Zhou Yuan also stood there stunned, his fist, which was about to be thrown, hovered in mid-air. The wind from the punch stirred up Liu Cang's hair, making it fly wildly.

He was on guard, and even wore a golden silk inner armor before the boxing match, just to guard against the legendary "Seeking Flowers in the Mist" move.

But what he got in return was, "I give up."

Zhou Yuan's expression gradually turned ashen.

He felt like he had been tricked.

In the eerie silence, Liu Cang on the stage could no longer hold on. His body went limp, and he fell straight backward with a thud.

The muffled sound, like a thunderclap, instantly jolted everyone present awake!

"He's down! Liu Cang has fallen!"

"What's going on?!"

The elder in the stands was the first to react. He rushed onto the stage and hurriedly went to check on the situation.

With just one glance, the old man, who had seen many storms, gasped in shock.

Liu Cang's sternum collapsed in large sections, his limbs were twisted at bizarre angles, countless bones in his body were broken, his blood and qi were completely disordered, and the blood overflowing from his mouth and nose was mixed with fragments of his internal organs.

This isn't admitting defeat; it's clearly that he's only on his last breath!

After a long while, the elder finally came to his senses from the shock. He slowly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and looked around. With all his might, he made a loud voice that resounded throughout the entire venue.

"Liu Cang's bones are shattered, his blood and qi are flowing backward, and he is severely injured, no longer capable of fighting!"

"I hereby declare the winner of this boxing match—"

"Joo Won!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire stone alley was silent for a moment, and then erupted into a cacophony of noise!

"He won? Zhou Yuan won?!"

"How is this possible! It's been less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, how could Liu Cang be so badly injured?"

"I didn't even see what happened. I just saw Zhou Yuan rush up and throw a few punches, and then Liu Cang started to dodge... and then he just fell down?"

"I didn't believe it when people said Zhou Yuan had killed Xu Qingyi, but seeing it with my own eyes today, I know the rumors are true! This Zhou Yuan is truly a monster!"

The initial skepticism among the crowd has transformed into awe and wonder.

From this day forward, no one will doubt Zhou Yuan's achievement of using the Bone Forging Technique to sever the Tendon Changing Technique.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands, he decisively and overwhelmingly defeated the renowned Yi Jin Jing master!

Above the teahouse.

Xue Min and Zhao Ziwen had already stood up, leaning against the railing, their faces filled with shock.

"Bones shattered, blood and qi flowing backward..." Zhao Ziwen muttered to himself, "This injury reminds me of someone."

"Who?" Xue Min pressed.

"Wu Xingtong," Zhao Ziwen uttered three words.

Xue Min's body trembled.

"You mean, this Zhou Yuan, like Wu Xingtong, is born with superhuman strength?"

Zhao Ziwen nodded slightly, his expression more solemn than ever before. "Liu Cang is no weakling. He has been practicing the Yi Jin Jing for many years, and his combat experience is far beyond that of ordinary bandits. To be fair, even if I were to face him, although I could win, it would be far more difficult than this."

"Zhou Yuan's power is probably... even greater than Wu Xingtong's!"

"Moreover, he's only at the Bone Forging Realm right now!"

That last sentence silenced Xue Min completely.

The extraordinary potential of Luochuan County is about to change from today.

On the arena.

Zhou Yuan remained calm amidst the tidal wave of praise around him, just as he had been when they had doubted him not long ago.

He looked at Liu Cang, who was barely breathing on the ground, and sighed softly.

It seems I should observe more and speculate less in the future.

That person's face was flushed red, not because they were gathering power for a secret technique, but because their blood and qi were reversed from their own attack, causing them to suppress their anger.

This Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill is truly domineering.

Having only mastered the first level, he already possessed such terrifying combat power beyond his level; if he were to cultivate to the later stages…

Zhou Yuan dared not think about it anymore.

Just then, Chen Chongfeng and his son Chen Shaoshang quickly arrived at his side.

"Master Zhou!" Chen Chongfeng showed no more contempt and bowed deeply to Zhou Yuan at a ninety-degree angle. "It was I, Chen Chongfeng, who was blind to your greatness and had been negligent before. I hope Master Zhou will be magnanimous and not hold it against me! My Chen family will never forget your kindness today!"

After saying this, he actually tried to bow.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan reached out and helped Chen Chongfeng up.

Seeing this, Chen Chongfeng wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start the conversation.

"Junior brother saved my Chen family from dire straits, and I don't know how to repay you."

Chen Shaoshang looked at Zhou Yuan and said sincerely.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan patted Chen Shaoshang on the shoulder.

"Fifth Senior Brother, if you really want to repay me, just treat me to a meal at Wangjiang Tower another day."

"But this time, I'm going to eat the best."

Chen Shaoshang was taken aback; he hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to make this request.

Zhou Yuan laughed heartily, said no more, turned around and jumped off the stage, leaving gracefully amidst the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.

A tea shop on a street corner.

Wei Hong slowly withdrew his gaze, his hand holding the teacup trembling slightly.

"Butler, shall we... shall we still make a move?" one of the subordinates asked cautiously.

Wei Hong did not answer; his gloomy old face was extremely unpleasant to look at.

His heart was already in turmoil.

Zhou Yuan's strength is terrifyingly high!

His own strength was roughly equal to Liu Cang's. If Zhou Yuan could so easily cripple Liu Cang, then killing him probably wouldn't take much effort either.

I was thinking of taking him down, but now it seems like a complete joke!

Thinking of this, Wei Hong broke out in a cold sweat.

"withdraw!"

He suddenly stood up, gave a low shout, and hurriedly left with his men.

Today's events must be reported to the master of the household immediately!

As Wei Hong left, Dong Mo, who was not far away, also put down his teacup and drank the tea in one gulp.

Even he was taken aback by Zhou Yuan's clean and efficient methods.

With a body forged in bone, he crushed the tendons and muscles.

The person the commander has chosen is indeed extraordinary.

However, having displayed such strength, the corresponding troubles are bound to follow.

Dong Mo glanced in the direction Wei Hong and the others had left, then his figure flickered and he disappeared silently into the crowd.

On the arena, Wang Xuanzhao remained seated and motionless.

As the second young master of the Wang family, with the cultivation level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, he has been expanding the territory of his family for several years with unparalleled success.

Today marks the first time he has suffered such a complete defeat.

And the one who caused all of this was a boy named Zhou Yuan.

"Young Master Wang the Second?"

The elder who was in charge of the boxing match walked up to him and spoke cautiously.

"Look at this property deed..."

Wang Xuanzhao came to his senses, took out the deed to the Wang family's forging shop from his bosom, and handed it to the elder.

"A bet is a bet, and the Wang family can afford to lose."

He then gestured to Xu Zhan beside him, who immediately understood, took out a thick stack of silver notes, and stuffed them into the elder's hand as payment for presiding over the event.

Upon seeing this, the old man's aged face broke into a wide smile. After thanking him repeatedly, he happily took the house deed and banknotes and went to find the Chen family father and son.

As the boxing match ended, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.

Looking at the empty streets, Wang Xuanzhao showed no disappointment. Instead, he gave instructions to Xu Zhan beside him.

"Go, make a private contact with this Zhou Yuan and sound him out."

"Tell him that as long as he's willing to come to my Wang family, he can name any conditions he wants."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan, the leader of the Salt Gang, changed his expression drastically.

Young Master Wang has exceptionally high standards; over the years, the number of people he has actively recruited can be counted on one hand.

"Young master, this man did make us lose the fistfight bet after all..."

"What does the outcome of a single boxing match, or the gains and losses of a few weapon-making shops, matter?" Wang Xuanzhao interrupted him. "Recruiting someone like this to our ranks is far more valuable than winning ten boxing matches."

Xu Zhan felt a chill run down his spine and immediately bowed.

"Understood!"

Wang Xuanzhao said no more, and sat quietly on the platform for a while before preparing to get up and leave.

He casually picked up the cup of tea that had been poured for Liu Cang on the table, preparing to take a sip.

The tea was still warm when it entered my mouth.

......