Becoming a Saint Starting with the Chasing Wind Leg Technique

Chapter 149 Breaking Through Three Barriers, Competing for the Ranking

Downstairs, the noise continued as before.

Song Jing slowly sheathed his gun and nodded in response to the excitement and gratitude of everyone at Qingyun Martial Arts School.

He glanced at Lei Zhen, who was being helped up not far away, his face ashen, and who dared not meet his gaze, and calmly asked, "Is the bet still valid?"

Lei Zhen trembled all over, feeling so humiliated under the gazes of countless eyes that he almost fainted. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a hoarse voice from his throat: "It's settled! The Xuan Tie Mine—according to the old agreement! Li Ling Shuang—this matter is off!" After saying that, he had no more face to stay. Supported by his disciples, he left in a sorry state like a stray dog, without looking back.

"We won! We really won!"

"Long live Senior Brother Song! Long live Qingyun Martial Arts School!"

Cheers erupted once again.

Song Jing felt a slight sense of excitement emanating from the spear in his hand, and then glanced in the direction of the teahouse.

Although the distance was great, he could sense that several powerful gazes had once been watching this place, but they had probably left by now.

"The Four Heroes of the Inner City—" he murmured to himself, feeling no fear, but rather a stronger fighting spirit rising within him. Defeating Lei Zhen was just the beginning.

His goal was never just to make a name for himself in the inner city.

The gun is stained with blood, but the road ahead is even longer.

Moreover, although Lei Zhen was defeated, he provoked and insulted his senior sister. Although they couldn't kill him this time, they could only seriously injure him. However, if there was an opportunity in the future, this person would surely die. If Lei Zhen was defeated and fled, the bet would be fulfilled, and the dark clouds hanging over Qingyun Martial Arts School would finally dissipate.

The master and several elders were filled with gratitude towards Song Jing. He not only preserved the martial arts school's foundation and the Xuan Tie mine, but also restored the Qingyun Martial Arts School's almost crushed dignity and saved Li Ling Shuang's fate.

The master of the martial arts school personally presented the reward, his attitude extremely sincere: "Young Master Song, no, Benefactor Song! I cannot express my gratitude enough. This is the document for the share of the Xuan Iron Mine that was promised before. From now on, 30% of the annual output will be reserved for your needs, and we will not take a penny!" This was practically a free gift, showing his utmost sincerity.

Then, he took out an exquisite jade box. Inside, ten blood-red Qi and Blood Pills, exuding a rich fragrance, lay quietly. "These ten Qi and Blood Pills are treasures from my martial arts school's collection, of superior quality. Consider them a small token of my appreciation, to aid your cultivation progress. Please do not refuse!"

The annual profit from 20% of the black iron ore, plus ten top-quality Qi and Blood Pills, is a truly generous gift.

Song Jing declined a couple of times, but seeing the innkeeper's firm attitude, he readily accepted.

For him, resources are the most scarce resource at present.

"You're too kind, Master. I'm also a friend of Qingyun Martial Arts School, and it's only natural that I would help if I could," Song Jing said, cupping his hands in greeting. He didn't take credit for anything, and this composure earned him even more respect from the Master and the others.

Li Ling Shuang stood to the side the whole time, her beautiful eyes never leaving Song Jing. In her eyes, besides gratitude, there was also a hint of indescribable closeness and admiration.

She personally stepped forward to pour tea for Song Jing, and said softly, "Senior Brother Song, Ling Shuang will remember this kindness. In the future, if there is any need for your service, the entire Qingyun Martial Arts School will not hesitate to help."

It's over.

Song Jing did not linger at the Qingyun Martial Arts School, as he was preoccupied with improving his strength and accumulating contribution points.

After leaving the square, he went straight to the mission hall of the Pingtianmen branch.

He wants to issue a "high-level weapon" mission.

After its fierce clash with Lei Zhen, the Crimson Starfire Spear has gained a slight increase in spirituality. If it can be further refined with suitable spiritual materials and by a master craftsman, it can be stabilized or even upgraded to a lower-grade fine weapon, which would significantly boost its combat power once again.

However, when he saw the Mission Hall's valuation of such missions, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"To hire a weapon refiner, you must be able to process Star Pattern Iron Essence material once. Basic fee: 80 contribution points."

"If additional rare materials are required, you can either provide them yourself or have them searched for by someone else. The cost will be calculated separately based on the value of the materials."

"The estimated total cost will start at 120 contribution points or more."

One hundred and twenty contribution points! And that's just the starting price!

Song Jing currently has only about sixty points on hand, including the previous rewards from the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, which is far from enough.

"It seems I must acquire more contribution points as soon as possible." Song Jing's gaze fell on the huge jade wall deep inside the mission hall, where various high contribution point missions were scrolling by. However, all of them were dangerous missions such as bandit suppression, exploration of dangerous areas, and protection of important supplies, which required the strength of the Perfected Body Refinement Realm or even higher to accept.

With his current mid-stage Body Refining Realm cultivation level, forcibly accepting the task would be too risky.

"The safest and fastest way is still through the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion challenges and the monthly disciple ranking battles," Song Jing knew clearly. Each level in the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion grants a one-time contribution point reward; the third level gives sixty points, the fourth level eighty points—and if one can pass several levels in a row, the accumulation speed is extremely fast.

If you can break into the top ten or even the top five in the monthly rankings, the monthly fixed contribution point reward is also quite considerable.

"The most urgent task is to stabilize my cultivation level, digest what I've gained from this battle, and then—break through to the third level of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, and also to rank among the disciples next month!" A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. With a clear goal, his steps became even more resolute.

Back in his simple quiet room in the T-zone, Song Jing immediately began his seclusion.

He first took out the ten superior Qi and Blood Pills given to him by Qingyun Martial Arts School.

Upon receiving the pill, one could immediately sense that the qi and blood energy contained within it was two parts more refined and powerful than the standard qi and blood pills distributed monthly by the Pingtian Sect.

He sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and began to refine each ingredient one by one.

With his "Heaven rewards diligence" talent fully unlocked, coupled with the significant improvement in his control over the body's Qi and blood after the Golden Bell Shield was perfected, his absorption and conversion efficiency of medicinal power reached an astonishing level.

After several days of settling, the ten high-quality Qi and Blood Pills, like ten scorching torrents, were guided in an orderly manner to the limbs and bones, merging into the muscles, bones, and skin, transforming into the purest accumulation of cultivation power.

He could clearly "see" the progress scale in his mind, representing his cultivation level in the Flesh Refining Realm, jumping upwards at an unprecedented speed!

520/1000——————550/*1000————580/1000————

When the medicinal power of the last Qi and Blood Pill was completely absorbed and refined, the progress finally stopped at -600/1000!

Mid-stage Body Refining Realm, 600 proficiency! Less than 100 points away from breaking through to the late stage (670/1000)!

"Such speed!" Even Song Jing himself was somewhat surprised. The effect of these ten high-quality Qi and Blood Pills was even better than he had expected.

Based on this efficiency estimate, if he can obtain ten more Qi and Blood Pills of similar quality, or rely on the standard monthly quota of twenty pills to cultivate diligently for one to two months, breaking through to the late stage of the Body Refining Realm is almost a certainty!

Furthermore, if resources are plentiful and one works diligently, it is not impossible to break through to the Perfection of the Flesh Refining Realm within two to three months!

And this is only with the help of the elixir.

The promise made by Qingyun Martial Arts School of a stable 20% share of black iron ore each year is of great significance.

Xuan Tie is one of the core materials for forging Blood Soldiers, and even higher-level weapons and armor, and is quite valuable.

Whether you hire someone to forge new weapons or upgrade the Crimson Starfire Spear in the future, or sell it directly for silver or contribution points, it is a very considerable and stable resource.

This opened up an additional resource channel for him, greatly alleviating the pressure on his cultivation resources.

"Strength is fundamental. With strength, you can acquire resources; with resources, you can improve your strength more quickly." Song Jing deeply understood this principle. The generous gift from Qingyun Martial Arts School was both an expression of gratitude and an investment.

He must respond to this investment with faster progress and stronger capabilities, paving a wider path for himself.

In the days that followed, Song Jing entered an even more intense state of ascetic training.

During the day, he made full use of the two hours of training time in the cultivation pavilion in the Dingzi District each day to continue challenging the afterimages with various cultivation techniques, honing his skills, especially focusing on refining "Wildfire Hundred Slashes", striving to be able to stably generate more spear shadows and increase their power.

At night, he would refine the monthly quota of twenty Qi and Blood Pills to solidify his Qi and Blood and break through the barriers of his cultivation realm.

The fame he gained from defeating Lei Zhen did not make him complacent in the slightest; on the contrary, it made him realize the gap that still existed between him and the top geniuses in the inner city.

Those people have far more resources, background, and time to cultivate than him. He must put in several times the effort to catch up with or even surpass them.

While Song Jing was diligently cultivating, the competition among the younger generation within Pingtianmen and even the entire inner city had entered a fierce stage.

The Challenge Ranking of the Skill Pavilion has become an important benchmark for measuring the potential of top geniuses.

One month later, at the very top of the leaderboard, a new record suddenly appeared, like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples everywhere:

[Category C - Qian Rushan - Main Cultivation Technique: Mountain-Splitting Axe Technique - Progress: Third Stage]

Qian Rushan was the first to break through the third level of the Cultivation Technique Pavilion!

The news spread like wildfire. The difficulty of the third trial far exceeded that of the second; those who could pass were all individuals who had reached an extremely high level of understanding of their own techniques and possessed exceptional combat adaptability.

Qian Rushan, as the champion, once again proved his terrifying talent and strength.

However, to everyone's surprise and the pressure of the other three heroes who were closely watching, the record of the mysterious anonymous person "Yi" was quietly updated the day after Qian Rushan passed the third test:

[Dingzi District · Anonymous (Signature: Yi) · Main Cultivation Technique: **★* · Progress: Third Stage]

"Yi" has also passed the third test!

Moreover, his speed was only one day slower than Qian Rushan's! This undoubtedly shows that his marksmanship has also reached an astonishing level, and his potential is by no means inferior to the Four Heroes of the Inner City!

Speculation about the true identity of "Yi" has resurfaced, with many even beginning to suspect that he might be the recently popular Song Jing.

However, it is no secret that Song Jing specializes in the Wildfire Spear Technique, and "Yi" has never been marked on the list. Moreover, Song Jing's apparent cultivation level and ranking seem to be somewhat inconsistent with the potential shown by "Yi," making the speculation even more perplexing.

Qian Rushan's breakthrough seemed to have opened the curtain. Then:

Five days later, [Zhao Yuanqing, C-rank area, main cultivation technique: Whirlwind Willow Sword, progress: third stage]

Five days later, [C-zone · Li Qingmei · Main cultivation technique: Shadow Transformation · Progress: Third stage]

Five days later, [CZ District · Sun Sihai · Main Cultivation Technique: Water-Splitting Thrust Technique · Progress: Third Stage]

The four heroes of the inner city broke through the third level in just half a month!

This demonstrated their profound knowledge and strong learning ability as top talents in the inner city.

Their rankings improved further as a result, with many entering the top fifteen and being promoted to disciples of the B-rank. They enjoyed six hours of daily cultivation time in the Cultivation Pavilion, further enhancing their resources and cultivation efficiency.

Qian Rushan, who was the first to break through, relied on the gains from the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion and his own hard work to break through the realm soon after, entering the late stage of the Flesh Refining Realm!

As his cultivation level soared, he exerted his strength once again in the ranking battle at the end of the month, and his ranking jumped from the top of the B-rank zone to twelfth place, just one step away from the top ten!

Not to be outdone, Zhao Yuanqing, Li Qingmei, and Sun Sihai also made progress in their cultivation and successfully completed their challenges one after another, rising to the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth places respectively. They also entered the B-rank zone, forming the top echelon of the younger generation in the inner city with Qian Rushan, firmly holding four of the top fifteen spots, namely the twelfth to fifteenth.

The competition between them has become increasingly fierce, with each side vying for dominance and pushing the other to constantly break through.

Inside Pingtian Gate, a turbulent atmosphere prevailed as geniuses vied for supremacy, creating a lively scene.

Everyone could sense that an even stronger storm of competition was brewing.

The top ten will be fiercely challenged by these new generation of top geniuses. Those veteran powerhouses who have been accumulating experience for a longer time and whose strength may have reached the perfection of the Flesh Refining Realm or even touched the Bone Forging Realm will be the ones to compete.

Just as the Four Heroes of the Inner City were making great strides and attracting the attention of most people, Song Jing, who had been consolidating his cultivation at the peak of the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm and whose combat power had improved after a month of reflection and arduous training, finally decided to make his move.

Now, it just so happens that it's nearing the end of the month.

On the day of the end-of-month ranking battle, the central arena area of ​​the Pingtianmen T-zone was bustling with noise, and the atmosphere was far more intense than ever before.