Breaking Limits in Martial Arts: Grinding Your Way to Becoming a Martial Saint in a Chaotic Era

Ning Yun stood quietly to the side, holding the teapot.

He put down the teapot, smiled at Zhao Yan, and said, "Master, may I say a word?"

Zhao Yan glanced at him and nodded slightly.

Ning Yun's voice was gentle yet earnest: "These past few nights, I've also watched Junior Brother Xu practice his boxing in the shadows."

Zhao Yan slightly raised his eyes.

"The way he punches..." Ning Yun paused, his gaze somewhat distant, as if looking into the far distance, "is just like my disciple back then."

"This disciple can see that he truly wants to practice and is genuinely willing to put in the effort. Moreover..."

He raised his head and looked directly at Zhao Yan: "He comes from a poor family, just like I did back then. I watched him for three days, and all he wore was a pair of faded clothes, the cuffs were all frayed. If he trains so hard, eating only the cabbage and tofu in the courtyard, he won't be able to keep up the strain for long."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly, "Master, I'm not asking you to do anything. I just... I was wondering if you could take care of him a little? Give him a decent set of training clothes and an extra meal of meat every day. It won't cost much money, but for that child, it could be the difference between whether he can continue training or not."

Zhao Yan remained silent, his gaze flickered, but he did not speak.

He doesn't care about the money.

He felt sorry for Ning Yun.

It's obvious that Ning Yun saw a reflection of himself in Xu Qing.

The boy who crawled out of the mud wore faded clothes. He would get up before dawn to practice boxing and wouldn't sleep until late at night, punching away as if he were throwing his life away.

If Ning Yun hadn't been injured, he would probably be famous throughout Qinghe County by now.

"Master," Ning Yun's voice interrupted Zhao Yan's thoughts, her tone more earnest, "Think about it. Junior Brother Xu has only been here for three days, and he has already defeated Xu Qing, who has been training for two months. Regardless of his aptitude or whether he can break through to the Inner Strength realm in the future, at least for now, his performance is definitely that of a promising martial arts talent."

He paused, then added, "If such promising talents are hindered by poor food and clothing, it won't look good for the martial arts school's reputation."

Chen Wang nodded vigorously beside him, wishing he could agree on Zhao Yan's behalf.

Zhao Yan remained silent for a long time.

His gaze fell on the old locust tree outside the courtyard, where only a few dry, yellow leaves remained, swaying precariously in the wind, ready to fall at any moment.

He finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of emotion: "Chen Wang, go and take care of it. Take some silver from the account and buy him two sets of training clothes. Also, tell the kitchen to give him an extra serving of meat every day."

Chen Wang was overjoyed and was about to agree.

Zhao Yan suddenly turned to look at Ning Yun, and seeing his most beloved and cheerful disciple with a smile on his face, his heart softened: "Alright, three meals of meat a day, and have the kitchen prepare medicine for him. Qi and Blood Powder, one bowl every seven days."

Chen Wang was stunned. Meat and clothing could be considered a form of care, but adding medicinal soup was a different story. This was a treatment that even he didn't receive.

He has to pay for his own medicine if he wants to drink it.

Chen Wang glanced at Ning Yun and immediately understood everything. Without further thought, he bowed and said, "Yes! This disciple will go and do it immediately!"

"Wait," Zhao Yan called out to him, his tone suddenly becoming stern. "Don't tell him I ordered this. Just say it's the martial arts school's rule; disciples who train diligently and progress quickly all receive this treatment. Do you understand?"

Chen Wang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood! This disciple understands!"

Zhao Yan waved his hand, and Chen Wang left excitedly, his steps even faster than when he arrived.

The master and apprentice fell silent.

The tea has gone cold.

Ning Yun poured Zhao Yan another cup of tea, handed it to him with both hands, and said softly, "Thank you, Master."

Zhao Yan took the teacup but didn't drink it; he just held it in his hand, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes.

"Ah Yun," he said in a low voice, "I'm so sorry..."

Ning Yun's fingers tightened slightly, then he laughed, a relaxed and hearty laugh: "Master, what are you saying!"

"Without you, I would still be toiling in the soil for food. If you hadn't taught me kung fu, my family wouldn't have been able to build a house or acquire land. Now my family is thriving, and my parents always remember your kindness. During festivals, they would say several times, 'Don't forget your master's kindness.'"

Seeing that Zhao Yan's eyes had become cloudy, filled with unbearable self-reproach, he exclaimed "Hey!", patted his own leg, and said in a light tone, "You mean my leg, right?"

"My leg is only slightly injured, it's not like I can't walk! Look—" He took a few steps, limping but walking steadily, "My skills are still intact, I could easily take on three or five junior brothers from the academy. Master, please rest assured, I'll take care of you in your old age, no problem!"

Zhao Yan looked at him for a long time, her eyes filled with heartache, guilt, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Finally, he looked away and slowly sipped the bitter tea.

As the autumn wind rises again, the last few withered leaves on the old locust tree outside the courtyard wall finally give way and fall down in a flurry.

"Master, there's not much water left. Let me refill your pot."

Ning Yun picked up the teapot, turned around with a smile, and after taking a few steps, she heard a very soft sigh behind her.

He neither stopped nor looked back.

His eyes burned with heat, and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times as he forcefully suppressed the surging soreness.

......

Not long after, Chen Wang found Xu Qing.

"Junior Brother Xu, these are the training clothes provided by the martial arts school. You have two sets to alternate."

Chen Wang handed over a stack of neatly folded blue outfits. The fabric was thick and the stitching was fine, much better than the faded old clothes Xu Qing was wearing.

Xu Qing was taken aback and didn't dare to answer: "Senior Brother Chen, this..."

"Stop with the formalities." Chen Wang smiled, stuffed the clothes into his arms, and patted his shoulder. "This is the rule of the martial arts school. Disciples who practice diligently and progress quickly receive this treatment. You mastered stance training in half an incense stick's time, achieved minor mastery of the Five Elements Fist in three days, and have been practicing the hardest these past few days. You deserve this treatment."

Xu Qing took the clothes, her fingers stroking the fabric, unable to describe her feelings.

The original owner of this body had never worn such decent clothes since she could remember.

"And one more thing," Chen Wang added, his tone as if he were recounting something perfectly ordinary, "From today onwards, you will have meat or fish with you for all three meals a day, as much as you want. In addition, you will receive a bowl of medicinal soup every seven days to replenish your qi and blood; someone will bring it to you then."

Xu Qing raised her head and looked at Chen Wang with a complicated expression.

He didn't quite believe that this was "the rule of the martial arts school".

These past few days he has clearly seen that none of his fellow students from the outer academy have received this treatment.

Even people like Xu Qing and Zhou Wen, whose families owned shops, had to pay for their own meat.

As for the medicinal soup, in the few days he'd been there, he'd only seen Wu Mingyuan and a few of the wealthy family's senior brothers and sisters drink it. Qin Liang had said that a bowl of medicinal soup cost one tael of silver, which ordinary people couldn't afford.

But Xu Qing didn't ask any more questions.

He simply bowed respectfully to Chen Wang and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Chen."

Chen Wang waved his hand: "Why thank me? You earned this yourself. Practice hard and don't let this opportunity go to waste..."

He paused for a moment, not saying the word "heartfelt sentiment," and instead said, "Don't let this treatment go to waste."

Xu Qing nodded.

At lunchtime, the kitchen staff indeed served him a large bowl of braised pork, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, glistening with oil, and two poached eggs on the side.

As for the others, they had rice with a large pot of stew.

"Why does Xu Qing get meat? Why are we still stuck with tofu and vermicelli?" someone muttered under their breath.

"Why? Xu Qing only stayed in the courtyard for three days and defeated Xu Qing, who had been training for two months. Can you do that? If you had that skill, you could eat meat too." Someone rolled their eyes at this person. "Hurry up and get the vegetables after you've served the rice, or there won't be any tofu or vermicelli left."

"well......"

Some people sighed, some shook their heads, and some silently sat down in a corner with their cabbage and tofu.

Everyone understands that this has always been the way of martial arts schools: the skilled eat meat, while the incompetent watch.

You may be envious, but they earned it with their fists, so what can you say?

Zhou Wen sat in the corner with his bowl in his hand. He looked at the braised pork in Xu Qing's bowl, and his teeth ached a little.

Wu Mingyuan and the other sons of wealthy families had all gone home to eat and drink before Xu Yan arrived, and Xu Qing did not return after leaving.

Zhou Wen lost his joking dining companion today.

He looked down at his cabbage and tofu and suddenly felt it was bland and tasteless, so he poked around in the bowl with his chopsticks.

He looked up at Xu Qing again, a hint of jealousy in his eyes, his gaze darting around as he pondered how to embellish the story of Xu Qing hitting Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was, after all, someone who followed Wu Mingyuan.

Xu Qing was beaten, which made Wu Mingyuan lose face.

Rich kids, on the other hand, value face the most.

"Eat up, you'll regret this later!" Zhou Wen glared at Xu Qing and casually ate a few mouthfuls of rice.