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

Xu Qing had already eaten the steamed buns and mutton that her aunt had brought, but she still felt empty in her stomach.

This bowl of glistening braised pork arrived just in time.

Qin Liang brought over a bowl, which contained rice, vegetables, a steamed bun, and two pieces of mutton, piled high on top of it.

Xu Qing gave the meat and buns covered in dirt to Qin Liang, who couldn't bear to eat them all at once and wanted to save them for later.

"Junior Brother Xu, you're getting such good treatment! You're already eating meat from the courtyard?" Qin Liang shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, and he grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

Xu Qing picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his bowl, then smiled and said, "Maybe the kitchen staff took pity on me because they saw how hard I was training."

"Come on!" Qin Liang stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth, oil droplets almost splattering from the corner of his mouth, and mumbled, "It must be Senior Brother Chen taking special care of you because you beat Xu Qing to a pulp today."

"You have no idea, that punch you threw today was so fucking satisfying! Xu Qing always acts so arrogant, but he finally got his comeuppance this time!"

Xu Qing didn't reply and kept her head down while eating.

The braised pork belly is stewed until tender and melts in your mouth, with a rich sauce. Paired with white rice, every bite is bursting with flavor.

He ate very carefully, swallowing each bite slowly.

He knew what this bowl of meat meant: it wasn't charity, it wasn't pity, it was recognition. It was recognition he had earned, punch by punch.

He quickly finished a bowl of braised pork. He felt especially full today, and his stomach felt warm, like it was filled with a small stove.

Before he could deliver the bowl, Zhang Ma from the kitchen came over carrying a large porcelain bowl. The bowl contained dark brown medicinal soup, with wisps of steam rising and a spicy, bitter aroma.

"Give me the bowl." Aunt Zhang smiled and handed over the medicinal soup, her tone filled with concern. "This is a blood-nourishing soup, it's a bit bitter, drink it while it's hot. Drink it slowly, don't choke."

"What?!"

Qin Liang was choked by the words "medicinal soup," and a grain of rice went down his trachea. He started coughing violently, his face turning red.

He didn't even bother wiping his mouth, staring wide-eyed at the porcelain bowl, his face filled with disbelief, his voice trembling: "It really is medicinal soup?!"

That shout was like throwing a stone into a calm pond.

The entire training ground fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

All eyes turned to them.

Someone stood up, craning their neck to look in Xu Qing's direction, their eyes filled with undisguised envy: "It really is! He's drinking the same thing as Senior Brother Wu and the others!"

"It smells exactly like that! There's no mistake!"

"This bowl of Qi and Blood Soup... costs at least one tael of silver..." Someone counted on their fingers, becoming more and more astonished. "Good heavens, if I drank a bowl every three days like the senior brothers in the inner courtyard, that would be ten taels of silver a month! Enough for my father to work for more than half a year!"

"They're worth the price," someone said sourly, but their tone lacked confidence. "If you could master the Five Elements Fist in three days, you could too."

"..." The man opened his mouth, but then fell silent.

Qin Liang sat next to Xu Qing, his jaw practically dropping to the floor.

He stared blankly at the bowl of medicine, then at Xu Qing, his throat tightening before he finally managed to stammer, "Junior Brother Xu... if you become successful in the future, don't forget your brother..."

Xu Qing smiled but didn't say anything. She picked up the medicine soup and brought it to her lips.

bitter.

Before even drinking it, the medicinal aroma alone entering my nasal cavity caused a bitter taste to rise on my tongue.

He took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp.

The moment the medicine entered his mouth, Xu Qing almost spat it out.

It's so bitter! It's unbearably bitter!

The bitterness was so intense, it seemed to come alive, spreading from the tip of my tongue all the way to the back, flowing down my throat, and enveloping my entire esophagus in its astringency.

It felt as if someone had stuffed a handful of bitter herbs into his mouth and then poured a bowl of water down his throat; the bitterness traveled from his mouth all the way to the top of his head.

He wanted to cough, but he held it in and forced himself to swallow the medicine.

His features were all scrunched up, his eyebrows were furrowed into a knot, and a little water even welled up in the corners of his eyes, making his whole face look distorted.

Qin Liang, watching from the side, grimaced and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

Xu Qing didn't have time to pay attention to him.

But just as the medicine went down—

A warm sensation rose from my stomach.

It felt like someone had lit a charcoal fire inside his stomach. First, his lower abdomen felt warm, and then the heat climbed up his spine, spreading all the way to his shoulders, arms, and fingertips.

Even the top of his head felt slightly warm, as if someone had applied a hot towel to it. Every pore on his body opened up, and he almost groaned from the comfort.

Xu Qing looked down at her hands. Her fingertips were slightly red, and the calluses on her palms seemed to be burning. A tingling sensation came from the skin that had been chafed during yesterday's boxing practice, as if something was repairing those tiny wounds—itchy, warm, and comfortable.

He was stunned.

Is this the power of the medicinal soup?

He had only ever heard that children from wealthy families needed to "nourish" themselves when practicing martial arts, but he never knew that "nourishment" felt like this. It wasn't the satisfaction of being well-fed and watered, but rather a power that emanated from the very core of one's being.

It was as if he had been completely recast, his whole body brimming with energy, and he couldn't wait to rush out and throw a hundred punches.

He took another sip.

This time it wasn't as tough.

Or rather, the bitterness is still there, but the warm sensation is so intense that the bitterness becomes tolerable.

The third bite, the fourth bite...

The bowl of medicinal soup was quickly emptied. Xu Qing put the bowl down and let out a long breath.

His breath carried the smell of medicine, and also a faint warmth, like the white breath exhaled in winter, lingering and dissipating in the air of the training ground.

He felt as if a small flame had been ignited in his dantian, not fierce, but long-lasting and warm, sending waves of heat to his limbs and bones.

My whole body was radiating energy, even my fingertips were warm.

Qin Liang leaned closer, staring longingly at the empty bowl, bringing his nose close to smell the lingering medicinal scent, his tone tinged with a hint of resentment: "How does it feel? Is it especially nourishing?"

Xu Qing thought for a moment, then said one word seriously: "Bitter."

Qin Liang: "..."

"But," Xu Qing looked down at his palm, slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, his eyes burning with energy, "after drinking it, I felt full of energy."

Qin Liang looked away with envy and chuckled softly, "Junior Brother Xu, the whole academy saw how you were treated today. Zhou Wen, that guy, was sitting in the corner with his bowl, poking at it with his chopsticks for ages, but he didn't eat a single bite. I felt sorry for him just watching him."

Xu Qing didn't care at all about Zhou Wen's situation or Xu Qing's situation.

What he cared about was that this bowl of medicinal soup and this bowl of meat were given to him by the martial arts school. The school had put in effort and money for him, and he couldn't let them down.

"Eat yours." Xu Qing smiled and patted Qin Liang on the shoulder, then handed the bowl to Zhang Ma, turned around and went back into the house to change into her training clothes, before striding towards the training ground.

The autumn sun shone on him, and his brand-new light blue outfit made him look even more energetic.

His back was straight and his steps were steady, like a tree that was sprouting new shoots, desperately trying to grow upwards.