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

At the moment of breaking through to the Ming Jin level, new words surfaced in Xu Qing's mind—

【Three Talents Stance (Minor Success): 1/200】

[Breakthrough Characteristics: Dragon Tendons and Tiger Bones, Tenfold Strength]

Breakthrough Realm Characteristics? Dragon Tendons and Tiger Bones?

Xu Qing was taken aback at first, then overjoyed.

So this is what a cheat code has!

He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and carefully sensed the changes within his body. The changes were not subtle, but earth-shattering, as if someone had taken him apart and reassembled him.

His physique is completely different from before he broke through to the next level.

In the past, when I exerted force, my tendons felt like hemp ropes; when they were taut, they would tremble, shake, ache, and hurt, and would go limp after a few pulls.

It's different now.

The tendons seemed to have been replaced, transforming from rough hemp rope into true "dragon tendons," thick, tough, elastic, and tight, like fully drawn bowstrings stretched across the bones, brimming with power.

He tried to tense his arm. He could clearly feel the tendons bulging under the skin, one after another, like little dragons crawling from his wrist all the way to his shoulder, and he couldn't break them by pulling.

He relaxed again, his muscles receded, clinging to his bones, quiet and still. The power hadn't disappeared; it had simply gone dormant.

His bones also underwent a dramatic transformation.

He had heard old fishermen say that the shells of old sea turtles were so hard that they couldn't be cut with a knife. Now he felt that his bones were even harder than an old turtle's shell, as if they had been doused with molten iron, heavy and solid.

He tried tapping his shinbone with his fist. There were two "thump" sounds, like hitting a block of iron. His bones didn't hurt, but his hand was a little numb.

He knocked again, and it was the same sound—deep, muffled, without a trace of weakness.

Its sinews are like those of a dragon, and its bones are like those of a tiger.

Real dragon tendons and tiger bones!

What does "tenfold strength" mean?

His gaze sharpened, and he threw another punch at the air. A powerful, devastating punch.

"Snapped!"

The fist struck with a loud thud, creating a visible ripple in the morning mist.

Immediately afterwards, he felt a strange tremor return from his fist. The force did not dissipate, but began to accumulate.

One layer, two layers, three layers... and then a continuous stream of punches followed, like waves crashing one on top of another, each layer pushing the next higher and higher, more and more fierce, until finally converging into a towering giant wave.

One punch felt like ten!

No, it wasn't ten punches. It was a single punch containing the combined force of ten punches!

Xu Qing's hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.

Does this mean that I have gained ten times more combat power out of thin air?

He threw another punch!

"Snapped!"

The wind from the punch roared, louder and crisper than the first punch, with an inexhaustible force!

Xu Qing wanted to laugh.

Today! At this very moment!

He finally had some ability to protect himself.

Xu Qing took a deep breath and suppressed the restlessness in her heart.

not enough!

He still needs to train! He needs to train until he develops internal strength, until he develops neutral strength, until no one can bully his family anymore, until he can stand up straight and live upright!

When Xu Qing broke through to the Ming Jin level, his joints cracked like firecrackers, and the sound carried far, attracting the attention of his fellow disciples from the outer courtyard.

"Junior Brother Xu?!" Chen Wang's voice came from the crowd, tinged with disbelief, "You...you've broken through? Ming Jin?"

Xu Qing smiled and nodded.

Chen Wang's mouth was wide open enough to fit an egg.

He stared at Xu Qing, lost in thought.

Breaking through to the Ming Jin level in twenty days! This speed is unparalleled, not only in the martial arts school but also in Qinghe County! It's ten days faster than Senior Brother Ning Yun back then, and five days faster than Chu Sheng, who was rumored to have injured his master and entered the sect earlier!

In fact, with sufficient dietary and medicinal supplements, Xu Qing could have broken through to the Ming Jin level even faster.

Ordinary meat and the Qi and Blood Soup consumed once every seven days were no longer sufficient to meet his training needs. It was like using a small spoon to scoop water and water a parched field—it was useful, but far too slow.

Of the dozen or so taels of silver he obtained, he returned three taels to his aunt's family, gave three taels to his own family, and secretly used the rest to buy two Qi and Blood Pills.

Without those two Qi and Blood Pills as a backup, he estimated it would have taken him several more days to break through to the Ming Jin level.

Chen Wang suddenly snapped out of his daze. The other fellow disciples also realized what was happening. The training ground erupted in a flurry of chatter, buzzing like a swarm of wasps.

"Twenty days to develop Ming Jin... Really? Is he even of average to below-average talent?!"

"Of course! How could the bones that Master examined be wrong?"

"His twenty days of Ming Jin... even those with superior physical constitutions couldn't achieve that, could they?"

"What do you know? The senior brothers in the inner courtyard said that his physique is special and suits our martial arts school's stance training and fist techniques, which is why he has made such rapid progress. However, he will soon reveal his true colors... Special physiques only have so much potential; once it's used up, it's gone."

"That's true. What's the use of being fast? You have to go far. With his average to low aptitude, his Ming Jin (明劲) is at its limit; he can't take another step forward."

"Exactly. My physical constitution is better than his. Although I'm slower now, I can reach the level of internal strength. Can he? He doesn't even know which way the door to internal strength opens."

"Flowing water doesn't compete to be first, it competes to flow endlessly. While we can still flow, it will soon dry up. No matter how well you dig, if there's no water at the bottom, it's all for nothing."

Some shook their heads, some sighed, some wore mocking expressions, and some wore relieved smiles.

Xu Qing ran too fast, so fast that it made them panic, but they knew he couldn't go far, so their hearts naturally settled down.

......

"Junior Brother Xu, congratulations!" Qin Liang's face lit up with a smile.

Sun Ping also sincerely said "Congratulations," his voice not loud, but very sincere.

Sun Ping and Xu Qing both came from Blackwater Bay. They had known each other for a long time, but they weren't close.

After arriving at the martial arts school, Sun Ping's bones were examined by his master, and he was found to have above-average aptitude.

Judging solely from his physical attributes, he has a better chance of breaking through to the Dark Force realm than Xu Qing.

However, after hearing about Xu Qing's "fitting the martial arts school's stance training and boxing style," he didn't ridicule Xu Qing like his other fellow disciples. Instead, like Qin Liang, he believed Xu Qing was capable. At least, no one in the academy could catch up to Xu Qing's current level.

These days, he spends all his time with Xu Qing and Qin Liang, practicing stances and boxing together, eating together, and eventually even moving into Xu Qing and Qin Liang's house.

Xu Qing smiled and glanced at the two of them, then nodded.

Then he turned around and continued practicing his stance and boxing.

In the shadows at the entrance to the inner courtyard.

Ning Yun smiled, her eyes filled with surprise, joy, and a hint of...relief. It was as if she were seeing a sapling she had watered finally sprout its first branch.

He turned and went back into the house, his steps lighter than usual. His left leg was still lame, but the rhythm of his limp carried a rare sense of ease.

......

As dawn broke, Chen Wang guessed that his master had already woken up, straightened his clothes, and went into the inner courtyard.

Zhao Yan was sitting in a grand chair drinking tea, with Ning Yun beside him.

"Master," Chen Wang bowed respectfully, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement, "Junior Brother Xu Qing has reached the Ming Jin realm! He broke through this morning! Only twenty days, and he's already at the Ming Jin realm! Master, what do you mean by this..."

Zhao Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and showed no expression on his face.

"Understood. Have him come over."

Chen Wang opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back, bowed, and retreated. As he reached the door, he glanced back. His master was still in the same posture, holding a teacup, his gaze fixed on the table, lost in thought.

Ning Yun refilled Zhao Yan's teacup and said with a smile, "Master, what do you think?"

Before Chen Wang arrived, he had already told him about Xu Qingming's situation. When he spoke, his voice was very calm, as if he were talking about something he had long expected, but the light in his eyes could not be hidden.

"Twenty days, even faster than I expected." Zhao Yan's eyes flickered. "The little bit of meat and blood-nourishing soup in the courtyard is useful, but not much. He relied on his own abilities."

Ning Yun understood what Zhao Yan meant; he was referring to Xu Qing's special physique.

He smiled, his voice gentle yet earnest: "Master, you can't say that. Without the meat and medicinal soup you provided, Junior Brother Xu wouldn't have been able to withstand that kind of training. He has a weak foundation and a frail body; he can't sustain that kind of ruthlessness for more than a few days."

He paused, as if carefully choosing his words, and then slowly said, "The bowl of meat and the bowl of medicine you gave him pulled him back from the brink of disaster. Without you, it's hard to say whether he could have continued practicing."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Master, what are your plans next?"

He spoke softly, his eyes filled with anticipation, as if he already knew the answer and was waiting for his master to say it.

Zhao Yan remained silent for a while.

My fingers tapped lightly on the table, once, once, and again.

He knew in his heart that Xu Qing's progress was so fast because of his special physique and excellent comprehension.

However, the potential of a special physique is limited. Once you reach the level of Ming Jin (manifested strength), that strength is almost exhausted. The threshold of An Jin (hidden strength) is very, very difficult to cross through comprehension and physique alone.

It's like a key that can open the first lock but not the second. It's not that the key is faulty, but that the lock cylinder has changed.

He picked up the teacup, then put it down again.

He had thought about this question long ago: After Xu Qing broke through to the Ming Jin level, should he continue to supplement his diet with medicine and meat?

With his average to below-average physique, he's at most at the level of Ming Jin (manifested strength), and the hope of breaking through to An Jin (his inner strength) is slim. Giving him more meat and medicine would just be a waste of money. After all, a martial arts school isn't a charity; he doesn't open a school to take on students by throwing money down the street.

He looked up and glanced at Ning Yun.

Ning Yun stood there quietly, his left leg slightly limping, holding a teapot in his hand, from which wisps of white steam rose. He didn't speak, but Zhao Yan knew what he was thinking.

Zhao Yan recalled what Ning Yun had told him—the whole story of how Xu Qing killed Chen Jiang. Ning Yun had said that his junior brother Xu was a person who valued relationships and knew how to be grateful.

Earlier, when he was teaching stance training, he immediately noticed Xu Qing's condition upon returning home. The child had seen blood. Not the blood of someone killing a fish, but the blood of someone killing someone. His eyes were different, his spirit was different, and his whole being was like iron that had been tempered in fire—hardened, heavy, no longer the soft, limp piece of raw iron it once was.

His disciple was loyal and grateful, but also ruthless.

Being ruthless isn't necessarily a bad thing. Back then, he wasn't ruthless enough and spared Chu Sheng, which led to what happened later. That punch, though the injury healed long ago, still hurt for ten years, like a thorn stuck in his flesh that he couldn't pull out.

Zhao Yan sighed softly, so softly that Ning Yun almost didn't hear it.

"Keep giving it to him," he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "Meat and medicine, as usual."

Ning Yun's eyes lit up.

Zhao Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip of the now-cold tea, and said nothing more.

Outside the courtyard wall, the old locust tree had long since lost all its leaves, its bare branches stretching towards the sky like the withered fingers of an old man. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, painting the ground with shards of gold.

When the wind blows, the broken gold pieces sway and shake, as if they were alive.