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

Xu Qing had just settled on the plum blossom stake when he heard laughter coming from the courtyard gate.

Wu Mingyuan and Tao Qing arrived. They weren't staying at the martial arts school. The other senior brothers from the outer courtyard, who were skilled in martial arts, also didn't stay there often; they each had their own official posts and places to go.

Wu Mingyuan was still the same as always, dressed in a moon-white outfit with a dark belt around his waist, walking with ease.

Xu Qing seemed to have forgotten his previous embarrassment, and he and Zhou Wen rushed to greet him, both of them with smiles on their faces.

"Senior Brother Wu! You're here!" Zhou Wen approached, his tone slightly ingratiating. "I have something to tell you. Xu Qingming has reached the Mingjin realm! He broke through this very morning, achieving Mingjin in just twenty days!"

His tone sounded like he was praising Xu Qing, but the light in his eyes clearly showed he was waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Wu Mingyuan didn't stop walking, nor did he lift his eyelids; he only hummed in response through his nose.

"It's just Ming Jin," Tao Qing chimed in lazily. "What's the difference between twenty days and two hundred days? In the end, it's all Ming Jin. No matter how fast you climb, the road is only so long."

Another senior brother surnamed Cao chimed in, "Senior Sister Tao is right. What's the use of speed? You have to go far. With his mediocre physique, his Ming Jin (manifest strength) is already at its limit. What are we even comparing ourselves to him for?"

Zhou Wen nodded hurriedly, his head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, I was just saying it offhand. Senior Brother Wu, Senior Sister Tao, Senior Brother Cao, please don't take it to heart."

When Wu Mingyuan walked past Xu Qing, he didn't even glance at her, as if the person standing there wasn't a person, but a wooden stake, a stone, something not worth looking at.

He is Ming Jin, Tao Qing is Ming Jin, and the other two are too. They have been for a long time.

To them, someone with average to below-average physical constitution breaking through to the Ming Jin level was nothing more than an ant climbing a staircase. There was no way to go any further. It seemed likely that the martial arts school would stop providing Xu Qing with meat and medicinal supplements in just a few days.

A country bumpkin who can only dabble around in Mingjin at best isn't worth their attention. From now on, the gap between them will only widen, until Xu Qing can't even see their backs anymore.

Xu Qing stood on the plum blossom stakes, not looking at them. He felt no anger, no resentment, not even a ripple of emotion.

He didn't care what they said or how they looked at him. He had his own path to walk. Those people's gazes weren't even worth mentioning the mud beneath his feet.

......

The moon was beautiful that night.

The frost on the training ground reflected the moonlight, shining brightly, as if someone had spread a layer of broken silver on the ground.

Xu Qing went out to practice boxing and stance training as usual. These days he had developed a habit of practicing during the day and at night, not stopping until he was completely exhausted.

Suddenly, he felt a gaze upon him.

It wasn't malicious, but rather... a gaze. Very light, very quiet, like a leaf falling on the water's surface, silent, yet its presence could be felt.

After breaking through to the Ming Jin level, his five senses were greatly enhanced.

The courtyard was eerily quiet that night, and though the gaze was faint, he felt it clearly. Someone was watching him from the direction of the inner courtyard entrance.

Xu Qing didn't turn around. He set up his stance and began practicing his punches. As he punched, he glanced in that direction out of the corner of his eye.

In the moonlight, in the shadows of the inner courtyard entrance, stood a person. His left leg was slightly lame, and his body was slightly tilted, yet he stood upright, like a tree that had been bent by the wind but had not fallen.

Ning Yun, Senior Brother Ning!

Xu Qing paused slightly, then continued hitting. But something seemed to gently bump into her heart.

This was probably not the first time Ning Yun had watched him box late at night. During his late-night extra training, he had long sensed someone watching him from the shadows. He looked, he glanced, but found nothing; he was all alone in the dark courtyard.

He thought it was just his imagination and didn't pay any attention to it.

He saw it today.

Did Ning Yun deliberately not dodge? Or did he simply not have time to dodge?

He suddenly remembered the way Ning Yun looked at him in the inner courtyard during the day... gentle, with a touch of emotion and a touch of relief.

He recalled what Chen Wang had said. Senior Brother Ning Yun had excellent physique and high comprehension back then, and entered the realm of internal strength in less than half a year. Later, when he participated in the martial arts training, his Achilles tendon was broken. He did not blame his master or anyone else. He just stayed quietly in the martial arts school, serving tea and water to his master.

Xu Qing's eyes suddenly widened. He had just thought of something else. Had Ning Yun seen him climb over the wall to kill Chen Jiang that night?

That night, when he climbed over the wall to get out, he felt that it was quiet all around and there was no one there.

But his senses weren't as strong back then as they are now. Maybe... Ning Yun was in some corner, watching him climb over the wall, following him, watching him kill, watching him come back, and then pretending not to know anything.

The martial arts school never asked him about it. Neither his master, nor Chen Wang, nor anyone else. It was as if the incident had never happened.

Did Ning Yun keep it from him? Or did his master know but choose to remain silent?

Xu Qing shook her head, trying to clear the jumbled thoughts from her mind.

Whether Ning Yun knew or not, whether his master knew or not, they chose to remain silent and protect him. He remembered this kindness.

He withdrew his fist and exhaled a long breath. Then, he turned around and bowed respectfully towards the entrance of the inner courtyard.

Under the moonlight, the limping figure paused slightly, as if he hadn't expected him to turn around. He remained silent for a moment, then two, before slowly and solemnly cupping his hands in a respectful gesture.

Then, the figure turned and disappeared into the shadows. Its left leg limped, and its footsteps were very light, as if afraid to disturb the quiet of the night.

Xu Qing lowered his hand, turned around, and continued practicing his boxing.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The sound of punches echoed in the night, each one heavier and more steady than the last.

.....

The next morning, Xu Qing, carrying Zhao Yan's handwritten letter, rushed to the county government office.

The county government office is located in the east of the city, with blue bricks and gray tiles. The two stone lions at the entrance are baring their teeth and are even larger than the pair at the entrance of the martial arts school.

Xu Qing waited at the door for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before being led inside.

After passing through a screen wall and turning past two rows of side rooms, the yamen runner leading the way stopped in front of a room and knocked on the door: "Boss, the people from the Zhao Family Martial Arts School have arrived."

"Come in," a hoarse voice came from inside.

Xu Qing pushed open the door and went in.

The room was small, with several benches against the wall and a square table in the center. Several books were spread out on the table, and a pot of tea and a rough porcelain teacup were placed next to it.

A man in his thirties or forties sat behind the table. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and downturned lips. He wore a worn-out black robe and had a copper plaque hanging from his waist.

This man is Officer Qi.

Officer Qi was looking down at something when he heard footsteps. He looked up and sized Xu Qing up and down. His gaze wasn't intense, but it carried a scrutinizing quality, like someone buying cattle or horses at a market examining their teeth.

"Where is Master Zhao's letter?"

Xu Qing took the letter out of his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

Officer Qi took the letter, opened it, and scanned it, but his expression grew increasingly strange.

He put the letter down, tapped his fingers twice on the table, then picked up two other letters from the table and looked at them, his brows furrowing into a knot.

"Sit down." He gestured to the bench opposite him, his tone more polite than before, but there was a hint of reluctance in that politeness.

Xu Qing sat down, waiting for him to speak.

Officer Qi picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down, rubbing his hands together as if pondering how to begin. His hands were large, with strong knuckles, clearly those of a seasoned veteran.

Finally, he sighed and pushed the other two letters in front of Xu Qing: "Take a look at these."

Xu Qing looked down—

Two letters, two signatures: Liu Zhengfeng and Yu Tai.

He had heard these two names from Chen Wang. Liu Zhengfeng was the head of Changfeng Martial Arts School, while Yu Tai was in charge of Benlei Martial Arts School.

Chen Wang also mentioned that Yu Tai, the owner of Benlei Martial Arts School, was his master's mortal enemy.

Not the kind of mortal enemies who nod to each other in person but stab each other in the back, but the kind of mortal enemies who wish they could devour each other alive, leaving not even the bones behind.