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

The moment Chen Wang was knocked off the stage, Xu Qing had already run over.

Chen Wang lay on the ground, his face deathly pale, his lips devoid of any color.

He clutched his chest, gasping for breath, his breathing like a bellows. There was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, not much, but glaringly obvious.

Xu Qing squatted down, his hand halfway outstretched, then stopped. He didn't know where to touch, afraid of touching the injured area, afraid of hurting Chen Wang.

A flicker of self-reproach crossed his eyes. He regretted not stopping Chen Wang. When Chen Wang tugged at his sleeve, he should have just said "I'll go" instead of hesitating for that second. In that one second, Chen Wang went on stage and took that punch.

Ning Yun also came over.

He squatted down on the other side of Chen Wang, gently pressed his fingers on Chen Wang's chest, and checked his pulse. His movements were very light.

He closed his eyes and sensed the pulse for a few moments, then opened them and breathed a sigh of relief. Although the pulse was erratic, it was deep and strong, with a firm foundation. The bones weren't broken, and the internal organs should be mostly unharmed.

Ning Yun nodded slightly to Xu Qing: "The injury isn't serious, don't worry."

Chen Wang coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I...I'm fine. Junior Brother Xu, don't go, you can't beat him..."

Xu Qing didn't say anything, but helped the person up.

He glanced at Xue Guang, the constable maintaining order. Xue Guang understood and turned to fetch a bench from a side room. The two helped Chen Wang sit down.

Xu Qing released his grip and stood up straight. His face remained expressionless. He ignored Chen Wang and Ning Yun's attempts to dissuade him, simply turning and walking step by step towards the platform.

The laughter from upstairs and downstairs continued.

The sounds buzzed around like flies, coming from all directions; some were sharp, some were low, some were laughing, and some were barbed.

"Does the Zhao Family Martial Arts School still have anyone capable of fighting? Two people went up, and each one was weaker than the last. The Zhao Family Martial Arts School really has no one left!"

"Who is this person? He looks unfamiliar."

"Who cares who he is? Anyone who can take a punch and not fall down is impressive. The Zhao Family Martial Arts School is probably doomed today."

......

At the main table on the second floor, Lu Chuan held a teacup and his gaze fell on Xu Qing. His gaze shifted slightly, not out of surprise, but more like... a re-examination.

County Magistrate Lin Hanshan noticed Lu Chuan's change. He glanced at Xu Qing, finding him unfamiliar, frowned, and turned to look at Yu Tai to the left.

Yu Tai quickly leaned closer, lowered his voice, and spoke rapidly: "Sir, this man is called Xu Qing, Zhao Yan's newly accepted personal disciple."

He knew everything about his mortal enemy, and leaned forward even further, lowering his voice even more: "Zhao Yan told everyone that he had mediocre talent, yet he took him in as his personal disciple. Clearly, he's trying to cover it up."

He curled his lip and said, "Zhao Yan got incredibly lucky, he found a promising talent. This Xu Qing broke through to the Ming Jin level in just twenty days."

Lin Hanshan's eyes widened slightly. Yu Tai quickly added, "Don't worry, sir. Even if he's a promising talent, his training time will be very short."

"It's been a little over two months at most. He's at most at the minor stage of Ming Jin now." Yu Tai lowered his voice again, so low that only the county magistrate could hear him. "He has some talent, but if he can't develop it, he's nothing. I've already instructed my disciples—"

He didn't finish speaking, but Lin Hanshan already understood.

Lin Hanshan's brows relaxed. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and glanced meaningfully at Zhao Yan over the rim of the cup.

In that glance, there was a hint of schadenfreude, a touch of condescending pity, and a hint of anticipation for a good show.

When Zhao Yan saw Xu Qing walking onto the stage, his eyes widened suddenly. He opened his mouth as if to tell Xu Qing to stop, but the word "stop" was already on the tip of his tongue.

But Xu Qing suddenly turned around at that moment.

The two stood several meters apart, separated by the noise and clamor of the crowd, their eyes meeting.

Zhao Yan saw Xu Qing's eyes. There was no bravado, no panic, no stubbornness of "I know I can't win, but I'll just have to put up with it."

What he saw was confidence and certainty.

Zhao Yan swallowed his words.

He didn't think Xu Qing would win. The gap between a minor Ming Jin master and a fully developed Ming Jin master was obvious, but Xu Qing's eyes at this moment made him feel at ease.

He chose to believe Xu Qing.

The young noblemen at the table on the second floor started laughing again: "Is there no one left at the Zhao Family Martial Arts School? This guy's name is Xu Qing, right? I heard he has below-average talent."

"What? They've sent all the martial arts practitioners with average to below-average talent? Is the Zhao Family Martial Arts School really out of options? Or have they just given up entirely?"

"I've heard of this Xu Qing. His physique is compatible with the Five Elements Fist; he reached the Ming Jin level in just twenty days. However—"

The other person laughed and immediately added, "However, he has only been practicing martial arts for a little over two months. Even if he is a true genius, at most he can only achieve the minor mastery of the Ming Jin skill."

"A Ming Jin Lesser Completion level versus a Ming Jin Perfection level? I do admire his courage. His courage is commendable, but I wonder if he can bear the consequences."

"Brother Li, Li Chong is from the second branch of your Li family, right? Li Chong has won two matches in a row, which has brought great honor to your Li family."

"Hey everyone, wanna bet? I bet Xu Qing can't take one punch from Li Chong!"

"I bet he can't even take one punch! Brother Li, your cousin is going to win three in a row! Your Li family has really stolen the show today!"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Another burst of laughter erupted.

The Su family members all looked rather grim.

Su Mingkong frowned, Su Changhe gulped down a mouthful of tea, Shen Zhao sighed, and Wu Mingyu shook his head...

Ning Yun's face paled slightly. Although Xu Qing gave him a reassuring look, he was still worried. Chen Wang was also anxious.

However, Wu Mingyuan, who was standing next to them, finally looked a little better.

Ever since he was knocked off the stage, his face had been bruised and purple, as if someone had stepped on it. He lost face, Chen Wang lost face, and now it was finally Xu Qing's turn.

Wu Mingyuan's lips curled up slightly, his smile impossible to hide.

......

Xu Qing stood on the stage, looked at Li Chong, and calmly said, "Zhao Family Martial Arts School, Xu Qing, please."

When Li Chong saw that the person who came on stage was Xu Qing, he narrowed his eyes. He didn't rush to make a move, but instead looked Xu Qing up and down.

He had heard of Xu Qing before; some time ago, when Xu Qing was temporarily assigned to a government post, he had injured Deng Yue from their martial arts school with a single punch.

Deng Yue not only failed to obtain the temporary post, but also disgraced the Benlei Martial Arts School.

This incident enraged Yu Tai, who then spent considerable time investigating Xu Qing's background.

A lowly fisherman from Blackwater Bay. He broke through to the Ming Jin level in twenty days and was taken in as a personal disciple by Zhao Yan. The Zhao family martial arts school publicly stated that he had below-average physical constitution, but Yu Tai speculated that he had excellent physical constitution.

Li Chong thought to himself: If Xu Qing had practiced martial arts for as long as he had, he would really be a little afraid of him. But reality doesn't allow for "what ifs"! Li Chong had practiced martial arts for a full year and had achieved perfect Ming Jin (a level of internal strength).

How long has Xu Qingcai been practicing martial arts? A little over two months, at most he has reached the minor mastery of Ming Jin.

Today, he's going to shatter the Zhao Family Martial Arts School's reputation in front of everyone. He'll let everyone know that Zhao Yan's so-called personal disciple isn't some hidden genius, but a useless piece of trash.

The thought of personally crippling a genius who never reached his full potential is incredibly appealing.

Li Chong's lips curled up, his eyes filled with contempt, smugness, and a hint of cruelty: "You're Xu Qing? I thought that old geezer would treasure you and keep you hidden away. After all these years, he still hasn't learned his lesson!"

Xu Qing's gaze turned cold. Originally, he only intended to teach Li Chong a lesson.

Now, he has changed his mind.

"Today! I'm going to show everyone clearly—" Li Chong deliberately raised his voice so that everyone below the stage and upstairs could hear, "You Zhao Family Martial Arts School disciples are all trash!"

Before he finished speaking, he moved. With a sudden stomp of his foot, the pine planks on the platform cracked with a "crack," sending wood chips flying. He moved like a tiger descending a mountain, unleashing a thunderous punch straight at Xu Qing's face.

He used all his strength in that punch.

The force of the punches was so strong it seemed to tear the air apart.

He didn't want to win; he wanted to cripple Xu Qing! Break his nose, shatter his cheekbones, make him unable to get up from the stage, and make the Zhao Family Martial Arts School lose face in front of everyone.

Xu Qing did not move.

His gaze fell on Li Chong's fist, watching it grow larger and closer in his field of vision.

He could even see the veins on his fist, the calluses on his knuckles, and the two characters "Ben Lei" embroidered in silver thread on his sleeve.

He moved.

That was also a punch.

It was a very ordinary Bengquan (a type of punch), without any fancy moves or variations, exactly the same as the first move he learned at the martial arts school.

But this punch contains ten layers of force.

His fist struck later, but it arrived first.

The moment the two fists collided, a muffled sound was produced. It wasn't a crisp "snap," but a "crack," as if something had broken.

Li Chong's fist felt like it had hit an iron wall. First, he felt a sharp pain coming from his finger bones, then his metacarpals, wrist bones, ulna, radius... one force after another crashed down on him, like ten waves, crushing his entire arm from his fingertips to his shoulder, piece by piece.

It's not broken, it's shattered.

His arm hung limply like a broken tree branch. A sharp crack came from his shoulder blade, and he was thrown over by the force, flipped in the air, slammed heavily onto the stage, bounced, slid three or four feet away, and fell off the stage!

Li Chong lay on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, his right arm twisted at an impossible angle. He opened his mouth, trying to shout, but no sound came out; only a series of muffled "hoarse" sounds escaped his throat.

The training ground was deathly silent!