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 hidden strength, new words appeared in Xu Qing's mind—

[Breakthrough Characteristics: Internal Organs Transformed into a Furnace, Internal Circulation Never Ends]

In that instant, it felt as if his internal organs were ignited. Not burned, but truly "melted": his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were no longer flesh and blood organs, but blazing furnaces.

Each heartbeat is like the bellows pumping, sending energy into the heart of the furnace. Each breath is like the furnace fire spitting out flames, refining away the impurities and preserving the pure.

His internal organs became a forging workshop for his strength.

The energy rises from the dantian. First it enters the heart furnace, acquiring the fire element, becoming scorching and sharp. Then it enters the lung furnace, acquiring the metal element, becoming sharp and enduring. It falls into the kidney furnace, acquiring the water element, becoming deep and dark. Passing through the liver furnace, it acquires the wood element, becoming inexhaustible. Finally, it returns to the spleen furnace, acquiring the earth element, becoming heavy and stable.

Once the five internal organs complete a cycle, the energy is "refined" through that process.

Each refinement brings a step towards purity, until the foundation is flawless.

The "internal organs are transformed into a furnace" has another miraculous aspect: digestion.

In the past, when people drank medicinal soup or took pills, the medicinal effects were not fully absorbed, and residual drug toxins remained in their bodies.

Now things are different. The spiritual plants and precious medicines are refined and purified by the fire of the internal organs after entering the body. The essence is extracted layer by layer, while the impurities are burned away by the furnace fire and expelled cleanly.

While others might get five parts of the same thing, he gets nine. Not only does he get more, but he gets it purer. It's like making soup: others simmer it over low heat, but he uses high heat to refine it, turning one pot of ingredients into three pots of flavor.

The "inexhausted internal circulation" also has two miraculous aspects: one is "reflection" and the other is "generation".

Xu Qing's internal organs were forged into an impenetrable furnace, allowing his internal energy to flow seamlessly from his dantian to his fists, with minimal loss. He could sustain the same amount of energy for five, ten, or even more times longer than others.

No matter how much you conserve your energy, it will eventually run out. But Xu Qing's strength seems inexhaustible.

When others' dantian is depleted, they have no choice but to give up. But it is at this moment that Xu Qing's Five Internal Organs Furnace reveals its true terrifying power.

The heart furnace blows the wind, the lung furnace exhales and inhales, the kidney furnace transforms essence, the liver furnace generates energy, and the spleen furnace transforms and circulates. With all five furnaces turning in unison, every trace of blood and flesh, every breath, and every bite of food in the body is thrown into the furnace fire to be forged and tempered, forcibly refining new strength.

For every bit of force he exerted, his internal organs would generate half a bit more. He would exert force again, and more would be generated. It wasn't creating something from nothing; it was squeezing out and refining every potential from every corner of his body. When others fought to exhaustion, they truly had nothing left. But when Xu Qing fought to exhaustion, his internal organs would slightly circulate, and he could squeeze out another surge of energy.

This doesn't mean he has inexhaustible strength, but rather that his recovery speed is ridiculously fast while his energy consumption is ridiculously low. With this imbalance, in the eyes of others, he appears to be invincible, inexhaustible, and stronger the more he fights.

If we compare the attribute "Tenfold Strength" to a mountain torrent, then the attribute "Inexhaustible Internal Circulation" is a long river. A mountain torrent rushes down, destroying everything in its path. A long river, however, flows steadily and ceaselessly.

One is about explosive power, the other about sustained power. One is about making a decisive move, the other is about persevering to the very end.

Xu Qing stretched out his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist. His knuckles didn't make any "crackling" sound; there was nothing at all, and it was unusually quiet.

But he knew that within that seemingly calm fist lay a completely different power. It wasn't simply a matter of how much stronger it was; it was a world of difference.

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. The white steam shot out straight out like a ribbon, lingering for a long time.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned up. There was no smugness, no elation, only a sense of certainty and steadfastness.

He didn't make a fuss, and he didn't tell anyone. In everyone's eyes, he was still Xu Qing, who had reached the Ming Jin realm.

This is the trump card he kept for himself.

He was ready to leave the city to suppress bandits the next day.

......

The next day, at 3:45 AM, people and horses gathered at the south gate of the county town.

Magistrate Lin Hanshan personally stepped forward, standing on the steps. His gaze swept over the dense crowd before him, and his voice boomed: "Today, the Commandant's Office and the County Government have joined forces to suppress bandits, quell the flooding of the Huanglong River, and restore peace to the people of Qinghe! Magistrate Lin—"

Lin Mu stepped out from the crowd, dressed in a silver-white outfit with a long sword at his waist, exuding a heroic and dashing air. He clasped his hands in a salute to Lin Hanshan, his voice clear and resonant: "Your subordinate is here."

"I hereby appoint you as the vanguard in this bandit suppression campaign, in charge of all matters." Lin Hanshan handed him a bronze token, his encouraging gaze carrying a profound meaning. "The river is treacherous; please be extremely careful."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Lin Mu took the bronze token, turned around, and faced two hundred soldiers and dozens of yamen runners.

His gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on Xu Qing for a fleeting moment. That glance was so quick that almost no one noticed, but Xu Qing sensed it.

Xu Qing lowered her eyes, her face expressionless.

The team set off.

Two hundred soldiers, gleaming in armor and wielding a forest of swords and spears, marched south along the official road. Dozens of constables followed behind, while Chief Constable Qi walked beside Xu Qing, quietly informing him of the situation on the river.

Lin Mu rode his horse at the front, followed closely by two middle-aged men. One was tall and thin, the other short and stocky; both were masters of internal strength.

After exiting the South Gate, it's three miles to Qinghe Wharf.

Three large ships were already moored at the dock. The one in the middle was the largest, about five or six zhang long, with its hull painted black with tung oil and a tiger's head carved on its bow, making it look majestic.

On either side was a slightly smaller boat, a warship of the Commandant's Office. Two crossbows were mounted on the bow of each boat, and the crossbow bolts were as thick as a child's arm, gleaming coldly in the morning light.

The soldiers filed onto the ship in unison, their movements precise and orderly, clearly demonstrating their training. The constables dispersed onto the three ships, with Constable Qi leading Xu Qing onto the main ship in the middle.

Lin Mu stood at the bow of the ship, hands behind his back, gazing at the distant horizon, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"sail--"

With a shout from the boatman, the three large boats slowly departed from the dock and headed south along the Qingshui River.

The banks of the Qingshui River present a bleak winter scene.

The withered reeds trembled in the cold wind, and occasionally a few water birds would be startled from the reeds, skim across the water, and disappear into the gray sky.

The river is as calm as a mirror, reflecting the bare shadows of the trees on both banks, creating a landscape painting in light ink wash style.

Xu Qing stood on the ship's railing, watching the scenery on the shore recede little by little, his expression unchanged, his heart undisturbed.

After the boat had been traveling for about an hour, the river gradually widened and the current became more rapid.

The reeds on both banks were gone, replaced by steep cliffs covered with withered vines and old trees, their branches flailing wildly in the wind. The air began to fill with the pungent smell of earth and mud, a stark contrast to the crisp, clean scent of the Qingshui River.

"We're almost at Huanglong River." Officer Qi walked to his side, pointed ahead, and said, "After you turn that bend, you'll reach Huanglong River."

Xu Qing looked up and saw that the river channel in front of him suddenly narrowed, with the cliffs on both sides like two huge stone gates, flanking the rushing river.

In the direction of the bow, the water color changes from clear to murky, from green to yellow, as if an invisible line separates the two completely different colors.

The moment the boat rounded the bend, Xu Qing felt the entire boat shudder violently.

It wasn't that it hit anything, but rather that the current suddenly became rapid. The gentle flow of the Qingshui River seemed as tender as a young girl compared to the Huanglong River.

The Huanglong River flows turbidly and violently, carrying silt and gravel from upstream, rushing eastward with a deep, rumbling sound.

The cliffs on both sides suddenly open up, and the view becomes wide open.

The river stretches as far as the eye can see, and at its widest point it can extend for dozens of miles. The green mountains on the opposite bank are faintly visible in the mist.

Three large ships on the Huanglong River appeared as small as three leaves.

Xu Qing tightened his grip on the gunwale.

This is the Huanglong River.

The river flows for three thousand miles, never ceasing for ten thousand years.