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

When Xu Qing returned to the martial arts school, it was already broad daylight.

The other disciples from the outer courtyard were stunned when they saw him walk in covered in blood. He didn't explain much, just nodded to Chen Wang, Qin Liang, and the others, and went straight into the inner courtyard.

After washing himself clean and changing his clothes, he knocked on the door of Zhao Yan's study.

Zhao Yan hadn't slept a wink all night, sitting in his study waiting. He'd heard the commotion when Xu Qing entered the inner courtyard, and as soon as the knock sounded, he said, "Come in."

"Master," Xu Qing bowed.

Zhao Yan didn't say anything, but looked him up and down. Seeing that he was unharmed and his expression was relatively calm, Zhao Yan finally relaxed after a tense night.

"It's good to be back." His voice was soft, but the relief and concern he felt were impossible to hide.

He paused, then asked, "Has anything happened on the river?"

Xu Qing did not hide anything and recounted the entire story of the bandit suppression from beginning to end.

He recounted everything, from Lin Mu deliberately directing them to the dense forest to the tampering of the signal arrow, to the water bandits' prior ambush, to Lin Cang leading his men to intercept them at the forest entrance. He only omitted the details of his own killings, saying only that he "escaped in the chaos."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan's expression changed drastically.

He wasn't the type to get angry easily. He'd been a seasoned fighter in Qinghe County for decades; what storms hadn't he weathered? But at this moment, his face was frighteningly pale, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.

"The Lin family!" Zhao Yan spat out the two words through gritted teeth, his voice low and rumbling like thunder. "They're so despicable! They dared to use the pretext of bandit suppression to set a trap to kill you!"

"Looks like they really think I'm old." The murderous intent in his eyes was almost tangible, and the teacup in his hand shattered into pieces with a "crack," splashing tea everywhere.

Xu Qing didn't speak, but just quietly looked at his master.

Zhao Yan took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, his voice icy: "This matter cannot be left like this. Someone who secretly killed my disciple must pay with their life."

He stood up, walked around the study with his hands behind his back, stopped at the window, and looked at the bare old locust tree outside the courtyard.

"I'll go to the Su residence right away and discuss this with Lord Su. We must respond. The Lin family has suffered a great loss, and they probably won't let this go easily. We need to be prepared."

Xu Qing nodded.

Zhao Yan suddenly turned around, looked at him, and his gaze sharpened: "Aqing, you said Lin Cang led men to ambush you, and you escaped in the chaos. Lin Cang is almost at the threshold of the Great Completion of Dark Force, and he also has several Ming Force experts under his command. How did you escape from them?"

Xu Qing was silent for a moment. He and Zhao Yan spent every day together, and he couldn't hide his internal strength cultivation for long, nor did he intend to hide it any longer.

He stretched out his hand and punched the air.

This punch didn't seem very powerful; there was no sound of wind breaking through the air, and no fierce punching force.

Halfway through his punch, he even slightly reduced his strength, but just as his fist reached its maximum extension, a hidden force silently burst forth. The air in front of him ripped open as if something had torn it open.

Zhao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He stared intently at Xu Qing's hand, his expression shifting from confusion to shock, and then to disbelief, changing several times in the blink of an eye.

"Hidden strength?!" His voice trembled slightly. Hidden strength meant nothing to him, but at this moment, he felt as if he had been struck on the head with a stick.

The disciple before him, whom he thought had little hope of breaking through to the Dark Force realm, the promising talent he was prepared to nurture slowly, had actually crossed that threshold.

"When did you break through to the Dark Force realm?" He stared into Xu Qing's eyes, his voice extremely low.

"I broke through to the next level at the martial arts school before the bandit suppression," Xu Qing said calmly, loosening his fist. "I haven't made a fuss about it."

Zhao Yan looked at him without saying a word for a long time.

Suddenly, he stood up abruptly, walked around the desk, and grabbed Xu Qing's wrist.

Bone palpation.

His fingers traced the contours of Xu Qing's arm upwards, inch by inch, over the ulna, radius, then the scapula, clavicle, and spine. His fingertips were rough, yet his touch was incredibly light and precise.

His brow furrowed deeper and deeper, his fingers repeatedly rubbing certain joints, as if he couldn't believe the sensations he was feeling.

After touching the right hand, I moved to the left hand; after touching the arms, I touched the shoulders and back; after touching the shoulders and back, I touched the spine.

Then he stopped, took a step back, and stared intently at Xu Qing as if he were looking at a stranger.

"No," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible, "No..."

He went forward again and examined the bones once more. This time he was slower and more meticulous, leaving no bone untouched.

Xu Qing stood there, motionless, letting his master's fingers explore his body.

After Zhao Yan finished touching it a second time, he withdrew his hand and stepped back.

He stood in front of Xu Qing, his hands trembling slightly, his eyes red-rimmed, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word.

He suddenly laughed. The laughter started softly, then grew louder and louder, until it became unrestrained laughter, making him bend over and laugh until tears streamed down his face.

"Hahaha—hahahaha—"

Laughter echoed in the study, making the paper windows vibrate. He laughed so hard he squatted down, one hand supporting himself on the table leg, the other covering his face, tears streaming through his fingers and dripping down his cheeks.

Xu Qing had never seen his master like this before.

In his memory, his master was always calm, restrained, and never showed his emotions. But at this moment, his master was laughing like a madman, trembling all over, and tears were streaming down his face.

He knew why his master did this.

Because of his physical constitution.

"Master?" Xu Qing called out.

Zhao Yan waved his hand, laughed for a while, and then slowly straightened up. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, took a few deep breaths, and finally managed to stop laughing, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

"His bones are as hard as a tiger's, and his sinews and spine are as strong as a dragon's." His voice was still trembling slightly, but every word was clear: "It is the sinews of a dragon and the bones of a tiger."

He looked at Xu Qing with an almost fanatical joy in his eyes: "Qing, you're not just of average or below-average bone structure. You have the dragon tendons and tiger bones that are rare even among the best bone structures. I made a mistake when I examined your bones the first time."

He shook his head: "No, it wasn't a mistake. It's because your physique is special. Initially, your innate talent is not apparent, your qi and blood are not yet open, and your tendons and bones are hidden. Only after breaking through to the Ming Jin level will your innate talent truly be revealed."

He reached out and patted Xu Qing hard on the shoulder. The pat was quite forceful, and Xu Qing's shoulder slumped down.

"Good. Good. Good." He said "good" three times in a row, each time more emphatically than the last. "I, Zhao Yan, have taken on disciples for half my life, and now that I'm old, God has sent me a promising talent. God has been kind to me."

Xu Qing looked at his master's still tearful eyes and smiled. He understood that Zhao Yan's tears were half for his happiness and half for his own satisfaction.

Back when his potential was still untapped and his chances of breaking through to the Dark Force realm were slim, Zhao Yan had already taken him in as a true disciple and imparted all his knowledge to him. Xu Qing always kept this kindness in his heart and never dared to forget it.

He pulled out several silver notes from his pocket and placed them on the table. The two hundred taels found on the third leader, plus the Golden Scale Society's reward, totaled three hundred taels.

"Master, I'd like you to exchange this silver for better pills." Xu Qing pushed the silver notes in front of Zhao Yan. "I need to improve my strength as soon as possible. The Lin family won't let this go, and I must become stronger before they make their next move."

Zhao Yan had calmed down. He glanced at the silver notes on the table, then at Xu Qing, and nodded: "Now that you've broken through to the Dark Force realm, the effects of the Qi and Blood Pills are indeed too weak. It's time to switch to some internal strengthening pills. Leave this to me."

He didn't intend to accept the silver notes: "Keep this silver for emergencies. Your master still has some savings. Don't worry, with your master here, your pills won't run out."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Xu Qing, and his tone turned serious: "Don't announce your breakthrough to the Dark Force realm for now. Keep some of your strength hidden, and when the time is right, you can strike unexpectedly and win in one blow."

Xu Qing certainly understood this principle.

He killed Lin Cang and his gang precisely because he concealed his true abilities.