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

At 3:45 AM, Magistrate Lin Hanshan's sedan chair arrived.

A large sedan chair carried by eight men, with blue cloth curtains, was pulled open, and Lin Hanshan, dressed in a dark green official robe and with a silver fish-shaped pouch at his waist, stepped out of the sedan chair.

He had fair skin, three long strands of beard, and a smiling face, looking very amiable.

Lin Hanshan glanced at the crowd of onlookers and, guided by his attendants, walked up to a viewing platform on the east side of the dock, where a grand chair and a tea table had already been set up.

Immediately afterward, the sedan chair of County Magistrate Su Zhengyuan arrived.

Su Zhengyuan was dressed in a navy blue casual suit. He was somewhat thin and had a faint smile on his face. He bowed slightly to the crowd and, guided by his attendants, went up to the viewing platform.

Su Zhengyuan sat to the side of Lin Hanshan, his imposing presence in no way diminished.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, like two knives silently exchanging blows, before they looked away.

The viewing platform gradually filled with people.

The heads and members of the six major families—Lin, Su, Meng, Shen, Wu, and Li—sat on either side. Some had solemn expressions, some were chatting and laughing, some had their eyes closed to rest, and some were looking around.

Yu Tai from Benlei Martial Arts School sat not far behind Lin Hanshan, his face expressionless, but his eyes kept scanning the crowd, as if looking for someone.

Master Miao of the Jingtao Martial Arts School sat next to Su Zhengyuan, whispering something.

Before long, Commandant Lu Chuan also arrived.

He did not ride in a sedan chair, but instead rode a tall horse, dressed in a silver-white military officer's robe with a long sword at his waist. As he passed through the crowd, the people automatically made way for him.

He dismounted, tossed the reins to his personal guard, and strode onto the reviewing stand. The empty seat between Lin Hanshan and Su Zhengyuan was reserved for him.

He sat imposingly in the main seat, accepted the tea offered by the servants, and slowly sipped it, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over the two groups of people, looking on with anticipation of a good show.

"Commander Lu is here too?" someone whispered in the crowd.

"How could he not come to such a big event? If the Wu and Li families really fight to the death, what will happen to the goods at the dock? What will happen to the canal transport? The Commandant's Office is in charge of the defense of Qinghe County. If something happens at the dock, he will be held responsible."

"I think he's just here to watch the show."

"Shhh-keep it down."

At 9:00 AM, the sun had risen high in the sky, and the spring breeze made the red silk on the high platform flutter.

The dense crowd below the stage was like a pot of boiling porridge, pushing and shoving. No one could see what was happening in front of them; they could only smell the cooking fumes wafting from the vendors' stalls and hear snippets of conversation coming from the front.

Suddenly, the crowd began to stir.

"Here it comes!"

"Who's here?"

"Who else could it be! The guy who's fighting!"

The crowd seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, and Wu Boxian, the second son of the Wu family, led the way, squeezing into the dock from the east.

Wu Boxian was in his early forties, with a dignified appearance, a short beard, and wore a dark blue brocade robe. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, but steady and dignified.

Behind him followed four or five members of the Wu family, each with their chests puffed out and heads held high, their faces showing an expression of determination.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 10 ...

They were surrounding a man. The man was burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. He was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit with tightly tucked cuffs. He walked with a powerful and steady gait.

"That...that's Yuan Haishan!" On the viewing platform, the second branch of the Meng family suddenly stood up, their eyes wide. "Yuan Haishan, who ranked fifth in the martial arts examination ten years ago!"

The sound was quite loud; those nearby in the audience heard it, and an uproar ensued.

"Yuan Haishan? That Yuan Haishan from the Jingtao Martial Arts School?"

"That's right! Back in the martial arts examination, his 'Surging Wave Palm Technique' defeated countless opponents. Later, he went to the prefectural city and I heard he's been honing his skills ever since, preparing to break through to the Transformation Realm! Why did the Wu family invite him here?"

"The Wu family has really gone all out this time!"

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Wu Boxian smiled slightly, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the two viewing platforms, and then stepped aside, giving the spotlight to Yuan Haishan.

Yuan Haishan walked up to the high platform, clasped his hands in front of the east and west sides, and then stood in the center of the platform, closing his eyes to rest. His breathing was long and even, his chest barely rose and fell, and his whole person was like a dormant volcano, calm on the surface, but with magma churning inside.

Before the audience could quiet down, they started to stir again.

The Li family members also arrived from the west side of the dock.

The leader of the Li family was also from the second branch, Li Dequan, who was a few years older than Wu Boxian. He had a thin face, sharp eyes, and wore a royal blue long gown. His pace was equally unhurried and composed.

Behind him followed members of the Li family, surrounding another person. That person was of medium build, neither fat nor thin, wearing a gray-white short jacket, with an ordinary face, the kind that would be easily lost in a crowd.

But this person's walking posture was different. His upper body was almost still, and only his two legs were taking turns stepping, like a walking tree with such a stable foundation that it made people feel uneasy.

"Yan Wei! That's Yan Wei!" someone exclaimed in surprise upon recognizing the newcomer.

This sound was louder and sharper than before, like someone had stepped on your tail.

The crowd erupted in a frenzy. Some people stood on tiptoe to push forward, some craned their necks to look at the stage, some gasped, and some stared wide-eyed for a long time.

"Yan Wei? Which Yan Wei?"

"You don't even know Yan Wei? He was Master Yu's top disciple back in the day! He ranked third in the martial arts exam twelve years ago! Two places higher than Yuan Haishan! I heard he later joined a sect and stayed in the outer sect for three months!"

"Sects? You mean... those high and mighty sects?"

"Nonsense! What other sect would it be? That's where the big shots, whom even the prefectural city reveres, stay! Yan Wei can stay there for three months, even if he's just an outer disciple, that's something our small sects in Qinghe County can't compare to!"

"My God... Has the Li family really stirred up a hornet's nest? They've even brought in Yan Wei?"

Li Dequan stood on the dock, listening to the exclamations from all directions, his expression unchanged, only slightly turning his head to glance in the direction of the Wu family.

Wu Boyong, the head of the Wu family, changed his expression. Wu Boxian, who had not yet taken his seat, froze with a smile. The faces of the rest of the Wu family members were not very pleasant.

On the viewing platform, Lin Hanshan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Yu Tai, who was next to him, leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Yan Wei, his eyes full of pride that "this is someone from our Benlei Martial Arts School."

Su Zhengyuan paused for a moment, holding the teacup, then took a small sip. He glanced at Master Miao beside him; Master Miao's expression was tense, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.

Lu Chuan, however, remained seated, his face still bearing that look of anticipation.

Yuan Haishan opened his eyes and looked at Yan Wei, who was walking onto the stage opposite him, with a solemn expression. Yan Wei was strong, but Yuan Haishan was not weak either. The two were not in the same year of the martial arts exam and had never fought each other. If they really faced off, it was still unknown who would win.

The two men exchanged a glance, but neither spoke. Instead, they simultaneously clasped their hands in a gesture of respect.

Officer Qi stood by the platform, looking around.

Xu Qing was not among the crowd. His gaze flickered slightly but did not linger. Finally, it landed on the two people on the stage, and he said loudly, "Fists and feet have no eyes. Today, we fight, and you shall bear the consequences of your own lives."

After a slight pause, he suddenly raised his hand: "Fist bump, begin!"