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

As Xu Qing and Zhou Wen chatted and laughed, they arrived at the gate of the martial arts school.

"Senior Brother Zhou, we've arrived at the martial arts school." Xu Qing changed the subject, exhaling a breath of alcohol and chuckling, "Is that kid Liang Hu asleep? We made arrangements with him, didn't we?"

Liang Hu was an honest and simple farmer's son.

Before Xu Qing and Zhou Wen went out for drinks, they specifically told him to listen for knocks on the door at night. They even jokingly threatened him that if he dared to go to sleep early or not open the door for them, he would be in trouble the next day.

"With his cowardly nature, he wouldn't dare to sleep even if you gave him three times the courage." Zhou Wen curled his lips and said casually, "A peasant is a peasant; if you tell him to go east, he won't dare to go west."

"You didn't see it. I just teased him by asking him to do my laundry, and he agreed without a word. He didn't dare utter a sound. If I wasn't afraid that my master would see this and punish me, I would have really treated him like a servant."

Xu Qing chuckled: "These kinds of people are just shameless. The more you order them around, the more obedient they become. The day you're polite to them, they get uncomfortable."

"That's true." Zhou Wen patted Xu Qing on the shoulder. "It's getting late. Come on, knock on the door, and go back to sleep."

The two staggered to the door, and Xu Qing raised his hand and knocked a few times.

Xu Qing heard a knock on the door. Before he could react, the door to a room in the side room of the courtyard was suddenly pushed open, and a thin boy came running out.

Xu Qing had heard Chen Wang introduce him; this man was named Liang Hu, the son of a tenant farmer.

Liang Hu didn't dare to sleep, constantly listening to the sounds outside.

Of course, he also heard clearly that Xu Qing was practicing boxing in the training ground.

Liang Hu didn't look at Xu Qing, but ran to open the door, his face showing a hint of cautious flattery: "Senior Brother Xu, Senior Brother Zhou, you're back."

"Hmm." Xu Qing glanced at him sideways, stepped inside, and said indifferently, "At least you're sensible."

Zhou Wen followed behind, and as he passed Liang Hu, he casually patted him on the head, like patting an obedient dog: "Alright, that's all for you, go to sleep."

Liang Hu shrank back, nodded meekly, and waited until the two of them went inside before quietly locking the door again.

As soon as the two entered, they spotted Xu Qing in the training ground.

Under the moonlight, Xu Qing was still practicing his boxing, each move serious and earnest. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked through and clung to his body.

Xu Qing and Zhou Wen exchanged a glance, both of them taken aback.

"Oh, still practicing?"

Zhou Wen crossed his arms and watched with interest for a while, then chuckled, "This newcomer is quite energetic. We've seen plenty of people like this. They're full of enthusiasm when they first arrive, wanting to practice for twelve hours a day. But they won't last three days before they're all worn out."

Xu Qing snorted lightly, a hint of disdain on his lips: "This poor kid has never seen the world. He thinks learning martial arts is like fishing, just a matter of brute force. Martial arts training requires a balance of tension and relaxation. If you overtrain and injure yourself, you won't even have time to cry later."

"That's right," Zhou Wen chimed in. "With his physique, he probably won't last more than a few days. Didn't you hear what Master said? He has below-average physical constitution. Training is a waste of his time."

The two of them spoke back and forth, their voices neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Xu Qing to hear.

Xu Qing seemed not to hear, not even lifting his eyelids, and continued to punch the wooden dummy seriously.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

Although his punches were still immature, each one became more and more steady.

Seeing that he was ignoring him, Xu Qing felt bored and pouted, "Let's go, talking to this kind of person is beneath us."

The two walked arm in arm towards their lodgings.

What Xu Qing and Xu Qing didn't know was that someone had been standing in the shadows at the entrance to the inner courtyard for a long time.

His name is Ning Yun.

Ning is the Ning of "Ning Zhe Bu Wan" (宁折不弯), and Yun is the Yun of "Ping Bu Qing Yun" (平步青云).

He had a slight limp in his left leg and his body was slightly tilted, but he stood very straight.

Previously, Ning Yun had overheard Chen Wang and his master's conversation in the inner courtyard.

He noticed the movement when Xu Qing threw his first punch at night.

Looking at this young, unfamiliar face from afar, Ning Yun knew who this person was without needing any introduction. This was the person his master had described as having below-average talent but exceptional comprehension.

Looking at the boy practicing his punches in the courtyard, he felt as if he were seeing himself from a few years ago.

He was like that back then too, getting up to practice before dawn and refusing to sleep until late at night.

Even after his fists were smashed to pieces, he wrapped them in cloth and continued punching.

My legs were swollen from standing, but I gritted my teeth and stood for another incense stick's time.

He had excellent physical constitution, high comprehension, was willing to put in the effort, and had his master's guidance. In just half a year, he entered the realm of internal strength.

At that time, he thought that with his fists, he could break everything and change his fate.

Until the year I participated in the martial arts exam.

He encountered an even more talented individual who had his leg broken and Achilles tendon severed on the training field.

He knew the man was doing it on purpose. The person behind it was his master's enemy.

That man didn't want to beat him; he wanted to humiliate his master, to ensure he could never stand up again and never practice martial arts again.

That battle ruined his entire future.

But he never complained about his master.

The master had no sons, only a daughter, who had long since married and moved to the prefectural city.

Over the years, his master has treated him like his own son; that affection is heavier than anything else.

He doesn't regret joining the Zhao Family Martial Arts School.

It's just a pity.

It's a pity I'll never have the chance to clean house for my master and personally kill that treacherous disciple who betrayed the sect a few years ago and even injured my master.

Ning Yun looked at Xu Qing with a complicated expression.

The way the boy punched was just like a tireless young beast—stubborn, fierce, and reckless.

He watched for a long time, then finally turned around and left silently, as if he had never been there.

......

The next day, Xu Qing's mother, Madam Tong, came to the martial arts school.

She was wearing slightly worn clothes, her hair was slicked back and glossy, and as soon as she entered the door, she greeted everyone with a beaming smile, "Qing'er, Mother has come to see you!"

Xu Qing was chatting with some fellow disciples in the training ground when he heard the sound and hurried over to greet them.

"Mother, why did you take so long to arrive?" he complained, but his eyes kept glancing at Tong's hands.

Tong understood, took a cloth bag from her sleeve, stuffed it into his hand, and said in a low voice, "Three taels of silver, enough for you to live on for a while. Use it sparingly, don't be extravagant."

Xu Qing squeezed the cloth bag, feeling a little more at ease, but said impatiently, "I know, I know."

Tong held his hand and whispered, "Yesterday I went to your second uncle's house to borrow money, and you didn't see the look on your second aunt's face! It was like I owed her eight hundred taels."

She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and her voice rose involuntarily: "I told her that your nephew is now learning martial arts at the Zhao family martial arts school, which is a legitimate profession, and he will take the martial arts examination to become a scholar in the future."

"She's so clever. She said that her nephew from her maternal family also joined the Zhao family martial arts school, and that she should save some money in the family to buy meat for her nephew to supplement his diet. What she meant was that she would lend us money in the future if she didn't have any."

Tong pursed her lips and glanced around with her small eyes. Sure enough, she saw a young man whose eyebrows and eyes resembled Xu Yan's.

She had seen Xu Qing before and recognized him at a glance.

She looked at Xu Qing with disdain and deliberately raised her voice: "What is your second aunt's fishing nephew? Can he compare to you? He should take a piss and look at himself in the mirror."

As Xu Qing listened, his expression grew increasingly grim.

He didn't think his mother's words were harsh; he just felt that it made him lose face by saying those things in front of all his fellow disciples.

"Alright, alright, I understand." Xu Qing interrupted Tong Shi, pushing her out. "Go back now, don't talk about it here."

He pushed Tong Shi out, still muttering, "Qing'er, you must make your mother proud. Practice hard, don't let those people look down on us..."

After seeing Tong off, Xu Qing stood at the door, clutching the three taels of silver, his face clouded with gloom.

He had long considered his second uncle's money as his own.

Xu Qing went to his second uncle's house to eat meat, wasn't that just spending Xu Qing's money?

Then he thought again: Xu Qing's apprenticeship fee was probably obtained from Xu Yan, wasn't it?

What kind of money could a fisherman in Blackwater Bay possibly make?

That must be it!

A fire suddenly ignited in his heart, and he became increasingly disgusted with Xu Qing, which in turn led to some hatred towards his second aunt, Xu Yan.

He even secretly resented his second uncle, Xu Cheng.

They don't leave their own money to their own family, but instead give it to outsiders. What kind of people are they!