Becoming a martial arts god starting from the mortician.

Shen Qi stepped out of the study, gently closing the door behind him, leaving the room filled with the fragrance of books and Jiang Xinyue's pensive figure behind him.

He turned around and walked back the way he came.

Recalling the scene he had just witnessed in the study, Shen Qi felt a thin layer of sweat break out on his back.

When fate changes and destiny shifts, Heaven and Earth respond accordingly.

He was merely a lowly mortician, yet he inadvertently altered the fate of such a great man. A single misstep could have resulted in his utter destruction.

As soon as he returned to the side hall, Zhou Wenyuan, who had been pacing back and forth, immediately stopped and strode over to greet him. This expert in the Golden Body Realm even had a hint of urgency in his eyes.

"What did the Master say?"

"The Master already knows everything about the outer city and says he has his own plans." Shen Qi bowed respectfully, concealing the fact that he had witnessed the dramatic change in Jiang Xinyue's fate. "The Master also told me to stay in the inner city for the next few days and not to return to the mortuary."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenyuan's tense expression eased slightly, and he nodded.

Shen Qi's vitality is growing stronger every day. If he were to return to the outer city, he might be targeted by evil cultivators, and then he would be left with no one to turn to for help.

"That's good." Zhou Wenyuan pondered for a moment, "You can stay at my place for the next few days, it will be easier to take care of things. As for the job at the mortuary, I will send someone to make arrangements."

This arrangement was exactly what Shen Qi wanted. He was just worried about having nowhere to hide, and being able to stay in the inner city meant he was safe. He immediately clasped his hands and bowed deeply: "I will leave everything to your arrangements, sir."

Zhou Wenyuan waved his hand and swiftly led Shen Qi out of the Observatory.

The Zhou residence is located on the east side of the inner city. It is a three-courtyard house, which, although not luxurious, exudes elegance in every aspect.

Upon entering, Zhou Wenyuan instructed his servants to prepare hot water and food.

Shen Qizhou was exhausted from the long journey and hadn't slept all night; he was indeed quite tired.

After he finished washing up and changed into a clean set of cotton clothes, he came out.

Four dishes and a soup were already laid out on the eight-immortal table in the outer room. Steaming white steamed buns were served with large chunks of braised beef and fresh stir-fried vegetables, their aroma filling the air.

Shen Qi didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down and devoured the food in no time.

Just as I put down my chopsticks, there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Master Shen, have you rested?" came the old servant's voice from outside the door.

Shen Qi opened the door and saw an old servant carrying a sandalwood tray with a white porcelain bowl on it. The bowl was filled with a thick, dark medicinal soup, and a rich medicinal aroma wafted out.

The master specifically instructed the old servant that this was a medicinal soup to replenish your qi and blood and strengthen your constitution, and that it would be most effective if drunk while it was hot. The old servant was very respectful.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir. Please convey my gratitude to you."

Shen Qi took the tray with both hands, turned around and went back into the house. He brought the large bowl to his nose and sniffed it, his eyes flickering slightly. This was definitely not comparable to the medicinal soup offered by Tongjitang; this one bowl alone was probably worth a month's wages for him.

Without hesitation, Shen Qi tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The medicine initially only caused a slight warmth upon entering the stomach, but after only three breaths, the warmth suddenly turned into a raging fire, and the medicinal power spread rapidly, rushing to every part of the body.

Shen Qi's expression changed, and he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He immediately got up and rushed to the small courtyard outside the guest room.

The snowstorm had stopped, and the courtyard was covered with a thick layer of snow. He took a deep breath, assumed a horse stance, clenched his fists, and unleashed the opening move of the "Tiger Subduing Fist."

He could only rely on practicing his boxing techniques repeatedly to guide the medicinal properties to temper his muscles, bones, and flesh.

He had already mastered the first three moves of the Tiger Subduing Fist.

The attack came with tremendous force, the fists whistling and emitting a low, mournful sound.

Zhou Wenyuan returned to his residence after finishing his official business at the company, wanting to check on Shen Qi's situation. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he stepped through the moon gate to the backyard, startled by the scene before him.

In the courtyard, Shen Qi's fists and feet moved like the wind. He performed a complete set of nine moves of the "Tiger Subduing Fist" with such fluidity and grandeur that there was not a trace of awkwardness in his movements!

What horrified him even more was that above Shen Qi's head, a faint blood-red aura shot into the sky and condensed without dissipating!

Qi and blood, smoke and fire!

This is a sign that you are about to break through your mortal body and enter the Body Tempering Realm!

It's only been a few days? From our first meeting in Qingping Town until now, it's only been a little over ten days. A sickly young man whose body has been plagued by Yin energy and whose martial meridians have been blocked for years has not only broken free of his shackles, but is even about to step into the Body Tempering Realm?

How could this possibly be the Bingzhong Martial Vein?!

Zhou Wenyuan began to ponder again. Even with an extraordinary stroke of luck, it was impossible for a C-grade martial meridian to improve so much in such a short time. The only explanation was that during the last test, the Yin energy within Shen Qi's body had not been completely eliminated, and his martial meridian had not fully recovered, resulting in an error in the rating.

Yes, that must be it!

This child is sensible and thoughtful; perhaps he was afraid of disappointing himself, so he never mentioned it.

Having thought this through, Zhou Wenyuan had no more doubts. He absolutely refused to believe that the rough jade he had set his sights on was truly just a stubborn rock.

Inside the courtyard, Shen Qi finished his set of punches and slowly stopped practicing.

He exhaled a long breath of hot white air and was about to return to his room when he turned around and saw Zhou Wenyuan standing not far away, looking at him with an excited expression.

"grown ups."

Without a word, Zhou Wenyuan rushed forward, grabbed his wrist, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Come on, come back to the Observatory with me!"

Shen Qi stumbled as he was pulled, utterly bewildered: "My lord, what is this...?"

"Your martial meridian rating is incorrect! It must be retested today!"

Shen Qi had no time to resist and was dragged along by Zhou Wenyuan. Once this Golden Body Realm expert exerted his strength, Shen Qi didn't even have a chance to struggle.

The two hurried back to the Observatory.

As soon as they stepped through the gate, they bumped into a group of people. Leading them was Jiang Xinyue, the head of the department, who was stroking a brand-new copy of "Yuanming Sui" in his hand. Behind him were several middle-aged men in official robes, with an extraordinary air about them, clearly holding high-ranking positions.

"Lord Si." Zhou Wenyuan stopped immediately, pulled Shen Qi and bowed.

Jiang Xinyue seemed to be in a good mood. He casually dismissed the officials behind him, telling them to go and rest, before turning to look at Zhou Wenyuan and Shen Qi with some surprise.

"What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Zhou Wenyuan immediately stepped forward, lowered his voice, and quickly reported Shen Qi's rapid progress and his own guesses. Finally, he pleaded, "This subordinate dares to request that the Master allow him to retest his martial meridians!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xinyue's gaze fell on Shen Qi.

"That's interesting." He weighed the new book in his hand and said with a smile, "Let's go."

The three of them returned to the martial arts testing hall.

Zhou Wenyuan personally stepped forward and chased the two guards on duty out, then slammed the heavy iron gate shut with a clang.

In the center of the hall, the millstone-sized white jade test piece emitted a warm, soft glow in the dim light, as if it were quietly waiting.

"Go ahead." Zhou Wenyuan patted Shen Qi on the shoulder, his eyes full of encouragement and expectation.

Shen Qi took a deep breath and walked to the black iron platform.

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in hiding my talents any longer. Besides, with a big shot like Jiang Xinyue present, appropriately displaying some of my "talents" will only benefit my future situation.

He slowly raised his right hand and placed it flat on the cool jade surface.

In an instant, the red light covered 30% of the milky white.

Under Zhou Wenyuan's excited gaze, the red light broke through 40%, 50%, 60%... until it reached nearly 70%, at which point the upward momentum finally slowed down.

The four grades of martial arts are A, B, C, and D, each further divided into upper, middle, and lower ranks. Seventy percent already qualifies as upper grade B!