Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

The next day, just as dawn broke, the drill ground west of Heyang City was already bustling with activity.

Eight wooden arenas, each ten feet high, stood in a row, their edges wrapped with taut hemp ropes. Several feet below, crowds of people who had arrived early to watch the match had already packed the area.

The martial arts students gathered below the stage, some stretching their legs and loosening their bones, others practicing their boxing to relieve stress. Many martial arts students who had failed the exam in previous years hoped to use this year's martial arts exam to showcase their skills, defy fate, and pass with flying colors.

However, everyone knew perfectly well that the second round of arena combat would be a hundred times more brutal than the first round of testing strength. In previous martial arts competitions, there were many precedents of martial artists being seriously injured or even killed on the spot.

As a result, most of the martial arts students felt intimidated and voluntarily withdrew from the exam and left the venue.

Only a few Ming Jin martial artists dare to face the danger head-on and take the stage to fight, but they are also prepared to admit defeat at any time.

In the end, those who remain are mostly martial artists with higher chances of winning, especially those with internal strength.

Even among those at the same level of internal strength, many knew they were no match for their opponents and had little chance of winning, so they simply chose to forfeit the competition.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), three thunderous drumbeats resounded across the training ground.

Several officials dressed in black robes carried a wooden divination tube to the center of the field. It was more than half a person tall, completely black, and its edges were polished to a shine. It was clearly an old object that had been used for many years.

Chief Examiner Cheng Lie stood up, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "All candidates, please come forward one by one and draw a wooden slip. Those with odd-numbered slips will be opponents with the next even-numbered slip; those with even-numbered slips will be opponents with the next odd-numbered slip! Anyone who does not come forward within three breaths of their number being called will be considered to have forfeited the exam!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the candidates lined up in a single file and took turns drawing lots.

Qin Heng was placed at the end of the line, and he could only wait until everyone had almost finished drawing their lots and there were only a few bamboo sticks left in the container before it was his turn to go forward and draw a lot.

He reached out and pressed the edge of the divination tube, shook it three times, and then reached in and randomly grabbed one.

Upon closer inspection, the bamboo stick had the number ninety-seven engraved on the front with cinnabar.

Qin Heng nodded slightly to the official, said nothing more, turned around and walked to the open space next to the arena, where he sat down cross-legged and waited quietly.

The fights started simultaneously on eight stages, with the sounds of whistling punches, clashing fists and feet, and cheers from the audience rising and falling. But he paid no attention to any of it, focusing instead on calming himself down and preparing.

"Number 97, Number 98, move to Arena Number 7!" After an unknown amount of time, the official's loud call of names rang out.

Qin Heng slowly opened his eyes, stood up, dusted off his clothes, and strode onto the arena.

The opponent was a man of medium build with dark skin. His hands had large, thick knuckles like old tree roots, and his fingertips and the area between his thumb and forefinger were covered with thick calluses. He was clearly not an easy opponent to deal with.

"Director Han, this is Li Chi, a master of grappling! Please give me your guidance!" Li Chi announced his name first, his tone tinged with nervousness.

He witnessed firsthand how Qin Heng won the first round yesterday.

"Songxuan Martial Arts School, Qin Heng of Bajiquan." Qin Heng returned the greeting with clasped hands, showing proper etiquette.

The examiner stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "In a contest on the platform, life and death are left to fate. However, once an opponent concedes defeat, they may not fight again. Anyone who violates this rule will be immediately expelled from the examination hall and will never be hired!"

They both nodded at the same time.

"clang--"

The gong sounded, and the fight began on arena number seven.

Li Chi struck first. He crouched low, closing in like a cat, his right hand flashing out like a claw to lock Qin Heng's right wrist, while his left hand gripped Qin Heng's elbow joint—the core move of the Small Capturing Hand, "Wrist Lock and Elbow Lock."

This move is fast and tricky, with a tricky angle. Once locked in, it can cause at best a dislocated arm, and at worst, torn tendons and veins, completely ruining an arm.

Qin Heng remained calm, his shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped, his waist and stance became one, and his hands simultaneously turned outward into claws, fiercely grabbing back at Li Chi's hands. This was the "Oriole Double Claw" move from the Eighth Move of Bajiquan.

This move is used in such a way that it is a grappling match against a grappling match, a head-on collision.

"Snapped!"

With precise claw locks on the inside of Li Chi's wrist, Li Chi felt a surge of refined internal energy rushing up his finger bones and straight to his forearm. His entire arm felt as if it had been whipped by a red-hot iron rod, and the move that was originally aimed at the joint collapsed on the spot.

Li Chi, in pain, retreated hastily, sweeping his right leg across Qin Heng's knee, trying to create distance and regain his stance.

But Qin Heng pressed on relentlessly, his Bajiquan style of striking with unwavering force once he gained the upper hand!

He stomped his left foot on the ring with a loud thud, the surface trembled violently, and wood chips flew everywhere. He rushed forward like an arrow, his left hand pushing away Li Chi's blocking right arm, and his right palm, carrying all the strength of his body, slammed hard on Li Chi's forehead. It was the hard skill of Bajiquan, the fierce tiger climbing the mountain!

Li Chi had no choice but to hastily raise his left arm to block.

"Bang!"

Their hands and arms collided, producing a dull, loud thud.

Li Chi felt a tremendous force pressing down on his head. His head buzzed, his vision went black, and he was slammed downwards, almost kneeling on the ground.

He dared not confront him directly again, and staggered around Qin Heng, using grappling techniques to lock onto his joints and vital points.

Qin Heng continued to press forward, using Bajiquan to fight hard and relentlessly, with punches, elbows, shoulders and knees striking in turn. Each collision made Li Chi's arms go numb.

After a dozen or so moves, Li Chi's breathing became heavy and his moves became increasingly chaotic.

With a determined heart, he disregarded Qin Heng's punch aimed at his chest and lunged forward, his claws aimed straight for Qin Heng's throat, intending to trade injury for life and fight to the death!

But Qin Heng suddenly dodged to the side, using his right hand to push away his claws, while his left hand pressed down on the back of his neck, using the momentum of his forward lunge to press him down.

As Li Chi hurriedly withdrew his stance and turned around to change his move, Qin Heng lowered his waist and twisted his hips, raising his right fist from his waist and slamming it out from below.

"Thump!"

The fist slammed solidly into Li Chi's jaw.

Li Chi felt a powerful, heavy force shoot from his chin to the top of his head. His head buzzed, and he was knocked half an inch off the ground, falling backward and hitting the back of his head hard on the ring with a "bang." He immediately passed out.

"Number 97, Qin Hengsheng!"

After winning, Qin Heng did not leave the ring immediately.

He glanced at Li Chi, who had fallen asleep on the ground, then knelt down and precisely pinched his philtrum with his fingertips.

A moment later, Li Chi coughed a few times and opened his eyes. He first looked around the arena blankly, then subconsciously touched his chin, where it was swollen.

He propped himself up on the ring, met Qin Heng's gaze, and quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Brother Qin Heng, for showing mercy!"

He knew perfectly well that if Qin Heng hadn't held back at the last moment, he probably wouldn't have had a chance to stand up again after that heavy punch.

Qin Heng nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to walk off the stage.

But at that very moment, a deafening roar suddenly erupted around the arena on the far west side, completely drowning out any other noises in the area.

Qin Heng paused, glancing sideways in the direction from which the sound came, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

He slowly walked down from the number seven arena and happened to run into Li Yiping, who had just finished her match. She was also frowning and looking at the riotous area in the distance.

Just as Qin Heng was about to ask a question, a panicked figure stumbled through the crowd and rushed towards him.

Upon spotting Qin Heng and the others, he immediately shouted hoarsely, "Something terrible has happened! Fifth Senior Brother, Eighth Senior Brother, Senior Brother Qin Tianbao has been crippled!"

Upon hearing this, the martial arts students near arenas number seven and eight paled in shock. Li Yiping immediately pressed them sharply, "What nonsense are you spouting? Did you really see it clearly? How could Junior Brother Tianbao, with his extraordinary skills, be so easily crippled? Explain what happened!"

Cui Daoning was already in a state of panic and spoke incoherently. When pressed like this, he became even more incoherent, frantically shaking his head to correct himself, tears streaming down his face.

"Wrong! I misspoke! It wasn't Senior Brother Tianbao! It was Third Senior Brother Xu Feng! Xu Feng was crippled by Qin Tianbao! He was extremely ruthless, you should all go and see!"

Qin Heng and Li Yiping exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking and their expressions becoming solemn. They dared not delay any longer and hurriedly rushed towards the distant arena.