Martial arts mastery? But I'm just a spoiled brat!

"yes!"

After receiving the order, Wanxing went to make the arrangements.

After reviewing the intelligence, Yan Qing went to the secret room and began his standing meditation practice for the day.

Although Yan Qing has already mastered Ming Jin and Wai San He to the extreme, his proficiency will not increase without specializing in An Jin.

However, Yan Qing could still feel the progress. He had already experimented and found that the "Talent: Martial Arts Proficiency!" was not just reflected in the data.

For example, the Xingyi Quan San Ti Shi he is currently practicing will continue to strengthen his physical constitution.

While these data don't reflect his actual abilities, his strength has improved significantly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to understand the true meaning of the Tiger Form so thoroughly without practicing the hidden and neutralizing techniques of Xingyi Quan.

Yan Qing firmly believed that he was laying a foundation, and that the current accumulation would definitely be transformed into strength in the future.

Therefore, Yan Qing's cultivation never slackened due to the lack of secret manuals.

……

Yan Qing was cultivating diligently in a secret chamber, while Steward Cao, after leaving Yan Qing's residence, suddenly rose from the ground and landed on the courtyard wall like a nimble monkey.

In a few quick leaps, they swiftly traversed the rooftops of the Yan family's house, the entire process occurring silently without alerting any of the Yan family's sentries.

After leaving the Yan family's residence, Steward Cao moved even faster, leaping across the houses and disappearing into the distance like a wisp of smoke.

Even after leaving the city, Steward Cao did not stop; instead, he accelerated again, and at this moment, the sound of air being torn apart could be faintly heard around him.

After traveling for nearly an hour, Cao Zongguan finally slowed down when a small town appeared ahead, and the sound of his footsteps disappearing.

Upon entering the town, Cao Zongguan went straight to the outside of the largest courtyard in town. Ignoring the wall, he strode towards a small house in the backyard, completing the entire process silently.

Despite the long journey, Steward Cao's breathing and heartbeat remained largely unchanged, and he went unnoticed by anyone throughout the entire process.

But just as he reached out his left hand to push open the door of the small house, Steward Cao's pupils suddenly contracted, and then his outstretched left hand was instantly withdrawn.

As he retracted his left hand, Steward Cao twisted his waist, took a half-step, and then threw a punch with his right hand—a half-step Bengquan (a type of punch) from Xingyi Quan (a style of Chinese martial arts).

"Bang!!!"

Like a thunderclap from a clear sky, Steward Cao's fist landed on the door, and instantly, the door shattered into pieces.

However, before these fragments could even shoot out, a shockwave emanated from the center of Steward Cao's fist, sweeping outwards and instantly turning all the fragments into dust.

After throwing one punch, Manager Cao did not throw another, but slowly withdrew his fist.

At that moment, through the faint moonlight shining from outside, another figure inside the room also withdrew their fist.

Clearly, someone inside the room threw a punch, which prompted Steward Cao to throw one, and the shockwave in the air was caused by the collision of the two fists.

"who!"

The commotion from the clash of their fists was quite loud, naturally waking up some people in the nearby rooms. Some of them shouted and ran out of their rooms, not even properly dressed, and started rushing towards Steward Cao.

But Steward Cao did not react at all. He just stood at the door, neither turning around nor speaking.

"Go back, everyone!"

A strong, resonant voice came from inside the house.

"Yes, Master!"

Upon hearing this sound, the people who had just rushed out turned around and went back inside. The oil lamps that had just been lit in some rooms were instantly extinguished.

"Senior brother, it's been so long! I didn't expect you to come looking for me again."

The person inside said something, then turned and went inside, lighting an oil lamp in the room.

Although the oil lamp was not bright enough, it was enough to illuminate the room. The room was small and the furnishings were extremely simple, consisting of just a bed, a table, and two stools.

It also illuminated the figure in the room. The person was tall, wearing a long robe, with a goatee, and both his hair and beard were half white.

"I heard that your youngest disciple, Xin Rong, has reached the Transformation Realm. Congratulations!"

This was the first thing Steward Cao said when he entered the room.

If Yan Qing were here, it wouldn't be hard to guess that this person was Li Cunxiao, the master of Xingyi Quan.

"He has only just grasped the essence of Transformation Force; it's not worth mentioning."

Li Cunxiao's face remained largely expressionless. After sitting down, he stared into Chief Steward Cao's eyes and spoke:

"I don't think my senior brother came to congratulate me specifically for this."

For him, it was nothing special that a true disciple had reached the level of Transformation Realm. After all, he had many true disciples over the years, and the Transformation Realm martial artist was just the most inconspicuous one. If there was anything worth mentioning, it would be his age.

However, he was more curious about why his senior brother had come.

Since the collapse of the Celestial Empire, especially after the invasion of foreigners, countless martial arts sects have emerged to seek a way out and a way to save the country, and the Xingyi Sect is no exception.

However, Li Cunxiao was a conservative at the time. He was dedicated to cultivating a new generation of martial artists and was also accumulating strength himself in an attempt to break through to the Core Formation Realm.

His senior brother, now Chief Steward Cao, left Xingyi Sect with his disciples and joined the warlord Yan Fengqi.

This can be considered as taking a different path in martial arts.

The previous test showed that Chief Steward Cao's strength had not declined and was on par with his own; both were at the peak of the Gang Jin realm, indicating that their strength had not diminished.

"Well, there's something I'd like to ask you!"

There was no conflict between Steward Cao and Li Cunxiao, only a difference in their ideologies. So, although they hadn't seen each other for more than ten years, there was no estrangement between them. Seeing that the other was speaking directly, he didn't stand on ceremony and directly stated his purpose.

"If it's about joining a warlord, then forget it. Besides, I'm about to leave for Tianjin, and things haven't been peaceful there lately..."

Li Cunxiao thought that Chief Steward Cao had come to persuade him, so he directly stated his attitude after the other party opened his mouth.

His goal of cultivating disciples over the years has begun to bear fruit, and he has recently realized that he is about to break through, so he has decided to set off for Tianjin.

It's quite chaotic over there, but it will also be an opportunity for him. Martial arts masters can never break through by working behind closed doors; only life-or-death battles can unleash their full potential.

"I've found a successor! A prodigy! As long as he can grow, he'll at least reach his master's level in the future."

Chief Steward Cao clearly knew his junior brother very well and knew how to persuade him.

The master he mentioned was Guo Yun, a Xingyi master known for his "half-step Bengquan that conquers the world".

"really?"

Sure enough, Li Cunxiao immediately became interested upon hearing this.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself, junior brother?"

Looking at his junior brother's appearance, Steward Cao smiled slightly.