Chaos begins when one joins a martial arts school

Chapter 35: One Step at a Time

Around noon, Yang Jing was a little tired from practicing, so he went to the courtyard wall to rest. His eyes swept across the front yard and he saw many unfamiliar faces gesturing. He felt a little emotional.

In the past six months, many familiar faces have come and gone. Most of the disciples who had practiced for a long time but still saw no hope felt hopeless in breaking through to the Ming Jin level, so they packed their bags and left.

The path of martial arts is inherently like this; very few can persevere to the end.

Sometimes, giving up in time and cutting losses is a wise move, but such an abandonment is undoubtedly a huge blow to the heart of a martial arts practitioner.

Yang Jing clearly had poor aptitude, yet he still practiced martial arts so intensely. Therefore, in the eyes of many people, they either thought Yang Jing's hard work was admirable and respectable, or they thought Yang Jing was too stupid and foolish.

While they were resting, the fourth senior brother, Liu Maolin, walked in through the main gate of the martial arts school. His eyes swept across the front yard and he quickly found Yang Jing. He walked over to them with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Junior brother, I have something to show you."

He took out a scroll from his pocket, unfurled it, and inside was a meticulously painted portrait of a beautiful woman. The woman in the painting was dressed in a smart outfit, with bright eyes and clear features. Although she was not effeminate, she possessed a unique heroic spirit.

"Senior brother, what is this?" Yang Jing asked, somewhat confused.

“This is Zhao Yuman, the third young lady of the Zhao Family Escort Agency,” Liu Maolin introduced, pointing to the painting. “Her family escort agency often deals with our Liu Family Medical Clinic, so I recognize her. Although she is a woman, she is more capable than most men. She manages many of the business operations in the escort agency, and she has a straightforward personality.”

He paused, then leaned closer and whispered, "The key thing is, she's still single. I was thinking you two might be a good match, so I wanted to set you up. What do you think?"

Yang Jing stared at the woman in the painting, momentarily stunned.

He had thought Liu Maolin was just joking while drunk last night, but he didn't expect him to take it seriously, and he was at a loss for what to do.

"This woman is from a security escort agency; she probably wouldn't be interested in me." Yang Jing scratched his head. He was penniless, owning nothing more than a small courtyard in Tongyi Lane, and felt he was not good enough for her.

“Junior brother, you are underestimating yourself.” Liu Maolin patted Yang Jing’s arm. “You are about to reach the peak of Ming Jin. Regardless of whether you can break through to An Jin in the future, a master at the peak of Ming Jin is very rare. Among the younger generation, you are already one of the best.”

Liu Maolin looked at Yang Jing and continued, "Besides, you are down-to-earth, hardworking and diligent. What's wrong with you? Furthermore, no matter how good the third daughter of the Zhao family is, she is still a woman. The business of the escort agency will not be handed over to her. The Zhao family will just give her a dowry and she will be married off. She is a perfect match for you."

After listening, Yang Jing remained silent for a moment.

He recalled the advice his grandparents and mother had given him when he last went home, and he knew that getting married was something he would have to face sooner or later, and there was no way to avoid it.

He finally looked up and said, "Senior brother, you're too kind. Well then, please make the arrangements. Whether it succeeds or not, it all depends on fate."

Seeing that Yang Jing had agreed, Liu Maolin immediately laughed, "That's right! You wait, I'll find an opportunity to go to the Zhao family in the next couple of days and talk to them. I guarantee I'll give you a definite answer. Just wait for my good news, hahaha."

As he spoke, he rolled up the scroll and put it back in his pocket, saying with great interest, "Since we have some free time, shall we spar a few moves? Consider it practice for you, so you'll be more confident when you meet a girl!"

Yang Jing smiled and agreed.

Liu Maolin took off his coat, and the two walked to the open space in the yard and got into position.

Before the two could even exchange blows, Qi Yun stood not far away, waving and calling out to Liu Maolin, "Fourth Junior Brother, Master is calling you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Maolin stopped his punches and said to Yang Jing, "Junior brother, you continue practicing. I'll go take a look, and we can spar again later."

After Liu Maolin finished speaking, he quickly walked towards the inner courtyard.

Yang Jing nodded and began practicing the Mountain-Crushing Fist on his own.

Before long, the third senior brother, Zhao Wenzheng, also arrived. He walked in from outside the gate and hurried towards the inner courtyard.

Yang Jing didn't look any further and focused on practicing his fist techniques. His Mountain-Crushing Fist technique sent gusts of wind through the air, isolating the surrounding noise from all disturbances.

About an incense stick's time later, the moon gate to the inner courtyard opened.

Sun Yong walked at the front, followed by Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, Liu Maolin, Lin Yue, and two other Ming Jin disciples.

The group of eight were all dressed in tight-fitting clothes and had solemn expressions, clearly about to go out.

"Are they going to spar with other martial arts schools?"

"They are all core members of our martial arts school!"

"I wish I could be one of them, representing the martial arts school in battle. Just thinking about it makes me feel so proud!"

The disciples practicing martial arts in the front yard stopped their movements and watched the eight people leave with envy in their eyes.

Disciples who can accompany the master to other martial arts schools for sparring and competition are undoubtedly the core and face of the Sun family martial arts school.

Yang Jing also stopped to take a look, then continued practicing his boxing without any distractions.

The glory of others is irrelevant to him; only the fists in his hands and the strength within his body are what he and his family rely on!

He is getting closer and closer to the peak of Ming Jin. Once he reaches the peak of Ming Jin, he will naturally break through to An Jin.

For him right now, nothing is more important than breaking through to the inner strength level!
Two days later, at night.

In the small courtyard of Tongyifang.

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, casting Yang Jingteng's agile figure upon it.

The force of the Mountain-Crushing Fist stirred the night, sounding more urgent than ever before.

After a moment, Yang Jing slowly stopped and calmed his breathing.

He slowly opened his eyes, and with a thought, a panel of data appeared before him—

[Minor Mastery of the Mountain-Crushing Fist (486/500)]

[Introduction to the Surging Waves Kick (177/200)]

Looking at the data on the panel, Yang Jing felt a surge of excitement.

After months of diligent practice, eating wild beast meat every day and spending countless amounts of money, he was finally about to break through to the Dark Force realm.

The thought of breaking through the hidden strength burned like a raging fire in his heart.

These days, he deliberately took a detour through Guang'anfang, where he would always see members of the Righteous Gang checking people in the streets and alleys, their eyes fierce and sharp, as if they were searching for some clues.

It's obvious that the Righteousness Gang is still investigating the whereabouts of the Great Fortune Gang's treasure.

Every time Yang Jing passed by, he held his breath, wanting to find out more, to see how far the Righteous Gang had gone in their investigation, and whether they had discovered him.

This lurking threat was like a thorn stuck in his heart.

Only by breaking through to the hidden strength level as soon as possible can one completely escape these days of constant anxiety. Hidden strength and manifest strength, though seemingly differing by only one word, are worlds apart.

A master of internal strength can project his internal energy through his body, making him difficult to harm with ordinary swords and knives. Even if the Righteousness Gang has two masters at the peak of external strength, they will be nothing more than chickens and dogs in his eyes.

Moreover, there are very few masters of internal strength in the entire Yuhe County. They are all core members of various martial arts schools or pillars of a large gang.

Once he reaches that level, his status at the Sun Family Martial Arts School will inevitably rise accordingly, and his master will at least give him more guidance twice a day.

After breaking through to the Ming Jin level, Yang Jing was able to reach the peak of Ming Jin so quickly, even faster than before breaking through to Ming Jin. The most important reason was that he had enough food, and the second was that Sun Yong gave him guidance about once or twice a day.

Before breaking through to the Ming Jin level, Yang Jing could barely afford to eat horse meat. After breaking through to the Ming Jin level, he first became affiliated with the Liu family's medical clinic, and then made a fortune. He then ate large amounts of wild beast meat to nourish himself. Such a large amount of nourishment is something that ordinary people cannot withstand. It is only because Yang Jing practices martial arts diligently that he can do so. Yang Jing even guessed that this might be related to his stats.

As far as he knew, Liu Maolin once ate three catties of bear meat in one meal and immediately had a nosebleed; his body couldn't withstand such a large amount of nourishment.

Yang Jing, on the other hand, ate at least three catties of wild beast meat every day, including tiger meat which was even more effective. He felt energetic and vigorous every day and never experienced the kind of weakness that Liu Maolin had when he couldn't tolerate such nourishment.

Of course, this is just speculation for Yang Jing. Whether his ability to eat is really related to the panel will require further testing later.

In the path of martial arts, the guidance of predecessors is equally important.

If a martial art could be learned by oneself without the need for a master, then martial arts would be too simple.

On several occasions when Sun Yong was away from the martial arts school, Yang Jing was unable to resolve any doubts he had while practicing, resulting in low practice efficiency and significantly lower progress data for that day.

"After breaking through to the Dark Force level, even if I were placed in a martial arts school, I would be a core disciple. I don't ask my master to teach me like he taught Lin Yue. As long as he can give me some pointers every day, it will greatly help my cultivation progress."

Yang Jing slowly clenched his fist. He could feel the surging blood and qi within his body, as if he was getting closer and closer to reaching a limit.

Under the moonlight, his figure moved again, his punches even more fierce and urgent than before.

Pingkang Square.

It was late at night, but a light was still on in a study in the backyard of Zhao's Escort Agency.

Zhao Yuman, the third young lady of the Zhao family, sat at a rosewood table, her fingertips tracing the open account book, her brows slightly furrowed.

The loss incurred by the escort agency this month is 20% higher than last month, so we need to carefully calculate and account for it.

She wore a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), shedding her sharp and capable look from the daytime, which added a touch of tranquility to her appearance.

The maid Qinghe, who was standing beside her, carried a freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea and said softly, "Miss, take a break. You've been reading for almost an hour."

Zhao Yuman closed the ledger, rubbed her temples, and took the teacup. "Hmm, leave it here."

Qinghe put down the tea tray, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Miss, this afternoon Young Master Liu sent someone to ask about Yang Jing, the one he mentioned. What do you think?"

Zhao Yuman paused, her hand holding the teacup still. Her eyes remained calm as she said indifferently, "Go back. Tell them I'm not interested."

"Is there something you feel is wrong with it?" Qinghe asked curiously. "I heard he's also a master of Ming Jin, and quite outstanding in the Sun family martial arts school."

“He is indeed a master of Ming Jin,” Zhao Yuman said lightly, blowing away the tea foam. “But his physical constitution is what it is. I heard that he has inferior physical constitution? With this kind of talent, the peak of Ming Jin is the limit, and it will be difficult to make any further progress. What the escort agency needs are people who can handle things, not martial artists who can only take a few steps.”

After saying that, she put down her teacup and looked out at the night. "Let's wait a little longer. If we don't meet someone more suitable in a few years, he might be a backup option. Right now, it's not enough."

Qinghe nodded quickly: "Miss is right. I am indeed not worthy of you because of my inferior physique. I will go back to the Liu family first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhao Yuman didn't speak again. She picked up the ledger again, lightly tapping the word "losses" with her fingertip, her thoughts returning to the business of the escort agency.

As for the name Yang Jing, it was just a passing breeze that didn't leave a trace in her heart.

The next day, afternoon.

Liu Maolin rushed to the Sun family martial arts school in Chengpingfang and found Yang Jing, who was driving stakes in the front yard. With a somewhat apologetic look on his face, he rubbed his hands and said with some difficulty, "Junior brother, I asked about the third young lady of the Zhao family, and she... she felt it wasn't appropriate."

He paused, then quickly added, seemingly worried that Yang Jing might be upset, "Don't take it to heart. The fact that she didn't agree just means she has high standards. She's blind to talent, it's not necessarily your fault."

Liu Maolin was speechless for a moment, then walked around to Yang Jing's other side and continued, "Besides, there are plenty of good girls in our Yuhe River. I'll keep an eye out for you, and I guarantee there will be someone more suitable than her!"

Yang Jing withdrew his fist, beads of sweat sliding down his face. He wiped his face, smiled, and said, "It's alright, senior brother. It's all about fate. If it's not suitable, then forget it. Senior brother doesn't need to take it to heart."

"It's good that you think that way." Liu Maolin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and immediately patted his chest to assure him, "Don't worry, leave this to me, I'll definitely find you a good one!"

Yang Jing smiled, didn't continue on the topic, chatted with Liu Maolin for a few words, and then turned and walked towards the wooden stake.

For him, this matter was dispensable. His mind was still on his martial arts, and the hidden force he was about to encounter was what concerned him the most.

Two more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

In Yang Jing's small courtyard in Tongyifang.

Night had fallen, and the courtyard was quiet except for the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Yang Jing sat at the stone table, having just swallowed the last piece of tiger meat.

The warm meat juices slid into my stomach, and that familiar heat quickly spread to my limbs and bones, making every muscle and bone feel soothed and relaxed.

He stood up, moved his wrists, and could clearly feel that the internal energy within him was like a fully drawn bow, ready to be released.

This feeling was wonderful, like a pot of water about to boil, just a little bit more heat away from boiling. Yang Jing had a vague feeling that he might break through to the Dark Force tomorrow, or even if he stayed up all night, he might break through tonight!

Then, with a thought, Yang Jing saw the data on the panel appear before his eyes.

[Minor Mastery of the Mountain-Crushing Fist (499/500)]

[Introduction to the Surging Waves Kick (193/200)]

In order to break through the Dark Force realm as soon as possible, Yang Jing has almost temporarily put aside the training of the Surging Wave Leg and focused all his energy on the training of the Mountain Collapse Fist.

He now feels as if he can reach the peak of Ming Jin at any time, and once he reaches the peak of Ming Jin, the next step will be to break through to An Jin!
Ordinary martial artists are stuck at the peak of Ming Jin, and it takes them three to five years or even a lifetime to even begin to grasp the secrets of An Jin. But Yang Jing is different!
Yang Jing's cultivation path has no "bottleneck" in mind. As long as he cultivates his current realm to its limit, he can naturally break through it.

These days, the Righteous Gang has been investigating Guang'anfang and several surrounding towns and cities without stopping. Although they haven't found him, it feels like a stone is pressing on their hearts.

Yang Jing clenched his fist, already having made up his mind.

I might as well not sleep tonight. With the full power of the tiger meat, I'll charge through in one go.

Once you reach the level of internal strength, those people from the Righteousness Gang are nothing to fear.

(End of this chapter)