Becoming a Saint Starting with the Chasing Wind Leg Technique

Chapter 132 Practical Warfare, Light of the Outer City

The sun was high in the sky, and the atmosphere in the training ground was already boiling. The steward stood on one side of the high platform, holding a scroll of jade with gold trim. He infused it with his true energy and his voice resounded throughout the field: "After passing the speed and strength tests, a total of 640 people have passed! The list is as follows, ranked according to their overall scores."

"First place: Qian Rushan!"

"Second place, Lei Zhen!"

"Third place, Zhao Yuanqing!"

"Fourth place, Li Qingmei!"

"Fifth place, Sun Sihai!"

"Sixth place —"

"Eleventh place, Bai Yunfei!"

"Fourteenth place, Nie Feng!"

"Fifteenth place, Song Jing!"

"640th place, Sun Shan"

Each name uttered was accompanied by cheers from the family and martial arts school.

When the name "Song Jing" was announced, the area where the Zhuifeng Martial Arts School was located erupted in thunderous cheers. But what was even more moving was the sudden, overwhelming shouts and applause that rose from the edge of the training ground and the outer perimeter of the stands among the ordinary people, small vendors, and laborers who had moved from the outer city to the inner city to make a living.

"Song Jing! It's Song Jing from the outer city!"

"Fifteenth place! My God, someone from the outer city has made it to fifteenth!"

"Good lad! You've made us outer city folks proud!"

"I recognize him! He used to live on West Street, and I even bought firewood from him!"

"They are fine young men who came from our outer city!"

Many dark-skinned, simply dressed men waved their hats excitedly, their eyes reddening; some women wiped their eyes with their aprons; the elderly leaned on their canes, murmuring, "They've made it, they've really made it." People from the outer city were mostly from the lower classes and faced much scorn and prejudice in the inner city.

Now, a real young man who struggled out of the mud of the outer city has actually surpassed countless young men from the inner city in the highest-level martial arts competition in the inner city, ranking fifteenth!

This honor belongs not only to Song Jing personally, but also to all those from the outer city who share a common pride and comfort!

They seemed to see a glimmer of hope, a possibility that "even those from humble backgrounds can produce outstanding individuals."

Zhou Xingyun and Lin Wan'er were too excited to speak, but they clapped their hands vigorously, feeling proud of themselves.

Standing in the crowd, Li Ling Shuang looked at the ordinary people cheering for Song Jing, and then at the calm figure in the blue robe on the stage. An indescribable emotion welled up in her heart: admiration, joy, and an inexplicable sense of closeness.

In the direction of the Nie family's main branch, Nie Feng's face was ashen, while Nie Yun and the others seemed to have their throats grabbed, unable to utter any more sarcastic remarks.

Bai Yunfei's face was gloomy. His joy at being eleventh was shattered by the even more sincere and enthusiastic cheers for "fifteenth place".

From the high platform, Chen Yanzhou took in everything. His gaze lingered for a moment on the excited faces of the people in the outer city, then he looked at Song Jing with even deeper admiration in his eyes.

This young man has unknowingly won over the most genuine hearts.

"The real-world test begins now! 640 people, divided into upper and lower brackets, single-elimination! Draw lots now!"

II. With overwhelming force, they advanced into the top fifty. The battle drums sounded, and the air was thick with killing intent. The battles on thirty-two arenas began simultaneously, instantly reaching a fever pitch.

Song Jing's practical experience is steady and efficient.

He didn't pursue fancy moves. He usually relied on the ghostly speed of Xiaocheng Jiuyingbu to get close to his opponent, or used the fierce and violent frontal attack of the Wildfire Spear Technique. Occasionally, when he encountered a tricky attack, the powerful defense of Dacheng Golden Bell Shield became his greatest source of confidence. He dared to exchange injuries for injuries and end the battle in the simplest way.

In the first round, a swordsman at the peak of the Bronze Skin Realm was forced off the stage by him with three shots.

In the second round, a swordsman in the early stage of the Flesh Refining Realm struggled for ten moves before his longsword was knocked away.

In the third and fourth rounds, Song Jing's "Crimson Wildfire Spear" transformed into a deadly weapon, leaving no one unscathed.

His resilience and combat instincts, stemming from his humble origins in the outer city, were on full display on the fighting stage.

Many opponents from the inner city, with exquisite moves but lacking experience in life-or-death combat, found themselves hampered by his simple, efficient, and street-fighting style.

Meanwhile, the top geniuses in the inner city also displayed terrifying strength.

Qian Rushan's giant axe split the mountain, Lei Zhen's palm unleashed thunder, Zhao Yuanqing's swordsmanship was meticulous, and Li Qingmei's tactics were unpredictable and difficult to defend against—all of them crushed their opponents along the way.

Bai Yunfei's sword light was like a rainbow, and Nie Feng's blade was as fierce as a raging storm, yet he easily advanced to the next level.

Zhou Xingyun fought with all his might, relying on the speed of his Chasing Wind Leg Technique and his fierce determination, winning two consecutive matches and breaking into the top 200. In the end, he encountered a Body Refining Realm opponent in the third round, fought hard but was defeated, and stopped in the top 200.

Though defeated, he was still glorious.

Lin Wan'er was equally tenacious and won a match, but in the second round, she encountered a strong opponent in the top 300. Although she tried her best to fight back, she was defeated due to the difference in strength and stopped in the top 300.

Both of them performed exceptionally well and earned respect.

With each round of eliminations, the number of participants on the stage dwindled.

Top 100, Top 80, Top 60 — when the fifth round was reached, only the last fifty people remained on the field.

These fifty people were almost all experts in the Body Refining Realm!

Then the fifth round finally began, at which point only twenty people remained, the best of the best.

Their auras were refined, their gazes sharp as lightning; each of them was a true powerhouse who had emerged victorious from countless battles.

The fighting spirit in the air almost solidified into a tangible form.

With his consistent and powerful performance, Song Jing firmly held his position among the top teams in the lower half of the bracket and undeniably broke into the top five!

Its overall ranking has firmly settled at around fifteenth place!

This means that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will secure his place in the Pingtianmen selection process based on his outstanding performance in the top twenty!

The competition to advance from the top 20 to the top 10 will be decided by drawing lots.

When the match-up list was announced, it caused quite a stir.

Song Jing, ranked fifteenth, faced a formidable opponent in the fifth round—the first-place winner, Qian Rushan!

Upon seeing this matchup, many people gasped, then revealed expressions of regret or schadenfreude.

"Song Jing versus Qian Rushan? It's over, it's all over!"

"Qian Rushan is a monster who won first place in both trials and is invincible in actual combat! Although Song Jing is powerful, he's no match for him—"

"What a pity. They were a sure thing for the top 20, but now they're probably going to be stuck in the top 50."

"But to make it into the top fifty is already quite an achievement, considering that we're from the outer city."

Everyone at the Chasing Wind Martial Arts School felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Zhou Xingyun was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet, while Lin Wan'er looked worried.

Li Ling Shuang also frowned. From the Nie family's main branch, suppressed sneers rang out.

However, just as the referee signaled for both sides to come to the stage, Song Jing stepped forward, cupped his hands to the referee, and said in a clear voice that echoed throughout the arena area: "Referee, I forfeit this fight."

"give up?!

""

"Song Jing gave up?!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar! No one expected that Song Jing, who had been advancing triumphantly and with a tough style, would choose to give up at this moment.

Song Jing remained calm, his gaze sweeping over Qian Rushan, who stood like an iron tower not far away, grinning maliciously at him, without a ripple in his heart.

He was not afraid of fighting, but rather he had calmly weighed the options.

"Qian Rushan, the first in both trials, has unfathomable strength, far surpassing my current abilities."

A direct confrontation would be a slim chance of victory, and would undoubtedly be a brutal and fierce battle, likely exposing all my trump cards, and even resulting in injury that would affect my subsequent cultivation.

"More importantly, I have broken into the top twenty, and my overall ranking is firmly in the top twenty. I have already secured the qualification to join the Pingtian Sect. My goal has been achieved."

"Rather than fighting a hopeless, unwinnable opponent to the death for a mere illusion, it's better to conserve our strength, conceal our trump cards, and face the test of Pingtian Gate in peak condition. That is the more important battlefield."

His decision to give up was not out of cowardice, but a wise choice based on realistic judgment.

This requires immense calmness and self-control, which not everyone can do.

In fact, three other people had made similar decisions before Song Jing made his choice.

A contestant ranked 20th drew Zhao Yuanqing, who ranked 3rd, and chose to give up.

One of the eighteenth place winners drew the fourth-place Li Qingmei, but gave up.

One player, ranked seventeenth, drew the second Thunder Strike and withdrew. Everyone knew that fighting head-on against the top five monsters in the inner city was pointless; preserving dignity and strength was the best strategy.

The referee paused for a moment, then looked towards the platform.

Chen Yanzhou nodded slightly.

The referee then loudly announced: "Song Jing forfeits, Qian Rushan wins without a fight and advances to the next round!"

There was a lot of discussion in the audience.

Some people think that Song Jingzhi is wise and knows how to assess the situation.

Some people also felt that he lacked courage and backed down at crucial moments.

However, many discerning people, especially Chen Yanzhou on the high platform and some insightful sect observers, secretly nodded in approval of Song Jing's actions.

The ability to be flexible, know when to advance and retreat, and understand gains and losses is a quality that is especially rare among young geniuses.

Having forfeited his battle with Qian Rushan, Song Jing's final ranking was determined based on his previous performance and the records of other contestants, placing him fifteenth.

The subsequent ranking battles remained intense, but the overall situation had already been determined.

The top five monsters in the inner city were unstoppable, and Bai Yunfei, Nie Feng, and others also firmly held their positions at the top.

Finally, when the last duel ended, Magistrate He Tianxiong stood up again, holding the final golden list.

"This year's Martial Arts Competition has successfully concluded! We hereby announce the final top twenty rankings! These twenty individuals will be recommended to participate in the selection process for outer disciples of the Pingtian Sect!"

"First place: Qian Rushan!"

"Second place: Zhao Yuanqing!"

"Third place, Li Qingmei!"

"Fourth place, Sun Sihai!"

"Fifth place, Lei Zhen!"

"Eleventh place, Bai Yunfei!"

"Fourteenth place, Nie Feng!"

"Fifteenth place, Song Jing!"

"Twentieth place —"

Every name uttered is a crowning glory.

When the name "Song Jing" resounded across the training ground once again, the area in the direction of the Zhui Feng Martial Arts School, where the people of the outer city gathered, erupted in the most enthusiastic cheers and shouts that lasted for a long time!

Many people were in tears.

"He's in! Song Jing has entered Pingtian Gate!"

"Young man from the outer city has joined a sect! Heaven has eyes!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhou Xingyun and Lin Wan'er embraced and wept.

Li Ling Shuang smiled through her tears and clapped enthusiastically.

Looking at the young man below the stage who bowed calmly once again, Chen Yanzhou finally revealed an undisguised, gratified smile.

"A poor scholar rises to great heights, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate." He thought to himself, "Song Jing, you have taken the most crucial step. The road ahead is long, and the competition within the sect will be even more brutal. I hope you will maintain this spirit, forge ahead with determination, and not fail your ambitions of today, nor fail—"

This is what the Commandant expects.

He turned his head and whispered an instruction to the guard beside him.

The guards obeyed and left.

Not long after, just as the county magistrate was about to announce the end of the meeting, Chen Yanzhou slowly stood up.

The entire room fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

"My lord, I have something to say."

"This competition has produced many outstanding talents, which greatly pleases me," Chen Yanzhou said in a low but clear voice. "In particular, the students from humble backgrounds, who were not afraid of strong opponents and fought bravely to be the best, are all the more commendable. To recognize their ambition and encourage their actions, I hereby bestow this reward upon them."

He descended from the light onto Song Jing, who was standing below the stage.

"As a reward, Song Jing, here is a bottle of Qi and Blood Elixir. I hope that after you join the Pingtian Gate, you will remain true to your principles, advance bravely and diligently, and soon become a pillar of our Great Zhou, living up to the high expectations of the elders of your birthplace!"

Additional recognition and generous reward from the Captain!

This is undoubtedly the greatest affirmation and honor!

"Thank you for your generous gift, Commandant! I, Song Jing, will remember it and strive forward!" Song Jing bowed deeply again, his voice firm and resolute.

The entire bottle of Qi and Blood Pills contained ten pills, worth at least ten thousand taels of silver, and this was due to the high regard the representative, the Captain, had for it.

It also provided an extra layer of insurance for his personal safety, and its significance goes far beyond just ten thousand taels.

Because the amount of 10,000 taels depends on who bestowed it. This was a public reward given by the captain on a formal occasion, which is what makes him so unique.

In the future, probably no one will dare to offend him, except for some scions of powerful families.

This will also reduce a lot of trouble for him when he acts in the inner city. For example, when he goes to buy pills and weapons, he will no longer be harassed by people like last time.

The sunlight shone on him, making his faded blue robe appear as if it were gilded.

Behind them were the excited and proud faces of countless people from the outer city, the tearful smiles of their senior brothers and sisters, and the complex and unfathomable gazes of the inner city's elites.

Ahead lies the Pingtian Gate, now open, leading to a higher, farther, and more magnificent world of martial arts.

Young men from the outer city, today they leap over the dragon gate.

Children from humble backgrounds will surely rise to great heights in the future.