A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

Chapter 99 The Garden of a Hundred Beasts

The Xuan Yang Sect is very large, with dozens of auxiliary peaks of varying sizes in addition to its seven main peaks.

Beast Taming Peak is located near the edge of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.

After receiving the mission token, Chu Xuan spent a full half hour arriving at the foot of Beast Taming Peak.

The entire Beast Garden was divided into more than a dozen animal enclosures of varying sizes. In the center of the enclosures was a palace, where the guards of the Beast Garden were stationed.

After showing the mission token, someone quickly led him to a large hall.

"Senior Brother Tong, an outer disciple has come to do guard duty," a disciple called out to the main hall.

A burly man, as strong as a brown bear, walked out of the palace.

He was dressed in the inner sect attire of the Xuan Yang Sect.

Behind him were a dozen or so people, all dressed as outer disciples.

"Chu Xuan? The new outer disciple this year?"

Senior Brother Tong took the mission token, glanced at it, and sized up Chu Xuan.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Tong. I was indeed a new disciple this year," Chu Xuan said.

At this moment, an outer disciple came to report: "Senior Brother Tong, Qingmu Peak needs three Ironback Bear gallbladders. Please send them over today."

"knew!"

Senior Brother Tong nodded and looked at Chu Xuan, saying, "What's your strength? Never mind, it's not important! Come with me!"

After saying that, he turned and left.

Chu Xuan remained silent and followed closely behind. Soon, the group arrived at a beast pen.

From afar, Chu Xuan saw several enormous beasts lying inside a huge palace. They looked like bears, but were several times larger than bears. Each one was like a small mountain, and their thick, armor-like backs gleamed with a dark luster.

The entire palace was inlaid with huge black iron bars, making it into a series of oversized cages!

Upon arriving at the palace, Senior Brother Tong ordered, "Release an Ironback Bear!"

Immediately, an outer disciple stepped forward and opened the cage!

"Roar~!"

Angry roars echoed from inside the cage.

The moment the cage was opened, the previously quiet ironback bears inside suddenly became agitated and rushed towards the cage exit.

Bang Bang Bang ~!

A giant iron-backed bear, standing two zhang tall, shoved aside its companions and suddenly leaped out.

Click!

The cage closed again the moment it emerged.

The iron-backed bear that escaped did not flee immediately, but stared at Chu Xuan and his group, its blood-red eyes flashing with a savage light.

Senior Brother Tong turned to Chu Xuan and said, "Go and kill it!"

Huh? Me?

Chu Xuan was only stunned for a moment before he understood what the other party meant.

This is a test of myself.

It seems that this task, which everyone dislikes, is not something that just anyone can do casually.

"Just tell me what weapon you want, and I'll have someone get it for you," Senior Brother Tong asked.

"Not needed for now!"

Chu Xuan shook his head and walked towards the Ironback Bear.

He hadn't learned any weapons, so using them now would prevent him from unleashing his true strength.

He watched Chu Xuan leave.

The dozen or so people behind Senior Brother Tong all wore amused smiles.

"How long do you think he can hold on?"

"Hehe, newbie here, probably never seen blood before. Just don't wet your pants in fear."

"Please don't let them kill us! Otherwise, no one will dare to come here again—"

The Ironback Bear is a second-tier beast, and among second-tier beasts, its strength is considered to be above average.

Compared to martial artists, mythical beasts possess greater physical strength, giving them a natural advantage and making them significantly stronger than martial artists at the same cultivation level. A mature, peak-form Ironback Bear would be quite troublesome even for a martial artist at the Transformation Realm.

The iron-backed bear that Chu Xuan was facing had only recently come of age and had not yet reached its peak; it was probably comparable to a martial artist who had mastered the internal energy!

However, this is not the same as a martial artist who has mastered the internal energy.

Many martial artists have no experience fighting against strange beasts. Once they encounter a strange beast, they sometimes can't even unleash one tenth of their full strength.

These people are all seasoned veterans; they can tell at a glance that Chu Xuan is just a newbie!

"Roar~"

Upon seeing Chu Xuan approach, the Ironback Bear opened its foul-smelling maw and roared, its two claws pounding the ground, causing it to tremble, before lunging straight at Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan did not confront the bear head-on. Instead, he instantly used the Heavenly Roc Nine Leaps Technique, sidestepping and crouching, taking a half-step to shrink the ground, barely managing to graze the bear's claws as they cut into its body.

boom!

A loud bang.

The iron-backed bear slammed its paw into the ground, creating a large crater that shook the ground violently.

Almost simultaneously, Chu Xuan punched the Ironback Bear in the ribs.

"Thump—"

'

The Ironback Bear's massive body suddenly froze, letting out a painful howl. It swayed forward to regain its balance, and then angrily pounced on Chu Xuan.

"What an incredibly strong physique!"

Chu Xuan was shocked.

This was his first time fighting a strange beast, and he had overestimated its strength as much as possible. He didn't expect that this full-force attack, equivalent to his internal energy, would not cause any damage to the beast.

This is still attacking the opponent's weak point.

If you hit someone on the back, you probably won't even hurt them!

"Looks like I really need to show some skill to kill this beast!"

After dodging the Ironback Bear's massive, fan-like claws once again, Chu Xuan launched a punch before the bear could turn around.

Bajiquan is fierce and violent, with every move potentially fatal.

The left fist exploded with explosive force, striking the bear's neck joint directly;

The right fist slashes horizontally, cutting towards the shoulder meridian.

The punches were powerful and short, each strike unpretentious yet creating a faint hum in the air.

The Ironback Bear swung its claws in fury, but Chu Xuan remained close by, his fists like cannon fire, pressing forward relentlessly.

"Not bad!"

Those watching from afar were all astonished by what they saw.

Senior Brother Tong nodded as well.

Chu Xuan's performance was better than he had expected, and much better than the other new outer disciples!

"Bang!"

After fighting for about half an incense stick's time, Chu Xuan felt that it was about time. He suddenly changed his stance, punching the acupoint next to the bear's eye with one punch and slamming the bear's nasal cartilage with the other.

In the end, Chu Xuan ended the battle with a powerful "heart-piercing elbow" that struck Ironback Bear in the chest.

The ironback bear's massive body crashed to the ground, its limbs twitching, unable to get up again.

"good!"

Senior Brother Tong nodded approvingly, and seeing Chu Xuan approach, commented, "Your movement technique is good, and your martial arts foundation is solid, making you one of the best among your peers. But in my eyes, you can only barely pass. Do you know why?"

"Please give me your guidance, senior brother."

Chu Xuan turned slightly to the side and said.

Senior Brother Tong said calmly, "You need to understand that the goal of fighting strange beasts is to kill them with the least amount of damage! But you rely too much on your agility! What I see is you not killing strange beasts, but showing off your agility!"

After saying that, he ordered the cage to be opened again and two ironback bears to be released.

"Roar!"

Two ironback bears jumped out of their cage, saw their companion's corpse, and immediately roared angrily at the crowd.

"Watch closely!"

Senior Brother Tong said something casually, then strode toward the two iron-backed bears.

In the blink of an eye, he had landed between the two ironback bears, also without any weapons.

Whoosh!

When the Ironback Bear attacked, Senior Brother Tong also moved!

Unlike Chu Xuan, he did not dodge. Instead, just as the iron-backed bear's giant claws came down, he slightly turned his body and slapped the bear's shoulder.

In the instant his center of gravity lost its balance, he struck the opponent's ear, a vital spot, turning his head into mush.

With a thud, the massive ironback bear carcass crashed to the ground.

The second one was the same.

Senior Brother Tong didn't even lift his foot, he just slightly dodged to the side, and then struck the opponent's vital point!

Simple and efficient!

Chu Xuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

I was utterly shocked!

This Senior Brother Tong did not rely on his superior strength to crush the Ironback Bear, but rather, like him, he was a martial artist with the strength of Dark Force!

But the outcomes for the two were completely different!

He had a very difficult time killing a single ironback bear!

The opponent killed two of them, both stronger than his own, as easily as eating and drinking!

Of course, this is also related to the fact that he didn't fully reveal his strength. If he had used the Intercepting Meridian Palm, even without exposing his Transformation Realm strength, he could have killed the Ironback Bear in one move.

The problem is that Senior Brother Tong didn't use any particularly powerful martial arts either.

"Do you understand now?"

Senior Brother Tong walked back and looked at Chu Xuan, "I don't have your graceful movements, but I have about the same strength as you, yet you killed the Ironback Bear in one move!"

Chu Xuan said he didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked!

"You have too little practical experience!"

Senior Brother Tong said slowly, "Your movement technique is good, but there's no need to show it off every time! The best way to kill strange beasts is to be concise and effective, killing them with minimal losses!"

Chu Xuan looked thoughtful.

Senior Brother Tong ignored him and instead ordered, "Someone, dissect these three Ironback Bears! Send the gallbladders to Greenwood Peak, the flesh to the Mission Hall, the hides and bones to Fire Peak, and the excrement to the Spirit Plant Garden—"

Good guy!

They really ate everything clean, not wasting a single bit!

Chu Xuan was speechless for a moment.

Long insight!

Even feces had to be collected.

"So, do you want to stay?" Senior Brother Tong asked Chu Xuan.

"I'm willing to stay," Chu Xuan nodded.

Senior Brother Tong nodded approvingly: "You have a good eye! Those ignorant guys outside all think this is a tough job. But they don't know that this is a treasure trove for honing real combat skills!"

Once you've stayed long enough, you'll find that while the work at our animal park might be a bit tough, the benefits are numerous—

—

He had no other choice!

The zoo has always been short-staffed.

If they still can't find anyone, they'll have to send him, an inner disciple, or one of the managers, to personally kill the beasts. He personally went into battle today and gave Chu Xuan pointers, all to keep Chu Xuan here.

"No, I've already discovered it!"

Chu Xuan muttered to himself.

[Slaying the Tier 2 beast Ironback Bear, Essence Value +200]

Upon seeing the information on the panel, Chu Xuan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed!

It actually works!

His gaze swept over the ferocious beasts in the animal park, and suddenly they seemed adorable, like courtesans in a brothel beckoning to him with seductive poses.

Cough cough ————

This doesn't feel right!

But it's a good thing anyway!

These are all walking essence points!

But his gains went far beyond that.

Even the experience points for Tianpeng Nine Vertical and Bajiquan increased by more than 100 due to the battle!

Senior Brother Tong is right, this place is indeed a treasure trove for gaining experience!

The danger isn't too great, and there's a constant stream of strange beasts, so you don't have to go out and search for them yourself.

"I'm so stupid! Really! Such a great place, and I only just discovered it now—"

In the end, Chu Xuan was assigned to the No. 9 Beast Garden.

"A new disciple?"

The manager of Beast Garden No. 9 was a young man who looked to be in his twenties. When he learned that Chu Xuan was a new outer disciple, he immediately looked disgusted.

"So, my No. 9 Garden is just a stepchild's property? They only give us useless things!"

Xiao Mingyu said, quite displeased.

He didn't even try to hide his complaints in front of Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan remained calm, pretending not to hear.

On the way here, the servant who led the way had already warned him that the manager of the Ninth Animal Park had a bad temper and that he should be careful.

Chu Xuan couldn't swallow his anger, but a few harsh words weren't enough to make him lose his temper.

Of course, most importantly, the other party has a father who is an outer sect steward!

"Chu Xuan, right?"

Xiao Mingyu glanced at Chu Xuan and said calmly, "Remember, this is my territory. You'd better behave yourself! If I find out you're cheating or doing anything dishonest, I won't let you off the hook!"

"Thank you for the reminder, senior brother."

Chu Xuan said calmly.

Go!

Xiao Mingyu waved his hand dismissively and said to the other two outer disciples, "You two help him familiarize himself with the rules as quickly as possible. My Ninth Park doesn't keep useless people!"

"Yes, Senior Brother!"

The other two disciples quickly led Chu Xuan away.

Over the next few days, Chu Xuan began his guard duty in the No. 9 courtyard and also became acquainted with the other two newly initiated disciples.

These two men, one named Liang Ping and the other Li Fan, joined the Xuan Yang Sect from a small town through the martial arts examination, just like Chu Xuan.

Back in the small town, they were considered the pride of heaven, and they thought that after entering the Xuan Yang Sect, they would soar to great heights. Reality, however, gave them a resounding slap in the face!

Now, not only have I become a handyman at the zoo, but I also have to be mindful of people's moods, which is almost like being a servant!

Both of them were weaker than Chu Xuan and were responsible for doing odd jobs for him, while Chu Xuan was responsible for killing alien beasts when there were missions.

Chu Xuan was naturally delighted with this.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Chu Xuan has been at the Xuan Yang Sect for over a month now, and he can receive the Lesser Qi Cultivation Pill again.

That day, after asking Xiao Mingyu for leave, Chu Xuan went straight to the Inner Affairs Hall of the outer gate.

Fortunately, there weren't many people, and it was his turn soon.

"Junior brother, you look unfamiliar. Are you a new outer disciple this year?"

The female disciple in charge of distributing the pills held a porcelain bottle in her hand, but instead of immediately giving it to Chu Xuan, she looked him over with great interest.

"Is there anything else, Senior Sister?"

Chu Xuan looked at the woman with some wariness.

It must be said that she was very beautiful, even more so than Lu Xiaoshuang. Her skin was snow-white, and her breasts were high and firm; there was no trace of her having practiced martial arts. When she smiled, she had two dimples on her face, making it hard for anyone to dislike her.

In short, she was born to be a receptionist!

Chu Xuan was wary because the other person's clothes were embroidered with the three characters "Qianjin Hui" (meaning "Thousand Gold Gathering").

"Junior Brother Chu Xuan, I am an outer disciple from the previous year. By the way, my name is Yang Yuan."

The woman glanced at Chu Xuan's identity token and said with a smile, "Junior Brother, you've been in the outer sect for a month now. You should have already experienced how tough it is for disciples like us without any background, right?"

Chu Xuan remained silent.

Yang Yuan continued, "Actually, I have another identity, which is a member of the Qianjin Society! Elder Ke of the inner sect is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see everyone suffer, so he created the Qianjin Society so that everyone could stick together and get through difficulties when they were in the outer sect."

Once you join the Qianjin Club, everyone is a brother or sister.

Our Qianjin Club offers a special benefit to new members: as long as you deposit your contribution points into the Qianjin Club, you'll receive a 5% monthly dividend.

really!

Chu Xuan sighed inwardly, his face full of bitterness, and said, "I'm sorry, Senior Sister, I've almost used up all my contribution points, and I need to pay rent soon. I really don't have any money—"

"It's okay if you run out! You have three Lesser Qi Cultivation Pills now, which can be exchanged for thirty contribution points."

Yang Yuan's smile remained unchanged.

"In addition, I have another service here that would be perfect for you. Junior brother, you can use your ID card as collateral to get a low-interest loan from the Mutual Aid Pavilion, with an annual interest rate of thirty percent."

Junior brother, you could easily borrow some contribution points and invest them in the Thousand Gold Club. That way, you can earn the difference without lifting a finger —

Really?I do not believe!

Chu Xuan politely declined, saying, "Senior sister, let me think about it."

"There's no rush, Junior Brother, you can take your time to consider it." Yang Yuan handed the Lesser Qi Cultivation Pill to Chu Xuan. "Junior Brother, once you've made up your mind, you can come find me anytime—"

"I've thought it through, I'm not doing it!"

After checking the Lesser Qi-Nourishing Pill and confirming that it was correct, Chu Xuan left a message and quickly turned to leave.