Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School-Chapter 48 - 35: In One Go

[Mountain-Shattering Fist: Minor Accomplishment (486/500)]

[Raging Wave Kick: Initiate (177/200)]

Looking at the data on his panel, Yang Jing’s heart burned with excitement.

After months of diligent and arduous training, consuming fierce beast meat daily and spending an untold amount of silver coins, the time to break through to the Anjin stage was finally at hand.

The thought of breaking through to Anjin burned in his heart like a raging fire.

Lately, he had been deliberately taking detours through Guang’an Square. He always saw members of the Yiqi Gang conducting searches on the streets and in the alleyways, their gazes fierce and sharp, as if looking for clues.

He didn’t need to think to know that the Yiqi Gang was still investigating the whereabouts of the Great Fortune Gang’s treasure.

Every time Yang Jing passed by, he held his breath, trying to gather more information, to see how far the Yiqi Gang’s investigation had progressed and whether they were close to discovering him.

This hidden threat was like a thorn in his side.

Only by breaking through to Anjin as soon as possible could he completely escape this life of constant anxiety.

Anjin and Mingjin. Though their names differed by only one character, the gap between them was as wide as heaven and earth.

An Anjin master could project their Inner Strength out of their body, making them difficult to harm with ordinary blades. Even if the Yiqi Gang had two experts at the Peak of Mingjin, they would be nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs in his eyes.

Moreover, there were very few Anjin masters in all of Yuhe County. They were either the core pillars of the major Martial Arts Halls or the mainstays of large gangs.

Once he stepped into that realm, his status at Sun’s Martial Arts Hall would naturally rise with the tide. At the very least, his master would offer him guidance a couple more times each day.

The reason Yang Jing was able to approach the Peak of Mingjin so quickly after his initial breakthrough—with a progress rate even faster than before—was primarily due to sufficient nourishment, followed by Sun Yong’s guidance once or twice a day.

Before breaking through to Mingjin, Yang Jing could barely afford horse meat. But after his breakthrough, he first became affiliated with the Liu Family Medical Hall and then came into a windfall, allowing him to supplement his diet with large quantities of fierce beast meat. An ordinary person couldn’t handle such potent nourishment. It was only because Yang Jing trained so hard—and he even suspected it might have something to do with his panel.

As far as he knew, Liu Maolin had once eaten three jin of bear meat in one sitting and immediately got a nosebleed; his body couldn’t handle such a powerful supplement.

Yang Jing, however, had been eating at least three jin of fierce beast meat every day long-term, including the even more potent tiger meat. He only ever felt as vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, never experiencing Liu Maolin’s issue of his body being too weak to absorb the nourishment.

Of course, this was just Yang Jing’s speculation. He would have to experiment more in the future to determine if his ability to consume so much was truly related to the panel.

On the path of the Martial Dao, the guidance of predecessors was also extremely important.

If one could learn a martial art without a master’s instruction, then the Martial Dao would be far too simple.

On the few occasions Sun Yong was away from the Martial Arts Hall, any questions that arose during Yang Jing’s practice went unanswered. This led to inefficient training, and his progress data for those days was much lower.

’After I break through to Anjin, I’ll be considered a Core Disciple even within the Martial Arts Hall. I don’t expect Master to teach me the way he guides Lin Yue, but as long as he can offer me a little more guidance each day, it will be a great help to my cultivation progress.’

Yang Jing slowly clenched his fists. He could feel the qi and blood surging within him, seemingly getting closer and closer to a limit.

Under the moonlight, his figure began to move again, his fist techniques fiercer and more urgent than before.

....

「Pingkang Square.」

The night was deep, but a light still shone from a study in the rear courtyard of Zhao’s Escort Agency.

Zhao Yuman, the third young miss of the Zhao Family, sat at a zitan wood desk. Her brow furrowed slightly as her fingertip traced across the open ledger.

The Escort Agency’s losses from this month’s jobs were twenty percent higher than last month’s. She needed to calculate it all carefully.

She wore a simple ruqun, having shed the sharp, practical attire she wore during the day, which added a touch of tranquility to her appearance.

Her maid, Qinghe, stood beside her holding a freshly brewed pot of Yuqian Longjing tea. "Miss, you should take a break," she said softly. "You’ve been at it for nearly an hour."

Zhao Yuman closed the ledger and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Taking the teacup, she said, "Mmm, just leave it there."

Qinghe set down the tea tray and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Miss, Young Master Liu sent someone to ask this afternoon... about that Yang Jing he mentioned. What are your thoughts...?"

Zhao Yuman’s hand, holding the teacup, paused. Her eyes were calm as she said coolly, "Send a reply. Tell them I’m not interested."

"Is there something unsuitable about him?" Qinghe asked curiously. "I heard he’s a Mingjin master and considered quite outstanding at Sun’s Martial Arts Hall."

"A Mingjin master is indeed good," Zhao Yuman said, her tone light as she gently blew on the tea foam. "But his Root Bone is what it is. I heard he has a Lower-Grade Root Bone? With that kind of aptitude, the Peak of Mingjin is his limit. It will be difficult for him to advance any further. The Escort Agency needs someone who can handle real responsibility, not some martial artist who can only take a few steps on the path."

With that, she set down her teacup and gazed out at the night. "Let’s wait. If I truly can’t find anyone more suitable in a few years, perhaps he could be a backup choice. For now, he isn’t enough."

Qinghe nodded quickly. "You’re right, Miss. A Lower-Grade Root Bone is indeed not worthy of you. I’ll go and reply to the Liu Family first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhao Yuman said no more. She picked up the ledger again, her fingertip tapping lightly on the word "losses," her thoughts returning to the Escort Agency’s business.

As for the name Yang Jing, it was merely a passing breeze, leaving not the slightest trace on her heart.

...

「The next day, in the afternoon.」

Liu Maolin hurried to Sun’s Martial Arts Hall in Chengping Square and found Yang Jing practicing on a striking post in the front courtyard. With an apologetic look, he wrung his hands, finding it difficult to speak. "Junior Brother, that... about the Zhao Family’s third young miss, I asked, and she... she doesn’t think it’s a good match."

He paused, seemingly afraid of upsetting Yang Jing, and quickly added, "Don’t take it to heart. She didn’t agree, which can only mean her standards are high... uh, I mean, she’s blind as a bat! It’s not necessarily your fault."

Liu Maolin was tongue-tied. He moved to Yang Jing’s other side and continued, "Besides, there are plenty of good girls in Yuhe! I’ll keep an eye out for you again. I guarantee I’ll find someone more suitable than her!"

Yang Jing stopped his punches. Beads of sweat trickled down his cheeks from his forehead. Wiping his face, he smiled and said, "It’s fine, Senior Brother. This was a matter of fate to begin with. If it’s not a match, it’s not a match. You don’t need to worry about it."

"It’s good that you can think that way." Liu Maolin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately thumped his chest in assurance. "Don’t worry, leave it to me! I’ll definitely find a good one for you!"

Yang Jing just smiled and didn’t dwell on the topic. After chatting with Liu Maolin for a bit, he turned back to the striking post.

To him, the matter had been optional from the start. His mind was still on his fist techniques. The Anjin stage, which he was about to touch, was his greatest concern.

「In the blink of an eye, another two days passed.」

In Yang Jing’s small courtyard in Tongyi Square, the night was deep. The yard was silent, save 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 juices slid into his stomach, and a familiar hot current quickly spread to his limbs and bones. Every inch of his muscles and sinews felt as if it were being soothed and unfurled.

He stood up and flexed his wrists, clearly feeling that the Mingjin in his body was like a fully drawn bow, ready to be released.

It was a wondrous feeling, like a kettle of water about to boil, needing just that final bit of heat. Yang Jing had a faint premonition that he might break through to Anjin tomorrow. He might even be able to break through tonight if he pulled an all-nighter!

Then, with a thought, the panel’s data appeared before his eyes.

[Mountain-Shattering Fist: Minor Accomplishment (499/500)]

[Raging Wave Kick: Initiate (193/200)]

In order to break through to Anjin as quickly as possible, Yang Jing had almost completely set aside his Raging Wave Kick training recently, focusing all his energy on practicing the Mountain-Shattering Fist.

Now, he felt as if he could reach the Peak of Mingjin at any moment. And once he reached the Peak of Mingjin, the next step would be breaking through to Anjin!

Ordinary Martial Artists could be stuck at the Peak of Mingjin for three to five years, or even a lifetime, without ever glimpsing the gateway to Anjin. But Yang Jing was different!

There was no such thing as a "bottleneck" on Yang Jing’s cultivation path. As long as he trained his current realm to its absolute limit, he would naturally break through. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

These past few days, the Yiqi Gang’s investigations in Guang’an Square and the surrounding markets had been relentless. Although they hadn’t traced anything to him, it weighed on his heart like a stone.

Yang Jing clenched his fists, a plan already forming in his mind.

’I won’t sleep tonight. I’ll use the abundant potency of the tiger meat to break through in one go.’

’As long as I reach Anjin, those people from the Yiqi Gang will be nothing to fear.’