Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

Ten days later, at Songxuan Martial Arts School.

It was late autumn, and the trees in the courtyard had long since lost all their leaves, leaving bare, withered branches pointing to the sky, and the ground covered with layers of withered, yellow leaves.

As usual, Guo Man practiced his stance training diligently not far from Qin Heng.

The cold wind rustled through the withered branches. He was drenched in sweat, his coarse cloth jacket soaked through. His blood was surging, but he still gritted his teeth and stubbornly held on to his stance.

During this period, several new disciples arrived at the martial arts school with excited faces, while many old disciples quietly left.

Even the hardworking Meng Shun eventually found his family unable to support him any longer, and had no choice but to leave in disappointment and return to his hometown to help raise pigs.

The usually lively Hou Xiaomei was now wavering. If it weren't for her wealthy family and her parents' doting on their youngest daughter, she would probably have gone home to get married and serve her husband.

Around noon, the disciples finished their cultivation and headed to the dining room in twos and threes.

"Junior Brother Heng." Guo Man walked over and sat down beside him, taking out a few chicken legs wrapped in oil paper from his pocket. He first distributed them to a few of his hardworking fellow disciples at the same table before turning to Qin Heng. "My qi and blood have accumulated to their peak. In the coming days, I will attempt to break through the barrier a second time. If I fail, I will have to rely on you, Junior Brother, to take care of Hou Xiaomei, Wu Geng, and the others."

For martial artists, successfully breaking through the barrier a second time allows them to reach the level of internal strength!

Throughout the Songxuan Martial Arts Academy, there are over a hundred disciples in the outer courtyard, all of whom are working desperately towards this goal, but only a handful will actually succeed.

In Heyang County, the "hidden strength" is a watershed; those below it can only make a living, while those above it can establish themselves and wield power.

Qin Heng looked at the chicken leg in his hand, then at the familiar faces at the table next to him.

They were all like him, lacking natural talent and background, and could only rely on hard work and perseverance.

They all looked exhausted, covered in sweat, struggling on the path of martial arts.

He turned to look at Guo Man, "Senior Brother Guo, I wish you success. Just go all out, and as long as I'm still at the martial arts school, I'll take care of everything else."

Guo Man smiled and nodded: "Thank you for your kind words, Junior Brother. I can rest assured now."

He had been stuck at the Mingjin realm for more than three years, during which he tried to break through the barrier several times, but all of them ended in failure.

After each failure, I have to spend a lot of resources to rebuild my strength and foundation from scratch. Over the years, all my assets have been poured into a bottomless pit.

If we fail again this time, there may not be another chance.

"Senior Brother Guo, we wish you success in your challenge!" Hou Xiaomei, Li Shoutian, Wu Geng, and Ji Sanlang put down their food, their faces serious, and said in unison.

Guo Man smiled and nodded, responding to each one, "Alright! Eat up, the chicken legs are freshly heated, they taste best when eaten hot."

......

The next day.

Qin Heng got up very early and helped his sister set up her breakfast stall before rushing to the Cui family's pharmacy to take his shift.

After a brief sparring session in the backyard of the pharmacy, he calmed his blood and qi, his breath steady, and slowly withdrew his fist and stood up.

[Destiny: Diligence is rewarded by Heaven; success is inevitable]

【Bajiquan (Minor Success 718/800)】

Bajiquan (Minor Success Level 701/800)

【Shadowless Footwork (Beginner 55/300)】

"I estimate I'll be able to break through to the Dark Force realm this month."

Qin Heng thought to himself, picked up a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from his face.

After receiving financial assistance from the Cui family, he never stopped taking the Blood-Generating Powder. Without this substance, his cultivation could never have progressed so rapidly.

It is important to know that this blood-generating powder not only helps people quickly generate blood and qi, but also has the miraculous effect of relieving pain and fatigue. It can truly be called an essential medicine for martial arts practitioners.

"You brat." Cui Ran brushed the dust off his clothes and laughed, "It seems that from now on, I really won't be your match."

"Uncle Cui, you're too kind. You just didn't play well. When you get into your rhythm, I'll naturally lose." Qin Heng smiled and stepped forward, reaching out to brush the dust off Cui Ran's back.

"You're so good at sweet-talking people." Cui Ran was both amused and annoyed, and gently patted Qin Heng's shoulder.

His expression immediately darkened slightly, and he spoke in a low voice:

"Alright, I'll stop joking with you. Things are probably going to get a little unsettled in this county these days, so you'd better be careful when you're out there."

Qin Heng frowned, withdrew his hands, and brushed the dust off his palms. "Oh? Uncle Cui, is something wrong?"

"That's natural. The Seven Suns Sect Inspector is coming to Heyang County. Our master instructed yesterday that we, the pharmacy, should also send someone to the dock to welcome him this afternoon."

Cui Ran subconsciously glanced around and then whispered, "I heard from my superiors that this Inspector Chen is probably here specifically to deal with Prefect Cheng of this county."

He frowned slightly and lowered his voice even further: "The garrison commander of Chengyang colluded with the Huang family, one of the five major families, to monopolize the entire waterway in Heyang County. Not only is our Cui family's business being obstructed at every turn, but even the goods of the Chen family, a powerful clan in Jishui County on the upper reaches of the Canglan River, are being blocked by him and cannot easily cross the border to reach the prefectural city."

Standing up straight, Cui Ran said softly:

"And this Inspector Chen is from the Chen family of Jishui County. What's the connection...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Qin Heng understood what he meant.

Qin Heng frowned slightly. He had overheard his senior brother and senior brother Guo talking about these inside stories during their lunch break earlier.

The so-called "garrison commander" was actually a local clan official, not an official of the imperial court.

In territories directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, this official title was called Duwei.

The garrison commander held two battalions of county soldiers, totaling four hundred men, and was in charge of key tasks such as city defense, river defense, bandit suppression, and thief apprehension. He was a powerful figure in the region.

He was someone even the magistrate of Heyang County had to treat with caution and dared not offend easily.

In this day and age, the world is governed by sects and the imperial court.

Therefore, local areas were further divided into clan-managed and imperial-managed areas. For example, Heyang County was a clan-managed county. The tax revenue collected each year was divided proportionally, with one part being supplied to the imperial court and the other part being given to the clan.

Correspondingly, sects also had to undertake local defense duties, suppress heretical sects and quell rebellions, and even send troops to respond to the imperial court during national wars.

So, they're both officials in the Seven Yang Sect, are these two going to fight amongst themselves? Doesn't the Seven Yang Sect care?

Qin Heng, filled with doubt, asked Cui Ran.

Cui Ran smiled calmly upon hearing this, gently stroking his beard with his fingertips. "Young man, you don't understand. Wherever there are people, there will be conflict. No faction is truly monolithic."

He led Qin Heng toward the front hall, saying in a low voice as they walked, "The world is full of people who are driven by profit. There are countless such cases. If everyone tried to manage them, the higher-ups of the Seven Suns Sect would be overwhelmed. As long as the two of them don't openly break ties or get caught with any evidence, who will bother with them? Unless they have some influence and intend to get involved in the waterway interests of my Heyang County."

After the two reached the front hall, they didn't stop and went straight into the side room to prepare lunch before heading to the dock together in the afternoon.