Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

The inner courtyard of Songxuan Martial Arts School.

Qin Heng followed Zhang Mingyuan and slowly walked into the courtyard.

This was his first time entering the inner courtyard; he had never had the opportunity to do so before.

Upon entering the courtyard, one sees a clear pond with a small pavilion by the water. The courtyard is elegant and serene, while on the other side is a small martial arts training ground.

Beside the stone table by the pond, Mo Guangren sat in the main seat, explaining in detail the rules and taboos of the martial arts examination to the disciples standing opposite him.

Most of the disciples standing around listened intently, holding their breath, but the third senior brother, Xu Feng, seemed somewhat absent-minded, his gaze repeatedly drifting uncontrollably to his side.

Three steps away from him, his fourth senior sister, Huang Hanyan, stood gracefully, less than half a step away from Qin Tianbao. Her face was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her complexion was radiant. Her neat, moon-white outfit accentuated her curvaceous figure. The two were so close that they could hear each other's breathing and heartbeats.

Qin Tianbao stood ramrod straight, listening intently to his master's explanation. As a first-time participant in the martial arts training, he listened more attentively than anyone else present.

"Clatter".

The sound of their light footsteps startled the people in the courtyard. Mo Guangren stopped talking and looked up.

Zhang Mingyuan led Qin Heng forward, bowed respectfully, and before their master could ask any questions, Zhang Mingyuan spoke first in a loud voice:

"Master, I have brought Junior Brother Qin Heng here to report something. He successfully broke through to the Dark Force realm last night!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the courtyard fell silent; even the sound of water in the pond seemed to pause for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Mo Guangren abruptly stopped, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes. He then looked up at Qin Heng and spoke in a deep voice:

"Qin Heng, come forward."

Qin Heng responded and stepped forward, bowing as he stood before the stone table.

Mo Guangren extended two fingers and placed them on his wrist pulse. With just a touch of his fingertips, he felt the hidden strength that was concentrated yet not released, and could be controlled at will.

"Good lad! You've really given your teacher a wonderful surprise!"

He withdrew his hand and laughed loudly, then stood up and patted Qin Heng's shoulder heavily, the force steady: "Qin Heng, when did you join the sect? Do you remember?"

"Master, Junior Brother Qin Heng joined the sect this May," Zhang Mingyuan replied with a smile.

"Not bad! You've reached the Inner Strength level in just over half a year. I really misjudged you this time!"

Mo Guangren looked at his disciple, who came from a poor family, and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

He still remembered that on the first day Qin Heng arrived, he blushed and asked him if it was necessary to eat meat when practicing martial arts.

Given Qin Heng's family situation, let alone expensive medicines, they probably couldn't even afford enough meat for daily meals. It's truly unimaginable what kind of untold hardships and efforts he must have made to get to where he is today.

He knew in his heart that Qin Heng was actually a good prospect for martial arts.

He had exceptional comprehension when learning stance training and boxing techniques, grasping concepts instantly. If it weren't for his poor physical constitution, he might have been able to receive some training resources earlier.

What's even more remarkable is that this young man is extremely steady and has the best ability to remain calm. Since the day he entered the academy, he has been practicing diligently day and night without ever slacking off. This kind of temperament is truly rare among disciples of the same age.

In contrast, Qin Tianbao, who entered the academy at the same time as him, although he had excellent physical talent and entered the Dark Force realm early on, was much worse in terms of temperament.

Qin Tianbao's biggest problem is that he acts too eccentrically and ruthlessly, and is always eager for quick success and instant benefits. If someone can restrain him, it will be fine, but if no one can restrain him, he may easily go astray in the martial arts in the long run. Even more worrying is that he may cause some trouble that is difficult to control with his skills.

However, everyone has their own shortcomings. Qin Heng lost because of his innate talent, but won because of his acquired character. Qin Tianbao won because of his exceptional talent, but he was a step behind in terms of character.

In the path of martial arts, both temperament and innate talent are very important. It's too early to say which of these two disciples will go further.

These thoughts only lingered in Mo Guangren's mind for a moment before he dismissed them all.

He looked up at Qin Heng and asked the same question he had asked Qin Tianbao: "Qin Heng, would you be willing to become my disciple?"

"Disciple Qin Heng pays respects to Master!" Qin Heng took a step back and immediately knelt down to kowtow.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the inner disciples standing in the courtyard turned their gazes to Qin Heng.

Senior Brother Zhang Mingyuan had a calm gaze and a faint smile on his face; he was genuinely happy for Qin Heng.

Third Senior Brother Xu Feng's gaze was complicated. He had always looked down on Qin Heng's aptitude, but he never expected that the other party, with his mediocre aptitude, would actually break through all the way to the Dark Force realm and be on par with him.

Fourth Senior Sister Huang Hanyan finally raised her eyes and glanced at Qin Heng, a hint of emotion flashing across her cold eyes.

In the past, she would never bother with poor students like Qin Heng, let alone someone with such poor aptitude. She had no intention of even talking to him.

But the emotion in her eyes only lasted for two breaths before she completely concealed it. A martial artist who had only reached the Dark Force level was not enough to make her, the direct descendant of the Huang family, lower herself and take the initiative to befriend him.

Beside her, Qin Tianbao, now the seventh senior brother, also had his gaze fixed on Qin Heng, his eyes swirling with anger, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.

He hadn't expected that his good-for-nothing cousin would actually be so lucky as to break through to the Dark Force realm. This made his words spoken in public last night seem like a slap in the face to himself.

However, he quickly loosened his clenched fist, and the ferocity in his eyes subsided considerably.

He stared coldly at Qin Heng, but in his heart he thought that it wasn't all bad that the kid had reached the Dark Force realm.

As fellow members of the Qin family, if used properly, they might be able to help me in the future.

Just as his thoughts were racing, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. Fifth Senior Brother Li Yiping, pale-faced, rushed in in a panic, disregarding all etiquette, and shouted at Mo Guangren, "Master! Something terrible has happened!"

Instantly, everyone in the courtyard turned their gazes in that direction, all looking on with astonishment and disbelief.

The delicate atmosphere that had just been created by Qin Heng's unexpected breakthrough to the Dark Force realm was completely shattered by this shout.

Mo Guangren frowned sharply and shouted in a deep voice, "What's the panic! Is the sky falling? Stand still and explain yourself clearly."

Li Yiping, supporting herself on her knees, gasped for breath. After a long while, she continued in a hoarse voice:

"Master, something's happened at the Ming family's port in the east of the city! Just half an hour ago, Garrison Commander Cheng personally led the river defense troops to surround the entire port and engaged in combat with the Ming family's guards! The Huang family's private soldiers also joined the attack alongside the garrison commander's men!"

He swallowed hard, then quickly added, "They said that the Ming family's port was harboring pirates and colluding with the enemy, and they wanted to seal off the port on the spot! When the Ming family head personally led his men there, he clashed with the garrison commander. If Inspector Chen hadn't arrived in time, things wouldn't have ended well today. However, the port has already been sealed off by the river defense troops, and the news is now spread throughout the city!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the courtyard.

"How is this possible?" Xu Feng exclaimed. "The Ming and Cui families have suffered the most from river bandits in the past two years. Last month alone, their transport was robbed four times, more than ten guards died, and they lost no less than tens of thousands of taels of silver. They hate the river bandits so much, how could they possibly collude with them?"

"Is there any concrete evidence that the garrison command dispatched troops? Have they given any explanation?"

Zhang Mingyuan's expression changed slightly, and he quickly asked. The three major ports of Heyang had long been in the hands of the garrison and the Huang family. If the Ming family's port were to be seized, the Zhang family's business would definitely be greatly affected, and the other major families would probably not fare any better.

Li Yiping nodded hurriedly, panting as she replied urgently, "Yes, they say there's solid evidence! The garrison commander did catch the pirates hiding in the port on the spot! It was someone from inside the Ming family's port who reported it to the garrison commander in advance, so Garrison Commander Cheng led his men to surround the port directly, saying that he was afraid that if they arrived any later, the Ming family would have moved the pirates away or destroyed the evidence of their collusion with the pirates. They didn't even give the Ming family any time to prepare."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Feng frowned and took a step forward, asking, "This matter sounds too suspicious! Who exactly is this member of the Ming family who went to the garrison headquarters to report this? And which bandits were they arresting?"

"That's enough, no need to ask anymore."

Mo Guangren spoke in a deep voice, reached out and pulled Qin Heng up, gave him a few instructions, and then had him stand next to Zhang Mingyuan.

He glanced at his disciples, his tone solemn and authoritative: "This matter sounds complicated, and the truth is still unknown. You need not discuss it here, and you are not allowed to inquire about it in private."

Mo Guangren paused, then added, "I will personally verify the authenticity of the information and explain it to you upon my return. With the martial arts exams approaching, focusing on preparation is the top priority. You are not allowed to interfere in any other matters!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Guangren turned around and strode out of the inner courtyard, leaving behind a group of disciples with different thoughts.