Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

"Qin Heng, eleventh floor! Top tier!"

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, a sharp gasp erupted from the crowd outside the room.

"Good heavens!"

It was Aunt Wang, who hadn't left yet. The cloth bag in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and she glared, slapping her thigh.

"A top-tier school? My nephew took the exam six years in a row, working himself to the bone to finally get a lower-tier grade! And this Qin kid actually got an A top-tier school?"

A strong sense of regret welled up in my heart instantly.

Back when the Qin siblings came to borrow money to learn martial arts, she made all sorts of excuses and fobs, showing them no mercy whatsoever.

If we had been kind enough to help him back then, and if Qin had passed the martial arts exam, our family could have benefited too. But now it's too late.

"Senior Brother Qin Heng! So powerful!"

The disciples of Songxuan Martial Arts School were the first to react, and they immediately burst into a deafening cheer, startling everyone who had just come to their senses.

"Excellent! Songxuan Martial Arts School has two outstanding students this year! I wonder if they can maintain this level of success in the second round."

"Don't rush, the geniuses nurtured by the five major families haven't even made their appearance yet. These two have merely gotten a head start!"

The onlookers pointed and whispered amongst themselves.

A thin, translucent blush instantly spread across Huang Hanyan's delicate, fair cheeks. Her ears burned, and her entire face felt incredibly embarrassed.

Her earlier sarcastic remarks about Qin Heng's arrogance, recklessness, and attention-seeking have now backfired on her.

But she was from a prestigious family, and she quickly suppressed her panic and embarrassment. She looked up at the tall and handsome young man in the arena, and the disdain in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a touch of emotion and a change of heart.

"Jiazhong?!" Li Yiping jumped up suddenly, almost knocking over the person next to him. He rubbed his eyes hard to make sure he hadn't misheard. He was so excited that he was incoherent, laughing and cursing, "Good lad! He's been hiding his true strength. You see, if we face each other in the second round, I'll teach this kid a lesson."

Xu Feng was also deeply shocked, and opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

The smile on Qin Tianbao's face gradually disappeared. He stared intently at the scattered iron filings on the stone platform, his knuckles clenched until they turned white.

He quickly took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and casually looked away.

On the platform, Mo Guangren, who had been sitting upright, suddenly sat up straight, a glint of disbelief flashing in his eyes. He then stroked his beard, his face showing unprecedented emotion.

Zhang Mingyuan, standing beside him, immediately stood up. "Master, to shatter eleven iron sand bricks with a single strike, Eighth Junior Brother's fist technique has reached its peak!"

Mo Guangren smiled and nodded slowly, "It must be because he has reached the Great Perfection realm, with smooth and seamless power exertion and refined internal energy, that he can have such power."

Zhang Mingyuan gave Qin Heng on the field a deep look, slowly sat back down in his seat, and muttered to himself:

"So, Qin Heng is the first disciple in our Songxuan Martial Arts School to master the art of boxing..."

......

The first round of tests was still underway. With all the outer city martial arts students, including those from Songxuan Martial Arts School, having finished their tests, it was finally the turn of the inner city martial arts students.

The core direct descendants cultivated by the five major families in the inner city, along with the elite disciples selected through rigorous screening by the eight long-established martial arts schools, all took to the stage to participate in the examination.

The eleventh floor was challenged more than ten times, and many people even took the risk of directly challenging the twelfth floor of iron sand bricks.

Among them, after failing to reach the twelfth floor, the eldest son of the Huang family steadily shattered the iron sand bricks on the eleventh floor on his second attempt, thus obtaining the top grade.

The elite disciples of Dingtao Martial Arts School and Shujian Hall were equally impressive, breaking through the eleventh level and also achieving top marks.

However, the one who shocked everyone the most was the eldest son of the Ming family.

He challenged the twelve-layer iron sand bricks twice in a row. On his second attempt, he shattered all twelve iron sand bricks in one fell swoop, achieving the highest grade and setting the highest score in the first round of the martial arts test this year!

Cheers erupted from the sidelines, and discussions continued.

Qin Heng did not become complacent after winning the first round. On the contrary, he stayed behind and stood quietly on the sidelines, intending to find out who his threatening opponents were in advance.

Coming from a poor family, he had to consider more and quickly gain a general understanding of his own abilities.

In the second round of the arena battles, as long as we can get through the first four rounds, the second-ranked team in Wuke High School should be no problem, but we'll need to fight harder for the first-ranked team!

With this in mind, Qin Heng didn't linger any longer. He turned and left the training ground, returning first to Songxuan Martial Arts Hall to prepare for the second round of martial arts assessments the next day.

He went straight back to the outer courtyard and did not go into the inner courtyard. Instead, he stood alone in the training ground, instructing Li Shoutian, Ji Sanlang, Wu Geng, Li Xiaona and others on how to practice their boxing while silently planning what tactics to use in tomorrow's arena battle.

When facing a weak opponent, you should win quickly and use your opening punches. But what should you do when facing a tough opponent?

Just as he was pondering this, Qian Erqiang came running up from the entrance of the martial arts school, his face full of flattery. "Senior brother, are you busy? There are guests looking for you at the door. They say they came specifically to congratulate you. Would you like to go and see them?"

Qin Heng nodded to him, instructed Li Shoutian and the others to practice their boxing on their own, and then walked towards the door.

Since breaking through to the Dark Force realm a few days ago and being accepted as a disciple by their master, Qian Erqiang, Liu Dadao, and other disciples have changed their attitude. In the past, they would ridicule and mock them in every way, but now they are very obedient.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the martial arts school, I saw a burly middle-aged man with scars on his face and hands standing by the door.

Upon seeing Qin Heng approach, the middle-aged man immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a loud, clear voice, yet with a touch of humility: "I am Zhou Tong, the head manager of Changfeng Escort Agency. Congratulations, Brother Qin, on achieving first-class honors in the first round of the martial arts examination! I have come here today to offer my congratulations!"

Qin Heng returned the greeting with a cupped hand and a faint smile: "Manager Zhou, you're too kind. This martial arts exam has only gone through its first round, and the results are meager and not worth celebrating."

Zhou Tong waved his hand, his smile earnest: "Not at all, Brother Qin, you are too modest. In my opinion, Brother Qin will certainly do well in the second round as well. I came here today not only to congratulate you, but also to ask you for a favor. I wonder if Brother Qin would be willing to take a position at my escort agency? The benefits are absolutely unbeatable, among the best in the entire outer city!"

He paused for a moment, then slowly explained the terms of the agreement: "Firstly, the monthly salary is fifty taels of silver, settled on the last day of each month without delay. Secondly, a portion of the monthly salary can be converted into Blood-Boosting Pills, which would amount to twenty taels of silver per month, plus five Blood-Boosting Pills per month, which is much more cost-effective than Brother Qin buying them outside."

Qin Heng's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Although this treatment was much lower than what the third senior brother offered, it had the advantage of not being involved in the conflicts between the five major families, and it was also much more generous than the treatment offered by the Cui family's pharmacy.

But then he thought again that escorting goods would inevitably involve traveling around and sleeping in the open, which would greatly reduce his martial arts training time. Moreover, he had not yet repaid the favor to the Cui family, so he could not leave for the time being.

After weighing the pros and cons, Qin Heng composed himself, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your kind offer, Manager. However, this matter is of great importance. Please allow me to think it over for a few days and give you a definite answer another day."

Having spent many years navigating the world of martial arts, Zhou Tong was intimately familiar with human relationships and social dynamics. He naturally understood the evasive tone in Qin Heng's words, but showed no displeasure whatsoever. He immediately laughed heartily and clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Of course, of course! Brother Qin, just focus on your exam preparation. There's no rush, so I won't bother you any longer."

After speaking, he said no more. He turned slightly to the side, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Qin Heng, and then strode away, displaying the carefree and decisive manner of a江湖儿女 (jianghu children, people of the martial arts world).