Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

It was afternoon.

Qin Heng's journey to the martial arts competition has come to an end. He did not stay to watch the remaining rounds of the competition, but went straight back to Songxuan Martial Arts School.

As soon as he entered the outer courtyard of the martial arts school, he felt a strange and complicated atmosphere. The deafening sounds of fists clashing and shouts that used to fill the air had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a cacophony of whispers.

The disciples in the martial arts school gathered in groups.

On the west side of the martial arts arena, a group of disciples were excitedly discussing, their voices high: "Senior Brother Tianbao crippled Third Senior Brother with a single move, the Overlord's Hard Reins, on the arena today! He was truly impressive! I think he's definitely going to be ranked high on the first-class list; the only remaining question is his ranking!"

"That's right. Didn't Master say before that he would announce the final disciples after the martial arts training? Besides Senior Brother Tianbao, who else is worthy of him? Who else?"

After saying this, these people, who were Qin Tianbao's usual attendants, all showed arrogant expressions, as if they had benefited from his great glory.

On the training ground, Li Xiaona, Wu Geng, Li Shoutian, Ji Sanlang, and Ji Silang saw Qin Heng return and immediately rushed to greet him.

"Ah!!! Senior Brother Qin Heng! You're finally back! We've all heard that you made it into the top sixteen of the second round of the martial arts exam. You'll probably be a shoo-in for the top ten on the second-tier list and you're sure to pass the martial arts exam!" Li Xiaona's face flushed red, her eyebrows curved, and her eyes were full of undisguised joy and admiration.

Ji Sanlang and Ji Silang, though young and somewhat naive, also had bright eyes and couldn't hide their excitement. Wu Geng and Li Shoutian, on the other hand, had calm expressions, their eyes revealing sincere admiration and longing.

Seeing Li Xiaona and the others like this, Qin Heng felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and waved his hand, his tone calm and composed: "Alright, don't be so happy yet. The martial arts rankings haven't been released yet, it's too early to say anything."

As soon as the words were spoken, the jubilant smiles on their faces slowly faded.

Li Xiaona hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "By the way, Senior Brother. We've all heard that Third Senior Brother lost an arm to Seventh Senior Brother. Is it really that serious?"

The others all looked at Qin Heng with curiosity and a desire for confirmation, wanting to know the truth of the news from him.

Qin Heng's smile faded, and he nodded slightly.

Qin Tianbao's actions were ruthless, showing no regard for the feelings between fellow disciples and leaving no room for maneuver, which chilled him to the bone.

Li Xiaona bit her lower lip and added softly, "Also, senior brother. Fifth senior brother Li Yiping came back this morning. It seems he didn't win his second arena battle. He stayed for a while after returning and then went to the Xu residence."

Qin Heng nodded slightly again, his tone calm with a hint of relief: "I know. He was up against Qu Yaoyang, the eldest disciple of Dingtao Martial Arts School. Fortunately, he quickly admitted defeat after realizing he was no match for him and was not seriously injured. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unpredictable."

As they were talking, footsteps came from the entrance of the martial arts school. Everyone looked up and saw their senior brother, Zhang Mingyuan, walking in quickly.

Zhang Mingyuan glanced around the courtyard, and upon seeing Qin Heng, strode over. "Good lad! You gave my master and me a big surprise without saying a word! Come on, let's go inside and talk!"

His tone was full of approval as he patted Qin Heng on the shoulder and led the way into the inner courtyard.

Qin Heng understood what was meant and nodded slightly to Li Xiaona, Wu Geng, and the others, signaling them to go practice on their own. Then he quickly followed Zhang Mingyuan and they walked together towards the inner courtyard.

Once they entered the secluded inner courtyard and the surroundings quieted down, the smile on Zhang Mingyuan's face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Junior brother, I didn't go back to the martial arts school with you. I watched the rest of the competition at the training ground." He said in a deep voice, "Junior brother Tianbao fought his way to the top four in the arena battle, where he faced Ming Lou, the eldest son of the Ming family, and narrowly lost. He then faced Qu Yaoyang, the eldest disciple of Dingtao Martial Arts School, and slightly won, ultimately getting third place and achieving a top-tier result."

He paused, his tone becoming particularly complex: "Speaking of which, this year's martial arts examination should have been a double celebration for our Songxuan Martial Arts Academy. In the second round, you made it into the top sixteen and were guaranteed a place on the second-tier list. Junior Brother Tianbao came in third, and he was sure to have a place on the first-tier list. Both of you could pass the martial arts examination with top honors, which is a result our academy has never achieved in many years! But then this incident with Junior Brother San happened, a case of fratricide, turning a joyous occasion into a tragedy. Master and I really have no heart to celebrate."

Qin Heng shook his head inwardly, then asked, "How is Third Senior Brother now?"

"His injuries have stabilized, and he's out of danger." Zhang Mingyuan sighed, his tone full of regret and sympathy. "But his arm is completely useless now. Even if it heals, he won't be able to practice martial arts anymore. Third Brother's injury is far more than it appears on the surface. Junior Brother Tianbao used all his hidden strength in that move, which penetrated his body through the bone and destroyed the foundation of his martial arts that he had painstakingly cultivated over the years."

"After Master came down from the arena, he stayed at the Xu residence and never left for a moment," he added.

Qin Heng, equally puzzled, asked in a deep voice, "My cousin is supposed to be a sensible person. Didn't he consider how he'll explain this to Master later? On my first day at the martial arts school, you, Senior Brother, told me about the three rules. Now that this has happened, has he thought about how to clean up the mess?"

"Junior brother, there's something you might not know," Zhang Mingyuan lowered his voice. "Master has already publicly stated that the final disciple will be announced after the martial arts training ends, and Junior Brother Tianbao has naturally set his sights on that position. You see, being Master's final disciple isn't just an empty title; it means receiving full support from the martial arts school. You might even get your hands on the fundamental diagram of Bajiquan's internal energy from Master."

Qin Heng was taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately asked, "The Fundamental Diagram of Bajiquan Power? What is this?"

Zhang Mingyuan slowly explained, "This thing is extraordinary. It contains detailed records of the fundamental principles of Bajiquan's internal energy flow, power generation, and striking techniques, as well as exclusive cultivation techniques for refining one's own strength over many years. With this in hand, once the internal energy is perfected, the chances of successfully passing the third stage will greatly increase. No one in our martial arts school would not want it."

"If that's the case, then how can Master still give him the position after my cousin has done such a thing?" Qin Heng was even more puzzled upon hearing this. The choice of who to be the last disciple was entirely up to Master's will. Qin Tianbao had crippled Xu Feng, which was a major taboo for Master. Wasn't he knowingly committing a crime?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan's expression darkened, and he clenched his fists, a rare occurrence, his face revealing a hint of anger: "That's a question for the Huang family behind him! Besides his own actions, there must be the Huang family secretly backing him up and instigating him!"

"According to the inside information gathered by my clansmen, this matter was most likely directly instigated by the Huang family." He lowered his voice, his tone cold. "In this year's martial arts examination, not only did Junior Brother Xu Feng suffer a terrible fate, but the fifth young master of the Cui family and the seventh young lady of the Ming family, who took the exam together, also did not escape unscathed. If no one from my Zhang family had taken the exam this year, they probably would have been poisoned long ago as well."

Qin Heng was startled by this, and his expression became even more solemn.

Zhang Mingyuan gazed at the setting sun outside the courtyard, his face full of worry: "After the results of the martial arts examination are released, I'm afraid another storm will break out immediately. The county's order to suppress bandits has already been posted at the city gate. The Huang family and the garrison headquarters are pressing us four families step by step. I'm afraid the situation in Heyang is really about to change."

"Junior brother," Zhang Mingyuan turned to Qin Heng solemnly, his tone carrying a hint of admonition, "I heard you're holding a position in the Cui family's branch. It's best to decline that assignment as soon as possible, and absolutely do not get dragged into this conflict for no reason!"

......