Becoming a Martial Saint: Starting with the Mountain-Breaking Fist

"Auntie, what brings you here?"

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and there were less than two days left until the two months that Duan Xuan and Chen Feng had agreed upon.

Early in the morning, braving the howling wind, Duan Xuan arrived at the entrance of the martial arts school.

Before I even went inside, I saw a beautiful and familiar figure.

It was Duan Xin, the youngest sister, who was wearing a moon-white padded jacket, having taken off her thick cotton-padded coat.

At this moment, Duan Xin looked quite capable, her face was already fair, and she had her hair tied up in a neat high ponytail.

She doesn't look like a country girl at all, but rather a chivalrous knight.

Duan Xin raised her hand and gestured on her head.

She then compared her head to Duan Xuan's, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter: "Xuan'er has grown taller!"

The disciples of Poshan Martial Arts School and other passing disciples glanced at Duan Xin and their eyes immediately went blank.

"Who is this woman? She's even more beautiful than my two senior sisters, Chen Jingshu and Chen Jingyun!"

"Why are you getting so close to this brat? Is she his fiancée? It's infuriating!"

"No, buddy, why? It's an illusion, it must be an illusion."

As more and more people gathered around her, Duan Xuan had no choice but to pull Duan Xin to a secluded corner.

"What? Can't I come? We haven't seen each other for so many days, shouldn't I treat my aunt to a pot of chrysanthemum tea?" Duan Xin joked.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

"It's just that it's quite sudden. I just hunted a deer yesterday and hadn't even had a chance to deliver it to you yet, and then you showed up," Duan Xuan said awkwardly.

As the trap and hunting stats on the panel increase, Duan Xuan's chances of hunting in the jungle also increase.

Not only can he determine the direction of his prey, but with the advantage that martial arts bring him, he can chase his prey with even greater ease than before.

More importantly, he has a highly skilled ability to set traps, often luring his prey into a snare without their knowledge.

So every now and then, we would catch a larger prey.

However, such expensive prey as sable is now rarely seen.

The reason why Duan Xuan hasn't dared to make a move yet is that he's waiting.

Although Wolf Stronghold had been defeated by the newly arrived Golden Leopard Gang, the whereabouts of the stronghold's leader and the first, second, and third leaders were still unknown, so he dared not be careless.

Moreover, Duan Xuan was also searching for their whereabouts, so it was unlikely that he could kill them directly under normal circumstances.

But now, everyone in Wolf Stronghold is like a stray dog. They might already be badly injured.

  

"Here, this is what your auntie has saved up recently from doing odd jobs at the family shop and doing odd jobs outside."

I've already found out. Poshan Martial Arts School charges tuition every two months, so I guess you don't have enough money.

Hurry up and grab that brat. Stop being so polite with your aunt, or I'll beat you up.

My aunt is going back to her shop.

Otherwise, your grandfather will be frantically searching for you again soon!

Duan Xin chuckled and took out a wad of cloth from his pocket. Wrapped in the cloth were the loose silver coins he had just exchanged.

"Auntie, no..."

"What do you mean 'no'? If you get kicked out of the martial arts school by your master because you didn't pay your tuition, you'll have nowhere to cry. Here, take it, your aunt is leaving!"

Duan Xin didn't give Duan Xuan another chance to refuse and ruffled his hair.

With light steps, I jogged away.

Duan Xuan felt a warmth in his heart and carefully hid the silver in his pocket.

……

There is one day left until the two-month deadline.

Duan Xuan arrived at the martial arts school early in the morning and found that everyone was looking at him with strange eyes.

Lin Hu and Liu Mingze, who had returned at some unknown time, also had a smirk on their faces.

Even the usually quiet Zhao Zazhong and his younger brother Zhao Hui stopped what they were doing and stared at Duan Xuan.

Zhao Zazhong's eyes were blind, but Zhao Hui's eyes held a deep sense of regret.

"Is he reluctant to see me go? But we don't usually interact, at most we just exchange a few words of greeting. Why does he look like this?" Duan Xuan wondered.

"Junior Brother Duan Xuan, why are you late today?" Zhang Chen greeted him with a smile as usual, but his expression was clearly a little off.

He forcibly pulled Duan Xuan to a shady spot and said heavily, "Are you leaving, kid?"

"Why do you say that, senior brother?"

Before Zhang Chen could answer, two disciples carrying bags walked out silently from the direction of the dormitory.

No one stopped them or asked why, and the two of them didn't offer any explanation. They simply lowered their heads and left the martial arts gym.

Following the direction the two had left, Duan Xuan and his disciples saw more than just the two of them.

Suddenly, a large number of disciples appeared on the street, and they left together as if they had made a prior agreement.

"Senior Brother Zhang Chen, why did Lao Kuai and Da Yu suddenly leave? And why are there so many people carrying luggage outside?"

Could it be that the martial arts school has some other mission?

Listening to the questions from several disciples who had missed the day of becoming apprentices and could only serve as menial laborers for a year, Zhang Chen sighed and said, "The path of martial arts is a very cruel thing."

Having lost all hope of reaching the Dark Force realm, the two went to find a place to fend for themselves.

Because of the small number of people at Poshan Martial Arts School, there are not many disciples who have not yet reached the Ming Jin level.

However, entering the Ming Jin realm does not mean that the path of martial arts will be smooth sailing.

On the contrary, after entering the Ming Jin stage, martial artists need more meat and elixirs to replenish themselves, which requires money.

If one is not outstanding, one cannot support oneself by holding a temporary post outside the office.

Most of the disciples who left other martial arts schools outside were those who hadn't even reached the Ming Jin level.

If they fail to reach the Ming Jin level within two months, or if their first attempt to cross the threshold fails, they will leave on their own.

Because failing to cross the first threshold means being forever barred from the path of martial arts.

Zhang Chen's worries stemmed from this very reason. He had witnessed Duan Xuan's progress firsthand.

But with only one day left, how could someone whose Qi and blood are not up to standard be forced to break through the first threshold?

My master said that Qi and blood are the standard for measuring whether a martial artist can break through a certain realm. No one can cross the chasm, no matter how hard they try.

The other disciples in the courtyard watched their two fellow disciples leave, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Duan Xuan quickly understood this as well, and he cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Chen: "Senior brother, I'm going to practice my skills!"

Zhang Chen wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't get them out.

He really wanted to help Duan Xuan, because Duan Xuan was suffering so much. He couldn't even get enough to eat every day, and he still had to worry about his elderly mother.

Sometimes Duan Xuan would even bring some wild game for himself.

Most importantly, Duan Xuan loved listening to him talk, whether it was about his troubles or his joys. He could chatter on and on every day, and he was no different from a good brother.

However, reality is cruel. Over the years, he has seen countless disciples who have not entered the Ming Jin realm, or who have entered the Ming Jin realm but have not been able to enter the An Jin realm, drift away from him.

But he couldn't persuade any of them to stay.

Zhang Chen knew that Duan Xuan would be leaving after tonight.

The 1.9-meter-tall man suddenly felt his eyes were blurred, but no matter how much he rubbed them, Duan Xuan's figure became increasingly blurry.

……

In the evening, all the disciples went to rest, and Zhang Chen did not appear. The entire courtyard was empty, leaving only Duan Xuan alone.

With a clear mind, he practiced the first three moves of the Broken Mountain Fist over and over again, and walked the Broken Mountain Stance again and again, filling his body with energy.

Next to it were three multigrain pancakes and two steamed buns that Senior Brother Zhang Chen had brought.

After practicing for an unknown amount of time, he suddenly felt very hungry, and his stomach kept growling.

With no other option, Duan Xuan picked up a coarse grain pancake and began to chew it in large bites.

One pancake wasn't enough to keep him full, and the second one wasn't enough either. It wasn't until he finished three coarse grain pancakes that his stomach finally felt a little warm.

Immediately afterwards, he took out the packet of Blood Qi Powder that Chen Jingshu, his senior sister, had given him. He swallowed it down with the last bite of the multigrain pancake.

Feeling waves of heat emanating from his stomach, he stood up again, assumed the Breaking Mountain Fist stance, and, with his feet planted in the Breaking Mountain Stance, repeated the first move of the first technique—Breaking the Earth!

Humanity rewards diligence, and Heaven rewards those who help themselves.

[Trap: Great Achievement (55/300)]

[Hunting: Minor Achievement (49/100)]

[Breaking the Mountain Stance: Beginner (299/300)]

【Mountain-Breaking Fist: Beginner (151/300)】

Duan Xuan suppressed his restless heart and, with the final step of the Breaking Mountain Stance Technique, unleashed the complete third move of the Breaking Mountain Fist.

In an instant, he felt a connection between himself and the ground beneath his feet, a connection that was hard to explain.

However, in an instant, the density of his blood and qi at least doubled, and a surge of heat rushed through his body, driving away the chill brought by early spring.

A feeling of comfort washed over my entire body.

Duan Xuan clenched his fist and gently swung it.

The power and speed released were several times greater than before.

Soon, muscles took their place.

It swelled up so much that it felt like its whole body was being torn apart, and even its bones seemed to be growing at an accelerated pace.

It emitted a series of cracking sounds, forcefully extending from the inside out.

Duan Xuan bent over in pain, but he clenched his teeth, glared angrily, and stood up again.

Because Mingjin wouldn't allow him to lower his head.

I don't know how long it took before the pain subsided.

Duan Xuan understood that the pain was caused by an excess of qi and blood, which was redistributed as nutrients to nourish the whole body, expand bones, and strengthen muscles. This was the pain of growth!

He was in pain, yet he was happy!

The system doesn't lie; the values ​​above suddenly jumped.

[Breaking Mountain Stance Skill: Minor Success (0/1000)]

【Mountain-Breaking Fist: Beginner (152/300)】

……