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

Time is like an arrow, the sun and the moon are like a shuttle.

Duan Xuan felt as if time was on accelerator.

It's already mid-September.

There are only three days left until the third meeting between Zhao Rui, Liu Chunmei, and the other two to share interesting stories.

His daily life was very dull and monotonous, still revolving around three points: home, Poshan Martial Arts School, and Renhetang's herb garden.

The main focus remains on practicing the Mountain-Breaking Fist and consolidating the Hidden Wolf Hunting Skill.

Yes, Duan Xuan searched the entire Flower Snake Gang stronghold but couldn't find any martial arts manuals. He only took two or three taels of silver, a Qi and Blood Pill, and four packets of Qi and Blood Powder.

He kept only a small portion of the silver; the remaining 80% was exchanged for pills at Renhetang.

……

He arrived at the martial arts school early that day. The atmosphere at the school grew more tense each day, with the martial arts examination less than a month and a half away.

The senior students at the martial arts school were also extremely busy. Some got up early to prepare for the martial arts exam, while others resolutely gave up their studies and went out to take up temporary positions.

The remaining Ming Jin martial artists are all trying to break through to An Jin.

"Junior Brother Duan Xuan, come here quickly!" Zhang Chen took two big steamed buns and stuffed them into his mouth in a few bites and finished them.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother Zhang?"

  

Zhang Chen pointed to the crowd gathered in front of him and said, "Senior Brother Zhou Ye is explaining how to break through the Dark Force."

You've been here for almost five months now, and you're about to have your first chance to cross that threshold. You should listen to more.

Dark strength is different from obvious strength. Obvious strength relies on natural talent, so there is only one chance to break through the threshold.

If one doesn't grasp the right approach and lacks sufficient Qi and blood, one won't be able to overcome the first hurdle and will never become a martial artist.

There are three opportunities to break through the hidden strength, the first being three months after breaking through the visible strength.

At that time, the speed of qi and blood accumulation has reached a certain level, and compared with the obvious strength, it has increased several times, so it is possible to try to break through the hidden strength.

The second chance came six months after the first failure to break through to the Dark Force realm.

The third attempt was also the last for a Ming Jin martial artist to step into An Jin.

Once the body's Qi and blood have been re-condensed to their peak, a final breakthrough will be made a year later. Success will lead to entry into the realm of Ming Jin, while failure will result in permanent stagnation.

Of course, martial artists with exceptional physical attributes like Liu Mingze and Lin Hu can absorb qi and blood at a speed far beyond what ordinary people can achieve.

After practicing martial arts for about three to four months, one can attempt to break through to the next level. Moreover, the two of them had already succeeded a month and a half ago.

Its speed is so fast that it leaves others far behind.

Duan Xuan looked ahead and, unsurprisingly, saw two familiar figures: Song Dayuan and Senior Brother Wu Hui.

The two had been with the Poshan Martial Arts School for over two years, and they had already used up their second chance to break through to the Dark Force level. This was their third attempt.

The person who imparted his experience to the disciples this time was also a senior disciple who finally broke through when he had exhausted his third chance!

"To achieve results in the martial arts examination, one must at least have the hidden strength; forget about the visible strength."

"That's why these disciples are so enthusiastic!" Duan Xuan didn't want to go, but Zhang Chen pulled him along as he spoke, leading him to the outer edge of the crowd.

Zhou Ye stood tall, his hands trembling with excitement, just like the musician Duan Xuan had seen in his past life, waving his baton as if it were a magic wand.

His words revealed his excitement and exhilaration.

"Fellow junior brothers and sisters, breaking through to the Dark Force realm is not as difficult as you imagine. In the end, it all comes down to one word: practice!"

Forcefully break through your Qi and blood limits, and continuously raise your personal upper limit.

My first two breakthroughs were intentional; I deliberately didn't cross that threshold.

Why did you choose to break through to the Dark Force stage on the third attempt?

"It's because I need to cultivate my Qi and blood to their maximum potential. Once I achieve this level of internal strength, I will be able to crush any expert of the same level!"

Those disciples who hadn't broken through to the Ming Jin level were skeptical, but Zhou Ye's performance was so brilliant that they eventually believed him too.

"Hey? Junior Brother Lin Hu is here. Let's go ask him too. Maybe it's really what Senior Brother Zhou Ye said."

Upon seeing Lin Hu, Zhou Ye lowered his head sheepishly, jumped off the platform, and quickly hid next to Zhang Chen.

Lin Hu sneered, but was surrounded by his fellow disciples.

"Junior Brother Lin Hu, how did you break through...?"

"Get out of here, you bunch of useless trash. You can't even break through to the inner strength level, yet you have the nerve to ask questions. You're a disgrace."

If I were you, I would have gone home long ago. Why would I wait for a second or third time?

Is it really that easy to get through?

"Wouldn't that mean hidden strength would be everywhere?" After Lin Hu finished speaking, the group of disciples were immediately filled with shame. Although they were angry, these words really stung.

Moreover, Lin Hu now has a master personally instructing him, so even if they all attacked together, they probably wouldn't be a match for him.

Lin Hu crossed his arms and suddenly saw Duan Xuan, who was not saying a word. He took a few steps back with interest and said sarcastically, "Isn't this my good senior brother Duan Xuan?"

Wow, your blood and energy are so abundant, are you trying to scare me to death?

I heard you didn't even dare register for the martial arts exam. You should go home and hunt rabbits; the best you can ever do in your life is catch a rabbit!

Lin Hu emphasized the words "senior brother" in particular.

In the past, he thought Duan Xuan was not good enough to be his senior brother because of his poor physical constitution and weak blood.

Now, in the entire courtyard, those of higher seniority than him still do not have the right to be his superior.

Zhang Chen couldn't stand it any longer, and before he could speak, Lin Hu interrupted, "Senior Brother Zhang Chen, do you have anything to say?"

As a disciple of the old school, it took you over a year to break through to the Inner Strength realm. Humph, shameful!

"You bastard..." Zhang Chen was about to make a move, but Zhou Ye, Song Dayuan, and Wu Hui pulled him back.

Duan Xuan stared intently at Lin Hu's departing figure.

Lin Hu has been like this since the day he entered the gate. Now he doesn't take anyone in the courtyard seriously. With such arrogance, he will fall sooner or later!

……

Another half month passed, and Lin Hu had not appeared since that day, nor had Duan Xuan made any special inquiries about his whereabouts.

He still stands like an evergreen pine tree in the spot where he stepped out of the deep pit, practicing his punches methodically and honestly.

His fellow disciples either left or returned to their dormitories, and soon he was the only one left in the training ground.

"Junior brother, keep it up, but don't overwork yourself!" Senior sisters Chen Jingshu and Chen Jingyun also bid farewell to Duan Xuan and got into the carriage outside the door.

Master Chen Feng finally arrived at the front yard after a month, but his mind was full of thoughts about how to help Liu Mingze repair his last injuries and strive for good results in the martial arts examination.

He merely glanced at Duan Xuan, offering no guidance or inquiry into his cultivation progress over the past few months, before boarding his carriage and departing the martial arts school.

Duan Xuan ignored all of that. His mind flashed back to the encouragement Zhao Rui and Liu Chunmei had given him a few days ago, his aunt's encouragement, his mother's encouragement, and his senior brother Zhang Chen's patient explanation.

Practice standing meditation again and again to improve your Qi and blood circulation.

At the same time, he placed the two packets of Qi Xue San provided by Renhetang this month at his feet.

Ever since Ren Wanqing returned that day, Ren Yun has paid special attention to Duan Xuan. Upon seeing him, she told him about Renhetang's willingness to increase its financial support.

The amount increased from the initial fifteen taels of silver and fifteen taels of meat to thirty taels, as well as two packets of Qi and Blood Powder.

If it were any other faction, they would never give out such a precious item as Qi and Blood Powder in two packets at a time.

Renhetang has its own medicinal herb garden and a mature industrial chain, so two packs are insignificant to them.

After repeating this countless times, Duan Xuan suddenly felt as if flames were burning within his body.

But the fire was strange; it stayed inside the body and didn't expand wildly outwards.

This feeling is very different from when I first entered the realm of Ming Jin.

The fire of Mingjin is flamboyant; it aims to burn everything that can be perceived.

The fire was now contained, but its intensity was even greater, scorching his meridians and internal organs, and the burning pain spread rapidly throughout his body.

Duan Xuan felt as if he had fallen into a pit of fire, and it was extremely difficult to endure.

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

[Trap: Perfection (12/2000)]

【Hunting: Mastery (265/300)】

[Breaking Mountain Stance Skill: Minor Success (986/1000)]

[Mountain-Breaking Fist: Minor Mastery (628/1000)]

[Hidden Wolf Hunter: Minor Success (31/1000)]

After a moment, the flames inside his body and the burning sensation they brought subsided like a receding tide.

Duan Xuan seized the opportunity, picked up a packet of Qi and Blood Powder, and poured it directly into his mouth.

In an instant, the cooled blood and qi seemed to boil violently, like a pot of oil that had been poured with water.

The effect of Qi and Blood Powder is very obvious; the points in the Breaking Mountain Stance Exercise directly increased by two.

Normally, the Qi and Blood Dispersion would increase by a little at most, but today, by using his perception of the threshold of Dark Force to stimulate Qi and Blood Dispersion, he evolved a little more value.

Duan Xuan had previously considered this method: to distribute qi and blood throughout the body, making it extremely active, and then take qi and blood powder or qi and blood pills to increase the fire.

However, at that time he was far from mastering internal strength, and the results were never ideal.

Now that he had actually succeeded, Duan Xuan was overjoyed. He quickly assumed a boxing stance and began practicing stance training to digest the internal flames.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and the value of the Broken Mountain Stance skill had reached 997.

Duan Xuan took a deep breath, picked up the last packet of Qi and Blood Powder, peeled away the thick layer of grease, tilted his head back, and poured it into his mouth.

The bitter taste of the medicine mixed with the taste of blood and gas from the cracked mouth, and with a gurgling sound in the throat, it all rolled down into the stomach.

The blood and qi that had just begun to recede suddenly surged dramatically. Duan Xuan's expression changed drastically, becoming as ferocious as molten iron.

But he just gritted his teeth and assumed the Mountain-Breaking Fist stance again.

"The Mountain-Breaking Fist: Go forward without hesitation, never retreat, never give up!"

I will use this fist to split mountains, sever rivers, overturn seas, and cleave the earth... I will crush all the injustices in this world.

I will restore order to this chaotic era, and bring true light back to the world! Ah!

Duan Xuan activated the third move of the Mountain-Breaking Fist, firmly binding all the power within his body.

At the same time, he combined the techniques of the first and second moves to unleash a powerful punch.

However, the punch was abruptly stopped before it could make a sound.

The violent force seemed to reverse time, miraculously merging into Duan Xuan's body.

At this point, Duan Xuan had completed the recovery of all the external force on his body.

The pent-up energy within him, which had been churning for so long, softened like a gentle spring river.

No more turmoil, no more boiling, no more rushing!

Hidden strength, achieved!