Chaotic Times and Disasters: I Hunt Down Martial Arts Masters and Become a God

Duan Peng was followed by two guards dressed in gray short jackets. The guards placed their hands on the hilts of their swords and coldly swept their eyes around. The martial artists in line all lowered their heads and made way for him.

Duan Peng walked directly to the high platform. When the clerk saw him, he was stunned for a moment and quickly stood up.

Duan Peng reached out and pressed the clerk back into his chair.

"You sit down, I'll inspect the recruitment site for my dad."

He said he was inspecting the area, but his eyes swept across the crowd below the stage, finally settling on Fu Qing. He paused for a moment, then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Weren't you the coward at the market the other day?"

He spoke loudly, deliberately making sure the entire training ground could hear him.

The people in line all turned to look at Fu Qing. Some looked blank, some looked on with amusement, and some whispered among themselves.

"How did this person offend the young city lord?"

"I don't know, he looks unfamiliar."

"You're new here, no wonder."

Fu Qing stood still, her expression calm.

As Zhou Tiezheng walked to the side of the platform, he paused and frowned slightly upon hearing Duan Peng's words.

Duan Peng walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at Fu Qing.

"A coward like you dares to join the border army?"

Duan Peng crossed his arms and said, "The border troops are here to fight the barbarians of the Di Kingdom, not for cowards like you to collect military pay."

He turned his head and glanced around, his gaze landing on a large man who had just passed the strength test.

This man is named Xiong Biao. He is at the third level of Body Tempering, but he is naturally big. He is a head taller than others in the crowd, and his arms are thicker than an average person's thighs. His fists are as big as a clay pot when clenched.

"you."

Duan Peng beckoned to Xiong Biao with his finger, "Want to see what this greenhorn is really capable of?"

Xiong Biao glanced at Duan Peng, then at Fu Qing.

He's not the brightest, but he's not stupid either. The young city lord is looking for thugs.

However, Xiong Biao didn't care. He had just finished testing his strength, and his result of the third level of body tempering was among the top in today's applicants. He was just worried about where to show off.

Moreover, having the young city lord owe him a favor would make him able to do whatever he wanted in the city.

He grinned, revealing two large front teeth. "If the young city lord wants to see, then I'll play along."

At that moment, Zhou Tie spoke up from the high platform, "This is a restricted training ground. Do not cause trouble."

Duan Peng turned around and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhou Tie.

"Commander Zhou, how is this considered causing trouble? It's just two new recruits sparring, a mutually agreeable thing. You can't just recruit a bunch of show-offs to send to the battlefield as free kills for the Di barbarians, can you?"

He was polite in words, but his face showed no respect.

Duan Peng is the city lord's son, and Zhou Tie is a centurion in the border army. According to the official organization, the two are not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

However, Duan Tieshan was in charge of the money and food of Tiexue City, and half of the border army's military pay came from the city, so Zhou Tie could not embarrass Duan Tieshan in public.

Zhou Tie frowned slightly, about to speak again, when he noticed that Fu Qing had already walked to the open space in the center of the training ground.

"How do you want to play?" Fu Qing asked Xiong Biao.

Xiong Biao bumped his fists together. "Simple, let's have a fight. Whoever loses gets out of the training ground and doesn't embarrass themselves here."

The onlookers consciously stepped back, making way for a large circular open space.

More than a hundred people formed a large circle, some with their arms crossed watching the spectacle, others whispering, "Can this skinny kid withstand a punch from Xiong Biao?"

"it is good."

Fu Qing didn't strike any pose; his hands hung naturally at his sides, and his feet were shoulder-width apart.

Xiong Biao roared and charged forward. Despite his large size, he was surprisingly fast. In three strides, he reached Fu Qing, raised his fists overhead, and brought them crashing down on Fu Qing's head...

This is his most prized move; relying on his innate superhuman strength, this punch can smash a bull's head into its chest.

The force of the punch swept across the training ground, and the people standing in the front row subconsciously took another step back.

Fu Qing raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and caught Xiong Biao's fist as it came down.

With a muffled thud, Xiong Biao's fist, as big as a clay pot, slammed into Fu Qing's palm, but remained motionless.

Xiong Biao's sinister smile froze; he felt as if he had hit a piece of iron, not a human hand.

He tried to pull his fist back, but Fu Qing's five fingers held on, like five iron bars gripping his fist.

Fu Qing clenched his five fingers and gently pressed down, causing Xiong Biao to bend over.

He tried desperately to hold on, his legs stretched straight, his heels pressing hard against the ground.

Fu Qing's hand continued to press down, inch by inch, causing Xiong Biao's back to bend lower and lower, with veins bulging on his forehead.

He tried to pull his hand away but couldn't, and he couldn't resist. His dark face turned purple.

With a "bang," Xiong Biao's knee slammed into the ground.

The entire drill ground fell silent for a moment; the circle of over a hundred people was so quiet that not even a cough could be heard.

Xiong Biao knelt on the ground and looked up at Fu Qing. Fu Qing remained calm, as if he were crushing an ant.

Xiong Biao gritted his teeth and squeezed out three words.

"I surrender."

Fu Qing released his grip and took a step back.

Xiong Biao scrambled to his feet, his right hand bearing five deep finger marks so pronounced that the bone was visible.

He rubbed his fists, lowered his head, and slipped out of the crowd, walking towards the outside of the training ground without looking back.

"Good heavens! He caught a full-force punch from a third-level Body Tempering expert with one hand? Just who is this guy?"

"Looks like he's not even twenty yet? This guy's a fourth-level cultivator?"

"He is truly a master of deception, absolutely a master of deception."

"Was the force measuring device broken? Should we have him test it again?"

Zhou Tie squinted his eyes on the high platform.

While others were just watching the spectacle, he was seeing the real skill behind Fu Qing's move.

Catching a punch with one hand is not difficult; a fourth-level Body Tempering expert naturally has an advantage over a third-level expert. However, Fu Qing's method of catching the punch is different.

An ordinary person would take a step back to deflect the force of a punch, use their internal energy to block it, and be shaken by the impact. But after Fu Qing received that punch, his arm didn't move at all, and he didn't even move an inch.

This is an absolute difference in strength; his power is far beyond the fourth level of Body Tempering.

Duan Peng's face looked ashen, as if he had eaten a dead rat.

He originally wanted to embarrass Fu Qing in public, but his own men knelt on the ground and admitted defeat, which made Fu Qing the center of attention.

He glanced in the direction where Xiong Biao had disappeared, cursed "useless," and then turned and walked to Zhou Tie's side.

"Commander Zhou."

Duan Peng lowered his voice, "This person is suspicious. How could a hunter have such strength? He might be a spy sent by the Di Kingdom."

Zhou Tie didn't even look at him. "Young Master Duan, are you here to proctor the exam today, or just to watch the fun?"

Duan Peng was rebuked, his face turning red and white in turns. He then looked at Fu Qing, who was walking back from the center of the training ground without even glancing in his direction.

Duan Peng gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, turned around, and strode out of the training ground with two guards.

As he reached the entrance to the training ground, he glanced back at Fu Qing's retreating figure, a cold glint in his eyes.

Just as Fu Qing was about to leave, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Zhou Tie.

Zhou Tie walked up to him, looked him up and down, and said, "Come with me."

???

After a moment of hesitation, Fu Qing followed Zhou Tie into the military tent behind the drill ground. Inside the tent was a sand table, and a border map hung on the wall.

Zhou Tie sat down in the chair, took off his helmet and placed it on the table, revealing an old scar on his forehead that ran from his hairline to his eyebrow. He stared at Fu Qing for a while.

"Tell me, what is your background?"

Fu Qing reiterated, "Hunters in border mountain villages who are lucky enough to eat a few wild ginseng roots are stronger than ordinary people."

Zhou Tie looked into Fu Qing's eyes, and Fu Qing looked back at him. They stared at each other for a dozen breaths, then Zhou Tie suddenly grinned.

"No matter your background, the border troops only look at your abilities, not your origins."

He picked up a bronze plaque from the table. The front of the plaque was engraved with an iron eagle, and the back was engraved with the three characters "Scout Camp".

He tossed the bronze medal to Fu Qing, who caught it.

"I saw your performance today. It would be a waste of your talent not to go to the scout camp. The scout camp is the elite of the border army, specializing in going deep into the grasslands to spy on the movements of the Di cavalry. The mortality rate is 40%."

Zhou Tie leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped over his stomach.

"But their pay is three times that of ordinary border troops, with extra rewards for each enemy killed, and promotions twice as fast as ordinary border troops for meritorious service. Do you dare to go?"

Fu Qing flipped the bronze plaque over, then flipped it back over, and looked up at Zhou Tie. "When can we leave the city to fight the enemy?"

He hadn't gained any loot points all day and felt terrible.

Zhou Tie was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, slamming his hand on the table.

"Good! I like your fearlessness! Now we have a mission."

He pulled a piece of paper from the files on the table and unfolded it; it contained a topographical map of Blackstone Ridge.

"Guo Lie, the bandit leader of Black Stone Ridge, has been frequently robbing passing caravans while the heavy snow has blocked the mountain. In the past two months, he has killed more than a dozen merchants. The day before yesterday, he even dared to rob the border army's grain transport team, killing three of our brothers and stealing two hundred shi of military rations..."

Upon hearing the name, Fu Qing paused for a moment, a strange feeling creeping into his heart.

He pulled off a heist at Black Stone Ridge on the way here, and unexpectedly, his first mission is also at Black Stone Ridge. It seems he and this Boss Guo are quite destined for each other.

"Lord Duan ordered a cleanup operation, but the main force is all at the front line confronting the Di Kingdom and can't spare any more men, so I gave this task to the scout battalion."

Zhou Tie looked up at Fu Qing and said, "Guo Lie himself is at the sixth level of Body Tempering, with two deputies at the fifth level of Body Tempering and more than fifty henchmen."

"The scout battalion is only sending five people this time—Captain Han Yue, Body Tempering Level 5; two veteran scouts, both at Body Tempering Level 4; and a young scout at Body Tempering Level 3. With you, that makes six people."

"Do you dare to go?"

Fu Qing held the bronze medal in his hand, stood up, and asked, "When do we depart?"

"Meet at the North Gate first thing tomorrow morning."

...

When I stepped out of the military tent, the crowd on the drill ground had already dispersed. Just as I reached the entrance of the drill ground, a figure emerged from under the wall by the roadside.

Fu Qing didn't need to look at his face; he could tell who it was just by looking at his brocade robe.