From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

Zhu Hong quickly dodged to the side.

The blade grazed a strand of hair, cleaving through the cabin wall and creating a deep crack.

It was at this moment.

Taking advantage of the moment when Huo Qianshan's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, Zhu Hong advanced instead of retreating, his black knife slashing upwards, aiming straight for Huo Qianshan's wrist holding the knife.

"Good lad!"

Huo Qianshan calmly sheathed his sword, then used the blade to block the slashing attack.

"clang."

Zhu Hong was thrown back by the force of the recoil, his feet pounding the deck several times. Each step he took made a thud as he stepped back more than ten feet before he finally managed to regain his footing.

"Such powerful strength, at least beyond the six-stone limit."

"Or it may already contain seven bushels."

When he looked down, the web of his right hand holding the knife was already split open, and blood was flowing down the hilt onto the deck.

"By the standards of a beginner martial artist, this kind of brute force is not top-notch, and the control of muscle strength is rather rough. Even so, if I didn't have an iron body, my arm would have broken from this one blow."

Huo Qianshan, however, did not allow him any respite.

"Using your refined flesh to withstand one of my blows is not bad."

He twirled his thick-backed cleaver in his hand, the blade gleaming coldly. "Unfortunately, a martial artist is still a martial artist. This gap in skill level is not something you can cross!" Before he finished speaking, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and pounced forward like an arrow released from a bow.

This strike came even faster.

The blade tip, sharp as a cold star, aimed straight at Zhu Hong's throat.

Zhu Hong dodged to the side, the blade grazing his neck, the chill penetrating to the bone, instantly sending a shiver down his spine. Without thinking, he swung his blade back, aiming for Huo Qianshan's exposed ribs.

"Hmph, naive."

Huo Qianshan neither dodged nor avoided, but suddenly struck out with his left palm, using his bare hand to strike the blade.

Snapped,

A gentle yet powerful force swept over.

Zhu Hong's black blade was deflected and missed its mark.

Huo Qianshan immediately seized the opportunity to launch an attack, his blade whistling as he slashed horizontally across the waist.

Zhu Hong reacted quickly, his feet stomping as he leaped into the air to retreat, but before his toes even touched the ground, the opponent's blade was already upon him.

The knife slashed diagonally upwards.

Zhu Hong was in mid-air with nowhere to grab leverage, so he had no choice but to lower his black blade to take the fatal blow head-on.

"boom!"

The two swords clashed with a deafening roar.

Zhu Hong was thrown sideways by the shock, his back slamming heavily against the pillar. With a few cracks, the wooden pillar was shaken open and developed several fissures.

"really……

It's a bit of a stretch.

He gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, his mind racing: "No, I must find an opportunity to get rid of Ma Sanjiang first."

According to the original calculation:

He was only a hair's breadth away from reaching the Great Perfection of the Flesh Refining Realm, and the key to breaking through lay with Ma Sanjiang. As long as he killed this man, he could use the blood and qi absorbed from the Dead Man's Scripture to break through the shackles. At that time, he might be able to fight a martial artist in the Tendon Refining Realm.

Unexpectedly, Huo Qianshan actually protected Ma Sanjiang from behind.

"What, still trying to put up a stubborn resistance?"

Huo Qianshan slowly approached with his sword drawn, and said coldly, "You killed so many of my brothers today, so even if you die here, it is your just deserts!" Before he finished speaking, he suddenly darted forward, swung his thick-backed cleaver, and it swung into a ball of cold light, descending down on Zhu Hong.

Zhu Hong's heart tightened, and he hurriedly tried his best to parry.

The sounds of clanging and banging filled the air. His skill was already inferior, and now, under Huo Qianshan's fierce attack, his breathing became erratic, his arms were weak, and he was in grave danger.

"Lie down!"

Huo Qianshan seized the opportunity and thrust his knife forward, aiming straight for Zhu Hong's heart.

In the midst of the crisis, Zhu Hong suddenly exhaled and spoke, his left hand suddenly unleashing a "Black Heart Strike".

The fist struck with fierce force, slamming heavily onto the blade.

Huo Qianshan never expected that this young man could suddenly unleash such powerful strength. Caught off guard, he felt a strong force rebounding from him and staggered back two steps.

"Um?!"

His eyes widened in disbelief: "You...you actually practiced martial arts!"

In the instant that Huo Qianshan was lost in thought...

Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Hong leaped to the side and steadied himself. "What? As a martial artist in the Tendon Refining Realm, have you not even learned a proper martial art?" As he spoke, he reached into his robes with his left hand and pulled out a small celadon bottle.

It was the Breakthrough Pill given to me by Jin Xin Niang.

Huo Qianshan felt extremely ashamed and angry upon hearing his mockery.

He rose from humble beginnings, honing his skills through countless battles. Not to mention his exquisite martial arts techniques, he had spent an unknown amount of money on making a living. This time, through the Liu family's affair, he finally managed to get in touch with the Jiang family and flattered them in every way to obtain a promise.

After the matter was accomplished, he became a guest minister in the Jiang family.

Only then can one learn a martial art.

But this young man in front of me is just a newly promoted minor official in the government office, yet he possesses orthodox martial arts skills!

Huo Qianshan grew increasingly alarmed, his murderous intent intensifying: "This young man has such extraordinary fortune at such a young age; he must have powerful backers. We've already forged a deadly feud today. If we let him leave alive, he'll surely become a major threat in the future!"

It's either him or me.

Huo Qianshan frowned, raised his sword, and charged again, his blade even more ruthless and deadly than before. "You arrogant brat, today I will grind you to dust!"

Seeing this, Zhu Hong was about to unscrew the porcelain stopper and swallow the Breakthrough Pill.

At that moment:

A flash of cold light suddenly shot out from the side.

It was Ma Sanjiang.

From the moment Zhu Hong was injured and weakened, he gripped the dagger tightly, crouched behind the pillar, held his breath, and waited for the fatal moment.

"Zhu Hong".

"Give me your life, pay for Pan'er's life!"

Zhu Hong heard the sound of wind behind him, but instead of panicking, a hint of barely perceptible joy flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, "It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it fall right into my lap. This old dog has walked right into my trap." He neither dodged nor avoided, but simply turned his body slightly.

With a "thud," the dagger pierced the flesh of his shoulder.

Before Ma Sanjiang could draw his blade, Zhu Hong had already turned around, his left hand gripping Ma Sanjiang's wrist like an iron clamp. With a flick of his wrist, the black blade flashed like lightning, slashing back in the same direction.

"Well……"

A thin line of blood appeared on Ma Sanjiang's neck.

His eyes were wide open, he made a "hoarse" sound in his throat, and his face was contorted with a mixture of resentment and hatred.

My heart...

Unwilling to accept it.

As the words fell, the Dead Man's Scripture shone with light.

[Photographed by: Ma Sanjiang (Master of Meat Refining)]

Awarded: Three cups of Qi and Blood.

In an instant, a spring appeared in the empty valley, and ripples appeared in the dry well.

Zhu Hong casually pulled the dagger off his shoulder, and the muscles at the wound twitched slightly, closing up and stopping the bleeding at a speed visible to the naked eye. In an instant, it was mostly healed.

and.

Those peripheral muscle groups that had not yet been properly trained also solidified at this time.

"Flesh Refining Realm..."

It has been successfully completed.

Zhu Hong slowly clenched his fists, carefully observing the changes within his body.

Before, when I exerted force, I always felt like there were a few places where I couldn't get the strength, like a few strings weren't taut. Now it's different. All the muscles in my body are like a net, and when I exert force, the whole net tightens together.

He focused and gave it a try.

His strength had surged to the level of six stones.

……