Unstoppable Martial Arts: Starting from Fist Technique Deduction
Chapter 67 - 58: Promotion Three

Chapter 67: Chapter 58: Promotion Three

Huang Houqi’s courtyard.

The sky was high and the air refreshing, with rockeries and vegetation intertwined.

Huang Houqi and An Heng sat facing each other, tasting tea, feeling a sense of tranquility and a broad perspective of the world.

Naturally, the two of them wouldn’t miss discussing martial cultivation.

"Senior Brother An, the recent major event in Yanghua, Hou Sixian of the Pei family killed the head of the Fufeng Sect, causing quite a sensation."

"I wonder when Senior Brother Zhang Kaishan will be able to exit seclusion and suppress this person’s arrogance." Huang Houqi’s tone was somewhat sighing, also full of envy.

The Condensing Yuan realm still posed a bottleneck for him as an old elite disciple. Even though he showed signs of loosening, he hadn’t crossed that threshold.

It’s inevitable to be envious of those in the Condensing Yuan realm who stirred up the wind and clouds, wishing that person were himself.

"Hou Sixian breaking through to the seventh level of Condensing Yuan is indeed a major event in Yanghua. But since Hou Sixian has broken through, Senior Brother Kaishan naturally isn’t far behind."

An Heng’s eyes flashed with a solemn expression upon hearing Huang Houqi’s words.

He recalled when he followed Dong Yun, facing the oppression of Hou Sixian, feeling as if a shadow arose in his heart.

At that time, he merely stood behind Dong Yun, and in front of Dong Yun, there was Zhang Kaishan confronting Hou Sixian. He was only facing the ripples of the aftermath, yet it felt like a lone boat amidst stormy waves, weak and vulnerable.

He then thought of Zhang Kaishan, known alongside Hou Sixian, which somewhat restored his mental state.

As they were talking, Jiang Hui entered through the round arched door of the courtyard.

"Senior Brother Huang, Senior Brother An, Lin Yuan is not in the Furnace Hall, nor can he be found in the usual alchemy room." Jiang Hui stood behind Huang Houqi, bent down, and whispered in Huang Houqi’s ear.

"Never mind." Huang Houqi pondered briefly and said indifferently, "Since Lin Yuan cannot be found, capture You Xiaozhong first and take the prescription."

"Understood."

Jiang Hui raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands immediately.

"Wait!"

An Heng spoke, stopping Jiang Hui from leaving.

He stood up, gently stretched his body, and then said with a smile, "Senior Brother Huang, since we have nothing to do, why not go take a look together."

"Since Senior Brother An is interested, I will naturally accompany." Huang Houqi laughed heartily and also stood up, "Sister Jiang, lead the way."

On the other side, in You Xiaozhong’s sun-drying hut.

"Very good, in another day, I will have mastered the Golden Glow Strength." You Xiaozhong’s face was sweaty and flushed, a result of his relentless cultivation.

Ever since he received a large amount of Qi-Blood Powder from Lin Yuan, he continuously cultivated and broke through, not daring to waste a moment.

"After tomorrow, I will immediately participate in the elite disciple assessment, and by then have the qualification to speak with them on equal terms." You Xiaozhong’s gaze was firm; his originally slightly rounded face now appearing somewhat chiseled through several impacts of martial cultivation.

"On that note, though, Junior Brother Lin’s Qi-Blood Powder is of excellent quality, constantly providing Qi-Blood power." During a brief rest, You Xiaozhong’s eyes fell on the Qi-Blood Powder placed on the wooden table, feeling greatly encouraged.

He had taken more than five taels of Qi-Blood Powder from Lin Yuan, nearly equivalent to his yearly allowance.

No longer worried about insufficient cultivation resources, his heart was significantly exhilarated.

He had already used three taels, and the rest he planned to use to consolidate his realm once he achieved mastery, so that the elite disciple assessment would naturally succeed.

Just as You Xiaozhong was about to take a break and relax, there was a loud noise.

Bang!

Clang!

The door of his small hut, along with the door frame, was kicked off by someone.

"You Xiaozhong, your scheme has been exposed!"

It was Ji Rucheng with a sinister expression, yelling angrily.

"Ji Rucheng, do you want to die?"

You Xiaozhong was briefly stunned when he saw the door kicked in, but then immediately grew angry, mobilizing Qi-Blood to charge forward.

However, before he could exchange blows with Ji Rucheng, a shadow suddenly flickered out and struck his abdomen.

Puff!

Ji Rucheng spat out blood violently, abruptly flying back, crashing onto the wall.

The massive impact caused dust to fall from the walls of the room, instantly filling it with smoke and debris.

You Xiaozhong’s eyes were bloodshot, but the intense pain in his abdomen rendered him completely immobile.

He glanced at the elite disciple who had struck within the room, then slightly tilted his head, fixing his gaze on Ji Rucheng.

"Ji Rucheng!!" You Xiaozhong’s voice was low and hoarse.

His eyes were blood-red as he watched Ji Rucheng, groveling like a dog, lead a number of black-robed elite disciples inside.

Two black-robed elite disciples walked into the room, among whom one disdainfully waved away the dust lingering in the air in front of his nose.

"Tsk tsk, such high-quality Qi-Blood Powder, and so plentiful!" He admired the Qi-Blood Powder on the table.

His eyes then flashed sharply, shouting, "Take it away!"

******

The fourth assessment, the Meridian Stage.

Lin Yuan stood beside a huge stone, five feet on each side, the stone darker in color with two handles at the top for gripping.

"The fourth stage, lifting the stone," the disciple in charge of the assessment recited the rules routinely.

"You only need to lift this stone over your head and hold it for thirty breaths to pass."

"This final stone-lifting stage, I tried it before the assessment, and I can pass with normal strength." After passing the first three stages, these chores disciples were a bit excited and couldn’t wait to try.

"Begin the assessment in order!" The disciple announced blandly.

As before, An Zhanchen from the service hall started.

He had a solid foundation and was well-prepared for the assessment.

Concentrating his energy, he gripped the handles tightly, suddenly exerting strength from his waist and hips to rapidly pull up the stone.

As the stone rose, he suddenly squatted down.

Once the stone passed over his head, he immediately held it high, stretching his waist and abdomen to support the stone.

At this moment, An Zhanchen was fully exerted, his eyes wide open, the whites of his eyes instantly filled with blood.

The veins on his arms protruded suddenly, resembling snakes swallowing large prey, continuously bulging outwards.

"Ah! Rise!" An Zhanchen shouted, his hips and abdomen drawing in forcefully, raising the Qi-Blood power, gradually standing up.

However, the stone was extremely heavy, causing his right arm to wobble involuntarily, swaying back and forth.

"Stand firm," urged other participating chores, watching tensely.

An Zhanchen’s chest and abdomen swelled rapidly like fermenting dough. The veins on his body resembled caterpillars feeding, expanding and twisting under high heat.

This was the core of the assessment; under continuous pressure, the martial Qi-Blood would constantly erupt, causing the meridians to expand and generate stronger force.

"Hold on, only five more breaths!" The people nearby were very nervous.

At this moment, An Zhanchen’s eyes were bleeding, a jet of crimson was gradually leaking from his nose, showing the great pressure he was under.

Time seemed to pause as everyone silently counted down in their hearts.

Finally, fifteen breaths had passed.

Boom!

Panting heavily!

An Zhanchen suddenly dropped the stone and immediately collapsed to the ground, wiping the bloodstains off his face and gasping heavily.

"Well done! Impressive!" The crowd cheered loudly when they saw An Zhanchen successfully passing.

"Service Hall, Wood Room An Zhanchen, passed!" The disciple in charge of the assessment saw the scene, being commonplace, announced the results indifferently.

"This assessment is essentially a minor challenge for those with accomplished meridians." Lin Yuan noted An Zhanchen’s performance and sighed inwardly.

"Next," the assessment disciple glanced at the gasping An Zhanchen on the ground and said blandly.

As Lin Yuan waited for his turn in the final assessment,

the disciple responsible for registration at the rear door of the main hall led a robust figure out from the inner hall to where Bai Elder was present.

"Bai Elder, did you call for me?" The newcomer looked puzzled; Bai Elder had asked him to come without explaining why, leaving him confused.

While he was practicing, the disciple responsible for notifying him said it was urgent, so he set out immediately.

"Lai Ke is here just in time. Look at how that person is," Bai Elder gestured for silence, leading Lai Ke and the registration disciple to observe the assessment of various chores disciples.

Lai Ke, behind the screen, followed Bai Elder’s indication, watching the disciples in the assessment hall.

"Bai Elder, this disciple is dull; I can’t see anything different?" Lai Ke looked on for a while.

The ordinary disciples looked just that — ordinary. There was nothing special about them. Back when he took the promotion assessment, he had done something similar, only more easily compared to these disciples.

Having not been here for a long time, he felt a bit sentimental.

Could it be that Bai Elder called him over for a trip down memory lane?

"It’s not for you to look at these ordinary disciples, that one!" Bai Elder lightly tapped Lai Ke’s shoulder and pointed with his index finger to a slightly lean figure in the hall.

"Hmm!" Lai Ke’s eyes fell on Lin Yuan, then sought confirmation from Bai Elder, "That skinny monkey?"

"Skinny monkey?!" Bai Elder’s eyes widened at the comment.

The appraisal made him chuckle, yet he thought a moment later when that skinny monkey transforms into a large gorilla on stage, it might not be so amusing.

"Indeed, this person can comfortably pass the first four stages." Bai Elder thought about the topic at hand, not addressing it further, "The last stage is a real combat assessment, requiring your input."

"Me?" Lai Ke heard this, his brows slightly furrowed.

Wouldn’t it be overkill for someone of his level to assess this?

The surrounding registered disciples were even more astonished.

They knew the Lai Ke in front of them was no ordinary person, one among the rare talents.

He was known for his pair of Nanhua Black Stone Palms, making quite a name for himself, and within two years of joining the academy, he had advanced to the elite disciple rank.

He currently ranked as high as eighty-third among the elite disciples.

This ranking was achieved only in his third year as an elite.

Now, half a year has passed, who knows how much his strength has improved.

The top sixty is not beyond consideration.

A presence ranked among the top hundred elite disciples, each having profound foundations, aiming to refine their Qi-Blood and solidify their martial base for future Condensing Yuan achievements.

Yet Bai Elder suggested inviting Senior Brother Lai to assess a chores disciple’s promotion.

"Is it a bit overkill? Although Lin Yuan shows potential, does he need someone as outstanding as Senior Brother Lai to evaluate him?"

This thought naturally emerged from the registration disciple’s mind.

"Hehe, this kid seems to have great potential," Bai Elder slightly smirked, his smile containing a hint of cunning, "But the previous assessments were too simple for him, not pushing him to his limit."

"Having you here is to have you put him through his paces and see where his limits lie."

"Hmm!" Lai Ke felt a bit speechless, but he couldn’t deny Bai Elder’s face, so he agreed instantly, "Alright then, I’ll definitely put him through his paces!"

"But of course, don’t hit too hard and break him," Bai Elder caught Lai Ke’s tone, giving a reminder.

After they finished discussing, they once again observed the assessment situation from behind the screen.

Under their watchful eyes, Lin Yuan felt as if someone was spying on him from behind.

Surveying around, his gaze swept by, only vaguely sensing the gaze from behind the screen.

"This kid has keen instincts," Bai Elder and Lai Ke retracted their gaze simultaneously, exchanging a glance, sharing the same thought.

With the sensation of being scrutinized gone, Lin Yuan mused internally, "The first stage had a Bai Elder participating, though he’s not here, he’s probably observing secretly from behind the screen, which is normal."

He no longer dwelled on it, refocusing his attention in the hall.

The assessments continued one after another.

Like An Zhanchen, the participants strained to pass, nearly all collapsing to the ground, gasping to regain their strength.

It wasn’t long before it was Lin Yuan’s turn.

"Next, Lin Yuan." Upon hearing this name, a wave finally rippled through the assessment disciple’s usually indifferent gaze.

"Who knows what kind of unexpected spectacle this lord will create?" The disciple pondered inwardly, watching Lin Yuan stroll confidently to the stone.

Standing by the stone, Lin Yuan thought about revealing a degree of his strength.

Given that it was the final stage, he intended to distinguish himself from ordinary elite disciples through his performance.

After some brief consideration, he decided, "Doing this should suffice!"