Rise in the Martial Chaos: Starting From a Martial Arts School

Chapter 47: Chapter 35: In One Go

Around noon, Yang Jing grew tired from his training and walked to the courtyard wall to catch his breath. His gaze swept across the front courtyard, where he saw many new faces practicing their forms, and he couldn’t help but feel a little wistful.

Over the past six months, many familiar faces had left. Most were disciples who had trained for a long time without any sign of progress. Feeling it was hopeless to break through to Mingjin, they packed their bags and departed.

The path of the Martial Dao was like that; very few could persevere to the end.

Sometimes, giving up in time to cut one’s losses was the wiser choice. But for a martial artist, such an act of surrender was undoubtedly a devastating blow to their spirit.

Yang Jing clearly had poor aptitude, yet he trained with such fanaticism. In the eyes of many, his diligence was either admirable or just plain foolish.

As he was resting, his Fourth Senior Brother, Liu Maolin, entered through the Martial Arts Hall’s main gate. His eyes scanned the front courtyard and quickly found Yang Jing. He walked over, a mysterious smile on his face.

”Junior Brother, I have something to show you.”

He took a scroll from within his robes and unfurled it. It was a meticulously painted portrait of a beautiful woman. The woman in the painting wore martial attire, her eyes bright and clear. Though she wore no makeup, she possessed a heroic, spirited air.

”Senior Brother, what is this?” Yang Jing asked, confused.

”This is the third young miss of Zhao’s Escort Agency, Zhao Yuman.” Liu Maolin pointed to the painting and explained, ”Her family’s Escort Agency often does business with our Liu Family Medical Hall, so I know of her. Even though she’s a woman, she’s more capable than most men. She handles much of the Agency’s business now, and she has a very straightforward personality.”

He paused, then leaned in closer and whispered, ”The crucial thing is, she’s still single. I was thinking the two of you might be a good match and wanted to set you up. What do you think?”

Yang Jing stared at the woman in the painting, stunned for a moment.

He had assumed Liu Maolin’s words the previous night were just drunken banter; he never expected him to be serious. For a moment, he was at a loss.

”Well...” Yang Jing scratched his head. ”She’s the young miss of an Escort Agency. I doubt she’d be interested in me. I’m dirt poor right now, with nothing to my name but a small courtyard in Tongyi Square. I really don’t think I’m worthy of her.”

”Junior Brother, you’re selling yourself short,” Liu Maolin said, patting Yang Jing’s arm. ”You’re about to reach the Peak of Mingjin. Whether or not you can break through to Anjin later, a master at the Peak of Mingjin is still a rare find. Among the younger generation, you’re already one of the elite.”

Liu Maolin looked at Yang Jing and continued, ”Besides, you’re down-to-earth, diligent, and hardworking. What’s not to like? And no matter how capable Miss Zhao is, she’s still a woman. The Escort Agency’s inheritance won’t be passed down to her. The Zhao Family will just marry her off with a dowry someday. You two are a perfect match.”

Yang Jing fell silent for a moment after hearing this.

He recalled his grandfather, grandmother, and mother’s urgings from his last trip home. He knew starting a family was something he would have to face sooner or later; there was no avoiding it.

He finally looked up and said, ”Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother. In that case... I’ll leave the arrangements to you. Whether it works out or not, we’ll leave it up to fate.”

Seeing that Yang Jing had relented, Liu Maolin beamed. ”That’s more like it! You just wait. I’ll find an opportunity to speak with the Zhao Family in the next couple of days. I guarantee I’ll get you a definite answer. Just wait for your big brother’s good news! Hahaha.”

As he spoke, he rolled up the scroll, tucked it back into his robes, and said enthusiastically, ”Since we have some time, how about we exchange a few moves? Consider it a little practice. It’ll give you more confidence when you finally meet the young lady!”

Yang Jing smiled and agreed.

Liu Maolin took off his outer coat, and the two walked to an open space in the courtyard, assuming their stances.

Just then, before they could start sparring, they saw Qi Yun waving from a short distance away. ”Fourth Junior Brother,” she called out to Liu Maolin, ”Master is looking for you.”

Hearing this, Liu Maolin lowered his fists and said to Yang Jing, ”You go on and practice, Junior Brother. I’ll go see what he wants. We can spar later.”

With that, Liu Maolin walked briskly toward the inner courtyard.

Yang Jing nodded and resumed practicing the Mountain-Shattering Fist on his own.

Not long after, Third Senior Brother Zhao Wenzheng arrived. He entered through the main gate and hurried toward the inner courtyard.

Yang Jing paid them no further mind, settling his focus and continuing his practice. The whistling wind from his Mountain-Shattering Fist seemed to block out all surrounding commotion.

About the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the inner courtyard’s Moon Gate opened.

Sun Yong himself led the way, followed by Xu Hong, Qi Yun, Zhao Wenzheng, Liu Maolin, Lin Yue, and two other Mingjin Disciples.

The group of eight were all dressed in martial attire, their expressions grave. They were clearly about to head out.

”Are they going to spar with another Martial Arts Hall?”

”Those are all the core pillars of our Martial Arts Hall!”

”If only I could be one of them... To represent the Martial Arts Hall in a match, how glorious would that be!”

The disciples training in the front courtyard stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with envy as they watched the eight figures depart.

The disciples chosen to accompany the Hall Master for matches against other martial arts halls were undoubtedly the core members and the very face of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall.

Yang Jing also paused to watch for a moment, then returned to his training, his focus unwavering.

’The glory of others has nothing to do with me. Only my fists and the energy within my body are what I and my family can truly rely on!’

He was getting closer and closer to the Peak of Mingjin. Once he reached that stage, the next natural step would be to break through to Anjin.

’For me, right now, nothing is more important than breaking through to Anjin!’

...

「Two nights later.」

Tongyi Square, in a small courtyard.

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, illuminating Yang Jing’s shifting form.

The wind from his Mountain-Shattering Fist stirred the night air, carrying an urgency greater than usual.

A moment later, Yang Jing slowly came to a halt, steadying his breath.

He slowly opened his eyes. With a thought, a data panel appeared before him—