Martial Arts Competition

Seeing Yang Wei back down, Xia Qi'an decided to take what he could get and let him go.

He turned and picked up the package he had dropped on the ground.

Yang Wei, looking disheveled, struggled to get up from the ground, rubbing his swollen red face, and dejectedly crawled back to his own bed.

Wang Xie just shook his head with a wry smile and, as before, lay on his bed with his eyes closed, resting.

As night fell, all three in the tent tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

No one knew who started it.

Eventually, the three of them began to chat idly.

From their conversation, they learned that Wang Xie, like Yang Wei, was sent to the Wei Dao Si training camp by his family just to go through the motions and get an identity.

Yang Wei was skilled in business, not in fighting, and after the training camp ended, he would inevitably be assigned to the Snake Guard.

Wang Xie, on the other hand, was a martial arts expert who had already undergone four blood changes. He was a martial artist in the middle stage of the Blood Refining Realm.

However, like Yang Wei, he would return to his clan as soon as the training camp ended.

They lacked neither cultivation methods, money, nor status.

Therefore, they didn't need to accumulate merit points by completing missions like Xia Qi'an.

During their idle chat, Xia Qi'an felt a sense of nostalgia, as if he had returned to his university dormitory in his past life.

The next morning.

A rapid drumbeat woke the three sleeping men from their dreams.

It was clearly the signal for assembly.

Soon, ninety-three people filed out of their tents and gathered in an open space in the valley.

The instructor for this training camp was a burly man with a full beard.

The man stood on a protruding rock, arms crossed over his chest, looking down at the rookies below.

His voice was full of vigor, loud as a bell, making their eardrums ache.

"Let me introduce myself... My name is Lin Beihai... I am the chief instructor for this training camp selection! You can call me Instructor Lin!"

"The selection training for new personnel of the Wei Dao Si officially begins now."

"The training camp will last for one month. This month is short, and it may not be able to improve your martial arts cultivation. But it can help you quickly become a truly independent martial artist, a qualified member of the Wei Dao Si."

"Furthermore, at the end of this training camp, you will need to participate in a martial arts competition. The top three performers will receive rewards of martial arts techniques, elixirs, money, and a large amount of merit points."

"And based on your performance, it will be decided whether you are assigned to the Snake Guard or the Hound Guard."

"So... everyone... let's begin training with your respective instructors?"

According to the grouping, it was originally six people per group.

However, with a total of ninety-three people in the training camp, Xia Qi'an's group, along with Wang Xie and Yang Wei, only had three people.

Their instructor was named Jiang Feng, a young Hound Guard in his twenties with a resolute face.

For the following month, Xia Qi'an's daily schedule was packed.

Starting in the morning, he would practice standing meditation for two hours.

Then, he would study cultural knowledge for two hours, followed by two hours of boxing drills.

In the afternoon, he had to search for spiritual herbs and fruits in the wild and learn how to identify them. In the evening, he would learn to use various weapons.

These things were all new and novel to Xia Qi'an, so he trained with great enthusiasm and meticulousness.

He earned the high regard of his instructor, Jiang Feng.

As for Wang and Yang, although they were a bit lazy initially, Jiang Feng turned a blind eye, considering their noble family backgrounds.

The three of them had gotten to know each other well during this time. Although Xia Qi'an and Yang Wei had some initial friction, he found out that Yang Wei was not inherently bad after interacting with him.

The past grievances between them were easily dismissed with a laugh.

After spending some time together, Xia Qi'an approached Jiang Feng and informed him that he was practicing the Golden Body Technique.

He also asked for his advice on how to cultivate it for the best results.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng expressed his willingness to help Xia Qi'an cultivate the Golden Body Technique.

He even privately taught him a set of boxing techniques.

This set of boxing techniques was obtained by Jiang Feng during a mission and was named the Great Strength Vajra Fist.

Jiang Feng himself used dual maces and was not proficient in fist techniques, hence he was willing to teach this set of techniques to Xia Qi'an.

The Great Strength Vajra Fist, as the name suggested, followed a path of fierce power. Its movements were fierce and overbearing, with wide, open stances, perfectly suiting Xia Qi'an's preferences.

Therefore, in addition to completing his daily training, Xia Qi'an

would also endure Jiang Feng's harsh training sessions late into the night.

There was no other way. To cultivate the first layer of the Golden Body Technique, one needed to temper every inch of skin on the body.

Being beaten was the best method.

Fortunately, Jiang Feng was highly skilled, a martial artist in the late Bone Tempering Realm, his control over force reaching perfection.

With Jiang Feng's full assistance, Xia Qi'an's Golden Body Technique cultivation progressed at lightning speed, as if divinely aided.

In just half a month, Xia Qi'an completed the process of tempering his skin, akin to a phoenix's rebirth.

With the successful completion of tempering his skin for the Golden Body Technique, Xia Qi'an once again underwent the process of blood replacement, a transformation of body and soul. By this point, he had experienced four blood replacements.

However, his martial arts realm remained stagnant at the early Blood Refining Realm. This was because he harbored a strong desire to challenge the legendary nine blood replacements before stepping into the Bone Tempering Realm, to see what miracles would occur.

One had to know that when Jiang Feng entered the Bone Tempering Realm, he had only undergone five blood replacements.

Now, with the first layer of the Golden Body Technique mastered, Xia Qi'an's entire body's skin emitted a faint metallic luster, like a wall of bronze. Even a knife strike would only leave a light white mark; ordinary blades could hardly inflict any damage.

Not only that, but Xia Qi'an's strength had also increased.

He reached the Strength of Five Bulls.

He hadn't expected that merely mastering the first layer of the Golden Body Technique would increase his strength by four bulls.

If he were to master it completely, Xia Qi'an couldn't imagine how exhilarating it would be.

One month passed in the blink of an eye.

In a flash, it was the day of the martial arts competition.

The competition was also divided into groups, with two participants dueling each other. The odd one out would have to fight an extra match.

This continued until the final victor was decided.

Since the participants in this competition varied in age and martial arts realm, to ensure fairness, the rules stipulated that Bloodline Power could not be used.

However, the use of weapons was permitted.

This meant that the competition would test the participants' application of their martial skills and their combat talent.

Xia Qi'an's first opponent was a refined-looking young man two years his senior, who was skilled with a long sword.

"I am Su Changqing... Please guide me!"

Su Changqing had a refined appearance and an extraordinary bearing, seemingly from a noble family.

"Xia Qi'an... Please guide me!"

After they greeted each other, the battle erupted.

Su Changqing initiated the attack first, thrusting his long sword directly at Xia Qi'an's face.

This sword strike was incredibly swift, reaching Xia Qi'an in the blink of an eye.

Su Changqing's intention was clear: to overwhelm the enemy with speed.

He aimed to attack Xia Qi'an's vital points, forcing him to defend passively, and then defeat him.

But he had clearly underestimated Xia Qi'an's strength.

Xia Qi'an's lips curled into a slight smile. His right hand moved like lightning, swiftly delivering a palm strike that accurately struck the incoming sword. This palm strike, seemingly effortless, was imbued with immense power, forcing the sword's trajectory to change.

This astonishing palm strike, like deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces, not only threw Su Changqing off balance but also exposed a massive opening in front of him. Xia Qi'an's retracted right fist, like a tiger released from its cage, suddenly exerted its force, unleashing the astonishing Great Strength Vajra Fist, bombarding Su Changqing's chest like a torrential storm.

Su Changqing's expression changed drastically. His body moved like an illusion, rapidly executing a superior movement technique, and he managed to retreat a step with difficulty. In his haste, he could only block with his sword held horizontally in front of his chest, attempting to parry this thunderous blow.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, Su Changqing was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, violently knocked back by the punch. His long sword also flew out of his grasp like a startled bird, describing an elegant arc through the air before soaring far away.

His body slid several yards like a cannonball before slowly coming to a halt.

Fortunately, this was just a competition, and Xia Qi'an had held back. Therefore, Su Changqing was merely sent flying by the powerful force and did not suffer any severe injuries.

Su Changqing painfully got up from the ground, brushed the dust off his clothes, and a look of dejection appeared on his face. "Brother Xia has tremendous strength... I concede this match!"

"You are too kind!"

Xia Qi'an cupped his fist in return, then turned and gracefully exited the stage.

To observe his opponents' strengths and weaknesses, he watched every remaining match without exception.

After all, the rewards for the victor—whether they were cultivation techniques, elixirs, silver, or contribution points—were all things Xia Qi'an desperately needed.

Therefore, he was determined to win first place in this competition. He knew that since the use of Bloodline Power was prohibited, his path of body-refining martial arts gave him a unique advantage.

Combined with his own Strength of Five Bulls and the formidable Great Strength Vajra Fist, he was full of confidence and feared no opponent.