Endless Marvels

Ten days flew by.

At sunset, Xiao Li left the stuffy martial arts hall and headed straight for Drunken Immortal Inn. He ordered a table full of food and wine, eating heartily.

Precisely at the hour of Xu (9-11 PM), the sky had completely darkened, and the streetlights were dim.

Xiao Li, about seventy to eighty percent drunk, stepped out of the inn's entrance with a slightly unsteady gait.

A gust of night wind brought on a fresh wave of drunkenness. He steadied himself by gripping the doorframe. Just as he was about to head back towards the martial arts hall, a figure silently blocked his path.

Xiao Li, his vision blurred by alcohol, frowned and looked.

The newcomer wore ordinary grey cloth clothes, had an unfamiliar face, and was of average height. They could easily blend into a crowd and be indistinguishable, except for their eyes, which, under the dim yellow light, were as calm as a still pool without a single ripple.

"Xiao Li?" The voice was also flat, betraying no emotion.

"It's me," Xiao Li rubbed his forehead, trying to focus his vision. His voice carried the impatience of drunkenness, "Who are you? You're blocking my way."

"I am..." Before the stranger could finish speaking, their body moved!

There was no warning, no leakage of killing intent, not even an obvious starting posture.

They simply took a step forward, their right hand darting out like lightning. Their fingers were slightly spread, and they reached out as if casually to grasp Xiao Li's right wrist as he raised his arm to block.

Although drunk, Xiao Li's martial artist instincts were still intact. He sensed something was wrong and half his drunkenness vanished instantly!

With a low growl, he channeled his qi into both arms. His left hand formed a fist and struck fiercely at the opponent's ribs, while his right arm's muscles bulged, attempting to shake off the seemingly light grasp.

However—

The gap was too vast.

The grasping hand was faster than his conscious reaction, so precise it was as if all his movements had been calculated long in advance.

The moment their fingertips touched his wrist bone, a cold, condensed, and overwhelmingly strange force erupted!

It wasn't a forceful destruction, but an extreme gentleness that was simultaneously sharp and unparalleled in its penetration and tearing!

Crack!

A crisp, bone-chilling sound of breaking bones echoed abruptly in the quiet street corner!

Not just one spot, but multiple bones in his wrist and forearm were struck by that strange force, creating countless fine cracks simultaneously, leading to structural collapse!

"Ah—!!!" Xiao Li let out a heart-wrenching scream. His right arm instantly went limp, its shape grotesquely deformed.

The excruciating pain turned his eyes bloodshot. His left hand, disregarding everything, swung forward in a punch.

The stranger's body flickered slightly, as if they had casually sidestepped and raised a hand. That hand then seized Xiao Li's left wrist like a phantom.

Crack! Crack-crack!

More intense, more thorough sounds of shattering followed one after another!

This time, even his elbow joint did not escape.

"Ugh—!" Xiao Li was in so much pain he nearly fainted. He slumped down, sliding to the ground against the wall.

He looked down at his hands—they were the most precious weapons of a martial artist. Now, they were like two lumps of clay haphazardly crushed by a child, twisted at incomprehensible angles. Beneath the skin, there were terrifying bulges and depressions. He could even see jagged, blood-stained white bone fragments piercing through the skin.

Pain, coldness, and the despair of something utterly shattered instantly overwhelmed him.

Medicine... useless.

The martial path... broken.

Before Xiao Li completely lost consciousness, the stranger leaned down and whispered into his ear, in a voice only they could hear, "The Hall Master asks about you."

Then, the figure melted into the night and disappeared, as if they had never appeared.

The next morning, Cui Hao and Lin Da walked into the martial arts hall together, as they usually did.

As soon as they entered, they noticed something unusual.

The usual morning shouts of practicing punches were barely audible. Today, they were replaced by hushed whispers as faint as mosquito buzzes.

"...Did you hear? Senior Brother Xiao... something happened!"

"Last night... at the Drunken Immortal Inn entrance... his hands... crippled!"

"Is that true? Senior Brother Xiao is at the peak of Mortal Martial!"

"Absolutely true! When they carried him back... his condition... too tragic..."

The words drifted into their ears. Cui Hao and Lin Da exchanged a look, seeing shock and solemnity in each other's eyes.

"Where's Junior Brother Xiao? How is he?!" Tu Yan rushed in from outside, her face showing undisguised panic. Her gaze frantically searched the crowd for the genius she had invested so much money in.

Gao Feng emerged from the crowd, shaking his head with a heavy expression. His voice was hoarse, "Junior Sister Tu... Junior Brother Xiao, last night he was attacked and severely injured, falling into a coma."

He paused, then added in an even lower voice, "Master has invited Doctor Li from Jiren Hall and Doctor Kang from Xuanhu Hall. Both are inside, diagnosing him... The situation... is not optimistic."

As soon as this was said, it was like cold water poured onto hot oil, and the courtyard instantly erupted!

Especially the new disciples who had joined not long ago, their faces registered disbelief.

Who was Xiao Li? He was the undisputed banner of the younger generation in the martial arts hall, the direct disciple meticulously cultivated by Master Xu Dian, a genius who reached the peak of Mortal Martial in less than a year!

Such an existence, beaten into cripple at the entrance of an inn!

With such injuries, let alone aiming for the unattainable Dark Force, it's uncertain if he can even maintain his current cultivation.

Everyone exchanged glances, a chill rising from the soles of their feet.

There's no shortage of Mortal Martial in the martial arts school, and there are even a few Clear Force masters, but what's truly scarce are the 'seeds' with potential, with hope to break through the constraints of Clear Force and glimpse the threshold of Dark Force!

They are the future backbone and hope of the martial arts school.

Now, Hongzhan Martial School's biggest, most dazzling seed has been ruthlessly extinguished!

Unlike Xiao Li's situation, Cui Hao has, without realizing it, become the most special existence in the courtyard. The attitude of others towards him has undergone a subtle yet earth-shattering change.

In the first round of the preliminary examination, the four-stone bow, drawn like a full moon, shocked the entire audience.

In the second round, he won two consecutive matches, finally "narrowly losing" to a master of the Flying Crane Palm, his performance was commendable, and securing cultivation resources was all but guaranteed.

When Cui Hao stepped into the courtyard, newly initiated disciples, and even some fellow disciples in the Mortal Martial Realm, would stop their movements in unison and respectfully call out, "Senior Brother Cui."

This scene was so familiar—not long ago, Xiao Li had enjoyed the exact same treatment.

None of this made Cui Hao arrogant; instead, it heightened his internal alarm, and he poured all his energy into near-self-abusive training.

He repeatedly hammered the Broken Fist桩功 (standing post practice), sweat soaking through his clothes, the sound of fists and feet striking the wooden post echoing from dawn till dusk.

[Realm: Mortal Martial Great Accomplishment (521/1000)]

[Broken Fist Standing Post Practice: Great Accomplishment (521/1000)]

He was still 479 points away from Mortal Martial Perfection.

As long as the medicinal resources kept up, he would break through in fifty days at most!

Regrettably, his money and Qi and Blood Powder were once again depleted, and he would need to venture into the mountains tomorrow.

"Senior Brother Cui," a slightly respectful voice interrupted Cui Hao's thoughts. It was a young disciple who had recently entered the Mortal Martial. He stepped forward to report, "Someone is looking for you outside the gate."

Stepping out of the courtyard and sizing up Zhu Gui, who was dressed expensively and wore a round official's hat, Cui Hao cupped his fists in a salute, "Steward Zhu, is there something?"

"On the day of the preliminary examination, Brother Cui's demeanor was outstanding; I still can't forget it..." Zhu Gui said with a smile, handing over a money bag, "A mere ten taels, a small token of my appreciation. Although the Zhu family in Qingyuan City cannot compare to the three great families, we are still reasonably well-off. If Brother Cui doesn't mind, this amount will be given to you every month from now on."

Ten taels a month! Cui Hao's heart trembled. This Steward Zhu was even more generous than Hu Zhi.

"Steward Zhu's kindness, I am grateful," Cui Hao suppressed the turmoil in his heart, his expression unchanged, "However, this is a significant matter, please allow me to consider it carefully."

Sensing the polite refusal, Zhu Gui sighed softly. Some opportunities... he was not fated to possess.