Make Him Crawl Over and Beg for Forgiveness

When the thick red mark on Chen Jing's arm finally stabilized, the Central Courtyard of the River-Breaking Fist Academy fell into a brief, deathly silence before erupting into thunderous exclamations.

A disciple was the first to react, shouting in disbelief, his voice filled with overwhelming shock: "He did it! Junior Brother Chen has actually broken through to the Blood River Realm!"

His eyes were glued to the mark on Chen Jing's arm, as if he wanted to carve the image into his very soul.

"My god! Going from Blood Creek to Blood River in a single attempt? Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"

Another disciple rubbed his eyes vigorously. After confirming he wasn't seeing things, he gasped: "Two months to break through Blood Creek, and only one month to reach the Blood River Realm. At this speed... could Junior Brother Chen actually have top-tier aptitude? Did we misjudge him before?"

This remark instantly resonated with everyone present.

One must know that within the River-Breaking Fist Academy, even top talents like Senior Brother Pu Shaojie and Fourth Senior Brother Zhuang Tao had failed their first attempts at the Blood River Realm, only barely succeeding on their second try.

More importantly, both Pu Shaojie and Zhuang Tao came from wealthy backgrounds; they consumed Exotic Beast Meat daily to nourish their blood qi during their breakthroughs to achieve such results.

But what about Chen Jing?

Everyone knew he came from a background of pulling carts and was dirt poor. He had to earn every bit of his cultivation resources through sheer desperation. Forget Exotic Beast Meat; in the past, he hadn't even been guaranteed a full meal every day.

Yet, under such destitute conditions, he had broken through to the Blood River Realm in one go. How could such talent and perseverance not leave people stunned?

In the crowd, Xiang Lingfei watched the red mark on Chen Jing's arm—the symbol of the Blood River Realm—his face turning ashen. His teeth ground together, and his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.

His eyes were filled with jealousy and venom; his chest felt as if it were blocked by a massive boulder, leaving him struggling to breathe.

The one thing he dreaded most had finally come to pass.

Not only had Chen Jing broken through, but he had done so with such brilliance that it completely crushed the halo of talent Xiang Lingfei had prided himself on.

In stark contrast to Xiang Lingfei's loss of composure was the joy of Zhuang Tao.

Zhuang Tao stepped forward, his face beaming with a sincere smile. He clapped Chen Jing hard on the shoulder and said excitedly: "Good brother! I knew you could do it! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

The other disciples also snapped out of their stupor, crowding around to offer their congratulations.

"Congratulations to Junior Brother Chen on reaching the Blood River Realm! Our academy has gained another expert!"

"Junior Brother Chen is amazing! You must give us pointers in the future!"

The enthusiasm of the crowd nearly drowned Chen Jing out.

Before this, the River-Breaking Fist Academy had only four martial artists in the Blood River Realm: Senior Brother Pu Shaojie, Fourth Senior Brother Zhuang Tao, and two senior disciples.

Now that Chen Jing had successfully broken through, the number had risen to five, which was a monumental event for the entire academy.

Feeling the burning gazes and sincere congratulations, Chen Jing wore a calm smile. He cupped his hands toward the crowd and said modestly: "It was just luck. It is all thanks to the care of my senior brothers and the guidance of our master."

"Hmph, talk is cheap."

Xiang Lingfei snorted from the edge of the crowd, his tone dripping with bitterness. He didn't dare speak loudly, but he glared at Chen Jing, the resentment in his eyes deepening.

Just then, the voice of Fei Feng came from outside the crowd: "Chen Jing, come with me."

Hearing this, the crowd parted to clear a path.

Chen Jing cupped his hands to Zhuang Tao and the others once more, then hurried to follow Fei Feng toward the rooms in the back courtyard.

Watching the two figures depart, Xiang Lingfei could no longer suppress his agitation and fury. He clenched his fists and began practicing the River-Breaking Fist with frantic intensity.

The wind of his punches whistled with a violent aura, but upon closer inspection, his form was erratic—clearly, his emotions had clouded his judgment.

The surrounding disciples saw this and shook their heads, whispering among themselves.

"Now he knows how to be anxious? Where was this drive before? He used to slack off every day and mock Junior Brother Chen for uselessly grinding. Now that he's been surpassed, he's in a hurry?"

"His talent is good, but his character is lacking. Junior Brother Chen's achievements today aren't due to talent, but day-after-day of grueling hard work!"

"Forget it, leave him be. Let's focus on our own training."

The murmurs gradually faded, leaving only the sound of Xiang Lingfei's frantic punches, which seemed particularly jarring in the academy.

On the other side, Chen Jing followed Fei Feng into a room in the back courtyard.

Fei Feng sat down at a table and said to Chen Jing: "Come here, let me check your aptitude again."

Chen Jing nodded and stepped forward.

Fei Feng reached out and, just like last time, pressed precisely onto the third bone of Chen Jing's chest.

The first time Fei Feng had checked his aptitude, Chen Jing had felt his scalp go numb, a searing, fiery pain radiating from his chest as if a branding iron had been pressed against it.

But now that he was a Blood River Realm martial artist, his physical strength and blood qi foundation had improved qualitatively. Although Fei Feng's pressure was still slightly uncomfortable, it was nowhere near as painful as before, manifesting only as a mild, aching soreness.

A moment later, Fei Feng withdrew his hand, his brows furrowed tightly as he studied Chen Jing with a look of confusion.

He could clearly feel that Chen Jing's aptitude was exactly the same as it had been during the last check—still low-to-average, with no changes whatsoever.

Yet, with such ordinary aptitude, he had managed to go from a complete novice to the Blood River Realm in just three months, and the speed at which he condensed his blood qi was shockingly fast. This left Fei Feng truly baffled.

However, Fei Feng did not dwell on it too much.

After all, the path of martial arts was full of fortuitous encounters; perhaps Chen Jing's comprehension far exceeded that of ordinary people, allowing him to compensate for his lack of aptitude.

Fei Feng shook his head, suppressing his doubts, and continued: "Now that you have broken through to the Blood River Realm, the speed and consumption of your blood qi circulation will increase significantly. If you want to advance further, your cultivation resources must keep up."

"The Blood Qi Powder I gave you previously could support your cultivation for half a month, but now, one portion will likely only last you five days."

Fei Feng paused, then continued, "Furthermore, the quality of Exotic Beast Meat you require must also be upgraded; ordinary Exotic Beast Meat is no longer sufficient to satisfy the growth of your blood energy."

"The resources I can provide you here are limited—one catty of Spotted Flower Fox meat per month. If you want more or better resources, you will need to purchase them with your own money."

After speaking, Fei Feng picked up a fist manual from the bookshelf, placed it on the table, and then stood up to personally demonstrate the advanced moves of the River-Breaking Fist, along with the accompanying stance training for condensing blood energy, before Chen Jing.

At this moment, Fei Feng's movements were slow and standard, with every move broken down in extreme detail. He explained the force-generating techniques and the circulation paths of blood energy word by word, his tone far more patient than when he had taught other disciples previously.

Clearly, Chen Jing's rapid growth had completely changed Fei Feng's perspective on him, leading him to treat Chen Jing as a core disciple to be cultivated by the Fist Academy.

Half an hour later, Fei Feng finally finished explaining all the moves and stances, then waved his hand to signal that Chen Jing could leave.

Chen Jing bowed deeply to Fei Feng and said respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

He then picked up the fist manual from the table, turned, and walked out of the room.

Just as he stepped out of the door, Chen Jing saw Zhuang Tao standing there waiting with a smile on his face.

Clearly, Zhuang Tao had been waiting here for a long time.

"Junior Brother, congratulations on your breakthrough!"

Zhuang Tao stepped forward quickly, threw an arm around Chen Jing's shoulder, and said with an intimate tone, "You are now a Blood River Realm martial artist, so the treatment you receive must naturally be upgraded accordingly!"

"Starting this month, I will give you a monthly salary of eighty taels of silver. Additionally, your monthly ration of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat will be increased to thirty catties!"

Zhuang Tao patted his chest and said earnestly, "My side is not as wealthy or powerful as the Liu Family, so the resources I can offer are limited, but this is the highest treatment I can give you—it's maxed out!"

Eighty taels of silver and thirty catties of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat!

This level of treatment far exceeded that of an average Blood River Realm martial artist.

Feeling Zhuang Tao's sincerity, Chen Jing nodded with a smile, "Thank you for your generosity, Senior Brother Zhuang. Chen Jing will keep this in mind."

At the corner of the corridor not far away, Pu Shaojie watched this scene silently, his fists clenching involuntarily. His eyes were filled with complex emotions: envy, jealousy, and regret.

When Chen Jing first entered the academy, Pu Shaojie had been too arrogant to reach out, not even offering a single decent piece of advice.

If he had been like Zhuang Tao and offered Chen Jing a helping hand or provided him with resources back then, surely Chen Jing's relationship with him would be as close as it was with Zhuang Tao now, right?

A thought emerged in Pu Shaojie's mind: Should he take the initiative to show goodwill now and offer Chen Jing some benefits?

But as soon as the thought arose, he suppressed it and smiled self-deprecatingly.

Now that Chen Jing's wings had grown, his strength as a Second Blood Martial Artist was enough to make a name for himself in Red Rock County.

To approach him now would be too deliberate; it would only invite ridicule and make Chen Jing feel even more repulsed.

At this moment, Chen Jing turned to Zhuang Tao and asked, "By the way, Senior Brother Zhuang, do you know of the Cart-Pulling Carriage Firm in the west of the city?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Tao was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile, "The Cart-Pulling Carriage Firm in the west? I have some impression of it."

"The owner of that firm is named Wang Chi. He used to be a martial artist, but unfortunately, his aptitude was poor and he couldn't break through, so he gave up martial arts for business and opened a carriage firm. He has eaten at the restaurant before."

"He has a younger brother named Wang Cheng, who is a First Blood peak martial artist and the leader of the Blue Scarf Gang; he has some influence in the west side of the city."

Zhuang Tao paused and continued to ask, "Why, did he offend you? Junior Brother, you are a Blood River Realm martial artist now; your status is different. With just one word from you, you could make him crawl over here to kowtow and beg for mercy!"