Becoming a Saint Starts with Copying Martial Arts

Chapter 48 A Man Like a Dragon

The entire room fell silent as a woman clad in heavy armor and with bulging muscles strode towards them.

Everyone turned their heads to look at her, because this woman was too fierce. Before she even arrived, a fierce aura swept over them, making them tense up and feel fear from the bottom of their hearts.

"This is Lady Ran Hongxia, a deacon of the Town Soul Division of the Prefecture!"

Ran Hongxia swept her gaze across the crowd and announced loudly, "Let's begin. Everyone whose name is called will take turns coming forward to practice the Eight Strikes of the Spirit Serpent. Those with superior Yin Bones will have priority."

"First up, the exorcism team, Fang Xiang!"

A young man with a pointed chin stepped out from the crowd and began practicing the Eight Strikes of the Serpent in front of Ran Hongxia.

Ran Hongxia sat on a large chair with her legs crossed and propped up on the wooden table in front of her, appearing very casual.

"Although it's a top-grade Yin Bone, its cultivation level is only at the minor completion stage; it's still far from sufficient. Next!"

As soon as Fang finished performing a set of martial arts moves, Ran Hongxia immediately gave her comments.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiang's face showed a dejected expression, but he didn't say anything and turned back to the crowd.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief. Superior Yin Bone would have a great advantage, but innate talent and physical constitution are two different things. Obviously, Fang Xiang's talent was very average. He had not made much progress even after being a constable for half a year.

"Next up, Wang Dong!"

"Next up, Liu Sanming!"

...

One by one, martial artists stepped forward, but Ran Hongxia's comments were all unanimously unsatisfactory. Her face remained expressionless from beginning to end, and no one could stir even the slightest ripple in her heart.

"Next up, Han Chong!"

Upon hearing this, Han Chong went up and performed a set of Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake, which made Ran Hongxia somewhat impatient.

"They're all good-for-nothings. In this huge Jiangyin County, there isn't even one person I can look at with respect? Mid-grade Yin Bone, Spirit Serpent Eight-Beating Minor Completion—they dare to come up here and embarrass themselves. Pang Tong, if I find any more people like this, this assessment will be terminated immediately."

Han Chong's face instantly turned ugly. He didn't expect Ran Hongxia to be so impolite, rubbing his face against the floor.

Pang Tong frowned as well, not expecting Ran Hongxia to be so difficult to please.

In fact, Han Chong was not qualified to participate in this assessment. However, in order to curry favor with the Han family, he forced a few Han family disciples to join, just to try his luck. What if they passed?

In the past, this has happened before, and the examiners usually turn a blind eye and rarely get angry.

"Indeed, it was my incompetence that led to this oversight," Pang Tong apologized softly, then turned and swept his gaze across the room before saying coldly, "Did you all hear that? If you're not strong enough, then withdraw voluntarily. Don't tarnish the eyes of the adults!"

"Sir, what level must one reach to pass the assessment this year?" someone asked boldly.

"I have two spots available. Those under 25 years old with superior Yin bones must have mastered the Eight Strikes of the Spirit Serpent. Those with mid-grade Yin bones must have completed the Eight Strikes of the Spirit Serpent. Those with inferior Yin bones must either possess hidden strength or have multiple types of strength."

"Only those who meet this standard are qualified to be chosen by me. If none of them meet the standard, I'd rather not have them, understand?" Ran Hongxia said impatiently.

The room fell silent. The conditions were indeed difficult, and most people shook their heads, feeling there was no hope.

Seeing these people's reactions, Han Chong felt much better. It turned out that he wasn't the only one who was useless; everyone was useless.

"Did you all hear that? Those who meet the criteria, step forward!" Pang Tong shouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, one person stepped forward first; it was Li Ping.

"Li Ping, 29 years old, mid-grade Yin Bone. If you want to catch my eye, you'll at least need to master two types of force or step into the realm of Dark Force." Ran Hongxia glanced at the documents on the table, which contained detailed information about the references.

"I have already entered the Dark Force realm," Li Ping said in a deep voice.

"Let's begin then."

Li Ping immediately began practicing martial arts, using both fists and feet in a bold, powerful, and domineering style.

Lin Qing didn't recognize his martial arts skills, but he heard people whispering nearby that Li Ping was using the Eighteen Styles Vajra Fist, which was indeed a method of internal strength training.

At a certain moment, accompanied by a muffled thud, Li Ping threw a punch, creating a gust of wind, and then slowly exhaled to finish his exercise.

"Finally, someone who meets my standards. Under thirty years old with internal strength, barely meets the requirements." Ran Hongxia flicked her hand, and a bright silver token flew into Li Ping's hand.

"Thank you, sir!"

Seeing this, everyone felt both envious and admiring. To reach the level of internal strength at the age of thirty requires a great deal of talent, and there are very few people in the history of Jiangyin County who have been able to do so.

"Who else? Step forward!" Ran Hongxia shouted again.

After a moment's thought, Lin Qing stepped out of the crowd.

"My name is Lin Qing. Please take a look at my credentials, sir."

Han Chong was shocked when he saw Lin Qing step forward: "Could Lin Qing have mastered internal energy? Or has he already mastered two types of energy? Impossible, this kid must be crazy, his talent can't be that strong!"

What Han Chong found most unacceptable was that Lin Qing had passed the test. The two had already become enemies and had many conflicts before. If Lin Qing went to the prefectural city and soared to great heights, wouldn't he be doomed?

Behind Ran Hongxia, Pang Tong also frowned.

Lin Qing was Yang Feng's apprentice, and Yang Feng was Cheng Yannian's right-hand man. Naturally, they were on opposing sides, and Cheng Yannian did not want to see Lin Qing gain power.

He had heard that Lin Qing had a low-grade Yin bone, but he didn't take it seriously. He thought that Lin Qing would definitely fail to be selected this year and that he could deal with him next year. But Lin Qing's actions now surprised him greatly.

"Is this kid crazy? Or is he a true martial arts prodigy?" Pang Tong thought to himself.

"Let's begin, don't let me down!" Ran Hongxia said.

Lin Qing immediately began practicing his martial arts. He prepared both hands and first demonstrated the Spirit Serpent Eight Strikes at the Transcendent level. It would be best if he could gain Ran Hongxia's approval. If not, he would then demonstrate the Profound Yin Dislocation Hand.

Although the Xuan Yin Dislocation Hand is a martial art that originated from the Yin Yuan Sect, it has a low learning threshold, so many people in the martial arts world learn it, and the imperial court does not punish them.

Soon, Lin Qing finished demonstrating the first eight moves. Ran Hongxia yawned. She could see that Lin Qing's moves were standard and the transitions were smooth, already reaching perfection. But this didn't surprise her. What she wanted to see was where Lin Qing got the confidence to gain her approval. Was it internal force martial arts? Or multiple forces?

She thought Lin Qing would finish these eight moves and then practice the next martial art, but to her surprise, Lin Qing continued to practice without stopping, and even used some completely unfamiliar moves, but they were closely and naturally connected with the previous eight moves, as if they were a perfect match.

Ran Hongxia's body trembled, her pupils contracted slightly, and she thought to herself, "Is this the Transcendent Realm?"

She was knowledgeable and experienced, and naturally knew that there were realms beyond the perfection of martial arts: the first was breaking through limits, and the second was the realm of transformation. Those who could reach these two realms must be martial arts prodigies, one in ten thousand.

Such a person can perfect martial arts and promote the development of martial arts. Even she had only heard of such people and had never seen one.

"Could it be that a dragon-like figure has been born from this small pond in Jiangyin County?" Ran Hongxia's face was solemn as she stared intently at Lin Qing, scrutinizing him carefully, afraid that she might be mistaken.

Everyone else in the training ground was completely bewildered by what they saw, having no idea what Lin Qing was doing.

"Isn't the Eight Strikes of the Serpent supposed to be eight moves? What's going on after this? It looks pretty impressive." Han Chong also looked confused.