Human Martial Saint: Starting with Bajiquan

Chapter 100 The Night Before the Provincial Examination

I am grateful that I was able to take leave and return home this time.

Lu You was genuinely grateful to his junior brother Liu Sheng.

"Fortunately, the second round of the martial arts examination is tomorrow, which is why I was able to ask for leave to come back."

He was filled with emotion.

He touched the pills wrapped in oil paper in his arms.

【Qi-restoring pill】.

The second and third rounds of the military examination were consecutive, with almost no rest time.

At this point, inexperienced commoners and poor martial artists could only endure it, or if they were lucky, they would encounter a weaker opponent and crush them.

Meanwhile, scions of established families and students of martial arts schools receive elixirs from their elders to restore their strength.

The Pure Yang Pill was originally acceptable, but it tasted too bitter, and after taking it, the person would become like a madman, making it unsuitable for a public environment like the provincial martial arts examination.

Therefore, Lu specifically asked Young Master Zhang Faqing to obtain a suitable elixir for his junior brother.

When Lu You returned to Bajiquan, unsurprisingly, his junior brother Liu Sheng was still doing the clean and jerk.

"Junior brother, tomorrow is the second round of the provincial examination. You can rest now; remember to balance work and rest!"

"Senior Brother!"

Liu Sheng never expected that his senior brother would return on the eve of the provincial examination.

So he inquired whether the mission was completed, since he wanted to have good news so he could catch up with the Yan family sooner.

There are at least 800 taels waiting for him over there!

"Sigh, things don't always go that smoothly..."

Liu Sheng never expected that his usually calm and collected senior brother would launch into a series of rants.

What Shao advocated for the law? He was too kind and too straightforward, making it difficult for him to win over the masses.

The sons of the Li, Wang, Kang, and Suo families participate in this kind of mission to gain experience, and none of them are willing to submit to the others.

What? This band of rebels is different from the low-level wolf army he encountered before. They include elite horse demon heavy cavalry, deer demon light cavalry, and wolf clan heavy infantry.

The horse demons had excellent hearing, the deer demons had good eyesight, and the wolf demons had a keen sense of smell. In addition, they were all elite border troops, so the area around the camp was kept completely vigilant.

There were no missing sentries.

This led to the exploration team, over the past ten days, having come up with a plethora of methods from several scions of powerful families, each refusing to concede to the others. In practice, however, they repeatedly encountered setbacks and ultimately ran out of ideas.

"Then why not go back and ask for reinforcements, and send more people?"

"They dare not."

"ha?"

Lu You then explained to Liu Sheng that Zhang Tianxing's kind expression was reserved for disciples and grand-disciples of their lineage.

Ordinary soldiers of the rebel army.

I'm still quite afraid of this General Zhang.

Zhang Tianxing was extremely strict in disciplining his troops. This reconnaissance team had made no real progress in so many days and had to go back to ask for help. From Zhang Faqing down to these scouts, everyone had to go back and receive a beating.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Come on, junior brother, let's have a spar. The second round of the provincial examination is starting, and it'll all be a series of unofficial competitions. You need to get used to it beforehand!"

"Senior Brother, please enlighten me!"

Although Liu Sheng has been sparring with Senior Sister Yang these days, Senior Sister Yang is only an eighth-rank cultivator after all.

Liu Sheng was initially at a disadvantage.

However, after he acquired the water attribute in the Flesh Refining Realm, his strength increased significantly, and he was able to fight Yang Hongliu on equal terms.

At this moment, an even stronger senior brother, a seventh-rank expert, came to spar with him.

Liu Sheng was naturally more than happy to accept that.

The moonlight cast a cool glow on the ground of the training ground, where Lu You and Liu Sheng stood facing each other.

"Junior brother, tomorrow is the arena battle. I'll spar with you first so you can get a feel for it. I'll suppress my strength to the eighth rank of Great Perfection and not use the power of my entire body's major tendons, so you can experience what it's like."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!"

Liu Sheng clasped his hands in a fist, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the small frame of Bajiquan. His breath was deep and his Liangyi stance was as stable as a rock. His whole body seemed to be connected with the ground beneath his feet.

Seeing Liu Sheng's posture, Lu You was filled with surprise. He could see that his junior brother's stance was more fluid and natural than before, and his lower body foundation was incredibly solid.

"This is... the perfected form of Bajiquan?"

Lu had a guess in his heart.

What puzzled him even more was that Liu Sheng, who was clearly at the eighth-grade Muscle Refining Realm, had relaxed muscles at this moment, and his muscles were not defined at all, making him no different from an ordinary strong martial artist.

However, in Lu You's eyes, the strangeness about his junior brother was not so strange after all.

So he moved.

Lu You stepped in front of his junior brother and unleashed a "Mountain-Splitting Palm" with his right hand, aiming straight for Liu Sheng.

This palm strike, though seemingly simple, contains the essence of a powerful downward force. Before the palm wind even arrives, the pressure is already overwhelming, which is exactly the level that an eighth-grade master martial artist should have.

Liu Sheng neither dodged nor avoided, but instead lowered his waist and hips, raised his left arm, and also executed a "closed-ground elbow"!

"Bang!"

The sound of fists clashing and the car door slamming together was exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard. Lu You felt an unexpectedly heavy force coming from the inside of his wrist.

"How can this kid be so strong? Is it just a coincidence?"

He was surprised. He thought to himself that he had controlled his strength at the Great Perfection of the Eighth Rank, and his physical strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Eighth Rank, but Liu Sheng's strength was not much lower than his at this moment.

When they break out, they can even catch up.

Seeing his junior brother's right fist thrust out from under his ribs, aiming straight for his chest and abdomen, Lu You also parried with his palm. Their fists and palms collided, producing a dull thud.

"My strength has definitely increased!"

Lu Youxin was invigorated and no longer held back in his moves. His fists roared, and he unleashed a barrage of attacks: Mountain Splitting Palm, Hammer Support, Overlord Lifting the Cauldron... Each move was faster than the last, and the fierce and explosive power of Bajiquan was fully displayed in his hands.

Liu Sheng focused all his efforts on dealing with the situation. The power boost from his Water Element Body Training allowed him to hold his own against his senior brother's attacks.

Furthermore, after mastering Bajiquan, one has a deeper understanding of the moves and can often use skill to overcome force and resolve crises at the last minute.

The two exchanged blows, their figures weaving and shifting in the moonlight. After dozens of moves, Lu You realized that he hadn't been able to gain the overwhelming advantage he had expected. Liu Sheng's defense was impenetrable, his skin incredibly resilient, and his Golden Bell Shield technique was adept at deflecting force.

The only difference between them now is that Liu Sheng's attacks are slightly immature and his variations are not as good as theirs, but these are not big problems. They can be improved by fighting more.

"With only the strength of an eighth-grade master and the physical strength of a seventh-grade cultivator, you can only maintain a 60/40 split with him... Not bad!"

Seeing that continuing the fight was pointless, Lu decided to give Liu Sheng a "surprise".

"Junior brother, watch closely, this is the strength of the Yi Jin Realm!"

Lu You suddenly gave a soft shout, reminding Liu Sheng.

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu You's originally peaceful aura suddenly changed. His body shrank, and the major tendons in his body tightened and twisted instantly, making a subtle but clear sound. His whole body was like a powerful bow drawn to its fullest extent, accumulating terrifying power.

He didn't use any fancy moves; he simply turned his right hand into a palm and lightly pressed it against Liu Sheng's chest.

This palm strike was extremely fast.

Liu Sheng had no way to dodge.

"Bang!"

He was sent flying.