My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 32 Entering the Core

The viewing platform at the mouth of Lieshan Valley.

Suddenly, a spot of light at the edge of the spiritual mirror in the center of the platform brightened up abruptly, and its color changed from white to a pale gold.

Although the change was subtle, everyone present had exceptional eyesight and noticed it almost instantly.

"Oh?"

The old man in the blue robe from Qinglan Martial Academy raised his eyebrows slightly, put down his teacup, and Shen Wenyuan, the city lord's special envoy, also looked over, his face showing interest.

Wu Zhenshan, the treasurer of the Military Equipment Hall, narrowed his long, narrow eyes but remained silent.

"The Spirit Mirror Map shows that the first Lieshan Iron Token has been obtained by someone," Yue Shan, the military commander in charge of the spring hunt, said in a deep voice. "It's located in the eastern part of the Central Region, in the Stone Forest area."

"The Stone Forest? It was guarded by a third-tier peak stone demon, how could it have been taken so quickly?"

"Could it be Yun Jinghong? That young master of Feiyun Martial Arts Academy is a true master of internal energy transformation; he's the most likely to deal with Shi Xiao."

"Not necessarily. Yun Jinghong is arrogant and proud. If he wanted to get the Iron Token, he would probably go to the core area to get it. In the Stone Forest, it was probably taken by other experts."

"Anything is possible, but receiving the ironclad order so early is indeed somewhat unexpected. It seems there are quite a few promising talents this time..."

People speculated wildly, with most of their guesses focusing on a few already well-known geniuses.

Wu Zhenshan suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Commander Yue, what are the casualties like in the hunting grounds?"

Yue Shan glanced at him, raised his hand to signal, and a deputy general immediately stepped forward, holding a booklet, and reported loudly:

"Your Excellencies, as of Shenshi (3-5 PM) today, the spring hunt has been underway for seven days."

"A total of thirty-seven hunting ground survival tokens were crushed, but all of them have been safely rescued and are not in immediate danger of losing their lives."

"The death toll has been confirmed at 49, mostly due to encounters with powerful monsters, with a small number resulting from battles between martial artists."

The deputy general's voice was steady, but the numbers he announced caused the atmosphere on stage to sink slightly.

Forty-nine lives lost, thirty-seven people dropped out, and this is only the seventh day.

It should be noted that the total number of participants in this spring hunt was only about 232, and the casualty rate was already close to 40%.

This is the highest number in recent years, but everyone knows why. After all, it's a direct recommendation qualification from the Martial Arts Academy, and who wouldn't want it?

The old man in the blue robe from the martial arts academy stroked his beard and smiled: "In the battle of martial arts, there will inevitably be casualties. Only those who can emerge victorious from the blood and fire are truly promising talents. With the first iron token now in existence, the real show is about to begin."

Shen Wenyuan smiled and agreed, "Old Chen is right."

The way martial arts are fought has always been like this!

……

the other side.

Leaving the Stone Forest, Liang Cheng continued walking, the Lieshan Iron Token in his arms heavy, its icy touch penetrating through his clothes.

With this order in hand, plus the monsters and spirit herbs hunted earlier, the top three spots in the spring hunt are practically guaranteed.

Next, we will proceed steadily and surely.

For safety's sake, he deliberately chose to travel along secluded paths, avoiding forks in the road where there might be ambushes. After walking for about half an hour, he could faintly hear the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts ahead.

Liang Cheng frowned slightly, unwilling to cause trouble, and prepared to change direction, but the next moment, he heard a familiar voice and stopped in his tracks.

At this moment, the forest ahead was in complete disarray. Zhao Yuan leaned against an ancient tree, his left arm hanging limply, and his blue robe was soaked with blood.

Wu Xiao, accompanied by two disciples from the Zhennan Martial Arts School, was closing in on him step by step.

"Senior Brother Zhao, why force yourself?"

Wu Xiao's smile was cold, and the sword in his hand gleamed with a ghostly blue light. "Hand over the Crimson Blood Ginseng, and I'll give you a chance to crush the Life Token and leave. It's really not worth losing your life here for a spirit herb."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with malice: "Wu Xiao, this is all you're good at—taking advantage of others in distress."

"Stubborn fool, don't say I didn't give you a chance," Wu Xiao sneered, gesturing to his men, "Go, cripple his right hand!"

Two disciples pounced on him from the left and right. Zhao Yuan gritted his teeth and resisted, but his stance was already crumbling, and he was about to be engulfed by the flashing blades.

A streak of green suddenly cut into the battle!

"Bang! Bang!"

Two muffled thuds exploded almost simultaneously. The two Zhennan disciples were struck as if by a heavy hammer, their chests caved in, and they were sent flying backward, crashing into a tree and dying instantly.

Liang Cheng withdrew his fist and stood in front of Zhao Yuan, blocking his path. Wu Xiao's pupils shrank, and his face instantly turned extremely ugly: "Liang Cheng?!"

"Senior Brother Wu, what a coincidence," Liang Cheng said calmly.

Wu Xiao's eyes twitched as he stared intently at Liang Cheng. Then, noticing the still-wet bloodstains and dust on Liang Cheng's clothes, he suddenly sneered, "You've just been through a battle, haven't you? I never take advantage of others in distress. Goodbye."

He actually took a few steps back, but his left hand held the short sword horizontally in front of his chest in a defensive posture as he retreated. Just as his right hand was about to secretly crush a sachet, Liang Cheng instantly noticed something was wrong.

He threw a punch directly at Wu Xiao, who had no choice but to stop what he was doing and parry with his sword.

Ding-dong!

The sword breaks!

Before Wu Xiao could react, the punch struck his chest, instantly caved in, and he flew backward, spitting out blood.

When they collapsed, they were already lifeless, their bodies and souls gone. Liang Cheng quickly searched the three bodies, cleaned them up, and then turned to look at Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan leaned against the tree trunk and slid to the ground, his face ashen. He looked at Liang Cheng's skillful movements as he touched the corpse with some surprise.

When Liang Cheng looked over, he took out a jade box from his pocket and threw it to Liang Cheng, saying with a wry smile, "Crimson Blood Ginseng, take this. I owe you my life."

Liang Cheng took the jade box, opened it and took a look. The ginseng was as red as blood, and there was a faint glow flowing between its veins. It was indeed a top-grade spiritual medicine that could replenish qi and blood.

He closed the lid and tossed it back to Zhao Yuan.

"Keep it for yourself to heal your wounds."

Zhao Yuan was stunned.

Liang Cheng squatted down to examine his left arm injury. His shoulder bone was dislocated and his tendons were damaged, but it was not completely shattered.

He placed both hands on Zhao Yuan's shoulders and pushed and pulled to set his bones.

"Click".

Joint repositioning.

Zhao Yuan groaned, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, but his expression softened slightly.

Thank you.

He whispered, hesitated for a moment, then took out the Life Token from his pocket and held it in his palm, "I can't hold on like this anymore, but before I crush this token, there's something I need to tell you."

Liang Cheng was somewhat puzzled.

Zhao Yuan lowered his voice and spoke rapidly: "I met my senior brother the day before yesterday. He discovered a cold green dragon about forty miles to the southwest."

Since ancient times, wherever there is a Frost Jade Dragon, there will surely grow an Ice Heart Tempering Orchid. That thing has miraculous effects on breaking through the Transformation Realm barrier. He chased the Frost Jade Dragon into the core area of ​​the hunting ground.

He took a breath and continued, "Actually, the Crimson Blood Ginseng was left to me by my senior brother. He said that if he didn't show up within five days, you and I should take good care of our master and protect the martial arts school."

Upon hearing this, Liang Cheng's gaze sharpened.

Knowing Zhou Hu's character and how he treated him, he stood up and asked, "After you crush the token, how long will it take for the hunting ground steward to arrive?"

Zhao Yuan was taken aback: "At most a quarter of an hour."

"Alright, go back and tell Master that I'm going to the core area to find my senior brother and will definitely bring him back safely."

"Liang Cheng!" Zhao Yuan said urgently, "That place is too dangerous, you don't need to go..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liang Cheng had already caught him and moved him to a safe place. Then he turned around and sped off in the southwest direction, disappearing into the dense forest after a few leaps.

Zhao Yuan's fingers clenched until they turned white, and he finally gave a bitter smile. Not only was his cultivation level lagging behind, but his ambition to compete had also fallen far behind.

The five fingers forcefully crushed the life-giving force.

"Snapped!"

The Life-Giving Token shattered instantly, and a faint crimson light rose from the token, shot up to the treetop, and bloomed into a cloud of light in the high sky.

He looked up at the direction where Liang Cheng had disappeared, and murmured to himself:

"Good luck, Junior Brother Liang."

……