Chapter 11: Challenging the Master at His Own School

Qin Jue did not return directly to the camp. Having come out once was already difficult enough, and he had other plans...

According to the original owner's memories, the current Dongchuan City belonged to Qinghe Commandery in the northern borders of the Great Zhou Dynasty, situated at the southern edge of Qinghe Commandery, bordering Liaoyuan Commandery.

It was said that north of Qinghe Commandery lay the most chaotic mountain range in the world—the Lingxiao Sacred Vein! There, countless ruthless warriors gathered, a chaotic mix of fish and dragons...

To the south flowed a great river running through the entirety of Liaoyuan Commandery—the Ling River! Conveniently, this river lay just a hundred miles south of Dongchuan City.

Thus, Dongchuan City held a unique geographical significance. Controlling this city would be crucial for subsequent troop deployments and the transportation of supplies.

No doubt, this was one of the reasons why the Qingfeng Village had chosen this city.

Dongchuan City was divided into four main districts: east, south, west, and north.

The eastern district housed the military camp and was the seat of the city’s power.

The southern and northern gates were each guarded by elite soldiers and generals, with relatively few civilians.

As for the western district, it was the home of the Qin family.

At this moment, Qin Jue, with a sword at his waist, was walking near the western part of the city.

This area was the most prosperous part of the city, with orderly houses lining the streets, intricately designed flying eaves and dougong brackets, and an unending stream of people bustling about...

In the Great Zhou, wherever the great families resided, those areas often flourished magnificently, standing in stark contrast to other places.

Some even joked that the Great Zhou belonged to the great families, not the royal family.

The reason was twofold: on one hand, the current emperor’s days were numbered—he was obsessed with martial arts and neglected governance; on the other, the royal family lacked the strength to recruit warriors from among the people.

Because all the martial arts schools in the Great Zhou were controlled by the great families!

For example, in Dongchuan City, though there were six martial arts schools, all bore the shadow of the Qin family.

Becoming a disciple of a martial arts school was essentially becoming a henchman for the great families.

In a world that revered martial prowess, warriors were the most crucial strategic resource.

And this resource was firmly in the hands of the great families—how could the Great Zhou not decline in power?

It was precisely because the west district was filled with martial arts schools that Qin Jue chose to come here.

Now, in the military camp, those old soldiers would rather take a different route when they saw him, not daring to engage in battle.

To gain victory points, he would have to find another way...

Clearly, the martial arts schools were the best option.

He planned to... challenge a school!

Challenging a school meant disrupting their grounds and was bound to provoke public outrage.

Rushing in recklessly could lead to death without even knowing how.

Qin Jue was not rash; while wandering the streets, he also inquired discreetly about the six martial arts schools in the city.

At least, he had to confirm that there were no overwhelmingly strong warriors inside.

After extensive inquiries, Qin Jue finally learned that two of the schools had their senior leaders away on business, with only warriors at the peak of the second tier remaining.

Being a peak second-tier warrior was already quite formidable.

After all, even a first-tier warrior could dominate with their strength, and by the third tier, one rarely stayed in the martial arts school.

Such a powerful warrior in a school was undoubtedly the top figure there.

However...

This posed no pressure at all to Qin Jue now!

With a target in mind, Qin Jue headed straight for the first martial arts school.

In a short while, he spotted the school from afar.

Its vermilion gate gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, and above hung a plaque inscribed with three gilded characters: "Zhenwu Hall"...

At a glance, it was grand and magnificent, impressively imposing!

In times of chaos, martial arts schools were among the few places untouched by turmoil, thriving instead.

Qin Jue walked straight toward the gate.

Two burly men stood guard at the entrance; seeing someone approach, they immediately scrutinized him.

Upon noticing Qin Jue’s plain clothes, slender build, and the sword at his waist, their faces turned cold.

One of them, clad in blue, stepped forward and blocked his path: "Where did this wild brat come from? Don’t you know where this is? Get lost immediately!"

Martial arts schools accepted disciples based on two factors.

The foremost was money—if the payment was right, anything was negotiable.

Second was aptitude—if one had good talent, the school would not refuse, sometimes even teaching for free.

But such disciples often had to sign lifelong contracts, serving the school indefinitely.

Qin Jue, at first glance, had neither.

The blue-shirted man presumed he was just a reckless brat and tried to drive him away at once.

Qin Jue halted, lifted his gaze, and met the man’s eyes with burning intensity: "What if I don’t leave?"

The blue-shirted man furrowed his brow, his face darkening with anger, and snarled, "Don’t leave? Do you think no one will care if I beat you to death right here?"

Though the city was occupied by Qingfeng Village, they had no authority over these martial arts schools.

In this western district, disciples of the schools were naturally superior!

Killing an ordinary person here carried no consequences.

Facing this threat, Qin Jue smiled slightly: "Good. I was hoping you’d dare to make a move."

The blue-shirted man was stunned and thought, Could this be a fool?

Behind him, another burly man frowned: "Stop dawdling and throw this kid out quickly."

No sooner had he spoken than the blue-shirted man reached out, grabbing the fabric on Qin Jue’s chest, intending to throw him out directly.

Yet...

When he exerted force, he was shocked to find he couldn’t lift the other at all!

The "Muscle Hardening" stage fused qi, blood, and muscle, nourishing one another.

Though Qin Jue seemed slender, once his qi and blood surged, few could move him.

Moreover, the other man was only at the "Skin Cleansing" stage.

The martial ranks had vast chasms between each level; it was rare for a lower-tier warrior to defeat one far above.

The blue-shirted man was bewildered, still trying to grasp what was happening.

Suddenly...

Qin Jue thrust his right fist forward like a breaking bamboo, striking the man's face.

“Bang!”

A muffled sound, the man’s face twisted instantly, his body spun a full 360 degrees, and he crashed heavily to the ground, convulsing twice before losing consciousness.

The other burly man gaped in shock.

The next moment, he realized Qin Jue had come to cause trouble.

Furious, he shouted, "Kid, do you dare be so reckless in Zhenwu Hall?"

With that, he charged forward, swinging a heavy right punch.

Qin Jue sidestepped easily, his body colliding with the attacker, pushing him back several steps.

Then he stepped forward, unleashing a flurry of punches like a torrential rain of pear blossoms.

The man hurriedly crossed his arms to block.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Each of Qin Jue’s punches fell like a mighty hammer.

After a few blocks, the man felt searing pain in his arms, as if his bones were breaking.

Ultimately, unable to withstand the assault, he was knocked down and rendered unconscious by a single blow.

Having defeated two men in a row, Qin Jue’s expression was dark.

Because neither of those men yielded any victory points!

Without hesitation, he stepped over the fallen man and strode into the martial arts school...

Inside, the air was filled with the clash of swords and the roar of fists as instructors taught disciples martial techniques.

At that moment, Qin Jue’s arrival immediately drew attention.

One instructor, sharp-eyed, sized him up from head to toe, finally resting his gaze on the sword at Qin Jue’s waist.

He immediately took a stance and shouted, "Who dares trespass into Zhenwu Hall?"

His loud voice served both to assert dominance and to alert other senior brothers.

Because the newcomer... clearly came with ill intent.

Already frustrated by the lack of victory points, Qin Jue lifted his eyes, stared intently at the instructor, and said deliberately, "I’m here... to challenge the school!"