I Grind to Martial Saint

The moment the words "Gang Essence Realm" were spoken, the entire gambling den fell silent.

The crowd, which had been full of confidence in Han Yuan, instantly paled.

What did the Gang Essence Realm even mean in Cangshui County Town?

Experts of this caliber typically only appeared in the Province City, and even then, they were exceedingly rare.

In an era where Innate Grandmasters rarely appeared, Gang Essence represented the pinnacle of combat strength.

And now, Xu Chang had actually broken through to the Gang Essence Realm.

Even Han Yuan, with his countless astonishing achievements, would likely be no match for him.

One Blade Master, who was just about to bet on Han Yuan, quickly changed his mind and shouted, "Put two hundred taels of silver on Xu Chang for me!"

"Have you made up your mind?"

"Once you place a bet, you can’t take it back!"

The gambling den’s manager said in a low voice.

"I’ve made up my mind."

"I’m betting on Xu Chang."

The Blade Master said with certainty.

It was as if he had opened the floodgates.

The crowd, who had originally intended to bet on Han Yuan, all changed their tune and rushed to place their bets on Xu Chang.

If Xu Chang hadn’t broken through to the Gang Essence Realm, they would naturally have chosen to believe in Han Yuan.

But now, things were different.

In a place like Cangshui County, the Gang Essence Realm was synonymous with invincibility.

No matter how strong Han Yuan was, he was ultimately still a True Qi Martial Artist. There was no way he could be Xu Chang’s opponent.

After they finished placing their bets, they started discussing it again.

"Director Han must have heard that Xu Chang broke through to the Gang Essence Realm by now."

"I wonder if he’ll still accept the challenge?"

"The news is all over the streets... If he doesn’t fight, it’ll be a huge loss of face."

"Knowing Han Yuan’s personality, I bet he’ll still fight."

"I think so too."

...

Inside the County Government Office.

Wen Zhiyuan looked at the document in his hand and couldn’t help but smile wryly. "Being the Mingzhi County Magistrate is no easy job. In less than half a year, three of them have died."

"This time was even more brutal... The entire County Yamen was slaughtered."

"I doubt anyone will be willing to serve as the Magistrate of Mingzhi County after this."

Zhao Junshan stood in the middle of the hall and said gravely, "Xu Chang must have done this to force Director Han into a duel with him."

Wen Zhiyuan nodded. "That makes sense... Director Han has also announced that he will fight Xu Chang."

"We’ll just have to wait and see."

Just then, a Government Official walked in.

"Prefect Wen, Chief Constable Zhao, this is bad!"

"There’s a rumor spreading through the city!"

The Government Official said, his expression frantic.

"What news has you so flustered?"

Wen Zhiyuan looked at him, puzzled.

"The streets are all saying that Xu Chang has broken through to the Gang Essence Realm!"

The Government Official said hurriedly.

"What?!"

"The Gang Essence Realm? You must be joking!"

Wen Zhiyuan’s face fell.

Although he didn’t practice martial arts, he knew what the Gang Essence Realm meant!

"It’s absolutely true!"

"The news is spreading all over Cangshui County Town."

The Government Official said, cupping his fist.

"This is terrible!"

"Prepare a carriage for me. I’m going to the Observatory."

Wen Zhiyuan couldn’t sit still any longer.

Soon, he was in a carriage, speeding towards the Observatory.

By the time Wen Zhiyuan walked into the Observatory’s martial arts training ground, he saw Han Yuan sparring with a burly man!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The two of them exchanged blows with fists and feet, the sheer force of their battle awe-inspiring.

Han Yuan unleashed the Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand, his power so fierce and terrifying it seemed capable of shattering mountains!

His opponent was Wei Shiming, whose fists struck like meteorites, their explosive power generating rolling waves of air.

Even though Wen Zhiyuan was standing more than ten meters away, the Gang Feng generated by their clash was strong enough to blow his official’s hat right off his head.

’This... This is terrifying,’ Wen Zhiyuan thought, dumbfounded.

"Director Han, take this!"

"Explosive Star Flash!"

Wei Shiming let out a low roar as fierce True Qi surged through his entire arm. He suddenly accelerated, launching a ferocious strike at Han Yuan.

"A good strike!"

"Giant Spirit·Shattering Star!"

A look of excitement on his face, Han Yuan flexed his right hand, which was now shrouded in black Demonic Qi, and thrust it forward in a vicious clawing motion!

This was a killing move he had created during his recent seclusion, born from a flash of Spiritual Mechanism and based on the Mystical Technique of the Giant Spirit Monument-Opening Hand!

The fist and claw collided with savage ferocity!

BANG!

Wei Shiming was sent flying back more than ten meters.

Under the full force of Han Yuan’s power, the terrifying Qi Power had completely crushed him!

After a moment, Wei Shiming finally managed to get back on his feet. His entire arm had been fractured by the immense force and hung limply at his side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Director Han... Your Qi Power is getting more and more frightening."

Wei Shiming winced in pain.

When he had challenged Han Yuan before, Han Yuan was powerful, but one could still sense his limits.

But after not seeing him for a few months, Han Yuan’s strength had become unfathomable.

The exchange just now had seemed intense.

But in reality, Wei Shiming knew that his opponent had probably been holding back the entire time.

The moment Han Yuan got serious, he had sent him flying.

"Sect Leader Wei’s Fist Technique has also improved a great deal," Han Yuan said with a small smile.

Wei Shiming naturally knew this was Han Yuan’s way of letting him save face, and he could only give a helpless, bitter smile.

Situ Ya had watched the entire fight from the side, and waves of shock crashed through her.

In the True Qi Realm, Wei Shiming’s strength was definitely among the best.

Yet he had been so easily defeated by Han Yuan.

There had been virtually no suspense in the entire fight.

Even when Wei Shiming wanted to break the rhythm, he couldn’t.

This could only mean one thing: Han Yuan’s current strength completely overwhelmed Wei Shiming’s.

Just then, Han Yuan noticed Wen Zhiyuan in the distance and smiled. "Prefect Wen, what brings you here?!"

Wen Zhiyuan trotted over and whispered, "Director Han, you must know the news by now, that Xu Chang is a Gang Essence Martial Artist."

Han Yuan nodded. "The news is all over the streets. If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t be fit to be the Director."

"Then what do you plan to do?" Wen Zhiyuan asked.

"Haven’t I already said? ...When he comes, I’ll just kill him," Han Yuan said with a laugh.

"But he’s a Gang Essence Martial Artist," Wen Zhiyuan couldn’t help but say.

"Does Prefect Wen have so little confidence in me?" Han Yuan said with a half-smile.

"How could that be!"

"I’m just a little worried."

Wen Zhiyuan, afraid of being misunderstood, quickly explained.

"It’s fine... I won’t lose."

"You can rest assured," Han Yuan said seriously.

"Alright, then."

Seeing Han Yuan’s certainty, Wen Zhiyuan felt relieved.

...

「A small mountain village several miles from Cangshui County Town.」

Ever since Han Yuan took office, he had been frantically purging the Wangling Sect’s influence within Cangshui County.

Now, the Wangling Sect didn’t even dare to establish a stronghold in the County Town and could only hide here.

A Hunter wearing a Beast Robe had just returned from the market in the city.

He pushed open the door to his house and carefully closed it behind him.

Deep within the house, there was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark yellow Magic Robe.

"Priest Dong, I’ve found out some major news."

The Hunter knelt before the middle-aged man and said in a low voice.

"Is it about the duel between Han Yuan and Xu Chang?"

Priest Dong’s eyes snapped open.

"Yes."

"Xu Chang, the Old Sect Leader of the Cyan Cloud Sect, has broken through to the Gang Essence Realm!"

"At this rate, Han Yuan is sure to die by his sword!"

The Hunter said excitedly.

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