Within the Daegu City, the capital of Ashar Kingdom, the xuanwu Sect stands before the Great Mountain Feng. Coiling dragon sect , it is the martial arts sect set up by the royal Ashar Valley, a martial arts Sect with over eight hundred years of heritage. It is also the only martial Sect set up by them in the Ashar Kingdom.
As one of the biggest martial Sect, coiling dragon sect possesses a great number of legacy martial skills and martial masters as its tutors. It was only natural that it would become the holy land of the many young aspiring martial artists. Correspondingly, the entrance qualifications for new recruits in Coiling dragon sect were set at a high threshold. It would not be an exaggeration to say that only one in a million would be able to qualify.
Under the scorching heat of summer, a teenage boy stood within a forest of the Great Mountain Feng. Both his fists were wrapped up around a dazzling blade which reflect as sun light touches it. as he stood bare chested before a rough looking big tree. He threw strike after strike, striking the each and every leaf which falls from the tree, and continues to train thousands of time until he utterly gets exhausted and strikes at the tree bark to check depth of his training.
“sshhh!” “sshhh!” whistling sounds echoed out around the forest. The layer of bark on the big tree that were struck had slit open noticeably, exposing its greyish wooden texture. On its surface, traces of blood could be seen splashing around the ground due to the practice of longer duration.
This teenager’s name is Li Qiang. He possesses a Grade black of intermediate Martial Talent.
In Ashar Kingdom, half of its citizens have no martial talent to speak of and are unsuitable towards the path of martial arts. As for the other half, at least eighty per cent of them have a Grade yellow Talent. Even if these people were to practice martial arts, they would not be able to reach anywhere. One in ten of the remaining people have a ninety per cent chance of having Grade black Martial Talent. If these people were to be diligent in their practice of martial arts, they have a chance to accomplish something in life. However, becoming a master of the martial arts would be near hopeless for them.
Li Qiang’s black Grade intermediate Martial Talent could be considered as a high-class existence. If one were to be boastful, one could claim that he is the cream of the crop. However, even with his martial talent, it would still be difficult for him to enter the great Coiling dragon sect!
Li Qiang was well aware of this. Together with his female childhood friend, the beautiful Lin ruxi who also has a Black Grade intermediate Talent, they had agreed to take the entrance assessment for the xuanwu sect even though it is nowhere near as good as the Coiling dragon sect.
The great Xuanwu sect is part of Ashar Kingdom. Since the day of its inception, it has only hundred year’ worth of martial skills, legacy and foundation, a limited number indeed. Legacy martial skills are something of great importance to martial artists. Without a good set of martial skills, the goal of completing the Foundation establishment stage, the qi Condensing Stage or higher would be near impossible.
The qi Condensing Stage is a realm that most martial artists vied for. It is also the first turning point for cultivators of the martial way. Once the qi Condensing Stage is successfully attained, a martial artist’s lifespan would be greatly increased. Additionally, they would also be granted the title of nobility, allowing them to live a life of prosperity, bringing a blessing to their descendants.
It is in this qi Condensing Stage training that the Xuanwu sect falls greatly behind the Coiling dragon sect.
Li Qiang’s heart pulsed for the sake of the martial way. It was only natural that he too, desired to enter the Coiling dragon sect. If his talent was insufficient, then he could only rely on his own diligence and perseverance to impress the examiners. However, the prospect of him entering was very low. Moreover, once he failed, he would have to waste half a year’s time to wait for another opportunity. For martial artists, this amount of time is highly precious.
Placing all this into consideration, in addition to the fact that he had promised Lin ruxi, Li Qiang decided instead to enter the xuanwu sect.
Li Qiang and Lin ruxi had trained and played together for many years. Even though the both of them were still young and the topic of marriage never came up, those emotions have already begun budding. Li Qiang's parents on the other hand, had shown their approval and love towards Lin ruxi. They would always invite Lin ruxi to their house for dinner.
A mutual feeling of goodwill existed between Li Qiang and Lin ruxi, leaving only a thin piece of paper between the two. Once they grow slightly older, this piece of paper would certainly be torn apart.
Li Qiang viewed the agreement between them both seriously. He had determined to charge towards the qi Condensing Stage even if he could only train within the xuanwu sect!
However, on the day that xuanwu sect held its entrance assessment, Lin ruxi failed to show up.
At first, Li Qiang had assumed that Lin ruxi was unable to arrive due to some matters. It was only later that he learnt of Lin ruxi entering the Coiling dragon sect. Additionally, the one who had ensured her success in becoming a disciple of Coailing dragon sect was Mo fan, the genius Young Master of Mapple leaf City’s number one family.
Although Li Qiang was only fifteen years old, he had accompanied his parents to do battle on the outside before. Thus, he has a greater level of maturity compared to others. He understood the meaning behind Mo fan’s act of ensuring that the Coiling dragon sect accepted Lin ruxi.
For a great family such as the Mo Family, their prerequisite in selecting future wives lied not in terms of appearances, but rather their martial talent. A highly talented wife would have a higher chance of giving birth to a martial genius. Although Lin ruxi's family is only average, her back Grade intermediate Martial Talent is very good considering her gender. In addition, Lin ruxi herself is a beauty with an outstanding temperament. It was only natural that Mo fan would fall for her.
For Lin ruxi, the difference between the xuanwu sect and Coiling dragon sect is simply too great. The opportunities, honour, glory, and potential accomplishments that both could able to provide are simply incomparable. This is especially true regarding the extension of life that could be gained after one successfully reaches the qi Condensing Stage. Such a kind of temptation is simply irresistible for girls.
Faced with such appealing prospects, most females would have chosen to go with Mo fan as well. After all, Mo fan himself possesses handsome features; his family background and future are both far better compared to Li Qiang’s.
Although he was able to understand, to say that this matter did not greatly affect Li Qiang would be a lie. He shut himself within his room for three days. After that, he walked out and proceeded to eat, sleep and train. Moreover, the intensity of his training had become much higher than before.
Before Lin ruxi had left him, Lin Qiang had already made the decision to break through into the Qi Condensing Stage and pursue an even higher realm of martial cultivation. The current Li Qiang was no different. If he still had any doubts before, then Lin ruxi’s act of leaving him had hardened his resolve towards the Martial Way.
He made the decision to enter the entrance assessment for the Coiling dragon sect, no matter how difficult the process may be.
“Peng!” “Peng!” The heavy sounds of blade striking against the tree trunk echoed continuously throughout the forest. The name of this tree is black Tree. Not only does it possess an extremely tough layer of bark, it also has strong regenerative properties. Many beginners of the martial way would choose this black Tree to train themselves.
After throwing out who knew how many strikes, Li Qiang finally exhausted himself. Leaning upon a tree trunk, he sat down on a piece of rock and removed some herbs from a backpack placed on the ground. He smeared them onto the surface of his plam and kneaded. For those who pursue martial arts, frequent usage of body treatment herbs is necessary. Not doing so would cause internal injuries to build up. Once these internal injuries accumulate, there is a possibility of becoming a cripple or even death.
This herb is called Anethum Grass. It was given this name because the green juice produced from squeezing Anethum Grass could help heal wounds but would cause a terribly painful sensation akin to having slit open of the wounds.
Li Qiang gritted his teeth as he endured the pain. He retrieved a white cloth from within the clothbag and rolled it around his fists, bandaging it.
Truth to be told, there were many other herbs that are more effective compared to the Anethum Grass. These herbs also has a milder side effect, but comes at a much higher price. Li Qiang’s circumstances made it impossible for him to afford such herbs.
Li Qiang’s parents runs a Rice mill within Mapple leaf City. However, this Rice mill does not belong to them. It actually belonged to the Li Family one of Mapple leaf City.
Although Li Qiang’s maiden name is also Li, his family line had been separated from the Li Family by several generations. The Li Family placed some off their less important assets into the hands of their distant relatives for management. Li Qiang’s parents livelihood were dependent on their management of this Rice mill. Every year they would be given a fixed amount of income and some commission. This money was naturally enough for them to subsist on, however, it would be a stretch to use it to fund Li Qiang’s pursuit of martial arts.
