Martial Arts: Starting from a Seemingly Real System

"You are so young, and you dare to call yourself a hero?" The rough general looked disdainful.

“You…” Old Yu was so angry that he was speechless. He was choked and couldn’t speak. After a long while, he said angrily: “At the end of last year, Qiao Rui defeated the foreign barbarian masters on Mount Shu and won glory for the Central Plains martial arts. Then he went down the Yangtze River and broke through 18 water forts and destroyed 24 bandit dens. He was praised by the people on both sides of the strait.

Two days ago, he even broke into Lujia Village and rescued 32 kidnapped children. With such chivalrous behavior, how can he not be called a hero?"

"Hero? Hehe, haven't you heard that the greatest heroes are those who serve the country and the people? What he did before was at most to get rid of harm for the people, which is a small act of justice. What contribution has he made to the country?" The rough general sneered.

"You're being unreasonable!" Old Yu was so angry that his face turned blue. He was about to continue arguing but was stopped by Qiao Rui.

"Although the reputation of a hero is just a compliment from fellow warriors, it is not something that a mere customs officer like you can deny. However, you can come down and test it yourself to see if Qiao's skills meet the second condition!"

"presumptuous!"

As the garrison commander of the city gate and the garrison commander of the royal villa, it was not an exaggeration to call him a general. However, Qiao Rui described him as a small customs official. The general instantly became furious and turned around and went down the gate tower.

Soon, the city gate opened wide and a team of guards rushed out, all of them strong and fierce. The first one riding a horse at full speed was the gatekeeper.

When it reached Qiao Rui, the general suddenly tightened the reins. The warhorse raised its head and neighed, then kicked up its two front hooves and stomped down hard on Qiao Rui's forehead.

I didn't expect this person to be so brutal and ferocious. He rode his horse and rushed forward to ram and trample people without even saying hello. He had no moral principles at all.

With a cold look in his eyes, Qiao Rui pushed Lao Yu away with a palm and sent him to the side with soft force. Then he bent his knees, squatted, and channeled his energy into his feet, then performed a sweeping kick.

But there was a sound of "crack", as if a tremendous force had swept through and broken the horse's tough hind leg bones. The horse felt the pain, and fell down with a loud bang, howling.

Qiao Rui stood up and moved to the side, while his internal energy flowed through his palms, and the huge body of the warhorse was knocked flying.

"Not good!" The general's heart tightened. He didn't expect Qiao Rui's move to be so clean and neat. Seeing his horse overturned, he quickly stepped on the stirrup, jumped into the air, and moved to the side.

The general was quite powerful, otherwise he would not have the courage to make things difficult for Qiao Rui. However, he did not expect Qiao Rui to be so powerful and seriously injured his horse with just one move.

"The gangsters in the martial arts world are really rough and uncouth. War horses are the most precious weapons in the army. This guy named Qiao is so bold that he can hurt them without any hesitation. I will make sure you are in trouble!" The general was furious. He felt that Qiao Rui was extremely arrogant and unreasonable in ignoring the laws of the court, but he did not think about how he had provoked him first.

Just as he was thinking angrily, he caught a glimpse of Qiao Rui coming at him again. His figure was as fast as lightning and full of murderous intent. He secretly groaned in pain. He was in mid-air with nowhere to gain leverage, so he hurriedly used the Thousand-Pound Weight Drop Kung Fu and fell down.

Seeing the general in a panic, Qiao Rui raised the corner of his mouth and sneered. Since he had taken action, there was no possibility of giving up halfway. He must take this man down. Then, he would have the initiative on how to deal with him. What did it matter if he was guarded? We were all public officials, so who was afraid of whom?

The general was falling rapidly. Qiao Rui had anticipated this. He held his breath and formed claws with his fingers, intending to grab the general's neck.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a warning sign in his heart. A feeling of extreme danger came from behind and enveloped his whole body. He felt eerie and as if a thorn was on his back, and his hair stood on end in an instant.

Qiao Rui's pupils constricted and he twisted his body suddenly without saying a word. The top-level light skill Xiaoyao Lingxu Jue was activated instantly, and he moved sideways two feet in the air.

"call out!"

A slender black shadow almost brushed past Qiao Rui's arm and pierced the wailing warhorse's front leg and chest. The horse suddenly kicked its four hooves, and the horse died without even having time to let out a final cry.

Qiao Rui was so scared when he saw this that he broke out in a cold sweat. If he had reacted a little slower, he would have been the one dead!

"Who?"

He shouted coldly, his robes fluttering and his whole body full of energy surging as he was on guard carefully. Who could have thought that the hidden weapon that had just killed the warhorse was actually a thin thread more than a foot long and as thick as a hair, which was now lying limply against the horse's belly, inconspicuous. If it weren't for the fact that the white thread was different in color from the warhorse's coat, it would have been difficult to spot. This shows how powerful the person behind the act was, and how insidious he was.

"Young Master Qiao is a top-notch expert, why would you make things difficult for a mere first-rate guy?"

A shrill and feminine voice sounded, and a figure flashed. The figure was on the top of the pass the moment before, and when the last word was finished, the figure was already in front of Qiao Rui.

This was a skinny old man with a hunched back, thin hands and feet, gray hair, and chicken claw-like palms that were just skin and bones. He was holding a white-haired whisk with a jade handle. His cloudy eyes looked at Qiao Rui nonchalantly, his old face was full of wrinkles, and he had a smile that was uglier than crying.

Qiao Rui narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't think that this was just an old man who was about to die. Just based on the man's ghostly body movements, which were the only ones he had ever seen in his life, plus the deep internal strength that was beginning to show, he must be a top master.

"Difficulties? Don't you know who is making things difficult for you for no reason?" Qiao Rui responded coldly. Although he was extremely afraid of the old man, he was unwilling to compromise.

It was clearly the general who was deliberately looking for trouble, so how could it be considered as me bullying the weak?

"Hehehe!" The old man laughed, his voice sounding like a night owl crying, "Qiu Xiong is barely even a top-notch player, how dare you attack him?"

The Qiu Xiong the old man was talking about must be the rough military general. He avoided the main point and did not mention that Qiu Xiong was the one who provoked him first. He only emphasized that he was relying on his strength to bully the weak. How hateful.

This man's voice is like an owl, his appearance is like a ghost, and his heart is like a thief. It seems that he is not a good person. Humph, old man!

Qiao Rui was about to argue, but the old man raised his hand to stop him and continued, "The qualification review for purchasing Yulong Villa is up to me. I have heard that the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms is the most powerful palm technique in the world, and your Dragon Subduing No Regrets Palm is even more powerful. Why don't you let me see it? If you can survive three moves, you will pass."

Three moves? The old man was so arrogant. Even if he was the most terrifying opponent he had ever seen, couldn't he even take three moves?

Thinking back to the time when I was in Shushan, when I first entered the first-class level, I was able to withstand three palm strikes from the top master Jia Renyi without falling. Now that I have entered the top level, this old guy speaks like this. Could it be that he is a master who has opened up all the eight extraordinary meridians including the Ren and Du meridians?

Otherwise, below the Grandmaster level, if he can't open up the Ren and Du meridians, no matter how many other extraordinary meridians he opens up, it will only make his internal strength stronger. Qiao Rui believes that he can fight.

"In that case, please teach me!" Qiao Rui didn't waste any words, clasped his fist and started to fight.

"Okay!" The old man flicked his whisk, suddenly stopped smiling, his demeanor changed, and a terrifying aura emanated from him.

Qiao Rui's breathing stagnated as the feeling of extreme danger came over him again, as if he was being stared at by a mandrill ghost. The chilling and cold feeling penetrated his heart and made his scalp numb. He almost couldn't help but take the initiative to attack.

"First move!"

The old man's shrill, feminine voice sounded.