Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint-Chapter 64 - 60: Inspection

Liu Institute.

Liu Ze sat upright in a chair, a cup of fine tea between his fingers, steam spiraling into the air.

"Dad!"

Liu Nianbo stopped practicing his Mantis Fist and walked over, wiping sweat from his brow. "I heard Gao Sheng failed in his attempt to reach Transmutation Force? Is that barrier... really so difficult to cross?"

His tone was tinged with disbelief.

"Naturally. Breaching these gates is like ascending to the heavens. In the Third Realm, each barrier is harder to overcome than the last."

Liu Ze’s gaze was calm as he said, "I heard he didn’t damage his foundation, so he should have a chance to try again."

Liu Nianbo fell silent for a moment, a flicker of longing in his eyes. "Dad, are my chances good?"

"You have a chance."

Liu Ze set down his teacup and said bluntly, "But it’s not a great one."

The light in Liu Nianbo’s eyes dimmed.

He was Liu Ze’s own son. Since childhood, he had been immersed in medicinal baths and steeped in the principles of fist techniques. After beginning his training, he never lacked for meat or Blood Qi Pills, and he had his father, a Transmutation Force expert, to guide him through any confusion.

And yet, he was still stuck at the bottleneck of Dark Force Perfection.

Without such privileged conditions, he would likely still be lingering at the Manifest Force realm today.

’As I get older,’ he thought, ’the difficulty of breaking through will only increase.’

Liu Ze said slowly, "You only made the B-list in this year’s Martial Arts Examination. If you had the strength to reach the A-list, your chances would be much greater."

He gazed out at the courtyard, his tone grave. "Gaolin County is full of treacherous undercurrents right now. Our Martial Arts Institute’s foundation is weaker than the Martial Arts Halls’, and sooner or later, we will be ostracized and suppressed. If you can advance to Transmutation Force, then I won’t have to exhaust myself like this, and you will be strong enough to uphold our name."

Only a Transmutation Force expert could truly command respect in Gaolin County.

Liu Nianbo sighed. He was well aware of this.

For now, the institute was sustained entirely by his father’s reputation. Once Liu Ze grew old and his strength failed him, the Martial Arts Institute would likely fall into ruin. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Liu Ze sighed softly. "Of us three old-timers, only Old Shen has had the best fortune."

The Old Shen he spoke of was none other than the Seven-Star Palm master, Shen Zhenzhong.

Liu Nianbo took a deep breath, his face resolute. "Dad, I will do everything in my power to break through the gate to Transmutation Force!"

"Don’t try to force it. Just do your best."

Liu Ze slowly rose to his feet. "I rarely explained the details of Transmutation Force to you before, fearing that knowing too much would become a mental shackle. Today, I’ll make an exception and demonstrate a thing or two."

"Come, strike me with a full-power punch."

"Yes, sir!"

At his father’s command, Liu Nianbo moved like lightning. A Cunning, Ruthless, and Fierce Mantis Fist tore through the air, aimed straight for Liu Ze’s chest!

BAM!

The force of the punch stirred the air with a muffled thud.

Liu Ze neither moved nor made any attempt to block.

The fist landed squarely on his chest.

However, the expected thud of impact never came.

Liu Nianbo felt as though his punch—one that concentrated all his Essence, Qi, and Spirit—had struck a giant ball of waterlogged cotton.

The sensation was utterly bizarre. His incomparably ferocious Power surged forth, yet it found no solid point of impact—no place to erupt, no way to be unleashed.

"Dad, is this... Transmutation Force?" Liu Nianbo asked, stunned.

CRACKLE!

Beneath Liu Ze’s feet, the surface of the hard, thick flagstone suddenly spiderwebbed with countless fine cracks, as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer, instantly forming a menacing web.

"Transmutation Force isn’t about blocking head-on; it’s about giving an opponent no point of impact to find. It’s like a wave crashing against a reef. The reef remains immovable, and the wave shatters itself."

Liu Ze’s gaze remained placid. "This is Transmutation Force."

....

As dusk settled, the disciples began to leave in twos and threes.

"Junior Brother Chen."

Sun Shun approached Chen Qing, who was putting away equipment, and said in a low voice, "Master has summoned us."

"I understand."

Chen Qing stopped what he was doing and followed Sun Shun to the training hall in the rear courtyard.

Dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, Zhou Liang stood by a wooden training post with his hands clasped behind his back. His figure seemed frozen in the dim light, lost in thought.

"Master!"

Chen Qing and Sun Shun cupped their fists in a salute.

As if pulled from his thoughts, Zhou Liang turned around. "It’s been a long time since I’ve tested your progress. Let’s see how you’re doing today. Chen Qing, you go first."

"Yes, Master!"

Chen Qing bowed in acknowledgment, then settled into his stance. He performed a set of Long Arm Fist with such force it stirred the air, the sound of his bones and sinews popping like a string of firecrackers.

Zhou Liang watched intently, his brow furrowing slightly. "The Baihui and Yongquan acupoints... you haven’t connected them yet?"

"That’s right. I’m not quite there yet."

Chen Qing replied, relaxing his stance.

The Baihui and Yongquan acupoints are the final barriers to mastering Dark Force. Once they are connected, one achieves Dark Force Perfection and can then attempt the third major breakthrough.

"Mm. Take it slow and steady. The foundation is what matters most."

Zhou Liang nodded, feeling he had been too hasty before.

’Chen Qing’s Root Bone is poor,’ Zhou Liang thought. ’It’s already an incredible achievement for him to have reached Dark Force. How can I demand so much from him?’

Next, he checked on Sun Shun’s progress.

Sun Shun had failed his third breakthrough attempt, damaging and blocking his meridians. It would take at least three years of treatment to clear them and recover.

A flicker of unconcealable disappointment passed through Zhou Liang’s eyes.

Sun Shun asked in a low voice, "Master, has Junior Brother Qin’s condition... improved at all?"

Qin Lie had once been the disciple in their hall with the greatest chance of reaching Transmutation Force, and Zhou Liang had placed immense hope in him.

Chen Qing’s expression remained impassive, though he felt a stir inside.

"Sigh..."

Zhou Liang heaved a long, heavy sigh. "Qin Lie took a secret medicine. At first, his major tendons showed signs of healing, but his progress completely stalled. I’ve already asked Mr. Sima... I’m afraid it’s hopeless. We’ll be lucky if he can even recover enough to live as a normal person."

Sun Shun’s pupils constricted. "Does that mean... from now on, Junior Brother Qin will be..." he stammered, horrified.

Chen Qing put on a look of shock at the right moment. "That’s..."

Zhou Liang sighed heavily, saying no more.

Qin Lie was his Closed-door Disciple, yet he had been crippled by one of Zhou Liang’s own enemies.

A storm of emotions raged within him—regret that cut like a knife, guilt that weighed on him like a mountain, and a profound sense of loss.

What Martial Artist who roamed the Jianghu didn’t have a few enemies? Most would begin grooming a successor long before their Qi and blood began to decay with age, hoping to have someone to rely on in their twilight years and to fight in their stead.

He had searched for years and had finally found a promising sapling in Qin Lie. Zhou Liang could still hold his own for a few more years, but what then?

This grudge, this legacy... who could he entrust them to?

Sun Shun sighed to himself, unable to hide his regret.

Chen Qing, too, wore a look of deep lament.

A thought seemed to strike Zhou Liang, and he looked at Chen Qing. "On your way out, remember to collect your Blood Qi Pills from your mistress."

He knew his own Qi and blood could no longer grow, so he had stopped taking the supplements himself, content to merely maintain his current level of strength.

Chen Qing quickly cupped his fists. "Thank you, Master."

Just as Zhou Liang was about to speak, Qin Lie’s furious voice echoed from outside.

"What’s going on!?"

Zhou Liang’s expression darkened. In a flash, he was already rushing out of the training hall.

Chen Qing and Sun Shun exchanged a look before following him out.

....

A side room.

Qin Lie sat rigidly on the wooden bed, his head bowed slightly, his messy black hair falling to obscure most of his face.

The hands resting on his knees were clenched into tight, trembling fists.

Luo Qian’s cold, merciless words twisted in his heart like poison-tipped thorns. ’Qin Lie, face reality! Frankly, you’re not even qualified to be a gatekeeper for my Luo Family anymore. Stop pestering me.’

Humiliation churned and burned in his chest like molten lava.

He remembered a time when his talent was unmatched, when Zhou Liang had accepted him as a Closed-door Disciple. Back then, Luo Qian had been so eager and attentive, even sending flirtatious glances his way.

Now, when he had swallowed his pride to seek her out, making all kinds of vows, all he received in return was blatant humiliation and the end of her financial support.

This stifling resentment was about to make him burst!

"Junior Brother Qin, it’s time for your medicine."

A gentle voice broke the dead silence.

Zhou Yu entered, walking slowly and carrying a steaming earthenware pot of medicine.

Qin Lie forcibly suppressed his indignation and managed a strained smile. "Thank you for all your trouble recently, Senior Sister."

Zhou Yu set the pot on a lopsided wooden table and smiled. "You’re being too polite, Junior Brother."

She picked up a chipped, coarse porcelain bowl and skillfully poured the dark brown medicinal decoction into it.

As Qin Lie took the bowl, his fingers "casually" brushed against Zhou Yu’s hand.

Zhou Yu’s expression remained unchanged as she smoothly and naturally pulled her hand away, as if merely avoiding the steam rising from the bowl.

But that subtle evasion was like a needle piercing Qin Lie’s sensitive heart.

Ever since he was crippled during the Martial Arts Examination, everything had changed.

The pitying or distant gazes of his fellow disciples, the subtle alienation in their words... even this Senior Sister, who had once been so gentle with him, had now built an invisible wall between them.

He slammed the scalding bowl down on the table. "Senior Sister," he said in a low voice, "I can’t help but feel... you’ve grown distant and cold toward me lately."

Zhou Yu froze for an instant before her composure returned. "You’re overthinking it, Junior Brother Qin."

"Am I really?"

Qin Lie stared into her evasive eyes and grabbed the sleeve she was about to pull away. "Senior Sister Zhou!"

"Junior Brother Qin!"

Zhou Yu’s brows furrowed in anger. Her voice turned stern as she yanked her sleeve back. "You need to rest!"

With that, she turned to leave.

....