Chapter 120: Chapter 96: Stacked Force Fist Breakthrough

"Young Master!"

"Young Master Peng!"

A series of respectful greetings rang out, but Zhou Qiang’s brow furrowed and his tone grew heavy.

’This guy is here again.’

Even though the man was the Young Master of the Hongyi Society, Zhou Qiang seemed quite displeased by his arrival.

Lu Chao’s gaze shifted at his words. He then watched as Zhou Qiang instructed, "I’ll go deal with them first."

"There’s been too much trouble in the city lately. Be careful on your way back later."

"Alright, Brother Qiang."

Lu Chao nodded, watching as the man went forward to receive the group.

During this, Song Yuhan seemed to notice him there. Her eyes lit up, and she looked like she wanted to come over and chat, but Peng Zhao Hui, smiling, kept her arm linked with his and led her straight toward the 2nd Floor.

The group moved at a leisurely pace as security guards cleared a path for them.

Seeing this, Lu Chao withdrew his gaze, but he soon sensed someone approaching from behind.

"See that? Yuhan is doing really well for herself now."

He turned his head to look. The speaker was none other than Xiaoyang.

He was dressed as a waiter in a black vest and white shirt, a tray in his hand.

"I was wondering how she was living so well before, buying one thing after another from Borealis and Celestial Moon."

"No wonder. She climbed into the Young Master’s bed. Making money just by lying down..."

He said this with a tinge of jealousy, staring intently as the group entered the office on the 2nd Floor.

His face was as pale as ever, the dark circles under his eyes even more pronounced.

But upon closer inspection, Lu Chao saw a trace of resentment in his eyes.

"What? Don’t you think so?"

Sensing his silence, Xiaoyang turned his head to look at him.

Perhaps because Lu Chao’s gaze was bright and unflinching, he subconsciously lowered his head slightly, avoiding his eyes.

"How have you been lately?"

Having a good guess of what was on his mind, Lu Chao changed the subject.

He didn’t want to pass judgment on anyone from their old social circle. He felt there was no animosity between them, so there was no need to interfere in their lives.

"Me? Just getting by, you know."

Xiaoyang shrugged, speaking much more casually than before. "It’s a shame, though. I finally found a partner last time, but it seems we weren’t fated to be."

"But it’s okay. Things will get better in the future, right?"

He said with a smile, and the two chatted for a bit.

Xiaoyang only left, carrying a tray of drinks, when an order came through his earpiece.

Watching his retreating figure, Lu Chao grew thoughtful but didn’t dwell on it.

Then, he turned and strode out of the bar.

As if sensing something, Xiaoyang, who was serving drinks to a customer, stopped in his tracks and turned to look.

He stared intently as Lu Chao walked out the main door and disappeared into the crowd on the street outside.

His eyes dimmed and his expression shifted, revealing a hint of internal conflict.

Finally, as if having made a decision, he looked up at the 2nd Floor again, a flame of desire gradually igniting in his eyes.

’I need to make it big, too...’

...

WHAP! WHAP!!

「Two days later.」

The Ironwood Long Staff swung again inside the training room, striking flesh.

Lu Chao sank into his stance, maintaining the tempering posture of the Jinshi Stance Technique, gritting his teeth and enduring the searing pain.

WHAP!

Another strike landed.

Luo Qianshan, dressed in a gray robe, seemed to be swinging the wooden staff lightly.

But the special force contained within it penetrated his skin and membrane, piercing into his sinews and bones, stinging every inch of his flesh and blood.

A closer look revealed that Lu Chao’s training clothes were already soaked through, clinging to his body. His face was flushed red, with veins bulging on his forehead, a clear sign of extreme exertion.

Finally, "Today’s training ends here," Luo Qianshan said suddenly, dissipating his power.

As he slowly loosened his grip,

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

the hard, solid Ironwood Long Staff in his hand, now covered in cracks, shattered and fell to the floor in a shower of splinters.

Lu Chao staggered, nearly falling over.

Even with [Beginner’s Fortitude], he still found it exceptionally difficult to endure. He even suspected that his instructor’s strikes were perfectly calibrated to his absolute limit.

Had there been two more strikes, he was ninety percent sure he would have collapsed.

"Thank you for your guidance, Instructor Luo."

Lu Chao said, forcing himself to ignore the pain and exhaustion. Luo Qianshan gave a slight nod in response before turning to leave.

Watching his retreating figure, Lu Chao’s expression was complex.

The man’s once graying hair had turned completely white, and his stooped back seemed even frailer.

It was truly unexpected to see such a powerful Martial Artist show this level of fatigue.

’Is it because of Shen Tianchen...?’

A faint suspicion arose in him, and he secretly shook his head.

To this day, Shen Tianchen had been completely expelled from the Jinshi Boxing Hall and had never been seen again.

"Junior Brother Lu, it’s time to prepare the medicinal bath."

Zheng Wu walked over and reminded him.

As always, he came to fetch the hot water, pour in the medicinal powder, and stir it himself. He didn’t let any of the other junior brothers do it, as if this task involved some secret that others were not privy to.

Lu Chao nodded, thought no more of it, and then, stripped to the waist, stepped into the wooden tub and sat down cross-legged.

Wisps of warmth spread from all around him, as if some form of invisible energy was passing through his pores and seeping into his flesh and blood.

The skin, muscles, and bones that had been battered by the Ironwood Long Staff felt as if they were being repaired, and the searing sting gradually faded.

Only then did Lu Chao truly begin to recover, feeling a rare sense of relief.

Immediately, he looked at his status panel.

[Life Energy: 54→55!]

Thanks to the portion of Cyan Jade Crystal he had received from Brother Hao two days ago, his Life Energy had finally increased by another point today.

’But my resistance to the medicine is definitely building up. I’ll probably have to try a different formula next time.’

Lu Chao thought to himself, soaking quietly in the medicinal bath.

Zheng Wu left at some point, leaving him alone in the room.

The warm medicinal bath was relaxing, and his thoughts began to drift, as if merging with the steam rising around him.

The many events of the recent past flashed through his mind like a slideshow, mostly consisting of every battle he had fought since he began his training.

Reflecting and summarizing—this was another way he utilized his time in the medicinal bath.

Occasionally, he would also reflect on mistakes made during the potion-making process, as well as the difficulties he encountered while practicing his Fighting Skill, Martial Skills, and Secret Techniques.

Gradually...

’Hm?’

A thought stirred in his mind, and Lu Chao suddenly clenched his fist.

His reddened right arm broke the surface of the water, and he held it up before him with his elbow slightly bent.

Stacked Force Fist was the first Martial Skill and Secret Technique he had ever practiced, and he had been training in it for six or seven months now.

Until now, he had only been able to stack his force once and had been completely unable to comprehend the mysteries of the second layer.

But now...

’Power like a tide, moving with momentum.’

’Like overlapping waves on water, one rising before the last has settled...’

The training principles of this Martial Skill flashed through Lu Chao’s mind.

The warm water of the bath rippled and trembled with his movements. In that moment, whether by chance or because his mind was relaxed, he had a flash of inspiration, as if he had grasped something crucial.

VWOOM!

He threw a punch, stirring up a wave.

The surface of the water in the tub rippled densely.

He abruptly retracted his fist, stacking the force. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Veins bulged on his arm, crisscrossing like iron chains, as wisps of vapor seeped from his pores.

BOOM!!

He threw another punch. A more ferocious force erupted from his fist, causing the air to crackle.

And yet, he felt no satisfaction.

Lu Chao’s eyes were bright. Following his intuition, he adjusted his power-generating technique. He sank his shoulder and pulled back his elbow, forcibly retracting his fist like a coiled spring, gathering power like a wave receding before it crashes ashore.

In that instant.

His Martial Arts Power gathered once more, stimulating several acupoints in his right arm, vibrating his skin and membranes while pulling on all his muscles, sinews, and bones.

SPLASH!!

He threw another punch, making the air tremble and tearing through the wind and waves.

The strike surged forth like a roiling tidal wave, merging with the aftershock of the previously stacked force and using its momentum to strike!

In that instant,

BOOM!!

The air exploded!

Despite not being touched at all, the wooden tub holding the medicinal bath suddenly burst apart, sending shattered splinters flying everywhere.

With a great splash, the medicinal liquid spilled all over the floor, flowing across more than half of the quiet training room.

The nearby window shook violently, rattling continuously for several breaths before gradually subsiding.

"This..."

Lu Chao was momentarily dazed. He then slowly lowered his elbow and looked at his fist.

A look of astonishment flickered in his eyes. For a moment there, he’d had the illusion that he was on the verge of activating [Adrenaline Rush].

’A second force stack, a burst that increases my punching power by nearly seventy percent.’

His gaze was sharp and bright, as if glowing with a divine light.

Lu Chao knew that his Stacked Force Fist had finally broken through to the Great Success Realm!