In the Independent Martial Arts Room

"BEEP!"

"50,000 Xia Country Coins have been deposited into your WeConnect account!"

Lin Qi looked at the 50,000 Xia Country Coins Yang Lei had transferred to him via WeConnect, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

"Yang Lei really lost face this time. He was so embarrassed to see us that he had to transfer the money through WeConnect," Jiangtao said with a grin.

"But anyway, Brother Qi, you’ve finally gotten your revenge for when he provoked you last time."

Lin Qi swiftly changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, took a Qi and Blood Capsule, and said:

"If someone wrongs me, I will always get my revenge. No exceptions."

"Yang Lei is only ranked 49th in our grade. Beating him is nothing to be proud of. We should hurry up and train. There isn’t much time left before the monthly exam."

"You got it, Brother Qi!" Jiangtao also quickly got to it.

"WHOOSH..."

After speaking, Lin Qi stood in a corner, regulated his breathing, and began to practice the Tiger Form Fist.

His body stood as steady as a rock as he assumed the opening Three-Body Form. An invisible aura emanated from him.

The power of the tiger strikes from the hips and tailbone. A smooth fist allows pure qi to rise; a reversed fist prevents turbid qi from descending, blocking the Du Meridian...

Ever since his Tiger Form Fist broke through to the Great Success realm, Lin Qi could feel a new smoothness when he practiced. His muscles moved intensely, driven by the technique.

Each and every move of the technique had become instinctual. At times, he was like a fierce tiger descending a mountain; at others, an angry tiger emerging from a forest, or a hungry tiger seizing a sheep...

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

A series of crisp cracks echoed from his body.

Lin Qi felt his entire body grow searing hot and tingly. The Qi and Blood Capsule he had taken was rapidly converting its medicinal properties into Qi and Blood, which rose from his lower Dantian to his arms, through his elbows, and rushed to his fingertips, infusing his tendons to their very ends.

’So hot!’

Lin Qi continued to practice the fist form, over and over, his control over the technique constantly improving.

His Qi and Blood was also furiously tempering the muscles of his body.

His Qi and Blood was rising wildly.

[During training, your proficiency in "Tiger Form Fist" has greatly increased. Fist Technique +2%]

[Tiger Form Fist has broken through. Your Qi and Blood Value has increased. Qi and Blood Value +0.1]

...

[Qi and Blood Value: 6.9 → 7.0]

[Fist Technique: Tier One 98% → Tier Two 1%]

...

Jiangtao watched Lin Qi’s figure. For a fleeting moment, it was as if he saw Lin Qi transform into a fierce tiger.

It seemed to approach from a distance, its body growing larger and its tiger eyes clearer, until it opened its cavernous mouth and let out a roar.

"ROAR~"

Jiangtao shook his head and looked again, but there was nothing there. It was as if the whole thing had been an illusion.

"Brother Qi, did your Fist Technique just break through to Tier Two?" Jiangtao asked in amazement.

Lin Qi withdrew his fist. Steam rose from his body, and sweat poured down like rain. He nodded.

"It did."

"It really did break through! I only just broke through to Tier Two myself a little while ago. Your Boxing Realm is about to catch up to mine."

Jiangtao was shocked.

Lin Qi shook his head. "My Fist Technique might be close, but my Qi and Blood Value and Weapon Skill are still lagging far behind."

His Qi and Blood Value had only just broken through 7.0, whereas Jiangtao had already surpassed 8.0 during the last pop quiz.

Jiangtao sighed. "Brother Qi, your rate of progress lately is getting more and more ridiculous. I’m feeling the pressure."

"This won’t do. I have to work harder too."

With that, he threw himself wholeheartedly into his own training.

Lin Qi clenched his fists. Having broken through from Tier One to Tier Two in his Fist Technique, his mastery over his body felt completely different.

If Tier One of a Fist Technique was the foundation, then Tier Two was proficiency. It required one to fully unleash the power of the major muscle groups.

With that thought, he took a Training Lance from the wall and began to practice his Spear Technique.

"SWISH! SWISH!"

The Long Spear in his hands suddenly whipped through the air. It spun and then thrust out like a bolt of lightning.

The spear pierced the void, tearing through the air with a series of whistles.

’Now that my Tiger Form Fist has broken through to Tier Two, my control over my body has improved dramatically. Executing the Mountain Shattering Spear Technique has become much easier.’

Lin Qi felt a surge of joy. As he practiced the Spear Technique, a single thought was all it took for his muscles to engage in perfect sequence, as if some kind of obstruction had been removed.

It was like adding lubricant to a machine, allowing it to run more smoothly.

"SWISH! SWISH!"

At the same time, his execution of the Spear Technique became increasingly fluid, like flowing clouds and moving water, and his Body Technique grew more agile.

[Your control over your body has improved. Proficiency in Mountain Shattering Spear Technique has greatly increased. Spear Technique +2%]

[Your control over your body has improved. Proficiency in Body Technique has greatly increased. Body Technique +2%]

[Spear Technique: Tier One 82% → 84%]

[Body Technique: Tier One 73% → 75%]

...

Half an hour later, Lin Qi stopped, his gaze fixed on the panel. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

’The teacher was right. The higher your Boxing Realm, the greater your mastery over your body’s muscles, which in turn helps improve your Weapon Skill.’

’But...’

His happiness was short-lived as a powerful sense of exhaustion washed over him. Lin Qi walked over to a seat, picked up a towel, and began wiping away his sweat.

His arms were tired, his muscles ached, and an intense fatigue enveloped his entire body.

"GLUG, GLUG, GLUG~"

He picked up a sports drink and chugged it down, emptying the bottle in moments.

"HAAAH~"

Lin Qi took deep breaths, recovering his stamina while sinking into thought.

’My cultivation time is still too short.’

Ever since starting his senior year of high school, Lin Qi felt more and more that there just wasn’t enough time to train.

He wanted to cultivate for longer, but his body couldn’t take it. Once he entered a state of exhaustion, his efficiency would plummet.

The muscle soreness, in particular, was impossible to completely get rid of.

The wealthy had Rehabilitation Pods to relax their bodies and soothe their muscles. They even had regular appointments with massage therapists to loosen their tendons and clear their meridians.

Poor people like him weren’t so lucky. They could only rely on themselves to relax, or perhaps use a fascia blade on their muscles.

He looked at his panel.

[Name: Lin Qi]

[Template: True Monarch Erlang Yang Jian]

[Fusion Degree: 4.9%]

’Almost there. If the Fusion Degree breaks through to 5%, my body will also be revitalized during the transformation process of my muscles, bones, skin, and flesh.’

Lin Qi always relied on increasing his Fusion Degree to recover from his body’s fatigue.

His only regret was that no new abilities like the Stomach Enhancement had appeared. Each increase in Fusion Degree simply improved his body’s fundamental constitution and his Comprehension.

’I wonder if something will change when I reach 5%?’

’If I had better stamina and recovery, my progress in the Martial Arts would be much faster.’

As Lin Qi thought of this, a sharp glint seemed to flash through his eyes.

...

「11:00 PM」

Lin Qi returned home to a quiet house.

He tiptoed back to his bedroom and propped a white wooden board from behind the door against the entrance.

It was a soundproofing panel he had bought, which could effectively block noise.

His mom, Fang Huiyi, suffered from neurasthenia and couldn’t stand loud noises. Lin Qi had bought a few panels for her bedroom and kept one for himself.

They weren’t cheap—one thousand Xia Country Coins per panel—but he felt it was worth it.

In the future, he was going to cure his mom’s illness and move the whole family into a large villa.

"HAAH..."

He put down his backpack, stretched his weary body, and began his stance training, placing his feet into the worn footprints on the floor.

He adjusted his breathing and quickly entered the zone.

Head straight, gaze forward, breath calm and even. Body upright, shoulders relaxed, elbows out. Armpits hollow, arms bent in an embrace...

After a moment, his body began to tremble involuntarily. His spine straightened like a dragon’s keel as Qi and Blood generated from it and coursed through his major muscle groups.

His body grew hot, and waves of tingling numbness washed over him.

"INHALE~"

"EXHALE~"

An unknown amount of time passed before the panel began to change.

[You have undergone an arduous training session. Fusion Degree +0.1%]

[Template: Erlang God Yang Jian]

[Fusion Degree: 4.9% → 5.0%]

...

"I reached 5%!!"

Lin Qi’s eyes flew open, and he shot up from the ground.

The next moment, he felt a mysterious power surge into his body from an unknown source.

A new transformation had begun!

...