Martial Arts Break Through Their Shackles

Night deepened. Most of the Martial Academy's lights had gone out, but a faint glow still shone through Wang Yue's window.

Wang Yue's eyes flew open, a glint flashing through them. After many days of using Blood Qi to shorten the cooldown, the words "Extractable" on the Martial Soul panel had finally lit up again. This time, he intended to extract the Comprehension talent: Outstanding Talent.

He pulled the Harmonious Flow Fist secret manual from beneath his bed. In the dim light, the yellowed booklet faintly gleamed with a pale golden radiance, as though answering his will.

"Extract Outstanding Talent!" Wang Yue took a deep breath and silently issued the command.

Unlike the agonizing pain of extracting Innate Talent, this time there was not the slightest discomfort. Instead, a warm, gentle force surged in through his brow and flowed into his body, like rich wine sliding down his throat. A pleasantly numb intoxication spread through his entire body, yet his mind was exceptionally clear.

Before he could react, his body had already moved on instinct. The stance of Harmonious Flow Fist unfolded beneath his hands, yet it no longer possessed its usual rigid orderliness. It carried a touch of agile grace instead, like cloud cranes wheeling through a courtyard. Every punch perfectly avoided the resistance of the air, and every turn borrowed the ground's rebound to make the next strike even more explosive.

He had originally only mastered the Proficient Realm Harmonious Flow Fist Breathing Method, but under the enhancement of Outstanding Talent, his breathing rhythm adjusted itself. His inhalations became long and continuous as a stream, while his exhalations became brief and sharp as arrows. Before he knew it, he had broken through the limits of the Proficient Realm and entered the Minor Accomplishment level!

His fist technique advanced even faster. From Minor Accomplishment to great accomplishment took only a few dozen breaths. The sluggishness between his moves vanished completely, and every technique seemed to have been tempered a thousand times, perfectly fitting his body.

His footwork improved in tandem. Its original steadiness became light and nimble. With a touch of his toes, he could borrow the slightest force to rise half a foot into the air; when he landed, he made no sound at all, as though he had become one with the ground.

Even more wondrously, as his fist technique, footwork, and Breathing Method improved, they automatically adjusted themselves, constantly adapting to the body remade by Innate Talent. His fist force and footwork optimized his stride according to his body, while his breathing adjusted its rhythm based on his total Blood Qi. In the end, they formed a set of Harmonious Flow Fist unique to him, whose explosive power was thirty percent greater than the original perfected Harmonious Flow Fist!

"Hu..." Wang Yue slowly stopped. There was not a bead of sweat on his brow. Instead, he felt comfortable all over, as though he had soaked in warm water.

"So this is what improved comprehension feels like? It's as though something has been completed. Whether still or in motion, it all feels born of nature."

The changes brought by his bone structure were intense and obvious on the surface. His height, physique, and the quality of his Blood Qi had all visibly changed.

The changes in his comprehension, however, were far more subtle. There was no sharp pain, no obvious physical transformation, yet little by little, they raised his understanding of the martial path to a new height. Such a change would bring immeasurable benefits to his future martial cultivation.

Wang Yue once more sank his consciousness into the Martial Soul of Harmonious Flow Fist. When those shadows had entered his body in the past, he could only swallow them whole. Afterwards, he had needed to spend a great deal of time digesting them.

But now, the instant the shadows appeared, his consciousness dismantled, analyzed, and chewed through them. Every detail of every fist move, every breathing rhythm, every key point of every step was clearly imprinted in his mind, as though he had comprehended them himself through painstaking contemplation. He could easily turn them into his own martial accumulation.

"Why not try the Blood Dragon Secret Method?" Wang Yue's heart stirred, and he immediately assumed the opening stance of its first form.

A wondrous sensation instantly swept through his entire body. Every diagram of the Blood Dragon Secret Method's first form clearly surfaced in his mind. The variations that had once been obscure and difficult to understand now seemed as simple as anything.

His arm naturally rose, Blood Qi circulating through his meridians as a fierce wind gathered around his fist. Every punch landed precisely upon the positions marked in the diagrams, without the slightest deviation.

All one hundred and eight variations, from unfamiliarity to proficiency and then to perfection, were completely mastered by him in the time it took to drink a cup of tea!

The seven streams of Blood Qi within him flowed with the secret method like surging rivers, coursing freely through his meridians. With every circulation, his Blood Qi grew more condensed. That free and unrestrained feeling was something he had never experienced before.

Wang Yue finally understood the difference between comprehension and bone structure. When an ordinary person saw a fist technique, they might think, I understand it, but when they actually tried to perform it, their limbs would stiffen and their moves would deform.

But when someone with exceptional comprehension saw a fist technique, they immediately understood its principles, methods of exerting force, and breathing coordination completely. Once they put their hands to it, they could practice it without the slightest error.

"Is this the effect of stacking bone structure and comprehension?" Wang Yue clenched his fists, feeling the abundant Blood Qi within him, the perfectly rounded Harmonious Flow Fist, and the perfected first form of the Blood Dragon Secret Method. A trace of confidence flashed through his eyes.

Now, he possessed a top-tier bone structure remade by Innate Talent and extraordinary comprehension enhanced by Outstanding Talent. In terms of natural gifts, he now dared to call himself the Wang Clan's finest!

Ten days later, in the morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell upon the bronze mirror in Wang Yue's room, reflecting a faint halo.

Over these ten days, Wang Yue had devoted nearly all his time to cultivation.

The final barrier of the perfected Harmonious Flow Fist had been easily broken through. His fist moves, breathing, and footwork had fused as one, and every gesture carried the perfectly rounded Dao charm of martial arts.

The Fist Master talent had also been fully digested. Now, whenever he looked at a fist art, he could instantly seize its central essence. Even an unfamiliar fist stance could be imitated convincingly with just one glance.

As for the Tiger Might Saber Art extracted from the Good Victory Saber, it was even simpler beyond imagination. To the current Wang Yue, this saber art was as natural as eating and drinking. He needed no deliberate practice; the moment he picked it up, he could wield it. His saber moves were fierce, carrying the awe-inspiring might of a tiger, as though he had trained in it for years.

He walked before the bronze mirror and looked at himself, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. Over these ten days, he had actually grown a little taller again. His training clothes, which had originally been somewhat short, now looked even tighter. His frame grew ever more upright, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, exuding the vigorous vitality unique to a young martial artist.

After tidying himself up, Wang Yue headed to the dining hall and quickly ate a breakfast far beyond the appetite of ordinary disciples. He had already made up his mind.

Staying in his room all day was not a solution. Rather than waiting for Wang Shuo to inspect him, he might as well take the initiative and see him. He could also verify the results of these ten days of cultivation.

As he crossed the training grounds, quite a few disciples stopped moving the moment they saw Wang Yue. The changes in his height and bearing were simply too obvious. Even beneath his loose training clothes, it was impossible to hide that extraordinary presence.

Wang Yue paid no attention to the gazes around him. He walked straight to Wang Shuo's door and knocked lightly.

A familiar voice came from inside. "Come in."

He pushed the door open and entered, just in time to see Wang Shuo holding a teacup after taking a sip. When Wang Shuo recognized him, he spat out the mouthful of tea, soaking the tablecloth before him. His face was filled with disbelief. "You... you brat! How have you grown another whole stretch after barely half a month apart?"

Before Wang Shuo could continue questioning him, Wang Yue spoke first. "Master Wang, this disciple broke through Harmonious Flow Fist to great accomplishment some time ago, so these changes naturally occurred in my body."

"Y-you really reached great accomplishment?" Wang Shuo shot to his feet and hurried before Wang Yue. He circled him once, his eyes full of shock, then grabbed his wrist. "Come! Let's go outside and test it. I want to see whether this 'great accomplishment' of yours is real or fake!"

Wang Yue obediently followed Wang Shuo out to the open ground outside.

He lowered his head and cupped his fists in salute. "Disciple Wang Yue requests Master Wang's guidance."

Wang Shuo did not reply. He merely stared fixedly at Wang Yue. For some reason, this brat gave him a faint sense of danger. He only felt that way when facing powerful martial artists. Could his senses be mistaken?

Wang Shuo had heard tales from the martial world of challenging opponents across realms, but he had always considered them mere embellishment. If one could casually defeat stronger opponents across realms, why would countless predecessors risk life and death to deduce realms and evolve martial arts? They could simply remain forever within one realm and run rampant by "crossing realms."

Wang Yue did not waste words either. Feeling the aura emanating from Wang Shuo, he found it far weaker than it had been ten days ago. In his eyes now, it was like a breeze brushing his face, no longer carrying the oppressive pressure it once had.

He took a deep breath. The essence of the perfected Harmonious Flow Fist instantly unfolded. His feet shifted slightly, and his fist wind tore through the air as it shot straight for Wang Shuo's face. Every move and every stance was incomparably precise, without a single flaw.

"Good!" A glint flashed through Wang Shuo's eyes as he raised his hand to block. The instant fist and palm collided, his fist technique suddenly changed. His formerly steady Harmonious Flow Fist became unusually agile, like a crane spreading its wings, attempting to disrupt Wang Yue's rhythm.

Wang Yue laughed heartily, and his fist force changed along with it. At times he was fierce as a tiger, at others light as a butterfly. His fist path faintly echoed Wang Shuo's, as though the two were jointly performing one complete set of Harmonious Flow Fist.

Suddenly, Wang Yue sensed a familiar, strange, immense force seeping into his body through Wang Shuo's fists and feet. This time, he did not panic. Instead, he carefully sensed it and quickly grasped the nature of that force.

It was a special transformation formed by the fusion of Blood Qi and inner force. It was more condensed than Blood Qi alone, more agile than pure inner force, and carried a peculiar vitality.

The instant he realized this, Wang Yue's breathing abruptly stopped before slowly resuming. The Harmonious Flow Fist Breathing Method had actually entered the great accomplishment realm on its own at that very moment!

He suddenly stamped down. With a crack, the bluestone slab beneath his foot shattered. Blood Qi and inner force instantly circulated through his body, flinging out every bit of force Wang Shuo had sent into him!

"What?!" Wang Shuo was utterly horrified. Wang Yue had actually used the Breathing Method to cast out his Harmonious Flow inner force! He could do this through bodily strength alone?!

Wang Shuo's expression turned solemn as competitiveness rose in his heart. He had practiced martial arts for his entire life. If he lost to a junior today, others might marvel at Wang Yue's talent, but he himself could never accept it!

"This old man has trained in martial arts for decades and has not dared slacken for a single day. Today, I'll show you the fruits of my labor!" Wang Shuo shouted. Though he could clearly feel his stamina rapidly declining—the unavoidable shortcoming of an older martial artist—

He still suddenly gathered all the inner force in his body.

In Wang Yue's eyes, Wang Shuo's aura instantly transformed into a towering mountain, heavy and majestic, making others dare not look at it directly.

The next second, Wang Shuo's fist carried vast inner force as it thrust straight toward Wang Yue's chest like a primordial great spear. This punch contained more than half of his strength!

The veins on Wang Yue's forehead bulged. No longer holding back, he poured all seven streams of Blood Qi within him into both fists and fiercely smashed them toward Wang Shuo's punch!

Bang

The two fists collided. An immense force traveled up Wang Yue's arms, forcing him to stagger back again and again. The bluestone slabs beneath his feet shattered in succession. Only after retreating five steps did he barely steady himself. Heat, however, rose from his body, a sign that his Blood Qi was circulating violently.

He raised his head and looked at Wang Shuo, admiration appearing on his face. "Master Wang, that punch made this disciple feel as though he had seen your youthful glory!"

Wang Shuo looked at Wang Yue. Though he had been forced back several steps, his fist was only trembling slightly, without even a scrape on his skin. Wang Shuo could not help giving a faintly bitter smile. "You brat, you truly... exceeded my expectations."

A rumor from the martial world suddenly surfaced in his mind. Some martial artists, due to special physiques, experienced meteoric improvements in their physical qualities after practicing martial arts. They were exceptionally suited to certain body-tempering sects, and after barely more than a month of training, could be accepted into major sects.

Wang Shuo withdrew his inner force and stepped aside to clear the path. "Since you've already come this far, come inside. I'll tell you how you should walk the road ahead."

Wang Yue followed behind Wang Shuo, secretly pondering. He had not even used the Blood Dragon Secret Method to stir his Blood Qi just now, yet he had been able to fight Master Wang to a draw. Unfortunately, Master Wang was old and his stamina was gradually declining, so Wang Yue could not test the true depths of his own strength at all.

What if he went to test himself against Martial Uncle Wang Hu?

The thought had barely surfaced when he suppressed it. If he lost, it would be fine, but if he won, it would deal a fatal blow to Wang Hu's reputation.

Wang Hu had recognized his potential. The Ox-like Physique that had allowed him to rise in the first place had come from the Black Cloud Fist Wang Hu gifted him.

As he walked, a thought suddenly came to Wang Yue: had those exceptionally talented Wang Clan predecessors encountered the same predicament as he had?

Shallow waters could not hide a flood dragon. Once a flood dragon grew even a little, it would feel as though it were viewing the sky from the bottom of a well. There was not even a peer who could exchange blows with it and verify martial learning. In such an environment, how could it continue to improve?

He looked at Wang Shuo's back ahead of him. A trace of confusion flashed through his eyes, but was quickly replaced by determination. No matter what, he would first hear Master Wang's guidance. As for the higher road of martial arts, one day, he would walk it himself.

Wang Yue did not notice Wang Daoling standing at the entrance to the alleyway, his face first filled with horror, then heaviness, before he turned and left.