Martial arts flourished in this world and had a long history.
Cultivation methods, martial realms, martial art progress, pills, weapons, and the like all followed a complete set of rules, rigorously designed without the slightest omission.
To help martial artists keep track of their progress at any time, martial arts were divided by proficiency into Beginner, Proficient, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Perfection.
Perfection was equivalent to reaching the same realm as the founder of that martial art.
But it was extraordinarily difficult, and few martial artists could achieve it.
Still, there were rumors that cultivating a martial art to Perfection brought immense benefits.
As for what those benefits were, no one could say clearly.
Some said that once one's cultivation method reached Perfection, one's cultivation would soar.
Others claimed that once a martial art reached Perfection, one's cultivation talent would improve.
Rumors flew from mouth to mouth; everyone had only heard it secondhand.
The martial artists who had truly cultivated a martial art to Perfection all kept silent, as though someone had collectively ordered them not to reveal it to the outside world.
Martial arts were divided into Beginner Martial Arts, Intermediate Martial Arts, and Advanced Martial Arts.
Vajra Fist was an Intermediate Martial Art.
Yet the difficulty of cultivating martial arts of different grades to Perfection was the same.
It was not as people imagined, where Beginner Martial Arts were easier to cultivate to Perfection than Intermediate or Advanced Martial Arts.
The breakthrough from Major Accomplishment to Perfection was equally difficult for all three grades of martial arts.
The difference lay in their power, cultivation speed, and other aspects, where the gap was enormous.
With the same talent and the same amount of martial resources, a martial artist cultivating an Intermediate Martial Art would progress far faster than one cultivating a lower-grade martial art—at least more than twice as fast.
And the former could easily crush the latter; even fighting one against three would be no problem at all.
Cultivating a martial art to Perfection was still far beyond Yang Heng.
Yang Heng's Vajra Fist had only just reached the Beginner stage. He was still some distance from Proficient, let alone Perfection—it was a distant prospect with no end in sight.
With his improved talent and breakthrough in cultivation, Yang Heng practiced Vajra Fist like a fish in water, advancing at a tremendous pace.
His punching speed was vastly faster than before, his moves far more practiced, and every punch carried greater strength. His bearing was extraordinary, fierce and domineering, whipping up clouds of dust.
The more Yang Heng fought, the more exhilarated he became. He moved freely and effortlessly, every motion flowing from his heart. Before he knew it, he had become entranced, immersed beyond escape.
The figure in the field had his eyes tightly shut, yet every punch he threw and every step he took was flawless, each landing at exactly the right moment.
From afar, dust rose everywhere and smoke filled the air. For an instant, four or five figures seemed to appear. But when one blinked and looked again, not a single figure could be seen.
Only at the heart of the dust cloud was the smoke even thicker, rolling and surging as if some savage beast within were swinging its massive body and unleashing its strength without restraint. The spectacle was terrifying enough to make any observer shudder.
Pa!
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out from within the smoke. It was clear and pleasing to the ear, so melodious that it seemed to reach into one's very soul, making it tremble.
That crisp sound was like heavenly thunder striking his head, blasting Yang Heng awake.
Yang Heng wore a bewildered expression, utterly unaware of what had just happened.
His mind had cleared, but his body was still moving.
His fist moved with his body as he threw a punch.
Pa! Another crisp sound rang out.
This time, Yang Heng heard it clearly.
The sound had come from his fist.
It was produced by the instant friction and collision of the bones in his hand. At that moment, all the strength in his body turned from scattered grains into a single whole, converging and erupting at one point in an instant. Its power was immense, like thunder in the heavens, shaking the hearts of all who heard it.
This was the "sound" in the legendary A Sound Worth a Thousand Gold.
When a fist could produce such a sound, it was enough to prove that its wielder had entered the hall of the art and achieved no small success in fist techniques.
That was right. At this very moment, Yang Heng's Vajra Fist had broken through to the Proficient stage.
Just now, Yang Heng had kept his eyes shut. Though he could see nothing, every punch he threw and every step he took was without the slightest error, exactly as recorded in the fist manual.
At that moment, Yang Heng had entered the state of enlightenment that martial artists dreamed of.
In a state of enlightenment, no matter what martial art one cultivated, progress came at a breakneck pace, like riding a rocket.
Such a state could be encountered but not sought. For a martial artist to experience it even once in a lifetime was a blessing from heaven.
Yang Heng himself did not know why he had suddenly entered enlightenment in the middle of practicing.
He clearly remembered that his Vajra Fist had flowed exceptionally smoothly at the time. He had fought to his heart's content, each move and stance flowing with effortless freedom. Without realizing it, his mind had completely merged with the fist technique. As for what happened afterward, he remembered none of it.
After thinking for a while, Yang Heng still could not figure it out, so he stopped dwelling on it.
Yang Heng decided to test the power of Vajra Fist at the Proficient stage and see just how it differed from the Beginner-stage Vajra Fist.
He acted as soon as he decided.
Yang Heng walked to the center of the field and stood still, his entire gaze fixed on a boulder five meters ahead.
The huge stone was over a meter tall and about a foot wide. It was no small thing, a tough nut to crack.
But Yang Heng insisted on choosing a strong opponent to test his hand against. He did not even think weak ones were worth his attention.
For instance, he turned a blind eye to the large trees nearby, staring intently at the boulder before him.
It was as though he held some indescribable affection for the boulder.
Yang Heng took a deep breath, his gaze resolute as he stared at the boulder ahead like a hawk eyeing its prey.
"Hah!"
Yang Heng suddenly bellowed. His right foot stomped down fiercely, instantly smashing a pit into the ground as sand and stones flew in all directions. His body shot forward like a cannonball, the air erupting with explosive cracks while rolling dust trailed behind him.
His right hand spread open, then his five fingers clenched tight. Veins bulged and muscles knotted, like steel bars twisted together, brimming with explosive power.
Bang!
His fist struck the center of the boulder dead on, unleashing a heaven-shaking blast. The commotion was immense, startling the birds in the surrounding trees into fleeing in panic toward the distance.
Crack!
Yang Heng looked toward where the sound had come from and saw a crack suddenly appear at the center of the boulder.
Gradually, cracking sounds rang out without end. The fissure spread from the center in every direction at astonishing speed. Before long, the entire surface of the boulder was covered in cracks, like a gigantic spiderweb.
Boom!
The entire boulder split apart along the cracks and collapsed with a thunderous crash, kicking up a vast cloud of dust until smoke and haze filled the air.
Like a nimble cat, Yang Heng sprang away with incredible speed. Before the boulder collapsed, he had already fled to a safe spot, quietly admiring his handiwork.
Yang Heng was not surprised by this scene.
After Marrow Cleansing and Bone Scouring, along with breaking through two realms, Yang Heng's strength had surged. He estimated that one hand alone could lift six hundred jin, far surpassing the strength range recorded in the fist manual for Blood Brave Realm martial apprentices.
Combined with Vajra Fist at the Proficient stage and boosted by the power of his qi and blood, shattering a boulder with one punch was nothing worth marveling at.
If he had failed to break it, that would have been the sort of thing to make people's jaws hit the ground.
Feeling the formidable power contained within his body, Yang Heng gradually gained confidence despite living in troubled times. Fear no longer troubled him, and his sense of security greatly increased.
After practicing for a while longer, noon arrived.
Yang Heng felt hunger rise within him, his stomach rumbling, while the five jin of pork strips he had brought with him had long since been eaten clean.
After all, practicing martial arts consumed enormous amounts of stamina. What martial artist was not a big eater? Eating an ox a day was hardly anything remarkable.
After tidying up a little, Yang Heng headed for Qingyang Town, intending to reward himself properly.
Before you continue