Wang Yuan sat cross-legged on the cold earthen kang, his eyes tightly shut.
The veins on his forehead bulged, and fine beads of cold sweat continually seeped out, sliding down his pale cheeks.
The instant he confirmed "Awaken."
A tearing agony far more intense than any pain before erupted violently from the depths of his limbs and bones.
It was as if countless red-hot steel needles were piercing and stirring every inch of his bones.
Or as though invisible hands were crazily tugging and reshaping the tendons throughout his body.
The pain was nearly enough to crush his will.
He could not help wanting to howl, yet he clenched his teeth tightly, the taste of blood filling the gaps between them.
Wang Yuan's entire body trembled violently.
A scorching current, centered on the Talent Bead in his chest, surged through his meridians with savage force, transforming his physique.
[Awakening Innate Divine Ability: Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone (First Layer)]
A piece of profound information flooded into his mind alongside the excruciating pain.
Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone, just as its name implied: tendons as tough and enduring as flood dragons, capable of unleashing immense strength.
Bones as hard and robust as fierce tigers, containing vast, powerful Vital Blood.
It was a Supreme Grade Bone Structure, one in ten thousand in martial cultivation. Its Vital Blood was so abundant that it far surpassed ordinary people!
Who knew how long passed before the agony, enough to make someone faint, slowly receded like the tide.
Wang Yuan collapsed onto the kang, gasping for breath. He looked as though he had just been hauled from the water, completely soaked through with sweat.
Extreme exhaustion swept over him.
Yet beneath that exhaustion was an unprecedented sense of fullness and strength.
He slowly clenched his fist, and his knuckles let out a crisp series of cracks.
Within that still seemingly thin body, a Fierce Beast appeared to be lying in wait, containing explosive power.
Vital Blood rushed and circulated through his body, warm and comforting, driving away his previous weakness and chill.
His five senses had also become extraordinarily keen.
He could even clearly hear the helpless sighs from his parents' room next door.
As well as the faint sound of the night watchman's clapper drifting in from somewhere far beyond the window.
He did not get up. He simply lay there, feeling the earth-shaking changes in his body, his eyes gleaming with incomparable excitement.
Strength!
So this was what it felt like to possess strength!
Though it was only the First Layer of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone.
Wang Yuan could feel that, based on physical strength alone, he likely did not lose to those burly men who had trained in external martial arts for years.
But this was still not enough.
If the Black Tiger Gang could run rampant through Gaoye City's Outer City, there had to be genuine martial artists backing it.
He had strength and bone structure, but no corresponding martial skills or combat experience. He was like a child swinging a heavy hammer—more likely to hurt himself.
He needed time to familiarize himself with this body. More importantly, he needed a legitimate way to obtain martial skills and a patron capable of sheltering him, at least for now.
He did not sleep that night.
Wang Yuan silently adapted to his newfound strength, controlling the aura that had become slightly unstable due to his surging Vital Blood, until the horizon turned the color of a fish's belly.
In the morning, Madam Zhou silently brought breakfast to the table. It was still thin porridge and pickled vegetables.
But beside them was an extra small dish of sliced dried meat—the meat he had brought back last night.
Yet even after breakfast was finished, no one had touched the dried meat.
"Father, Mother, Sister, why aren't you eating the meat?"
Wang Yuan asked as he set down his bowl and chopsticks.
Wang Gui kept his head lowered over his porridge and said nothing.
Madam Zhou looked at the meat, then at Wang Yuan, and sighed. "Yuan'er, this meat... is too precious."
"You need to take care of your health. You eat it."
"As for the rest... perhaps we should return it? That money..."
She did not finish, but her meaning was obvious. She was worried about that "loan" of unknown origin.
Wang Yu also said softly, "That's right, Brother Yuan. Porridge is enough for us."
Watching his family treat that little bit of meat as a treasure, preferring to go hungry themselves and save it for him.
Wang Yuan's heart tightened with sorrow, but even more than that, a determination to change everything as soon as possible rose within him.
The Black Tiger Gang threatened both him and his family. It had to be destroyed.
Wang Yuan shook his head and spoke calmly.
"Father, Mother, Sister, you do not need to worry about the money. I know what I'm doing."
"I bought this meat to nourish all of you. If you do not eat it, it will spoil sitting there."
He picked up his chopsticks and personally placed dried meat into his father's, mother's, and sister's bowls. "Eat."
"Our family will get better. Believe me."
Seeing her son's steady gaze and unyielding attitude, Wang Gui and Madam Zhou exchanged a glance. In the end, they silently ate the meat.
Wang Yu looked at her parents, then at her younger brother, and began eating in small bites as well.
After the meal, Wang Yuan said to his family, "I'm going out for a walk and to loosen up my muscles. Lying around all the time isn't good either."
After leaving home, Wang Yuan did not linger in the filthy, chaotic Bluestone Alley. Instead, he headed directly south.
His steps were steady, but he moved quickly. After awakening Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone, both his stamina and endurance far surpassed those of ordinary people.
His target was clear—Panshi Fist Academy.
Since he had decided to find a patron, displaying his talent was undoubtedly the fastest method.
A Supreme Grade Bone Structure like Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone was absolutely a genius seen only once in a century in Gaoye City!
He believed that as long as Panshi Fist Academy's instructors were not blind, they would never let a raw jade like him slip away.
Joining the academy would not only let him practice martial arts openly and receive protection, temporarily avoiding the Black Tiger Gang's harassment.
It would also allow him to use the academy's resources to obtain food more quickly, accumulate energy, and prepare for the Talent Bead's next awakening.
When he arrived in the South District, he could see Panshi Fist Academy's signboard from afar. Compared to the desolation surrounding the Outer City, this place was far more orderly.
The South District was the wealthiest and most orderly area of the Outer City. Though it could not compare to the Inner City, it was still home to many major merchants.
For a Fist Academy to occupy such a large area in this land of wealth and rank showed just how formidable its influence was.
The Black Tiger Gang, which occupied a single alley, was undoubtedly nothing more than a tiny bug before Coiling Mountain Fist Academy—something that could be crushed to death with a casual pinch.
At this moment, the vermilion gates stood open, and faint shouts and the sound of fists and kicks breaking the wind came from within.
Wang Yuan did not enter immediately. Instead, he stood some distance from the entrance and observed for a while.
He saw dozens of youths in uniform gray training clothes practicing Fist Techniques under the guidance of a sturdy man. Their movements were neat and uniform, their bearing impressive.
From time to time, a disciple exerted force, and his fist wind surged, revealing a solid foundation in external martial arts.
"Looks like this Panshi Fist Academy truly has something to it."
Wang Yuan mused inwardly.
Then he took a deep breath, suppressed the Vital Blood within him that was stirring slightly from anticipation, and stepped through the vermilion gates.
The instant he entered, a shadow fell over him.
It belonged to a burly man eight feet tall, with muscles knotted all over his body and a face full of flesh. He wore the academy's uniform gray training clothes.
The words "Panshi" were embroidered over his chest. Looking down arrogantly at the slender Wang Yuan, he barked in a muffled voice, "Kid, what are you here for?"
"This isn't a place to watch the show!"
Wang Yuan stopped and cupped his hands slightly, neither humble nor overbearing. "Senior Brother, I came to study martial arts and take a master."
"Take a master?"
The burly man looked him over. Seeing his ordinary, even somewhat shabby clothes, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.
Another Outer City youngster, it seemed, taking the savings his entire family had scraped together and dreaming of rising through martial arts with a heart full of passion.
But poor scholars and rich martial artists—training martial arts was not so simple.
Only because Panshi Fist Academy accepted disciples openly, taking anyone who could pay, did they have this chance.
Otherwise, they would not even have an opportunity to come into contact with martial arts.
The burly man did not say much. He merely jerked his head to one side.
"Follow me."
The burly man led Wang Yuan through the front courtyard's training grounds. The disciples shouting as they practiced their Fist Techniques cast either curious or indifferent looks his way.
They arrived at a larger open space in the rear courtyard, where twenty or thirty people had already gathered, clearly separated into two groups.
One group was dressed in fine clothes of silk and brocade, some even accompanied by attendants and servants.
They were clearly the children of wealthy merchants or families with some standing in the Inner City. Their expressions were proud as they chatted and laughed among themselves.
The other group, like Wang Yuan, wore coarse hemp clothing. Most looked uneasy and nervous as they stood silently in a corner.
At the front of the open space stood a grandmaster's chair, occupied by an elderly man.
The old man was thin and wiry, dressed in a plain gray robe. Deep wrinkles lined his face, and his expression was stern and unreadable.
Yet though he sat there casually, an invisible pressure spread from him, making the entire noisy clearing grow somewhat quieter.
When his eyes opened and closed, sharp light flickered within them. They were as keen as an eagle's gaze, and no one dared meet them directly when they swept over the crowd.
This man was Zheng Shan, the master of Panshi Fist Academy.
In Gaoye City's Outer City, and even in the Inner City, he was one of the figures whose words truly carried weight.
The musclebound man led Wang Yuan into the crowd, then went to stand beside Zheng Shan of his own accord, clearly holding no low status.
He was Zheng Shan's eldest True Disciple, named Shi Long.
Zheng Shan's gaze swept over the crowd. His voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears. "I assume you all know the rules."
"The apprenticeship fee is two taels of silver per month. Pay first, then have your bones tested."
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