Vajra Skill

At that moment.

Wang Yuan's blood nearly froze solid in an instant.

The blood and vitality within him, driven by Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone, almost erupted across the board on instinct.

The Blood Burning Technique had nearly activated on its own.

His clenched fist contained terrifying strength sufficient to sever a mountain and split stone, ready to strike back regardless of the cost.

But...

He could not move!

A calmer thought poured over his head like icy water, instantly suppressing all his impulses.

He forcibly reined in his boiling blood and instinct to retaliate. His feet seemed to take root as he stood there dumbly.

Extreme horror and bewilderment appeared on his face at just the right moment, as though the sudden lethal attack had frightened him senseless, making him forget even to dodge.

The wind from the palm brushed his face, stirring Wang Yuan's bangs.

That fatal palm stopped abruptly less than an inch from his forehead.

Huang Yao withdrew her hand and looked at Wang Yuan's "lingering terror" and "ashen face."

An almost imperceptible trace of strange amusement appeared on her face.

Her sudden attack had been incredibly fast.

Even a skilled Second Blood Change martial artist would inevitably show fluctuations in blood and vitality or make a dodging motion when caught off guard.

Yet Wang Yuan truly seemed to have been completely unprepared, as if he had been utterly scared stiff.

"Could it... really not have been him?"

A sliver of doubt crossed Huang Yao's mind.

That reaction did not resemble a ruthless figure capable of silently killing Zhao Hu, much less daring to murder a Huang Family steward.

"What speed!"

"Just a little more..."

"Just a little more and I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from unleashing my full strength..."

"...and beating her to death!"

Inside, Wang Yuan's emotions churned like storm-tossed seas, leaving him deeply shaken.

In that instant, he had truly felt the threat of death.

At the same time, a violent fury at being underestimated and casually tested piled up in his chest, compressed and suppressed until it nearly burst through his ribs.

He had not experienced this feeling of life and death being held at another's whim for a very long time!

Seeing that Wang Yuan was still "pale-faced," seemingly not yet recovered from the fright, Huang Yao's eyes flashed with an unnoticeable hint of contempt.

So this so-called genius was merely a flower raised in a greenhouse. His temperament was far too lacking.

One casual scare from her had reduced him to this state.

"Panshi Fist Academy is nothing special after all!"

She immediately lost much of her interest.

"Looks like it was a misunderstanding."

Huang Yao spoke indifferently, casually tossing a piece of silver weighing around five taels from her sleeve. It landed at Wang Yuan's feet, her tone carrying the offhand air of charity.

"Calm yourself down."

With that, she did not spare Wang Yuan another glance and turned toward the luxurious carriage waiting at the mouth of the alley.

Wang Yuan stared "blankly" at the silver on the ground, as though he still had not reacted.

Beside the carriage, a coachman with a sharp, capable aura asked in a low voice:

"Miss, the murderer..."

Huang Yao did not slow her steps. Her indifferent voice drifted on the wind, falling clearly into Wang Yuan's ears:

"Who the murderer is doesn't matter."

"He was merely a minor steward of my Huang Family. Who cares whether he lived or died?"

"Just find some Second Blood Change martial artist with an old grudge against my Huang Family and kill him with a palm strike in public."

"The most important thing is not to let my Huang Family lose face."

Her words treated human lives like blades of grass.

As though she were merely deciding to crush an ant.

The coachman bowed and replied, "Yes."

Huang Yao boarded the carriage. The curtain fell, and the carriage slowly set off, soon disappearing at the end of the street.

From beginning to end, she never looked back at Wang Yuan again.

She had not even remotely taken that "frightened young man" to heart.

Only after the carriage had completely vanished.

Did the "horror" and "pallor" on Wang Yuan's face slowly fade.

He slowly bent down and picked up the silver from the ground.

Wang Yuan did not put it away immediately. Instead, he placed it in his palm and slowly curled his five fingers around it, tightening his grip.

A terrifying force erupted from his palm.

The hard piece of silver became like soft mud in his hand, emitting a teeth-grating creak.

It was forcibly kneaded into an irregular lump of silver.

Wang Yuan spread his palm and looked at the deformed silver lump, then raised his head toward the direction in which Huang Yao's carriage had disappeared.

There was no longer the slightest trace of panic or timidity in his eyes.

Only icy, bone-piercing ferocity and savage rage that nearly solidified into substance remained!

The violent fury he had forcibly suppressed in his chest had finally found a sliver of release.

He muttered in a hoarse, icy voice.

"Huang Family... what imposing arrogance."

"Give me a little more time..."

"I, Wang Yuan, will remember today's humiliation. One day, I will repay it a hundredfold."

Wang Yuan suppressed the churning rage and Killing Intent in his heart, casually tucked the deformed lump of silver into his clothes, then adjusted his breathing and expression before continuing toward Panshi Fist Academy.

Yet deep within those eyes, there was now a little more coldness than before.

When he arrived at the inner courtyard of the academy, his master Zheng Shan was instructing Senior Disciple Brother Shi Long and Second Senior Sister Zheng Ying in their training.

When he saw Wang Yuan enter, Zheng Shan swept his gaze over him.

A trace of surprise and gratification immediately appeared on his usually stern face.

"Xiao Yuan, you... broke through?"

There was a faint excitement in Zheng Shan's voice.

He sensed that Wang Yuan's blood and vitality were full and surging, far more vigorous and condensed than before. It was unmistakably the aura of Second Blood Change.

Moreover, his foundation was far more stable than that of an ordinary Second Blood Change martial artist.

Shi Long and Zheng Ying also stopped what they were doing and looked over in surprise.

Wang Yuan respectfully saluted.

"Reporting to Master, this disciple did not fail your expectations. I successfully broke through to Second Blood Change yesterday."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zheng Shan said "good" three times in succession. Even the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, showing just how delighted he was.

"Second Blood Change in under three months!"

"With such a foundation and such speed, the revival of Panshi Fist Academy is within reach."

Shi Long's bull-like eyes widened. He stepped forward and heavily patted Wang Yuan on the shoulder, laughing in a deep, booming voice.

"Good lad, you really did it!"

"At this speed, you're nearly catching up to Old Shi back when I was..."

"Ahem, you're much faster than Old Shi was back then!"

He had originally intended to boast a little.

But under the glance his master shot him, he hurriedly changed his words, making Zheng Ying beside him cover her mouth and laugh softly.

Zheng Ying also praised him sincerely.

"Junior Brother is extraordinarily gifted and tirelessly diligent. He is truly a blessing to our academy."

Feeling the heartfelt joy and concern from his master, senior brother, and senior sister.

"You praise me too highly, Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I have merely put in a little more effort than others."

The icy rage Wang Yuan had felt because of Huang Yao eased slightly, replaced by a thread of warmth.

Zheng Shan stroked his short beard in satisfaction, looked at Wang Yuan, and said seriously:

"Since you have broken through to Second Blood Change, your foundation is stable and your blood and vitality are abundant. You may learn another martial art to increase your strength and draw inferences from one instance to another."

"Do you have anything in mind? Do you wish to further study a weapon art, fist and foot techniques, or something else?"

Wang Yuan had long been prepared. Hearing this, he immediately cupped his fists, his tone firm.

"Master, this disciple wishes to learn a Body Refinement Technique!"

"Body refinement?"

Zheng Shan raised his brows slightly. Rather than agreeing at once, he pondered before saying:

"Body-refining external arts can indeed greatly enhance one's defense and strength."

"But the cultivation process is exceedingly arduous. One must endure suffering beyond what ordinary people can imagine, and progress is slow. It requires vast amounts of blood, vitality, and resources to temper the body."

"It may even affect the advancement of one's other martial arts to a certain extent."

"Are you... truly willing?"

Wang Yuan raised his head, his gaze clear and resolute.

"This disciple understands the hardships involved."

"However, this disciple believes his physique is fairly capable, and his blood and vitality are somewhat more vigorous than those of others at the same level. I am willing to endure this suffering, solidify my foundation, and seek to travel farther in the future!"

"Master, please grant my request!"

With the foundation of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone, cultivating a body refinement technique would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

He knew this perfectly well, but he could not say it aloud.

He could hardly say that his talent was invincible and tell the old man not to stop him from practicing body refinement.

Zheng Shan looked at the unshakable determination in Wang Yuan's eyes.

Then he recalled the terrifying strength and bodily endurance Wang Yuan had displayed before, and finally nodded slowly.

"So be it."

"Since you possess such determination, and your physique is indeed different from ordinary people, cultivating a Body Refinement Technique may truly be a path suited to you."

As he spoke, he turned and entered the study.

A moment later, he brought out an ancient manual with a dark yellow cover and solemnly handed it to Wang Yuan.

On the cover of the manual were three bold, vigorous characters—"Vajra Skill"!