Golden Finger

After parting ways with the other two, Yang Chen returned to his residence. Filled with anticipation, he took out the Eight Directions Body Refining Technique and devoured its contents hungrily.

Time slipped by slowly as Yang Chen immersed himself in it completely. By the time he came back to his senses, night had already fallen. Fortunately, there was an illumination stone in the room, dispelling the darkness.

He set down the Eight Directions Body Refining Technique, his heart surging.

He came from the Yang Family and had encountered foundational cultivation techniques before, but compared to this Eight Directions Body Refining Technique, they were worlds apart.

His Punching Force had already reached 830 kilograms. If he continued cultivating with the Yang Family's technique, it would take at least half a year for him to step into the Qi Martial Realm.

But if he cultivated the Eight Directions Body Refining Technique, the time required would be greatly reduced. Paired with precious medicine such as the Qi Strength Pill, it could be shortened even further.

A moment later, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and walked to the training area in his room. Following the technique's instructions, he slowly assumed a stance.

The stance itself appeared utterly ordinary, yet when Yang Chen began adjusting his breathing, a trace of violent aura flashed across his body and vanished.

The stance remained the same, but his bearing was as different as heaven and earth.

Heavy breaths echoed through the room. Yang Chen held his stance like a statue, like a fierce tiger lying in wait between heaven and earth, gathering momentum before springing into action.

He seemed perfectly still, but in truth, every tendon, bone, muscle, and membrane throughout his body was operating at a speed invisible to the naked eye, all to maintain the terrifying state of "still as a mountain, swift as thunder."

Within several minutes, sweat had already seeped from Yang Chen's body. This movement was the essence of the Eight Directions Body Refining Technique. Combined with its breathing method, it could temper the muscles of the entire body to an immense degree.

Several more minutes passed, and Yang Chen began to feel weary.

It was unbelievable. He was not someone without a foundation, and he was now only a short distance from the Qi Martial Realm. Even high-intensity training should not have exhausted him so quickly.

He knew clearly that this was only the beginning. The true agony had yet to arrive. If he wanted to gain anything, he had to persist to the end.

According to the Eight Directions Body Refining Technique, one had to maintain the standard stance for at least half an hour to reap any gains. The longer one endured, the greater the harvest.

As time passed, Yang Chen was drenched in sweat, as though he had just been fished out of water. The spot where he stood had long since been soaked through.

This was the most immediate sensation he felt. Even though he had built his foundation in the Yang Family since childhood, he now felt as though countless ants were gnawing at every inch of his body, leaving him unbearably sore and itchy.

Yet he knew that the longer he persevered, the greater the benefits would be. Giving up now would mean all the suffering he had endured before would be wasted.

Before he knew it, half an hour had passed. Yang Chen's body shook like a sieve, every muscle trembling.

Persist!

Every breath felt endlessly long. Yang Chen gritted his teeth, hardening his resolve, unwilling to leave things unfinished.

A crushing exhaustion swept over him like a tide, merciless waves battering him with savage force. His body seemed to have reached its limit.

A tower ten thousand feet high rises from level ground. If I want to walk faster than others, I must possess perseverance beyond that of ordinary people!

On the path of martial arts, if you do not advance, you fall behind. I have come to this world and been fortunate enough to enter a great sect—how can I remain mediocre?

He shifted his attention, using it to distract himself from the pain coursing through his body.

The effect was obvious. The pain throughout his body seemed to lessen somewhat, allowing him to continue holding on.

Time trickled by, and every breath became incomparably difficult.

After an unknown length of time, Yang Chen's entire body went limp, and he suddenly collapsed to the floor. His body had finally reached its limit.

He lay sprawled on the ground, greedily gasping for air. Not a trace of strength remained in his body, and he almost wished he could lie there for the rest of his life.

But he understood that he absolutely could not do so. Otherwise, all his previous efforts would be wasted, and he might even leave behind the root of an illness.

Gritting his teeth, he shakily sat cross-legged. He took the white jade bottle containing Qi Strength Pills from his robes, carefully poured out a round Qi Strength Pill, and swallowed it without hesitation.

Qi Strength Pills were among the most renowned first-tier pills. A single pill cost nearly one Spirit Crystal. At such an exorbitant price, its effects were naturally remarkable.

Just one pill could increase a martial artist's strength.

Under normal circumstances, one Qi Strength Pill could increase a Qi Martial Realm martial artist's Punching Force by at least ten kilograms. If taken after extreme training, its effects could increase by more than thirty percent.

He had heard that some exceptionally gifted individuals, after training to their limits and taking a Qi Strength Pill, had increased their Punching Force by nearly fifty kilograms.

This was an exceedingly terrifying figure. A Qi Strength Pill could be taken once a day. At this rate of progress, someone encountering cultivation for the first time would need only a dozen or so days to become a Qi Martial Realm martial artist.

Once the Qi Strength Pill entered his stomach, its medicinal power quickly spread, transforming into threads of cool, sweet rain that nourished his body after its extreme training.

Wherever the medicinal power passed, every tendon, bone, muscle, and membrane in his body seemed to encounter sweet rain, greedily absorbing the medicine to repair their injuries.

Martial artists damaged their bodies most through cultivation. Without sufficient wealth to nourish and recuperate the body, it would soon be dragged into ruin.

Qi Strength Pills were the finest supplement, rapidly repairing the entire body when it stood on the verge of its limits.

This was utterly different from relying on the body's natural recovery. After natural recovery, the body gained very little strength. But by taking a Qi Strength Pill, one could greatly and swiftly strengthen a body that had reached its limits, keeping it constantly in its optimal state after extreme training.

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed. With the help of the Qi Strength Pill, the utterly exhausted Yang Chen gradually regained his strength.

His face was filled with weariness, yet delight shone in his eyes.

The exhaustion came from the depletion of his mind, while his delight came from the increase in strength.

He had a feeling that this round of cultivation had brought exceptionally considerable gains.

If I had sufficient wealth, I could light a stick of Spirit Calming Incense now and supplement it with a Muscle Relaxing and Vitality Pill, then continue cultivating without interruption.

Yang Chen thought enviously.

Spirit Calming Incense had the effect of gathering one's focus and calming the mind, and could also quickly restore depleted spiritual power. The Muscle Relaxing and Vitality Pill, meanwhile, could soothe the body's taut muscles and swiftly return it to its peak condition.

But these two items were expensive. The former cost two spirit crystals per stalk, while the latter required one spirit crystal per pill.

Paired with Qi Strength Pills, their cultivation efficiency was naturally astonishingly high, but the financial demands were immense—far beyond what someone of Yang Chen's background could imagine.

"Then I'll take it slow. At least for these five years..."

[Spirit Crystal System binding successful]

Just as Yang Chen was preparing to proceed steadily and fight a long war, a crisp voice rang by his ear.

"?"

He blinked, and a huge question mark appeared in his eyes.

Before he could react, an extremely crude panel appeared before him. Three striking lines of text were displayed on it:

[Host: Yang Chen]

[Realm: Quasi-Martialist, Punching Force: 861 kilograms]

[Daily spirit crystals: 1]

In the lower-right corner, there was another line of small text:

[After reaching the Qi Martial Realm, daily spirit crystals will increase tenfold with every major realm breakthrough]

Other than that, there was no further information.

Yang Chen's heartbeat seemed to miss a beat. He rubbed his eyes, only to find that the panel before him was still there.

"A system..."

He carefully stared at the sparse text on the panel and quickly understood its function.

His heart raced, his hands trembled—Yang Chen realized that his path in martial arts was secure.

"One spirit crystal a day means thirty in a month, and in a year, that would be..."

There was no doubt about how precious spirit crystals were. To a martial artist, having sufficient resources meant an unobstructed path in martial arts.

Just moments ago, Yang Chen had been envying those descendants of great clans who never had to worry about resources. Yet in the blink of an eye, he himself had become wealthy.

One spirit crystal was not much, but he would receive one every day. Not to mention that after breaking through to a major realm in the future, his daily spirit crystals would increase tenfold.

"It's secure!"

Yang Chen beamed as he sat there, freely envisioning the future, occasionally letting out foolish chuckles.

An hour passed like this before he finally dragged his exhausted body into a deep sleep.