The Powerful Sun Sheng

"Boom!"

The massive boulder hit the ground, its dull thud echoing outwards and startling flocks of birds in the forest.

Sun Sheng's upper body was bare, his skin, pale with a rosy hue, was tougher than rhino hide. The rough boulder scraped against him, yet it couldn't leave even the slightest white mark.

Sun Sheng pulled out his phone and pressed the answer button.

"What is it?"

"Senior Disciple Brother, this Youth Cup is crucial for the Seedling Plan spots. Teacher wants to send you to the Martial Arts Hall headquarters. I heard they've acquired a new batch of equipment from the Psionic Research Institute."

"No need." Sun Sheng rested a hand on the boulder, completely uninterested.

"Senior Disciple Brother, why don't you just listen to Teacher? You're the most promising candidate to contend for the championship from our Jixing Martial Hall. If..."

"Victory through combat, I naturally have my own way of cultivating. If I lose, it simply means I'm inferior to others. The path of martial arts cannot deceive oneself. Do not mention this again."

Sun Sheng hung up the phone directly. He had always been uninterested in experimental surgeries or implants developed by the Psionic Research Institute.

These methods might be useful, but the path of martial arts could deceive others, yet it couldn't deceive oneself.

Countless predecessors had used their own experiences to tell all those who came after that any laziness on the path of martial arts would eventually be repaid tenfold when attempting psionic ascension.

Destroying one's future for a moment of pleasure.

Sun Sheng had always disdained such things.

He embedded his hands into the cracks of the boulder and was about to exert force.

"Hmm?"

His ears twitched, and he turned his head to look in the direction he had come from.

As Li Changqing entered the forest, he saw the menacing, protruding boulder.

Only then did he realize that this boulder was significantly larger and heavier than he had imagined.

A man with a bare upper body gave him a slight nod.

"Hello."

Li Changqing returned the nod.

"Hello."

He pointed at the boulder next to the man.

"Are you also a Martial Artist cultivating here?"

"Yes, my name is Sun Sheng."

"My name is Li Changqing."

Sun Sheng spoke very little. After introducing himself, he patted the boulder beside him.

"Want to join?"

Li Changqing was taken aback, and before he could respond, Sun Sheng had already turned around and raised his right arm towards the boulder.

"I observed just now that your Qi and Blood are condensed like a chicken egg, you should have reached the stage of 'Embracing the Core and Returning Strength.' For the Lower-Rank Martial Artist stage, you don't need any other techniques; strengthening your Qi and Blood is sufficient."

Sun Sheng's words left Li Changqing stunned. He felt as if he had returned to a university lecture hall.

As he spoke, Sun Sheng formed his fingers into a blade, and his Qi and Blood instantly covered his palm.

Bang!

The hard boulder was directly cleaved by Sun Sheng's hand blade. The cut was smooth and clear, his extremely precise control of strength making his bare palm as potent as a cutting machine.

Li Changqing's pupils contracted. A Lower-Rank Martial Artist's physique did not possess the strength of refined steel; his finger bones were not as hard as rock.

To cleave a boulder so easily with a hand blade like this.

Just how strong was this guy's Qi and Blood?

"Your physique isn't strong enough yet. Overly strenuous weight training will be beneficial rather than harmful."

Sun Sheng said earnestly, patting the smaller half of the boulder that had been cut off.

"Around 500 kilograms, just right for you to carry as weight."

"Take this."

He hooked the toe of his foot, and the boulder flew through the air towards Li Changqing.

The latter's eyes narrowed, and he quickly raised his hands.

The moment they made contact.

So heavy!

The boulder, thrown with momentum, was far more difficult to handle than wrestling a grizzly bear.

Li Changqing's arms trembled. Seeing his balance waver, he rooted his feet, his upright body swaying like flowing water. He contracted his waist and abdomen, employing Tai Chi Soft Strength to channel all the force into the ground.

He immediately raised the giant rock high, mimicking Sun Sheng's movements and carrying the stone behind his back.

"Tai Chi?" Sun Sheng mused thoughtfully.

"Your physique is better than I imagined."

"Come, keep up with my pace."

Watching Sun Sheng, who had been talking to himself before, immediately carry the giant rock and run towards the depths of the forest.

Li Changqing's mouth twitched; the other person seemed to have mistaken him for a student.

Shaking his head, Li Changqing also started to move.

Sun Sheng was much stronger than him, and practicing with a powerful individual would surely be more effective than practicing alone.

Since the other person was eager to teach, why should he refuse?

The forest was different from city roads. The latter were meticulously paved tracks, while the former, let alone having tracks, often lacked even space to place one's feet.

Li Changqing had to carefully observe every foothold, checking if it was uneven or rough.

Carrying a 500-kilogram stone, every step was a tremendous test.

In a daze, Li Changqing felt as if he had returned to the night he first arrived in Rong City.

With the 500-kilogram pressure on his back, Li Changqing once again felt the joy of running.

[Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, Proficiency: 25%]

The weighted long-distance run forced Li Changqing to focus on his breathing to achieve faster gas exchange.

Under this high pressure, the proficiency of the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique continuously improved.

However, as he ran, Li Changqing realized that he was getting further and further away from Sun Sheng.

"Faster!"

As expected, the other person also looked back.

Seeing Li Changqing running while distracted by the road conditions, Sun Sheng frowned.

"Don't worry about the road conditions. What if there are rocks? What if it's uneven?

"Didn't you practice Tai Chi? Can't you adjust your center of gravity?"

Sun Sheng's words enlightened Li Changqing.

That's right, I practice Tai Chi!

He lifted his foot and placed it down.

This time, Li Changqing didn't deliberately adjust his footing.

A protruding pebble, hidden in the mud, caught his heel.

His balance was instantly lost, and the 500-kilogram giant rock, along with its inertia, was about to exert its immense force on Li Changqing's vulnerable ankle.

Suddenly, Li Changqing's calf muscles tensed, and a precise application of force neutralized the weight on him. His body, which was about to fall, regained its balance.

"It actually works!" Li Changqing was overjoyed.

He had never imagined before that he could practice Tai Chi while running.

From then on, Li Changqing stopped looking at the road.

He strode forward, running through the forest.

His Tai Chi Soft Strength became more and more proficient, and the gaps for his thoughts continuously narrowed.

[Tai Chi Soft Strength, Proficiency: 30%]

After 1000 meters, he had gradually integrated the Tai Chi Soft Strength into his body. With each landing, he only needed to 'listen to strength' slightly to immediately determine the force and direction needed for balance.

[Tai Chi Soft Strength, Proficiency: 32%]

At this point, he was no longer falling behind Sun Sheng.

At 2000 meters, Li Changqing had completely cleared his mind. The Tai Chi Soft Strength had been fully integrated into his muscle memory; the moment his foot landed, his body instinctively responded with the correct adjustment without conscious thought.

The rugged mountain path felt like flat ground.

[Tai Chi Soft Strength, Proficiency: 35%]

His speed finally picked up, gradually closing the distance between them to within 50 meters.

But carrying 500 kilograms was different from normal running.

Even though he integrated the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique into every breath, Li Changqing's Qi and Blood was gradually depleting.

The newly generated strength couldn't fill the void left by his depleted Qi and Blood.

After 3000 meters, the speed Li Changqing had just gained began to drop again. His internal Qi and Blood were no longer sufficient to support his exertion.

Before he could catch up to Sun Sheng, the distance between them widened again, but not because of the rugged terrain.

He had reached his limit.

Sun Sheng ran ahead, his keen senses allowing him to constantly gauge Li Changqing's condition.

"He must have reached his limit," Sun Sheng thought, noticing Li Changqing's speed decreasing.

"Lower-rank one-star? He's not far from two-star. Which martial hall's genius is this?"

Just as Sun Sheng prepared to slow down and wait for Li Changqing.

From behind.

Facing his own limits was something Li Changqing was all too familiar with.

Sprint!

He shouted inwardly, feeling the same sensation he had during the assessment at Chengtian Martial Arts School.

Break through the limit.

[Physique +2]

[Vitality Concentration: 6%]

A familiar warm current surged through his body, completely eliminating his fatigue.

His dense Qi and Blood grew stronger once more.

It was another Marrow Cleansing, with impurities flushed out of his body by the Qi and Blood.

His body, inside and out, felt clear and transparent.

"Next, it's time to speed up!"

Employing Tai Chi Soft Strength, Li Changqing moved as if on level ground through the rugged mountain path.

His speed instantly returned to its peak, his steps light. He began to close the distance he had lost to Sun Sheng.

To Sun Sheng's astonished gaze, the two, carrying massive stones, moved side-by-side through the forest.

"Broke through his limit?" Sun Sheng's eyes lit up, but before he could ask.

Li Changqing grinned, his white teeth reflecting a dazzling gleam in the sunlight.

"I'll go on ahead!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Changqing, carrying the stone as if on level ground, exerted force with his legs again.

In an instant, he had surpassed Sun Sheng.