Physique Doubled, Kang Tianchen Calls

Lower-rank Martial Artists see every star as a significant leap forward.

This breakthrough directly boosted Li Changqing's Vitality Concentration from 9% to 15%.

Inside his Dantian, Blood Essence clumped together, condensing into a core. As Li Changqing's Physique rapidly grew, it became even more refined. The liquid Blood Essence flowed, and as it gathered into a mass, its surface unexpectedly emitted a metallic sheen.

After his internal examination, Li Changqing looked at the giant rock in front of him, which he had punched a hole through.

He raised his arm once more, Blood Essence surging and coiling around it.

His five finger bones clenched into a fist, the muscles in his forearm contracting. Through the transport of Blood Essence, his entire body's strength was compressed into a single point.

Boom!

Li Changqing's feet naturally parted. The rushing water surged around his lower body, but instead of hindering him, he used it, channeling it up his spine and onto his right fist.

Flowing Water Strength, Tai Chi Block Parry Punch!

Flesh and blood shattered the stubborn rock.

Li Changqing's eyes shone brightly. He struck the giant rock with punch after punch, the internal force continuous, like an endless stream of water.

Seven punches in total.

The giant rock was unrecognizable, bearing seven fist-sized holes.

Li Changqing hooked his left foot, crouched down, and channeled his entire body's strength through his legs into the interior of the giant rock.

"Lift."

He cupped his hands beneath it and effortlessly lifted the rock high above his head.

He didn't even need to unleash his Dantian's Blood Essence. The flowing muscles, combined with the Flowing Water True Meaning, easily accomplished the feat.

Li Changqing's strongest technique wasn't Boxing.

Tai Chi Soft Strength, Throw!

Boom!

The rock collided with the riverbed. Under the immense force Li Changqing infused, combined with Earth's own gravity.

The rock, already covered in cracks, could no longer withstand the impact. It shattered into pieces, falling over the cliff with the river's current.

"Half a ton is too light for me now."

Giant rocks like this were no longer enough for him to gauge his limits.

Li Changqing needed a sufficient benchmark to measure how far his post-breakthrough body was from Sun Sheng.

The journey back was swift.

His body had broken through, and he was no longer carrying the giant rock. A mere five kilometers was nothing more than a short sprint for Li Changqing, one that wouldn't even make him break a sweat.

He returned to the small waterfall.

The giant rock Sun Sheng had left still lay quietly on the ground.

Li Changqing slowly approached and reached out his right hand to touch the stone.

"The density of granite is typically around three tons per cubic meter."

His mastery of Listening to Strength allowed him to grasp the rock's center of gravity and simultaneously imprint its entire outline into his mind.

Every single hair on Li Changqing's arms was like the sensory organs on a spider's legs.

"If I count the one I had before, this rock is actually over two tons?"

Li Changqing once again felt Sun Sheng's power. Training with a two-ton rock as a weight—such a Physique was at least Lower-Rank Martial Artist, five-star!

He wrapped his arms around the giant rock. Although half a ton had been chipped away, the remaining weight was comparable to a small family car.

He exerted force with his fingers, embedding them into the rock with the infusion of Blood Essence. The moment Li Changqing tried to lift, his feet sank directly into the muddy ground.

Blood Essence circulated, and his skin, glistening, emitted a faint light.

The nearly two-ton rock began to tremble but remained firmly on the ground.

Still not enough.

Hoo—

Seeing this, Li Changqing immediately expanded his chest, drawing a large amount of air into his lungs.

Only now did the profound benefits of the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique begin to manifest.

This was an Old Technique he had comprehended himself, on par with Tai Chi, which could help him break through to the Martial Artist realm.

The greatest advantage of this breathing technique was its ability to provide powerful assistance in both cultivation and combat.

The stronger Li Changqing's Blood Essence and Physique became, the greater the benefits of this breathing technique.

Rumble—

As expected, with Li Changqing fully channeling the breathing technique, his physical condition instantly surged. The giant rock, which had stubbornly refused to leave the ground, was now lifted by him.

Nearly two tons.

Before his breakthrough, he needed the aid of Artistic Conception just to lift a 750-kilogram dummy.

Now, Li Changqing could fully support nearly two tons of weight with his physique alone.

His physical quality had nearly doubled.

He set the giant stone down.

Li Changqing then shifted his gaze to the stream beside him. Mimicking Sun Sheng's movements, he formed his hand into a blade.

After some thought, he chose a narrower section of the stream near the pool.

As he slowly circulated his Blood Essence.

The next second, he performed Drawing a Knife to Cut Water!

Crack!

The stream was severed by immense force. With over a ton of arm strength, the stream was split in two, and even the narrow riverbed was left with a long, thin scratch from Li Changqing's strike.

However, the severed stream healed itself in less than half a second.

"To achieve this, one must be able to project Blood Essence externally," Li Changqing stopped.

The key for Sun Sheng to cut the water was his externalized Blood Essence, something he couldn't do yet.

"I still need to train!" Li Changqing wasn't discouraged.

A month was a short time for others, but it was different for him.

As long as Li Changqing was willing to practice, he wouldn't be troubled by progress.

Every day, every hour, every minute, even every second.

He was improving.

He looked inward at himself.

[Tai Chi Soft Strength, Proficiency: 50%] [Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, Proficiency: 40%] [Old Technique Tai Chi (Flowing Water True Meaning): 35%] [Vitality Concentration: 15%]

Tai Chi Soft Strength was Li Changqing's only combat method and was of utmost importance, as both his grappling techniques and Tai Chi Seven Hammers originated from it.

The Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique served as both a training and combat method, its importance even surpassing Tai Chi Soft Strength.

It was ranked alongside Old Technique Tai Chi, which also boosted Blood Essence and Physique, as the top priority.

Ding—

Just then.

His phone, in its waterproof backpack, rang.

Li Changqing picked it up and saw that the caller was Kang Tianchen.

"Hello, Coach, what's up?"

"Changqing, hurry back to the martial arts hall, I've got something good!"

"Something good?" Li Changqing blinked. Had the Psionic Supply Store received new items?

He hadn't bought any since using the potions last time. The price wasn't the main factor.

The primary reason was that he'd learned online that excessive use of potions could hinder Psionic Ascension. He could improve by breaking his own limits, so he didn't need potion assistance.

Just as Li Changqing was about to politely decline, Kang Tianchen's excited voice came through the phone.

"The Youth Cup is starting next month, isn't it? The Hall Master specifically brought back a Psionic item from the capital today. Whether you're a High-Rank, Mid-Rank, or Lower-Rank Martial Artist, or even an Apprentice like you, everyone is said to gain something just by seeing it. It's truly miraculous!"

"Come back to the martial arts hall quickly, or when it gets crowded, you might not even get a chance to line up!"

Anything related to Psionic Energy was never simple.

The Hall Master of Chengtian Martial Arts School was a powerful High-Rank Martial Artist, only forty years old, and still had a chance to become a Psionic User.

Most importantly, the Hall Master's senior disciple, the personal disciple of the previous Hall Master, was the only Psionic User to emerge from Chengtian Martial Arts School.

Given the Hall Master's strength and status, any Psionic item he procured would surely hold profound secrets.

Li Changqing wasted no time packing his things. The next moment, he unleashed his full power.

He sprinted towards Rong City.

Psionic items were a realm that only High-Rank Martial Artists began to interact with.

If he missed this opportunity, he wouldn't get another!