The Legendary Ultimate Manifest Strength!

"...Huo Danian? You're Huo Danian's son?"

The carriage firm owner revealed heartfelt astonishment.

Huo Danian's son was only nineteen. How could he be the young man before them who had wounded Old Ghost Luo?!

The tall, thin man was dumbfounded as well. Hadn't they said Manifest Strength Great Accomplishment? How had it become Manifest Strength Pinnacle? And such an absurdly ferocious Manifest Strength Pinnacle at that?!

"Yes, that's me."

Huo Yuanhong nodded, then frowned at his arm and asked, "Boss, how do I dispel Old Ghost Luo's Internal Force?"

During their exchange just now, wisps of sinister force had seeped into his arm with every collision. Even now, he could not drive them out.

"Your master never taught you? This is Yin Soft Force cultivated through Heart-Mind Unity. It already carries some of the characteristics of Dark Force..."

The carriage firm owner was somewhat surprised. He stepped forward and slapped Huo Yuanhong's arm several times, then began gently kneading it in a steady rhythm, slowly working out those wisps of sinister force.

"No, Master hasn't taught me Heart-Mind Unity yet," Huo Yuanhong said.

"He hasn't taught you Heart-Mind Unity..."

The carriage firm owner immediately fell silent, while tempestuous waves surged through his heart.

He had initially assumed that Huo Yuanhong was the sort of combat expert specially trained by his martial sect for life-and-death fights in the ring.

Even if such people had not entered Heart-Mind Unity, their extreme familiarity with that stage, along with their frequent sparring against Heart-Mind Unity experts, gave them abundant experience. It was indeed possible for them to seize the initiative while Old Ghost Luo was unprepared and suppress him all the way.

Who would have thought that Huo Yuanhong did not even know how to dispel Yin Soft Force? Clearly, his master had never taught him Heart-Mind Unity at all.

It was even very possible that this had been his first time fighting a Heart-Mind Unity expert.

Without understanding the characteristics of Heart-Mind Unity, and without ever sparring with a Heart-Mind Unity expert, he had achieved such results in his first fight...

Such talent, such battle instinct...

It was downright terrifying!

Especially since the carriage firm owner knew the Huo Family's circumstances. They absolutely could not have been like aristocratic clans that specifically nurtured battle instinct from childhood. Huo Yuanhong had likely only begun seriously practicing martial arts in recent months.

The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it became.

"If one has a son, he should be like Huo Danian's!"

The carriage firm owner sighed inwardly. The more he looked at Huo Yuanhong, the more pleased he became. His eyes brimmed with admiration, along with a faint sense of accomplishment.

After all, he could be considered someone who had watched Huo Yuanhong grow up. They had merely met rarely in recent years, and Huo Yuanhong's bearing was now worlds apart from before, which was why he had not recognized him at first glance.

In the blink of an eye, that child who had once wailed for milk, that young man who had lain bedridden after injuring himself training martial arts, had grown up.

And he was so outstanding.

So outstanding that even he felt a little jealous of Huo Danian.

"Big Brother, how about we let him come to the wagered fight on the twelfth too? He only needs to hold back those three Manifest Strength Pinnacle fighters and keep them from interfering. That might give us a few more chances of winning!"

Old Six could not help saying.

"This..."

The carriage firm owner hesitated as well.

At first, he had only thought Huo Yuanhong was an ordinary Manifest Strength Great Accomplishment fighter. Even if he came, he would not be much help and could easily get into trouble instead.

But now he realized that this was no Manifest Strength Great Accomplishment. He was clearly at Manifest Strength Pinnacle, and an invincible one at that—one fierce enough to fight someone at Heart-Mind Unity for a short time!

One such formidable man was worth three ordinary Manifest Strength Pinnacle fighters. As long as he did not involve himself in the Heart-Mind Unity battlefield and merely held back the Red Robe Society's three Manifest Strength Pinnacle fighters, nothing should happen!

"Boss, I heard you say just now that you'll be fighting the Red Robe Society on the twelfth. How strong are they?" Huo Yuanhong took the initiative to ask.

Today was the eighth. There were still three or four days until June twelfth.

"Very strong. They have three Heart-Mind Unity fighters and around ten Manifest Strength fighters. Their old society leader is even stronger than I am," the carriage firm owner said gravely.

"Then how many Heart-Mind Unity fighters does the Chauffeur's Association have?" Huo Yuanhong asked.

"Only two—Old Six and me. We also have five or six Manifest Strength fighters," the carriage firm owner answered honestly.

"Then... don't you have very little chance of winning?" Huo Yuanhong frowned.

"Very little," the carriage firm owner said bluntly. "Of course, with you joining us now, perhaps we have one or two chances out of ten."

Huo Yuanhong was speechless. After a long silence, he finally said, "You're still fighting when you have no chance of winning?"

The carriage firm owner fell silent for a moment, sighed, and gave a bitter smile. "There's no choice. Even if we don't want to fight, we have to!"

"Three days ago, our men accidentally discovered a stalk of Tiger Blood Grass. That is top-grade Great Medicine for the Heart-Mind Unity stage. If I consume it, I can advance further, and the Chauffeur's Association can escape its current predicament of near destruction under the joint suppression of several gangs..."

"Unfortunately, the news leaked. Red Robe Society experts came to intercept and kill them. By the time I arrived, half the Tiger Blood Grass had already been taken. If my men had not been cautious enough to split it in two and transport the halves separately, I fear all of it would have fallen into the Red Robe Society's hands..."

"And that fellow from the Red Robe Society also wants to advance further. Afraid that I would simply destroy the remaining half, he arranged a wagered fight with me. Whichever side wins gets the Tiger Blood Grass!"

"I know the odds of victory are slim, but even if I refuse the wagered fight, the Chauffeur's Association will not last much longer. It will be finished sooner or later. We might as well gamble once. If we win, the sea will be broad and the sky high!"

The carriage firm owner sighed.

"At the wagered fight in a few days, leave the strongest Red Robe Society leader to me," Huo Yuanhong said after pondering for a moment.

For so many years, this plump man before him had taken great care of his family. He had also heard some of it from his father.

It could be said that without the powdered milk the man had secretly sent back then, without the injury medicine he had secretly delivered back then, there would be no Huo Yuanhong today.

Such debts of gratitude had to be repaid!

The carriage firm owner was stunned for a moment, then laughed helplessly. "It's fine. You only need to deal with the Red Robe Society's Manifest Strength fighters. Old Six and I will hold off the Heart-Mind Unity fighters. It has not reached the point where we need young people like you to risk your lives...

"If Old Six and I lose, run immediately. Do not hesitate."

In his view, Huo Yuanhong had yet to come into contact with powers such as Mental Strength and Fist Intent. Even at the fastest, he would not enter Heart-Mind Unity until next year.

It was already quite impressive that he could barely exchange a few moves with a veteran Heart-Mind Unity fighter like Old Ghost Luo. How could he truly involve himself in a life-or-death melee among multiple Heart-Mind Unity experts?

"Speaking of which, your Manifest Strength seems to have been trained nearly to its limit. Why hasn't your master taught you Mental Strength and Fist Intent yet? Those are the foundations of Heart-Mind Unity... Forget it, he must have his own plans. It would not be right for me to teach you in his place without permission..."

The carriage firm owner shook his head.

Huo Yuanhong was slightly silent. Was it possible that his master had simply never imagined that after being away for two days, his disciple would already be close to training Manifest Strength to its limit?

"By the way, Boss, my Manifest Strength has now reached its pinnacle. Is there still a road ahead, or can I only begin Heart-Mind Unity?" Huo Yuanhong recalled his previous training and asked.

"Your Manifest Strength... can it still be tempered further?" The carriage firm owner was slightly taken aback.

"It feels like it's still a little short," Huo Yuanhong said.

"...Ordinarily, someone at your level of Manifest Strength Pinnacle should begin Heart-Mind Unity. But..."

After pondering for a moment, the carriage firm owner said, "I once heard my master say that Manifest Strength Pinnacle may not be the end of Manifest Strength. It is merely that the talent of the vast majority only allows them to reach that point, so it is called Manifest Strength Pinnacle..."

"Yet there are an extremely few people blessed with extraordinary talent who can reach Manifest Strength's true ultimate limit. But that is far too difficult. Even peerless geniuses cannot accomplish it..."

"It is said that if one trains any realm—Manifest Strength, Dark Force, or Transformation Strength—to its absolute limit, it means one can break through to above Transformation Strength!"

"Most of the martial arts freaks above Transformation Strength in the present age are said to have only reached the end of one realm. That alone is enough to show how difficult it is!"

"In truth, forget the ultimate limit of Manifest Strength. As long as one can take even a tiny step further after Manifest Strength Pinnacle and temper oneself a little closer to the ultimate, one already counts as an astonishing peerless genius! And that often requires ten or even a hundred times the effort, spending more than ten months—or even longer—carefully polishing oneself!"

The carriage firm owner shook his head with emotion.

The way he looked at Huo Yuanhong also carried some astonishment. Clearly, he believed Huo Yuanhong might be that sort of remarkable peerless genius, capable of tempering himself a little further beyond Manifest Strength Pinnacle.

Even if he could not reach the ultimate, it would lay a far firmer foundation for the future!

"What if every realm were brought to its absolute limit?" Huo Yuanhong felt that this did not seem difficult at all. Half a day should be enough.

"Hahahaha..."

The carriage firm owner could not help laughing. Still, he understood. Young people were always high-spirited and arrogant, always believing they could reach the very peak—just as he had in his youth.

"How about this? Let me tell you about someone. Divine Spear Li Shuxing. Legend says that he reached the ultimate limit in both Dark Force and Transformation Strength. That made him far stronger than other fighters above Transformation Strength, until the top experts of all Jin Gate could barely breathe under his pressure. He became the sole supreme master in 'One Supreme, Two Heroes, Thirteen Protectors—None Can Match Him.'

"As for reaching the ultimate limit in every realm—if someone could truly do that, he would be a myth of the present age, a living legend! Taking an enemy commander's head amid ten thousand troops, cradling a king's head in one hand, carrying a blade out from the forbidden palace!

"The last person suspected of reaching the ultimate in every realm was True Man Zhang, who had dominated the world three hundred years ago!

"If another such myth appeared, that one person alone could kill until the aristocratic clans and powerful families trembled in fear, and reverse the great tide of the Commoner Faction's ban on martial arts!"

The carriage firm owner joked with a smile, "Young man, want to give it a try?"

"I was just asking." Huo Yuanhong chuckled, then looked around. "Is there somewhere here to train?"

That fierce and satisfying battle just now had given him many insights. He had to digest them quickly while the feeling was still fresh.

"There is. Come with me."

The carriage firm owner led Huo Yuanhong to a quiet chamber beneath the carriage firm. All kinds of weapons were displayed inside, every one of them sharpened.

"Train however you like. The walls and pillars have all been reinforced, so you do not need to worry about collapsing anything."

"Alright."

Huo Yuanhong did not stand on ceremony. He directly grabbed a sharpened spear and gave it a few shakes. It felt too light, so he picked up a heavier one beside it instead. After weighing it in his hands a few times, he nodded in satisfaction.

This one!

Then he found a stack of rice paper, hung it on the wall, and thrust out with his spear!

Screech!

Nine sheets of rice paper remained unbroken, while the tenth was only barely lacking.

Baji Quan (591/600)

That real battle just now had lasted only five or six breaths, but he had gained tangible benefits from it.

Through the verification of actual combat, his grasp of Baji Quan's Manifest Strength had taken another great step forward, increasing by 21 points!

Now, he was already very close to the ultimate limit of Manifest Strength.

In terms of mastery over Manifest Strength, he had actually surpassed most people. After all, most Martial Persons chose to force a breakthrough as soon as they reached Manifest Strength Pinnacle, at 540/600.

"Again!"

Huo Yuanhong continued training. His mastery over Manifest Strength grew ever deeper as he approached the absolute limit.

Time gradually passed, until at a certain instant, a feeling of perfection arose within his heart.

"Now!"

As this spear thrust out, the Internal Force throughout his entire body seemed to fuse completely into one, condensing into a single point and erupting as the fiercest, most tyrannical force of pure yang!

Screech!

The spearhead smoothly pierced through all ten sheets of rice paper, then sank into the wall without the slightest resistance, penetrating a full two inches deep!

Looking closely, not only were all ten sheets of rice paper free of excess damage, even the point where the spear tip entered the wall looked as though it had been polished out with a small knife. There was almost no excess force spilling outward!

The ultimate limit of Manifest Strength...

It was achieved!

Baji Quan (Manifest Strength 600/600)

Looking at the prompt that appeared before him, joy surged through Huo Yuanhong's heart.

In less than ten days, he had gone from an ordinary person who had not even touched the threshold of Manifest Strength to an expert at the ultimate limit of Manifest Strength, surpassing ninety-nine percent of all Manifest Strength fighters!

The accomplished came first. As he was now, he was qualified to be respectfully called "Master Huo"!

With his current ultimate Manifest Strength and his method of concentrating all Internal Force into a single point before erupting, if he caught Old Ghost Luo off guard like before, he might well break the old man's arm!

"Hungry, so hungry..."

After stepping into the ultimate limit of Manifest Strength, waves of uncontrollable hunger wildly surged from every corner of his body.

When he had previously begun moving from Manifest Strength Pinnacle toward the ultimate limit, his body had already felt hunger, but it had not been so intense. Using more of Spring Return Hall's ordinary Manifest Strength secret medicine had been enough to suppress it.

But now that he had completely reached the ultimate limit of Manifest Strength and trained the force throughout his body into a unified whole, the hunger had become especially intense. Even swallowing several mouthfuls of medicinal paste could not suppress it.

"I'm depleted... Reaching the ultimate consumed too much. My body has suffered severe depletion, and I need stronger secret medicine to replenish it!"

He had consulted Spring Return Hall's physicians before. He knew that the root cause of this hunger was that he had trained too quickly and too fiercely, while his nourishment had failed to keep up, resulting in bodily depletion.

He needed to consume suitable Great Medicine within a short time to make up for the depletion before continuing his training. Otherwise, he might damage his foundation and create hidden dangers that could not be reversed.

But Spring Return Hall did not possess such rare Great Medicine, and the carriage firm was even less likely to have it. Such things were all controlled by aristocratic clans and Martial Arts Halls backed by aristocratic clans.

"Fortunately, the small inter-hall competition is coming soon. The prize for first place is Great Medicine like Crimson Refining Paste, which should replenish my bodily depletion! And with my current strength, taking first place will be effortless!"

"Time to go back!"

"I accidentally punched a hole in this wall. They probably won't make me pay for it... right?"

Huo Yuanhong set down the spear and strode toward the quiet chamber's exit.

"Big Brother, why don't we make a wager? How long do you think Huo Yuanhong will need to temper his Manifest Strength until it is just a little closer to the ultimate? I bet only two months! Let's see whose guess is closer!"

Outside the quiet chamber, the tall, thin man seemed bored as he smiled and spoke to the carriage firm owner...