Testing Strength (Please Follow and Read)

Then.

He stood side-on, legs spread apart and slightly bent, his weight evenly distributed.

His left hand was clenched into a fist before him, the knuckles facing upward and back. His right hand guarded the side of his face, level with the tip of his nose. His chin was slightly tucked, his gaze focused.

Huff!

He stepped forward. The sinews and bones in his body twisted into a single force, passing through his waist, traveling along his spine, and reaching his arm as he drove out a punch.

Bang!

The rubber impact panel immediately caved in, leaving a clear fist print. The print slowly rebounded until it returned to normal.

At the same time, a string of numbers appeared on the display above.

211 kg!

It was an astonishing number, reaching the third stage of the Silver Fist Class.

But it was still far from the Gold Fist level, and far behind Sims's result from earlier.

Hu Qi was not surprised by this.

The higher one climbed, the harder it became to increase and improve one's strength.

When it came to mastery of Comprehensive Combat Technique, perhaps even Sims and the coach would not be his match.

Although improving Combat Technique could boost one's strength, the increase was limited.

Its main focus lay in techniques for exerting force, striking, defending, and so on.

With that thought, Hu Qi raised his hand and threw another punch.

This time, he used the force-generation technique of Cannon Fist.

The number changed again.

234 kg!

"Not bad!"

Hu Qi glanced at it, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Though the increase was only a little over twenty kilograms, it was already quite good.

After all, he had gone from an ordinary person to his current level in less than a month.

The so-called fairness of the world had always been nothing more than a surface illusion.

Some people did not study or do homework, yet still ranked first in the class.

Some stared at their phones every day, yet their eyesight still tested at 5.2.

Sims had been born with divine strength.

But what did that amount to compared with his own "cheating" and "hard work"? As long as he was given a little time, surpassing him would not be a problem at all.

Besides, he had discovered that once something was improved, the panel gave it a once-certified, forever-certified effect. There was no such thing as physical fitness and skills declining after going too long without training.

As for Sims, if they really fought, the outcome was still uncertain.

After all, it was not true that whoever had greater strength would definitely win.

If that were the case, why compare Combat Technique at all? They might as well simply compare who was stronger.

Technique, reaction speed, agility, and resistance to blows were equally important in battle.

Hu Qi swept his gaze around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he reached out and cleared the number on the screen before turning and leaving.

Bzzz!

Beside the bed, the screen of the charging phone lit up, and an alarm like a rushing tide suddenly rang through the quiet rental apartment.

Slap!

A sturdy, powerful arm with distinct knuckles reached out from beneath the blanket and skillfully shut off the alarm.

Then Hu Qi sat up from the bed, interlaced his fingers, raised his hands above his head, and stretched lazily.

The quilt slipped from his body, revealing a muscular upper torso traced with smooth, defined lines.

Hu Qi's eyes were clear.

He looked at the air conditioner on the wall, which was blasting cold air and displaying 23 degrees.

He casually picked up the remote and turned it off.

He walked to the window and drew open the curtains. The pitch-black night sky was fading away, and a faint white line had appeared in the east.

He picked up his phone and checked the time.

5:50.

Seeing this, Hu Qi put on some clothes and left the residential complex.

He followed the roadside all the way to a park several hundred meters away.

Early in the morning.

In the park, the faint figures of elderly men and women who had begun their exercise could be seen walking and strolling about.

At this hour, most young people were still asleep after staying up late working overtime.

The elderly, on the other hand, went to bed early and generally rose early as well.

The park was large, with a heart-shaped lake at its center.

Rows of willow trees had been planted along its banks, their slender, tender green branches hanging low.

Some lightly brushed the lake's surface. When the breeze came, it stirred the willow branches and sent rings of ripples spreading across the water.

After doing some simple stretches, Hu Qi began jogging slowly along the red rubber path surrounding the lake.

Huff... inhale...

As he ran, he breathed in a steady rhythm. At the same time, his arms were bent before him, occasionally swinging out as he punched and kicked while running.

This was a Combat Technique training method that could temper his physique.

Hu Qi had originally planned to train with night runs. It was quietest then, and not nearly as stiflingly hot.

But thinking of the strange creature lurking in the darkness, he could only settle for the next best thing and choose daytime instead.

With that thought, he looked at the empty space before him.

Soft Palm (Minor Mastery)

Crane Leg (Minor Mastery)

White Ape Fist (Proficient)

Of these three Combat Techniques, Soft Palm was a technique of grappling and wrestling.

As its name suggested, Crane Leg was a Combat Technique focused on legwork. Once mastered, it would improve one's speed and evasive ability.

White Ape Fist was the fist technique Hu Qi had seen before, a Combat Technique created by imitating great apes. It took the bearing of apes and monkeys, its punches fierce and agile, making it suitable for actual combat. The Cannon Fist of Comprehensive Combat Technique had been created from Spirit Ape Probing Claw, one of its moves.

Hu Qi had obtained all of these from Chen Wu.

Of the three, two had reached the Minor Mastery level.

During this time, Hu Qi had not used Modification Points to improve them. He had relied solely on his own effort.

Because he had discovered something.

After raising Comprehensive Combat Technique to Perfection, the Coordination trait he awakened was enormously helpful in cultivating Combat Technique.

This coordination allowed him to control every part of his body, making them work together in time, space, and force, coordinating as one to efficiently, accurately, and smoothly complete a given movement.

Like the breathtaking poses displayed by some acrobats.

Combat Technique was the same.

On top of that, Comprehensive Combat Technique itself already possessed the foundation of other Combat Techniques.

All these factors combined were what allowed Hu Qi to progress so rapidly in only a few days.

Very soon, time passed second by second.

As the sun rose, the thin morning mist gradually dispersed.

In the direction of the sunrise, layer upon layer of halos overlapped, beautiful beyond compare.

The coolness that had belonged to the night faded away, and a dry heat gradually rose.

The number of people in the park also gradually increased.

Hu Qi stopped his jogging training of punching and kicking.

At this moment, his tank top had been soaked through with sweat and clung tightly to his sturdy body. His sharply defined abs and chest muscles were clearly visible.

The physical changes and transformation in spirit brought about by his recent Combat Technique training had even made his formerly unremarkable face more handsome.

As he walked down the street, he naturally drew repeated glances from some young women.

Some bolder ones even approached him directly to ask for his contact information.

But Hu Qi politely declined them all.

He walked up to a breakfast shop and sat down. Just after placing his order—

The phone in his pocket chimed.

Hu Qi took out his phone and swiped open the screen.

At the very top was a private message notification from a forum.