Hong Sheng True Inheritance, Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum

What should you do when you hit a bottleneck?

Naturally, lie down and sleep like a log!

By the time the Golden Elixir had been smeared all over his body, Qin Shi was already grimacing in pain.

Once he was certain he'd reached his limit, he silently activated [Deep Sleep].

Under Old Liang's astonished, wide-eyed gaze, he fell asleep again!

Who knew how much time had passed? The sky seemed to be growing dark when the peacefully sleeping youth quietly awoke.

His young body, as if coated in gold foil, shifted slightly, making a crackling sound.

"Good thing I'm his master. Otherwise, I'd have to ask the heavens why he gets to have it so easy!"

Old Liang watched with a complicated expression. The kid had just closed and opened his eyes, and the grueling "Body Burning" that had made countless promising Old Martial Arts practitioners suffer and left deep psychological scars was already over.

Just like that?

That was so unfair!

Old Liang thought it over, then suddenly smiled with relief.

He still remembered learning martial arts from his master. His retired grandmaster had always been haughty, never satisfied with his master's performance—or his own.

Back then, he'd wondered what kind of prodigy could earn the grandmaster's approval.

It wasn't as if the old man could go find another Stone Buddha He Lanzhan!

"Now I understand. What my grandmaster wanted was a born prodigy, someone with the potential to reach the heavens and tower above all others."

Old Liang shook his head, thinking it was a pity. If he'd been born twenty years earlier and placed in his grandmaster's care as a child, he would have achieved much more.

Instead, he'd ended up with this crippled old man. What a waste.

He wasn't skilled enough and his abilities were limited; he couldn't offer much help.

Crack, crack.

The clumps of viscous paste, now hardened like gold foil, flaked away little by little, crumbling into fine powder.

Still caught between waking and sleep, Qin Shi entered a state of Internal Vision with his eyes closed.

"So the 'burning' really did bring out twelve major sinews, covering my whole body."

In his field of vision, blood-red sinews as fearsome as giant serpents began at the ends of his limbs, gathered around his joints, then ran toward his torso and head.

They were usually hidden beneath the surface, difficult to perceive. Only now, after being repeatedly stimulated by the Golden Elixir, had they slowly coalesced and appeared.

"The red and white colors are brighter, and that baby-pink Qi sensation has grown thicker, nearly two fingers wide."

Qin Shi drew in a light breath, then slowly exhaled. Large groups of muscles contracted and swelled, rippling like flowing water.

The serratus anterior muscles along either side of his ribs especially opened and closed like fish gills, tugging at his waist and abdomen. Their well-defined lines grew even clearer, giving him a beauty that was both gentle and masculine.

In this state, if he launched an attack, he could deal as much damage as the heavyweight champions from his previous life.

After all, his entire body seemed wound into a single cord, letting him unleash a terrifying amount of force. He could smash through steel plates, let alone human flesh and bone.

"The 'sinews' forged by the Golden Elixir secret medicine are long and thick, tough and strong. They don't just increase my Qi Strength; they also bind my limbs together more tightly. It almost feels like even a blade wouldn't be able to cut through them."

Qin Shi remained seated cross-legged. Warm Qi flowed through his body, and his breathing grew fainter and fainter, almost inaudible.

This mortal body, unable to escape the limits of its lifespan, aging, or illness, was now undergoing a transformation!

The long, thick, powerful blood-red sinews linked together. At a glance, they seemed like giant serpents and dragons coiled around his body, rooted in his bones and blood, radiating a fierce aura.

"So this is the 'dragon sinews' Old Liang mentioned. They're certainly intimidating. If I nurture them well, could I transform and enter a second phase?"

Qin Shi let his imagination run wild, picturing himself breaking through a certain Life Force threshold, becoming a demonic muscleman and manifesting a Martial Soul True Form in all its glory!

Before long, the dried and hardened Golden Elixir medicine had completely flaked off, revealing the young body beneath, its skin slightly flushed.

"How do you feel?"

Old Liang couldn't help asking.

He'd undergone the Golden Elixir's secret medicinal cleansing himself once, enduring the torturous agony of Body Burning. He'd never dared try it again.

It had taken him two full years of grinding away before he finally broke through the Sinew Gate limit. He hadn't managed to take his training as far as "nurturing dragon sinews."

"My hands are itching."

Qin Shi opened his eyes and answered honestly.

At that moment, he wanted to punch everything he saw, just to vent the abundant, overflowing Qi Strength surging through his body.

"Weren't you working with A'cheng and the others on North Pass Street? There are plenty of underground boxing dens there."

Old Liang smiled.

Most members of the Old Martial Arts Faction were fighting maniacs. They loved nothing more than challenging other gyms, fighting in the ring, and sparring.

Take Qi Wuxiang, one of the First Generation Ten Prodigies, known as King Qi. At twenty, he'd turned every gym and dojo in Haizhou upside down. Fortunately, he was a direct descendant of the Qi family and came from a prominent family; otherwise, someone would've ambushed him and beaten him senseless long ago.

Later, he'd gone to Jingzhou, where martial arts were extremely popular, and caused an uproar there too. He'd even fought Flying Immortal Lian Yixing when Lian was still a minor.

"Master Liang, have you been to North Pass Street?"

Qin Shi was taken aback.

"I told you, I wasn't exactly the scholarly type growing up. What could a bad student like me do after leaving school? Hang around the streets and get into fights, of course."

Old Liang didn't hide the fact that he'd once been a delinquent and a lousy student.

"Old Factory Street was crawling with gambling dens. Before the wave of layoffs, you could find cockfighting, dogfighting, and pigeon racing everywhere.

"Later, the Martial Artist craze swept across Eastern Xia. Boxing matches sprang up everywhere, and everyone loved buying tickets and placing bets in hopes of striking it rich.

"When I was young and out making my way in the world, I knew a few big brothers who fought in the ring. Unfortunately, they're all gone now."

Qin Shi was startled. He took a closer look at the unremarkable Old Liang.

He'd never have guessed his master was such an old streetwise tough!

Could he just shout on North Pass Street and summon a whole crowd of brothers armed with steel pipes and machetes?

"Underground boxing matches don't have many truly capable fighters. Anyone with a proper martial arts lineage wouldn't hole up in a place like that.

"They mostly fight dirty and use plenty of underhanded tricks. Taking drugs before a match is routine."

Old Liang recounted his past.

"I drifted through a lot of underground boxing rings. After a year or two, I got bored, bought a boat ticket to Jingzhou, and then, by a twist of fate, became a disciple and learned martial arts."

Qin Shi shook his head.

"I'm a student. How could I go to a place like that? If Eldest Sister found out, she'd definitely get mad."

It was true that after breaking through the Sinew Gate limit, finding someone to practice against was no easy task.

Training gyms in the Metropolitan Area offered dedicated sparring partners, but they charged hundreds an hour. It was too expensive!

In a place like Old Factory Street, the only reasonable opportunity for a fight was at an underground boxing ring.

Otherwise, if he went looking for trouble for no reason, he might end up in handcuffs.

But Qin Shi had no intention of doing that. He could rely on Combat Rewind to keep honing his fighting style. There was no need to put himself in that kind of situation and become a target for gamblers to bet on.

"Good. Young people are full of fire, and once they pick up some martial arts, they can't keep their hands to themselves. It's rare to see someone who can hold back that urge."

Old Liang nodded in approval.

"I've taught plenty of students. Some couldn't contain their anger even half a month after learning how to fight. They resorted to their fists over every little thing, until they picked a fight with someone they couldn't handle and got taught a lesson.

"Those who are good at swimming can drown too. The Old Martial Arts Faction doesn't just look at talent; temperament matters as well. The more restless and impatient you are, the less likely you are to catch our eye."

At the mention of North Pass Street, Qin Shi suddenly thought of Brother Ze.

He seemed to look out especially for students from No. 9 Vocational Middle School.

He'd even asked Old Liang if he'd taken Qin Shi on as a disciple.

"Master Liang, have you heard of Cheng Ze from North Pass Street?"

"I know him. He was one of the first students I taught."

Old Liang raised his eyelids, his tone flat.

"Before I met you, he was the most gifted student I'd seen at No. 9 Vocational Middle School. But he was too much like me: too hesitant, too easily held back. The Old Martial Arts path wasn't right for him.

"These past few years, his reputation on Old Factory Street has grown. I've occasionally heard friends mention him when they're drinking."

So they really did have a history. There was some connection between them.

Qin Shi understood. No wonder Brother Ze had been so friendly toward him. He'd taken Qin Shi for a "junior fellow disciple."

"From what I've seen, Brother Ze doesn't exactly have an easy life."

He told Old Liang about the few times he'd been to the Midnight Palace.

"If you get mixed up in this life, you have to be a dog if you want scraps. If you want to be a person, you have to go hungry."

Old Liang was unmoved, his heart still as water.

"There are at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, punks on Old Factory Street, and they're all like that.

"He's doing pretty well, actually. At least he became a big brother. Wherever he goes, he has a crowd of underlings around him. He's quite the big shot."

Qin Shi tactfully fell silent. It was obvious that Old Liang and Brother Ze had some unpleasant history.

"Master Liang, our Hong Sheng has a recognized name and reputation, doesn't it? Besides the training methods and fighting techniques, do we have any other powerful moves hidden away?"

He changed the subject to dispel the gloomy mood.

"Of course. The techniques you're learning now are all basic. When you face a real master, ordinary punches and kicks have too many openings to be effective."

Old Liang lifted his chin and smiled faintly.

"Among the more than a thousand martial arts schools and dojos in Jingzhou, Hong Sheng's signature finishing techniques are second to none."

Qin Shi rarely saw Old Liang so spirited. His master usually gave off a "dejected" air, like a middle-aged office worker who'd been laid off and whose wife was also threatening to divorce him.

He quickly played along.

"Master Liang, tell me more."

Old Liang ground his teeth. An astonishing radiance appeared on his ordinary, rugged face.

"You know about Hong Sheng True Inheritance, Hundred Forms Cultivating Momentum? He Lanzhan, one of the Ten Prodigies, learned this very technique!"