True Combined Strength - Introduction

As he pressed toward a goal, time always seemed to pass incredibly quickly.

The sun rose and set, and just like that, a day went by.

The moon waxed and waned, waned and waxed, and in the blink of an eye, another month had passed.

Over the past month, Shen Fan had shifted the focus of his training to True Combined Strength. Compared to Savage Bull Fist, True Combined Strength was undoubtedly much easier to master.

Given Shen Fan's current aptitude, it would take him at least another half a year to advance his Savage Bull Fist from beginner to Minor Accomplishment!

But he felt he would master True Combined Strength very soon.

That night, the moon shone bright amid a sparse scattering of stars. The other apprentices had long since left the training grounds, but Shen Fan was still tirelessly practicing True Combined Strength.

Over the past month or so, Shen Fan had truly reached the realm of a Cultivation Maniac. He trained not only during the day, but also slipped out of the dormitory every night to spend two hours practicing in a secluded corner of the grounds!

The feeling of making progress every moment was simply too intoxicating to resist.

Once, twice, three times, four times, five times...

After practicing more than a dozen times, inspiration suddenly struck Shen Fan. He felt that his practice of True Combined Strength had touched a bottleneck.

He knew that as long as he broke through this bottleneck, he would have mastered the technique!

At the thought, Shen Fan's energy and focus surged once more. He recited the key principles of True Combined Strength in his mind, striving to understand them deeply.

He kept correcting the movements of his hands. Before long, he felt a change within himself: the faint trace of qi and blood in his body suddenly sprang to life, then circulated throughout him alongside the technique.

At last, carried along by that tiny trace of qi and blood, Shen Fan mastered True Combined Strength!

The instant he did, the qi and blood in his body increased by a tiny amount, nourishing his skin even faster!

After finishing his practice, Shen Fan let out a long breath.

Looking at the Attribute Panel, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 11 (Slightly Talented)

Lifespan: 43

Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Beginner), True Combined Strength (Beginner)

Realm: None

The panel had clearly changed.

After mastering True Combined Strength, Shen Fan's lifespan had increased by another three years, but his aptitude had risen by only two points. Compared to last time, the increase was undoubtedly much smaller!

And the pattern behind the gains left Shen Fan somewhat baffled.

He had assumed that every additional year of lifespan would bring one point of aptitude, but it seemed that wasn't the case—or at least, not always.

It seemed he still had a lot to figure out about how the panel worked.

But Shen Fan quickly stopped dwelling on the question, because he had already begun to feel the effect of the panel improving his aptitude.

The instant his aptitude changed on the panel, Shen Fan clearly sensed a special energy welling up around him. As if summoned, it surged into his body.

It was as if he had returned to his mother's embrace. Shen Fan felt a deep warmth throughout his entire body.

But the sensation came and went in a flash. When Shen Fan opened his eyes, he suddenly felt as though something sticky coated his face.

He reached out to touch it, only to find the same stuff covering his body.

Helpless, Shen Fan forced his eyes open—and discovered that he was now a greasy mess, his entire body wrapped in a layer of blackish-yellow grime.

Suppressing his disgust, Shen Fan hurried to the well, hauled up a large bucket of water, and took a thoroughly refreshing bath.

Once he had cleaned himself off, Shen Fan immediately noticed the dramatic changes in his body!

His muscles, bones, and skin were clearly stronger. He had even grown two centimeters taller, and the qi and blood in his body had gone from two tiny threads to a small stream—nearly several times what it had been!

His senses had grown sharper, and it felt as though a shackle had been lifted from his mind. His thoughts were noticeably quicker.

Suddenly, Shen Fan thought of something and immediately performed a set of Savage Bull Fist.

Sure enough, after one set, he could clearly feel that his training speed had increased by another great leap!

When his aptitude had been five points, one set of Savage Bull Fist had earned him one experience point. When it reached nine, each set earned him two. Now his aptitude stood at eleven. Though it had risen by only two points, every set earned him five experience points!

His gains had more than doubled. Shen Fan was overjoyed.

"Looks like ten aptitude is a threshold. Once you cross it, a whole new world opens up!"

Shen Fan felt he understood a great deal more.

Looking at the "Slightly Talented" aptitude rating on the panel, he felt that all the hardships he had endured these past days had been worth it!

Shen Fan stopped and decided to head back and rest, as a reward for his tremendous progress.

Besides, after his aptitude had reached "Slightly Talented," he could clearly feel that his future training speed would far surpass that of ordinary people.

As long as he kept up his daily training, he was confident he could break through to Skin Refining within a month and become a true Martial Artist!

Another month passed like this. During that time, no one noticed anything unusual about Shen Fan. Only a few apprentices who were close to him vaguely sensed that his presence was growing stronger and stronger.

He seemed close to a breakthrough!

They didn't think much of it, merely remarking that Shen Fan's hard work had finally paid off. After all, over the past few months, his reputation as a "Cultivation Maniac" had become deeply ingrained!

And today, Shen Fan finally seized the fleeting opportunity to break through.

As morning practice was about to end, Shen Fan was still practicing the Savage Bull Fist he knew best. Just as he was nearing the end of the set, he suddenly felt the qi and blood throughout his body boil.

His surging qi and blood relentlessly tempered his skin, greatly increasing its toughness.

Shen Fan could even hear the blood flowing through his body, like a great river rushing on without end.

Finally, stimulated by the Savage Bull Fist, the qi and blood inside Shen Fan grew more and more lively. The tempering of his skin was complete at last!

The moment he finished the set, Shen Fan clearly felt the change in his body—he had achieved Skin Refining!

Without the slightest hesitation, and with no intention of hiding his progress, Shen Fan knew that becoming a disciple of the Martial Hall would give him more time to train as well as access to more resources.

For a martial artist, having resources and having none were two entirely different things. So Shen Fan still planned to compete for a place!

Just as Liu Zhen was about to leave, Shen Fan called out to him. "Senior Brother Liu, I think I just broke through!"

As soon as he spoke, every apprentice on the training grounds turned to look at Shen Fan.

"What? What did that guy just say?"

"Breakthrough? Maybe he just mastered a technique?"

"Yeah, yeah. It can't be that he broke through to Martial Artist, right? That takes a technique at Minor Accomplishment!"

"I think I know him. He's a Cultivation Maniac who's been at Ox Demon Martial Arts School for over a year!"

"Ah—so he's been here that long? He's an old student, then. Guess his aptitude isn't much!"

"Exactly. He's only just mastered a technique, and he dares to bother Senior Brother Liu? He really doesn't know his place..."

As the apprentices around them chattered, Liu Zhen's expression darkened a little. As a Bone Forging Martial Artist, he had naturally heard what they were saying.

"What did you break through? Don't mess around with me!" Liu Zhen had little faith in Shen Fan, either.

"Skin Refining, of course. I've already reached the level of a Skin Refining Martial Artist. Please test me, Senior Brother Liu!"

Shen Fan spoke calmly and with dignity, paying no attention to the apprentices' sneers.

In the eyes of ordinary people, geniuses were out of reach. So when a genius achieved something, they could only admire and praise them.

But when someone much like themselves made progress they hadn't, they would show another face. Mockery was the least of it; stabbing someone in the back wasn't out of the question!

After all, envy often grew between people who weren't all that different.

The apprentices below started up their chatter again, but Liu Zhen paid them no heed. He hurried over to Shen Fan and clamped his fingers tightly around Shen Fan's hand.

Shen Fan felt as though a pair of iron claws had seized him, while he himself was utterly powerless to resist.

But he didn't need to resist.

Liu Zhen's brow furrowed. He examined Shen Fan carefully, yet didn't let go right away.

An apprentice beside Shen Fan, Zhou Yang, seemed to realize something. He immediately jumped out and said, "Ha! I knew it! How could a guy like you possibly break through Skin Refining and become a Martial Artist?"

"My aptitude is better than yours. I mastered my fist technique half a year ago, but even today I still haven't reached Minor Accomplishment!

"That proves you're just trying to deceive us. Fine, deceiving us is one thing, but today you've even gone and fooled Senior Brother Liu. I think you—"

Zhou Yang looked utterly righteous, as if he had Shen Fan all figured out. But before he could finish, Liu Zhen cut him off.

"Quiet! When did this junior brother ever deceive me? Don't go shooting your mouth off!"

A glint flashed in Liu Zhen's eyes. He immediately put on a beaming smile and said to Shen Fan, "I haven't learned your name yet, junior brother. May I ask—"

"You're too kind, Senior Brother. I'm Shen Fan!"

"Shen Fan? Good! Brother Shen is indeed a man of his word!

"But you've been far too modest all this time. You haven't only just broken through. The qi and blood in your body surpass those of an ordinary Skin Refining Martial Artist!

"You must have been keeping your progress under wraps for quite a while, right?"

Liu Zhen acted as if they were old friends. He even winked at Shen Fan, wearing an expression that said he had seen right through him.

But Shen Fan said nothing more, simply maintaining his calm expression.

In any case, his place as a Martial Hall disciple was secure. As for the rest, there was no point in explaining; it would only waste his breath.

Seeing Shen Fan like this only strengthened Liu Zhen's conviction. He shot Zhou Yang a glare, then warmly led Shen Fan away.

The apprentices around them looked at Zhou Yang, still rooted to the spot, and gave him pitying looks.

"How could he have surpassed me so suddenly, when he used to be weaker than I was?

"Could hard work really be that effective?"

Zhou Yang looked as if he were questioning his entire life, but what followed was a deep sense of dread.

He had already offended Shen Fan, and now Shen Fan had become an official disciple of the Martial Hall. Wouldn't it be easy for him to make Zhou Yang's life difficult?

Imagining how miserable his life might be from now on, Zhou Yang wished he could slap himself twice.

How had he suddenly lost his head and run out like an idiot to offend someone? He'd never normally do something like that!

All he could say was that envy really could make a person unrecognizable, robbing him of his reason.

Shen Fan didn't care at all that Zhou Yang was wallowing in deep regret. As for taking revenge on him, that was even less likely. He was just an ordinary person Shen Fan had surpassed. What was there to hold against him?

If a dog barked at you, did you have to hunt it down and kill it? There was no need at all. Wouldn't it be better to spend that time practicing and improving your realm?

After all, Shen Fan was a man who had set longevity as his modest little goal!