Please, Stop Trying So Hard

Amidst the cheers, Chen Yan stood quietly.

A long-standing burden in his heart seemed to dissipate at this moment, leaving him feeling incredibly light.

An inexplicable sensation washed over his chest, and all the sounds of the outside world seemed to fade away.

Comforting, gratifying, free.

This was something he had never felt before, as if being born human was meant for the pursuit of such a state.

In Chen Yan's mind, the moment he defeated Xia Tong surfaced, and he reviewed the second he beat Zhang Qingsi.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Within the Saint Breaking Realm, golden light suddenly flickered.

[Saint Breaking Realm: Level 2 (2/15)]

[Saint Breaking Fruit:

Strength: (40/100)

Blood: (34/100)

Technique: (100/100)]

That Saint Breaking Fruit, which had previously required some progress, quietly ripened at this moment.

Chen Yan consumed this [Technique] Saint Breaking Fruit, and a surging torrent of memories instantly flooded his mind.

Within this mass of memories, Chen Yan battled the Qingju Snake, Xia Tong, and Zhang Qingsi once again.

Constantly fighting, constantly throwing punches.

Hundreds of times, thousands of times.

He could defeat Zhang Qingsi more easily and blast Xia Tong away more fiercely.

Until he absorbed the very last trace of memory, Chen Yan could shatter the thick hide of the Qingju Snake with a single punch.

This was an improvement in pure technique!

Finally, at a certain moment, what Chen Yan was familiar with was no longer just that single punching motion.

It was the entire sequence of gathering momentum, focusing strength, and throwing the punch.

It had to be this way; this specific muscle had to exert force in this manner, and the breathing frequency at this instant had to be exactly this long.

Enlightenment—it was as if he understood everything.

A single Saint Breaking Fruit, marked with the character "Skill," had actually pushed through the remaining moves of the Eight Forms of Extreme Refinement, revealing their follow-up techniques.

Meanwhile.

Outside Qingshan High, at a stir-fried noodle shop.

Chen Yuxu was covered in dust, moving the shop's tables and chairs one by one into a tricycle.

On Saturday, that balding martial officer had only said he didn't need to rush the move, but he hadn't said he wouldn't have to move at all.

The land for these shops had been granted to Zhang Ge by the order of the Town Mayor.

In Green Mountain Town, the Town Mayor and the head of the Town Martial Hall were the same person.

The balding martial officer was just a staff member; it was impossible for him to change the Town Mayor's order.

On the roadside, Hu Zeyuan walked up to the noodle shop while smoking, his expression darkening instantly.

"Bad luck."

He let out a low grunt. The day before yesterday, he had led people to break into Chen Yan's home, only to be taken back to the station by the martial officer surnamed Li, where each of them was fined five hundred.

The problem was that he had been the one to call those people over, and later, he had even compensated each of them three hundred.

As for Chen Yuxu, he felt both hatred and jealousy toward him.

After learning that the other party had managed to get on good terms with the martial officer surnamed Li, Hu Zeyuan didn't dare to make a move anymore.

It's just a Martial Officer Li, not even a martial artist, what's there to be so arrogant about?

Chen Yuxu glanced at Hu Zeyuan indifferently and ignored him.

After what happened that day, the kinship between the two families was considered completely severed; there would be no need for any contact in the future.

"Brother Zhang!"

Suddenly, Hu Zeyuan saw someone and shouted out loud, waving excitedly.

"It's me, old Hu, Hu Zeyuan! My son, Hu Yuan, is in the same class as your son, Zhang Qingsi."

Hu Zeyuan smiled obsequiously, bowing slightly as he offered a cigarette to a middle-aged man walking over, who was draped in a black suit and sporting a slicked-back hairstyle.

The man with the slicked-back hair was none other than Zhang Qingsi's father, Zhang Ge.

Usually, Zhang Ge stayed in the county, where he ran a martial arts gym and two hotels; he basically never returned to Green Mountain Town.

After striking it rich last year, Zhang Ge had arranged for his son to attend Qingshan High, which had surprised the people in the town for quite a while.

"Hu Zeyuan?" Zhang Ge raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the cigarette in Hu Zeyuan's hand but didn't take it, instead looking over at Chen Yuxu, who was still busy moving his shop.

"Chen Yuxu..." Zhang Ge murmured. He pulled a pack of clearly expensive cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and walked forward.

"Zhang Ge?" Chen Yuxu looked at the middle-aged man in the tailored suit. He felt a pang of irony; just last year, Zhang Ge had been a complete country bumpkin, but in a year's time, he had changed completely.

"What's this, moving the shop?" Zhang Ge asked with interest, exhaling a slow plume of smoke.

"Moving. Moving out today." Chen Yuxu placed a stool onto his tricycle.

"Is there something you need?"

"Nothing. Can't I just chat with you if there's nothing?" Zhang Ge grinned. "I know you're unhappy about this, but building a shopping mall here was a plan I had half a year ago. The Town Mayor was generous enough to grant me the land."

Chen Yuxu let out a dry laugh and said nothing more.

"Chen Yuxu, you've got quite the ego, don't you? Not even giving Brother Zhang the time of day?" Hu Zeyuan sneered from the side, arms crossed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Zhang Ge hadn't even acknowledged him.

Chen Yuxu frowned, shot a cold glance at Zhang Ge and Hu Zeyuan, and went back to his work.

Zhang Ge's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses. He gave a faint, indifferent laugh and said:

"Chen Yuxu, I heard your daughter was in a car accident too. It seems the Town Martial Division in the county is involved in the investigation. Any news on the culprit?"

Chen Yuxu paused. With Chen Yan and Chen Yu both suffering car accidents in succession, how could he, as a father, not be filled with rage?

There were barely any people in the entire Luoshan County who even owned private cars.

Seeing that Chen Yuxu wasn't answering him, Zhang Ge pursed his lips and continued:

"I heard your son, Chen Yan, even passed the punch strength test. It seems you've raised him well."

"Hahaha, my Hu Yuan was just a hair off," Hu Zeyuan laughed from the side. "His son is already injured to that extent. I saw him last year looking half-dead; what a pity."

A stool flew straight out from the shop, crashing down right beside Zhang Ge and Hu Zeyuan. The two men looked over to see Chen Yuxu walking out of the shop with a dark expression, picking up the broken stool and placing it onto the tricycle.

"Chen Yuxu..." A cold smirk played on Zhang Ge's lips. He didn't say anything else and simply walked away.

In the past, he and Chen Yuxu had been on very good terms, and he had received a lot of help from him.

But, things had changed.

Hu Zeyuan trotted along behind him.

"Hu Zeyuan, you two are relatives. How did things end up like this?" Zhang Ge asked as they walked.

"Hey."

Hu Zeyuan gave a disdainful laugh.

"Who would want to be relatives with a poor loser?"

"His son just passed the punch power test, he can be considered a little genius," Zhang Ge said quietly.

"A little genius my ass, he's miles behind your son."

"Still, he passed the punch power test, especially after being bedridden for a year and only recovering a few days ago..." Zhang Ge said calmly, seemingly very concerned about the fact that Chen Yan had passed the punch power test.

"Hey, the punch power test standard at Qingshan High is 160 kilograms. The school itself is trash; even a slightly better-looking piece of shit would stand out there," Hu Zeyuan laughed, then suddenly stopped himself.

It seemed he had insulted Zhang Ge's son as well, so he quickly added:

"Brother Zhang, your son is different. Awakening his blood energy—he'd be a golden talent even in the county or the city. Truly impressive."

Zhang Ge's expression improved slightly, and he continued walking forward.

Passersby looked at Zhang Ge with smiles or envy.

"Green Mountain Town, huh..." Zhang Ge gave a faint smile.

Green Mountain Town was just like this—a place of poor mountains and treacherous waters.

Lowly.

Just like this Hu Zeyuan beside him, lowly.

It was at this moment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three massive bell tolls rang out, and everyone on the entire street stopped in their tracks.

"The 23rd Qingshan High Town Martial Bonus selection has concluded!"

Principal Zhang Yue's accented voice echoed out from Qingshan High. Zhang Ge lifted his head, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

As for Hu Zeyuan, he looked at the man beside him with envy. Last year, Zhang Ge was still a country bumpkin, but starting this year, not only had he struck it rich, but his son had even awakened his blood energy.

Zhang Qingsi was definitely going to get the Town Martial Bonus; it was something he didn't even dare to dream of.

A true winner in life.

Inside the stir-fry noodle shop, Chen Yuxu, who had been moving stools, paused for a moment before slowly shaking his head and continuing his work.

The family shop was gone. Although his son had resolved their immediate financial crisis, the road ahead still had to be walked. He needed to earn enough money before his son's College Entrance Exam.

Having such a son and daughter was Chen Yuxu's good fortune, so he, Chen Yuxu, had to work hard to earn money and ensure his children wouldn't have to worry about the family.

Chen Yan was heading to the inner circle of Qingshan, even if it meant securing benefits.

But as a father, how could he feel happy thinking about that?

"Yu Zhiwen, Gao Yuan!"

The voice of Principal Zhang Yue was still ringing out, and pedestrians on the street had already begun to exclaim, sighing incessantly.

"Chen Yan!"

Suddenly.

Clatter!

The bowl in his hand fell to the ground. Chen Yuxu froze, then ran out of the fried noodle shop to look toward Qingshan High.

On the street, passersby who knew Chen Yuxu turned to look at him one after another. Their eyes were filled with surprise at first, which quickly shifted into overflowing envy.

"These three students have achieved excellent results and successfully defended their positions. They are the most outstanding students of this year's class at Qingshan High."

"They are hereby awarded a cash prize of 20,000 yuan, and may choose from other rewards as they please!"

The Principal's voice slowly faded, echoing through the street flooded with the setting sun.

Chen Yuxu opened his mouth, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face.

At the other end of the street, Zhang Ge and Hu Zeyuan stiffened. With perfect tacit understanding, the two turned their heads and looked from a distance at Chen Yuxu standing at the entrance of the fried noodle shop.

Just like that, they remained frozen in place for a long time.

"This Chen Yan, he just received the Town Martial Bonus, and he's already starting to train?"

At the entrance of the training room, watching Chen Yan throwing punches inside, Xia Tong was full of suspicion and wonder.

He felt regret in his heart; a student who could remain so unarrogant and patient was far too rare.

Yet, he hadn't noticed it before, missing out on the best opportunity to help him for no reason.

Xia Tong shook his head, his expression quite desolate, and walked away.

Chen Yan was the only one in the training room.

This was originally a room reserved for top-tier students to train in, but today, Chen Yan had been allowed inside.

Principal Zhang Yue had agreed with a face full of smiles, making Chen Yan realize once again how the adult world worked.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Chen Yan threw punch after punch, the air whistling with each strike as sweat flew like pearls.

He had come to the training room not to use the equipment, but primarily for the quiet.

Ever since he defeated Zhang Qingsi, many students had come seeking to befriend him, and even Hu Yuan had come to apologize with a flushed face.

Chen Yan disliked these things, and he looked down on them as well.

Looking forward and backward, he only wanted to see himself.

He did not know how much time had passed. Chen Yan was drenched in sweat, and the floor beneath him was soaked.

A person's limits are often easy to reach—throwing punches, standing still, or even just keeping one's eyes open.

The human body is not made of steel, at least not Chen Yan's, not yet.

His speed began to slow, and the sensation of tearing muscles intensified.

Finally, at one moment, recalling the instant he sent the Qingju Snake flying, he threw a punch.

Between his knuckles, a flash of red light emerged!

Limit Breaking Awakening—he had reached his limit time and time again, but it seemed he was still a long way off.

"What has been wrong with you lately? You've been pushing your limits constantly."

A girl's voice rang out.

"I know you're tired, and I'm tired too."

Chen Yan was stunned. He looked around, but he was the only one in the entire training room.

This voice...

Chen Yan looked ahead of him. There was a faint, barely perceptible red light in the air, and that red glow outlined a blurred figure.

"Stop training. I've been preparing for the Awakening since I was a child; you won't be able to catch up to me." The voice came from the figure again, filled with yearning.

"You might be poor. Where do you live? I'll send you money, lots of money. Go pursue the Body Tempering Path instead."

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes, slowly realizing what was happening.

Limit Breaking Awakening was a contest between people with the same innate bone structure.

Had he just pushed past his limit and made contact with someone else?

"I'm not admitting defeat. You are still a very, very long way from me. I'm not lying to you."

"But the moment you started pushing your limits, my sister made me train day and night!"

The girl's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"Limit Breaking Awakening is exhausting. After I awakened, I had to compete for the Hundred Meridians against even stronger people. Do you know Chen Min?"

The son of the Invincible Son of the Chen clan, who can sever mountains in three steps.

"After I awakened, I had to compete for the Hundred Meridians against a freak like that."

"Hey, say something. Aren't you afraid? Don't you feel desperate?"

"Hey?!"

The girl's voice gradually faded. From beginning to end, Chen Yan did not reply.

This was a scene that transcended his understanding; he didn't get it.

Therefore, he worried that if he said even a single word, the other party would find him.

Vigilance was necessary.

But awakening—that was also something that had to be done.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has just been changed!