Perfected Iron Wire Fist

Ten-plus minutes later, Xu Feng stood in the stairwell, chewing hard on half a compressed biscuit, his jaw aching from the effort.

The backpack on his shoulders was heavy, stuffed with over a hundred compressed biscuits in different flavors, the wrappers rustling with a faint sound as they rubbed together.

He glanced down at the torn-open package in his hand, his heart aching as he sucked in a sharp breath.

"A single lousy compressed biscuit costs ten bucks. Damn capitalists, you win!"

This whole backpack of biscuits had cost him over a thousand bucks.

He'd saved up for so long, his total savings barely over three thousand, and now a third of it was gone in one go.

(Setting: Country H's currency has the same purchasing power as present-day RMB.)

Clutching his financial pain, Xu Feng returned home, greeted his parents in the living room, then dove straight into his room and locked the door behind him.

On the floor of his room, a bucket of mineral water stood quietly, surrounded by a pile of torn-open compressed biscuit wrappers. Xu Feng sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and the Attribute Panel reappeared:

[Name: Xu Feng]

[Breakthrough Points: 8]

[Iron Wire Fist: Mastery]

"Add points!"

The moment those two words settled in his mind, the figure identical to him in his thoughts suddenly moved, as if pressed on fast-forward. The forms of Iron Wire Fist rapidly cycled through at a speed too fast for the eye to catch.

Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times!

A full ten thousand repetitions, until the final closing move, when the figure slowly faded away.

The moment the practice ended, a tidal wave of hunger crashed over him again.

Xu Feng didn't dare delay. With his left hand, he grabbed a compressed biscuit and shoved it into his mouth, while his right hand simultaneously lifted the water bucket and poured it down his throat. The crunch of chewing and the gurgle of swallowing cold water wove together, the only sound in the room.

Only after downing over fifty compressed biscuits did that hollowing hunger finally subside.

Xu Feng slowly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam suddenly flashing in them—piercing and keen, like a top-tier martial artist who had immersed himself in the way for decades, with none of his former sickly appearance left.

He looked down at his body. The muscles on his arms bulged high, but not in the exaggerated, knotted way of a gym enthusiast. Instead, the lines were smooth and incredibly lean, clearly brimming with explosive power like thunder.

Eight-pack abs lined his stomach neatly, and the muscles from his thighs to his waist formed perfect, streamlined curves, full of the beauty of strength.

Who would have thought that half an hour ago, he was a scrawny weakling who'd fall over in a breeze?

"This is a man's true romance!"

Xu Feng clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within him, his face filled with shock and ecstasy.

In terms of pure physical ability, he could now definitely rank among the top tier just below Hunters.

Add in the perfected Iron Wire Fist...

An ordinary E-class Hunter or E-class Demonic Beast probably wouldn't be a match for him!

After all, Iron Wire Fist had never been some flashy, showy technique.

Back in the era before the dungeons descended, it was a genuine killing art—every move ruthless, striking vital points.

"Two-character clamping goat stance!"

Xu Feng barked, his legs suddenly planting firmly, his feet gripping the floor like ancient tree roots—the foundational stance of Iron Wire Fist.

Then, fists shot out like dragons!

His fists churned and wove before him, sometimes like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, striking out with a whistling gale!

Other times like a serpent flicking its tongue, cunning and agile, spiraling and shifting.

A full set of the fist technique flowed like clouds and water, seamless and complete, as if he had immersed himself in it for decades, carving the essence of Iron Wire Fist into his very marrow.

He withdrew his fists and stood still, looking at the Breakthrough Points reset to zero on the Attribute Panel, a trace of regret passing through his heart.

Beyond perfection must be the realm that truly surpasses human limits, right?

That was the domain that truly belonged to the supernatural!

"Hunters, Demonic Beasts... with just this little power, I'm still far from enough."

The excitement on Xu Feng's face gradually faded, the heat in his heart cooling bit by bit as he regained his calm.

"Since Breakthrough Points only increase after witnessing a Demonic Beast's death..." A glint flickered in his eyes, and a thought quietly surfaced. "Then from now on, I'll have to find a way through that."

Xu Feng moved his finger, quickly flipping open his phone and pulling up Z City's local forum.

The forum's front page was a mess of posts, jumbled together—

"Senior year review materials for sale in bulk, DM if interested."

"In-city massage, good looks, starting at three thousand."

"Captain Pu leads B-class raid team, successfully conquers newly appeared B-class dungeon!"

"Double dungeon appears in S City, only five survivors!!!"

Xu Feng swiped past these irrelevant posts, his gaze locked onto a few threads related to dungeons.

The most eye-catching one was the latest update on the teleportation portal near his home:

"The D-class Dungeon 'Octopus Nest' has been cleared. Citizens are advised to be aware: over a dozen E-class Octopus Monsters have escaped in the chaos. The government has organized Hunter teams to conduct a thorough search of the city's sewer system."

"E-class Demonic Beast..."

Xu Feng's eyes suddenly lit up, a surge of uncontrollable excitement welling up in his heart.

Monster escapes weren't actually that rare—mostly low-grade E or D-class varieties, and relatively small in size.

Back in the day, if he saw news like this, he'd steer clear, not even daring to get near a sewer.

He was terrified of dying.

But now, things were different.

"If I had a decent weapon, with my current physical condition, taking on an E-class Demonic Beast one-on-one shouldn't be a problem."

Xu Feng stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, then thought of another path.

"But before that, maybe I should ask Dad first.

He's been in the monster material business for years, often following teams into dungeons. He must have seen plenty of Hunters fighting beasts.

If I could tag along with him, even without fighting myself, I could steadily earn Breakthrough Points."

Decision made, Xu Feng immediately got up, pushed open his bedroom door, and poked half his head out to look into the living room.

"Dad!" he called out loudly. "When you guys buy and sell monster materials, do you need an extra hand? Tomorrow's Saturday, right? I want to come along and see the ropes—consider it an early start on the family business!"

"Get out of here! What do you know, you little brat!" Xu Shan didn't even look up, waving his hand dismissively. "You're a senior in high school. Instead of studying at home, you're messing around with this nonsense? Focus on getting into a good college—that's what matters. Don't get mixed up in the dungeon mess."

"That's right, Xiao Feng." Second Uncle chimed in to dissuade him, his face full of seriousness. "Don't think your dad and I made some money from this business—it's all earned with our lives! A few years back, we nearly lost our lives in dungeons several times."

"I'll just watch from the sidelines, I won't go in!" Xu Feng wasn't giving up, quickly adding, "I've grown up without even seeing what a dungeon looks like..."

"Don't even think about it!" Xu Shan slapped his thigh in anger, fuming. "You get into a good college and find a stable job, and your dad won't have to risk his life every day! Get back to your room and study! You're a senior, and your mind's still this wild—what kind of nonsense is that!"

Xu Feng was left speechless, could only sulkily pull his head back, and "click" the door shut.

He leaned against the door, letting out a helpless sigh. "Looks like that path is a dead end."

In the living room.

Xu Shan stared at the closed door, shook his head helplessly, and muttered under his breath, "This little brat is trying to drive me to an early grave, isn't he?"

As he spoke, he unconsciously straightened his back. Beneath his clothes, on his back and chest, several vicious scars were faintly visible.

Those were wounds left by monsters ambushing him while he followed clearing teams into dungeons to help harvest materials—every single one had nearly cost him his life.

Second Uncle Yang Hu wasn't much better off; the scars on his body were no fewer than Xu Shan's.

They knew too well how hard this line of work was—one misstep and it was utter ruin. That's why they refused to let their younger generation wade into this mess.

"Come to think of it..." Yang Hu stared at the door, his brow slightly furrowed, a hint of doubt in his tone. "I feel like Xiao Feng's kid seems a bit different? When he stood at the door just now, that aura of his faintly reminded me of that Iron Wire Fist master I met years ago."

"Him?" Xu Shan snorted, teasing, "I think you got scared out of your wits in the dungeon yesterday. Now everyone looks like a ferocious monster to you."

"Bullshit!" Yang Hu snapped, his neck stiffening as he retorted, "When the hell have I ever been scared out of my wits? Yesterday, facing that monster ambush, I was calm and collected, not a flicker of fear!"

"Keep bragging." Xu Shan shot him a sidelong glance, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "I know exactly which pair of underwear you secretly washed last night."

"You son of a..."

Yang Hu's face flushed bright red in an instant. He choked for a long moment before forcing out through gritted teeth, "That was monster blood! I accidentally splashed it on my pants—it's not what you think!"

Xu Shan let out a cold laugh and spat out two words: "Heh, sure."

Yang Hu: "(╬￣皿￣)凸"

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