Come, Strike Me with Your Palm

Inside the guest room.

The lamplight flickered.

Sun Yu sat cross-legged before a thick iron plate.

On his retina, the "+" sign shattered.

[Giant Spirit Trample (Beginner)]!

Violent blood and qi, like a flood bursting through a dike, instantly changed course and surged madly into his legs!

The muscles in his thighs and calves swelled violently.

The great tendons beneath his skin and flesh tightened like twisted steel cables, snapping taut with an ear-piercing twang of bowstrings breaking.

His leg bones bore unimaginable, terrifying pressure, producing burst after burst of kacha grinding sounds.

This power was far too tyrannical. It paid no heed to the limits of the flesh, seeking only the ultimate instantaneous eruption.

For an ordinary Viscera Refining Realm martial artist, that first backflow of blood and qi would have blown both leg bones straight into fragments.

Yet Sun Yu did not even furrow his brow.

Almost at the instant his bones were about to crack.

The Great Perfection Cold Toad Breath Swallowing Technique and Great Sun Boiling Blood Art within him exerted their force at the same time.

The Supreme Dao Divine Ability, [Cold Iron Demonic Body], activated instantly!

His bones were like divine iron.

The terrifying pressure that could have crushed mortal bones was forcibly borne by his legs, their bones as hard as refined steel.

The torn muscle fibers healed instantly under the immense vitality fed back by the Yin Yang Qi Vortex.

Torn again, healed again.

The agonizing pain was completely suppressed by the formidable foundation of his physical body.

This incomplete, self-mutilating martial skill that had trained countless people to death was a perfect fit for Sun Yu!

Over the following days.

Sun Yu kept his door tightly shut.

When hungry, he ate Iron Armor Ox meat. When thirsty, he drank cold water.

The rest of the time, he relied entirely on meditation and breath regulation, squeezing out the potential of his body.

At Zishi on The Second Day, [Giant Spirit Trample (Proficient)].

At Zishi on the third day, [Giant Spirit Trample (Mastered)].

At Zishi on the fourth day, [Giant Spirit Trample (Minor Accomplishment)].

At Zishi on the fifth day, [Giant Spirit Trample (Major Accomplishment)].

As his proficiency rose, the changes in Sun Yu's legs became increasingly astonishing.

His thigh muscles did not grow bloated. Instead, through constant compression, they became extremely dense and streamlined.

Faint, strange dark-gold patterns even began to emerge across the surface of his skin.

Not until late into the sixth night.

"Clang! Clang!"

The night watchman's call drifted through the gap in the window.

Zishi had arrived.

The panel flickered faintly.

[Giant Spirit Trample (Perfection)]!

"Rumble!"

A muffled clap of thunder sounded from within Sun Yu's body.

He abruptly opened his eyes.

The bones, great tendons, and skin membranes of his legs completely fused into one at that moment.

It felt as though his legs were no longer flesh and blood, but two heaven-supporting pillars capable of holding up mountains.

His blood and qi compressed to the utmost limit.

Sun Yu rose to his feet.

He did not stir any blood and qi, nor did he deliberately exert force.

He merely lifted his right foot naturally and took a step forward.

His sole touched the ground.

"Kacha!"

The incredibly hard Green Stone floor—even the wooden beams—instantly let out a mournful groan.

Centered on the point where his foot had landed, the green stone tiles within a radius of three feet shattered with a thunderous crash like a spiderweb, caving inward to form a pit over an inch deep.

Stone dust sifted down.

Sun Yu withdrew his foot.

Feeling the terrifying recoil force in his legs, ready to erupt at any moment, a flash of extreme danger flickered through his eyes.

"This Martial Skill, combined with perfected Levitation on Grass..."

Sun Yu clenched his fists.

Speed and explosive power underwent a qualitative transformation at that moment.

If the old him had been a savage bear charging recklessly ahead, then the current him was a demon god with wings, capable of crossing a hundred paces in an instant to kill.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The day of the Heavenly Pride Martial Arts Examination arrived.

The central square of the prefectural capital.

A sea of heads surged. Tens of thousands of martial artists packed the square so tightly that not even water could pass through.

To the north of the square stood a White Marble Platform three zhang high.

More than a dozen elders in Daoist robes and martial attire of various colors sat upon it.

Elders from several top sects—the Heavenly Sword Sect, Blood Saber Gate, Iron Clothes Fortress...—sat high above with their eyes closed in meditation.

The Prefecture Lord sat in the seat of honor, smiling.

A large area at the center of the square had been cordoned off.

Over a hundred young martial artists who had passed the preliminary selection stood within it.

They were all the finest geniuses chosen from Wind Snow Prefecture and the major cities in its vicinity.

The men wore brocade and lavish robes, while the women's gauze skirts fluttered gracefully.

Every one of them brimmed with vigorous blood and qi. White vapor faintly rose above their heads, their blood and qi like dragons!

With this group of heavenly prides gathered together, their gazes clashed, their arrogance piercing the heavens.

Sun Yu stood in a corner at the very edge of the crowd.

He wore a coarse hemp garment, washed so often it had faded white.

A battered bamboo hat sat on his head, its brim pulled low.

His hands were tucked into his sleeves, his breathing nearly imperceptible.

Among these radiant heirs of great clans, he was like an utterly unremarkable stubborn stone.

"Look over there—Lin Feiyang of Longwind City. The Lin Clan is a great family, so this one surely isn't ordinary either."

"And Liu Suifeng of the East City Liu Family. That folding fan of his is forged from Mysterious Iron and weighs a hundred jin."

Several sect elders on the platform slightly opened their eyes, their gazes sweeping over the crowd below.

"The prospects of this generation are passable enough." The Blood Saber Gate elder stroked the stubble on his chin and let out a cold laugh.

"Bone and Blood Test, first round."

A prefectural examiner strode into the arena, his voice infused with Internal Breath and carrying across the entire square.

"On the path of martial arts, the body is the vessel. The first round tests strength and resistance to blows."

The examiner pointed ahead.

At the center of the square stood three rows of enormous Bronze Tripods.

Three thousand jin, five thousand jin, ten thousand jin.

"Those who lift the ten-thousand-jin Bronze Tripod, hold it for ten breaths, and withstand one Shattering Stele Hand strike from an examiner without retreating will receive a Grade A."

The moment those words fell, the entire square erupted in uproar.

Ten thousand jin!

Even the ultimate burst of power from an ordinary Bone Forging Realm martial artist at perfection was only six or seven thousand jin.

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author instead—it may simply have been renamed!

To move ten thousand jin, one had to be a heavenly pride who cultivated a top-tier internal art and possessed exceptionally abundant blood and qi.

And that was without even mentioning having to withstand an examiner's attack.

"I'll go first!"

Lin Feiyang snorted coldly and strode out from the crowd.

Without even looking at the three-thousand- and five-thousand-jin Bronze Tripods, he walked straight toward the ten-thousand-jin heavy tripod at the far end.

Both hands gripped the tripod's legs.

"Up!"

Lin Feiyang let out an angry roar.

The qi and blood within him erupted with a boom, and a faint crimson protective aura surfaced over his body.

The muscles in his arms bulged as he forcibly lifted the ten-thousand-jin Bronze Tripod over his head.

His legs trembled slightly, and cracks spread across the green stone ground beneath his feet.

The examiner walked up to him, his right hand forming a palm as it lashed out with a sharp gust of wind and slammed viciously into Lin Feiyang's chest.

"Bang!"

Lin Feiyang grunted, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, yet he remained nailed to the spot without retreating so much as half a step.

Ten breaths passed.

"Boom!"

The Bronze Tripod crashed to the ground, sending dust billowing into the air.

Lin Feiyang panted heavily and looked up at the viewing platform, his eyes brimming with pride.

"Grade A!" the examiner announced loudly.

Several Elders on the viewing platform nodded slightly.

"His qi and blood are fairly solid. He's a talent worth cultivating."

Next.

Liu Suifeng and the others stepped forward one after another.

Each displayed their own skills.

Some relied on exceedingly domineering internal arts, while others used force-dispersing techniques secretly passed down through great clans.

One after another, seven or eight people lifted the ten-thousand-jin tripod and earned Grade A.

The atmosphere in the square was pushed to a fever pitch.

"Next, Rogue Cultivator Sun Yu." The examiner glanced at the roster in his hand, his brows knitting slightly.

Sun Yu.

The name carried no fame at all.

Amid the crowd, Sun Yu, wearing a bamboo hat, slowly raised his head.

He walked out from the corner, his steps steady, without the slightest sign of qi and blood leaking from his body.

Standing to one side, Lin Feiyang's pupils suddenly contracted when he saw Sun Yu emerge.

He recognized those coarse linen clothes and that bamboo hat at a glance.

That monster who had cut down a Viscera Refining Realm bandit with a single slash atop the carriage!

Liu Suifeng's eyes widened as well, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

He would never forget that terrifying hand at the underground black market—the hand that had crushed a refined-steel Long Sword barehanded.

The two of them instinctively retreated two steps and held their breath.

Sun Yu walked up to the ten-thousand-jin Bronze Tripod.

The examiner watched him expressionlessly. "Begin."

Sun Yu did not reach for the tripod's legs.

He did not even pull his hands from his sleeves.

His gaze passed over the Bronze Tripod and fell upon the very edge of the square.

There stood an incomparably thick chain.

At the end of the chain was tethered a colossal object as large as a small mountain.

It was an enormous cast-iron ship's anchor.

Its surface was covered in dark red rust and dried seaweed, and it was embedded deep in the earth.

This was the Sea-Suppressing Iron Anchor, used to suppress the underground water veins when the Prefecture City had first been established.

It weighed One Hundred Thousand Jin.

For decades, it had simply been discarded at the edge of the square as an ornament, ignored by all.

Sun Yu stepped forward, bypassed the Bronze Tripod, and walked straight toward the Sea-Suppressing Iron Anchor.

"What is he trying to do?"

"That's the One Hundred Thousand Jin Sea-Suppressing Iron Anchor! Has he gone mad?"

A burst of mocking laughter erupted from the crowd.

Even the sect Elders on the viewing platform frowned.

"Grandstanding." The Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect snorted coldly and lifted his teacup.

Sun Yu walked up to the iron anchor.

He stretched out his right hand and grabbed the iron ring, as thick as a thigh.

He did not assume any deep-stanced, horse-riding posture.

Nor did he stir even a trace of blood and qi or Internal Breath.

No Protective Gang Qi lit up around him.

Sun Yu relied solely on his pure physical body.

The muscles in his right arm suddenly tightened.

Beneath his skin, Dark Gold patterns flashed and vanished.

His five fingers clenched fiercely.

"Rise."

An exceedingly calm single word.

"Rumble!!!"

A terrifying boom exploded across the square.

The bluestone ground beneath Sun Yu's feet instantly collapsed over a vast area!

The ground for dozens of zhang around shook violently, as though an eight-magnitude earthquake had struck.

That Sea-Suppressing Iron Anchor, buried underground for decades and weighing One Hundred Thousand Jin, was pulled from the earth by his single hand...

He forcibly yanked it out of the ground!

Dirt flew everywhere, and rust showered down in flakes.

Sun Yu held the mountain-like giant cast-iron anchor aloft with one hand.

His figure stood straight as a spear.

There was not the slightest tremor, nor was he even breathing hard.

His coarse hemp clothes snapped loudly in the gale stirred by the iron anchor.

Beneath the bamboo hat, those eyes were so calm that they drove people to despair.

Deathly silence blanketed the entire venue.

In the square packed with tens of thousands, one could now hear even a needle hit the ground.

Lin Feiyang's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground on his backside.

Liu Suifeng staggered back again and again, knocking over the weapon rack behind him.

The examiner's mouth hung open as the roster in his hand fell to the ground.

On the viewing platform.

"Crack!"

The porcelain teacup in the Heavenly Sword Sect Elder's hand was crushed into powder.

Scalding tea ran all over his hand, yet he was utterly unaware of it.

The Blood Saber Gate Elder abruptly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on the hemp-clad young man below, who held up the sky with one hand. His breathing came rapid and harsh like a bellows.

"One Hundred Thousand Jin... with physical strength alone..."

"How is that possible?!"

Holding the One Hundred Thousand Jin iron anchor in one hand, Sun Yu turned to look at the examiner, who stood there dumbstruck.

"Examiner."

Sun Yu's voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears.

"Come. Strike me with your palm."

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