Snowy Night Breakthrough

"Xiao Haozi..."

A deep, resonant male voice, rough around the edges, sounded from outside the courtyard gate.

His tone seemed calm, yet it was like a stone tossed into still water. He was clearly a martial artist!

Cui Hao stepped forward and got a good look at the man standing by the gate.

He was exceptionally burly, with a full beard and an old, worn leather jacket hanging open over solid muscles and several hideous old scars. His eyes swept over Cui Hao like an eagle's, and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile that was not quite a smile.

Cui Hao's heart tightened, but his face remained impassive as he studied the man carefully. His features did seem familiar, especially the shape of his frame and the lines of his brows and eyes...

"What's wrong?" The burly man took a step forward, bringing with him the oppressive aura of someone rough and dangerous. "It's been a few years. You can't recognize your Brother Zhou?"

"Brother Zhou?"

"I'm Zhou Menglong." The burly man grinned, revealing a row of teeth yellowed by tobacco. "The eldest brother of Zhou Menghu and Zhou Mengyue. When I left home to make my way in the west, you were still a little bean sprout who hadn't finished growing."

Zhou Menglong! The eldest son of the Zhou family, who had supposedly gone west to roam the martial world years ago and vanished without a trace! He was back!

Alarm bells rang in Cui Hao's mind, but he quickly put on a suitably surprised, welcoming expression. "So it's you, Brother Zhou! You've been gone for so many years, and everyone's been talking about you. Have you... returned home in glory?"

"Returned in glory?" The smile on Zhou Menglong's face vanished abruptly, replaced by a brooding, violent fury. "I damn well had no choice but to come back! I heard something terrible had happened at home, so I rushed back as fast as I could—and what did I find? Good! My third and fourth brothers, my own flesh and blood, both killed by someone! And the house burned down to a patch of bare earth!"

Zhou Menglong stared into Cui Hao's eyes, menace churning in those leopard-like eyes. He placed a hand on Cui Hao's shoulder and tightened his fingers slightly, like an iron clamp. "Xiao Haozi, you live in the village. Tell me, who did my two brothers make such a huge enemy of?"

A sharp pain shot through Cui Hao's shoulder blade. The man's fingers were astonishingly strong, but Cui Hao gritted his teeth and refrained from resisting. He put on a pained, bewildered expression and drew a sharp breath. "B-Brother Zhou... please go easy... I'm not built for this... I don't know anything about what happened to your third and fourth brothers! My place is more than half a village away from yours. We don't... we don't see each other much."

"You don't know? You don't see each other much?" Zhou Menglong snorted through his nose and tightened his grip another notch, nearly digging his fingers into Cui Hao's flesh. "Think harder for me! Have any strangers shown up in the village lately? Has anyone gotten into a fight with them? Even a verbal spat!"

"Ah—ow! That hurts! Brother Zhou, let go!" Cui Hao cried out in pain at just the right moment, his body struggling to break free as though he were weak and helpless.

Just as they were locked in this standoff—

"Let go of my man!"

A shout, trembling but piercing, came from inside the courtyard! The wooden gate was yanked open, and Su Yun rushed out, clutching a heavy door bar. Without a second thought, she swung it at Zhou Menglong's head!

The bar whistled through the air!

Zhou Menglong reacted swiftly. He did not release Cui Hao's shoulder, but his other hand shot out like lightning and seized the end of the wooden bar.

When he saw Su Yun, an almost imperceptible flicker of admiration and greed passed through the depths of Zhou Menglong's eyes.

The woman before him was nothing like the thin, scrawny little girl in his memories who always kept her head down.

Her skin was not fair, but it was healthy and lustrous. Her figure rose and fell dramatically beneath her coarse old clothes, and most striking of all were her eyes, shining brighter with anger—like two little flames.

"You're... Su Yun?" A hint of amusement crept into Zhou Menglong's voice. "They say a girl changes eighteen times as she grows up. You've become prettier with every change."

The undisguised way he looked her up and down made Su Yun's stomach turn. She tried with all her strength to yank the wooden bar free, but it would not budge.

Thinking quickly, she threw back her head and screamed with all her might, "Everyone, come and look! A demon's come into the village! A demon's trying to kill someone!!!"

The villagers used "demon" as a catchall term for evil spirits, ghosts, and anything inauspicious. Su Yun's scream was so sharp and shrill that it carried far through the silent night.

A terrified response immediately came from Aunt Li's neighboring courtyard, her voice shaking and breaking into sobs. "Damn demon! Get out! Get out now! If you don't... if you don't, the Immortals will come and take you away!"

Muffled commotion and angry curses rose from other neighbors as well.

Zhou Menglong's expression darkened. He had only just returned to the village, and his foothold was still uncertain. He had brought back several desperate underlings from the west, but openly provoking the whole village and making everyone turn against him was clearly unwise.

"Hmph!" With a heavy snort, Zhou Menglong released Cui Hao's shoulder and let go of Su Yun's wooden bar.

He snorted again, then turned and strode off with heavy steps, swaggering away.

Only then did Su Yun seem to go limp. The door bar clattered to the ground. "Brother Hao, are you all right? Are you hurt? Let me see!"

Cui Hao rolled his shoulder. The pained look vanished from his face at once, and he lowered his voice. "Sister Yun, I was pretending. He's strong, but he can't hurt me by squeezing my shoulder—not now."

Su Yun let out a huge sigh of relief, her legs going weak. She nearly lost her balance.

Cui Hao hurriedly caught his wife.

Only then did Aunt Li dare to open her gate a crack and poke her head out. Her face was ashen. "That baleful star's gone, hasn't he? What a calamity... Make sure you bar the door tight tonight! When will this life ever end..."

Muttering, she hurriedly ducked back inside, slammed the door shut, and dropped the bar.

The two returned to their little courtyard, carefully pulled the damaged wooden gate shut, then braced it firmly with a stick.

Back in the main room, the oil lamp burned like a bean-sized flame. Still shaken, Su Yun poured Cui Hao some water and muttered angrily, "Menglong, Menghu, Mengyue, and Mengteng—the four Zhou brothers are all cut from the same rotten cloth! If Heaven had eyes, wouldn't it be wonderful if it took them all at once?"

"Soon," Cui Hao replied, taking the bowl. A cold glint flashed deep in his eyes. "Let's eat. I'm hungry."

His voice was somewhat cold with killing intent. Seeing Su Yun freeze for a moment, Cui Hao promptly changed his tone and spoke gently. "Wife, I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat."

Su Yun turned toward the kitchen.

Before long, a simple hot meal was served: brown rice, a bowl of stir-fried Chinese cabbage, and a small dish of precious dried salted fish fried in lard.

Both of them were hungry, and neither was in the mood for conversation. They ate quickly and in silence.

The warm food drove away some of their earlier shock and the chill outside.

After setting down her bowl and chopsticks, Su Yun hesitated, then asked softly, "Brother Hao... you haven't gone hunting in the mountains for quite a while, but the rice, flour, meat, and oil at home haven't gotten any less. Where has the money come from?"

Cui Hao paused. Lately, he had found that the progress points he could allocate from diligently practicing the "bedchamber" skill far exceeded what he earned from hunting in the mountains.

On top of that, he had unexpectedly gained more than twelve taels of silver after dealing with Zhou Mengyue and those seven ruffians. With his pockets comfortably full, he had temporarily set hunting aside, focusing instead on training at the martial arts school and... domestic harmony.

But Su Yun's question reminded him of something. Zhou Menglong had returned, and he would undoubtedly tighten his grip on the village and keep a closer eye on everyone.

Cui Hao had no conspicuous hunting spoils to show for lately, yet his household was not short of food. That alone could arouse suspicion, especially in the eyes of someone as calculating as Zhou Menglong.

"Tomorrow, I'll go into the mountains first thing in the morning. Get up early and make me some food. I'll eat before I go."

Su Yun nodded gently. She had a vague sense that her husband was keeping something secret, but if he did not tell her, she would not ask.

Night lay black as ink.

After a round of "evening cultivation" on the bed, Su Yun quickly fell into a deep sleep, exhausted and content, her breathing soft and even.

Cui Hao, however, was not the least bit sleepy. He got out of bed and went into the courtyard.

A thought stirred, and he called up the panel visible only to him.

[Broken Fist (Incomplete): Beginner (275/300)]

[Effect: Physique +5, Impact Resistance +5]

He was just one step away from the Minor Mastery stage, and he still had plenty of "allocatable progress points" saved up on the panel.

The time had come.

Without hesitation, he focused his thoughts and put 25 allocatable progress points directly into "Broken Fist"!

Light rippled across the panel, and the text refreshed in an instant.

[Broken Fist (Incomplete): Minor Mastery (1/600)]

[Effect: Physique +10, Impact Resistance +5, Bonus Damage +5, Critical Hit +1]

Boom!

It was as though knowledge had been poured straight into his mind, as if dormant memories had awakened! Countless insights into the deeper essentials of "Broken Fist"—the techniques for exerting force, coordinating it with blood and qi, and smoothly linking one move to the next—surged into his consciousness like floodwaters bursting through a dam!

He no longer merely understood the movements. He now grasped the "shattering" intent within them—how to concentrate force at a single point, how to send it rippling through and penetrating a target, and how to cause the greatest destruction at the lowest cost!

His grasp of the fist technique seemed to leap across countless days and nights of hard practice in an instant, reaching an entirely new level. He was like a fist master who had immersed himself in the art for many years!

At the same time, dramatic changes took place within his body.

A wave of heat, far more powerful than any he had experienced before, surged from his dantian and swept through every limb and bone in an instant!

His muscles grew denser and stronger, his bones felt as though they had been packed solid, and the resilience of his skin seemed to improve as well.

His physique shot up by 10 points! His resistance to blows and the penetrating destructive force in his punches both increased significantly.

He even seemed to grasp how to unleash a strike in an instant that surpassed his usual strength!

More importantly, the blood and qi inside him, which had flowed slowly and faintly before, suddenly became active under the influence of this new power and the fist technique's essence. It boiled like water over a fire, surging through his meridians and swelling as if ready to burst!

He was about to break through! His blood and qi had filled to the brim, and the profound gate had revealed itself!

In the freezing courtyard, deep in the night, with the moon hidden and stars sparse, the north wind howled.

He drew a deep breath of air so cold it seemed to pierce his bones, suppressing his excitement and the restless surge of blood and qi. Cui Hao assumed the opening stance of Broken Fist, settled into a solid horse stance, and fixed his gaze.

In the next instant, his fist shot out!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Gone was the stiffness and awkwardness of his earlier practice. Each punch cut clearly through the air, each move flowing smoothly into the next. His force was fierce and explosive, yet carried a hidden finesse, as if it truly held the intent to "shatter" all things.

The wind from his fists surged, sweeping up the thin frost and snow on the ground.

In the freezing depths of night, Cui Hao wore only a thin undershirt, yet sweat quickly seeped out and soaked the fabric, clinging tightly to his swelling muscles.

His muscles protested with aching pain under the sustained, explosive exertion, but he barely noticed. His mind was entirely absorbed in grasping the fist technique and guiding the blood and qi surging through his body.

He knew nothing of profound methods for guiding inner breath. All he could do was trust his body's instincts and keep throwing punch after punch, trying to guide the boiling blood and qi along the movements of the fists, to wash through, nourish, and open that invisible barrier.

After who knew how many repetitions, the first fine snow of the winter drifted silently from the sky. Cold flakes landed on his face and body, bringing a faint chill.

Cui Hao was wholly absorbed. He sent out a punch, and a snowflake happened to drift into its path. The force of his fist shattered it, scattering it into even finer ice crystals that melted away in all directions.

This was it!

A feeling of smooth inevitability and sudden, complete understanding came upon him without warning!

There was no earth-shattering boom, no vision blazing with light. It was more like a river choked for ages, quietly forced open by a power that was unstoppable yet warm and unyielding.

Cui Hao abruptly drew back his fist and stood still, opening his eyes.

At that moment, the world seemed to have changed.

His vision sharpened all at once! Even in the dim, snowy night, he could make out every swaying blade of thatch on the courtyard wall and the six-sided crystalline structure of the snowflakes nearby.

In his ears, the howling wind seemed to recede into the background. In its place came the steady, powerful beating of his heart, resounding in his chest like a war drum.

He could clearly hear the blood rushing through his veins, flowing like a stream.

His feet seemed rooted to the ground, connected to the cold, solid earth in a strange and wondrous way.

His skin became extraordinarily sensitive. He could clearly feel the subtle differences in chill as each snowflake landed on a different part of his body, and he could even faintly sense their paths as they drifted down.

Most importantly, the vague, shifting sensation of qi beneath his navel had now condensed into a warm vortex, turning slowly, without hurry or agitation.

The vortex was still small, but it was utterly stable. It gave off a steady flow of mild, abundant energy that quietly nourished his limbs and bones, as well as his internal organs, like spring water seeping into the earth.

A series of faint yet crisp crackling sounds came from his bones and sinews, like bamboo joints shooting upward after a long drought when the rain finally came.

The sluggishness and helplessness he had always felt while practicing martial arts disappeared completely, replaced by a sense of openness, lightness, and strength unlike anything he had felt before—as if the sun had risen and the fog had lifted, revealing a clear path ahead!

He looked down at his hands and clenched them gently. His knuckles cracked, and a surge of abundant strength gathered in his palm.

This was... the Mortal Martial Realm!

Entering the Mortal Martial Realm meant more than a complete leap in physical ability and mastery of greater strength. It meant he had officially crossed the threshold of the martial path and qualified to learn more complete cultivation methods and seek higher realms!

He had also taken a real step closer to passing the Martial Xiucai examination and changing the fate of himself and his family!

Of course, even more importantly, he now had the confidence to face a vicious thug like Zhou Menglong, stand his ground, and perhaps even fight him!

"Brother Hao..."

Su Yun's anxious voice came from the doorway of the main room.

Cui Hao turned and looked at the young woman who had stayed by his side through hardship, stood up for him in the face of danger, and now worried over him with all her heart. A flood of tenderness and emotion rose within him.

Though his arrival in this world had begun in hardship, what more could a man ask for than such a good wife?

At the thought, Cui Hao smiled faintly. "I'm fine, Sister Yun. I broke through."

Su Yun froze for a moment, then her eyes flew wide open. Her voice trembled with excitement. "A breakthrough? Brother Hao, do you mean... you've entered the Mortal Martial Realm?!"

"Mm." Cui Hao nodded firmly.

With confirmation, Su Yun could no longer hold back. Forgetting the cold, she let go of the quilt wrapped around her and rushed straight into Cui Hao's arms like a young swallow returning to its nest.

"That's wonderful... that's wonderful..."

They were together every day, so Su Yun knew how hard it was for her husband to practice martial arts and how difficult it was to provide for the family. She buried her face against his chest, as though trying to melt away his hardships with a woman's tenderness. "I knew it... I knew you could do it..."