Dark Jin (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Chen Mo returned to the inn and locked himself in his room.

Every time he attempted to break through his realm, a dull, resonant sound echoed from within his body, reverberating endlessly throughout the room.

So, condensing my Jin into my ten fingers creates claw-like power, sharp as an unsheathed blade.

With this realization, he pushed for the seventh breakthrough.

A surge of potent Jin rushed toward the congested point, and in an instant, the blockage thinned slightly.

If I sink my waist too low, it hinders my agility. Raising it by an inch will increase the power of my Flowing Cloud Attack by thirty percent.

The eighth breakthrough.

Another torrent of Jin surged toward the blockage, and this time, it pierced a hole the size of a needle.

The "Dragon-Subduing" in Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique wasn't named at random; every move contains the hidden essence of capturing a dragon.

The ninth breakthrough.

The needle-sized hole was expanded several times over by the Jin; if Chen Mo could look within, it would be visible to the naked eye.

This move—a quick grapple after turning—can throw an enemy over my shoulder. It's like the tail of a dragon, dragging them down from the clouds.

The twelfth breakthrough.

A fierce, overwhelming surge of Jin, like a river falling from the heavens, poured instantly into the congested point.

Suddenly, a clear, resonant sound erupted from within his body, like the piercing cry of an eagle.

At this moment, Chen Mo felt a sense of clarity he had never experienced before.

The long-standing soreness and fatigue accumulated in his body were completely swept away!

He clenched his fists, pleasantly surprised to find that the power within them was far greater than before.

So this is what Dark Jin feels like!

If Ming Jin achieves the tempering of tendons and bones, then Dark Jin achieves the clearing of the meridians.

The power shifts from external to internal, characterized by the ability to strike through obstacles and penetrate deep into the target.

Chen Mo remembered his previous fight with Luo Hou. The latter was at the early stage of Dark Jin, perhaps not yet having fully mastered the characteristics of this power, which was why he hadn't felt it very clearly during their exchange.

If one reaches the middle or late stages of Dark Jin, or even the peak, they can master this technique perfectly. There are no fewer than ten martial students here who are at least at the middle stage of Dark Jin.

Fortunately, my understanding of Dark Jin is far beyond that of a typical early-stage practitioner.

He focused his gaze, peering into his sea of consciousness:

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Dragon-Capturing Jin: A martial art derived from the Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique, containing eighteen forms of Dragon-Capturing]

[Comprehension: 1/200 (Great Success)]

Chen Mo was astonished to find that the "Dragon-Subduing Stake Technique" had transformed into "Dragon-Capturing Jin."

By breaking through his realm using the comprehension from Mountain and Water Cultivation, his martial arts could actually evolve!

By constantly innovating and evolving his martial arts like this, wouldn't he be able to push his skills to the absolute limit by the time he reached Hua Jin, or even higher realms?!

He calmed his excitement, exhaling slowly without alerting anyone.

The next morning.

The cicadas of early summer were chirping, sounding like the continuous beat of war drums.

Chen Mo arrived at the training grounds first to practice his stake technique a few times.

Before long, Xie Jinnian also arrived. Seeing Chen Mo, he felt something was off, but he didn't dwell on it, shaking his head before sitting down to meditate and regulate his breathing.

By the time the sun climbed high above the willow branches.

All the martial students had arrived.

The technical trial was the highlight of the annual Martial Examination, a round of assessment that was always a hot topic and full of conversation.

An examiner announced the rules for the technical trial:

"Today's technical trial is the same as previous years. Each round begins by drawing a match card. The cards are marked with 'A' and 'B' numbers; students with corresponding numbers will compete."

"Those knocked out of the arena lose; those who remain win. The trial is fought with fists and feet. Fists and feet have no eyes; you are responsible for your own injuries or death."

After the examiner finished speaking, two attendants brought out a wooden box. After the examiner inspected and unsealed it, the martial students stepped forward one by one to draw their cards.

Chen Mo grabbed a wooden tablet from the box at random. He removed the cloth cover and saw the characters "B-15" written on it.

Chen Mo didn't bother looking for whoever had drawn "A-15," instead walking calmly back to the sidelines.

Sharing his calm demeanor were the few popular martial students at the late stage of Dark Jin, while many Ming Jin students were looking around, hoping their opponents were also at the Ming Jin level.

At this moment, when the eyes of the few Hua Jin experts on the field swept over Chen Mo, their expressions froze.

"Hm?"

Zhao Huayuan's gaze lingered on Chen Mo for a few breaths before revealing a look of surprise.

"That kid... broke through to Dark Jin? What incredible luck!"

On the other side, Yin Tianqing suddenly frowned and said, "Chen Mo... he actually broke through the realm a second time?!"

Yin Shanshan, hearing this, looked up. However, with her Ming Jin strength, she couldn't sense Chen Mo's current realm. But hearing her father say it, she knew it must be true.

She immediately broke into a smile, "Does this mean Chen Mo has a chance to make it into the top ten?"

Yin Tianqing didn't commit, only sighing, "Based on past experience, the top ten in the Martial Examination are always at the level of mid-stage Dark Jin or above."

On the training grounds.

As the crowd stirred, Chang Hao, the young master of the Iron Palm Gang, stepped into the center of the arena. His tall and imposing figure stood firm, drawing screams from many women.

He casually tossed the "A1" wooden plaque aside, fully displaying his valiant demeanor.

A moment later.

A trembling Ming Jin martial student shuffled into the arena. Compared to Chang Hao, he appeared small and thin.

Before long, the match began.

Chang Hao showed no restraint, unleashing the Iron Palm Gang's ultimate skill, the Thunderbolt Palm, from the start.

As the Thunderbolt Palm circulated, gusts of wind howled, even carrying faint sounds of thunder.

Amidst the exclamations from the spectators on the sidelines, Chang Hao knocked his opponent out of the arena in just three rounds. The opponent struggled to get up, his face covered in bruises.

Xie Jinnian turned his head and said, "Brother Chen, the technical test is this cruel. Those with good character will simply knock their opponents out of the arena. But if you meet someone impatient like Chang Hao, getting injured is common."

Chen Mo nodded and continued to focus his gaze on the arena, paying attention to the next contestants. His internal rivals were those in the late stage of Dark Jin.

With the comprehension brought by the Mountain and Water Cultivation, even from a distance, he could vaguely sense the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent's moves and deduce methods to counter them.

Following Chang Hao, several more Dark Jin martial students took the stage. Except for a few Ming Jin students who were lucky enough to draw Ming Jin opponents, all others who advanced were Dark Jin.

Among them were Ye Zimou from Fengdang and Liu Sha from Black Tiger Hall. The former's techniques were subtle and gentle, while the latter's killing power was formidable.

Afterward, Xie Jinnian, who drew "A9," entered the arena. His opponent was a martial student at the early stage of Dark Jin. After more than twenty rounds of fighting, Xie Jinnian narrowly won by one move.

"B13" Li Xuan fought against a mid-stage Dark Jin martial student from the Qi Family. In the seventh round, he was knocked out of the arena by his opponent and thus lost.

"Next, A15 and B15, please enter the arena for your match."

As the minor official announced, an early-stage Dark Jin martial student from a small family leaped into the arena, while Chen Mo slowly walked in.

At this moment, discussions erupted from the crowd on the sidelines.

"He's that Ming Jin martial student who lifted the 700-jin stone lock yesterday."

"But his opponent today is Yang Tao from the Yang Family. Lifting stones is completely different from actual combat. He's probably in trouble."

"Wait, why does he have an aura of Dark Jin on him..."