Giving Yuan Long a Little Shock

The moment the panel popped up, Jiang Tian felt his entire body jolt violently.

An unprecedented power surged from the deepest depths of his bone marrow, like an ancient beast slumbering in his bloodline that had suddenly opened its eyes.

The bones throughout his body began to crackle, the sound crisp and dense, like a string of firecrackers exploding within him.

Every single bone was becoming denser and tougher, as if being repeatedly forged by an invisible hammer, squeezing out impurities bit by bit.

His meridians expanded, like a riverbed that had been parched for a thousand years welcoming its first flood.

His blood was boiling.

Every heartbeat felt like the thrumming of a war drum, pumping that newfound strength into every corner of his body.

This time, just like before, there was no pain.

There was only the exhilaration of being reborn.

It was as if he had been a pupa trapped in a cocoon, struggling in the darkness for who knows how many days and nights.

And now, the cocoon had broken.

The light poured in.

Jiang Tian slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.

His skin shimmered with a faint, translucent glow, like fine mutton-fat jade illuminated from behind by candlelight, warm and restrained.

He clenched his fist, and the air in his palm emitted a crisp, explosive crack.

"Martial Dao Sacred Body..."

He muttered to himself.

He stood up and stretched his limbs.

His joints let out a series of popping sounds, like a string of firecrackers going off inside his body.

His frame had grown significantly taller; by the measurements of his past life, he was approaching one meter ninety.

His shoulders were broader, his back straighter, and standing there, he resembled a javelin, exuding a heavy, mountain-like sense of pressure.

He took a deep breath and assumed a fighting stance.

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

"Hm?"

Jiang Tian looked at the pop-up notification box, slightly stunned.

After the comprehension trait upgraded to red, the proficiency gain had increased from 9 points to 23, an increase of 14 points.

The boost provided by the Martial Dao Sacred Body was 10 points, bringing it from 23 to 33.

A difference of 4 points.

However, he quickly came to terms with it.

The further one progresses in martial arts, the more important comprehension becomes—it determines a person's upper limit.

Bone structure determines how fast you can go, while comprehension determines how far you can go.

At this rate, he might be able to touch the threshold of Transformation Energy within two days.

Outside Blackwater County, at the garrison camp.

The main tent was brightly lit, casting two long shadows against the tent walls like twisted, ancient trees.

Sitting in the main seat was a tall, stubble-faced middle-aged man clad in black iron armor, the plates shimmering with a cold, eerie light under the candlelight.

He kept his hands folded over his abdomen, his gaze fixed heavily on the table, saying nothing.

He was the Blackwater County garrison commander, Zhang Wei.

To his left sat a middle-aged man in brocade robes, his face square, yet his brow betrayed an irrepressible air of malice.

His eyes were rimmed with red, the whites bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept for several nights.

It was the Li Family head, Li Yuanhao.

He had just suffered the pain of losing his son.

"Zhang Wei." Li Yuanhao's voice was hoarse. "My son was definitely killed by those Martial Arts Hall masters colluding with the county magistrate. Aside from those Transformation Energy masters, who else could have beaten my son into such a miserable state?"

He paused, emphasizing his tone: "It is time to act. This time, we used the Poison Wolf Gang to weaken their influence... it is time to act!"

Zhang Wei did not speak.

His right index finger tapped rhythmically against the table—tap, tap, tap—the sound was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent main tent.

Seeing him remain unmoved, Li Yuanhao added more fuel to the fire: "While the county magistrate is still in a semi-comatose state and they are leaderless, we should take them down directly! Those willing to submit can be taken under our command; those who refuse, kill them all."

Those seven Martial Arts Hall masters were ostensibly standing with the county magistrate.

After a period of solicitation and division, three had already defected to their side, leaving four remaining.

The original plan was to spend more time breaking those four one by one.

But now, Li Yuanhao could no longer wait.

His most promising son had been beaten to death on the street, his end a miserable sight.

The culprit had to be either the county magistrate or one of the four martial arts hall masters; he had to have his revenge.

Seeing that Zhang Wei remained unmoved, Li Yuanhao took a deep breath and lowered his voice, though his speed increased: "The Poison Wolf Gang is now backed by the White Lotus Sect, and with the large number of refugees they've absorbed, their influence is growing visibly. If you don't take this opportunity to turn Blackwater County into an impenetrable fortress, what will you use to stop the Poison Wolf Gang?"

The sound of tapping on the table ceased.

Zhang Wei remained silent for a long time.

The night wind whistled outside the tent, causing the flaps to snap and flutter.

Finally, he spoke slowly, his voice low and gravelly, as if ground out from his chest: "Three days. Drunken Wind Pavilion. You are responsible for the invitations."

"Good!" Li Yuanhao agreed instantly, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

The next day, Jiang Tian arrived at the martial arts hall and began his practice as usual.

In truth, whether he came to the hall or not made little difference; he had already learned what he needed to learn, and the rest was merely a matter of grinding away at the details.

But his home was small and cramped, while the courtyard of the martial arts hall was spacious, allowing him to stretch out without disturbing his family's rest.

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

[Ding! Your Martial Dao Sacred Body and Heaven-Defying Comprehension are active! Five Animals Creation Play +33!]

With every punch thrown, the wind whistled low, as if some massive beast were prowling through the courtyard.

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet trembled slightly, and the dust kicked up around him rose and fell, forming ripple after ripple.

After several days of recovery, Yuan Long's injuries had mostly healed.

However, he had been feeling restless lately, often sitting alone in his armchair in a daze, his brows furrowed as if calculating a debt that could never be settled.

How could he not know the petty schemes of the battalion commander, Zhang Wei?

Yet, only the county magistrate still harbored illusions about him.

With a formidable enemy at the gates and the Poison Wolf Gang having expanded to this extent, Zhang Wei was still playing such petty tricks behind his back during a time of suppression.

It was a pity that the Five Animals Martial Hall now had only him as a master of Transformation Energy.

If there were one more, he might feel a bit more confident.

His best-case scenario was to send his daughter and Jiang Tian to the provincial capital while he remained in Blackwater County to guard this foundation.

He scanned the disciples practicing in the courtyard aimlessly, his gaze sweeping over their young faces.

Suddenly, his pupils constricted sharply.

Manifest Energy!

The aura emanating from Jiang Tian was clearly that of Manifest Energy!

And... he had mastered at least three types of Momentum!

Watching the fluid, natural flow of his punches, it seemed that Transformation Energy was also within reach.

"Good lad!"

Yuan Long let out a low shout, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

Three types of Momentum—he himself had only mastered four!

He tapped his toes lightly, his figure drifting out like a falling leaf, silent and soundless.

When he reappeared, he was already at Jiang Tian's side.

He struck out with a palm, aiming straight for Jiang Tian's chest. The palm carried a strange vibration, the force contained rather than revealed, like a turbulent current beneath the surface of the water.

Jiang Tian, in the middle of his practice, felt a chill in his heart.

That palm came too fast, so fast his eyes could barely track it. But his body was faster than his consciousness; almost instinctively, he threw a punch.

[Tiger in a Cage] and [Bear in the Cave], two types of Momentum were kneaded together by him.

As the punch landed, it was as if a tiger roared in the forest and a bear battled in the wild.

This was a technique Jiang Tian had mastered yesterday after upgrading his comprehension trait to "Heaven-Defying Comprehension"—he discovered that blending two types of Momentum into a single punch could unleash lethality far exceeding that of a single one.

It wasn't one plus one equals two; it was one plus one equals three, or even four.

"Boom—!"

The moment fist and palm collided, an invisible wave of air surged outward like a tide, whipping up the dust on the ground and exploding into a ring of smoke around the two of them.

Jiang Tian's arm went slightly numb, and his feet retreated uncontrollably for several steps, each one leaving a shallow mark on the bluestone.

He felt a slight shock in his heart.

He had sensed danger from that punch and had subconsciously struck with all his might.

By the time he realized it was Yuan Long, it was too late to pull back.

Furthermore, he had read the intent to test and guide him in Yuan Long's eyes, so he hadn't intended to hold back anyway.

Yet, he hadn't expected that even with his full-force punch blending two types of Momentum, Yuan Long hadn't even swayed.

He retreated four or five steps, his entire arm tingling with numbness.

"Master Yuan." Jiang Tian cupped his hands, his expression calm, though he was secretly gauging the gap between Transformation Energy and Manifest Energy.

"Mm."

Yuan Long nodded with a calm expression, discreetly tucking his slightly trembling palm behind his back.

His fingertips quivered within his sleeve, but inside, his heart was churning with turbulent waves.

This kid—how did he manage that just now?

With that palm strike, he had originally intended to use only thirty percent of his strength to test the depth of Jiang Tian's ability.

But when his palm touched that fist wind, which was wrapped in two types of Momentum, his heart skipped a beat, and he had almost instinctively unleashed his full power.

A Transformation Energy expert, testing a Manifest Energy junior, had actually been forced to use his full strength.

And what he found even more unbelievable was—

Under his full-powered palm strike, Jiang Tian had only retreated a few steps, his arm numb.

That was all.

Yuan Long looked at the calm young man before him and suddenly felt his throat go dry.

He was fifty-seven years old this year, having seen countless geniuses and taught countless disciples.

But someone like Jiang Tian.

He had never seen one.