Mountain Demon Battle Body

Dragon City Martial Arts University.

The afternoon sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the clean and tidy dining table.

Su Yutong sat by the window, taking small bites of her exquisite meal.

Opposite her sat a well-dressed male student with a sunny disposition, who was struggling to find a topic of conversation.

"Yutong, I heard you'll be competing as a core member in next month's inter-school exchange tournament? That's truly amazing!" The male student's tone carried undisguised admiration.

"Mm." Su Yutong responded faintly, her gaze drifting out the window, somewhat distracted.

"Um, Yutong, there's a new star-themed restaurant in the city. The reviews are great and the atmosphere is really romantic. Would you like to..." The male student gathered his courage to extend an invitation.

Su Yutong retracted her gaze and looked at him, her expression calm: "Sorry, I have training scheduled for the weekend."

"Ah? Is that so." A flash of disappointment crossed the male student's face, but he wasn't ready to give up. "Then next week..."

"Student Wang." Su Yutong interrupted him. "Thank you for your kindness, but I only want to focus on martial arts. I'm not considering anything else for the time being."

"Uh, right, okay, I understand." The male student gave a sheepish smile, lowered his head in embarrassment, and silently began to eat.

The atmosphere turned silent for a moment.

Just then.

"Yutong, look at this quickly!" Beside Su Yutong, her best friend Lin Weiwei suddenly shrieked and shoved her phone in front of her.

"Look at this guy, isn't he handsome? This gaze, this aura, it's incredible! The moment the music kicked in, I got goosebumps. This is practically a real-life version of a grassroots underdog rising to the top!"

Su Yutong frowned slightly, intending to push the phone away, but her gaze inadvertently swept across the screen.

On the screen, a man covered in blood was throwing a punch that seemed to shatter the heavens.

Su Yutong's gaze froze instantly.

"Li... He?" Even though it had only been a month since they last met, she felt as if a lifetime had passed.

"How about it, Yutong, handsome right? Isn't he super masculine?" Lin Weiwei was still chattering excitedly. "I heard this guy is going to participate in the October United Martial Arts Hall Newcomer Competition."

"Isn't your family one of the sponsors for the competition? Can you help me get two inner-field tickets? Let's go watch together, okay?"

Su Yutong suppressed the raging waves in her heart.

She slowly raised her head, her face returning to its usual calm, and a playful curve even tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Sure." Her voice was calm, revealing no ripples. "They're just inner-field tickets, it's a small matter."

"Really? That's great, Yutong, you're the best!" Lin Weiwei was so happy she almost jumped up.

Su Yutong watched her friend's excitement, but her gaze fell back onto the phone screen, fixed on Li He's blood-stained face, which was filled with unyielding fighting spirit.

Deep within her eyes, a glimmer of light flashed, unnoticed.

[Proficiency +1]

[Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist: Beginner (99%) → Proficient (0%)]

[Vitality: 18 → 18.5]

[Ape Standing Stake: Minor Achievement (99%) → Major Achievement (0%)]

[Vitality: 18.5 → 19.5]

Surging power erupted from deep within Li He's body, transforming into an invisible wave of energy that swept in all directions, kicking up dust from the ground.

He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air as he usually did.

His vitality had risen to 19.5, leaving him only a hair's breadth away from the threshold of a Tier 2 martial artist.

More importantly, the Ape Standing Stake had reached Major Achievement!

Practicing the Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist while absorbing the essence blood of exotic beasts to cultivate the Ape Standing Stake—this was truly killing two birds with one stone!

An insight originating from the essence of life flooded into Li He's mind, and he instantly grasped the technique of the Major Achievement stage of the Ape Standing Stake.

Mountain Demon Battle Body!

Once activated, his facial features would instantly distort and tighten, condensing into a fierce, phantom image of a mountain demon.

Furthermore, he could emit a screech like the wail of a mountain demon, disrupting an opponent's focus and amplifying their fear.

"Strange, why would a martial art as agile and natural as the Ape Standing Stake allow me to comprehend such a fierce and violent skill after reaching Major Achievement?"

The doubt flashed through Li He's mind.

He set his stance, preparing to face the cliff wall for practice again, but was stopped by Yuan Shan.

"Li He, you have already caught a glimpse of the path today. Having been tempered by essence blood, your tendons and bones need time to adapt. The Mountain Crushing Power is overbearing; too much is as bad as too little. Forcing yourself to practice now will only damage your foundation. Let's stop here for today. Go back, rest well, and consolidate what you have gained."

"Yes, Hall Master." Li He responded respectfully.

Only then did he notice that the continuous vibrations of his blood and qi were causing subtle, stinging pains throughout his body. He did indeed need time to digest the gains.

After leaving the back mountain, he didn't return to his residence immediately. Instead, he changed direction and headed toward the Scripture Pavilion.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of ancient trees, casting mottled shadows upon the bluestone path.

Inside the Scripture Pavilion.

The air was permeated with the faint scent of ink and old books.

Uncle-Master Yuan Hong remained the same as ever, sitting in his recliner and flipping through an ancient tome.

Li He softened his footsteps, his gaze sweeping across the familiar bookshelves.

He harbored a sliver of anticipation in his heart.

He believed that Uncle-Master Yuan Hong must have seen his performance during the minor examination, and how he had used the three Ape Demon martial arts to crush his opponents.

He wondered if the Uncle-Master might have happened to prepare another surprise for him this time.

He searched carefully among the shelves.

Especially in the vicinity where he had discovered the Ape Demon Three Styles last time.

However.

After searching for a long time, the shelves still held only those familiar classics. Li He hesitated slightly.

"Ahem."

He gave two dry coughs.

Yuan Hong didn't even lift his eyelids, remaining focused on his book.

Li He cleared his throat and raised his volume slightly.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."

"Hmph!"

Uncle-Master Yuan Hong closed his book.

"You brat, what is it? If you have nothing to do, stop coughing and hacking in here; you're disturbing my peace!" His tone was unkind.

Li He said with some embarrassment, "No, nothing, Uncle-Master. I was just looking at some books."

"Nothing? If there's nothing, why are you coughing? Do you have consumption? Don't go infecting me, get out, get out, get out! The Scripture Pavilion doesn't welcome you today, scram!"

"Uh, Uncle-Master..." Li He still wanted to explain.

"Scram!" Yuan Hong waved his hand impatiently. "If you don't leave, do you believe I'll throw you out?"

Li He was rebuffed and had no choice but to offer a disgruntled salute: "This disciple takes his leave."

After speaking, he slunk out of the Scripture Pavilion.

Standing outside the Scripture Pavilion, Li He felt somewhat helpless.

It seemed the Uncle-Master was in a bad mood today, or... perhaps he felt that his current kung fu hadn't reached a sufficient level, and he didn't need anything new?

Very well.

If there were no new techniques, he would practice his existing ones to the limit.

He looked up at the sky; it was around three in the afternoon, still early. He took a detour to the back of the Scripture Pavilion, assumed his stance, and began to practice the Ape Demon Three Styles.

The powerful blood energy, approaching that of a second-tier martial artist, condensed into a fierce and malevolent Demon Ape on the surface of his body, which continuously punched into the void.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

His proficiency rose rapidly.

Four hours later, as the sun set, Li He withdrew his stance and stood still.

[Ape Demon Three Styles: Minor Achievement (10%) → (30%)]

"Four hours, and it went up by 20 points of proficiency."

"That means I can max out a technique in 20 hours!"

Li He opened his attribute panel.

[Name: Li He]

[Vitality: 19.5]

[Skill: Federation Body Forging Fist: Minor Achievement (1%)]

[Skill: Cloud Hand Eighteen Forms: Minor Achievement (1%)]

[Skill: Wild Goose Eight Steps: Minor Achievement (1%)]

[Skill: Turtle-Crane Health Stance: Major Achievement (0%)]

[Skill: Silk-Reeling Power: Minor Achievement (1%)]

[Skill: Ape Demon Iron Body Technique: Minor Achievement (7%)]

[Skill: Ape Demon Three Styles: Minor Achievement (30%)]

[Skill: Ape Demon Steps: Proficient (9%)]

[Skill: Ape Standing Stake: Mastery (0%)]

[Skill: Old Ape Stretches Arms: Minor Achievement (1%)]

[Skill: Ape Trace Steps: Proficient (0%)]

[Skill: Ape Arm Mountain Crushing Fist: Proficient (0%)]

[Self-Created Movement Technique (Incomplete): Entry Level (0%)]

He had 7 Ancient Martial Arts at Minor Achievement, 3 at Proficient, and another 3 hard-body techniques yet to be practiced, totaling 13 martial arts.

It was now mid-August, and with a month and a half left until the Grand Competition, this time was sufficient for him to bring all his techniques to Mastery and firmly secure his position as a Tier 2 martial artist.

Based on the experience of previous years, this level of strength was enough to contend for first place!

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the horizon a deep orange-red.

Li He finished his day of grueling training, feeling the surging, vigorous blood energy within his body and the slight soreness emanating from deep within his muscles and bones, his heart filled with a sense of fulfillment.

His strength was improving steadily, and the path ahead was clearly visible; he loved this feeling very much.

He left the open space behind the Scripture Pavilion and headed toward the outside of the martial arts hall.

As he passed through the Martial Arts Arena, he could still see some diligent disciples putting in extra practice, and upon seeing him walk by, they cast gazes of awe and admiration toward him.

Li He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his footsteps never faltering.

He walked out the gate of the martial arts hall and stepped into the bustling street.