Bone-Piercing Finger, Qi-Bursting Finger! (Seeking Daily Reads)

Following this, several days passed.

The entire city was under martial law once again, with County Soldiers, yamen guards, constables, and clerks beginning a thorough investigation into any remnants of the Black Wind Stronghold that might have remained in the city.

"Why has martial law been declared again?"

"There are government soldiers everywhere; it looks like they're hunting down outlaws."

"What kind of outlaws could stir up such a commotion? Did they rob the County Magistrate's mansion or something?"

"Watch your tongue. The place is crawling with clerks and constables; be careful that trouble doesn't come from your own mouth."

"..."

The common folk on the streets were confused, watching as squads of officials came and went, searching repeatedly until the public was filled with anxiety.

Few people noticed at this time that in the yamen offices established in the Outer City, those veteran constables who usually did the bare minimum had collectively gone missing.

In the small courtyard in the east of the city.

The courtyard, which had been a scene of carnage from a fierce battle, had now been restored to cleanliness.

The bloodstains had been scrubbed away, and the corpses had been hauled off by the yamen officials.

Li Gou'er was covered in medicinal plasters and still looked bruised and swollen, but he was at least able to walk around freely.

Zhao Chunzi, who had been more severely injured, still needed to lie in bed to continue his recovery.

Although they had been hurt badly, they held no grievances.

After all, Zhao An had personally killed Zhao Ke, who had brutalized them, which could be considered a fierce act of vengeance on their behalf.

Zhao An was shirtless, unafraid of the scorching sun beating down on him.

With his current thick skin, it was no easy task for him to even get a sunburn.

He was practicing the martial arts he had learned, his movements shifting from palms like gusting winds and fleeting shadows to a sudden change in form; the palm force ceased, and his hands transformed into twin claws, moving like a spirit snake emerging—more sinister and vicious, with every strike ruthless!

Then, with another quiet shift, the claws evolved into fists, the momentum domineering, enough to shake the earth and heavens!

If any martial arts expert had seen this sequence of techniques performed by Zhao An, they would surely have been stunned.

Every strike Zhao An delivered was flawless, every move reaching the pinnacle of perfection, as if he were a grandmaster of martial arts.

However, masters were usually old; where in the world could one find a twenty-year-old grandmaster? This was the point that made people's jaws drop regarding Zhao An.

He was far too young, yet every time he struck, his martial arts seemed like the result of decades of tempering.

No one knew how Zhao An achieved this; calling him a reincarnated Martial God would not be an exaggeration.

But the current Zhao An was no longer satisfied with the perfection of a single martial art.

He wanted to achieve seamless transitions between multiple perfected martial arts during combat, interweaving their techniques to leave his opponents unable to defend themselves.

There was naturally difficulty in this, and relying solely on the theoretical foundation of his Soul Slave was not enough; he needed to repeatedly consolidate and harmonize them in reality, further exploring the most reasonable applications of different moves through actual combat.

In short, it was about striving for excellence!

Suddenly, Zhao An's movements shifted again, and he pointed a finger, striking the hardwood post used for fist training.

Snap!

The wooden post let out a crisp sound.

When he moved his finger away, a small hole had appeared on the post.

Light shone through from the other side.

Clearly, this seemingly casual strike had pierced straight through the entire wooden post!

Under such power, what was even more remarkable was that the rest of the post remained undamaged, with barely even a crack.

This showed that not only was his finger strength astonishing, but his technique in utilizing Internal Breath had become increasingly subtle and precise.

Focusing on a single point to reach the peak of perfection!

This was the new finger technique that the Soul Slave Guo Fenglin had practiced for thirty years in the Soul Pool: the Bone-Piercing Finger!

The Bone-Piercing Finger was one of the six forms of finger techniques, serving as an offensive strike.

It could convert one's Internal Breath into an invisible force, released through the finger, capable of piercing skin to damage bone—the ultimate counter to those martial artists who specialized in hard-body techniques and claimed to have indestructible bodies!

"Such powerful penetration..." Zhao An couldn't help but marvel.

This level of power was almost comparable to a bullet!

He hadn't expected Internal Breath could be used this way; it usually flowed like water through the meridians, but when compressed and constrained to the limit before being released, it acted just like gunpowder propelling a projectile in a gun barrel.

Even now, having only initially mastered this technique, it possessed such power; once the technique was fully perfected in the future, he feared that a single strike would be able to pierce through stone shields and heavy armor alike!

Furthermore, as his primary Soul Slave, Guo Fenglin had not only mastered this technique but had also further refined the Pulse-Severing and Acupoint-Sealing finger techniques he had previously acquired.

Originally, his Pulse-Severing Finger could perhaps only slightly delay an opponent's Internal Breath circulation, with an effect so brief it lasted only an instant; while it could be a winning trick at a critical moment, if the opponent were calm enough and understood the technique, they could quickly render it ineffective.

But now, having mastered it, his Pulse-Severing Finger could completely seal an opponent's meridians, restricting or even actively disrupting their Internal Breath, with the effect lasting for three to five hours, or even a day or two!

The same applied to the Acupoint-Sealing Finger; previously it could only paralyze half of an opponent's body, but now, a single strike could leave them completely paralyzed, unable to move a muscle!

The fruits of this number one Soul Slave's thirty years of bitter cultivation did not end there.

He had also mastered a special finger technique.

Qi-Bursting Finger.

It was also one of the six forms.

However, this finger technique was not aimed at his opponents, but rather acted upon himself.

By striking his own acupoints, he could trigger his hidden potential, thereby gaining immense strength, force, and Internal Breath in a short period!

In short, it was a stimulation of potential that temporarily reinforced the physical body and Internal Breath, forcing him into a berserk state!

This method would overdraw the body and carried significant side effects, so it was a desperate, life-risking maneuver used only when at the end of one's rope.

Unless absolutely necessary, Zhao An would not employ it.

Pulse-Severing Finger, Acupoint-Sealing Finger, Bone-Piercing Finger, Qi-Bursting Finger.

He had already mastered four of the six Heavenly Profound Finger Techniques; his progress was not slow.

He held this lost ultimate skill in high regard.

In the battle against the bandit leader of Black Wind Stronghold, it was precisely this lost finger technique that had worked wonders, deciding the outcome with two strikes.

If an ordinary Soul Slave could not master it, he would use the best Soul Slave he had to practice it.

There was nothing to be reluctant about; Zhao An directly had the bandit leader Yang Yi replace the Soul Slave Guo Fenglin to continue studying this finger technique.

As a Soul Slave, Yang Yi had a full forty-year term of servitude, and Zhao An hoped he would be able to master all six forms of the finger techniques.

Thump, thump, thump!

Zhao An's fingers struck the wooden post in rapid succession, his fingertips moving so fast they left afterimages.

In no time at all, the post was riddled with holes, looking like a hornet's nest.

Only then did Zhao An circulate his energy to stop, looking at the wooden post with a satisfied nod.

He was satisfied with both the power of the Bone-Piercing Finger and his current Internal Breath sustainability.

Internal Breath became harder to cultivate the further one progressed; nowadays, consuming an ordinary Soul Slave with a five-year term might not even increase his Internal Breath by a wisp or two.

But the results of Guo Fenglin's cultivation had increased his Internal Breath by nearly a hundred wisps in one go!

This served as further proof of the importance of obtaining a high-quality Soul Slave.

It was also thanks to the final contribution of the Soul Slave Guo Fenglin that his total Internal Breath had grown to nine hundred wisps, flowing through his meridians like a small stream coursing through his entire body.

His Internal Breath cultivation was already quite profound.

As the saying goes, a thousand wisps form a single strand; he was now very close to that final step of qualitative change!