Void-Standing Realm

Seven days later,

"Kick toward me. Don't hold back."

"Your Vital Blood isn't concentrated enough, and your burst isn't fast enough. Is that supposed to tickle me?"

"Faster! Faster! Kick! You're as limp as a woman!"

Lu Hao listened to Li Siyuan's instructions from across the room and felt a deep sense of malice. At first, he'd thought Li Siyuan was a stern old professor type, but it turned out he'd been wrong.

Anyone who could get along with someone as eccentric as his dad couldn't be ordinary. Li Siyuan was good at everything, but that mouth of his...

"You're not even a fraction as good as your dad."

"You're nothing but a soft-shelled shrimp with Vital Blood."

Lu Hao now suspected that Li Siyuan was taking his resentment toward his dad out on him.

Still, under Li Siyuan's relentless goading, Lu Hao made rapid progress. With Li Siyuan feeding him moves, his kicks and punches improved by leaps and bounds.

Li Siyuan had come over three days after Lu Hao broke through. He'd already heard about Lu Hao's talent from Bai Qiuyao, but seeing it for himself left him too astonished for words.

In just half a month, Lu Hao had reached the first rank—and he'd broken through after tempering his bones three times. Li Siyuan couldn't bear to let such a promising talent go to waste, so he played the bad cop during their training to help Lu Hao improve faster.

"Let's stop, Teacher Li. I'm running low on Vital Blood. That's enough for today."

Lu Hao stopped where he was, panting.

"That's all it takes to wear you out? I'm starting to doubt you really broke through after three bone-tempering sessions. How come your stamina's so poor?"

"Come on, Teacher Li. We've already stopped training. You don't have to keep chasing me around and hitting me. And you know perfectly well how much Vital Blood I just used."

"Heh, old habits. Tsk, you really are talented, kid. If I didn't know you were definitely going to Capital Martial University or Magic Martial University, I'd want to recruit you into Donglin Martial University right now."

Li Siyuan spoke as he packed up.

"Wouldn't it be the same wherever I went, Teacher Li? In the end, we're all fighting for the Human Race."

Lu Hao smiled.

"At the rate you're progressing, you might reach the second rank by the college entrance exams. I feel sorry for all those geniuses who only tempered their bones twice and are hoping to compete for top scorer. This year's top scorer is already yours, kid."

Li Siyuan shook his head as if he truly pitied the other examinees, but the corners of his mouth betrayed him. After all, Lu Hao was one of his students, and if Lu Hao became top scorer, more people would know Li Siyuan's name too.

After seeing Li Siyuan off, Lu Hao headed back into the washroom to take a shower. No wonder novels so often mentioned martial artists bathing. After every fight and training session, they worked up a sweat. Without a wash, they'd feel absolutely miserable.

As he washed up, Lu Hao checked his panel.

[Slaughter Point System]

[Host: Lu Hao]

[Vital Blood: 127/245 cal+]

[Spirit: 147/299 Hz+]

[Storage Space: 10 cubic meters]

[Slaughter Point: 117]

Over the past seven days, Lu Hao hadn't spent any Slaughter Points to restore his Vital Blood. He'd relied entirely on rest, which meant that after a week, he'd only tempered four toe bones in total, including the ones he'd tempered at the beginning.

His Vital Blood had only increased by four calories. Compared to his previous rate of growth, that was painfully slow.

There wasn't much he could do about it right now. At the very least, he needed to get his basic kicking and punching techniques to the minor mastery stage, as well as learn one blade technique, before he dared ask Bai Qiuyao about taking on a mission.

Otherwise, Bai Qiuyao might not approve—and even if she did, he was afraid he'd end up in over his head. His experience in actual combat was practically nonexistent.

If Lu Hao had to kill a pig, he could do it in a heartbeat, eyes closed. But if he had to kill a person, that was another matter entirely.

After all, people weren't livestock.

At noon, Lu Hao grabbed a quick bite outside, then returned to the Martial Arts Training Room to practice Stance Technique. He'd made quite a bit of progress with it lately.

He could now hold a stance on the surface of a basin of water for a while, though he'd still fall in before long.

He went over to the familiar basin and deftly took off his clothes, setting them aside. Then he stepped onto the water and stood upright.

Lu Hao controlled his center of gravity to keep himself balanced, then assumed the stance. As he held it, he continued searching for and adjusting his center of gravity.

Gradually, Lu Hao found a knack for it. He maintained his stance on the water's surface, and just as he thought he'd finally got it, his center of gravity suddenly shifted. No matter what he did, he couldn't correct it.

Splash!

Lu Hao fell into the basin again.

But he didn't even have time to wipe the water off himself.

Instead, he immediately stepped back onto the water and resumed his stance. He felt he was only a hair's breadth from a breakthrough, so he adjusted his posture, trying to return to the state he'd just been in.

Half a minute...

A minute...

Fortunately, this time there was no splash. That meant Lu Hao had successfully broken through with his stance and entered the Void-Standing Realm.

A smile spread across Lu Hao's face. Still smiling, he paced back and forth on the water, adjusting his stance, but never fell in.

Lu Hao felt as if he were in a state that could only be understood, not explained.

Was this the secret of the Void-Standing Realm? Lu Hao couldn't quite put it into words. It seemed more like an instinct of the body. As he adjusted his movements, his center of gravity naturally stayed balanced, and he no longer had to struggle to correct it.

No wonder Li Siyuan hadn't been able to explain the Void-Standing Realm in detail. He'd only told Lu Hao that he'd understand it naturally once he could perform the Water-Walking Lightness Skill.

Lu Hao stepped off the basin.

He took a step into empty air and, sure enough, didn't fall. Instead, he felt a kind of reactive force beneath his foot. Lu Hao tried to push off against the air.

One step, two steps, three steps...

After all, this was only an effect of Stance Technique. Its core still lay in how well a person controlled his body and adjusted his center of gravity.

So he could only push off seven or eight times at most before he couldn't manage any more. Still, that was enough. That was the significance of the Void-Standing Realm.

As the name suggested, Void-Standing meant being able to stand in midair for a brief time. It could make a qualitative difference to a martial artist's offense and defense.

Lu Hao moved back and forth across the training ground, covering half the distance in midair as he got used to the feeling.

After a while, he began practicing basic kicks, while also trying to use Point-Burst midair.

With the Void-Standing Realm to assist him, Lu Hao's progress was practically as fast as riding a Warp-Drive Spaceship.

In just half an hour, his kicking technique reached the minor mastery stage. He could now use Point-Burst skillfully, releasing his Vital Blood the moment he made contact with an enemy and leaving them no chance to deflect the force.

Lu Hao concentrated his Vital Blood, then kicked the sandbag. Just like when Li Siyuan had demonstrated it, the sandbag suddenly burst apart.

All he had to do now was learn Adhesion Force and how to stick to an enemy so they couldn't escape. Then his kicking technique would reach the major mastery stage.