Gao Yin figured his recent martial arts training must have been too grueling, leaving him so unsettled that he was hallucinating and seeing everything as an illusion.
He closed his eyes to steady himself. Only after a long while did he open them again, yet the figure in the corner seemed to have improved his Tiger Fiend Fist by another notch!
Gao Yin had always thought highly of himself, and he simply couldn't accept what he was seeing.
He was one of the top ten talents in the Martial Arts Department at First High School, and even he had spent four whole days of hard work just to barely reach Initiation in Tiger Fiend Fist!
What gave this guy the right to reach Initiation in such a short time?!
Thinking back to how he'd boasted to Li Biao that morning, mocking the other man's talent for Tiger Fiend Fist, Gao Yin felt both humiliated and furious.
"No... This guy must have practiced Tiger Fiend Fist long ago. He's just pretending to be a beginner now, trying to catch Instructor Feng's attention so the instructor will give him extra consideration."
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable his theory seemed. He strode toward the corner of the Martial Arts Room, intending to expose the man's trick in front of everyone and make him a laughingstock.
But when he was only a few meters from Chen Mochuan, a low warning reached his ears.
"Stop!"
He stared in astonishment toward the voice and saw Feng Shi watching him with a piercing gaze. He quickly halted.
Feng Shi had long since cultivated Tiger Fiend Fist to Perfection. His trained eye was far beyond the likes of Gao Yin.
He could clearly see that Chen Mochuan's mastery and understanding of Tiger Fiend Fist were improving at an astonishing rate. The young man had obviously entered a state of enlightenment much like Wisdom Heart.
Such a state was extraordinarily rare, yet easily disrupted by outside interference.
So the moment Feng Shi saw Gao Yin approaching with ill intent, he immediately spoke up to stop him.
"He's entered the Wisdom Heart state. Don't disturb him," he called out to everyone.
The watching students burst into an uproar at his words. Then, remembering Feng Shi's warning and afraid of disturbing Chen Mochuan, they quickly lowered their voices.
The Wisdom Heart state was the sort of opportunity one could only stumble upon. Some Martial Warriors practiced for years without encountering it once; it was a rare stroke of fortune on the Dao Path.
To ruin someone's opportunity was like cutting off their path to the Dao, enough to breed lasting enmity. None of the students wanted that trouble.
Those standing closest to Chen Mochuan quietly edged away.
Others widened their eyes and watched Chen Mochuan's every move, hoping to glimpse some hidden principle from this rare Wisdom Heart state.
Only one person in the Martial Arts Room was an exception: Gao Yin was now so jealous that he gritted his teeth.
He had practiced martial arts for years, yet had never even brushed against Wisdom Heart. And since he was afraid Li Biao might mock him when they met later, he simply turned on his heel and left.
Feng Shi had taken in every detail of Gao Yin's expression and behavior. His opinion of the young man sank a little.
Then he turned his attention back to Chen Mochuan.
The young man had encountered Tiger Fiend Fist for the first time, yet had already triggered Wisdom Heart. That was due not only to his solid foundation in fist techniques, which suited the nature of Tiger Fiend Fist, but also to his seemingly top-tier martial arts comprehension.
What puzzled Feng Shi was that with such comprehension, Chen Mochuan's Root-Solidifying Stance—used to temper the bones and circulate Blood-Qi—should have been fairly advanced as well. So how could his Blood-Qi Value have only just broken 3?
At that moment, Chen Mochuan was immersed in rapidly absorbing his martial arts insights.
He had already advanced Tiger Fiend Fist to [Initiation (16%)].
As he performed each move of Tiger Fiend Fist, he felt the Blood-Qi within him stirred like streams converging into a river, gradually gathering in his arms. A force more solid than before surged from his fists.
Clear Force!
He had finally mastered Clear Force!
Chen Mochuan was overjoyed.
In Blue Star's martial arts system, those who practiced martial arts were collectively known as Martial Warriors until they broke through the limits of the body's Essence Gate and became Martial Artists of the Mortal Shedding realm. Their ranks were determined by the strength of their Blood-Qi Value, from the lowest, First Rank (Blood-Qi Value 1.0), to the highest, Tenth Rank (Blood-Qi Value 10.0).
Once a Martial Warrior's Blood-Qi Value broke 3 and they advanced to Third Rank, their physical fitness met the basic requirements for mastering a special method of exerting force: Clear Force.
However, Clear Force wasn't standard for every Third Rank Martial Warrior. Only those who understood the principles of fist techniques to a certain degree and could control their own strength well could stir their Blood-Qi and gather force beyond their body.
Some mid-ranked Martial Warriors with Blood-Qi Values above 4 or even 5 still failed to grasp Clear Force because they hadn't sufficiently understood the principles of fist techniques.
Lu Feng, whose Blood-Qi Value had reached 4.2 when he challenged Chen Mochuan, was one such example.
By contrast, even before awakening Spirit Devourer, Chen Mochuan had already touched the threshold of Clear Force. If not for his insufficient Blood-Qi at the time, which made it difficult to use, he would have mastered it long ago.
He had already built up enough of a foundation. All he needed was for his Blood-Qi Value to steadily rise until it could support Clear Force, and then he would naturally grasp how to use it.
But after awakening Spirit Devourer, his Blood-Qi had grown too quickly, leaving him slightly uncoordinated in controlling his suddenly enhanced physical strength. So although his Blood-Qi had broken 3 several days ago, he had still been unable to take that final step.
Today, the fierce Tiger Fiend Fist had served as a catalyst, finally helping him break through the last barrier and master Clear Force.
Only now did he truly understand how lucky he was that Lu Feng's skill with fist techniques had been poor and he hadn't grasped Clear Force when they fought. Otherwise, Chen Mochuan's odds of winning would have been vanishingly slim.
After throwing two Clear Force punches into the air, Chen Mochuan felt a slight ache and swelling in his arms. He realized that his technique was still unpracticed, placing too much strain on his bones and muscles.
At the same time, he understood why a sufficient Blood-Qi Value was required to master Clear Force: without adequate physical strength and Blood-Qi, forcing it would only injure oneself.
Just as he was about to take a short break before trying again, Feng Shi walked up to him with a smile.
"You've just grasped Clear Force, so you're not familiar with using it yet. Shadowboxing could throw your Blood-Qi into disarray and strain your muscles. I'll spar with you to help you get the hang of it."
"Thank you, Instructor." Chen Mochuan felt the man's goodwill, but wasn't sure how much strength to use.
Seeing him hesitate, Feng Shi smiled knowingly. "Attack with all your strength. Don't worry—you won't hurt me."
At that, Chen Mochuan didn't hesitate any longer. He channeled Clear Force into his fist and drove a Black Tiger Heart-Plucking punch straight at Feng Shi's chest.
Feng Shi casually deflected it with one hand, dispersing the fierce force behind the punch. At the same time, a gentle pull guided Chen Mochuan's fist to the side.
Chen Mochuan felt a subtle force travel up his arm, rocking his whole body. He hurriedly sank his waist and sat into a horse stance, using the posture of Root-Solidifying Stance to steady his base. Only then did he avoid losing his balance.
A look of approval flashed through Feng Shi's eyes. "Your stance is solid. You've built a good foundation in Foundation-Cultivating Stance."
"You're too kind, Instructor." Chen Mochuan steadied his breathing. That punch had nearly knocked him over, but his arm didn't have the aching discomfort he'd felt after shadowboxing. Clearly, Feng Shi's deft way of dissipating the force had neutralized Clear Force's recoil.
He realized that Feng Shi's technique for redirecting force was likely more subtle than Clear Force, and harder to master—a skill usually mastered only by high-ranked Martial Warriors: Neutralizing Force.
Knowing how rare this opportunity was, Chen Mochuan immediately focused and struck again.
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