Grasping Clear Force

Gao Yin was certain that his recent martial arts training had been too strenuous, causing his mind to become unsettled to the point of hallucinating, making everything he saw appear as a mere illusion.

He closed his eyes to steady his mind, but after a long while, when he opened them again, he discovered that the figure in the corner was performing the Tiger Fiend Fist with even greater refinement than before!

High-minded as he always was, Gao Yin found it completely impossible to accept the scene before him.

As a top-ten genius in the First High School Martial Arts Department, it had taken him four full days of grueling effort just to barely reach the entry level of the Tiger Fiend Fist!

How could this person possibly reach the entry level of this fist technique in such a short amount of time!?

Thinking back to how he had boasted to Li Biao that morning, mocking the other person's talent for the Tiger Fiend Fist, he could not help but feel a mix of shame and resentment.

"No... this guy must have practiced the Tiger Fiend Fist long ago and is just pretending to be a beginner now, all to attract Instructor Feng's attention so he can get more guidance."

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable his speculation seemed, so he strode toward that corner of the Martial Arts Room, intending to expose the other's ruse to his face and make him lose face in public.

But just as he was a few meters away from Chen Mochuan, a low, warning voice reached his ears.

"Stop!"

He looked toward the source of the sound in astonishment and found Feng Shi staring at him with eyes like torches, causing him to quickly halt his steps.

Having already cultivated the Tiger Fiend Fist to perfection, Feng Shi's discernment was far beyond that of someone like Gao Yin.

He could clearly see that Chen Mochuan's mastery and understanding of the Tiger Fiend Fist were improving at an astonishing speed, clearly having entered an enlightened state similar to the "Wisdom Heart."

This state was extremely rare, yet also easily interrupted by external interference.

Therefore, the moment he saw Gao Yin approaching with a malicious expression, Feng Shi immediately spoke up to stop him.

"He has entered the 'Wisdom Heart' state; everyone, do not disturb him," he announced loudly to remind the crowd.

The surrounding students were in an uproar upon hearing this, but then, remembering Feng Shi's warning and fearing they might disturb Chen Mochuan, they quickly lowered their voices.

One had to know that the "Wisdom Heart" state was something one could only hope for but never seek; some martial artists might not encounter it even once after years of training, making it a true stroke of fortune in martial arts cultivation.

To ruin someone's opportunity was akin to cutting off their path to progress, which was enough to forge a deep grudge, so none of the students wanted to invite trouble upon themselves.

Those who had been closer to Chen Mochuan quietly backed away a little.

Others widened their eyes, carefully observing every move Chen Mochuan made, hoping to catch a glimpse of some profound mystery from this rare "Wisdom Heart" state.

Inside the Martial Arts Room, only one person was an exception: Gao Yin was currently gnashing his teeth in jealousy.

He had practiced martial arts for many years without even touching the edge of the "Wisdom Heart," and fearing that he would be mocked by the other person if he saw Li Biao later, he simply flicked his sleeves and left.

Taking in Gao Yin's expression and behavior, Feng Shi could not help but lower his assessment of the man.

Afterward, he refocused his gaze on Chen Mochuan.

That the other party had triggered the "Wisdom Heart" upon his first contact with the Tiger Fiend Fist was not only because his foundation in fist techniques was extremely solid and compatible with the nature of the Tiger Fiend Fist, but his martial arts intuition must also be top-tier.

What puzzled Feng Shi, however, was that with such intuition, it stood to reason that his level in the Root-Solidifying Stance—which tempered the tendons and bones and regulated the blood and Qi—should not be low, so how could his blood-Qi value barely exceed 3?

At this moment, Chen Mochuan was immersed in the process of rapidly digesting his martial arts insights.

He had pushed the Tiger Fiend Fist to the [Entry (16%)] level.

As he performed each move of the Tiger Fiend Fist, he felt the blood and Qi within his body being mobilized like streams converging into a river, gradually gathering in his arms, with his fists erupting with a force far more solid than before.

It was Clear Force!

He had finally mastered Clear Force!

A surge of joy welled up in Chen Mochuan's heart.

In the martial arts system of Blue Star, those who practiced martial arts were collectively called martial artists before they broke through the limits of the human Essence Gate and became a "Mortal Shedding" Martial Artist. They were ranked according to the strength of their blood-Qi value, from the lowest First Stage (blood-Qi value 1.0) to the highest Tenth Stage (blood-Qi value 10.0).

Once the blood-Qi value broke 3 and one advanced to the Third Stage, a martial artist's physical constitution possessed the basic conditions to master a special technique for exerting force—Clear Force.

However, Clear Force was not standard for all Third Stage martial artists; only those whose understanding of fist theory reached a certain level and who could well control their own strength could mobilize their blood and Qi to condense force externally.

Some mid-stage martial artists with blood-Qi values breaking 4 or even 5 had yet to comprehend Clear Force, often because their understanding of fist theory was not yet sufficient.

Lu Feng, who had a blood-Qi value as high as 4.2 and had challenged Chen Mochuan earlier, was one such example.

Conversely, before Chen Mochuan had awakened the Spirit Devourer, he had already touched the threshold of Clear Force; had it not been for his insufficient blood-Qi at the time, he would have already mastered it.

His accumulation had already been sufficient, and he had only been waiting for his blood-Qi value to grow steadily to a level that could support Clear Force, at which point the method of application would have come naturally.

But after awakening the Spirit Devourer, his blood-Qi grew too quickly, leading to a slight lack of coordination in his control over his suddenly increased physical strength; thus, even though his blood-Qi had broken 3 for several days, that final step remained untaken.

Today, it was the stimulation of the Tiger Fiend Fist, a fierce and powerful technique, that acted as a catalyst, finally helping him break through the final barrier and master Clear Force.

Only now did he deeply realize that it was fortunate Lu Feng's level of fist technique was low and he hadn't mastered Clear Force during their duel, otherwise, his chances of winning at the time would have been extremely slim.

After throwing two punches infused with Clear Force into the air, Chen Mochuan felt a slight soreness in his arms, knowing that this was because his Clear Force application technique was not yet pure, causing his tendons and muscles to bear a heavy load.

At the same time, he understood why one needed a qualified blood-Qi value to master Clear Force: if one's physique and blood-Qi were insufficient, forcing the use of Clear Force would easily cause self-injury.

Just as he was preparing to rest for a moment before trying again, Feng Shi arrived before him with a smile:

"You have just comprehended Clear Force and are not yet familiar with the application of the force. Striking at the air easily leads to blood-Qi disorder and muscle strain. I will feed you moves to help you consolidate."

"Thank you, Instructor." Chen Mochuan felt the other's goodwill, but he was unsure how much strength he should use.

Seeing his hesitant appearance, Feng Shi smiled knowingly: "Just attack with full force; do not worry, you cannot hurt me."

Hearing this, Chen Mochuan no longer hesitated, channeling his Clear Force into his fist and launching a Black Tiger Heart-Plucking straight at Feng Shi's chest.

Feng Shi merely flicked his palm with an understated motion, neutralizing the fierce force of the punch entirely while simultaneously using a gentle pulling force to guide the incoming fist to his side.

Chen Mochuan felt a clever force travel up his arm, causing his entire body to sway; he hurriedly dropped his waist and sat into his stance, stabilizing his lower body with the Root-Solidifying Stance to avoid losing his balance.

A look of approval flashed in Feng Shi's eyes: "Your lower body is very stable; the foundation you laid with the Foundation-Cultivating Stance is quite good."

"You flatter me, Instructor." Chen Mochuan steadied his breathing. Although that punch had nearly caused him to stumble, his arm lacked the sore, bloated discomfort he felt when striking the air previously; it was clear that Feng Shi's ingenious method of dissipating force had neutralized the recoil of the Clear Force.

He knew in his heart that the force-dissipation technique Feng Shi used was likely the Neutralizing Force, a skill more refined and harder to master than Clear Force, typically only grasped by high-ranking martial artists.

Knowing this was a rare opportunity, Chen Mochuan immediately focused his mind and launched another punch.