Stuffed

For a while afterward, Chen Mochuan and Feng Shi engaged in an instructional sparring session in the Martial Arts Room.

Chen Mochuan unleashed the Clear Force he had just comprehended with all his might. At first, he used it awkwardly, his force stiff and clumsy, but under Feng Shi's guidance, his movements soon grew smoother and more fluid.

Feng Shi remained composed throughout. With a palm or a finger, he deftly dispelled each incoming surge of Clear Force in the blink of an eye, occasionally offering pointers on the keys to exerting force and the principles behind circulating blood and qi.

Under the guidance of a master like Feng Shi, Chen Mochuan's use of Clear Force was improving rapidly.

The sustained full-force attacks also gradually smoothed out the lack of coordination in his control of his strength, caused by his blood and qi having increased too quickly.

He was no longer satisfied with straightforward, forceful attacks. He began experimenting with varying the strength and tempo of his force, as well as feints and changes.

However, using Clear Force consumed a great deal of stamina. His Blood-Qi Value had only recently broken through 3, and he had been fighting at full strength the entire time, so he couldn't keep going as long as he could during his usual fist practice.

A little over ten minutes later, Chen Mochuan's back was drenched in sweat, his breathing ragged, and the speed and force of his punches had noticeably declined.

Two notifications appeared in succession on the light screen panel:

[Notice: Mild physical fatigue. Consider adjusting your condition and replenishing fluids and nutrients to maintain your energy.]

[Notice: Moderate physical fatigue. Your current condition is poor. Consider pausing your activity and taking a short rest.]

Chen Mochuan knew that an opportunity like this was hard to come by. If he stopped to rest now, Feng Shi might not continue feeding him moves, so he gritted his teeth and struggled to keep going.

Feng Shi saw how determined he was, but didn't try to stop him.

A few minutes later, Feng Shi once again brushed aside one of Chen Mochuan's punches with casual ease. Nearly exhausted, Chen Mochuan was pulled off balance by the Neutralizing Force, his stance on the verge of collapsing. A warning flashed across the light screen panel:

[Warning: High physical fatigue. All bodily functions have declined significantly. Forcing yourself to continue may result in injury. Rest fully at once!]

Seeing this, Chen Mochuan withdrew his fist, steadied himself, and clasped his hands in salute to Feng Shi. "Instructor Feng, I've run out of strength. Thank you for your guidance. I've gained a great deal today."

Feng Shi nodded with a smile, admiration growing in his eyes. "There's no need for formalities. Teaching you your fist techniques is part of my job."

He had witnessed Chen Mochuan master the Tiger Fiend Fist in a short time, and then make astonishing progress with the Clear Force he had only just grasped. Such comprehension and speed of improvement were truly rare.

"You've only just begun to master Clear Force, and you've already gained plenty today. Trying to take in too much can easily harm your body. When you get back, rest well and consolidate what you've learned gradually. That's the proper way forward," Feng Shi reminded him.

Chen Mochuan thanked him again, sincerely.

Seeing how humble Chen Mochuan was, Feng Shi knew he had taken the advice to heart. He wasn't like some Martial Warriors who, after making a breakthrough, neglected their bodies and trained recklessly until they injured themselves.

Feng Shi was even more convinced that Chen Mochuan knew when to advance and when to retreat, and when to hold on and when to let go. From the way he had gritted his teeth and kept sparring until he reached his limit, it was clear he could also settle down and train hard.

But that only deepened Feng Shi's confusion. How could such a promising martial arts talent have such a low Blood-Qi Value?

Their sparring session had drawn quite a few students in the Martial Arts Room to stop and watch.

Some students had gleaned a few insights from it. Now that the two had stopped, they hurried over to ask Feng Shi about the difficulties they were having with their fist techniques.

It was still class time, and as an instructor, Feng Shi naturally couldn't focus on teaching Chen Mochuan alone. He turned to answer the students' questions.

Chen Mochuan felt exhausted. He took a bottle of water from his backpack and drained it, then sat down on the floor with his back against the wall to rest while he had the chance.

He checked the light screen panel and saw that his Blood-Qi Value had risen to [3.19] after his high-intensity training.

His mastery of the Tiger Fiend Fist had also improved again during the sparring session with Feng Shi, rising from [Initiation (16%)] to [Initiation (21%)].

To make such gains in less than two hours gave him a deep appreciation of the tremendous help Spirit Devourer had given him.

But Chen Mochuan also knew that his rapid progress was partly because the Tiger Fiend Fist was still at the Initiation stage, when it was easy to improve quickly, and partly because he had just absorbed related martial arts insights.

Once his level rose, even with the insights he had absorbed in his mind, his Proficiency with the Tiger Fiend Fist wouldn't increase as quickly as it had today.

Even as he rested on the floor, Chen Mochuan kept busy. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him in the corner, he once again activated Spirit Devourer, trying to draw in the larger mass of Spiritual Essence in the Martial Arts Room.

However, unlike the times he had absorbed Spiritual Essence with ease before, this time, although he pulled the Light Seed right in front of him, he couldn't absorb it into his body.

At the same time, Spirit Devourer sent him a vague message. After carefully making it out, he realized it meant "stuffed."

Only then did he understand. Spirit Devourer had a limit to how much Spiritual Essence it could absorb, and he would have to digest some of the martial arts insights he had already taken in before he could absorb more.

Of course, Spirit Devourer's ability wasn't fixed. It would gradually grow stronger as Chen Mochuan did.

He could sense that if he gained a deeper understanding of fist principles, his mind would be able to hold more martial arts Spiritual Essence.

In other words, it wasn't Spirit Devourer that had a limit. It was Chen Mochuan himself.

After resting for a while, Chen Mochuan felt that some of his strength had returned. He got to his feet, said goodbye to Feng Shi, and prepared to leave the Martial Arts Room.

Feng Shi had finished answering the students' questions, and class had just ended, so he naturally walked out with Chen Mochuan.

Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, he finally voiced the question on his mind. "I can see you're quite good at the Root-Solidifying Stance and Foundation Building Fist, but your Blood-Qi Value has only just broken through 3. How come?"

Chen Mochuan had only just met Feng Shi. Although the man had helped him a great deal, there was no way he could tell him everything about himself, so he only shared what he could. "Something was wrong with my body before, and it slowed the growth of my blood and qi."

Feng Shi felt a pang of regret at the news. Such a talented young man had run into such a predicament. He knew better than to keep picking at an old wound, so he changed the subject and began discussing fist techniques with him instead.

Chen Mochuan's level in fist techniques wasn't as high as Feng Shi's, but he was exceptionally quick to learn. After absorbing others' martial arts insights several times and blending them with his own understanding of fist principles, he had already developed a few unique insights of his own.

Feng Shi had originally intended to use their discussion of fist techniques to guide Chen Mochuan, draw closer to this exceptionally gifted young man, and forge a good relationship. But to his surprise, Chen Mochuan handled every leading question Feng Shi put to him with ease.

Even though the topics were fairly basic, it was clear that the young man's understanding of fist techniques was exceptionally solid. Among his peers, he was already one of the best.