As everything gradually settled back into stillness, the pain quickly faded.
Lu Yuan carefully sensed the changes. He felt his blood qi flowing smoothly through his flesh and between his bones, without the slightest trace of stagnation.
Besides that, his senses had grown sharper. He could hear Nannan's sleep-murmurs and Madam Yang's low breathing as clearly as if they were right beside him.
Looking outside, he could still see everything within ten paces, even though night had already fallen.
He stepped out and went straight into the courtyard.
"Bang!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Yuan punched a stone on the ground.
In an instant, a force more concentrated and restrained, yet packed with terrifying explosive power, surged through his fist and penetrated the stone.
The stone didn't explode as it had before. It only developed several cracks. But when he pried it open at the cracks, he found that the inside had been reduced to powder.
One could imagine how terrifying it would be if that punch landed on a person.
This was the fearsome part of a Hidden Energy martial artist.
That punch of his had unleashed at least fifteen hundred jin of force.
Not only was the force behind it stronger, but he could also send it through the body, inflicting severe damage directly to the bones and even the internal organs.
It could be said that now that Lu Yuan had reached the Hidden Energy level, he could easily defeat any Bright Energy martial artist simply by unleashing Hidden Energy—even without using the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique or Flick Finger Technique. He could probably take on ten at once without any trouble.
With his nearly perfected Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and Flick Finger Technique added to the mix, he could handle one or even several Hidden Energy martial artists with ease.
In short, Lu Yuan had only just broken through to Hidden Energy, yet he already had the faint, mistaken impression that he was terrifyingly strong.
After soaking in a hot bath and washing away his exhaustion, Lu Yuan lay down.
"I've been in this world for less than a month, yet I've already become a Hidden Energy martial artist. If I just keep walking this path, I can reach even higher levels—Transformation Realm, or even the true ranks of the martial world..."
Full of anticipation for the future, Lu Yuan soon closed his eyes.
Early the next morning, Lu Yuan went straight to Guangchun Hall.
"May I ask your name, young master?"
When he saw Lu Yuan arrive, the shopkeeper hurriedly brought out a wooden plaque and asked.
"Lu Yuan!"
Lu Yuan gave his name.
"Master Lu Yuan, from now on, you can use this identity plaque to enjoy free meat at the dining hall in the Inner Courtyard. You can also come to me every five days to collect a dose of medicinal soup. Today's your first time!"
After writing Lu Yuan's name on the plaque, the shopkeeper handed it to him.
"Thank you!"
Lu Yuan took the identity plaque. His name was written on the front, and the three characters for Guangchun Hall were on the back.
"Go through there to reach the Inner Courtyard!"
The shopkeeper pointed to a small door on the left and said.
"All right!"
Lu Yuan nodded, then walked through the small door.
"Roar... ha... hey..."
As soon as he entered the Inner Courtyard, Lu Yuan saw about twenty people training hard.
Some practiced fist and palm techniques, some trained with blades and swords, and others practiced stance work.
Without exception, they were all quite young. Seven or eight were in their twenties, while the rest were about his age, around seventeen or eighteen.
"Oh... looks like we've got a newcomer!"
"He looks no older than sixteen. He's already a martial artist?"
Quite a few of them turned to look at Lu Yuan, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Lu Yuan merely smiled politely, then found an empty patch of ground and began practicing the Five Animals Fist.
[Five Animals Fist perfected (Unbroken Limit: 1%)]
Although the proficiency of the Five Animals Fist remained unchanged after he finished a set, Lu Yuan could clearly feel that his blood qi had increased considerably. It still wasn't nearly enough to support a third Blood Qi Tempering, but that day was within reach.
After resting for a while, he practiced the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique several more times.
[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Great Accomplishment (8217/10000)]
Judging by the proficiency, he'd probably reach perfection after no more than three more practice sessions.
As for the Flick Finger Technique, Lu Yuan didn't plan to practice it here. He could wait until he got back in the afternoon.
No matter where he was, he had to hold fast to the principle of caution.
Unless necessary, he should also take Han the Venerable—who rescued and aided the helpless—as his role model: reveal three parts, keep seven hidden, and give himself just a little more confidence.
"Pfft!"
Just then, a tall, thin young man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven suddenly spat blood.
Then, his face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Zhao Qing, did you fail again?"
Everyone hurried over.
"Mm. I failed again!"
Zhao Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. A strained smile appeared on his face as he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Three failures in a row... I'm afraid your foundation's been damaged!"
"Unless you can find a Treasured Medicine to restore your foundation, there's probably no hope left!"
"Even if you failed to break through to Hidden Energy, with your Bright Energy strength, you can still take a post at an escort agency. If that doesn't work, you can guard the homes of wealthy merchants. You'll have no trouble supporting a family."
Everyone shook their heads and sighed.
Even after failing Blood Qi Tempering, one could continue nurturing and tempering one's blood qi, then try again. But repeated failures could damage one's foundation and make success impossible.
Of course, a rare and precious Treasured Medicine might repair the damage. Unfortunately, such medicines were natural treasures nurtured by heaven and earth. They were worth a fortune, yet hard to find even if one had the money. One could only hope to encounter one by chance.
"Enough. The dream's over. I'm off... Hahaha... off I go..."
Zhao Qing got to his feet, then laughed like a madman as he walked away.
Though Zhao Qing was the one who'd failed, seeing his lonely figure still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Because none of them knew whether they would be next.
"I've undergone Blood Qi Tempering twice in a single month, and succeeded both times on my first try. Was it because I'd accumulated enough, because I was lucky, or because I simply won't fail?"
Lu Yuan couldn't help pondering this to himself.
Perhaps the fate trait Practice Makes Perfect did more than just let him master any technique regardless of his natural aptitude.
"Even though the Zhou Family's support gives me enough meat and medicinal soup to help me break through to Hidden Energy, or even Transformation Realm, I haven't felt the slightest improvement these past few days, no matter how hard I've trained. I really don't know why."
After a moment of silence, another young man in a leather coat sighed in confusion.
"That's because you've hit a bottleneck!"
At that moment, a loud voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned to look. A burly, rugged-looking middle-aged man was striding toward them.
"Master Huang!"
The group immediately cupped their fists in greeting.
"May I ask, Master Huang, what exactly is a bottleneck?"
The young man in the leather coat asked, looking puzzled.
The others also looked up at Master Huang, clearly eager to learn what a bottleneck was.
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