Hidden Energy, Master Huang

As everything gradually returned to calm, the pain dissipated rapidly.

Lu Yuan felt his body carefully, sensing that his blood and qi flowed smoothly through his flesh, bones, and sinews without the slightest obstruction.

Beyond that, his five senses had become significantly sharper; he could clearly hear even the soft murmurs of Nannan in her sleep and the steady, rhythmic breathing of Madam Yang.

Looking further out, even though night had long since fallen, he could still see everything clearly within ten paces.

He lifted his feet and walked directly into the courtyard.

"Bang!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Yuan slammed a fist into a stone on the ground.

In an instant, a force—more solid and restrained, yet containing terrifying explosive power—shot through his arm and penetrated deep into the stone.

Although the stone did not shatter as it might have before, showing only a few cracks, prying it open revealed that the interior had been completely pulverized into powder.

One could only imagine how terrifying this punch would be if it landed on a person.

This was the true horror of a martial artist in the Hidden Energy Realm.

The force of the punch he had just unleashed likely reached at least fifteen hundred jin.

Not only was the explosive power greater, but it could also penetrate the body to cause severe damage to the sinews, bones, and even internal organs.

It is no exaggeration to say that Lu Yuan, having reached the Hidden Energy Realm, could easily defeat any martial artist in the Bright Energy Realm—even ten at once—without needing to use the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique or the Flick Finger Technique.

If he were to add the soon-to-be-perfected Wind-Breaking Blade Technique and Flick Finger Technique, he could handle one or even multiple Hidden Energy martial artists with ease.

In short, having just broken through to the Hidden Energy Realm, Lu Yuan had the faint, intoxicating illusion that he was terrifyingly strong.

After soaking in a hot bath to wash away his fatigue, Lu Yuan lay down to rest.

Though I have been in this world for less than a month, I have already become a Hidden Energy martial artist. From here, I only need to continue on this path to reach the higher Transformation Realm, or perhaps even become a true ranked master...

With expectations 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?"

Seeing Lu Yuan arrive, the shopkeeper quickly took out a wooden plaque and asked.

"Lu Yuan!"

Lu Yuan stated his name.

"Young Master Lu, from now on, you can use this identity plaque to enjoy meat dishes for free in the inner courtyard canteen. You may also come to me to collect medicinal soup every five days. Today is your first time!"

After writing Lu Yuan's name on the plaque, the shopkeeper handed it to him.

"Many thanks!"

Lu Yuan took the plaque; his name was written on the front, and the 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.

"Understood!"

Lu Yuan nodded and walked directly through the small door.

"Hah... Hu... Hey..."

As soon as he stepped into the inner courtyard, Lu Yuan saw about twenty people training diligently.

Some were practicing fist and palm techniques, others were practicing with blades or swords, and some were training on wooden stakes.

Without exception, they were all very young. Aside from seven or eight who were in their twenties, the rest were about his age, around seventeen or eighteen.

"Oh... looks like a newcomer has arrived!"

"He looks like he's only sixteen, yet he's already a martial artist?"

Many of them turned to look at Lu Yuan, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Lu Yuan offered a polite smile, then found an empty spot and began practicing the Five Animals Fist.

[Five Animals Fist: Perfection (Unbroken Limit: 1%)]

Although the proficiency of the Five Animals Fist did not change after he finished the set, Lu Yuan could clearly feel that the blood and qi within his body had increased significantly. While it was still far from enough to support a third round of blood-qi tempering, it was within reach.

After resting for a while, he practiced the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique several times in succession.

[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Great Success (8217/10000)]

Judging by the proficiency, he estimated that at most three more practice sessions would be enough to reach perfection.

As for the Flick Finger Technique, Lu Yuan did not intend to practice it here; it would not be too late to do so after returning in the afternoon.

No matter where he was, he had to uphold his philosophy of being steady and cautious.

Unless necessary, he should take Han the Venerable—who saved others from disaster—as his idol: reveal three parts of his strength and hide seven, ensuring he always had a bit of a safety net.

"Pfft!"

Just at this moment, a tall and thin youth of about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Immediately following that, he collapsed to the ground with a deathly pale complexion.

"Zhao Qing, have you failed again?"

The crowd hurriedly gathered around him.

"Mm, I have failed again!"

Zhao Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then revealed a somewhat forced smile on his face, speaking in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Three consecutive failures; I fear my foundation has been damaged!"

"Unless one can find precious medicinal herbs to replenish the foundation, otherwise, it is likely there is no longer any possibility."

"Although you failed to break through to the Hidden Energy Realm, with your strength in the Bright Energy Realm, even if you cannot improve further in the future, you can still take a post at a security firm. If that doesn't work, you can still guard the homes of wealthy merchants; supporting a family will be no problem."

Everyone shook their heads and sighed.

Although one could continue to nurture and temper their vital energy after a failed attempt at vital energy tempering, and then attempt it again, if one failed multiple times in succession, it would very likely damage the foundation, leaving no chance for success.

Of course, if one could obtain incomparably rare precious medicinal herbs, perhaps the foundation could be mended, but unfortunately, precious medicinal herbs were treasures nurtured by heaven and earth; they were not only worth a fortune but were also priceless and unavailable, things one could only encounter by luck, not seek out.

"Forget it, the dream has awakened, I go... Hahaha... I go..."

Zhao Qing stood up, then walked away laughing like a madman.

Although it was Zhao Qing who had failed, looking at his somewhat desolate back, the hearts of the crowd remained inevitably heavy.

Because none of them knew if it would be their turn next.

I have performed vital energy tempering twice in just one month, and both were successful on the first attempt. Is it because my accumulation is sufficient, is it good luck, or perhaps, am I incapable of failure?

Lu Yuan could not help but ponder secretly in his heart at this moment.

Perhaps, the destiny of Practice Makes Perfect was not as simple as just allowing him to ignore his natural talent and master any technique.

"Although I have enough meat and medicinal soups to assist me in charging toward the Hidden Energy Realm and even the Transformation Realm after the Zhou Family's sponsorship, no matter how hard I have practiced these past few days, I feel I haven't made the slightest progress. I truly do not know why?"

After a moment of silence, another young man wearing a fur coat sighed, filled with confusion.

"That is because you have reached a bottleneck!"

At this moment, a sudden, resonant voice rang out.

The crowd turned their heads one after another to look, only to see a burly, rugged-looking middle-aged man striding over.

"Master Huang!"

Immediately, everyone collectively cupped their hands in salute toward the burly man.

"May I ask Master Huang, what is a bottleneck?"

The youth in the fur coat asked with some confusion.

The others also raised their eyes to look at Master Huang, clearly all very eager to know exactly what a bottleneck was.