A night passed, and the heavy rain stopped.
The next day, just after dawn, wisps of smoke rose from the Zhou family's earthen house.
Zhou Yun had just woken up when a panel appeared before his eyes.
[Daily Settlement: You did not practice martial arts today, but killed eight local thugs. You put your martial arts to practical use, and your actual combat performance was decent. Evaluation: Top of the fourth grade.] [You gained three strands of qi and blood, which can strengthen your physique and build the foundation of your martial arts.]
"I didn't have time to practice yesterday and only killed a few thugs. Getting the top of the fourth grade is already pretty good."
Zhou Yun wasn't discouraged. He felt that was only to be expected.
Hearing about the feud between the Tiger-Wolf Gang and the Sea Whale Gang the day before had shaken him, so he decided to move up the date for breaking through to Bright Force.
Today was the perfect time.
These three strands of qi and blood were just enough for Zhou Yun to stabilize his qi and blood after knocking on the gate of Bright Force.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated the qi and blood within him through the seven acupoints, continually stimulating each meridian.
Breaking through to Bright Force was unlike opening the acupoints as an ordinary martial artist. Instead, all the qi and blood in the body had to be converted into force.
The slightest misstep could ruin everything. In a more serious case, it might even injure the meridians and cause qi and blood to stagnate.
Fortunately, Zhou Yun had learned the Black Ape Fist Technique and movement techniques at the Black Stone Martial Hall, so he didn't need to worry about his qi and blood circulating incorrectly. This was one of the benefits of joining a martial arts school.
Compared with martial artists who had no backing, a school with a dedicated martial arts lineage had inherited experience for breakthroughs and other crucial stages of training.
Zhou Yun breathed in and out, slowly tempering the qi and blood within him into force. The Black Ape's martial arts techniques flashed through his mind like scenes from a revolving lantern, showing him the most correct way to circulate it.
Whether he could leave behind the ranks of ordinary martial artists and enter the true martial path depended on this step!
"My qi and blood aren't enough."
Zhou Yun could clearly feel the qi and blood within him being tempered and compressed, nearly transforming into force.
He immediately took out a Blood Coagulation Pill, swallowed it, and let it dissolve in his stomach.
A dense surge of qi and blood gradually unfurled from his dantian, filling every corner of his body before passing through the seven acupoints and returning to his dantian.
After several cycles, that surge of qi and blood grew increasingly resilient, turning into a semi-transparent, blood-colored mist that circled his dantian.
Time passed slowly. The mist grew tougher and increased in volume.
Only after the blood-colored force had completed a full cycle through his body did Zhou Yun slowly open his eyes.
"Bright Force. I've made it!"
Zhou Yun let out a long breath of stale air. His brows lifted slightly, and he felt as if his heart and mind had opened wide.
He could feel that all the qi and blood in his body had been transformed into blood-colored force. This was one of the signs that he had fully entered the Bright Force realm.
Force was much more direct to use than qi and blood.
Before, he had relied on qi and blood to strengthen his muscles and withstand blows from blunt weapons.
Now, even a sharp blade or spear could only pierce his flesh, not injure his internal organs.
As long as Zhou Yun wished, he could circulate the force within his body to any part of himself at any time, keeping the damage at bay.
Of course, if the wielder of the weapon was far stronger than Zhou Yun, or possessed the strength to shatter all techniques with sheer power, he would still have to avoid their edge.
"Now I can return to the martial hall and take up a post. That'll give me a steady source of income."
Zhou Yun was delighted. Feeling light and refreshed, he stepped outside, wanting to share the good news with Lady Liu.
As soon as he pushed open the wooden door, he saw a bowl of plain noodles topped with an egg on the wooden table. The fragrance mingled with the fresh air after the rain, making it especially appetizing.
Mothers always remembered what their children had loved to eat when they were young. When they came home, they cooked it for them in abundance, never stopping to wonder if they might have grown tired of it.
Zhou Yun smiled helplessly, but honestly picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
In times like these, a steaming bowl of plain noodles was something many people wouldn't even dare hope for.
He could complain all he liked, but food shouldn't be wasted, and he had no complaints about the taste.
He finished the whole bowl, even drinking the broth and leaving nothing behind.
"Yun'er, you're up! How long will you stay this time?"
Lady Liu came in carrying a basin of clothes. It seemed she had just returned from washing them by the river.
"I'm leaving today."
Zhou Yun wiped his mouth, took a small silver ingot from his clothes, and pressed it into Lady Liu's hand.
"Mother, this is money I saved from working at the martial hall. If things get tight, you can use it in an emergency."
"How can you do that? Yun'er, you're still at a crucial point in your martial arts training..."
Lady Liu's concern spilled out at once. Zhou Yun's martial arts training seemed to have long since become the most important thing in the household.
"Mother, I've reached Bright Force."
Zhou Yun held Lady Liu's hand and told her frankly.
"Bright Force? So what if you've reached Bright Force? I..."
Lady Liu had been about to say more, but suddenly realized what he meant. She stared at Zhou Yun, stunned. "What did you say? You've reached Bright Force?"
"That's right. Your son has reached Bright Force. From now on, neither the Sea Whale Gang nor the Tiger-Wolf Gang will dare demand incense money from you."
Zhou Yun nodded firmly, confirming the fact.
"My son... My son has reached Bright Force!"
Lady Liu was overjoyed, but tears welled up in her eyes and she burst into tears.
"He's reached Bright Force! Your father can see it, Yun'er... He's reached Bright Force!"
Her sobs seemed to tell the story of how, through all these years of chaos, a woman at the bottom of society had shouldered the burden of the family, sent her only son to a martial hall, and watched him rise above his station.
Zhou Yun said nothing. He quietly let his mother cry, staying by her side.
After a while, Lady Liu wiped the corners of her eyes and pulled herself together. "Yun'er, now that you've reached Bright Force, what about the silver we owe the Sea Whale Gang..."
"Don't worry, Mother. I've already got the money. I'll pay off the debt today."
Zhou Yun spoke with ease. A Blood Coagulation Pill sold for three taels of silver on the market, and was so scarce that it was hard to buy even at that price. It would more than cover the debt and interest.
"Good, good!"
Lady Liu said "good" twice. At last, the mountain weighing on her heart had been lifted. "So what are your plans now? Will you keep training at the martial hall?"
"I can't stop pursuing the martial path. I plan to keep training while taking up a post at the martial hall. That'll give us a steady income, enough for the two of us to live on."
There was one thing Zhou Yun didn't say: if he broke through to Dark Force, he wanted to bring his mother from Black Stone County to Xiang City.
Judging by the state of the Tiger-Wolf Gang and the Sea Whale Gang, only one of the two would survive in the end. Their conflict might even spark a riot.
It was a feud between two large gangs with hundreds of members, yet the authorities hadn't intervened. That meant undercurrents were already stirring in Black Stone County.
"Good. As long as you've thought it through. Your mother can't help you much; all I can do is cook you a bowl of noodles."
Lady Liu smiled and patted Zhou Yun's shoulder. "You're old enough now, too. When are you going to bring home a wife? Then I can help look after your children..."
"Um, Mother, I'd better get going."
Zhou Yun was so embarrassed that he hurried toward the warriors' trading market.
"That child really can't take even the slightest teasing."
Lady Liu smiled fondly, feeling much more at ease.
Because she knew the Zhou family finally had something to look forward to.
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