Bright Force (Seeking Follow-ups, Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

The night passed, and the heavy rain ceased.

The next day, as the sky began to brighten, thin wisps of smoke rose from the Zhou family's earthen house.

Zhou Yun had just woken up from his bed when a panel appeared before his eyes.

[Daily Settlement: No martial arts practiced today, but eight thugs were slain. Martial arts were utilized effectively, and combat performance was acceptable. Rating: D-High.]

[Obtained: Three wisps of blood energy. Can be used to strengthen the physique and build a foundation for the martial path.]

I didn't have time to practice yesterday, just killed a few thugs and hooligans. A D-High rating is already quite decent.

Zhou Yun did not feel discouraged; he felt this was only to be expected.

Having heard of the feud between the Tiger-Wolf Gang and the Sea Whale Gang yesterday, he felt a certain pressure, so he decided to move up the date for his breakthrough to the Bright Force realm.

Today was the perfect time.

And these three wisps of blood energy were exactly what Zhou Yun needed to stabilize his blood energy after breaking through to the Bright Force.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating the blood energy within his body through seven vital points, constantly stimulating every meridian.

Breaking through to the Bright Force was not like opening up vital points as a common martial artist; it was the process of converting all the blood energy in one's body into internal force.

The slightest mistake at this step could lead to failure, or worse, damage to the meridians, causing blood energy to stagnate.

Fortunately, Zhou Yun possessed the Black Ape Fist Technique and movement arts learned at the Black Stone Martial Hall, so he did not need to worry about issues with his blood energy circulation. This was one of the benefits of joining a martial hall.

Compared to martial artists without affiliations, those in martial halls with specialized lineages had inherited experience to rely on, whether during breakthroughs or at critical junctures in their training.

Zhou Yun inhaled and exhaled, slowly tempering his blood energy into internal force. The Black Ape martial system flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, guiding him toward the most correct method of circulation.

Whether he could transcend the status of a common martial artist and step into the true martial path depended on this very step!

"Not enough blood energy."

Zhou Yun clearly felt that a portion of the blood energy in his body, after being tempered and compressed, was on the verge of transforming into internal force.

He immediately took out a Blood Coagulation Pill and swallowed it to digest.

A thick surge of blood energy gradually dissolved from his dantian, filling every corner of his body before returning to the dantian through the seven vital points.

After several cycles, that surge of blood energy became increasingly resilient, turning into a translucent, blood-colored gas that swirled around his dantian.

As time slowly passed, the gas became incredibly tough, and its volume began to increase.

When the blood-colored internal force had completed a full cycle through his body, Zhou Yun slowly opened his eyes.

"Bright Force, achieved!"

Zhou Yun let out a long breath of stale air, his brows lifting slightly as he felt a sense of openness in his chest.

He could feel that all the blood energy in his body had been converted into blood-colored internal force; this was one of the definitive signs of having fully entered the Bright Force realm.

Internal force was far more direct in its application than blood energy.

If he had previously relied on blood energy to strengthen his muscles to resist blunt force, now, even sharp blades could only pierce his skin without damaging his internal organs.

That layer of internal force circulating within his body could be directed to any part of him at will, allowing him to deflect such injuries.

Of course, if the wielder of the weapon was far stronger than Zhou Yun, or possessed the raw power to break all techniques with a single blow, he would still need to avoid the brunt of the attack.

"Now I can return to the hall to take up a position and have a steady source of silver."

Zhou Yun was overjoyed, feeling refreshed throughout his entire body. He walked outside, wanting to share this good news with Lady Liu.

Just as he pushed open the wooden door, he saw a bowl of Spring Onion Noodle topped with an egg sitting on the wooden table, smelling exceptionally sweet in the post-rain air.

Mothers always think about what their children liked to eat when they were young, and when they return, they cook it for them relentlessly, never considering if the child might have grown tired of it.

Zhou Yun smiled helplessly, but he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat in earnest.

In this day and age, being able to eat a bowl of hot Spring Onion Noodle was something many people dared not even hope for.

Complaints aside, food could not be wasted, and the taste was beyond reproach.

He finished the entire bowl, not even sparing the broth, cleaning it out completely.

"Yun'er, you're up? How long will you be staying this time before you leave?"

Lady Liu walked in carrying a laundry basin, looking as if she had just returned from washing clothes by the river.

"I'm leaving today."

Zhou Yun wiped his mouth, pulled a piece of broken silver from his robes, and pressed it into Lady Liu's hand.

"Mother, this is money I saved from working at the martial hall. If you ever find yourself in a tight spot, take it out for emergencies."

"How can I do that! Yun'er, you are still at a critical stage in your martial training..."

Lady Liu's words of concern spilled out; it seemed that Zhou Yun's martial training had long become the top priority in this household.

"Mother, I've reached the Bright Force."

Zhou Yun held Lady Liu's hand and spoke with calm assurance.

"Bright Force, so what if it's Bright Force? I..."

Lady Liu had intended to say more, but she suddenly froze, staring blankly at Zhou Yun's face. "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 to demand protection money from you again."

Zhou Yun nodded heavily, confirming the fact.

"My son, my son has reached Bright Force!"

Lady Liu was overcome with joy, yet tears welled up in her eyes as she began to sob aloud.

"He's reached Bright Force! Yun'er's father, did you see that? Our Yun'er has reached Bright Force!"

These cries seemed to tell the story of how a woman at the bottom of society had shouldered the burden of this family through troubled times, sending her only son to the martial arts hall so he could eventually make something of himself.

Zhou Yun said nothing, simply letting his mother weep to her heart's content while he stood silently by her side.

After a while, Lady Liu wiped the corners of her eyes and regained her composure. "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 secured the silver, and I'll pay off the debt today."

Zhou Yun said this with ease. A single Blood Coagulation Pill sold for three taels of silver on the market—and that was a price for an item that was rarely available—which was more than enough to cover the debt and the interest.

"Good, that's good."

Lady Liu repeated the word "good" twice, the heavy mountain in her heart finally lifted. "Then what are your plans for the future? Do you intend to keep training at the martial arts hall?"

"The path of martial arts cannot be abandoned. I plan to continue training while taking on a position at the hall; that way, we'll have a stable source of income to support the two of us."

Zhou Yun left one thing unsaid: if he were to break through to Dark Force later, he wanted to move 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 would remain in the end, and it was bound to trigger chaos.

After all, this was a feud between large gangs with hundreds of members, and the fact that the local government had not stepped in meant that undercurrents were already surging throughout Black Stone County.

"Good, as long as you've thought it through. I can't help you much, but I can at least cook you a bowl of noodles."

Lady Liu smiled and patted Zhou Yun on the shoulder. "You're at the right age now. When will you bring home a wife? I'd still be able to help you look after the grandchildren..."

"Well, Mother, I'll be going now."

Zhou Yun felt a wave of embarrassment and immediately bolted toward the martial arts trading market.

"This child, he really can't handle even the slightest bit of teasing."

Lady Liu chuckled, her heart feeling much lighter.

Because she knew that the Zhou family finally had a future to look forward to.