Breaking Through to Hidden Strength

Inner Courtyard, Earth-Rank Courtyard No. 28.

Outside the gate.

Liang Chengshi had an unusually free day. He suddenly remembered his earlier agreement with Zhou Yun: he was supposed to seek his guidance on the Black Ape Movement Technique.

Martial arts skill could only be improved quickly by seeking guidance from others if one had enough qi and blood to begin with.

"I remember that Senior Brother Zhou had already mastered the Black Ape Movement Technique to the minor-success stage long ago. I wonder what level he's reached by now?"

Liang Chengshi stood outside Zhou Yun's courtyard, a playful smile on his face.

"But I've already broken through to Dark Force. Even that old man doesn't know yet. Would it be too unfair to go challenge Senior Brother Zhou... Oh, no, Junior Brother Zhou?"

Though he thought that, Liang Chengshi still muttered to himself, It's fine. I'm only asking Senior Brother Zhou to exchange pointers. That doesn't count as bullying him... If it comes to it, I can fight him with one hand tied behind my back...

After all, for someone Zhou Yun's age, reaching minor success in two martial arts was already remarkable. One could even call him a genius.

Though Zhou Yun had been training in seclusion at the martial hall these past two days, there was no way his movement technique had reached great success in just ten days or so, giving him the ability to dodge Dark Force energy, was there?

Thinking this, Liang Chengshi cleared his throat twice and knocked on Zhou Yun's courtyard gate.

But after waiting a while, no one answered.

"Could he be out?"

Liang Chengshi raised an eyebrow and was just about to leave when he suddenly heard the sounds of weapons being swung inside the courtyard.

"So he's home. Why isn't he opening the gate?"

Liang Chengshi made up his mind. He hadn't seen Senior Brother Zhou in so long; today, he was definitely going to spar with him.

If Senior Sister Shen hadn't dragged Zhou Yun away last time, perhaps his Black Ape Movement Technique would have reached minor success by now.

He sat down outside the gate, planning to wait until the sounds from within the courtyard died down before knocking again to ask for guidance.

At that moment, inside the courtyard.

Zhou Yun was completely immersed in spear practice, oblivious to the knock from outside.

Gripping the Black Iron Great Spear, he performed the spear technique with lifelike precision, leaving countless pits in the courtyard ground.

"I'm running out of qi and blood..."

Zhou Yun felt he hadn't tempered the energy within his body enough. He had been using variations of the Black Ape Fist to control the Black Iron Great Spear as he practiced the spear technique, while simultaneously performing the great-success Black Ape Movement Technique.

This method could temper the energy in his dantian quickly, but it consumed qi and blood at a tremendous rate.

He had only been at it for an hour, yet he had already used two Blood Coagulation Pills—not counting the wisp of energy Zhou Yun had squandered.

"Martial arts really are for the rich..."

Zhou Yun sighed with feeling, but his spear technique and variations of the fist technique continued without pause, as did the movement technique beneath his feet.

Soon, the energy in his dantian was on the verge of advancing beyond the seven-finger mark.

At last, he broke through that barrier, and his energy began slowly growing toward the eight-finger mark.

"Keep going!"

Zhou Yun felt refreshed. The slight ache in his muscles gradually faded as the newly expanded energy in his dantian flowed into his limbs.

It seemed to be slowly improving the meridians in his limbs, allowing him to exert greater strength and endure for longer.

By the time the morning had passed, the energy in Zhou Yun's dantian had reached the rare eighth-finger level.

"Eight fingers... Even those geniuses from the main city probably wouldn't use such a precious Qi Transformation Pill while still at the Bright Force stage."

Zhou Yun felt that the energy within him had entered an entirely new realm, as though he could bring a fine thread of energy to the surface of his body.

There wasn't much of it, but only Dark Force practitioners could do that—and he had managed it while still at the Bright Force stage.

This clearly showed just how potent the energy measured at eight fingers was.

"But it's still not enough."

Zhou Yun regulated his breathing and continued swinging the spear!

His goal today had never been merely to reach eight fingers.

He wanted to break through to Dark Force completely, earn the right to venture into the main city, and gain the strength to place in the top three at the Three Halls Martial Tournament!

"The Thunder Meteor Spear Art is still too hard to improve. The first rotation and the second rotation are on completely different levels... Perhaps I should focus on those two martial arts instead."

Zhou Yun set the Black Iron Great Spear on the weapon rack nearby, then resumed practicing the Black Ape Fist.

He also used the martial arts comprehension page for fist and foot techniques.

Scenes flashed through his mind: all the times he had practiced his punches at the Martial Arts Arena, and every time he had used the Black Ape Fist to kill an enemy. Memories of every insight he had ever gained surged back like a tide.

That wasn't all. Those memories gave rise to many new insights, such as variations of the Black Source Fist... and how to cultivate the technique to perfection!

"The Black Ape Fist can actually reach perfection..."

Zhou Yun's eyes grew brighter. His fists struck faster and harder, though now and then they shifted into palms or fingers.

In other words, the variations born from the Black Ape Fist no longer had to take the form of punches.

Building on the Black Ape Fist, he had created the Black Ape Finger Technique and the Black Ape Palm Technique.

And both techniques had already reached the great-success stage from the moment he learned them!

"Perfection in the Black Ape Fist actually gave rise to two great-success martial arts?"

Zhou Yun was thrilled. He hadn't expected to gain something like this.

But the next moment, he felt the energy in his dantian running dry again. Without hesitation, he swallowed the remaining three Blood Coagulation Pills all at once.

His qi and blood quickly transformed into energy. Zhou Yun changed his fist into a palm, then his palm into fingers.

He continuously performed the two great-success techniques, absorbing the last five wisps of energy into his body as well.

The energy in Zhou Yun's dantian kept growing thicker. Soon, it was on the verge of reaching perfection at the eight-finger level, just one step away from breaking through to Dark Force.

Just as all the energy in his dantian was about to run out, the energy within Zhou Yun seemed to finally reach another level. As it circulated, it surfaced in his palm.

Bang!

The energy in Zhou Yun's palm shot out and struck a nearby ornamental rockery, leaving a gaping hole in it.

If that had hit someone in the head, it could have killed them without a sound!

"Dark Force. I've made it!"

Zhou Yun drew in a breath and settled into his stance, a smile spreading across his face.

After a full day of epiphanies and absorbing energy, he had not only reached the stage where he could release energy externally.

He had also advanced the Black Ape Fist to perfection, unexpectedly gaining two great-success martial arts.

Though those two great-success techniques shared some of the Black Ape Fist's moves, the essence of Black Ape martial arts lay in their endless transformations, making them extremely difficult to defend against.

More importantly, Zhou Yun finally had what it took to venture into the main city.

Black Stone County was now rife with undercurrents. He had wanted to bring his mother and Sister Ning Yue to the main city for a long time.

Now, all he had to do was wait for the Three Halls Martial Tournament to end, and everything would fall into place!

Not long after Zhou Yun's excitement had begun to settle, a knock suddenly sounded at the gate.

"Someone came knocking just as I broke through to Dark Force. What a coincidence. Who could it be?"

Zhou Yun was puzzled, but he still opened the courtyard gate.

As soon as he opened it, he saw Liang Chengshi's chin tilted slightly upward.

"Senior Brother Zhou, I've come to seek your guidance on the Black Ape Movement Technique. Do you have some time today?"