Self-Created Killing Move, "Thunderclap Explosion"!

The next day, just as dawn broke.

The door to Li Pingsheng's courtyard was knocked upon.

He opened the door and was stunned.

Standing outside was none other than Instructor Wu.

Instructor Wu, who had been full of disdain yesterday, now had a face plastered with smiles.

He rubbed his hands together, his body slightly hunched, his posture extremely humble.

"Li Pingsheng, up so early."

"Yesterday, I was blind and failed to recognize a true talent. Please, don't take it to heart."

As he spoke, he pulled several small white jade bottles from his robes as if performing a magic trick and offered them with both hands.

"These are the Bone Strengthening Pill that the Azure Cloud Martial Hall distributed earlier; I saved them for you. All nine bottles are here."

"You are gifted, and this is exactly the time you need resources. Don't stand on ceremony with me."

Li Pingsheng reached out and took the pills. It seemed the effect of those three punches yesterday was immediate.

If he had failed the assessment and been driven to the Servant Courtyard, he likely would never have seen these items in his life.

"Many thanks, Instructor Wu."

Instructor Wu had expected the youth to give him an opening after receiving the benefits, but he didn't expect the other party to ignore the gesture entirely.

This didn't look like a teenager at all; it was clearly a deep and calculating individual.

"You're welcome, it's only right."

Instructor Wu laughed dryly. Seeing that Li Pingsheng remained unresponsive, he had no choice but to take his leave in embarrassment.

Watching Instructor Wu's back as he practically fled, Li Pingsheng closed the courtyard door.

He placed the nine bottles of Bone Strengthening Pill on the stone table, not giving them a second glance.

These things might have been important before, but now they didn't amount to much.

What he cared about more were the three punches he had thrown yesterday.

Night fell.

Li Pingsheng stood firm in the courtyard, sank into a horse stance, and practiced the Thunderbolt Fist once more.

After finishing the set, Li Pingsheng frowned.

Why did it always feel like something was wrong?

Every time the fist technique reached its limit, especially when he channeled his entire body's blood and qi to execute the third form, Thunder Moves Through the Nine Heavens, he felt an lingering sense of stagnation in the flow of his blood and qi.

The subsequent power surged forth continuously, but it couldn't be vented, causing his meridians to ache faintly.

His Tiger Bone specialty provided far more blood and qi than an ordinary person, but this Thunderbolt Fist seemed unable to fully contain the power within him.

This technique was flawed.

"Troubled by the Thunderbolt Fist?"

Master Pei stood at the entrance, watching him quietly.

"Master Pei."

Li Pingsheng retracted his fists and bowed.

Master Pei looked at Li Pingsheng with a mix of appreciation and regret.

"Your intuition is correct. The Thunderbolt Fist is an incomplete manual."

He began to explain slowly.

"This fist technique was once one of the ultimate arts of the Azure Cloud Martial Hall. The complete technique is fierce and domineering; when practiced to perfection, the strikes are like true thunder descending, possessing infinite power."

"Unfortunately, during the demon chaos decades ago, the city of Qingyun County was breached. The experts of the martial hall suffered heavy casualties to protect the heritage."

"The subsequent parts of the technique were lost in that chaos."

"What remains today are only these first three forms."

"It can build a decent foundation for new disciples, but for someone like you who has already touched the threshold of fist intent, it is a shackle that will limit your growth."

So that was it.

Li Pingsheng humbly asked for advice.

"Is there a solution?"

Master Pei pondered for a moment.

"There are two ways. First, wait until your strength is sufficient and go pay your respects to the Hall Master to see if he is willing to find you a stronger technique."

"As for the second, you can go to the Library Pavilion of the martial hall."

"The Library Pavilion?"

"Hmm."

Pei Guang nodded.

"That place houses various techniques and secret manuals collected by the martial arts hall over the past century."

"Although most are subpar or incomplete ancient scrolls, if you happen to find fragments related to lightning techniques, with your Martial Wisdom, you might be able to draw inferences and complete a thing or two yourself."

Complete them myself?

Li Pingsheng's eyes lit up.

Didn't he have the Martial Wisdom talent?

"Many thanks for the guidance, Master Pei."

The Library Pavilion was located deep within the inner courtyard, a two-story, dilapidated building.

Li Pingsheng presented his waist medallion and was granted entry.

Rows of bookshelves were packed with various books, most covered in thick dust, clearly untouched for a long time.

Martial cultivation places the greatest importance on lineage; with expert guidance, who would be willing to come to this pile of old paper to try their luck?

But for him, this was the best place to hunt for treasure.

He did not look at the flashy, well-known techniques displayed prominently, but instead walked toward the corner where miscellaneous books and fragments were piled.

This place was more like a dump, with damaged bamboo slips and yellowed animal skins heaped together, along with some moth-eaten booklets scattered in between.

Li Pingsheng did not mind the filth and began flipping through them one by one.

Awakening of Insects Technique fragment, only the energy circulation method.

Palm Thunder Essential Technique handwritten copy, missing the force-exertion diagrams.

Lightning Induction Body Tempering Method, this thing was even more absurd; it actually taught people how to get struck by lightning during thunderstorms.

Li Pingsheng searched the entire corner, only to find these few fragments that seemed vaguely related to lightning but were ultimately irrelevant.

Anyone else would have given up in disappointment long ago.

But Li Pingsheng treated these scraps like treasures, tucked them into his robes, and returned to his small courtyard.

He sat cross-legged and spread the fragments out before him.

Closing his eyes, he focused his mind.

Martial Wisdom talent.

The obscure characters, incomplete meridian diagrams, and vague incantations on those fragments were instantly shattered, analyzed, and reorganized in his mind.

He began to dismantle the blood-energy circulation routes of the Awakening of Insects Technique, analyze the instantaneous force-exertion techniques of the Palm Thunder Essential Technique, and even incorporated the stress reactions of human blood-energy during lightning strikes from the Lightning Induction Body Tempering Method into his considerations.

Countless seemingly unrelated fragments collided and pieced together at high speed within his mind.

Brand new meridian circulation routes were simulated, only to be instantly overturned.

Force-exertion models were constructed, only to be discarded due to flaws.

This deduction consumed a massive amount of mental energy, and fine beads of sweat seeped from Li Pingsheng's forehead.

I do not know how much time passed, but when the morning sun of the next day spilled down.

Li Pingsheng's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open.

It was done.

He had actually managed to piece together a brand-new lightning-based force-exertion core from these scraps in the trash heap, one capable of perfectly bearing his immense blood-energy.

But this was still only theory; to truly make it his own, he needed practice.

Li Pingsheng did not alert anyone, quietly left the martial arts hall, and headed toward the back mountain.

The back mountain of the martial arts hall was steep and rarely visited.

Deep within a dense forest, he found a waterfall not marked on any map.

The waterfall had a massive drop, with water pouring down from the cliff into the deep pool below, emitting a deafening roar.

The turbulent water crashed against the rocks, spraying mist into the sky.

This was the place.

Li Pingsheng leaped, jumping into the bone-chilling deep pool.

He moved against the current, stepping toward the area directly beneath the waterfall.

The terrifying force of the water slammed into his shoulders, back, and head.

The immense impact made him stumble, nearly washing him away.

Li Pingsheng planted his feet firmly on the rocks at the bottom of the pool, pushed his Tiger Bone specialty to the limit, and forcibly withstood the pressure.

Refreshing.

Far from feeling pain, Li Pingsheng felt a sense of exhilaration surging from his limbs and bones.

Under this extreme pressure, the potential within his body was being ignited.

He began practicing his punches beneath the waterfall, repeating the brand-new circulation technique over and over again.

The vital energy and blood within his body clashed frantically against the violent torrents of the outside world.

Every cycle of his vital energy brought with it excruciating pain.

Each time he threw a punch, he had to withstand the pressure of ten thousand jun of water, consuming several times more stamina than usual.

He poured the potential energy derived from the Bone Strengthening Pill he had obtained from Instructor Wu into the process without reservation, using it to fuse the cultivation method and reinforce his meridians.

On the first day, he could barely stand steady, his punches sluggish.

By the second day, he had already adapted to the water pressure, his punching speed gradually increasing.

On the third day, he had become one with the waterfall itself.

Deep within the pool, his tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a brilliant light erupting from his gaze.

Against the massive torrent descending from the heavens, he sank his body, pulled his right fist back to his waist, and gathered all the vital energy and blood in his body into that single strike.

"Open for me!"

He threw his punch.

BOOM.

A deafening roar echoed throughout the valley.

The force of his punch had forcibly carved a momentary gap in the waterfall's flow.

The water surged backward.

A few breaths later, the broken stream finally rejoined, crashing down once more.

It was a success.

This move would be called "Thunderclap Explosion"!