Martial Arts Bright Force, Kill (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Fang Shuwen gritted his teeth, roaring frantically in his mind: Absorb! Absorb it all!

The light screen rippled violently like water, and the five pieces of Ghost Jade in his palm emitted a dense series of "crackling" sounds, like an ice sheet shattering under immense pressure.

In an instant, an even colder energy surged into Fang Shuwen's body.

However, this time, as this energy entered Fang Shuwen's body, it was instantly enveloped and absorbed by some invisible force, causing him no ill effects whatsoever.

In just a moment, text flashed before his eyes.

[Alien energy absorption complete.]

[Skill points gained: 37]

37 points!

A full thirty-seven points!

Before Fang Shuwen could even revel in his joy, the sound of footsteps behind him was already inches away.

"Little brat, I've found you!"

The man's low, hoarse voice drifted over from the other side of the ruins, carrying the playful tone of a cat toying with a mouse.

Fang Shuwen snapped his eyes open, using the moonlight to pinpoint the intruder's location.

He was less than ten paces away.

Given the opponent's strength, this distance was more than enough to launch an attack!

The man was rounding the corner of a half-collapsed low wall.

"Run, why aren't you running? Do you think you can get away!"

"If you want to live, come back with me obediently!"

The man sneered, his legs crouching slightly.

Then, he exerted force and lunged toward Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen's pupils constricted.

He took a deep breath, his left hand darting into his tunic to pull out a familiar paper packet.

Lime powder.

Ever since he had used this trick, he had kept some on his person at all times.

He hadn't expected it to come in handy so soon.

With a sharp flick, the paper packet exploded between them.

White dust filled the air like fog, forming a blinding white smokescreen under the moonlight.

"Low-down, dirty tricks!"

The man snorted, his eyes instinctively squinting.

But even so, his movements remained unchanged as he struck toward Fang Shuwen.

Seeing this, Fang Shuwen drew a deep breath.

Instead of turning to flee, he surged forward, his right fist snapping out from his waist.

Soaring Snake Fist.

Snake Fang Thrust!

The fist edge tore through the air, tracing the most treacherous arc to intercept the opponent's attack.

He put every ounce of his strength into this punch.

Although the man's eyes were irritated, he was, after all, a practitioner of Bright Force, and his intuition for danger was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

He actually changed his move mid-strike, using his forearm to forcefully block Fang Shuwen's fist.

"Bang!"

A dull thud exploded within the ruins.

Fang Shuwen felt as if his fist had struck an iron plate; the recoil surged up his arm, leaving his entire right limb numb.

He retreated three steps, each one leaving a shallow depression in the rubble-strewn ground.

The man also took a step back.

A bruised, purple fist mark remained on his forearm, and his bone ached with a dull, sour sensation.

"Three bone cracks? Almost at the level of Bright Force?"

"What incredible strength!"

The man shook his arm, his tone laced with a hint of surprise, though it was mostly filled with contempt.

"A mere brat from a broken home, who only spent half a month in a martial arts hall, yet you've managed to train your skills to this level!"

"It seems Section Chief Lin's intuition was correct; you are the one he has been looking for!"

Before the words had even faded, he kicked off the ground, his entire body launching forward like a cannonball.

This time, he held nothing back.

Fang Shuwen's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

He knew that with his current strength, facing a Bright Force martial artist head-on gave him less than a thirty percent chance of victory.

"The gap between three bone cracks and Bright Force is beyond your imagination."

"If you don't want to die, get on your knees and beg for mercy!"

As the intimidation reached his ears, Fang Shuwen did not respond, his gaze fixed upon the light screen.

[Skill Points: 37]

The plus sign next to Soaring Snake Fist had already lit up.

[Upgrade technique "Soaring Snake Fist"?]

Fang Shuwen took a deep breath, gathered every ounce of his strength, and roared in his mind:

"Upgrade! Upgrade it for me!"

The moment the thought settled.

The world before Fang Shuwen's eyes seemed to shift, and that giant snake phantom coiled in the void appeared once more.

But this time, it did not look down, nor did it strike.

Instead, it merged.

The snake's body transformed into a dark green radiance, pouring into the center of Fang Shuwen's forehead, traveling down his spine, and exploding at every single vertebra.

Bone cracks.

Not one or two, not three.

But a dense, continuous series of explosions, like firecrackers on New Year's Eve, like the rapid-fire crackle of guns on a battlefield.

From the coccyx to the cervical vertebrae.

Every bone was detonating, every joint was being reconstructed.

Fang Shuwen's body began to tremble violently, not from pain, but from the metamorphosis occurring from the inside out.

Muscle fibers tore and regenerated; meridians widened and reinforced.

Dark cyan patterns emerged on the surface of his skin—the manifestation of blood and qi surging to their absolute limit.

At the same time, countless images flooded his mind.

Not drills, not moves.

The essence of Soaring Snake Fist had never been the moves, but the exertion of force.

The Soaring Snake Fist he had practiced before had only the form, not the spirit.

But at this moment, driven by the skill points, that thin layer of paper was shattered in an instant.

He finally understood what "Three-Sound Unity" meant.

It was not sounding at the same time, but sounding as one.

Foot, waist, shoulder.

The three bone cracks no longer separated, but merged into a single sound.

Exploding from the soles of his feet, traveling up the spine, and channeling into his fist.

The force was no longer scattered; it was unified.

Fang Shuwen snapped his eyes open.

Vertical, snake-like slits flashed across his pupils and vanished.

Even his arm, which had been beaten to the point of numbness moments ago, was now brimming with power.

He clenched his fist.

Crack.

A crisp sound.

It was not the sound of joints, but the sonic boom of air being compressed as his force reached its absolute peak.

Then, Fang Shuwen looked up at the Bright Force martial artist charging toward him.

Under the moonlight, the youth's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

The man's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

His pupils constricted, and a chill inexplicably crawled up his spine.

But at a moment like this, there was no time for second thoughts.

Suspended in mid-air, he had no way to change his move.

He steeled his heart and threw a punch with all his might.

Before the fist even arrived, the wind pressure made Fang Shuwen's cheeks sting.

Now!

Fang Shuwen sprang up, a dull boom exploding from his spine.

His right fist shot out from his waist in a perfectly straight line, the power of his entire body compounded by the kinetic energy of his twisting spine.

As the punch roared out, the very air seemed to shatter.

The piercing sonic boom was enough to rupture eardrums.

The man in grey's pupils shrank; the power of the youth's punch far exceeded his expectations.

The two fists collided in mid-air.

"Bang!"

A shockwave erupted; the man in grey's arm went numb as he staggered back half a step, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Fang Shuwen did not give him a chance to catch his breath.

The next punch arrived; Snake Fang Thrust traced an arc, cutting in from the left at a tricky angle, aiming straight for the temple.

The man in grey blocked in a panic, and a crisp, jarring crack echoed as his forearm bone fractured.

Following that, punch after punch...

Fang Shuwen's fists poured down like a rainstorm, striking while the iron was hot, denying his opponent any chance to react.

The man in grey retreated repeatedly, leaving inch-deep footprints on the bluestone slabs with every step, yet Fang Shuwen's fists remained glued to his vitals.

On the eighth punch, Fang Shuwen broke through the man in grey's defense, landing squarely on his chest.

Amidst the dull sound of snapping ribs, The man in grey's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing through half a low wall. As the dust settled, he lay still, devoid of life.