Adding Points Again, Two Bone Cracks

Unless that kid was hiding something from him.

And this matter had something to do with him and Guo Ziming.

Fang Shuwen cleared his thoughts in an instant.

"There is another suspicious point; that kid was actually able to pull out ten silver dollars to deal with me!"

Fang Shuwen leaned against the alley wall, his thoughts racing.

Ten silver dollars.

This was not a small sum.

An ordinary family's monthly expenses were only three to five silver dollars.

Although Liu Mang was a follower of Guo Ziming and could get a few rewards from Young Master Guo every month.

It was absolutely impossible for him to casually pull out ten silver dollars to hire thugs to hurt someone.

Unless.

This money did not belong to Liu Mang in the first place.

A cold sneer curled the corners of Fang Shuwen's mouth.

He did not rush to leave the tavern.

Instead, he greeted the counter, ordered a plate of aniseed beans, and slowly ate two, his peripheral vision fixed on the table in the corner.

Liu Mang and that man drank two more bowls of yellow wine.

Soon, the pot of yellow wine was empty.

The two did not order another round.

One after the other, they left the tavern, one heading left and the other right, departing in opposite directions.

Fang Shuwen waited a while longer, ensuring no one was paying attention to him, before heading out with the wine pot and roasted chicken.

He did not return directly to the Zhao Estate.

Instead, he turned into a narrow alley next to the tavern.

The alley was deep, flanked by high walls, with only a sliver of sky visible overhead.

Night had completely fallen, and the alley was pitch black, save for a faint, dim light filtering in from the street in the distance.

Fang Shuwen walked to the middle of the alley and looked left and right to confirm no one was around.

He leaned against a sheltered wall and pulled the Ghost Jade out of his satchel.

The quality of this Ghost Jade was much better, emitting a faint, cold glow in his palm.

I wonder how many skill points this one can extract.

He took a deep breath and gripped the Ghost Jade tightly with both hands.

A cold sensation seeped into his palms, as if he were holding a stone just pulled from a deep well.

[Alien energy detected. Absorb?]

Fang Shuwen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly thought, Absorb!

The light screen rippled like water.

The Ghost Jade in his palm emitted a faint "crackling" sound, like ice breaking.

Fang Shuwen looked down and saw fine cracks appearing on the surface of the Ghost Jade, with a pale green fluorescent light leaking from within.

The fluorescent light crawled up his arm from his palm, like tiny snakes burrowing under his skin.

In an instant, the Ghost Jade crumbled into powder.

The light screen before his eyes flickered again.

[Alien energy absorption complete.]

[Skill points gained: 5]

Five!

A full five points!

Fang Shuwen couldn't help but gasp.

Yesterday's low-quality jade only gave one point, yet today's gave five.

However, perhaps the one from yesterday lost some energy during the process of activating his cheat.

But, at the same time, today's piece was of better quality.

Because when Old Master Zheng lost the game, his expression was clearly much more pained.

He took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and summoned the Martial Dao Panel once more.

[Name: Fang Shuwen]

[Attack: 3; Defense: 3; Vitality: 2; Spirit: 2]

[Technique: First Set of Body-Strengthening Fists (Entry)]

[Special Effects: None]

[Skill Points: 5]

Five skill points.

At the same time, on the panel.

Plus signs appeared behind the four-dimensional attributes and the First Set of Body-Strengthening Fists.

Fang Shuwen stared at the plus signs on the panel, his mind calculating rapidly.

He understood immediately.

Skill points could not only increase technique levels but also directly boost the four-dimensional attributes.

The reason no plus signs appeared behind the four-dimensional attributes last time must have been because he had too few skill points.

But this time, with five skill points.

It was enough for a direct upgrade, so the plus signs appeared behind the four-dimensional attributes.

Fang Shuwen thought for a moment and focused his intent on the plus sign behind the four-dimensional attributes.

Information was transmitted instantly.

"It takes five skill points to increase one point of a four-dimensional attribute?"

Fang Shuwen could not help but frown.

Five points to raise one attribute; two attributes would require ten skill points.

Compared to directly upgrading a technique, it seemed very cost-ineffective.

After all, the previous upgrade of the First Set of Body-Strengthening Fists had increased two attributes while only costing one skill point.

Therefore, the safest bet was still to continue upgrading the technique.

His intent landed on the plus sign behind the First Set of Body-Strengthening Fists.

This upgrade also required exactly five points.

[Do you wish to upgrade the technique "First Set of Body-Strengthening Fists"?]

Yes.

[Consuming 5 skill points, technique upgrading...]

This time it was more intense than the last, as if someone had detonated a bomb inside his body.

A heat flow surged up along his spine and over the top of his head.

Then it descended from the front, completing a full cycle through his body.

His muscles, bones, and meridians were trembling violently in every inch.

Fang Shuwen let out a muffled groan, his back slamming against the wall as the veins on his forehead bulged.

He could feel his body changing.

It was not a gradual, subtle transformation, but a violent, tearing reconstruction.

Muscle fibers were snapping and regrowing.

His bones emitted crisp cracking sounds, like firecrackers.

He counted silently in his heart.

One.

Two.

After two, the cracking stopped.

There was no third sound.

Two bone cracks.

He was one step closer to Bright Force!

The text on the panel flickered.

[First Set of Body-Strengthening Fists (Proficient)]

The technique had indeed advanced.

Furthermore, the four-dimensional attributes had changed accordingly.

[Attack: 3→4; Defense: 3→4; Vitality: 2→2; Spirit: 2→2]

This time, just like the last, both Attack and Defense increased by one point.

Dismiss the panel.

Fang Shuwen gasped for air, his forehead slick with sweat.

He could feel that his strength had at least doubled compared to just a moment ago.

The change was so stark that he felt a sense of unreality just standing there.

He lowered his head and looked at his own hands.

His palms were a size larger than before, his knuckles thick and powerful, and the muscles at the web of his thumbs bulged—features typical of someone who had practiced martial arts for years.

He clenched his fists.

Crack! Crack!

His joints emitted a crisp, resonant sound, fluid and forceful.

He could clearly feel every muscle fiber from his fingertips to his wrists, from his forearms to his upper arms, each bundle working in perfect synergy with every clench.

It felt as if his body had transformed from a rusted iron lock into a precision machine.

Every component fit seamlessly, and every movement was flawlessly smooth.

"My strength has increased significantly."

Fang Shuwen murmured, his gaze falling upon a loose blue brick at his feet.

This brick was larger than the previous one, weighing at least seven or eight pounds.

He bent down to pick it up, gripping the brick with one hand, using no technique at all—just pure, raw grip.

The surface of the blue brick began to crumble.

First, fine powder sifted through his fingers, followed by cracks appearing across the surface of the brick.

Snap!

The blue brick shattered into several pieces in his hand.

Fang Shuwen released his grip, and the broken fragments hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Single-arm strength, at least two hundred and fifty pounds."

He made an estimate, a complex, indescribable feeling surging in his heart.

And that was just raw strength alone.

If he added the force-generating techniques mastered through Body Strengthening Fist, combined with the potential energy from spinal rotation and a lowered center of gravity.

The impact force of a single punch would likely exceed seven or eight hundred pounds.

Two sounds of bone-cracking, just one step away from Bright Force.

That distance, while seemingly small, was actually a world of difference.

Yet even so, achieving two sounds of bone-cracking was enough to earn the title of an elite disciple in any of the major martial arts schools in Xikou County.

At this stage, even the major gangs would not dare to offend him lightly.

Therefore, Even if he crippled the thug and the hired muscle he had sought out, there was no need to fear retaliation.

"So, it is time to go and settle the score with those two!"