Exemption Bead, Let Me See Your True Strength!

Early the next morning, Chen Jing woke Chen Sanwu, and after a simple meal, the father and son headed toward the transport firm together.

Upon arriving at the entrance, they saw many carriage drivers already waiting, all summoned by Old Man Lin per Chen Jing's instructions.

Chen Jing stepped onto the platform and slowly scanned the crowd below.

Feeling Chen Jing's gaze, the previously noisy scene fell silent at once.

Seeing this, Chen Jing spoke: "Starting today, the firm has three new rules. First, everyone's wages are increased by twenty percent, to be paid in full every month; any form of deduction or exploitation is strictly prohibited, and those who work more will earn more. Second, a shift system will be implemented; everyone must attend to their duties and is forbidden from slacking off. Third, anyone found colluding with outsiders to harm the firm's interests will be expelled immediately upon verification and never hired again!"

As soon as he finished, the drivers erupted into a clamor, followed by thunderous cheers, their eyes filled with gratitude as they looked at Chen Jing.

Regardless of whether the twenty percent raise was true or not, the promise of full monthly payments alone was already far better than Wang Chi!

In the past, Wang Chi would constantly find excuses to withhold wages, and if the drivers managed to take home thirty percent of their earnings at the end of the month, they were lucky.

Chen Jing raised his hand to quiet them, and once the crowd settled, he called Old Man Lin over and instructed him in front of everyone: "From now on, the firm will be managed jointly by my father, Chen Sanwu, and Old Man Lin. Accounts must be reconciled daily in duplicate, and any major issues must be reported to me immediately."

Old Man Lin bowed quickly to accept the order, while Chen Sanwu straightened his back, his face full of pride.

With the firm's affairs settled, Chen Jing did not delay and turned to walk toward the River-Breaking Fist Academy.

With Chen Sanwu and Old Man Lin in charge, the firm would not fall into chaos for the time being.

As soon as he entered the academy, Chen Jing went straight to the Central Courtyard, cast aside all distractions, and settled his mind to practice the River-Breaking Fist.

Fist winds whistled, his limbs colliding with the air to create a rushing sound, while his blood and qi flowed steadily through his meridians; every move and stance became increasingly refined and precise.

After practicing for an unknown amount of time, a figure appeared quietly at the edge of the Central Courtyard—it was Fei Feng.

Fei Feng stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes locked on Chen Jing's movements, but his brows gradually knitted into a frown, his expression growing solemn.

This kid was an anomaly before, rushing from the Blood Creek Realm to the Blood River Realm in a single month with astonishing speed. Why has his progress slowed down after breaking through to the Second Blood?

Fei Feng pondered inwardly, his eyes full of doubt: The speed at which he condenses his blood and qi now is far worse than I expected... Could it be that his potential is completely exhausted, and he has reached his limit?

Fei Feng stared at Chen Jing for a long time, carefully observing the flow of his blood and qi and the rhythm of his punches, yet he could not find the root of the problem.

In the end, he could only shake his head helplessly, shifting his gaze away from Chen Jing and back to Xiang Lingfei not far away.

Ever since he was surpassed by Chen Jing last time, Xiang Lingfei had been severely stimulated and had been training with his life on the line these past few days.

He would dive into the Martial Arts Arena before dawn and not leave until late at night, eating and sleeping almost entirely within the academy, his heart fully devoted to his practice.

Such extreme diligence had brought visible progress; Xiang Lingfei's blood and qi had become increasingly condensed and thick, faintly touching the bottleneck of the Second Blood Realm. It looked like he would be able to attempt a breakthrough in a few days.

Just then, Chen Jing withdrew his fists and stood still. As he exhaled and regulated his breath, a hearty voice came from behind: "Junior Brother Chen, what a fierce set of River-Breaking Fist!"

Chen Jing turned to see Zhuang Tao walking over with long strides, a smile of eagerness on his face: "Before you reached the Second Blood, I always had to hold back when we sparred, and it never felt satisfying."

"Now that you are also a martial artist of the Blood River Realm, let's have a proper spar today. This time, I won't go easy on you!"

Although Chen Jing had killed many people over the past three months, most were ordinary people or First Blood Martial Artists. He had been wanting to find a peer to test his skills and gauge his own strength.

Since Zhuang Tao had initiated it, Chen Jing nodded immediately, cupped his hands, and said: "That is exactly what I intended. Senior Brother Zhuang, please enlighten me!"

The two walked to the center of the courtyard, and the surrounding disciples, seeing this, gathered around to watch with curiosity.

As the two bowed to each other, the spar officially began.

Zhuang Tao had broken through to the Second Blood over a year ago; his martial experience was seasoned, and his blood and qi were thick and powerful. Every move he made carried a fierce, overbearing momentum, his fists wrapped in whistling wind, striking directly at Chen Jing's vitals in a tidal wave of attacks.

Chen Jing's River-Breaking Fist had long since reached perfection. His footwork was as steady as an ancient pine, his strikes were crisp and clean without any flashy moves, and every blow was aimed precisely at the gaps in Zhuang Tao's defense.

At first, Chen Jing could parry with ease, trading blows back and forth with Zhuang Tao.

However, as time passed, Zhuang Tao's offensive grew sharper, pushing his blood and qi to the limit. His fist momentum pressed down like a raging sea, layer upon layer, giving Chen Jing no chance to catch his breath.

Chen Jing was fully focused, concentrating on his defense, but during one block, a slight delay in his blood and qi flow caused him to reveal a tiny opening.

Zhuang Tao's eyes narrowed. He seized the opportunity instantly, pushing off the ground with force. His figure lunged forward like an arrow, his fist driving straight toward Chen Jing's throat.

Just as the tip of his fist was about to touch Chen Jing's skin, Zhuang Tao abruptly pulled back his strength, his fist stopping half an inch from Chen Jing's throat without moving a fraction further.

"I concede."

Zhuang Tao slowly withdrew his fist, a smile appearing on his face, his tone carrying a hint of approval.

Chen Jing let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and cupped his hands toward Zhuang Tao: "Senior Brother's skills are still superior."

"You're being too modest."

Zhuang Tao waved his hand, his tone sincere: "I've only had the advantage of breaking through to the Second Blood longer and having more experience than you."

"In terms of the agility and practicality of your fist techniques, you have much more talent than I do. During our spar just now, those quick punches of yours hit every gap in my momentum; your timing was incredibly precise. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have been defeated long ago."

Zhuang Tao's words were not mere flattery.

During the spar, he had keenly sensed that Chen Jing's style was extremely cunning and pragmatic, without a hint of hesitation, with every strike aimed at the most direct path to victory, making it highly lethal.

If he hadn't been immersed in the Second Blood Realm for over a year, with a deeper foundation of blood and qi and more combat experience, he might not have been able to suppress Chen Jing so steadily.

Chen Jing smiled and did not respond.

Seeing Zhuang Tao walk over to a stone bench to sit and rest, picking up a water bottle to take a sip, he suddenly remembered what the Ghost Market vendor had said the night before. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over.

"Senior Brother Zhuang."

Chen Jing sat on the stone bench beside Zhuang Tao and said, as if casually: "I went to the Ghost Market last night."

Zhuang Tao raised his eyes to look at him, arched a brow, and asked with interest, "Oh? Has Junior Brother been out hunting for medicinal pills or selecting a cultivation technique?"

"Indeed."

Chen Jing sighed softly, putting on a helpless expression with a hint of distress in his tone: "I know my talent is mediocre. I've been practicing the River-Breaking Fist, but lately, I feel the path ahead narrowing, making it difficult to make any further progress."

"So, I thought I'd try my luck at the Ghost Market to see if I could find some higher-quality pills or techniques to help boost my strength."

At this point, Chen Jing naturally shifted the conversation, asking with perfect timing: "A stall owner told me there's a small room in the Ghost Market that only admits martial artists who have reached First Blood, and the items inside are a hundred times better than those at the stalls outside."

"I recall Senior Brother Zhuang visited it last time, so I wanted to ask if there are any taboos I should know about? If I go again, I'd like to be prepared."

Zhuang Tao waved his hand dismissively upon hearing this, speaking in a relaxed tone: "That room? There aren't any taboos. It just has a high threshold; you must have at least First Blood strength to enter."

"The things sold inside are indeed high-quality. The techniques and pills are far superior to the fragmented, inferior goods outside. It's worth a visit."

"Next time I head to the Ghost Market, I'll take you along to have a look. I've been meaning to go back and hunt for some things myself."

After speaking, Zhuang Tao's gaze fell on Chen Jing once more, a flash of deep meaning passing through his eyes before he reached out to pat Chen Jing on the shoulder.

Chen Jing felt a surge of joy and quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Then many thanks, Senior Brother Zhuang."

The two then chatted for a while about trivial matters regarding cultivation before rising to return to the Martial Arts Arena to continue practicing their fists.

Over the next three days, Chen Jing's life followed a strict routine.

Every morning, he went to the Fist Academy to practice, and every evening upon returning home, he ate large portions of Green-skinned Horned Pig meat to nourish his blood and qi.

Coincidentally, seeing that Chen Jing's progress was slow, Fei Feng gave him his share of Spotted Flower Fox meat ahead of schedule.

The Spotted Flower Fox was also a strange beast, but the blood and qi contained within its meat were far more mellow and pure than that of the Green-skinned Horned Pig.

Thus, relying on the dual nourishment of the Green-skinned Horned Pig meat and the Spotted Flower Fox meat, in just three days, the Exemption Bead in Chen Jing's mind had completely finished accumulating the remaining energy required!

That night, Chen Jing returned home and carefully checked the doors and windows, confirming they were tightly shut before heading into his room.

He lit the oil lamp on the table, picked up the Bone-Humming Swift-Travel Technique, and by the dim, flickering bean-sized flame, he repeatedly pondered and recited the chants, breathing methods, and footwork secrets within the manual.

His fingertips traced the pages until every word and detail was etched into his memory, at which point he cautiously put the manual away.

Chen Jing took a deep breath, stepped out of the room, closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and began to slowly circulate the blood and qi in his body according to the method recorded in the Bone-Humming Swift-Travel Technique.

The moment the technique was activated, Chen Jing felt a piercing, agonizing pain in the bones of his legs, as if countless sharp steel needles were frantically stabbing into his bone marrow.

Immediately following, an invisible, heavy pressure descended upon his skeleton, as if it were trying to crush and shatter his leg bones!

The intense pain swept through his entire body instantly. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Chen Jing's forehead, and the clothes on his back were soaked through, clinging tightly to his skin.

Yet his gaze remained exceptionally firm. He gritted his teeth, endured the agony, and recited in his heart.

"Exemption Bead, let me see your true power!"

With that thought, a warm, gentle force suddenly flowed out from the depths of his mind, spreading like a mountain spring and completely enveloping his legs.

The next moment, the heart-wrenching pain receded like a tide. The soreness in his leg bones vanished without a trace, and even that invisible, heavy pressure felt as if it had never existed.

Feeling the lightness and comfort in his legs, Chen Jing did not hesitate and immediately began to circulate the heart method of the Bone-Humming Swift-Travel Technique with all his might.

The blood and qi in his body surged like a rushing stream, flowing frantically through the meridians of the technique toward his legs. A faint, dense humming sound emanated from deep within his bones, as if countless bone joints were resonating.

The next moment, Chen Jing clearly felt his legs filled with explosive power, and an indescribable sense of lightness enveloped his entire body.

With a thought, he stomped his foot, and his entire figure shot out like an arrow from a bow, stirring up a whistling gust of wind and leaving a blurred afterimage in the small courtyard.

As he came to a stop, Chen Jing felt the speed, which far exceeded his past limits, and the smile on his lips grew even wider.

His Bone-Humming Swift-Travel Technique was finally mastered!

Now, he only needed to practice diligently every day to refine his footwork until it was perfectly smooth, waiting for the right moment to break through to the next realm.