Martial Arts Entering the Force! Unmatched Ferocity!

When meditation brought a sense of mental exhaustion, Su Hao would collapse and sleep. At the first gray light of dawn the next day, he would rise to practice martial arts.

Su Hao plunged into arduous training. His appetite increased significantly, and he used Eight Treasures Health Soup to condition his body and heal hidden injuries, throwing himself heart and soul into his practice. He had long grown accustomed to these grueling yet fulfilling days, and feeling his own progress, he found joy within the struggle.

Su Hao's progress, meanwhile, could only be described as astonishing.

In the blink of an eye, a month and a half had passed.

"Awoo!"

In the hills behind Su Family Fort, Su Hao rolled his shoulders and rotated his wrists. After finishing his warm-up, he transitioned from stillness to motion, like a fierce tiger suddenly opening its eyes—swiping claws, overturning mountains, roaring in fury...

Su Hao's Tiger Form Fist was undergoing a rapid transformation. Every movement he made exuded a natural majesty and ferocity, possessing a beauty that was a feast for the eyes.

Even when sitting, lying down, or resting, he resembled a coiled tiger, and the aura he radiated was enough to startle the birds on the branches into scattering in flight.

For Tiger Form Fist, skillfully mastering the various stances and transitions counts as the entry level.

Being able to control one's own blood and energy, practicing every stance until it is pure and fluid, and executing them by instinct, is the minor success of the "Form" realm.

Going a step further, to fully comprehend the changes in every move and stance, letting the mind guide the body so that every motion becomes a part of oneself—where even a glance or a gesture in daily life seems to contain the intent of the fist technique—is the great success of the "Spirit" realm.

In the Five Animals Fist, Su Hao had long reached the pinnacle of "Form" and "Spirit" cultivation. What he needed to do now was to open the meridians of this body, further combining technique, will, and flesh to give birth to internal force.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Su Hao practiced Tiger Form Fist with all his might. Executed by him, this set of techniques possessed both form and spirit; every movement was perfect to the extreme. His blood and energy circulated with his stances, radiating a power that overflowed from his frame. The sheer ferocity of his presence alone was enough to make an ordinary person's legs turn to jelly.

It was truly hard to imagine that a boy of fourteen or fifteen could train a fist technique to such a realm.

Su Hao practiced Tiger Form Fist over and over, completely immersed in a state of self-forgetfulness.

Crack, crack!

Sweat soaked Su Hao's clothes. He did not know how much time had passed until a breeze blew by, and he suddenly heard a sound of shattering—the invisible barrier had been breached.

At this moment, Su Hao's blood and energy surged violently. His meridians felt as though they had all been pierced through; blood flowed through his limbs and bones, his heart hammered wildly, his body temperature rose rapidly, and his skin turned a deep crimson.

His body seemed to have transformed into a scorching furnace, tempering his flesh and gestating a brand-new power. Dark red impurities were expelled through his pores.

Finally, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Su Hao gradually emerged from this state. At this moment, he felt the world had changed in his eyes; his vision became more sensitive, able to see the texture of leaves ten yards away.

His hearing became sharper, able to hear the sound of the wind, and his sense of smell also underwent a transformation, able to distinguish the fresh scents of various plants and trees in the forest. This feeling was like being reborn.

"Tiger Form Fist... finally entered the realm of force!"

Su Hao opened his eyes, a flash of tangible brilliance passing through his bright pupils. He couldn't help but reveal a smile of heartfelt joy at the corner of his mouth.

"The change... is too great! My blood and energy have surged, and my physical strength has taken a leap forward..."

Su Hao's eyes were startlingly bright. He clenched his fist and could feel a power filling his body that far surpassed what he had before.

He spotted a millstone-sized rock in the wild forest, covered in vines and moss, extremely heavy—weighing no less than three or four hundred pounds.

Su Hao approached the bluestone, grabbed a corner with each hand, and then exerted force through his arms to lift it.

Rrrrip!

The vines covering the stone were torn apart. The entire bluestone rose in response, lifted high by Su Hao and placed above his head. He didn't feel any strain at all; he slightly adjusted his arms and steadily supported the millstone-sized rock with just one hand!

"To be able to lift such a heavy bluestone with one hand, the strength of my arms must definitely exceed a thousand pounds. In terms of pure physical body alone, I am already enough to rival a martial artist of this world who has entered the First Refining realm!"

Su Hao felt the immense power filling his limbs, his heart pounding with joy that he could not conceal.

The martial arts of this world focus primarily on nourishing blood-force and tempering the physique. Once blood-force is cultivated, one can use it to refine secret medicines and temper the flesh, step by step making the body extraordinary. The Body Forging realm is divided into four stages of refining.

According to what Su Hao knew, a First Refining martial artist trains the skin, membranes, and muscles. Reaching this stage not only increases strength far beyond human limits, but also makes the skin and membranes tough, rendering fists, feet, and clubs unable to cause the slightest injury. It is even rumored that those with innate talent can forge a "copper skin" that is impervious to blades and weapons!

Most people practicing martial arts are likely still in the stage of strengthening their blood.

The threshold for a First Refining martial artist is the ability to lift a heavy tripod—being able to lift a thousand-pound object with both arms. This is a level an ordinary person could never reach even after a lifetime of hard work. Reaching this realm allows one to wield heavy weapons weighing dozens of pounds. If clad in armor, they become like killing machines, fierce warriors on the battlefield capable of taking on dozens of men alone.

Once one reaches First Refining, they are qualified to work as an armed escort, a guard, or even participate in the imperial examinations to become an official. It can be said that as long as one enters the ranks, they can live quite well anywhere.

The Su family, for instance, has several First Refining martial artists, which is why they can stand firm in Su Family Fort, conduct business, and accumulate wealth.

Su Hao had not yet cultivated blood-force, but by practicing internal martial arts, the strength of his physique was firmly comparable to a First Refining martial artist.

"Not only that, my Tiger Form Fist is complete. My understanding of it is thorough, and I have mastered it. A new force has been born within me... This force is fierce and unstoppable, capable of splitting stone and breaking bone. This is the force mastered when one reaches a high level of martial technique—it is the result of combining technique and power!"

Su Hao's eyes flickered. He suddenly exerted force with his arm, tossing the bluestone he was holding into the air. Then, with a low growl, his tendons, bones, skin, and muscles all exerted force at once. A surge of power rose from the soles of his feet, passing through every joint in his body, connecting them in sequence, gathering into a single point, and then striking out with his fist!

Su Hao's fist slammed into the bluestone, and a faint, deep, and resonant tiger's roar seemed to echo.

Crack!

With a loud explosion, the bluestone, as if struck by a thousand-pound iron hammer, let out a deafening sound of unbearable stress and shattered into pieces, with fragments scattering across the ground.

The power of this punch was truly jaw-dropping!

"This is the Tiger Gallant Force born after practicing Tiger Form Fist to its peak. Its characteristic is that it is fierce, unstoppable, and capable of breaking anything!"

Su Hao's fist, however, suffered no damage, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Strength is not the focus of internal martial arts; "force" is.

Force is the result of combining technique with the physical body, a power unleashed through the tendons, bones, skin, and muscles. It allows one to shatter hard rock with a bare fist without causing the slightest injury to the hand itself.

Faster than expected. It took only a month and a half to cultivate Tiger Gallant Force through Tiger Form Fist. Next, I must practice the remaining four forms and clear the rest of my meridians. Once the other four forms reach the "Force-Entering" stage, I will be able to restore my peak combat power!

Su Hao clenched his fists, feeling full of motivation.

Having transmigrated into this chaotic world, especially after becoming a youth and losing his former strength, he actually lacked a sense of security. Only by restoring his peak strength could he truly be at ease!

After a brief rest, Su Hao began to shift his focus to practicing Crane Form Fist.

The Five Animals Fist each possess unique characteristics: Tiger Form Fist is incomparably fierce and powerful; Deer Form Fist is soft, agile, and excels at deflecting force and countering; Bear Form Fist is heavy and solid; Ape Form Fist is swift, tricky, and excels at long-range strikes; and Crane Form Fist is light, nimble, and sharp, capable of subduing an enemy in a single strike. These five fist techniques complement one another; once all five reach the "Force-Entering" stage, one can achieve the "Transformation Force" stage!

For an ordinary person, it would take a lifetime to master even one of these fist techniques to the "Force-Entering" stage, let alone perfecting all five.

But for Su Hao, his experience and realm remained. All he needed to do was clear his meridians and condition his physical body; reaching the "Force-Entering" stage was merely a matter of course.

Three months had passed since Su Hao began his "rehabilitation."

Behind Su Family Fort, Su Hao practiced Crane Form Fist.

Whoosh!

Su Hao spread his arms and stood on one leg. Despite the simplicity of the movement, it carried a sense of lightness and agility, as if he were about to take flight.

Swish, swish, swish!

In the next instant, Su Hao transitioned from stillness to motion. He curled his fingers into bird-beak shapes and struck out in rapid succession. A series of sonic booms erupted; his fists were like sharp beaks, or perhaps piercing arrows and long spears, moving so fast they were like light and shadow, with the naked eye able to capture only a trail of afterimages.

That was not all. Coordinating with the changes in his footwork, which were fast and dense, he dragged afterimages behind him, his entire being appearing as if he were "flying," making him impossible to track!

Crane Form Fist is the fastest and most agile of the Five Animals Fist, emphasizing using speed to overcome slowness and subduing the enemy in a single strike.

Su Hao suddenly heard a cracking sound in his ears—the noise of multiple obstructed meridians within his body being cleared. The flow of energy and force for Crane Form Fist became unobstructed, and a second strand of force was born within him!

Su Hao's body seemed to become even lighter, his form mimicking that of a crane!