Limit

Sun Yi's affair was nothing more than an insignificant interlude to Hu Long.

After his conversation with Hu Chengwen, he understood quite a few things.

At the same time, he learned that the Ancestral Rite was still a few days away, and this meeting had been arranged primarily for him to see Sun Yi.

However, although there was still some time before the Ancestral Rite, it was not far off.

Therefore, Hu Long had no intention of going out again.

Instead, he prepared to take this time to continue improving his body, converting the Source Value he had obtained into fuel to strengthen his physique and power.

According to the information he received from Hu Chengwen, Secret Martial Artists themselves seemed to polish their flesh through various methods.

The better the physique, the greater the possibility of becoming a Secret Martial Artist.

Besides that, although he could download skills directly, it was not without limitations.

If there was a vast gap between himself and the target, forcibly downloading a skill would take a significant toll on his body.

He had experienced this deeply when he previously downloaded Master-level Unarmed Combat; his body had felt as if it had been hollowed out.

And that was just a common skill.

The gap might be even more pronounced for extraordinary skills.

To prepare for downloading extraordinary skills later, he had to improve his physique as much as possible before the Ancestral Rite arrived.

Half a month later.

Huanyang City, Shucheng District, Extreme Fighting Boxing Club.

In a private training room on the second floor, the midday sun shone in, landing on the yellow floor mats and appearing slightly blinding.

In the sunlight, the tiny dust motes floating in the air were clearly visible.

Bang!

A heavy, muffled sound exploded.

The surface of the pitch-black sandbag suddenly caved in, the entire bag swinging high upward to an angle of nearly forty-five degrees before crashing back down, stirring up a short gust of wind.

"Not bad."

A tall man standing to the side clapped lightly, his wrists wrapped in black bandages.

At this moment, he looked at the figure in front of the sandbag, a hint of irrepressible admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Hu Long, your progress is astonishing."

"In terms of boxing and fighting techniques, I have nothing left to teach you. Your strength is also about there; although it still lacks a bit of refinement, if you keep training along this path..."

He paused here, his tone filled with exclamation.

"Your future is limitless."

"It's all thanks to Coach Li's good teaching."

Hu Long's expression was calm as he grabbed a towel from the side to wipe the sweat rolling down his face.

He was shirtless now, wearing only black athletic shorts.

His body had become even more solid than it was a few days ago; every inch of muscle was firm and well-proportioned, like refined iron that had been repeatedly forged—not overly bulky, but taut with knife-edged lines.

His torso formed a standard inverted triangle.

His chest muscles were thin and broad, and the eight-pack abs below looked as if they had been carved out.

The texture of his back muscles spread along his spine like folded eagle wings.

The veins on his arms were slightly raised, undulating faintly with his breathing.

It was a lean, leopard-like body.

"Have you ever thought about going higher?"

At this moment, Coach Li suddenly spoke up.

"Hm?"

Hu Long unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and tilted his head back to take a few gulps.

The water rolled down his throat into his stomach, bringing a wave of refreshing coolness.

He set the bottle down and looked up at the other man.

"What do you mean?"

"I have a spot here for a recommendation to go higher up."

Coach Li's voice lowered slightly.

"The people gathered inside are all top-tier young fighting prospects from across the region. With your talent, if you get in... your path will widen significantly."

Hu Long's eyes flickered.

"How much does it cost to get in?"

Coach Li chuckled.

He knew this guy wasn't short on money, but this was a door that truly couldn't be opened with cash alone.

"You have to pass an assessment."

He shook his head.

"This year's has already passed. If you want to try, you'll have to wait until registration opens next March."

"Alright, we'll see when the time comes!"

Hu Long nodded.

If he hadn't transcended by then, this wouldn't be a bad path to take.

After taking a shower at the club and changing into dry clothes, Hu Long pushed open the heavy door and stepped out.

The air outside was crisp, carrying the clean scent unique to winter.

He walked slowly along the sidewalk, the afternoon sun slanting down and bringing a touch of perfect warmth to his skin.

The sycamore trees lining the street had already shed their deep summer green, their leaves stained in varying shades of yellowish-brown.

A breeze blew by, causing a few leaves to rustle down from the branches, spinning lightly in the air before landing on the damp asphalt.

A street sweeper had just passed, leaving dark water trails on the road that shimmered with fine, sparkling light under the sun.

Not far away, a few cleaners in orange vests were sweeping up the fallen leaves at a leisurely pace.

The rhythmic, crisp sound of bamboo brooms brushing against the ground intertwined with the occasional passing vehicle.

It felt exceptionally tranquil.

Hu Long narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the warmth of the sun, and his pace slowed unconsciously.

With a thought, he summoned his panel.

His gaze fell upon a few lines of text on the Primordial Plain Panel before him.

[Boxing (Master)]

[Eight-Limb Technique (Proficient)]

These were the two fighting-related skills he had downloaded recently.

The former, as the name suggests, was boxing.

It was a competitive method utilizing footwork, dodging, blocking, and various punching techniques to engage in offensive and defensive combat at close to medium range.

The Eight-Limb Technique at the end, as the name implies, represented two fists, two legs, two elbows, and two knees.

The strikes were fierce and powerful, especially adept at close-quarters clinching and sweeping kicks.

When these two skills were first downloaded, both were at the Proficient level, but perhaps due to the influence of Unarmed Combat, some techniques overlapped, and the total download cost for both Proficient skills was only five megabytes of data.

Furthermore, perhaps because he already possessed a Master-level Unarmed Combat skill, his progress was extremely rapid; within just a few days of training, the Boxing skill had transformed and reached the Master level.

At the same time, it had brought about a slight strengthening of his physique.

Hu Long had a premonition.

At this rate, the Eight-Limb Technique wouldn't take long to upgrade either.

By then, with three Master-level fighting skills stacked together, it would be enough to elevate his strength to another level.

It should be enough to approach the limits of the human body.

--

Three days later.

A dense drizzle filtered the street outside the window into a gray-blue ink wash.

Rainwater meandered down the glass, blurring the lights of the buildings opposite into hazy spots of color.

The cold white light of the training room spilled down.

It illuminated the taut muscle lines of Hu Long's body.

As his chest rose and fell.

Hoo... hah.

His right leg suddenly snapped out.

It emitted a sharp "whoosh."

It slammed directly into the standing heavy bag before him, producing a dull, heavy impact.

Left jab, right hook, horizontal elbow strike.

Hu Long felt his muscles stretch and contract; every lift of his leg and swing of his fist stirred up a faint current of air.

The patter of rain outside the window gradually synced with his breathing.

Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The rain outside intensified, the rhythm of it drumming against the glass growing frantic.

Hu Long's breathing grew heavy, and his strikes became faster and faster. He was putting his full strength into nearly every blow, causing his stamina to drain rapidly.

If not for the immense endurance provided by his High-Efficiency Absorption and Metabolism talent, he might not have been able to hold out for this long.

Even so, he was nearing his limit.

Yet, he did not stop.

Flying knee, axe kick, low sweep.

He struck out in an endless barrage, like a machine incapable of feeling fatigue.

The Eight-Limb Technique utilized one's own four limbs as weapons to launch an assault.

Hu Long vaguely sensed that he was only one final step away from the Master level.

His black tank top was already soaked, clinging to his skin.

A few more minutes passed.

Hu Long felt that he had reached his limit.

He lashed out with a whip kick, striking the sandbag before him head-on.

Bang!

The sandbag emitted a dull thud.

Hu Long ceased his movements, retracted his leg, and stood still.

He reached up to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Done!"

As Hu Long's movements came to a halt, the text representing the [Eight-Limb Technique] skill within his field of vision and on his panel began to blur.

A few breaths later, the text sharpened once more.

[Eight-Limb Technique (Master)]