The Eight-Limb Technique, which had originally been at the Proficient level, had become Master-level.
However, the instant it reached Master level,
Hu Long felt his body tense, as if some force had strengthened his limbs.
At the same time, a message appeared on the panel, making Hu Long pause in surprise.
Its meaning was simple: he could spend Source Value to fuse the three martial arts into one.
"Can I fuse them as long as I have three Master-level skills?"
Hu Long's thoughts stirred.
He realized there must be some requirements.
Not just any Master-level skills would do.
Perhaps they all had to be the same type of skill.
For example, these three were all martial arts.
Having thought of this,
he glanced at the Source Value he had in reserve.
[Source Value: 10.33 wisps]
After subtracting the cost of downloading the skills,
his Source Value had increased a little over the past few days.
He had originally set it aside to use during the Ancestral Rite.
But then he thought of what he had learned from his earlier conversation with Hu Chengwen.
Besides, the fused skill would certainly be stronger than before. That was only natural.
With that thought, Hu Long hesitated briefly, then focused his mind.
"Tai Su, spend Source Value to fuse Unarmed Combat, Boxing, and the Eight-Limb Technique!"
Buzz—!
The panel trembled slightly, and the value in the Source Value column quietly dropped by three points.
Immediately afterward, the three lines representing the Eight-Limb Technique, Boxing, and Unarmed Combat melted together, intertwining like ink blending with water.
At the same time,
Hu Long's body shuddered.
In an instant, countless techniques, principles, and practical combat experiences surged into his mind like a rushing river.
The three completely different martial arts were dismantled and recombined, as if an invisible hand had forged them into one.
Countless punches, kicks, grappling moves, evasions, and muscle memories poured into the depths of his body in layers, like a rising tide.
As though he had already endured decades of rigorous training, he quickly absorbed and mastered them, turning them into a new martial art that combined the essence of all three and was nearly perfect.
At the same time,
a tingling sensation, like an electric current, spread through his entire body.
After a while,
the confusion in Hu Long's eyes cleared.
"This feeling...?"
At that moment,
the most immediate sensation was that his body, which had been close to its limit and somewhat fatigued, had regained its strength.
He even felt more energetic than before.
The improvement seemed far greater than what he had gained from downloading two Master-level martial arts.
With that thought,
Hu Long looked at the panel.
The three martial arts had now disappeared.
In their place was an entirely new skill.
[Comprehensive Combat Arts (Perfection) Trait: Body-Mind Unity] (Description: Fuses the essence of Boxing, the Eight-Limb Technique, and various forms of Unarmed Combat, reaching the pinnacle of what humans can master)
After the fusion, this martial art had advanced from Master level to Perfection level.
It was the only Perfection-level skill Hu Long had mastered so far.
And it had gained something else as well.
Hu Long's gaze settled on the newly added trait.
At once, information about the trait appeared in his mind.
This immediately helped him understand what it did.
With Body-Mind Unity, one's physiological functions and combat awareness could be fully integrated, with no delay or separation. The body itself became an extension of the will.
It wasn't merely a matter of mind and body working in harmony. It meant embedding combat instincts into neural reflexes, cellular memory, and even the subconscious.
In short, it turned them into instinct. When faced with an attack, he could react immediately and effectively.
He had greater command over his body.
"Body-Mind Unity?"
Hu Long raised his hand and threw a punch.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a strange stir deep within him.
It was as if an invisible finger had gently plucked a string that had lain silent for years.
The change was incredibly subtle, almost imperceptible, like a strange current quietly flowing through his flesh, sinews, and meridians.
He couldn't explain it. He only felt that when he clenched his fist, the bones and muscles in his arm fit together more snugly than before, and felt... more comfortable.
As if he had always been throwing punches with the wrong form.
He looked up at the heavy bag hanging in front of him. Without winding up or shouting, he simply raised his arm.
His fingers curled into a fist, and he thrust it straight out.
Bang!
This time, an impact far louder than before rang out.
The heavy bag caved sharply inward and trembled violently.
If the scene could be slowed down several times, one would see ripples spreading outward across the bag, centered on Hu Long's fist.
Strangely, the bag did not swing high this time. But the tough synthetic leather at the point of impact split open with a hideous tear.
Rattle, rattle—!
The heavy, pitch-black iron sand inside poured out like a waterfall, piling into a small mound on the floor.
"Hmm, what is this...?"
Hu Long slowly drew back his fist and lowered his gaze to his slightly reddened knuckles.
He picked up the heavy bag and ran his fingers over the tear, confirming that its thickness and quality were fine.
A look of uncertainty crossed his face.
This wasn't some cheap product from the market.
By all rights, no ordinary person should have been able to break it.
And yet it had split open.
In the instant he had thrown the punch, power had risen from his heels, climbed his spine like a dragon, then suddenly twisted together at his shoulder and arm before bursting forth...
It was a way of generating force he had never experienced before—smooth, explosive, and extremely efficient.
If he could master it, his destructive power would likely more than double.
Was this... the realm of Perfection-level martial arts?
It was simply inconceivable.
This hadn't happened because his strength had suddenly skyrocketed. Although he had gotten stronger, that alone could not have achieved this.
The real reason he had managed it was what had happened in that instant.
Some of his strength had been consolidated by the way he generated force, twisted into a single stream. It was as if most of the power in his body had focused into one punch and been driven out through his fist.
That was exactly why the result had been so astonishing.
With his extensive knowledge of martial arts, Hu Long understood.
If that punch had struck an ordinary person, even if it hit the skull—the hardest part of the human body—it would have killed them on the spot.
Of course, his arm might have been injured as well.
Looking at his slightly reddened knuckles and the torn-open heavy bag,
and feeling the wonder of this unusual way of generating force, Hu Long's lips curled into a smile.
At last, he felt a little more at ease.
It was the confidence that came instinctively with growing stronger.
"I wonder if I can keep stacking and fusing other martial arts. If I can, then even without encountering a Secret Martial Artist, I should be able to use this method to step into the extraordinary."
The thought flashed through his mind.
But there was no need to rush. He would wait until after the Ancestral Rite and see how things stood.
In the days that followed, apart from exercising and taking his daily sunbath, Hu Long devoted himself to mastering this way of generating force.
Other people might have found this life tedious and dull.
But Hu Long was absorbed in it.
Time flew by.
Before long, the day of the Ancestral Rite arrived.