Explosive Bear Force

Xu Yang held back his strength while sparring with Qiu Wenjie, yet after only a dozen moves, Qiu Wenjie shouted for a forfeit.

He had only gathered his Qi a few days ago and was not yet skilled in manipulating his true energy; lasting a dozen moves was already quite an achievement.

"Senior Brother Xu, this is what my father asked me to give you."

The two stepped aside, and Qiu Wenjie handed three taels of silver to Xu Yang.

"Perhaps you shouldn't give this to me anymore. Now that you have successfully gathered your Qi, the Qiu Family no longer needs me." Xu Yang did not reach out to take it.

He had always remembered the kindness of Qiu Yongqiang, who had been willing to invest in him when he was weak.

The Qiu Family was truly too small—too small to afford a martial artist as a retainer—yet they occasionally needed one for certain matters. In their helplessness, they had resorted to this desperate measure: giving him money without requiring him to station himself at the Qiu residence, hoping only that he would step in if they were ever in need.

In the past, he could accept the money with a clear conscience because if anything happened to the Qiu Family, he would certainly have helped.

But now that Qiu Wenjie had successfully gathered his Qi and the Qiu Family had a martial artist of their own, the money felt scorching to the touch. It felt like the "protection fees" the Tri-Union Gang harvested from the folks in White Stone Ward—it was all blood and sweat.

"My father told me to give this to you. If I bring it back to him, he'll surely beat me. If you want to return it, do it yourself."

Qiu Wenjie shoved the money into Xu Yang's hand and stood up to leave, continuing his fist training.

The Qiu Family!

"Big Brother, you wanted to see me?" Qiu Yongqiang bowed to his elder brother, Qiu Yongjian, who sat behind the desk.

Closing the ledger in his hand, Qiu Yongjian looked up at his second brother and said, "Second Brother, I've noticed you've been withdrawing three taels of silver from the accounts every few months. You withdrew it again today. What is this money for?"

Qiu Yongqiang replied, "I've been using it to support a martial artist I took a liking to."

Qiu Yongjian's brows furrowed. "Three taels of silver? What kind of martial artist is so cheap? You haven't been swindled, have you?"

"No, Big Brother, let me explain..."

Qiu Yongqiang recounted everything, from Qiu Wenjie mentioning Xu Yang to him, to the series of events that followed.

"Second Brother, you disappoint me. I know you want to strengthen the Qiu Family, but you should have consulted me on such matters. Never mind whether this Xu Yang has the potential for investment.

You only give him money without having him guard the Qiu Family; if something happens to us one day and he stands by with his hands in his sleeves, who could prove that our family supported him?

End this support. Now that Wenjie has successfully gathered his Qi, our family can focus all our efforts on cultivating our own martial artist. There is no need to benefit others."

After hearing him out, Qiu Yongjian immediately reprimanded Qiu Yongqiang.

"Big Brother, Xu Yang is a man of great loyalty. If our family is in trouble, he won't just stand by," Qiu Yongqiang frowned.

He had known his brother would react this way, which was why he hadn't told him about the matter in the first place.

"But now that Wenjie has gathered his Qi, we should be putting all our resources into him, not someone else. Our family's income is barely enough to support one martial artist. Do you know the consequences of spending another three taels?"

Qiu Yongjian stared fixedly at Qiu Yongqiang until the latter lowered his head.

He knew all of this, but a promise given must be kept.

"Find a time to make it clear to him. It's not that we aren't honoring our agreement; it's simply that we don't have the funds," Qiu Yongjian said.

"Very well!"

Qiu Yongqiang nodded helplessly.

"Bang! Bang!"

Drenched in sweat, Xu Yang moved like a bear king, his punches striking the air with a series of booms.

He felt his body growing hotter and hotter, his blood and Qi surging like boiling water, approaching a certain critical point.

"Explosive Bear Force!"

He knew he was about to touch upon the Explosive Bear Force of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. With his comprehension nearing forty, mastering the technique was becoming increasingly simple.

Once he grasped the Explosive Bear Force, his combat power would increase significantly; it was also the hallmark of having reached a profound level in the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

From the day he stepped into the Inner Courtyard, the senior brothers who had already mastered the Explosive Bear Force had been helping Lu Ren comprehend it, though he didn't know if Lu Ren had succeeded yet.

"BOOM!"

At that moment, he felt his blood explode. His veins bulged, his muscles expanded, and his strength surged instantly. A sense of fury rose in his heart, and his true energy felt like gunpowder being ignited.

His spine, his "Great Dragon," seemed to come alive, snapping into alignment with a series of crisp cracks.

"Has Xu Yang gone mad?!"

A violent aura rippled outward, startling Zhang Hong, who was nearby, into retreating repeatedly for fear of being struck by Xu Yang's fist.

"Quiet, he's comprehending the Explosive Bear Force," Wu Yongfeng said, his face full of envy.

He had gathered his Qi before Xu Yang, yet he still had no clue how to master the Explosive Bear Force.

"He actually comprehended the Explosive Bear Force," Lu Ren remarked, looking on in disbelief.

Many senior brothers had helped him by sparring with him, using the Explosive Bear Force against him for over a month. It was only a few days ago, upon hearing that his fiancée had been defiled by Jade Butterfly, that he had grasped the technique in a fit of rage.

He hadn't expected that, in just a few days, Xu Yang would manage to cultivate the Explosive Bear Force entirely on his own.

"Xu Yang's comprehension truly doesn't lose much to Junior Brother Lu Ren." A sharp glint flickered in Zhao Zhifei's eyes.

It was as if he were competing with Lu Ren; whenever Lu Ren made progress in some area, Xu Yang would immediately follow suit.

Jiang Ping shook his head and said, "They should be on par, but it's a pity his aptitude is far inferior to Junior Brother Lu's. What use is good comprehension? Cultivation base is the foundation."

"There is less than a year left until the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent. Without a cultivation base at the Great Completion of Qi Gathering, one doesn't even have the qualifications to sign up."

"Look at his aura; the true qi in his dantian is likely only one-third of Junior Brother Lu's."

"Within a year, let alone reaching the Great Completion of Qi Gathering, I think even two or three years would be a stretch. Once he passes twenty, he and we will be people of two different worlds."

Gu Fang nodded in agreement, "I admit I underestimated him a little, but he's truly foolish. With this kind of comprehension, if he had married into the Liu Family, even with a low-grade C aptitude, it wouldn't be difficult for the Liu Family's financial resources to pile him into the Great Completion of Qi Gathering within a year."

"If he had the chance for the Martial Exam Dragon Ascent, he might have achieved something in the future."

"As it stands, this is all he'll amount to. With only a few taels of silver in cultivation resources a month, dreaming of reaching the Great Completion of Qi Gathering in two or three years is just that—a dream."

"Explosive Bear Force is indeed powerful, but the aftereffects of the burst are quite uncomfortable."

Xu Yang smoothed out his turbulent blood and true qi, his body gradually returning to normal, though he felt weak and sore all over.

Impossible to reach the Great Completion of Qi Gathering within a year?

If it were before, that would indeed be the case, but after obtaining the Diamond Skill, the growth rate of his true qi had already changed.

Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist was, after all, only a fist technique; how could it compare to a technique like the Diamond Skill, which specialized in cultivating true qi?

Even without relying on the panel, he had the confidence to reach the Great Completion of Qi Gathering within a year.

He was not someone who remained stagnant.

His comprehension and aptitude were constantly improving.

A year from now, both his aptitude and comprehension would double from their current levels, and in terms of aptitude alone, he would surpass Lu Ren.

By his estimation, even if his aptitude wasn't Grade A-Superior by then, it would at least reach Grade A-Inferior.

Coupled with his comprehension also reaching Grade A, the Great Completion of Qi Gathering was only a conservative estimate; he might even be able to undergo Marrow Cleansing.

Gu Fang, Jiang Ping, and the others weren't actually stupid; they knew the importance of comprehension.

It was just that while the comprehension Xu Yang displayed was decent, to them, it was nothing special.

To use a simple analogy, if Xu Yang's comprehension was 40, others might be 30 or 33. Although there was a gap, it wasn't significant.

That was why, even though the comprehension he displayed was similar to Lu Ren's, few people were optimistic about him.

This was also why Lin Cheng had said on the first day that the most important thing in martial arts was money, not aptitude or comprehension.

For most people, as long as one could successfully gather qi, there wouldn't be a huge gap in everyone's aptitude and comprehension, and this gap could be bridged or even surpassed with money.

If one tael wasn't enough, then ten taels; if it couldn't be bridged, it could only be said that you didn't have enough money.

"Between thirty and forty, there is indeed not much of a gap, but what if it were thirty versus eighty, ninety, or even a hundred?"