Bright Strength

In the woodshed at the back of the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, Lin sat on the edge of a bed fashioned from old door panels, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of her patch-upon-patch apron.

Chen Jianghe brought over a bowl of warm water and handed it to her. "Mother, have some water."

Lin took the bowl but did not drink; she merely held it in her hands, her gaze vacant. "Jianghe, am I too useless? After this trip, not only did I fail to get any help, but..."

His tone was steady, devoid of any resentment. "This is how the world is. Status and lineage weigh heavier than life itself. We won't beg, and we won't rely on them. I have hands and feet, and I can practice martial arts. From now on, we will earn everything ourselves."

"But your father's life..." Lin's eyes reddened again.

Chen Jianghe took his mother's hand. "We need only remember Father's life. Relying on the Chen family is not as good as relying on these fists of mine."

Lin looked up at her son, and the composure in the young man's eyes gradually soothed the stifling ache in her heart.

She finally nodded, gripping her son's hand tightly in return. "Mother believes in you."

Chen Jianghe stood up. "Rest early. I'm going to practice my fists for a while longer."

"Practicing this late?"

"I can't sleep." Chen Jianghe smiled. "Once I'm tired from training, I'll sleep naturally."

From that day on, Chen Jianghe practiced with increasing diligence.

Before dawn each day, he was already in the courtyard performing the Three-Body Stance.

After breakfast at the hour of the dragon, he began to drill the Five Elements Fist over and over—Splitting, Crushing, Drilling, Cannon, and Crossing.

In the afternoon, he alternated between the stance and the fist techniques until dusk settled in.

At night, after settling his mother into bed, he would use the dim oil lamp in the corridor to mentally review what he had practiced during the day, pondering the shifts in his internal force.

Days turned into weeks, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

On this afternoon, the autumn sun was perfect.

Chen Jianghe stood in the courtyard, exhaling and inhaling slowly three times, then sank his hips and waist, starting with the Splitting Fist.

The strike he threw was completely different from the past.

Where the edge of his fist passed, a sharp "hiss" suddenly exploded in the air, like tearing silk or the crack of a whip. His muscles and bones vibrated in unison, emitting a dense, continuous "crackling" sound, as if spring ice were breaking or old bamboo were stretching.

Before the momentum of the fist was spent, he shifted his stance.

The Crushing Fist drove forward like an arrow, the Drilling Fist rotated like an auger, the Cannon Fist exploded with a roar, and the Crossing Fist swept across like an army.

The five styles were linked in one breath; every strike was accompanied by the resonance of his bones, and every transition tore the air with a sharp, piercing sound.

As he retracted the final Crossing Fist, Chen Jianghe exhaled a long, white breath and settled into his stance.

Bright Strength, achieved.

[Fate: Heaven Rewards Diligence, Success is Inevitable]

[Current Skill: Three-Body Stance (Minor Achievement)]

[Progress: 65%]

[Current Skill: Five Elements Fist (Minor Achievement)]

[Progress: 1%]

[Utility: None]

"Good heavens!"

A shout exploded from the corridor.

Chen Jianghe turned to see Su Derong leaning against a pillar, his folding fan frozen in mid-air. The usual lazy smile on his face had vanished, replaced by undisguised astonishment.

He hurried over, staring at Chen Jianghe in shock.

"Bone resonance, fist wind tearing silk..." Su Derong muttered, eyes locked on Chen Jianghe. "You brat... you really did it?"

Chen Jianghe was still somewhat dazed. "Senior Brother, is this... Bright Strength?"

"What else could it be?!" Su Derong let go of his fan, stepped back, and looked him up and down as if seeing him for the first time. "Bone resonance is the sign of integrated force; fist wind tearing silk is the sign of externalized power. With both, you have truly attained the level of Bright Strength!"

He suddenly slapped his thigh. "Half a year! From a beginner to Bright Strength in just over half a year! Jianghe, are you actually a genius!?"

Chen Jianghe felt flustered by his words. "Senior Brother, you overpraise me. I have only been practicing hard every day..."

"Plenty of people practice hard!" Su Derong interrupted, his eyes gleaming. "Is He Shouzhuo not hardworking? How many years has he been at the hall, and he's only just reached Bright Strength! You took only half a year! Half a year!"

He suddenly turned and bolted toward the back courtyard, then stopped and pointed back at Chen Jianghe. "You stay here! Don't move! I'm going to get Master!"

"Senior Brother, there's no need..."

"Stay!"

Before the words left his lips, Su Derong had already swept toward the back courtyard like a gust of wind.

Chen Jianghe stood where he was, an indescribable feeling welling up in his heart.

In the backyard, beneath the old locust tree.

Li Chengyue was sprawled on a bamboo recliner, happily sipping his liquor while snacking on a plate of salted edamame.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows across his face; the warmth made him feel drowsy.

"Master! Master!"

Su Derong's voice arrived before he did. His tone was urgent and piercing, startling Li Chengyue so much that his hand shook, causing him to choke on a mouthful of liquor and cough until his face turned bright red.

"You brat!" Once Li Chengyue finally caught his breath, he grabbed an empty wine bowl from his side and hurled it. "Are you wailing at a funeral?! Can't you see I'm drinking?!"

Su Derong dodged the flying bowl, which shattered against the blue bricks with a crisp clang, sending shards scattering everywhere.

He rushed to the recliner in a few strides, the excitement on his face still undimmed. "Master! Something huge has happened! A massive, wonderful thing!"

Li Chengyue squinted his drunken eyes and glanced at him sideways. "What kind of 'wonderful thing' could you possibly have? Did you set your sights on a new courtesan at the brothel again? Or did you get lucky at the gambling den and win a few taels of silver?"

"No! It's Jianghe! Our junior apprentice brother, he—" Su Derong's voice cut off abruptly.

This was because Li Chengyue had already snatched up the old rattan cane leaning against the recliner.

"Startling people and disturbing the peace—you deserve a beating!" Before the words had even faded, the cane whistled through the air, raining down upon him.

"Ouch! Master, stop hitting me! I really have serious business... Sss! That hurts!"

Su Derong scrambled to cover his head, but the backyard was small, and he couldn't dodge in time, taking several solid strikes to his back and legs. The cane looked old, but it stung like fire when it hit.

Li Chengyue chased him, landing seven or eight blows before stopping to catch his breath. He pointed the cane at Su Derong and cursed, "Speak! What is it? If you dare to pull my leg, I'll make sure you can't get out of bed for three months!"

Su Derong rubbed his aching arms, grimacing; most of his initial excitement had been beaten out of him.

He said with a mournful face, "Master, you're too ruthless! I'm your direct disciple, after all. Once I reach Transforming Strength, I'll definitely challenge you to see who's better!"

"See who's better?" Li Chengyue laughed in anger and raised the cane again. "With your habit of fishing for three days and drying nets for two, you want to reach Transforming Strength? I think your skin is just itching for another beating!"

"No, no! I'll tell you the serious business!" Su Derong quickly retreated two steps, raised his hands in surrender, and blurted out, "It's Jianghe! Our junior apprentice brother... he's broken through to Bright Strength!"

"Pfft—!"

Li Chengyue sprayed out the mouthful of liquor he had just taken.

He sat bolt upright on the recliner, his usually hazy, drunken eyes instantly flashing with sharp brilliance as he stared fixedly at Su Derong. "Say that again?!"

Seeing his master in such an unprecedented state of agitation, the grievance in Su Derong's heart vanished, replaced by a sense of smug satisfaction. He cleared his throat and enunciated clearly, "Mas-ter, our jun-ior, ap-pren-tice, broth-er, Chen, Jiang-he, has, bro-ken, through, to, Bright, Strength. I saw it with my own eyes—his muscles and bones hummed in unison, and his fist wind tore through the air. There is no mistake!"

Li Chengyue was silent for three heartbeats.

The next moment, he stood up with a thump, not even bothering to put his shoes on properly, and began shuffling toward the exit. "Take me to see him!"

"Yes, sir!" Su Derong instinctively flicked his fan open, striking a dashing pose.

Li Chengyue turned around and kicked him square in the backside. "What are you dawdling for! Lead the way!"

Su Derong stumbled from the kick, rubbed his rear, and dared not speak his anger, forced to lead the way with a bitter expression.