Dark Force!

Li Chuan took a deep breath and assumed the Mountain-Holding Stance.

Very soon, he felt a current of heat surge through his entire body.

It burned him like molten lava.

The heat rose from his dantian, then instantly spread through his limbs.

Before long, his whole body had become scorching hot, even somewhat painful.

Li Chuan clenched his teeth, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

The heat flowed like crashing waves, battering the meridians throughout his body again and again.

Tail-Gate Pass, Spine-Ridge Pass, and Jade-Pillow Pass!

As one vital pass after another opened, the piercing heat abruptly became gentle and comfortable.

The fierce Bright Force within him merged with his limbs at that moment, transforming into Dark Force!

At that very instant, Li Chuan felt as though his entire body had undergone a cleansing baptism.

His hearing, vision, strength in his hands and feet—all of them were transforming.

The pitch-black world suddenly became bright.

The sound of the wind seemed to howl by his ears, mixed with the rhythms of countless living things.

He felt the surging power in his hands—an unprecedented, overwhelming power.

Li Chuan knew clearly that he had broken through!

[Mountain-Holding Stance has broken through to Major Mastery]

[Skill: Mountain-Holding Stance (Major Mastery)]

[Proficiency: 1/4000]

Li Chuan slowly exhaled a mouthful of stale air.

From this day onward, he would no longer be a dispensable Outer Courtyard disciple.

He was now an Inner Courtyard disciple, one of the Martial Hall's core members!

Even throughout all of Anning County, a Dark Force martial artist could absolutely be considered a "strong expert"!

Tomorrow, I'll report to Master Liang that I've broken through to Dark Force.

In the current state of affairs, blindly concealing his abilities was not a good thing.

Only by displaying enough value could he receive proper attention.

Li Chuan returned to the Common Dormitory.

"What's that smell?" He frowned.

Li Chuan sniffed carefully. It seemed to be coming from his own body.

He abruptly tore open his collar, only to find a thin layer of black grime covering his skin!

"This is... impurities from inside my body?"

"The storybooks from my past life all said that after a breakthrough, thick black mud would ooze from one's body. Looks like they exaggerated after all."

"Of course, it may also be because I haven't reached that level yet."

Li Chuan hurriedly changed and washed his clothes.

That smell truly left much to be desired!

After changing into fresh clothes, Li Chuan felt much cleaner.

"Senior Brother Luo once said that besides the obvious improvement to one's physique, Dark Force has two unique effects.

"First, it can injure without damaging the skin—striking someone as though hanging a painting. Force can pass through the surface and enter the body, giving it an armor-piercing effect!

"Second, it can condense force into a single point and unleash it. It's somewhat like the 'Inch Punch' from my past life."

Li Chuan intended to test their power one by one.

He first fetched a piece of venison.

Then he circulated his Dark Force and lightly slapped the venison.

"Buzz."

Li Chuan could feel the surface of the venison vibrating at high speed.

This was the force destroying its interior.

After the strike, the venison looked completely intact from the outside.

Li Chuan gently picked it up, only to find the outer skin suddenly tear apart.

The meat inside had been completely beaten into pulp!

Li Chuan was somewhat astonished. He had not expected Dark Force's penetrating effect to be so powerful.

It was already this terrifying when used on venison—how frightening would it be if it struck a person?

"If I brought this skill back to my past life, wouldn't I be able to make genuine hand-beaten beef balls?"

Who could possibly beat him?

Li Chuan was amused by his own bizarre train of thought.

He was probably the only person who could think of using Dark Force to make beef balls.

If those Bright Force disciples who trained bitterly yet could not achieve Gate-Knocking learned of this, they would surely curse him for "casting pearls before swine"!

Li Chuan shook his head, then fetched a wooden board.

He wanted to test Dark Force's second function: condensing force at a single point before unleashing it.

Li Chuan took a deep breath and pressed a palm against the board.

The sensation of striking the board was completely different from before.

When he had used Bright Force in the past, his entire palm exerted strength.

But with Dark Force, all the force had gathered at a single point.

Bang!

A tiny hole appeared in the wooden board.

It had been punched straight through!

Yet every other part looked utterly unharmed!

With Bright Force, this would have been impossible.

At most, he could have shattered the entire board with one slap.

This showed that his control over force had reached a new height as well.

"No wonder countless people crave Dark Force so desperately. The difference from Bright Force is simply too great!"

After completing his tests, Li Chuan lay back down on his bed.

That night, he slept exceptionally peacefully.

The next day.

Li Chuan still arrived at the Martial Arts Arena early.

Ever since Yu Sinian left, he had become the most senior Bright Force disciple.

Perhaps because of Yu Sinian's failure, many people's opinions of him had gradually begun to change.

They believed he was merely the next Yu Sinian.

Of course, no one said such things to his face.

Yet whenever they rested, he inevitably heard a few rumors drifting through the air.

Now that he had broken through to Dark Force, those words no longer stung him in the slightest.

"Master and the others are back!" someone called out.

Li Chuan looked over and saw Liang Hangzhou returning with a group of Inner Courtyard disciples, as well as several highly regarded Bright Force disciples.

"I heard Qin Feng defeated a veteran Dark Force expert from Gan Yun Martial Hall in this sparring match!"

"He seems to have broken through to Dark Force not long ago, and he often goes out drinking with courtesans. How is he still improving so quickly?"

"High-Grade Bone Constitution... how can it be judged by ordinary standards?"

"Do you think Qin Feng can pass as a Martial Scholar?"

"If he makes the top fifty, there definitely won't be a problem!"

"That would be the first Martial Scholar from our Pine Wind Martial Hall!"

Li Chuan looked toward Liang Hangzhou and saw that his wrinkled face was full of smiles.

The looks he occasionally cast toward Qin Feng made his appreciation and satisfaction plain for all to see.

Luo Zheng was also among the group and greeted Li Chuan.

But Liang Hangzhou had no intention of stopping and quickly entered the Inner Courtyard.

Li Chuan halted mid-step as he was about to approach.

Judging from Liang Hangzhou's manner, he did not seem to be in the mood to pay attention to him.

Li Chuan was not in a hurry either. Since Dark Force cultivation was already his, it made no difference whether he spoke of it sooner or later.

Thus, he happily practiced Through-Arm Fist by himself.

[Practiced Through-Arm Fist, proficiency +1]

[Practiced Through-Arm Fist, proficiency +1]

[Skill: Through-Arm Fist (Minor Mastery)]

[Proficiency: 1902/2000]

Watching Through-Arm Fist's proficiency steadily rise, with Major Mastery not far away, Li Chuan felt even more content.

It was not until evening, after all the Inner Courtyard disciples had left, that he stepped forward.

A maid stood guard outside Liang Hangzhou's door. Li Chuan said politely:

"Please inform Master Liang that Li Chuan of the Outer Courtyard requests an audience."

The maid nodded, signaling for Li Chuan to wait.

She entered alone.

"Hall Master, Li Chuan of the Outer Courtyard requests an audience."

Liang Hangzhou waved his hand.

"No, no. I'm busy."

The maid helplessly relayed the message to Li Chuan.

Li Chuan froze for a moment.

"Sorry for the disturbance."

After saying that, he returned to the Martial Arts Arena and continued practicing.

Inside, Liang Hangzhou felt that rejecting him so bluntly was somewhat improper.

He had some impression of Li Chuan—a diligent and hardworking disciple with a Low-Grade Bone Constitution.

It would not do to chill the young man's heart.

After thinking it over, he sighed again.

"Forget it."

Liang Hangzhou walked straight out of his room, only to find no sign of Li Chuan.

"Where's Li Chuan?" he asked.

The maid pointed toward the Martial Arts Arena.

Liang Hangzhou shook his head with a smile.

"He really is diligent."

He casually took a dried persimmon and slowly made his way over while eating it.

Under the moonlight, a young figure moved with the agility of a nimble ape.

The various techniques of Through-Arm Fist flowed from his hands as naturally as his will, striking the wooden post before him until it rang with repeated bangs.

"This sound seems a little off." Liang Hangzhou narrowed his eyes as he chewed his dried persimmon.

When he looked closely, however, he discovered that every punch Li Chuan threw was soft yet hid a needle within.

Fierce force traveled from his fists in wave after wave, guiding itself into the wooden post.

Though the post appeared completely intact, its interior was already a complete mess.

Liang Hangzhou's hand froze halfway through bringing the dried persimmon to his mouth.

This manner of use was unmistakably Dark Force!