Bright Force Achieved!

The kitchen echoed with the steady chopping of vegetables.

Yang Sheng's father had returned from driving deliveries close to midnight last night, yet he had gotten up early to prepare breakfast for Yang Sheng.

Yang Sheng had practiced his boxing all night, and the food he had eaten earlier had already been rapidly consumed.

A fierce hunger gnawed at him once more.

When he entered the living room, his father had already laid out several plates of greens.

Amid the vegetarian dishes sat a plate of twice-cooked pork.

Yang Sheng's father came out, wiping his hands on his apron.

He said happily, "Last night, while I was hauling vegetables, I ran into someone from our village. He's a butcher. When he heard you were preparing for the Martial Arts Entrance Exam, he insisted on giving us some meat to build you up."

"Come on, try your dad's cooking. It's been a long time since I made a meat dish. I don't know whether it turned out too bland."

Yang Sheng said nothing. He picked up a steaming bun and wolfed it down with the dishes.

Knock, knock, knock...

The father and son were eating.

Then came a knock at the door.

Yang Sheng's father got up and opened it, finding a mother and daughter standing outside.

He recognized them at once.

"Sister Chen, oh, what brings you here? What a rare visitor. Is this Guo Rui behind you? You only came up to your mother's knees when you were little. In the blink of an eye, you've grown so tall. You're a young lady now."

"Xiao Sheng, come over and greet your Aunt Chen."

Yang Sheng swallowed the last mouthful of noodle soup.

"Coming."

He strode briskly over to the mother and daughter, carrying the sharp, capable bearing of a martial artist.

That night of cultivation had not only improved Yang Sheng's strength; it had also subtly elevated his demeanor.

The old Yang Sheng had spent every day serving as a sparring partner, and his entire presence had been listless.

But last night's progress was like cultivating efficiently for an entire year. He had changed from the inside out, standing tall with broad chest and straight back, his eyes bright and focused.

When Aunt Chen saw Yang Sheng's bearing, her eyes lit up.

"This is Yang Sheng, isn't it? One of Bay City Martial Arts High School's talents. He truly has an exceptional presence."

Yang Sheng's father laughed. "He's just a high school student. Don't stand there, come in."

Aunt Chen nodded approvingly at Yang Sheng again.

Behind her stood eighteen-year-old Guo Rui. She wore a pale pink hoodie, a knee-length skirt, and sneakers. Her large eyes were lively, her oval face soft and round, and her high ponytail radiated the youthful vitality a girl her age should have.

She was studying Yang Sheng as well.

"Young people have plenty to talk about. You two can chat in the bedroom. Your Uncle Yang and I have been friends for years, so we'll talk in the living room."

"The last time we met was ten years ago, wasn't it? Why have you come back to Bay City now?" Yang Sheng's father asked as he took off his apron.

"My business has expanded into Yu Prefecture. The chamber of commerce decided to establish a foothold in Bay City. I don't have any friends here, so I thought of you, an old acquaintance."

Yang Sheng's father bent down and efficiently cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

"I'm just a driver. There's not much I can do to help you."

Aunt Chen smiled. "It's not mainly about me. I pulled some strings to transfer Guo Rui to Bay City Martial Arts High School. Isn't Xiao Sheng attending there too?"

"I just hope the two children can look out for each other."

In the bedroom, Yang Sheng straightened the bed and pulled out a chair hidden beneath the desk.

"It's a small place. Have a seat."

Guo Rui glanced at the pitch-black chair but did not sit. Instead, she seemed interested in the punching bag covered in fist marks.

"To leave a punching bag like this, have you already reached Great Completion of Bright Force? I know some people, and many of them are at Great Completion of Bright Force."

She had previously attended school in Qingzhou. Though it had not been a martial arts school, some of the Upper Registry children she came into contact with had at least reached Lesser Completion of Bright Force.

Aunt Chen's family and Yang Sheng's family were both Lower Registry, but there were distinctions even within the Lower Registry.

Yang Sheng's family was a Lower-Registry Commoner household, while Aunt Chen's family was a Lower-Registry Wealthy Household.

Because of that, Guo Rui had been exposed to quite a few Upper Registry children.

So she naturally assumed Yang Sheng had also reached Lesser Completion of Bright Force.

Yang Sheng shook his head. "No. I'm still far from it."

Even among Upper Registry children, only a small portion had reached Great Completion of Bright Force.

Guo Rui was clearly suffering from survivor bias.

Hearing Yang Sheng's answer, Guo Rui frowned slightly.

Indeed, among the martial artists stationed at her family's businesses, quite a few had reached Great Completion of Bright Force. At some important locations, there were even Dark Force experts standing guard.

So she had naturally assumed Great Completion of Bright Force was not difficult to achieve.

"Then have you reached Lesser Completion of Bright Force?" Guo Rui continued.

Yang Sheng shook his head again. "There's still some distance."

He had supposedly studied at Bay City Martial Arts High School for three years, but in truth, he had never learned any martial arts cultivation methods.

All he usually practiced was publicly available study material and a few simple foundational boxing forms.

On top of that, he had no famous teacher to guide him and no Great Medicine to pave the way.

He also had to serve as Li Yan's human punching bag every day.

Three years of effort had not even brought him as much progress as some Upper Registry children made in half a year.

Of course, that had only been true before last night.

One night of cultivation last night had matched the results of Yang Sheng's entire previous three years of training.

He truly was still some distance from Lesser Completion of Bright Force.

But he did not say that half a day was all it would take to erase that distance.

"You haven't even reached Lesser Completion of Bright Force?"

Yang Sheng's words surprised her.

Like a deflated balloon, Guo Rui relaxed and sat down on Yang Sheng's bed.

"Then since you attend a Martial Arts High School, you must know some impressive people, right? I heard Li Yan from your school is quite formidable. Do you know him?"

Yang Sheng paused when he heard that, then nodded. "I know him."

Guo Rui immediately perked up.

"Really? I heard he's already reached Dark Force. Dark Force at eighteen—what a promising young talent. It seems there are only three Dark Force students in all of Bay City Martial Arts High School, and he's one of them. If possible, can you introduce me to him?"

Yang Sheng glanced at Guo Rui, then said, "I need to practice."

Guo Rui curled her lips and stood.

"What a blockhead."

With that, she turned and walked out of Yang Sheng's bedroom.

After closing the door, Yang Sheng quickly adjusted his breathing.

He restored himself to the condition he had been in while boxing earlier.

He settled into a horse stance, lifted his foot, twisted his waist, raised his shoulder, and threw a punch!

Dull thuds rang out without end.

[Bright Force (91/100)]

Yang Sheng focused completely. The brief interruption had not affected him.

"Keep the rhythm. Keep breathing. The punches must be accurate, but they must also be steady."

With every breath, Yang Sheng's fists extended and retracted freely.

[Bright Force (92/100)]

Tiny insights flooded into his mind in a dense stream.

Yang Sheng's physical condition had now reached its peak.

Every muscle in his body had been mobilized.

Yang Sheng stretched his waist, and his bones crackled all over.

He took off his shirt, revealing a back slick with sweat.

"I read before that the human spine is the key that links the entire body. Though the spine doesn't directly exert force in boxing, it supports every bit of strength."

He gave a low shout and spread his arms like a ferocious tiger poised to pounce.

His fists cut through the air, pounding the punching bag like raindrops.

This time, he stopped restraining his strength and let it erupt to the fullest extent.

The hundred-pound punching bag swayed like a withered leaf in the wind.

[Bright Force (93/100)]

Before he knew it, another three hours had passed.

Yang Sheng felt hungry again.

He gathered his strength, quietly opened the door, and prepared to find something to eat in the kitchen.

Then he heard Aunt Chen still speaking with his father in the living room.

"I didn't expect the rumors to be true. I didn't believe them before, but after hearing what Guo Rui said just now, it must be real." Aunt Chen's voice was full of regret.

She looked at Yang Sheng's father and continued, "When I went to Bay City Martial Arts High School to handle Guo Rui's transfer, I happened to run into Xiao Sheng's classmates.

"I asked about Xiao Sheng, and they said he had already been urged by the school to withdraw. The reason was that his cultivation had failed to keep up with the progress of Class-Divided Cultivation."

Yang Sheng's father remained silent.

"Guo Rui just went in and asked Xiao Sheng how far he had cultivated. He still hasn't reached Lesser Completion of Bright Force.

"I understand a little about this. Among the students admitted to Bay City Martial Arts High School, only those who reach Lesser Completion of Bright Force have a chance to enter a Martial Arts University through the Martial Arts Entrance Exam.

"If they have not even reached Lesser Completion, then even a martial arts vocational college will not accept them."

Yang Sheng's father continued to remain silent. After a long while, he finally said, "I went to Xiao Sheng's school two days ago. I wanted to meet his homeroom teacher.

"Since the Martial Arts Entrance Exam is so close, I hoped the teacher could look after him a little more. But I never saw the teacher himself. He had Xiao Sheng's class monitor meet me instead—the one called Li Yan."

"Li Yan told me the school was preparing to implement Class-Divided Cultivation and that Xiao Sheng would be urged to withdraw.

"I gave him ten thousand yuan and hoped he could make an exception. He asked about my registry, and I thought he really could help us."

Yang Sheng's father raked a hand through his hair.

"But this morning, I received a notice from the school. They hoped that Lower-Registry Commoner households like ours would withdraw voluntarily."

His voice grew softer and softer, until it was nearly inaudible.

In the kitchen, Yang Sheng picked up a bun and stared blankly into space.

He knew his father drove deliveries outside. A single haul earned twenty yuan. On a lucky day, he could make four or five trips; on an unlucky day, only two or three.

Saving ten thousand yuan would take him half a year, perhaps even longer.

Li Yan had previously said that a Lower-Registry Commoner like him should go back home to farm. It seemed he had learned that information through his father.

"Old Yang, don't be too upset. Xiao Sheng may not have enough talent, but I can see that he has the right bearing. If the school truly makes him withdraw,

"he can come work at my newly established company first. At least he'll have enough to eat and won't shut himself in his room all day."

Yang Sheng's father nodded. "That's all we can do. We'll take it one step at a time. Sister Chen, thank you so much."

"Don't mention it."

Yang Sheng silently finished the bun, then turned and quietly returned to his room.

"Just a little more."

He took a deep breath, emptied his mind, and entered a state of complete absorption.

His heart and mind became clear as he threw punch after punch at the bag, leaving one finger-deep fist mark after another.

In the end, he seemed possessed, crazily punching one spot.

The fist mark grew deeper and deeper, while his boxing skill rose at a rapid pace.

[Bright Force (94/100)]

[Bright Force (95/100)]

[Bright Force (96/100)]

...

[Bright Force (99/100)]

Then, at a certain instant, an exquisite insight suddenly surged into Yang Sheng's heart.

His foot struck the ground, kicking up a ring of dust. Vast power spread from his toes.

It rushed into his spine, then surged toward his fist, gathering at a single point.

At that moment, Yang Sheng's fist had already been drawn to its limit.

His entire body had accumulated strength to the extreme.

Ha!

With a thunderous shout.

His fist suddenly blasted forward—overbearing and ferocious!

Before the fist arrived, the wind came first.

The violent fist wind wrapped around his punch and slammed into the punching bag.

Bang!

A single punch blasted a hole straight through the center of the punching bag.

Dust filled the entire room, while fine sand poured from the hole in a steady stream.

Bright Force! Achieved!