Before the Battle

On the third night, Ye An sat on his bed when the current of energy in his Dantian suddenly seemed to catch fire.

The current, which had always flowed gently, swelled in an instant. It surged out of his Dantian and rushed through his meridians to every limb and bone.

It was like a river held back for too long finally finding an outlet.

Ye An's back straightened of its own accord.

Fine goose bumps rose across his skin as the current seeped from his meridians into his flesh.

His fingers trembled slightly. As power surged through his fingertips, it felt as though every finger bone and every joint was being reconnected.

Ye An closed his eyes and felt the unfamiliar power roam through his body.

From his Dantian to his chest, from his chest to his arms, and from his arms to his fingertips.

Before, the current had stopped at his wrists. He had needed to drive it deliberately just to push it to his fingertips.

Now it seemed to know its own path. Wherever his thoughts went, it followed.

This was what Ye An had come to understand for himself.

Ye An drew a deep breath and slowly let it out. The exhale was long and even, without the slightest break.

His organs had changed after being suffused with Internal Energy. He could breathe more deeply, endure longer, and recover his breath in battle much faster.

Ye An opened his eyes and looked down at his hand.

His fingertips were slightly red, but he felt no discomfort. He swept out his arm, compressing the air before his palm with a muffled thud.

Internal Energy flowed more smoothly through his meridians, taking a shorter path to deliver his strength!

Ye An stood and tried taking a few steps.

Each time his foot landed, Internal Energy buoyed it from below, absorbing most of the impact.

Over a long fight, Ye An would expend far less stamina than before.

Ye An inhaled deeply and thrust out a finger.

Whoosh!

The sound of his fingertip cutting through the air was sharper than before.

The force had barely changed, but the speed had!

With Internal Energy behind it, his finger thrust was at least thirty percent faster from the start.

Thirty percent was nothing to scoff at. When experts fought, an instant could mean the difference between life and death.

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Penetration): 1/300]

It worked! Delighted, Ye An pulled the stack of papers Qian Duoduo had sent from beneath his pillow and opened it under the oil lamp.

"Zhao Heng, forty-two years old. Former Outer Sect Disciple of the Iron Fist Sect. Twenty-three matches fought: eighteen wins, five losses. All five opponents who beat him were at Peak Second Body Tempering."

"His fist technique is called the Iron Baleful Fist. It's an introductory technique of the Iron Fist Sect, but he's spent over twenty years honing it and mastered it long ago." Qian Duoduo's notes crowded the margin. "One punch can snap a tree as thick as a bowl."

Beside the papers lay several pills wrapped in oiled paper.

They were Superior Body Tempering Pills, a higher grade than those Qian Duoduo sent each month. Their medicinal scent was rich; merely keeping them beside his pillow made his blood and vitality stir.

It showed that the Qian Family had given Ye An substantial support for stepping forward to settle this matter.

Ye An stared at the lines and ran through the information in his head.

Strong attack, solid defense, slow speed.

A vicious fist technique, but little flexibility.

Against an opponent like that, he might have a chance.

Zhao Heng struck with extreme brutality. Sun Wu had been badly injured, and someone before him had even had his Dantian shattered.

Zhao Heng did not make a habit of stopping short. He aimed to destroy his opponents' foundations.

Ye An closed the papers. He would not give Zhao Heng that chance.

The news still reached the Ye Family.

That evening, Ye An returned from the Martial Hall and pushed open the door. Three people sat in the courtyard: his father, Ye Shouzhuo, his eldest brother, Ye Ping, and his second brother, Ye Ning.

None of them looked pleased.

Ye An paused when he saw them waiting for him. "What's wrong?"

Ye Ning stood and walked up to him, his face livid.

"You've only just broken through to Second Body Tempering, and you're wading into the Qian Family's muddy waters? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Zhao Heng is at Late-Stage Second Body Tempering. You've just broken through. How are you supposed to fight him?" Ye Ning's voice grew louder. "I won't allow it. You're not going."

Ye An glanced at his second brother, then at his father and eldest brother.

Ye Shouzhuo sat on a stone stool with a ledger still in his hand. The lines on his face looked deeper than usual. He had probably just returned from the grocery shop and heard the news before he could even change.

Ye Ping stood nearby, clutching a book so tightly that his knuckles pressed into its edge. His lips moved, but no words came out.

"You all know?" Ye An had kept it from his family because he was afraid they would worry.

Ye Ning took a deep breath and forced down his anger. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. "Third Brother, listen to me. Zhao Heng isn't someone you can handle. If you go, you'll be badly hurt at best. At worst—you know what I mean."

Ye An looked at him.

"I know."

"And you're still going?"

Ye Ning clenched his fists.

The courtyard fell quiet for a moment.

Ye Shouzhuo sat on the stone stool, worry plain on his face. "Xiao An, your second brother is right. You only broke through recently, while Zhao Heng has been training for more than a decade. I heard hardly anyone in the Qian Family dares fight him. Why don't you turn them down? The gap in strength is right there."

Ye Ping spoke too, his voice strained. "Ye An, the Qian Family has treated you well, but you can't stake your life on this."

Ye An looked at the three of them.

Their eyes all said the same thing: Don't go.

"Father, Eldest Brother, Second Brother. I know my limits." Ye An met their gazes earnestly.

The Qian Family had supported him when he was at First Body Tempering. Having accepted their help, he could not simply forget it.

Just then, Ye Ning spoke.

"Ye An." His voice sank. "Fight me."

Ye An raised his head and looked at his second brother.

"Let me see what you're capable of now." Ye Ning took off his outer robe, draped it over the stone stool, and walked to the center of the courtyard. "If you can withstand my kicks, I won't stop you. If you can't, you'll stay home and behave yourself."

I'll use seventy percent of my strength. That should make Third Brother realize he's out of his depth, Ye Ning thought.

Ye An watched his second brother walk away. He understood what Ye Ning had in mind, but this suited him. He wanted to know what he could do now, too.

They stood five paces apart.

The night wind swept through the courtyard, setting the old locust tree's shadow swaying.

Ye Ning moved first.

His kicks were known for their speed, ferocity, and relentless succession. He had spent nearly a year at the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall and practiced this technique no fewer than ten thousand times.

His first kick came straight on, fast and direct, its toe aimed at Ye An's chest.

Ye An did not dodge. Since his Qi-Nourishing Formula had reached Penetration, Internal Energy coursed through his meridians more than twice as fast as before.

Previously, a finger thrust had required him to settle his breathing, gather energy, and exert force. The whole process took at least two or three breaths.

Now he needed only a thought. His finger struck wherever he aimed it!

Ye An thrust out a finger.

It met the sole of Ye Ning's foot.

Finger and foot collided with a sharp crack.

Ye Ning pulled his foot back.

He retreated a step and glanced at his sole. It was a little numb, but it did not hurt.

A wave of surprise rose in Ye Ning's heart. He looked up at Ye An.

"Very good. I'm going to raise my level above what I just showed you. Be careful."

His second kick was already coming.

It swept toward Ye An's ribs, fast and heavy.

Ye An turned sideways, judged the distance, and let it pass by a precise two inches. At the same time, he thrust out a finger.

It struck the side of Ye Ning's knee.

Since the Qi-Nourishing Formula had reached Penetration, everything about Ye An's body felt smoother.

Before, a turn had brought a brief hitch in his movement, forcing him to twist through it with muscle alone.

Now Internal Energy flowed through his meridians and dissolved the momentum of the turn. His movements ran together like flowing water.

He no longer needed to readjust his balance with every step. Internal Energy drew his body back into balance on its own.

Ye Ning drew in his knee and retracted the sweeping kick.

He glanced at Ye An.

Ye Ning understood that if he did not take this seriously, he would never talk Ye An out of going!

Black Tiger Consecutive Kicks!

Ye Ning stopped holding back. Kick after kick hammered toward Ye An like a violent storm.

This was Ye Ning's signature move. At the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall, few of his fellow disciples at the same level could withstand the full sequence.

Ye An did not try to meet it head-on. He used his advantage to dodge each move in a steady rhythm.

A match was not won through brute force alone. It took some wit.

Inhale—half a step back.

Exhale—a finger thrust.

Inhale—one foot to the side.

Exhale—another finger thrust!

Every step landed on the beat of his breathing, as though his body were fighting by itself.

In this state, Ye An was at least thirty percent faster than usual.

Ye Ning launched more than twenty kicks in succession. Not one landed solidly.

His breathing began to falter.

Ye An heard it.

Since his Qi-Nourishing Formula had reached Penetration, his hearing had grown sharper.

He could hear the rhythm of Ye Ning's breaths. His strikes were strongest on the inhale, but on the exhale, they weakened slightly.

That was the opening!

Ye Ning kicked again. This was the twelfth kick of his sequence, and Ye An knew his habit: afterward came a tiny pause to draw breath.

Ye An seized it.

He stepped forward. Internal Energy buoyed his foot, and he glided ahead like someone skating across ice, swift and steady.

Ye Ning's toe swept past his ear, missing by an inch.

Ye An's finger had already touched Ye Ning's calf. It carried little force, but its placement was exact—on the line where the muscle was thinnest and the tendon most exposed.

Since the Qi-Nourishing Formula had reached Penetration, his Internal Energy could seep to the surface of his body.

Ye Ning's entire leg went numb, slowing him for half a beat.

It was a reaction to Internal Energy entering his meridians. It caused no injury, but it would briefly rob that leg of its agility.

Ye Ning was shaken. Without realizing it, he had gone all out.

He seemed to understand something and looked at Ye An in silence.

Ye An stood where he was, breathing evenly, as though nothing had happened.

His chest did not heave. There was no sweat on his brow, and even his fingers were steady.

Ye Ning had started at seventy percent strength.

By the end of his consecutive kicks, he had come close to using everything he had.

Yet Ye An's breathing had not faltered once. His footwork had not strayed a fraction, and his finger thrusts had not slowed for an instant.

He might not have overpowered Ye Ning, but he had certainly beaten him in rhythm.

Ye An had used the rhythm of his own breathing to disrupt Ye Ning's attacks.

Ye Ning lowered his guard, walked up to Ye An, and sighed. He understood that he could not talk his younger brother out of it.

"Zhao Heng's fist technique is vicious, and he cripples people when he strikes. Don't hold back against him. Be careful."

Ye Ning did not want to admit it, but he knew that if they kept fighting, his younger brother would not be the one to lose.

Ye An's way of fighting had already surpassed his own.

Every movement was spare, fluid, steady, and precise.

He wasted no strength, made no needless move, and placed every finger thrust exactly where it belonged.

Ye An felt the changes brought by the Qi-Nourishing Formula. It had improved him tremendously.

"I know." Ye An nodded like an obedient child.

He knew Ye Ning had first wanted to test him, then subdue him, and finally beat him. None of it had worked.

Ye Shouzhuo had remained silent on the stone stool.

He looked at his youngest son, then toward the doorway where his second son had disappeared. His lips moved, but in the end, he only sighed, rose with his ledger, and went inside.

Ye Ping came over and pressed a hand to Ye An's shoulder.

"I don't practice martial arts. If Second Brother couldn't persuade you, someone outside the martial path like me has even less right to try. I believe in you. You have your own reasons and your own plans. But I still want to say this: your second brother is right. Be careful, and don't hold back!" Ye Ping said earnestly.

Ye An stood alone in the courtyard.

He lowered his head and looked at his hand. Internal Energy flowed quietly through his meridians, unhurried as a river.

Ye An went over the fight with his second brother again. The Qi-Nourishing Formula had made his body move more smoothly.

Finger thrusts, movement, breathing, exertion—everything came more easily than before.

This was what it meant for the Qi-Nourishing Formula to reach Penetration!

He had no reason to lose this match.

Ye An returned to his room and read the information on Zhao Heng once more.

Strong attack, solid defense, slow speed.

A vicious fist technique; every strike aimed to ruin his opponent's foundation.

But Ye An would give him no chance at all!