Rapid Growth

"Did I really have to practice martial arts?"

In the dead of night, the lamp in the main room was still lit. Zhang's Mother sat by the table, carefully applying ointment to Zhang Yuan.

Looking at her son's bruised, split palms, her eyes reddened.

Ever since this period began, not a single day had passed when Zhang Yuan came home with both palms uninjured.

Zhang's Mother knew that learning martial arts required hardship.

But seeing things this severe still made her heart ache for him.

What was more, after Zhang Yuan returned home, he never properly rested or tended to his wounds. Instead, he continued cultivating with such devotion that he forgot food and sleep.

It would not have been an exaggeration to say he was obsessed with martial arts as though his life depended on it!

"Mother, they're only superficial wounds."

Zhang Yuan smiled. "Once I put on the ointment, I'll be fine."

He was now practicing the force of the Surging Wave Palm every day.

The number of shattered clay basins was dwindling, while his control over his force grew ever more skillful and effortless.

He was already not far from the minor accomplishment realm of One Palm Empties the Basin!

The price of Rapid Growth, however, was that both his palms suffered relentless abuse every day.

Fortunately, the Raging Whale Gang provided high-grade healing ointment free of charge. Otherwise, he really might have ruined his hands through practice.

Pain was pain.

But the feeling of improving every single day made Zhang Yuan unable to stop.

He was deeply addicted to it!

Zhang's Mother also knew that her son had a mind of his own.

So she merely complained once, then said softly after finishing the ointment, "Go to sleep early."

"Mm."

Zhang Yuan nodded.

He could have applied the ointment himself. He had only let his mother do it to put her mind at ease.

Woof! Woof! Woof!

Just then, Da Hu suddenly started barking in the courtyard outside.

Zhang Yuan's expression changed at once. Without a moment's hesitation, he sprang from the room.

He saw Da Hu barking furiously at the courtyard gate.

Zhang Yuan could hear the powerful warning in its bark, so he reached out and stroked the dog's head.

Signaling the loyal watchdog to stop barking.

Da Hu obediently shut its mouth at once.

Zhang Yuan stepped forward and opened the courtyard gate, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the alley.

The moon was dark and the wind was high; the narrow alley lay deep in shadow. A furtive figure was fleeing rapidly toward the alley entrance.

It vanished in the blink of an eye!

Zhang Yuan did not give chase.

After closing the gate again, he frowned, a faint sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

Ever since moving into the County Town, aside from a few loafers and street thugs coming to stir up trouble that day, he had encountered no other problems.

He had not expected someone to come testing the door in the dead of night today.

Zhang Yuan could not tell whether the other party was a hardened criminal specifically targeting his home, or merely a petty thief passing by.

But the environment in the County Town was clearly not as safe as he had imagined.

Zhang Yuan knew this was related to the location of his residence.

Fishmonger Alley was considered a fairly decent place among the streets and alleys where common folk lived.

But it could not compare at all with the districts where wealthy families resided, patrolled day and night by yamen runners and soldiers.

"Yuan'er, is everything all right?"

Zhang's Mother asked worriedly from inside the room, "Who was that so late at night?"

"It's fine. There was no one."

Zhang Yuan answered with a smile, "There was a wild cat outside. Da Hu just scared it away."

Only then did Zhang's Mother relax. "As long as you're all right."

But Zhang Yuan felt an added trace of vigilance in his heart.

Returning to his room, he opened the Divine Nest Panel.

Host: Zhang Yuan

Realm: First Order (Visible Force)

Divine Nest: Level 1 (67%)

Host: Level 2 Black Giant Ant (18%) / 4x Strength

Host: Level 2 Jade Mantis (5%) / Intermediate Blade Technique Proficiency

Host: Level 2 Golden Grasshopper (3%) / 4x Agility

Vitality: 120/125

Source Essence: 0

Earlier, Zhang Yuan had allocated all the Source Essence he obtained to the Divine Nest itself and the Third Host, the Golden Grasshopper.

The latter had completed its advancement three days ago and could now grant him the extraordinary ability of fourfold agility!

But the Divine Nest's evolution progress had stalled at 67%.

It could not rise even a fraction further.

This meant Zhang Yuan needed to hunt again and obtain new Source Essence to meet the Divine Nest's evolutionary needs.

And he would need quite a lot of it!

But Thousand Peak Mountain had now become a forbidden zone. Where was he supposed to hunt wild beasts?

Zhang Yuan had some ideas.

But the actual implementation would have to proceed slowly. He could not rush things.

The next morning, Zhang Yuan once again arrived at the Martial Arts Field in Whale Fortress.

As before, he did not join the senior and junior brothers gathered in little groups. Instead, he set out a clay basin by himself and began the day's practice.

When the other youths saw Zhang Yuan, none of them greeted him. Every one of them averted their eyes.

As if he did not exist at all!

Among this batch of new disciples, Zhang Yuan was an exceptionally unusual presence.

He had no friends, not even anyone he could truly talk to.

Many people were quite disgusted with Zhang Yuan. They thought he had a bad personality and was always finding excuses to hover around Dong Yuanwei, using requests for instruction as a pretext to curry favor with the Battle Hall Instructor.

In truth, Zhang Yuan had been completely wronged.

Before joining the Raging Whale Gang, all Zhang Yuan knew about martial arts came from the "Boulder Foundation Skill."

The problem was that this manual contained very little basic martial knowledge.

Now that there was a conscientious martial arts master serving as an instructor and guiding him, how could Zhang Yuan, who was single-mindedly striving to become stronger, possibly fail to seize such an opportunity to learn?

Dong Yuanwei greatly appreciated Zhang Yuan's eagerness to learn and answered every question, holding nothing back.

This helped Zhang Yuan immensely.

Yet it was precisely this harmony between master and disciple that displeased the other disciples, and slander continued in secret.

Of course, Zhang Yuan could sense the rejection from his fellow disciples.

But he did not care in the slightest.

Zhang Yuan had come to learn martial arts, not to cultivate connections and build relationships!

Nothing was more important than strength.

Smack!

He struck the clay basin with one palm.

In the next instant, countless droplets were stirred up by the suddenly erupting force, spraying outward in all directions.

The clear water in the basin was emptied in an instant!

Zhang Yuan slowly withdrew his palm.

The clay basin was now empty, with only a dozen or so lingering drops clinging to its inner walls.

This was Zhang Yuan's first strike of the day.

But its effect surpassed countless previous attempts.

A flash of insight suddenly crossed his mind, as though he had caught hold of something.

Understanding dawned on him at once!

"Very good."

At that moment, a voice reached Zhang Yuan's ears. "You can be said to have truly entered the gate of the Surging Wave Palm force."

Zhang Yuan came back to himself and quickly bowed. "Instructor."

Dong Yuanwei had appeared beside Zhang Yuan at some point. His gaze was filled with approval. "Among all the disciples I've taught, your comprehension can rank in the top three!"

Zhang Yuan answered modestly, "It is because Master teaches well."

"I wouldn't dare claim that credit."

Dong Yuanwei laughed heartily and gave Zhang Yuan's shoulder a firm pat. "Good lad, you don't need to practice any more today. Come with me to the Wooden Dummy Room. I'll guide you personally!"

As a martial arts instructor, the disciples he liked best were precisely those like Zhang Yuan—resilient and perceptive.

This scene was witnessed by the other disciples.

Quite a few of them turned red-eyed with envy.

They had all heard Dong Yuanwei's words clearly.

Who would have thought that the person they disliked, isolated, and rejected would be the first to comprehend the force of the Surging Wave Palm!