Unified Strength

Spoiled and willful.

The airs of a wealthy young miss.

Yet Widow Yu could only force a smile and humor her, because Zhang Shu was staying here, and Hunter Fang from the village had promised to provide their family with food every day.

Such a good thing was something their family had to accept.

As long as Anu could eat her fill, what did a little humiliation matter?

"Honestly, this place is like a doghouse. How can anyone live here?"

Zhang Shu wore a look of utter disgust. Before coming, she had never imagined that the conditions in Daliushu Village would be this bad.

If she had known earlier, she would never have come no matter what.

Of course, perhaps her father had forced her to come in the first place.

"Miss Zhang, please wait a moment. I'll clean it up right away." Widow Yu forced another smile.

Then she was about to go inside to tidy up, but Zhang Shu looked thoroughly repulsed.

"Forget it. I'm hungry now. Go make dinner first."

Carrying the tiger meat, Fang Yue soon arrived at Widow Yu's doorstep.

The moment he looked up, he saw her daughter Anu standing in the yard, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Anu, why are your eyes so red? Did sand get in them?" Fang Yue asked, stroking the girl's head.

"The sister who came today said Anu's home is a doghouse. But Anu's home isn't a doghouse." Anu raised her head and looked at Fang Yue hopefully.

"Heh, of course Anu's home isn't a doghouse."

Fang Yue smiled faintly, then handed the tiger meat to the girl. "Give this to your mother. Big Brother won't go in."

A widow's doorstep was a place to avoid. He had only come openly to deliver food because Zhang Shu was staying here now, but even so, it was better not to enter if he could help it.

"Oh? Isn't this Junior Brother Fang, the little pauper? What are you here for? To laugh at me?" Zhang Shu said in a strange, mocking tone.

She had heard the conversation outside and only then walked out of the room.

The moment she saw Fang Yue's smile, she instinctively felt that this fellow was laughing at her.

"Senior Sister Zhang is overthinking it."

Fang Yue had not wanted to bother with this spoiled girl, but he had not expected Zhang Shu to come out.

"I heard Senior Sister Zhang isn't used to living here?"

"Senior Sister Zhang is a martial artist. Only by enduring the bitterest hardships can one rise above others. We martial artists do not fuss over trifles. If you cannot even endure this, how can you speak of accomplishing anything in martial cultivation?"

After saying that, Fang Yue turned and left at once.

"You, stop right there!" Zhang Shu stamped her foot when she saw Fang Yue leaving.

But Fang Yue ignored her completely.

Instead, he quickened his pace and soon disappeared into the distance.

Damn it! How dare he look down on me? It's infuriating! I'll definitely teach him a proper lesson.

Zhang Shu thought angrily, but she did not mention Widow Yu's poor living conditions again.

After all, she could not let that little pauper look down on her.

Although there was now one more person training at Fang Hu's home every day, life remained much the same as before.

Unfortunately, Zhang Shu had no chance to "teach Fang Yue a lesson," because he had only been practicing martial arts for less than a month and had not even learned any fist or kicking techniques. Naturally, there was no way for them to spar.

Time passed swiftly amid fulfilling cultivation. In the blink of an eye, another ten days had gone by.

Willow Tree's leaves had begun to yellow, and dry leaves were blown down by the cold wind.

That day, Fang Yue continued practicing his stance.

Over the past few days, he had felt his stance growing ever more refined. Under the stance and its unique rhythm of breathing, the strength throughout his body increased every day.

Time flies, Heaven rewards diligence, aptitude +1

As the words flashed before his eyes, Fang Yue felt that familiar warm current emerge.

But today was different from before. As that warm current flowed through him, the blood and qi throughout his body surged violently at that instant.

The strength in his entire body seemed to merge into one. With the slightest exertion, his bones crackled in waves like the roar of tigers and leopards.

"Good! The strength throughout your body has merged as one, and your bones crack like tigers and leopards. Unified Strength is complete!"

"From getting started to reaching this point in only half a month—not bad, truly not bad."

Fang Hu, who had been drinking tea in the courtyard, looked at Fang Yue with his tiger-like eyes and could not help praising him.

Worthy of superior aptitude. He had entered the gate after only a few days of stance practice.

And now, in merely half a month, he had cultivated Unified Strength, joining the force of his entire body into one. He could already begin practicing the White Tiger Fist.

He just did not know how great the boy's strength was now.

It should be eight hundred jin, right?

"Brother Zhi is amazing, truly amazing!" Fang Ergou grinned foolishly, but no matter how many times he spoke, all he could say was that Fang Yue was amazing.

"Hmph, what's so impressive about that? He was only a few days faster than me. What's he showing off for? Who knows whether it's even real?"

Zhang Shu curled her lips and muttered softly. With Fang Hu here, she did not dare reveal it openly.

Zhang Shu was somewhat jealous of Fang Yue's performance today. After all, it had taken her twenty days to cultivate Unified Strength.

At that moment, however, Fang Yue was immersed in the changes in his body.

"Whew, my strength seems to have changed."

Fang Yue exerted himself slightly and felt that the strength throughout his body had become far more obedient. Without deliberately concentrating, he could merge all of his strength into one and unleash even greater force.

So this was Unified Strength?

Entering the gate of stance practice counted as setting foot on the path of martial cultivation.

Cultivating Unified Strength meant that one had thoroughly mastered stance practice and could begin training in fist techniques.

Having understood this, Fang Yue could not help feeling delighted.

"Master, does this mean I've completely mastered stance practice?"

"Mhm, not bad."

Fang Hu nodded, then pointed at the Stone Lock beside them. "Go try that one and see how much strength you have."

"Yes."

Fang Yue immediately walked over to the Stone Lock Fang Hu had pointed at. It was an eight-hundred-jin Stone Lock.

It was a somewhat blackened stone called Iron Stone.

It was only half the size of a Big Blue Stone of the same weight, so although it was merely the size of a water bucket and even smaller than the six-hundred-jin Big Blue Stone Stone Lock beside it, it weighed two hundred jin more!

Fang Yue stood before the Stone Lock, took a deep breath, gripped both sides, and suddenly exerted force.

He easily lifted the black Stone Lock.

Hm?

That was easy. Yue'er's strength was more than eight hundred jin!

Seeing this, Fang Hu froze slightly before coming back to his senses.

He rose to his feet and walked over to Fang Yue.

"Try the one to the east as well. Be careful—don't hurt yourself."

Fang Yue set down the Stone Lock in his hands and walked to the side. This Stone Lock was clearly a size larger, and it was still made of Iron Stone.

Judging from the writing on it, it was a thousand-jin Stone Lock.

Fang Yue took another slight breath, grasped the Stone Lock with both hands, and exerted force.

Up!

It was clear that Fang Yue's body trembled somewhat this time, but he still managed to lift it in the end.

"Just after cultivating Unified Strength, and he already has the strength of a thousand jin. He truly possesses inborn divine strength!"

Fang Hu could not help praising him at the sight.

After all, when that genius from Xiahe County had cultivated Unified Strength back then, he had only been at this level.

Though the other had taken five days less than Fang Yue.