Chapter 57: The True Legacy, Soft Power

Chapter 57: The True Legacy, Soft Power

"Could it be that the skills on this panel can still be enhanced?" Xueheng was astonished.

But after taking a look at the requirements, his eyebrows furrowed.

Reaching Skill Level 10 was relatively simple; Fitness had always been one of the easiest skills for him to level up. All he needed to do was continue his martial arts training, and it would eventually reach Level 10.

However, the requirement for 1,000 Divinity made him frown.

"Why does it need twice as much as what was required to activate a Divine Skill?" he muttered to himself.

Changing his train of thought, he reasoned, "But if enhancing the skill requires more Divinity, then doesn't that mean the enhanced skill will be even more powerful?"

With this new perspective, Xueheng felt much more relieved.

"Ah, I really don't have any spare resources left at home, and now with two children to feed... Are there any other ways to obtain Divinity besides Divine Relics?" he wondered.

As for the last condition, which was filled with question marks, Xueheng guessed that it probably had something to do with the Quivering Armor Technique.

It was either directly related to the technique itself or had something to do with his physical body during the cultivation of the Quivering Armor Technique.

In any case, he would continue to cultivate and eventually discover the answer.

He couldn't help but anticipate the effects of enhancing the Fitness skill.

[You practiced the Quivering Armor Technique. Fitness Experience +209]



[You practiced the Quivering Armor Technique. Force Control Experience +208]



Glancing at the skill experience gained, there weren't any surprises this time. It was normal for such a challenging technique like the Quivering Armor Technique to grant this much experience.

Moreover... Xueheng pinched the skin on his arm.

He felt that the benefits of cultivating the Quivering Armor Technique weren't fully reflected in the skill panel's rewards.

His skin seemed to have been awakened, possessing a strange vitality, and it felt more resilient to the touch, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.

This benefit seemed to be separate from the [Fitness] skill and was directly affecting his body.

He had felt something similar when cultivating the Dragon Subduing Technique, but not as prominently as with the Quivering Armor Technique.

"Turn on the nebulizer," Li Qi instructed from the side.

Xueheng followed his instructions and pressed the button on the nebulizer.

The next moment, the nebulizer started to hiss, and pale pink mist began to emerge from the oxygen mask.

"Use the breathing technique I just taught you to accompany the Quivering Armor Technique," Li Qi reminded him.

Xueheng recalled the sensation from when Li Qi had controlled his body earlier and began to activate the breathing technique, absorbing the medicinal mist.

The pale pink mist had a strong herbal scent, and it felt thick and difficult to inhale, but Xueheng gritted his teeth and endured the discomfort, continuously activating the breathing technique to draw it into his lungs.

He could feel the mist traveling down his windpipe, into his lungs, and then into the alveoli, where it entered his bloodstream. With the guidance of the breathing technique, the medicine permeated his blood and continuously transported its medicinal power to specific locations.

Soon, he began to feel as if his entire body was on fire, his skin turning a scorching red.

All the pores on his body started to open and close in rhythm, over and over again.

Half an hour later, the nebulizer stopped, and no more pink mist emerged. Xueheng slowly stopped activating the breathing technique.

"How do you feel?" Li Qi asked with a smile.

Xueheng stood up and stretched out his arms. He felt as if he had been drenched in a refreshing shower after sweating profusely in the summer heat. His skin felt invigorated.

"My skin... it's breathing," Xueheng murmured, his eyes half-closed.

"Excellent! You found the sensation on your first attempt. As long as you continue to seek out this feeling, you will eventually comprehend one of the Five Killing Strikes of the Dragon Concealment Style," Li Qi said approvingly.

"Its name is—Golden Scale Transformation."

"Golden Scale Transformation?" Xueheng repeated, stroking his ego, "It must be named by you, Master. It's a great name."

Li Qi sighed and humbly said, "As I always say, we martial artists shouldn't always speak the plain truth. We need to get used to exaggerating..."

"Alright, I've prepared a medicinal bath for you. It should be ready by now. Go and soak in it. Remember to activate the breathing technique while soaking to find that 'skin breathing' sensation. Only then can you absorb the medicinal power from the bath..."

"The Quivering Armor Technique inflicts severe damage to the body. Each cultivation session requires a full set of secret medicinal supplements. Otherwise, you'll end up killing yourself in a few days..."

...

Over the next few days, Li Qi taught Xueheng the remaining four sets of movements of the Quivering Armor Technique, each corresponding to flesh, tendons, bones, and blood.

Each set was more challenging than the last, and each required different secret medicines, medicinal baths, and even acupuncture treatments, leaving Xueheng's body covered in needles like a porcupine.

Xueheng couldn't help but marvel at the truth behind martial arts training. The idea of obtaining a manual and immediately beginning to cultivate, as often depicted in novels, was indeed unrealistic.

The manual was just one aspect, and perhaps even an insignificant one at that. The true essence lay in the complementary secret medicines and their specific methods of application, which formed the core legacy of any martial arts sect.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight days had passed.

At the Zulong Dojo, in the training hall...

"Ha!" "Bang!"

In front of the force-measuring machine in the training hall, several ordinary disciples in training uniforms stood in line, taking turns stepping forward to punch the soft pad of the machine, causing a series of numbers to appear on the small screen.

"Wen Zhaorong, 201.3 kg of punch force..."

Xueheng, dressed in a black training uniform, stood upright next to the force-measuring machine, his sturdy posture resembling a resilient pine tree firmly rooted in the ground, exuding an unshakeable sense of stability.

He held a stack of notebooks in one hand and a pen in the other, recording the disciples' punch force test results.

Today was the Zulong Dojo's monthly assessment day, used to evaluate the progress of the disciples' martial arts training.

Xueheng, being a personally taught disciple, was recruited by Li Qi to help record the disciples' assessment results.

On the soft chairs in the resting area sat a few female disciples who had already completed their tests. They glanced at Xueheng while giggling and whispering among themselves.

"Junior Brother!" Another young disciple approached the force-measuring machine, bowed and saluted Xueheng, and only began his routine after receiving a nod from Xueheng.

"Bang!"

Xueheng glanced at the screen and wrote in the notebook, "Yi Yingyu, 212.2 kg..."

Yi Yingyu seemed pleasantly surprised by his result and bowed and saluted Xueheng again before happily moving on to the next test.

"Junior Brother, why don't you give it a try and show us the prowess of a personally taught disciple?"

A rather attractive female disciple spoke up, teasingly.

Her words sparked a chorus of agreement.

"Yeah, yeah! Junior Brother, why don't you give it a shot? We're all very curious."

"Junior Brother, I wasn't present for your previous displays of skill. I'm really missing out! Show us what you've got today~"

"Junior Brother just joined recently, so even if he is a genius, his punch force might not be that strong yet. Let's not pressure him."

Some even tried to goad him.

Xueheng smiled and gently replied, "No need, there's nothing much to test, and I probably won't get any meaningful results."

However, his refusal only made the disciples more insistent.

"Hey, why not? Let us witness your might. It's not like we're asking for a pound of flesh."

"Junior Brother, you're afraid of losing face, aren't you? Don't worry, you just joined recently. We won't laugh at you."

"Whoever dares to mock Junior Brother, I'll be the first to teach them a lesson. Come on, give it a try..."

The disciples were extremely curious about Xueheng, the youngest among the personally taught disciples, and they jumped at the chance to interact with him and create some excitement.

At that moment, Chen Fuguang walked in through the training hall's entrance and waved at them without saying a word. Only Xueheng noticed him.

Xueheng looked at the persistent disciples and smiled, "Alright, I'll give it a casual try then."

The crowd immediately burst into applause.

"Great! Let's see Junior Brother's prowess!"

"Now that's what a personally taught disciple should be like! Even if you're not strong yet, having the confidence to step up is what matters."

"Everyone, make way! Watch Junior Brother's performance!"

The disciples laughed and chatted excitedly.

They meant no harm; they simply wanted to get closer to Xueheng and join in on the fun.

The disciples stepped aside, making way for Xueheng.

He walked up to the force-measuring machine and, without assuming any particular stance, casually threw a reverse punch at the soft pad, as if tossing a bottle into a trash can.

"Pff!"

A dull thud echoed, but the screen remained unchanged.

"Hmm?" The disciples furrowed their brows in confusion.

After delivering the punch, Xueheng turned and began walking towards the training hall's entrance.

Just as the disciples were puzzled, the soft pad on the force-measuring machine suddenly tore open with a sharp crackling sound.

Soon, it seemed to trigger a chain reaction, and the pad continued to split open, the internal foam crumbling like dry leaves and falling to the ground, leaving only a bare metal pipe where the pad had been.

Witnessing this, everyone stared as if they had seen a ghost, their faces filled with disbelief.

"This... is this soft force?!"

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end