Chapter 31: Datafication, Cultivating Dragon Tendons

The afternoon training room's ceiling fan spun weakly overhead, making its creaky old racket.

Qin Shi pushed open the door and strode in, silent, stopping seven or eight meters from Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng. He planted his feet hard on the floor, his body like a hard bow charged with force.

Suddenly a fierce wind rose, and a figure shot out like an arrow!

As his waist and abdominal muscles contracted violently, his foot arch and front shin exerted force together, and Qin Shi lashed out with his leg.

"Brother Yuan, sorry!"

Wham!

This spinning kick was fierce and fast, like a whip tracing a sharp arc, striking straight at his opponent!

With no space or room to react, Li Yuan's head was hit as if by a heavy hammer, tilting to one side!

His sturdy body of over a hundred jin was sent flying sideways, slamming into the wall behind like a human sandbag!

Bang!

Large chunks of white wall plaster were shaken loose!

With one kick Qin Shi easily took out Brother Yuan, as if he had eyes in the back of his head; he twisted and raised his hand, his arms bracing against his neck, just blocking Xie Yucheng's fierce swinging punch.

His knees bent slightly, shoulders dropping, dissipating some of the force, his lower body still planted firmly.

Immediately, his whole body like a compressed spring, he hard crashed into Xie Yucheng, who was trying to pursue and attack relentlessly.

The overwhelming force shattered Xie Yucheng's offense, making his center of gravity waver, his center gate wide open, exposing an opening.

Swish!

Qin Shi stepped forward, as if flashing and leaping, like a dagger thrust straight into the heart.

In almost an instant, that slender hand well suited to playing the piano pressed onto Xie Yucheng's face.

Five fingers curled inward, suddenly tightening!

A lift, a pull, as if uprooting a white radish planted in the ground.

The tendons on his arms stood out and trembled, popping and cracking, making the terrifying sound of a tough bowstring being drawn.

That constantly growing heat flow instantly became scalding, blood as if boiling, stimulating skin and flesh, prying open the fascia, suddenly pumping out powerful force!

Thud!

Xie Yucheng's feet left the ground, his whole skeleton going slack, like a little chick being lifted into midair.

The next moment, the back of his head sank heavily into the soft padding, dull as a sandbag falling from a ten-plus-story building.

His eyes widened in fury, bloodshot filling his pupils.

Ears, nostrils, mouth, quietly oozing crimson.

In an instant, no more sound!

"One against two, still quickly ending the fight! Progress is too rapid, I feel my Qi Life Force becoming richer and richer, simply filling every cell!"

From entering the door to making a move, altogether no more than fifteen seconds.

In the training room, apart from Qin Shi, no one else could stand.

Fighting, awesome!

He had a refreshing feeling after intense exercise, as if drinking an iced drink in the heat of summer, every pore relaxing.

"Brother Yuan, Cheng Ge, truly no personal grudge mixed in, purely just practicing my hand."

Qin Shi hehe smiled, following Lao Liang's class tutoring; Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng, whose training time far exceeded his, facing his beginner fighting style, now found it hard to last even half a minute.

Strength, speed, explosive power, even reaction—almost an all-around crushing.

"As the saying goes, a small opening doesn't count as an opening; I have such an exaggerated rate of progress, all thanks to my own diligence!"

"Next, I need stronger opponents! If I get a chance to spar with Lao Liang, and then use Combat Retrospection to gain experience."

"With my current physical quality, I shouldn't be smashed to pieces by one punch... right?"

Qin Shi waved his hand, his thoughts flickering.

The Mental Space was like a dorm with the lights out, instantly plunging into darkness.

……

……

【Intermediate Achievement - Deep Sleep (4/30)】

"So refreshing!"

The moment of waking up every morning made Qin Shi extremely satisfied.

No matter how tired and exhausted he was that day, as long as he could lie down and fall asleep, when he opened his eyes again and woke up, his energy bar would be completely refilled.

"This feeling of going out to develop, then returning to the city to replenish condition, is really good."

Qin Shi sat up spiritedly, put on his clothes, washing up while receiving the information flow given by the Stele Panel.

【Anchor Point: Qin Shi】

【Growth Stage: Embryo】

【Progress: 0.009%】

【Monument Count: Deep Sleep (Intermediate), Muscle Memory (Intermediate), Overgrowth (Beginner)】

【Skill: Combat Retrospection, Inner Vision】

"The Ten Point Threshold is truly difficult."

Qin Shi spat out the mouthwash, roughly wiping his face with a towel.

For now, 【Deep Sleep】 was steadily progressing.

【Muscle Memory】, upgraded to Intermediate Achievement, had its completion conditions correspondingly raised, temporarily stagnating.

And 【Overgrowth】's required "eating" and "foraging" were completely without a clue.

Synthetic Meals, Nutrient Paste, including the protein and carbohydrates consumed in daily life, seemed unable to meet the requirement.

"Can't have me go inject Energy Liquid, pop Supplements, right? A few days ago when I saw Zhou Ning, he was saying Coach Luo at Yinma Gym seems to be pushing some Nine Dragons Fusion Package to Trainees..."

Qin Shi's gaze swept across the semi-transparent Black Frame, his thinking diverging.

"The effect after 【Muscle Memory】 upgraded is very useful, the feedback is very sufficient."

He returned to the Bedroom, standing before the full-length mirror.

Staring at himself seriously, only to see rows of subtle data lighting up one after another.

Old Martial Arts Training Method Level 1 (19/20)

Old Martial Arts Fighting Method Level 1 (17/20)

Physique 9.6→9.7

Spirit 9.8→9.9

"If the Physique and Spirit values, as I guessed, are a composite of Qi Life Force. Then I'm already very, very close to the Ten Point Threshold of Entry Stage."

This ability to completely data-ize everything learned and mastered, as well as one's own Mortal Body, likewise comes from the Achievement unlocked by the Stela.

【Intermediate Achievement - Muscle Memory (2%)】

【Muscle Memory: Strength needs to be watered by sweat. As long as training doesn't kill you, train to the death, will will bring you out of the encirclement!】

【Trait: Every single one of your ability improvements will give precise feedback in data form.】

【Advancement Route: Higher Intensity training, more self-disciplined life, richer Nutrition, persist in all three without cease, sculpt the perfect Mortal Body, can upgrade again.】

"The road forward never ends. And the harvest I can obtain, the strength I can improve, are likewise so!"

Qin Shi smiled, the neighbor boy in the mirror whose frail temperament was fading more and more likewise smiling brilliantly.

"The Universe is this vast, one should go take a look."

……

……

"Your Qi Life Force has been completely activated."

The empty Training Chamber, Lao Liang looked at his Disciple with satisfaction.

"Be it Old Martial Arts or New Martial Arts, the ways of developing Qi Life Force don't differ much. All are through squeezing physical strength, forcing the spirit, excavating the Mortal Body's potential, ultimately making your Mortal Body shed Mediocrity, transform upward.

Like a pile of firewood, once it burns, it will only grow more and more Vigorous."

Qin Shi raised a mood-killing question:

"Then what when it burns dry, burns out?"

Lao Liang gave this kid a sideways glance, so many words.

"Of course you add more firewood. Only burning fire without adding wood, how long can it last? You think the Seven Great Limits of the Flesh come from nowhere?

They're all paths figured out by generations of Martial Artists burning their bones and blood dry, burning their flesh and skin to ash, still unwilling, still refusing to accept fate."

Speaking here, Lao Liang's expression turned solemn a few degrees, then he added:

"Many people call starting Old Martial Arts training 'Burning Fire', this is the principle.

Kid, you win in being young enough, fire Qi Vigorous, firepower sufficient, as long as you put in more effort, it's very easy to surge your Qi Life Force up.

We call this the 'Newcomer Welfare Period'."

Similar to anglers who just fell into the pit, often inexplicably explode with catches?

Qin Shi rubbed his hands, eyes expectant:

"Master Liang, detail 'put in more effort'. You wouldn't be hiding some Secret Medicine for the human body, just waiting to supplement your Disciple me, would you?"

Lao Liang automatically ignored his Disciple's impropriety; if he had any deep Foundation, he wouldn't have even failed to hold onto the two words "Hong Sheng".

"This is the last of the Daigo from Lao Gu's place. Originally two bottles would've been plenty no matter what, but you brat have a Physique that's oddly durable to train, a rare hard bone, silently enduring the suffering of Burning Tendons.

I figured, need to add more fire, burn the Large Tendons inside the body, break through this One Limit Great Barrier."

Qin Shi lowered his head, looking at the glass bottle wrapped in silk cloth, mouth opening and closing:

"Master Liang, this thing isn't cheap..."

He remembered the bathrobe man selling Spirit Oil quoted four thousand a bottle.

Lao Liang's dead wages, all told, just three thousand and a bit.

"Master and Disciple once, what money to talk. If you were a Tutoring Class student, not a penny less, but since you call me Master once, and study Hong Sheng Inheritance, the things pursued afterward are different."

Lao Liang waved his hand, touching that Lame Leg and sighing:

"Being a Master is about the same as being parents, nothing but hoping for a Disciple to become useful.

I'm useless, mixed up like this, sorry to my own Master, kid you'll definitely be stronger than me.

Come, burn out Twelve Tendons, then you can raise a Dragon in the Mortal Body!"

(Chapter End)