Chapter 31: Fusion Rate 5 (Request Follows)

In the independent martial arts chamber

“Ding!”

“WeChat payment received: 50,000 Xia National Currency!”

Lin Qi looked at the WeChat notification showing the 50,000 Xia National Currency transferred by Yang Lei, feeling pleasantly satisfied.

“Yang Lei totally lost face this time, too ashamed to face us, so he just sent the money via WeChat,” Jiang Tao grinned beside him.

“But, Brother Qi, you’ve finally settled the score for Yang Lei’s earlier provocation.”

Lin Qi swiftly changed into his martial arts uniform and swallowed a blood-boosting capsule:

“If there’s a grudge, I will repay it—no exceptions.”

“Yang Lei is only ranked 49th in grade; defeating him isn’t worth boasting about. Let’s get back to training—there’s little time left before the monthly exam.”

“Got it, Brother Qi!” Jiang Tao immediately got moving.

“Huu~”

After speaking, Lin Qi stood in the corner, adjusted his breathing, and began practicing Tiger Form Fist.

His body stood firm as a rock, assuming the Three-Body Posture; an invisible aura radiated from him.

The power of Tiger Strike comes from the hips and tail. When the fist moves correctly, clear qi rises; when it moves wrongly, turbid qi won’t descend, blocking the Governor Vessel…

Since surpassing the Great Completion stage of Tiger Form Fist, Lin Qi could now feel the form flowing smoothly, his entire musculature vigorously activated by the movements.

Each technique had become instinctive—sometimes like a tiger descending the mountain, sometimes like an enraged tiger bursting from the forest, sometimes like a starving tiger seizing a lamb…

“Bang! Bang! Bang!!”

His body emitted sharp, crisp sounds.

Lin Qi felt his whole body burn with tingling heat; the blood-boosting capsule’s essence rapidly transformed into blood qi, rising from the lower dantian up his arms to his elbows, then driving to his fingertips, saturating the sinews.

Too hot!

Lin Qi kept punching, one round after another, his mastery of the form continuously improving.

His blood qi was fiercely forging his muscles.

His blood qi was surging upward rapidly.

【Training in progress: “Tiger Form Fist” proficiency greatly increased, Fist Skill +2%】

【Tiger Form Fist breakthrough: Your blood qi has surged, Blood Qi +0.1】

……

【Blood Qi: 6.9 → 7.0】

【Fist Skill: First Stage 98% → Second Stage 1%】

……

Jiang Tao watched Lin Qi’s figure and, in a daze, seemed to see Lin Qi transform into a mighty tiger.

From afar, the figure grew larger, its tiger eyes sharpening until it opened a bloodied maw and roared.

“Roar~”

Jiang Tao shook his head and looked again—nothing remained; the whole scene had been an illusion.

“Brother Qi, did you just break through to Second Stage in your fist skill?”

Jiang Tao asked in astonishment.

Lin Qi finished his stance, sweat pouring down his body like rain, steam rising from his skin; he nodded:

“I broke through!”

“Really? I only just broke through to Second Stage a while ago—your fist skill is nearly catching up to mine.”

Jiang Tao was stunned.

Lin Qi shook his head: “My fist skill is close, but my blood qi and weapon skills are still far behind.”

His blood qi had just reached 7.0, while Jiang Tao had already surpassed 8.0 in his last minor test.

Jiang Tao sighed: “Brother Qi, your progress lately is getting insane—I’m under serious pressure.”

“No good—I’ve got to train harder.”

With that, he threw himself fully into training.

Lin Qi clenched his fists—breaking through from First to Second Stage had changed his bodily control entirely.

First Stage is foundational; Second Stage is mastery, requiring full activation of large muscle groups.

He took down a training spear from the wall and began practicing spear techniques.

“Shhh~ Shhh~”

The spear in his hand whipped through the air, spinning and thrusting like lightning.

The spear pierced the air, tearing through it with a continuous whistling sound.

“Now that Tiger Form Fist has broken through to Second Stage, my bodily control has improved dramatically—practicing the ‘Mountain-Crushing Spear Art’ has become much easier.”

Lin Qi felt joy inside; as soon as he willed it, his muscles fired in seamless sequence, as if some barrier had vanished.

Like oil added to a machine, everything ran smoother.

“Shhh~ Shhh~”

The spear technique grew even more fluid, like flowing clouds and running water; his footwork also became more agile.

【Your bodily control has improved: “Mountain-Crushing Spear Art” proficiency greatly increased, Spear Skill +2%】

【Your bodily control has improved: Footwork proficiency greatly increased, Footwork +2%】

【Spear Skill: First Stage 82% → 84%】【Footwork: First Stage 73% → 75%】

……

Half an hour later, Lin Qi stopped, his gaze fixed on the panel, a faint smile on his lips.

“The teacher was right—the higher your fist skill stage, the stronger your control over your muscles, which aids weapon skill development.”

“But…”

His joy faded quickly as intense fatigue washed over him; Lin Qi sat down, grabbing a towel to wipe away sweat.

His arms were exhausted, muscles aching, fatigue clinging to every part of his body.

“Gulugulu~”

He grabbed a bottle of energy drink and drank it down in large gulps, emptying it in moments.

“Huu~”

!

Lin Qi breathed deeply, recovering his strength, lost in thought.

“Training time is still too short.”

Since entering senior year, Lin Qi felt more than ever that he never had enough time to train.

He wanted to train longer, but his body couldn’t endure it—once fatigued, efficiency plummeted.

Especially the muscle soreness, which never fully disappeared.

Wealthy families had recovery pods to relax the body, ease muscle tension, and even scheduled masseurs to unblock meridians.

People like him had no such luxury—only self-relaxation or fascia knives to soothe muscles.

He looked at the panel:

【Name: Lin Qi】

【Template: Erlang True Person · Yang Jian】

【Fusion Rate: 4.9%】

“So close—if fusion rate breaks 5%, during my body’s transformation of sinew, bone, skin, and flesh, I’ll also gain relaxation.”

Lin Qi always relied on increasing fusion rate to relieve bodily fatigue.

The only regret was that no ability like stomach enhancement had appeared—each fusion rate increase only raised his innate constitution and comprehension.

“I wonder if reaching 5% will bring some change?”

“If I had better stamina and recovery, my martial path would advance faster.”

As Lin Qi thought this, a flash of sharp light seemed to dart through his eyes.

……

At 11 PM,

Lin Qi returned home to silence.

He quietly slipped into his bedroom and slid a white wooden panel against the door from behind.

It was a soundproofing panel he’d bought, effective at blocking noise.

His mother Fang Huiyi suffered from neurasthenia and couldn’t tolerate loud sounds; he’d bought several for her room and kept one for himself.

They weren’t cheap—1,000 per panel—but he thought it worth it.

In the future, he’d cure his mother’s illness and move the whole family into a grand villa.

“Huu~”

He put down his backpack, stretched his tired body, and began standing in the stance, stepping into the footprints.

He adjusted his breathing and swiftly entered the state.

Head upright, eyes straight, breath calm and even, body aligned, shoulders relaxed, elbows horizontal, armpits hollow, elbows bent in a circle…

In moments, his body began trembling involuntarily; his spine straightened like a dragon’s backbone, blood qi rising from the vertebrae, flowing through major muscle groups.

His body warmed, waves of tingling surging across his entire frame.

“Inhale~”

“Huh~”

After an unknown length of time, the interface began to change.

【You have completed a grueling training session. Interface fusion rate +0.1%】

【Template: Yang Jian, the Second Son of Heaven】

【Fusion rate: 4.9% → 5.0%】

……

“It’s reached 5%!!”

Lin Qi suddenly opened his eyes and sprang to his feet from the ground.

The next instant, he felt a mysterious force surge into his body from an unknown source.

A new transformation has begun!

……

(End of Chapter)