Chapter 23: The Power of Self-Preservation

"Uncle Wang? He's over there." Li Yang and the others turned around one after another, pointing toward the slightly hunched, limping man not far away, and said in unison.

Wang Liang's expression was calm at this moment; he looked at Lu Yu and said, "You're here? You did well this time, but don't get arrogant. The Giant-Horned Rhino is merely a Low-level Fierce Beast. If you were to run into an Intermediate-level Fierce Beast, you would know that your bow couldn't hurt them in the slightest."

"Ah, this..." Li Yang and the others couldn't help but exchange glances upon hearing this.

They were all secretly complaining in their hearts: Uncle Wang really doesn't know how to talk, does he? Brother Yu is the undisputed hero of the Hunting Team this time, and everyone in the Zhai praises him; couldn't Wang Liang say something nice instead of throwing cold water like this?

Lu Yu, however, didn't mind at all and nodded with a smile: "Uncle Wang's lesson is correct. We actually ran into an Iron-Backed Black Bull while we were out this time."

"An Iron-Backed Black Bull!"

"My god!" Li Yang and the others were so scared their eyes widened.

Wang Liang's eyelids also twitched violently a few times.

"We bypassed it and didn't dare to disturb it," Lu Yu continued.

Hearing this, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Brother Yu, you scared me to death. That guy is not someone to be trifled with," Li Yang said, patting his chest with lingering fear.

"Yeah, I heard that people from a certain Zhai provoked a few Iron-Backed Black Bulls and were chased all the way back to their Zhai; the walls were even smashed open by the crazed bulls, and they only left after they had finished their rampage."

Lu Yu nodded, his gaze falling on Uncle Wang: "So, Uncle Wang, I want to learn some fist techniques from you that can increase my strength. If I run into an Iron-Backed Black Bull or other powerful Fierce Beasts again, I'll have a way to protect myself."

"In-, increase strength fist techniques?" Li Yang and the others were so surprised their mouths hung open, looking at Lu Yu and then at Uncle Wang.

What is going on? Everything was fine, why bring this up so suddenly?

A flash of surprise crossed the depths of Wang Liang's eyes, and he immediately asked, "You already know?"

"Yes," Lu Yu replied, "Uncle Liu and the others must have learned these, which is why they went from only being able to draw a sixty-pound bow at the start to being able to draw a hundred-pound bow later, right?"

Li Yang and the others were stunned, and Liu Kai's breathing became rapid; he vaguely felt that he had touched upon something incredible.

"That's right." Wang Liang nodded, his gaze sweeping over Li Yang and the others before landing on Lu Yu, "You still remember the Martial Artists I mentioned to you, right?"

"Of course I remember," Lu Yu nodded quickly.

"After the world changed, Awakened appeared among humans; their combat power can rival firearms, but ordinary people aren't just sitting ducks. Before the change, ordinary people could strengthen their Constitution through exercise. After the change, the limits of the human body were broken. Ordinary people can temper their flesh to make their tendons and bones robust and greatly increase their strength. This process is called Body Tempering."

"Body Tempering!"

"Body Tempering!"

Including Lu Yu, everyone couldn't help but exclaim.

For Li Yang and the others, this kind of talk was simply unheard of.

Lu Yu, however, had been mentally prepared; he thought of the Realm column in his system, which currently showed 'None'. If it were to display something, it should be the Body Tempering that Uncle Wang mentioned, right?

"That's right," Wang Liang said with a serious face, "Body Tempering is divided into the first to third layers based on muscle strength; it's also correct to divide it into early, middle, and late stages. Generally speaking, an ordinary person's muscle strength when throwing a punch will not exceed 50 kilograms, and most people in the Zhai are at this level.

If one can reach one hundred kilograms, one has reached the Body Tempering First Layer and can be called a Martial Artist. The Liu Jia Xiong Di who left are at this level; their pure strength can draw a two-hundred-pound bow, but they would be exhausted after drawing it once, so using a one-hundred-pound bow is just right. You might not know what this means."

He looked at Lu Yu and explained: "A bow with a draw weight of one hundred pounds can shoot through leather armor from 200 meters away; even high-quality chainmail can be penetrated. Even if you encounter an Iron-Backed Black Bull, you can shoot it dead."

Lu Yu gasped; he could only draw a sixty-pound bow right now, and he was still a long way from one hundred pounds.

"If you reach one hundred and fifty kilograms, that is the Body Tempering Second Layer. At the Body Tempering Third Layer, muscle strength can reach two hundred kilograms, approaching the human boxing champions from before the change. This kind of strength can draw a 200-pound Long Bow and shoot targets within four to five hundred meters."

Everyone gasped again.

"Uncle Wang," Lu Yu thought of the three-hundred-pound Long Bow in the Warehouse and couldn't help but ask, "Is Body Tempering just the beginning?"

"Ah?" Li Yang's mouth was so wide with surprise that it could fit several eggs.

Someone this powerful is only just beginning?

Wang Liang looked at Lu Yu approvingly: "Yes, after Body Tempering comes Flesh Refining. A Martial Artist who reaches this realm has muscles as hard as steel, possesses infinite strength, and a single punch has the force of a thousand catties. They can draw a five-hundred-pound war bow with one hand. In front of such a Martial Artist, an Iron-Backed Black Bull is a living target."

Everyone was shocked into gasping again.

"What about further up?" Lu Yu couldn't help but ask.

"Further up is In-Jin," Wang Liang seemed to fall into a memory and said slowly, "In-Jin is divided into Bright Jin, Dark Jin, and Transformation Jin. Before the change, I only heard that some people reached Bright Jin; a punch gathered with one's entire body's strength could make the air explode. As for Dark Jin, I heard some people could reach it, but most were fame-seeking charlatans, not to be trusted. Transformation Jin is something I hadn't even heard of."

"But now that the change has happened..." Lu Yu started to say, then stopped.

"Yes, now that the change has happened, in Yongan City, a hundred kilometers away from here, there are people who have reached Transformation Jin. Their strength is unfathomable, and even..."

"Even True Qi, which only appeared in martial arts novels, is said to have been cultivated by some."

"What! True Qi!"

"My god, is that for real?"

Several of them were stunned, and even more so, excited.

This Martial Artist's strength sounds too powerful, doesn't it?

Lu Yu couldn't help but recall what his father had said, and looking at Uncle Wang before him, he felt more and more that he might have come from Yongan City and was being hunted down because he offended someone.

Could it be that Uncle Wang is an In-Jin Martial Artist?

"Don't be happy too soon," Wang Liang snorted coldly, throwing a bucket of cold water on everyone, "So what if you are an In-Jin Martial Artist? You are not worth mentioning in front of an Awakened. Even if an ordinary person hits your head with a gun, you will definitely die. Even those who have cultivated True Qi might not be able to block a bullet."

"But, one can have the power to protect oneself in this world," Lu Yu said with a smile.

Wang Liang was startled and nodded: "That's right, even if it's just Body Tempering First Layer, it's much stronger than an ordinary person. So, are you sure you want to learn martial arts from me?"

Lu Yu was about to answer, but Wang Liang waved his hand: "Listen to me finish first."