Under the moonlight.
In the center of the small courtyard.
The exhilaration of breaking through to the Manifested Strength realm flowed through him like a warm current.
Yang Jing felt as if he had an endless supply of energy. The joy of stepping into a whole new realm was so overwhelming he couldn’t stop moving. ’This must be the most wonderful feeling in the world.’
He focused his mind and continued to practice the Mountain-Shattering Fist, over and over.
Under the moonlight, his silhouette moved like a tireless top. His fists were at tis as ferocious as a thunderclap, and at others, as solid as a mountain.
Manifested Strength projected from his body, creating faint white trails as it cut through the air. Each punch left a shallow crater in the snow-covered ground.
He reveled in the feeling of surging power. His movents grew increasingly fluid, and his control over Manifested Strength beca more adept without him even realizing it.
Yang Jing trained until the moon reached its zenith and the night was at its darkest. Only then did a dull ache spread through his limbs, and he felt that the Manifested Strength in his Dantian was almost depleted. He slowly brought his practice to a halt.
He stood in the courtyard, panting heavily. The white plus of his breath vanished quickly in the cold air.
In the moonlight, he looked down at his hands. The thick calluses, ford from years of training, seed even tougher now. A faint but pure wisp of energy coiled around his fingertips.
As he carefully assessed the changes within his body, Yang Jing’s heart filled with delight.
The quality of his Inner Strength was now completely different. It was refined like silk and circulated several tis faster than Hidden Strength.
His stamina had also increased dramatically. In the past, this kind of high-intensity training late into the night would have left him collapsed on the ground, unable to go on. Now, though he felt fatigued, he still had energy to spare.
Even his five senses had sharpened considerably. He could clearly hear the distant call of the Night Watchman beyond the courtyard walls, and even the faint rustling of a rat in the neighbor’s woodshed.
’It seems those daily half-hour sparring sessions with Master weren’t a waste of ti after all.’
Yang Jing mused to himself.
’During our past sparring sessions, Master always deliberately guided to sense the flow of Manifested Strength. Now that I’ve just broken through, my control over this new power already feels sowhat familiar. With another couple of days to get used to it, I’m sure I’ll be able to wield it with even greater ease.’
He let out a long breath and turned toward the door of the side room. Yang An was still standing there, staring blankly, his eyes wide.
Yang Jing couldn’t help but smile. He walked over and teased, "Brother An, you’ve been standing here watching for half the night. What’s so interesting?"
Yang An finally snapped out of it. He scratched his head, a good-natured smile spreading across his face. He pointed to the shattered stone table nearby, his voice full of astonishnt. "Brother Jing, sothing about you feels different tonight. That punch just now... you were a good ten feet away, and you still managed to knock the stone table over and split it in two. I’ve never seen you do anything like that before."
"I just happened to have a small breakthrough while I was practicing," Yang Jing said with a smile. He didn’t go into detail about Manifested Strength; his cousin hadn’t even reached the threshold of the Obvious Strength realm. His understanding of the Martial Dao was still shallow, so he probably wouldn’t get it even if Yang Jing explained.
"A breakthrough?" Yang An’s eyes lit up. He imdiately gave a thumbs-up, his voice filled with sincere delight. "Brother Jing, you’re incredible! It hasn’t even been that long, and you’re already stronger! No one in this city will dare to bully us now."
He was a simple, honest man and didn’t quite grasp just how powerful Yang Jing had beco. He only knew that his cousin was formidable—after all, wealthy families had already started visiting and bearing gifts. Now that his skills had improved even more, he was genuinely happy for Yang Jing, and his smile was radiant.
Watching his cousin, Yang Jing felt a warmth spread through his chest. He clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "It’s late, Brother An. You should get so rest."
"Okay, okay," Yang An agreed, nodding repeatedly. He couldn’t resist sneaking another peek at the shattered stone on the ground before happily heading back to the side room.
Yang Jing stood in the courtyard, gazing at the waning moon on the horizon with a smile on his lips.
He took a shallow breath and turned to look at Yang An’s back just as he was about to enter the side room. Suddenly rembering the sparring match in two days, he called out, "Brother An."
Yang An stopped and turned around, looking at him in confusion. "Brother Jing? Is sothing else up?"
"In two days, in the morning, our Martial Arts Hall is holding a sparring competition in the plaza at Celestial Blessing Square," Yang Jing said. "If you’re free, you should co and watch."
"A sparring competition?" Yang An’s eyes brightened. He nodded eagerly, his face full of anticipation. "Great, great! I’ll definitely be there! I’ll be in the crowd cheering you on, Brother Jing!"
He had always been interested in the Martial Dao—he wouldn’t have wanted to learn martial arts otherwise. The mont he heard Yang Jing had a match, his interest was instantly piqued.
"You get so rest too, Brother Jing!" Yang An called back cheerfully before pushing the door open and heading inside.
Yang Jing remained in the courtyard for a mont longer, bathed in the moonlight, which cast a faint, silvery sheen upon him.
After a mont of contemplation, he turned and headed back to the main house. He had originally been thinking that after breaking through to the Manifested Strength realm with the Mountain-Shattering Fist, he would also try to cultivate the *Indestructible True Skill* to the Obvious Strength realm, striving to raise his physical strength to the next level.
But now that he had stopped, the fatigue in his body beca all the more apparent.
He had not only broken through to the Manifested Strength realm with his Mountain-Shattering Fist but had also ridden that montum to train late into the night. The exertion had taken a huge toll on both his mind and body, and now, he could feel his eyelids growing heavy.
’Better not push it.’
Yang Jing shook his head. ’Overdoing it is as bad as falling short,’ he thought. ’Cultivating the Martial Dao isn’t sothing that can be accomplished overnight. Breaking through to the Manifested Strength realm today is already a massive achievent. I should rest up and recover my energy first.’
He washed up briefly, lay down on his bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
In his dreams, he was back on the training grounds, throwing punches. Manifested Strength projected from his body, and nothing could stand in its way.
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