sbdcsierra Chapter 4 Breaking the World's Limits!
Chapter 4 Breaking the World's Limits!
For the next three days, Lin Fan was like a machine wound up tightly, spending every spare moment he could on the Returning Mountain Fist.
I get up at five in the morning and practice for an hour.
During lunch break, while others ate and chatted in the cafeteria, he went to the empty space behind the training hall and practiced for forty minutes.
After evening self-study, he went home and practiced at his usual spot in the neighborhood until midnight.
Zhou Lan had gotten used to her son coming home soaking wet in the middle of the night. She'd scolded him, even pinched his ear, but Lin Fan would do the same thing the next day, so she gave up.
I just kept a few extra bottles of milk in the refrigerator.
Three days.
Thirty-six hours of intensive training.
The first level of the Returning Mountain Fist has the most significant changes.
The distance between proficiency and subtlety may seem like just a step, but anyone who has practiced martial arts knows how difficult it is to cross that threshold.
The level of proficiency is when you can perform the boxing technique smoothly, become familiar with it, and develop muscle memory for it, so that every movement can be performed in a standard and fluid manner.
The realm of subtle perception is when you can clearly sense every detail of the flow of qi and blood in your meridians with every punch you throw—
Where to accelerate, where to build up power, where to unleash power—precise to the inch and the minute.
This requires an almost abnormal level of control over one's own Qi and blood.
In the entire senior year of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School, there are no more than five students who can master a Yellow-level high-grade martial art to the level of subtlety.
Lin Fan mastered the first level of the Returning Mountain Fist to a very high level in just three days.
The second level, his fist technique was as solid as a mountain, and he had mastered it to a high level.
With a single punch, the power of blood and energy is integrated into the force of the punch; even before the fist arrives, the oppressive feeling has already swept over the opponent.
He tried punching under the old locust tree in the neighborhood. When his fist was still a foot away from the trunk, the leaves started to fall down.
The third level, the Nine-Fold Back Mountain, is the entrance.
Although it's just the beginning, and the nine layers of force I can unleash are still stumbling and faltering, sometimes the force breaks down at the sixth layer, and sometimes the ninth layer can't even be stacked up before it dissipates.
But he did indeed reach the threshold of the third level.
It's worth noting that Zhang Heng mentioned in class that the third level of the Returning Mountain Fist is something that only those at the peak of the Body Refinement Realm or even the Qi Condensation Realm can access.
Lin Fan, with his early-stage Body Refinement Realm cultivation, mastered the third level in just three days.
No one would believe it if I told them.
But the facts speak for themselves.
Lin Fan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his right hand unconsciously clenching into a fist, feeling the blood and energy within his body that was many times more powerful than it had been three days ago.
He had never longed for dawn as much as he did now.
……
On the morning of the fourth day, at 4:30.
When Lin Fan opened his eyes, the sky outside the window was still pitch black.
He got out of bed and went about his routine with practiced ease: washing up, getting dressed, and going out.
This time, Zhou Lan didn't even wake up.
The early morning air in late autumn was a bit chilly, and Lin Fan's breath turned into white mist under the streetlights.
He jogged through the empty streets, climbed over the school wall, and headed straight for the martial arts training hall.
The door to the force testing room was unlocked.
This strength testing room was originally set up to facilitate students' testing at any time. It is open 24 hours a day, but usually not many people come here at 4 a.m.
Lin Fan pushed open the door and went in, standing in front of the force measuring instrument.
He first moved his wrists and shoulders to warm up his body.
Then lower your waist and sit on your hips.
A normal punch.
It didn't use any martial arts techniques; it was just a pure burst of power.
boom!
The load-bearing plate vibrates.
The numbers on the display jumped a few times and then stopped.
450 pounds.
Lin Fan's eyelids twitched.
Three days ago, when he took the test, a normal punch weighed 330 jin (115 catties).
I gained 120 pounds in three days.
On average, 40 jin (20 catties) per day.
If word got out about this speed, all the martial arts teachers at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School would probably go crazy.
But Lin Fan simply took a deep breath, memorized the number, and then resumed his starting stance.
The first level of the Returning Mountain Fist.
The realm of subtlety.
His right fist clenched, and the blood and qi in his body seemed to be soldiers who had heard the command, starting from the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of his foot, going up along the spine, past the shoulder blade, to the arm, and reaching the fist.
He could clearly perceive the speed, flow rate, and direction of the Qi and blood in every meridian.
Precision down to the millimeter.
Then--
He threw a punch.
boom!
600 pounds.
Lin Fan's breath hitched slightly.
600 pounds.
Three days ago, his strongest strike using the first level of the Returning Mountain Fist was 370 jin (approximately 185 catties).
It has gained 230 jin (115 catties).
"Again."
He didn't stop; he continued throwing punches.
The second punch.
602 pounds.
The third punch.
610 pounds.
The fourth punch, the fifth punch, the sixth punch.
The number fluctuated around 610, reaching a maximum of 615 jin.
Lin Fan withdrew his fist, sweat dripping down his chin.
Over 600 jin (300 catties).
His original requirement was only 500 jin (250 catties). As long as he could get over 500 jin, he would have a chance to get into a military academy.
But now, he has trampled 500 pounds under his feet.
and--
This is only the first level of the Returning Mountain Fist.
Lin Fan's expression changed.
He re-established his starting stance, but this time the posture was different from before.
With legs spread wider and center of gravity lowered, the person's breathing became more focused and concentrated.
The second level of the Returning Mountain Fist.
The force of his fist was as solid as a mountain.
The level of proficiency.
The body's Qi and blood no longer simply circulate along a single route, but rather surge throughout the body in a more complex way.
Like a volcano gathering strength, the magma inside surges, collides, and accumulates the final force before eruption.
Lin Fan closed his eyes, feeling the force of the fist condense and take shape within his body.
Then--
He threw a punch.
boom!
The load-bearing plate trembled violently, and the entire force measurement chamber echoed with dull metallic vibrations, more than twice as loud as before.
The numbers on the display screen jumped rapidly.
796 pounds.
Lin Fan's eye twitched slightly.
Come again.
The second punch.
799 pounds.
The third punch—
The qi and blood within his body emitted a muffled sound that only he could hear, like a mountain cracking open from within, releasing the potential energy accumulated over thousands of years.
boom!
800 pounds.
The number on the display screen remained steadily at 800.
Lin Fan stared at the number, his fist still hovering in mid-air, trembling slightly.
It's not because I'm tired.
It's because of excitement.
800 pounds.
The second level of the Returning Mountain Fist, weighing 800 jin.
Zhao Xiaoyue's strength is 1300 jin, Sun Hao's is 1400 jin, and the school's top martial arts student has a strength of 1600 jin.
Within three days, the gap between him and these people narrowed from more than double to less than double.
And this has only been three days.
"The third floor."
Lin Fan's voice was a little hoarse.
He took a few deep breaths to calm his surging blood and then assumed the starting stance of the third level of the Returning Mountain Fist.
This posture is different from the second level.
With his legs almost shoulder-width apart, his center of gravity slightly forward, and his fists tucked into his waist, he resembled a fully drawn bow.
The third level of the Returning Mountain Fist is the Ninefold Returning Mountain Fist.
Beginner level.
Being at the beginner level means that he can only barely unleash the combined power of nine layers, but the success rate is low and the power is unstable.
But that's enough.
He only needs to throw one punch.
One punch is enough.
Lin Fan closed his eyes.
In his mind, all the contents of the third level of the Returning Mountain Fist clearly appeared.
The key to the superposition of nine layers of power lies not in the magnitude of the force, but in the rhythm.
Qi and blood should be transmitted in the meridians in the form of waves, with each wave corresponding to a force.
When he practiced before, he always broke down at the sixth or seventh level of power, and he could never complete the nine-layered technique.
But today is different.
He felt better than ever before.
The blood and qi within his body were like a tamed beast, obediently following his every command.
First level.
The power rises from the soles of the feet.
Second layer, third layer, fourth layer.
Qi and blood flow through the meridians in layers, one wave pushing the next.
The fifth and sixth levels—
It's not broken.
Lin Fan frowned slightly, his entire mind focused on controlling his qi and blood.
The seventh level.
The waves of qi and blood had already stacked up to seven layers. Even before his fist was thrown, his entire right arm was trembling slightly, which was a sign that his strength had been accumulated to the extreme.
The eighth level.
The veins on the arm are slightly bulging, and you can even see a faint red glow on the skin surface as the blood and qi circulate.
The Ninth Level —
Lin Fan suddenly opened his eyes.
He threw a punch.
When the punch was thrown, a sharp whistling sound exploded in the air, as if something was being torn apart.
The load-bearing plate vibrated violently, and the entire force measuring instrument shook.
The numbers on the screen were jumping wildly.
Nine hundred... nine hundred and fifty... nine hundred and eighty...
It finally stopped.
1000 pounds.
Lin Fan stood there, stunned.
His fist was still pressed against the load-bearing plate, maintaining the punching posture, and he remained motionless.
1000 pounds.
The number on the screen lit up quietly, without any fancy decorations, just a simple "1000".
But Lin Fan felt that it was the most beautiful number he had ever seen in his life.
Three days.
Three days ago, his strength was 300 jin (150 catties), ranking third to last in the entire school.
Three days later, he punched a force of 1000 jin (500 catties).
It has more than tripled.
"ha……"
Lin Fan let out a short syllable.
Then he laughed.
Laughter echoed in the empty testing room, tinged with a hoarseness, a tremor, and a sob he himself didn't even realize.
Three years.
All the ridicule he had heard, the scorn he had suffered, and the grievances he had swallowed over the past three years surged up at this moment, and then, along with that number of 1000 jin (500 catties), were crushed to pieces.
Who would dare call him a good-for-nothing?
His martial spirit is not useless.
Never has been.
Lin Fan withdrew his fist, wiped the sweat from his face, and turned to walk out of the strength testing room.
It was already daylight outside.
As dawn broke in the east, groups of students began to appear on the playground for their morning exercises.
Lin Fan took a deep breath of the cool morning air and felt as if a fire was burning inside his chest, making every pore on his body radiate heat.
He walked out along the corridor, his steps light as if he were walking on clouds.
As I turned the corner, a few people walked towards me.
Sun Hao was leading the way.
He was followed by three followers; the four of them were wearing training uniforms and were probably also there for morning exercise.
The two groups of people met face to face in the corridor.
Lin Fan merely glanced at Sun Hao, then continued walking past them without stopping.
He didn't say a single word from beginning to end.
Sun Hao stopped and glanced back at Lin Fan's departing figure, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Hey, what's this good-for-nothing doing here so early?"
"Here for a test?" a lackey chimed in, his tone dripping with mockery. "What's the point of testing a piece of trash like you? It'll just come back as 300 pounds no matter what you do."
"You're certainly diligent," another follower laughed. "But what's the use of being diligent? When it comes to martial arts, if you don't have talent, you just don't have talent. You can train yourself to death and it won't help."
Sun Hao withdrew his gaze, too lazy to say anything more.
Lin Fan is not someone he should waste his breath on.
"Let's go in and get tested. I felt my strength had increased again yesterday, it should be close to 1500 now."
He pushed open the door to the force testing room and went inside, followed by his three henchmen.
The force measurement room was empty; several instruments stood quietly against the wall, most of them turned off.
But one of them was lit up.
The numbers on the display screen remained there.
One of the henchmen noticed it first. He went over to take a look and then froze.
"Holy crap."
His voice even changed tone.
"What's wrong?" The other two henchmen came over.
Then they froze.
"This, this is..."
On the display screen, a number was quietly lit up.
1000.
"1000 pounds?!"
The first henchman practically shouted, "Who threw 1000 jin?"
The three people looked at each other, then simultaneously turned to look around.
The force testing room was empty; there wasn't a single person in it.
Suddenly, one of the henchmen seemed to remember something, and his expression turned strange.
"Just now... when we came in, was only one person leaving from here?"
The corridor was silent for two seconds.
Then all three of them simultaneously thought of the figure that had just brushed past them.
Lin Fan.
"impossible."
Sun Hao's voice rang out coldly.
He walked over from behind, glanced at the numbers on the screen, and showed no emotion on his face.
"He's a good-for-nothing. He was weighed 300 pounds just three days ago. How could he possibly weigh 1000 pounds?"
Sun Hao's tone was resolute and left no room for argument.
"Gained from 300 jin to 1000 jin in three days? Do you think he's the illegitimate son of a martial arts master of the Earth level or that he ate a dragon blood pill?"
The henchmen exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
"Too."
"That's definitely impossible."
"A weight gain of 700 jin in three days is unprecedented in the history of Jiangcheng."
"Who hit this 1000-jin (500 catties) animal?"
"It was probably one of the top martial arts students who arrived earlier; he forgot to turn off the equipment after the test and left."
That makes sense.
The group quickly put Lin Fan out of their minds and began discussing who might have hit him with that 1000-pound weight.
"Could it be Zhou Ming from Class 3? He weighed 980 pounds last time, so it's not unusual for him to have surpassed 1000 pounds in the last few days."
"It could also be Zhao Qian from Class 2. He said last week that he was close to breaking 1,000."
Several people started discussing it.
Sun Hao did not participate in the discussion.
He glanced at the force gauge, then walked to another instrument and pressed the power button.
It's only 1000 jin (500 catties).
He had already reached 1430 pounds last week, and he feels good today. Maybe he can reach the 1500 pound mark.
In his eyes, 1000 jin (500 catties) was just a barely acceptable number.
His opponents were never the people in the school.
Rather, they are the top geniuses in the city, the province, and even the country.
Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School is too small.
His ambition was too small to contain it.
Sun Hao lowered his waist and hips, and punched the load-bearing plate.
The display screen is flickering.
1487 pounds.
He frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
Come again.