My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 14 Hidden Strength

After Zhao Yuan broke through to the Dark Force level, Liang Cheng continued his life as usual.

Morning exercise, literacy training, patrol, and night exercise.

After completing his Stone Armor Kung Fu practice tonight, he calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and stood in a stance to cultivate the Wild Ox Strength, feeling the flow of Qi and blood beneath his skin and muscles.

"The visible strength is vigorous and powerful, while the hidden strength should be developed from the outside in, cultivating strength to penetrate the body and achieve a balance of strength and softness."

Liang Cheng had been practicing the Hunyuan stance in the reef cave for two hours, his Qi and blood surging like a tide within his body, yet he still couldn't grasp that fleeting opportunity for "penetration".

Too tight and it becomes stagnant; too loose and it becomes scattered.

"A blend of strength and gentleness..."

He was suddenly inspired and stopped trying to control it, letting his blood and energy flow naturally. His thoughts were like light, illuminating without being controlled.

The next moment, he suddenly raised his hand and pressed it against the stone wall. With a thought, a stream of heat flowed down his arm and out through his palm.

"puff."

The surface of the stone wall is intact, but the inside, about three inches deep, has turned to powder.

Subtle and gradual, it will come to fruition naturally.

【Mastery of Hunyuan Zhuang (125/1000)】

【The Great Perfection of the Wild Bull's Strength (1/2000)】

[Stone Armor Technique (Fragment) - Minor Completion (703/800)]

In the instant of the breakthrough, Liang Cheng grasped the Qi and blood in his body, broke through the three gates of the Du meridian, and connected the coccyx, the spine, and the occipital bone to form a small circulation.

Liang Cheng slowly opened his eyes, feeling his body full of qi and blood, and even his five senses became much clearer. He reached out and pressed his five fingers on the rock wall.

With a thought, his inner energy burst forth, leaving a shallow palm print on the stone wall. His hidden strength could now be released externally, a qualitative change indeed.

After calming down, he packed his things and returned to the martial arts school.

……

In the days that followed, the front courtyard apprentices continued to discuss Zhao Yuan's breakthrough, while the back courtyard disciples mostly flattered him.

As Liang Cheng passed by, Zhao Yuan was demonstrating the wonder of hidden strength, pressing his palm onto the tofu wrapped in cotton cloth. The tofu remained intact, but the blue bricks underneath shattered.

Everyone was amazed.

Liang Cheng glanced at it, turned around and went back into the house, unmoved. Not far away, Zhou Hu frowned, but ultimately said nothing.

With at least one more expert in internal strength, the martial arts school will have a better chance of winning the year-end competition among the three martial arts schools, and at the very least, they won't be outdone by the Zhennan Martial Arts School.

In the following days, Liang Cheng continued his low-key cultivation as before.

Barren beach and reef caves.

Liang Cheng stood shirtless in the cave, his chest and back covered with the prepared ointment. He swung a ten-pound hard leather bag filled with iron sand mixed with a pound of cold iron sand and smashed it hard against his left arm.

"clang!"

It produced a crisp, metallic sound, and the layer of "stone skin" beneath the skin tightened inch by inch, directing the impact force into the muscles.

With each pounding, Liang Cheng's pain suddenly vanished. His muscles felt as if they were wrapped together by silk threads, and a booming sound seemed to emanate from within his body.

The Complete Works of Stone Armor Technique (Fragment) (1/2000)

[Unlock: Stonebone Style]

It became.

Liang Cheng slowly exhaled, his breath condensing into white mist in the cave.

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles made a soft "crackling" sound, not a jointing of muscles and bones, but the hard sound of bones rubbing together.

The Stone Bone Pose trains the density and resilience of the bones.

And that's the end of the incomplete manual. After completing the Stone Bone Style, one must find a way to find the missing parts of the manual, otherwise one cannot continue practicing.

However, to cultivate the Stone Bone Style, an iron hammer is needed instead of a sandbag, and "iron marrow powder," a mineral more valuable than gold, must be added to the ointment to temper the bones.

But iron marrow powder is hard to find, not only in small towns, but even in cities.

"Let's use cold iron sand as a substitute for now. Although the effect will be halved, it's still better than stagnation in cultivation."

He put away the sandbag, wiped his body clean, and his skin appeared to be of normal color, but it was as hard as leather to the touch. Only by pressing hard could one feel the solidity of the muscles underneath.

At this moment, he looked at the few lines of small words in his mind and felt quite satisfied. His hard work and diligent practice had finally paid off.

【Mastery of Hunyuan Zhuang (155/1000)】

【The Great Perfection of the Wild Bull's Strength (36/2000)】

The Complete Works of Stone Armor Technique (Fragment) (1/2000)

By the time Liang Cheng returned to the martial arts school, it was already dawn.

Several apprentices were sweeping and cleaning in the front yard. When they saw Liang Cheng, they all lowered their heads and made way for him.

Most of the disciples in the backyard were still doing their morning exercises. Zhao Yuan was practicing his boxing in the courtyard. The wind from his punches was howling, and there was a faint sound of thunder and lightning, which attracted several junior brothers to watch and cheer.

Liang Cheng bypassed the crowd, still not joining in the fun, and continued walking towards the west wing.

"Junior Brother Liang."

Zhou Hu's voice came from behind.

Liang Cheng turned around and bowed: "Senior Brother Zhou."

"The year-end competition starts in three days." Zhou Hu lowered his voice. "Master has an old grudge against Master Wu of Zhennan Martial Arts School. He will definitely provoke you in this competition. Be steady and don't act impulsively."

"Yes."

"Also," Zhou Hu paused, "Zhao Yuan's ambition has increased after breaking through to the Dark Force realm. If he gets into a conflict with someone, you should stop him."

Liang Cheng was taken aback: "Senior brother, do you think I can stop him?"

Zhou Hu gave him a deep look: "You know what you're doing."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liang Cheng stood still, realizing he couldn't hide it from Zhou Hu. He looked at the dust kicked up by Zhao Yuan practicing his boxing in the courtyard and shook his head.

……

Three days later, at dawn.

Nine disciples of Yangwei Martial Arts School gathered in the front yard.

Yang Wei was dressed in a black robe, followed closely by Zhou Hu. Zhao Yuan stood at the head of the disciples, dressed in a brocade blue outfit, looking spirited and confident.

Liang Cheng, still dressed in blue with a black belt, stood in the middle of the group, inconspicuous.

"This trip to Juying Manor will bring together representatives from three towns and six pavilions, a special envoy from the City Lord's Mansion, and many prominent families and merchants will also be present."

Yang Wei's voice was solemn, "Remember all the rules. Winning or losing is secondary; the reputation of the martial arts school cannot be lost. If anyone engages in private fights or uses underhanded tactics, they will be expelled from the school without exception!"

"Yes!" the disciples replied in unison.

The carriages were already waiting outside. The nine people rode in three carriages. Yang Wei and Zhou Hu rode alone in one carriage, Zhao Yuan rode in another with his two trusted junior brothers, and Liang Cheng and the other four squeezed into the last carriage.

The wheels rolled, and the car drove out of the town.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was somber.

Li Cheng was in the same car as Liang Cheng. He had been at the martial arts school for a while and had the most inside information.

"Fellow disciples, I heard that Zhennan Martial Arts School has also produced a disciple with hidden strength this year. He is only seventeen years old and his name is Wu Xiao. He is the nephew of Master Wu."

"Senior Brother Zhao will definitely have to face him," Li Cheng said in a low voice. "In our martial arts school, only Senior Brother Zhao and Senior Brother Da are skilled in internal strength. If Senior Brother Zhao makes a mistake, Senior Brother Da will have to step in. The third match is probably going to be a disaster."

Everyone's expressions turned somewhat grim. At this moment, someone asked Liang Cheng for his opinion, but Liang Cheng did not express any opinion, saying, "Master has his own arrangements."

After saying that, Liang Cheng closed his eyes to rest, and the others, feeling awkward, gradually fell silent as well.

After a half-day drive, we arrived at Juying Mountain Villa in the afternoon.

The villa was built against the mountain, with green tiles and white walls, and was quite impressive. Disciples from two martial arts schools were already waiting at the entrance, and they all turned their heads when they saw the Yangwei Martial Arts School's convoy arrive.

As soon as Yang Wei got out of the car, a group of people came out of the villa.

The leader was a burly man with a red face, dressed in a dark red martial arts uniform with a gold ribbon around his waist. He was Wu Tianxiong, the master of Zhennan Martial Arts School.

"Master Yang, it's been a long time." Wu Tianxiong's laughter was loud but forced.

Yang Wei clasped his hands in greeting: "Master Wu."

"You've trained some good people this year," Wu Tianxiong said, his gaze sweeping over the disciples of Yangwei Martial Arts School, pausing for a moment on Zhao Yuan. "I heard you have a seventeen-year-old who has mastered internal strength? That's impressive."

Zhao Yuan stood tall with his head held high, his face showing arrogance.

Wu Tianxiong then changed the subject: "What a pity. Back then, your senior brother Chen Han was also at the Inner Strength level at seventeen, but what happened? He tried to break through to the Transformation Strength level, suffered a qi deviation, and ended up crippling his legs."

Master Yang, you must learn from this lesson; you can't be too eager for quick success when teaching your disciples.

Upon hearing this, Yang Wei's face darkened. Zhou Hu stepped forward and said coldly, "Master Wu, there's no need to bring up old matters again."

"Old stories?" Wu Tianxiong scoffed. "I'm just offering a friendly reminder: young people shouldn't be too sharp-tongued, or they'll easily fall."

Before he finished speaking, a young man stepped out from behind him. The man was lean and wiry, with sharp eyes like an eagle and large knuckles. It was Wu Xiao.

"Zhao Yuan, right?" Wu Xiao stared at Zhao Yuan. "I heard you've mastered the 'Raging Bull Strength' technique quite well. Dare to lend a hand now?"

Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Afraid of you?!"

"Nonsense!" Yang Wei shouted sharply. "The duel is tomorrow. If you make a move now, you'll be disqualified!"

Wu Tianxiong waved his hand: "Young people are hot-tempered, that's normal. Xiao'er, come back."

Wu Xiao grinned, glanced at the group of people from Yangwei Martial Arts School with disdain, and turned back to his team.

Yang Wei ignored them and led his disciples into the manor.