UMS 04

Chapter 4

 Breaking Through the Wall with a Fist

Jianglin City’s Western Mountain was completely buried beneath snow.

Deep in the mountains, where no one ever ventured, only the dull, heavy sound of repeated impacts echoed without end.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lu Fan had thrown off his shirt and was pounding on an ironstone as tall as a man. Every time his fist struck, stone dust scattered and a deep dent appeared on its surface.

His arms were in an even worse state.

The skin over his knuckles had split open, and blood ran down past his elbows, dripping onto the snow below. His swollen arms had become so numb that he could barely feel them.

Yet his fists never stopped.

Recalling the movements described in the Mountain-Collapsing Fist manual, he twisted his waist and shoulders. He drove the force generated by pushing against the ground with his feet into his waist, then up through his back, and finally all the way to the tips of his arms.

Bang!

The sound was different from before.

A palm-sized depression had been driven deep into the surface of the ironstone.

Lu Fan tried to raise his fist again, but his body staggered and he dropped to one knee.

He had run out of strength.

Both arms hung limply, and a sharp pain shot through the inside of his right arm, as though one of his bones had shifted out of place.

Lu Fan turned his head.

On one side lay a pile of Crimson Flame Grass, clothing, tools for grinding medicinal herbs, and frozen food. He had brought enough supplies to survive in the mountains for at least half a month.

Leaning his body to one side, Lu Fan picked up a stalk of Crimson Flame Grass with his mouth.

He chewed it several times before swallowing it. A hot medicinal energy spread through his stomach. His chilled body gradually turned red with heat, and some of his exhausted strength began to return.

But it wasn’t enough.

The Mountain-Collapsing Fist was a martial art that required the practitioner to damage his arms and then use the medicinal effects of Crimson Flame Grass to rebuild them stronger than before.

With his barely moving hand, Lu Fan picked up a stalk of white-rooted Crimson Flame Grass.

He ground the herb into powder and applied it to his bloodied arms.

Hiss!

A searing pain erupted, as though molten metal had been poured directly into his wounds.

“Guh…!”

Lu Fan’s shoulders trembled violently.

The medicinal powder seeped into his wounds, seeming to burn his flesh and bones from the inside out. The fingers of the hand supporting his body dug deeply into the snow.

Gritting his teeth, he rubbed the remaining medicinal powder over his entire arms.

As time passed, the open wounds visibly began to heal at an astonishing speed. The bones he had thought were broken were enveloped in warmth and gradually returned to their proper positions.

The effects of the white-rooted Crimson Flame Grass were even greater than he had expected.

Unfortunately, so was the pain.

After moving his arms a few times, Lu Fan once again stood before the ironstone.

According to the manual, the moment immediately after applying the Crimson Flame Grass was the most important. While the medicinal effects were spreading, he had to continue striking the stone so that the medicinal energy would penetrate deep into his muscles and bones.

Lu Fan threw another punch.

Thud!

His wounds tore open again.

The pain of burning flesh and the pain of his wounds splitting apart struck him simultaneously. His vision turned white.

“Was this martial art really created for humans to practice…?”

He cursed through gritted teeth, but his fist moved forward again.

Once he had started, he had no intention of stopping.

He was several years behind everyone else. If he spent the same amount of time using the same methods as everyone else, he would never close the gap.

If this was a form of training that no one else was willing to endure, then perhaps it was precisely the opportunity he needed.

Thud! Thud! Bang!

The sound of his fists and his ragged breathing shook the snow-covered mountain.

Only after the sun had sunk and darkness descended upon the mountain did Lu Fan finally stop training.

His arms hung limply once again.

Unable to use his hands, Lu Fan gathered dry branches with his feet. He even wedged a piece of flint between his toes and struck it repeatedly until he finally managed to create a spark.

A small campfire inside the cave pushed back the darkness.

Lu Fan used his mouth to tear pieces from the food he had warmed over the fire. After applying more medicine to his arms, he leaned against the cave wall and stared out at the snow beyond.

Sleep did not come easily because of the pain.

Even so, his heart felt strangely peaceful.

Until yesterday, he hadn’t even known what he should do. No matter how many times he swung his fists, nothing improved, and all his efforts had been met with ridicule.

Now things were different.

The more it hurt, the stronger his arms became. The marks he left on the ironstone were also gradually becoming deeper.

At the very least, there was one thing he no longer needed to doubt:

He was moving forward.

And so Lu Fan remained on Western Mountain.

One day passed.

Then ten days.

Before he knew it, twenty days had gone by.

Every morning, he pounded on the ironstone until both arms were covered in blood. After eating and applying Crimson Flame Grass, he would tear open his healing wounds once again.

After ten days, he had learned to fall asleep while embracing the pain.

By the fifteenth day, he was throwing punches again before his wounds had even completely healed.

The sound of his fists striking the ironstone had changed as well.

At first, it had been nothing more than a dull sound of flesh colliding with stone.

Now, every time his fist struck, a heavy boom rang all the way into the depths of the stone.

Lu Fan’s body had also changed dramatically.

Hard muscles had formed across his once-thin shoulders and back. His knuckles had thickened, and every movement of his arms seemed to release a restrained force that was ready to burst forth.

That day, Lu Fan stood before another ironstone.

Having already destroyed numerous stones, the area around his training ground was littered with rocks of all sizes.

He slowly regulated his breathing.

His toes dug into the snow.

As he twisted his waist, the force drawn up from beneath his feet surged along his spine. Lu Fan locked his shoulders and arms tightly to prevent that force from dispersing, then released everything in a single instant.

Mountain-Collapsing Fist!

Boom!

The ironstone, as tall as a man, shook violently on the ground.

The enormous rock flew backward, split into two in midair, and crashed into the snow.

Lu Fan looked down at his reddened fist.

The countless movements described in the manual all served a single purpose.

To gather the force of the entire body into one point and unleash it, regardless of the distance or angle.

That was the essence of the Mountain-Collapsing Fist.

But Lu Fan was not satisfied.

“They said that reaching Minor Mastery would mean completely shattering the stone.”

Splitting it in two wasn’t enough.

Lu Fan dragged the broken ironstone closer and examined the cross-section before shaking his head.

His strength was sufficient, but some of it had dispersed at the final moment, just before his fist struck.

He needed to find another ironstone.

Over the past twenty days, he had destroyed almost every suitable stone in the surrounding area. What remained were either boulders too large for him to move alone or stones too small for his fists.

After searching for a long time, he noticed a large rock embedded beneath a cliff.

Lu Fan reached into the gap between the rocks and pulled with all his strength.

Rumble!

The stone, which had been buried much deeper than he expected, was ripped out in one piece.

Behind it, a black opening was revealed.

A cave?

Lu Fan set the stone aside and peered inside.

The entrance was narrow, but after walking a few steps, the space widened. A faint light of unknown origin flickered along the walls.

Lu Fan ventured deeper into the cave before suddenly stopping.

Growing in the center of the cave was a single silver-colored plant.

Thin leaves like willow branches hung in every direction, and at its center bloomed a tiny silver-white flower no larger than a fingernail.

“Earth Spirit Flower…”

Lu Fan’s voice trembled.

Medicinal materials of Grade Four or higher that naturally responded to spiritual energy were known as spirit medicines.

The Earth Spirit Flower was an extraordinarily precious Grade Six spirit medicine that could greatly increase recovery and strengthen one’s qi and blood.

If one appeared at auction, it could fetch a price comparable to that of a medicinal pill.

As Lu Fan approached, the drooping leaves suddenly moved.

The silver leaves wrapped around the flower, curling inward as though protecting it. It looked almost like a small animal wary of a stranger.

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Fan carefully spread the leaves apart.

He plucked only the flower, leaving the roots and leaves untouched.

If he pulled up such a precious herb by its roots, it would never grow again. If he took only the flower, however, another one might bloom in the same place a dozen years later.

Lu Fan stared at the silver flower resting in his palm and hesitated for a moment.

He could sell it for a huge sum of money.

But money could always be earned again.

An opportunity like this, however, might never come again.

Lu Fan put the flower directly into his mouth.

Before he could even chew it, the flower melted and slid down his throat.

At first, it was as cool as drinking ice water.

The next moment, a frigid energy spread through his limbs like a raging tide.

“Guh…!”

Lu Fan’s entire body trembled violently.

The cool energy instantly transformed into an uncontrollable torrent. The force slammed against his meridians, causing his skin to swell, while beads of blood began appearing from his pores.

Lu Fan hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground.

He had made the mistake of assuming that a spirit medicine could be absorbed as calmly as a medicinal pill.

Medicinal pills were refined by Qi Refiners, who processed the harsh energy contained within medicinal ingredients.

The Earth Spirit Flower, on the other hand, contained the power of nature in its raw form.

It was far too powerful for the body of a fifth-level Body Tempering cultivator to withstand.

If he made even one mistake, his body might burst apart from the inside before he could benefit from the medicine.

Clenching his teeth, Lu Fan desperately tried to restrain the rampaging energy.

That was when it happened.

Hoooo…

A hot breath brushed across his face.

Lu Fan’s back stiffened.

It wasn’t the wind.

It was hot and moist, as though someone had exhaled directly in front of him.

A small shadow moved deep within the cave.

An aberrant beast?

Cold sweat formed on Lu Fan’s palm.

If he moved, the energy from the Earth Spirit Flower would run even more violently through his body.

But if he remained still, he would simply be offering his throat to whatever beast was hiding in the darkness.

Only then did Lu Fan realize that the rock he had pulled away hadn’t merely been blocking the cave.

It had been a door.

A door blocking someone else’s lair.

The shadow in the darkness slowly drew closer.

Lu Fan held his breath.

Soon, the creature emerged.

Lu Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a small dog, barely larger than his head, awkwardly standing on its hind legs.

Its front legs were unusually short, and its round eyes were far too large for its body.

Rather than frightening, it looked almost comically harmless.

This is an aberrant beast?

Just as his tension began to ease, the little dog approached the Earth Spirit Flower.

The remaining silver leaves wrapped around its body as though greeting an old friend.

As the light flowing from the leaves seeped into its tiny body, the dog narrowed its eyes and made a satisfied sound.

But that lasted only a moment.

The little dog noticed the place where the flower had disappeared.

Its head slowly turned toward Lu Fan.

Supporting itself with its short front legs, the creature bared its tiny, still-developing fangs.

“Wait. That’s—”

Before Lu Fan could finish speaking, the little dog lunged.

It leaped forward on two legs and clamped its jaws around Lu Fan’s wrist.

“Gah!”

Its fangs pierced his flesh, and blood began to flow.

Lu Fan couldn’t even shake it off.

Restraining the energy inside his body already pushed him to his limit.

I’m not going to get bitten to death by a dog here, am I?

It would already be humiliating enough to die fighting an aberrant beast.

But if he died after being bitten to death by something like this, he would probably be mocked even in the afterlife.

Then the energy rampaging through his body suddenly changed direction.

The medicinal power of the Earth Spirit Flower flowed through his blood toward his wrist.

Silver light rose from the little dog’s body as it absorbed the excess energy that had been overflowing inside him.

The meridians that had been stretched taut began to settle down.

After quite some time, the little dog, apparently satisfied with its meal, released his wrist.

It growled once at Lu Fan before scampering deeper into the cave.

Lu Fan stared alternately at his bleeding wrist and the disappearing shadow.

“Should I thank you, or should I be angry…?”

He was dumbfounded, but in the end, the little creature had saved his life.

Because the little dog had absorbed an excessive amount of the medicinal energy, what remained had been reduced to an amount Lu Fan could endure.

Lu Fan closed his eyes once again.

The silver energy seeped into his muscles and bones, rapidly healing the injuries caused by his training.

A full day and night passed.

When Lu Fan opened his eyes again, the previously dark cave appeared clearer than before.

As he stood, a series of sounds like beans being roasted erupted from his joints.

His body was overflowing with strength.

Lu Fan stood before the cave wall.

He clenched his fist and twisted his waist.

The force that began at his toes gathered into his fist without dispersing by even the slightest amount.

“Mountain-Collapsing Fist.”

Boom!

Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the wall where his fist struck.

The rock then collapsed from the inside, sending countless fragments crashing to the ground.

A hole deep enough for a person to enter had appeared in the center of the wall.

A smile spread across Lu Fan’s lips.

Minor Mastery of the Mountain-Collapsing Fist.

And the qi and blood flowing through his body had also become incomparably stronger than before.

Sixth-level Body Tempering.

At the very least, he had definitely reached its threshold.

Lu Fan left the cave and grabbed a handful of snow, rubbing it over his body.

After twenty days without washing, his body emitted a truly dreadful smell.

His training was over.

It was time to return to Jianglin City.

Lu Fan looked down at the snow-covered mountain below and slowly clenched his fist.

At the Annual Festival, no one would create results on his behalf.

This time, it was his turn to show everyone what he could do.

Lu Fan ran down the snow-covered mountain path.

After his figure disappeared into the distance, a small head cautiously peeked out from the entrance of the cave.

The little dog stared in the direction Lu Fan had gone for a long while before retreating back into the cave.