Chapter 18: Breaking Through to the Muscle-Hardening Stage! Transforming Crude Strength into Refined Power

Boom!

With his entire body’s strength channeled and concentrated in his waist, Chen Jie suddenly felt as if his body were mirroring the arched form of the stray dog he had seen earlier.

It was as if he were on the verge of collapsing, yet simultaneously on the verge of exploding!

An invisible force began to brew within his muscles, which grew hot as if stimulated by an external source. Chen Jie could clearly feel a warmth spreading throughout his body, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.

Then, his pores suddenly opened, and a rush of heat surged upward. It felt as if a roar echoed in his mind, and he had finally grasped the essential technique of power generation.

Chen Jie grabbed the bundle of wild ginseng and turned to head back to his room. Once there, he began to practice the basic techniques of the Poke Foot School in the courtyard of his new home, repeating the movements over and over, tireless and relentless.

He felt as though he had an inexhaustible supply of energy, and sweat poured from his body, as if he were purging all the impurities from within. This sensation—his pores bursting open and his blood boiling—gave Chen Jie the illusion that a surge of "qi" was flowing through his muscles, guided by his own intent.

Finally, he felt this energy gather in his lungs, so intense it felt as if his body might burst, until he exhaled a long, heavy breath.

He settled into a horse stance, imitating the training movements of Aunt Thirteen and Liu Qi, forcing his muscles to relax.

Hoo!

After a deep breath, Chen Jie held it, forcing the energy down from his lungs. As his center of gravity lowered, he felt the pent-up force travel down his legs and connect directly to the ground.

Instantly, his footing felt far more stable.

Bang!

He snapped one leg forward—a strike that retracted the moment it touched! In that instant, Chen Jie felt a powerful, explosive force erupt from his leg.

Suddenly, a wave of soreness hit his limb.

He had used too much force! Chen Jie could clearly feel that this kick had been fierce, incredibly fast, and possessed magnified power. It was as if that burst of energy had detonated the moment his leg struck out.

"I did it! It wasn't easy!"

A surge of immense accomplishment swelled within him. Although he had not yet reached the "Wudao Initiation" or entered the realm of "Cleansing the Meridians," he had achieved the "Basic Muscle Strengthening" stage. This meant he had officially stepped onto the path of martial arts.

The combination of the medicinal bath and the "Tendon-Separating and Bone-Shifting" technique had proven truly extraordinary. It had taken only five days to reach this level. Of course, if he counted the time spent on both sides, it had been over ten days. Under normal training conditions, it would take at least a year to truly grasp the power generation required for "Muscle Strengthening." This showed just how invaluable Aunt Thirteen’s assistance had been.

Bang, bang, bang!

Ignoring everything else, Chen Jie kicked again.

"Huh? Why didn't I get that same feeling? Still, the explosive power has definitely increased."

Chen Jie reflected on the movement, realizing that his subsequent kicks lacked that instantaneous, explosive state from before. A moment of disappointment flickered in his heart.

"Forget it. Martial arts cannot be mastered in a single leap; it requires steady, progressive effort. That feeling of explosive power earlier was real—that must be the realm of Muscle Strengthening. Since I have grasped the essence of the power, all that remains is diligent, hard practice to refine my body."

Chen Jie took a deep breath, struggling to calm down. He had finally broken through the bottleneck. He tensed his muscles, relaxed, and tensed them again. He felt energetic, powerful, and sharp.

"When I go back, I need to get more silver dollars. Next time I return here, I must buy a private residence of my own."

Chen Jie returned to his room and picked up the wild ginseng. He didn't leave from the new house, but instead walked to the dilapidated, remote shed where he had arrived previously. If he left from the new house and was seen, it would be impossible to explain. Furthermore, he had told Aunt Thirteen and the Liu siblings that he was going home; he couldn't just vanish from their house. Moreover, now that he had opened the "Martial Saint Gate," he would need a place to carry and store items. Finding a secluded spot was urgent.

Confirming no one was around, Chen Jie entered the shack. He focused his mind on the "Blood Dragon Jade."

Immediately, a desolate voice echoed in his mind:

[160 Martial Arts Merit Points consumed!]

[Blood Dragon Jade activation complete. Martial Saint Gate opened!]

Seeing the line of text appear on the jade, Chen Jie felt a sense of relief. The wild ginseng he had brought this time had only cost 60 Merit Points. It seemed that to facilitate the exchange of resources between the two worlds, he would need to acquire far more Merit Points.

He had 585 Merit Points left, enough for several more trips, but he felt a sense of urgency. He realized the efficiency of earning Merit Points was beginning to decline. Most notably, after Aunt Thirteen performed the "Tendon-Separating and Bone-Shifting" on him, the points he received for each session were a third less than at the beginning.

Hum!

With a flash of red light, Chen Jie stepped into the swirling gate.

A moment later, he was back in his own room. He glanced at his phone on the table; it was exactly 8:30 AM. He had spent nearly five and a half days on the other side, but only twelve and a half hours had passed here.

After washing up and changing, Chen Jie felt fantastic. His confidence was soaring, washing away his previous feelings of decadence, introversion, and inferiority.

"During this time, besides making money, I need to find a boxing gym and practice real combat! Aunt Thirteen said that one must practice, but more importantly, one must fight. Practice without fighting is just empty posturing."

"Eighth Sister and Liu Qi are far too strong; training with them just means getting beaten up, which is meaningless. I have reached the 'Muscle Strengthening' stage, and my power will surge. I need a place for real combat practice. Otherwise, what is the point of martial arts if I only train in isolation?"

Since high school, Chen Jie had loved watching combat sports: Sanda championships, Muay Thai, K-1 kickboxing, UFC, boxing—everything. He loved the intensity of hand-to-hand combat; the visceral thrill of punches landing could make his adrenaline skyrocket.

Although he was still far from a professional fighter, he had grasped the essence of the "Poke Foot" power, allowing him to unleash fierce, limit-breaking force. He felt, perhaps, just a little bit formidable now.

The sense of explosive strength in his muscles and his high spirits fueled his growing confidence. For some reason, he couldn't wait to fight someone, to test if his power was truly effective.

In that moment, he finally understood why Yang Jun had been so fond of brawling since childhood. That feeling of boundless energy was truly intoxicating. It was as if the "fighting instinct" in his subconscious had been completely ignited!