90: Chapter 90 Cultivating the Yi Jin Jing: Stinging Pain Throughout the Body's Meridians

Section One: The Wailing of Meridians within the Dark Golden Qi Energy

The moonlight in the training hall had just swept over the bluestone slabs when Chen Wu's fingertips suddenly curled in spasms. The holographic projection of the introductory chapter of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic" rotated around him, and the dark golden meridian map was seeping into his body along his skin. Wherever it passed, the Meridians trembled violently, as if countless fine needles were piercing them simultaneously.

"Ah—" He suddenly fell to his knees. The moment his forehead touched the bluestone slab, spider-web-like cracks appeared on the ground. Lin Mo's tactical tablet hovered nearby, and the jumping meridian scan on the virtual screen showed that the Qi Energy flow in the Twelve Standard Meridians had all reversed. Especially at the position of the Pericardium Meridian, the dark golden light was violently colliding with the blue-gold Taiji Power, forming a distorted red node.

"It's a rejection reaction from reverse flow!" The youth's fingertips flew across the emergency program, and beads of sweat from his forehead dripped onto the back of Chen Wu's neck. "The System warns that if the Qi Energy purity exceeds 70%, it will trigger 'Meridian Replacement Pain,' but your purity has already soared to 82%!" The tablet suddenly popped up old data from Grey Shadow. In 1987, three Martial Artists had their Meridians shattered from forcibly cultivating the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic." The scans were strikingly similar to Chen Wu's current situation, only more severe.

Grandpa Wang's tobacco pipe made a series of urgent, muffled thuds on the camphor wood chest. The old man pulled out the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic Annotations" left by his grandfather. On the yellowed pages, a strange posture was drawn in cinnabar. "This is the 'Meridian Locking Stance,'" the pipe bowl pointed to the Dantian position of the Martial Artist in the diagram. "Back then, your Great-grandfather was also rolling in pain by the seventh day of practice. He relied on this Move to lock the Qi Energy at the ends of the Meridians, like building a dam for a surging river." A small bronze tripod suddenly flew out of the camphor wood chest, and the blue smoke rising from the tripod formed a rotating vortex above Chen Wu's head, forcibly suppressing the dark golden Qi Energy back to the surface of his skin.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the leaves of the inheritance grass suddenly curled like pained Meridians. Dewdrops rolled on the leaf surface, reflecting the battle of Qi Energy within Chen Wu's body—the dark golden Yijin Energy was like a herd of out-of-control wild horses, crashing against the blue-gold Taiji Power defense line. Every collision of the two types of Qi Energy made the inheritance grass tremble violently. The young girl mixed the juices of snow lotus and golden thread lotus. When the pale golden "Meridian Calming Dew" dripped onto the leaves, the curled patterns suddenly relaxed by half an inch. "Elder Zhou said this is a 'Meridian Soothing Agent,'" her fingertip lightly touched a dewdrop, "it can temporarily tame the reversing Qi Energy, like putting a bridle on a wild horse."

The armored car of the Special Incident Response Department lit its sirens at the entrance of the alley. The Chief of the Execution Division walked quickly while holding a silver meridian treatment device. In the holographic projection, a high monk from Shaolin was demonstrating "Golden Needle Salvation." "This is the 'Yijin Device' replicated by the Technical Department. It can guide the Qi Energy to flow smoothly through low-frequency pulses," she suddenly pressed the device's probe against Chen Wu's Baihui Acupoint. "But you need to stay conscious and cooperate by calling out the names of the Acupoints!" The Section Chief's tablet showed that Zhang Hao was rushing over at top speed. His points account had just redeemed an "Iron Arm Heart-Protecting Talisman," which was the only Qi Energy item that could protect the Pericardium Meridian.

Officer Zhang's body camera was pointed at Chen Wu's spasming fingers. The old policeman pulled up emergency footage from thirty years ago. His young grandfather was treating a Disciple who had suffered Qi Deviation while practicing Crushing Fist. The technique was identical to the current "Meridian Locking Stance." "Back then, he said 'pain is the sinews growing,'" the camera suddenly switched to slow-motion. The pressure the grandfather applied to the Disciple's Hegu Acupoint was just enough to cause a 0.3-second pause in the reversing Qi Energy. "Every sting is the old Meridians adapting to the new Qi Energy, like the pain of a snake shedding its skin." The recording device's playback function suddenly activated, and the scene of Chen Wu helping Zhang Hao clear his Meridians last night flickered on the screen. The then-gentle Vitality Energy was now engaged in a brutal tug-of-war with the Yijin Energy.

When Chen Wu gritted his teeth and assumed the "Meridian Locking Stance," a dazzling dark golden light suddenly erupted from his Dantian. The suppressed Yijin Energy suddenly backfired, flowing up along the Meridians and forming a rotating Qi Energy ball at the Baihui Acupoint. The slow-motion from the live broadcast showed that the core of the Qi Energy ball contained a trace of black toxin, which was exactly the chip residue left in Zhang Hao's arm armor, forcibly expelled as a foreign object by the Yijin Energy.

"It's a plot by Grey Shadow!" Grandpa Wang's pipe suddenly puffed a cloud of blue smoke at the Qi Energy ball. The blue-gold smoke formed the word "Poison" in mid-air, perfectly overlapping with the black residue. "They already added 'Meridian Blocking Powder' to the chips, specifically to counter the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic'!" The "Muscle Tendon Change Classic Annotations" in the camphor wood chest suddenly flipped pages automatically. Next to a 1953 annotation, "Fight Poison with Poison" was written in cinnabar, with a diagram next to it showing the use of Baji Fist energy to wrap the toxin.

Section Two: A Feast of Pain During the Fusion of Dual Energies

When Zhang Hao's iron arm crashed through the training hall door, Chen Wu's fingernails had already dug deep into his palms. The "Iron Arm Heart-Protecting Talisman" on the cyborg's right arm glowed with a silver-white light. The moment it was pressed against Chen Wu's Pericardium Meridian, the two types of Qi Energy suddenly resonated—the dark golden Yijin Energy and the silver-white Iron Arm Power intertwined into a strand, wrapping the black toxin layer by layer, making Chen Wu's whole body twitch violently in pain.

"Push harder!" Zhang Hao's roar carried ripples of Qi Energy, the veins on his forehead bulging. Under the new skin of his right arm, the blue-gold Taiji Power was helping the Yijin Energy calibrate its trajectory. "When my dad practiced Iron Arm Fist, his whole arm was swollen like a bucket. He relied on hitting the sandbag three times a day to force out the stasis!" The cyborg suddenly grabbed Chen Wu's wrist and guided his fist toward the sandbag. Every vibration from the impact caused a 0.1-second relaxation in Chen Wu's Meridians, just enough to expel a trace of black toxin.

Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up a 3D force diagram. The 450 kilograms of force generated by each impact, conducted through the fist to the Meridians, would form a spiral shockwave. It neither damaged the Meridians nor shook loose the adhesion between the toxins and the Meridians. "37% of the toxin has been expelled!" The youth's fingertips danced on the virtual keyboard, adjusting Zhang Hao's force angle to 37 degrees. "This angle allows the Iron Arm Power and Yijin Energy to form the best resonance!"

In the Flower Girl's basket, the inheritance grass suddenly bloomed with two-colored flowers. One half had dark golden Yijin patterns, and the other half had blue-gold Taiji marks. The dewdrops on the petal edges were playing the decomposition process of the toxin—under the pincer attack of the dual energies, the black residue was breaking down into countless micro-particles, wrapped in Vitality Energy and expelled from the pores. The young girl mixed "Meridian Calming Dew" with petals of the ming jin orchid. When the pale golden liquid dripped into Chen Wu's temples, he suddenly let out a sigh of relief. "Elder Zhou said this is 'Meridian Clearing Dew,'" her fingertip lightly touched a petal, "it can temporarily put the pain nerves to sleep without affecting the flow of Qi Energy, like anesthesia on a wound."

In the tactical center of the Special Incident Response Department, the Director clenched his fist at the real-time monitoring data. The meridian scanner from the Technical Department showed that Chen Wu's pain index had reached 8.7 (out of 10), but the Qi Energy purity was still rising, breaking through 85%. "The high monks of Shaolin say this is 'Nirvana Pain,'" the Section Chief's holographic image cut in with static. She pulled up an ancient rubbing of the "Muscle Tendon Change Classic." "Every time you endure the pain, the meridian's endurance increases by 15%. Back then, Ancestral Master Bodhidharma faced the wall for nine years and had to endure twelve hours of pain every day."

When Chen Wu's fist hit the sandbag for the thirteenth time, the Qi Energy ball at the Baihui Acupoint suddenly exploded. Under the pincer attack of the dual energies, the black toxin turned into a sky full of light spots and was entirely absorbed by Zhang Hao's Iron Arm Power. The new skin on the cyborg's right arm suddenly took on an abnormal blue-black hue, but he smiled and waved his hand at Chen Wu. "This bit of pain is nothing. It's much better than the days of being controlled by the chip." He suddenly struck the sandbag seven times in a row, each punch shaking out a trace of black mist that formed the word "Break" in mid-air.

Chen Wu's pain suddenly decreased by thirty percent. The speed of the dark golden Yijin Energy flowing through his Meridians was 20% faster than before, and its compatibility with the blue-gold Taiji Power increased from 42% to 65%. Lin Mo's tablet suddenly popped up a System prompt: "'Dual-Qi Fusion' detected. Unlocking the hidden 'Toxin-Neutralizing Posture' of the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic.' Pain tolerance permanently increased by 30%." The meridian map on the virtual screen showed that the originally distorted red nodes were now glowing with a soft dual-colored light.

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"This is the true 'Muscle Tendon Change'!" Grandpa Wang's pipe fell to the ground.

The old man suddenly pulled open his shirt; the scar on his chest perfectly overlapped with the trajectory of Chen Wu's Qi Energy: "Back then, your Great-grandfather was poisoned with tendon-blocking powder, and he relied on the rigid power of the Baji Fist to force the poison out!"

Three copper coins flew out of the camphor wood chest, landing at their feet to form the character "Union," while dark golden and cyan-golden Qi Energy spread along the coins, drawing a perfect closed loop of Meridians on the ground.

Realm Breakthrough in Pain Data

When the global live stream's chat was flooded with "Go Chen Wu," Lin Mo's tablet suddenly connected to the pain-sharing System.

18 billion viewers simultaneously felt 30% of the meridian-piercing pain, and exclamations exploded throughout the virtual space: "This pain is ten times worse than pulling a tooth!" "No wonder they say the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic' isn't meant for humans to Cultivate!"

But not a single person exited the live stream; golden words of encouragement flooded the complaints about pain like a tide.

"Look at this data!" The boy's fingertips slid across the 3D model, where Chen Wu's pain curve and Qi Energy purity curve formed a perfect mirror image — every time a pain peak occurred, the Qi Energy purity would jump by 2-3%. "This is a classic 'pain catalysis,' just like quenching when forging iron; the more intense the pain, the purer the power!"

The tablet suddenly displayed the training data of global Martial Artists; 37% of people were mimicking the "Tendon-Locking Move," with the footage from A-Mings younger sister's hospital room being the most eye-catching, as the little girl endured the pain of chemotherapy, using toy boxing gloves to perform a simplified version of the Move.

In the Flower Girl's basket, the seeds watered with "Tendon-Unblocking Dew" suddenly sprouted.

The seedling's roots were dark golden Yijin Energy, while its branches and leaves were cyan-golden Taiji Power, swaying gracefully in the moonlight.

Dewdrops rolled on the leaves, reflecting the circulation of Qi Energy within Chen Wu — the two types of Qi Energy were no longer colliding, but forming a rotating double helix, and the Meridians they passed through were thickening at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the red nodes created by pain were transforming into golden light spots representing a Breakthrough.

An armored vehicle from the Special Incident Response Department suddenly delivered a safe.

The Chief of the Execution Division used her fingerprint to open the lock, revealing the authentic rubbing of the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic' from the Shaolin temple's underground palace. On the yellowed paper, the annotations of the Ancestral Master Bodhidharma glowed with a dark golden light: "Pain is the beginning of awareness, awareness is the step to enlightenment, and enlightenment is the path to the Dao."

The Section Chief suddenly held the rubbing up to the moonlight, projecting the meridian map onto Chen Wu, which perfectly overlapped with the patterns on the rubbing: "This is your 'pain-relief talisman.' A true practitioner of the Muscle Tendon Change must learn to dance with pain."

Officer Zhang's law enforcement recorder was aimed at the three people in the center of the training hall.

In the old policeman's lens, Chen Wu's "Poison-Neutralizing Move" with Zhang Hao's Iron Arm Power, and Love's Taiji Power were resonating, the three types of Qi Energy forming a rotating tricolor vortex on the ground, shredding all the remaining black toxins.

The law enforcement device suddenly switched to thermal imaging mode; Chen Wu's Meridians were exceptionally clear in the dark golden light. The originally slender Meridians were now as thick as a little finger, and the high-temperature points generated by pain were transforming into the green representing vitality.

When Chen Wu's pain index dropped to 4.2, the System suddenly popped up a Realm promotion notification: "Congratulations on breaking through to the Early Stage of the 'Muscle Tendon Change Realm,' Qi Energy purity 89%, unlocking the passive skill 'Immunity to All Poisons.'"

The bluestone tiles of the training hall suddenly vibrated violently, and a dark golden meridian map surged from the ground, perfectly synchronizing with the Qi Energy within Chen Wu's body, forming a giant character "Tendon" in mid-air — the global live stream chat suddenly went silent, and ten seconds later, swaths of golden "Breakthrough" messages bloomed like fireworks.

"How do you feel now?" Zhang Hao's voice was filled with concern; his right arm had returned to its normal skin tone, and under the purification of the Yijin Energy, his Iron Arm Power was 12% purer than before.

Chen Wu slowly stood up straight, and the dark golden Qi Energy condensed into a small liquid sphere in his palm, carrying both the dominance of Yijin Energy and the softness of Taiji Power: "The pain is still there, but it seems... I can command it."

He suddenly punched the sandbag, and the Qi Energy sphere exploded the moment it made contact, neither damaging the sandbag's outer skin nor failing to shake out a rusty iron nail hidden inside.

Meridian Symphony Under the Moonlight

In the training hall in the dead of night, Chen Wu's "Poison-Neutralizing Move" was still continuing. The dark golden Yijin Energy and the cyan-golden Taiji Power circulated through his Meridians, and the pain had transformed into a strange tingling sensation, as if countless gentle hands were massaging his Meridians at the same time.

Lin Mo's tablet showed that over 50 million Martial Artists globally were Cultivating simultaneously, with 12% of them experiencing slight stinging pain, but not a single person gave up.

"Look at this global meridian map!" The boy's fingertips slid across the virtual globe, where dark golden light spots were spreading across the five continents, guided by Chen Wu's Qi Energy to form a meridian network spanning mountains and seas. "Everyone's pain frequency is synchronizing, just like a globally orchestrated symphony!"

In the small window at the bottom right of the tablet, A-Mings younger sister held up a drawing showing countless colored lines connecting fists all over the world, with each line labeled "Painful yet happy."

Grandpa Wang tapped a lively rhythm on the camphor wood chest with his pipe. Watching the liquid Qi Energy flowing in Chen Wu's palm, a new page of the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic Annotations' was automatically generating: "Your Great-grandfather once said, 'Muscle Tendon Change is not about replacing tendons,'" he pointed his pipe at the newly appeared annotation, "'It is about letting the old tendons learn to accommodate new power, just like the patterns on this bluestone tile; the cracks caused by pain can, instead, carry more of the Legacy.'"

Three scrolls of fist manuals flew out of the camphor wood chest — the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic,' 'Taiji Baji Collapse,' and 'Iron Arm Fist' — forming a rotating triangular prism in the air, refracting the moonlight into a colorful waterfall of Qi Energy.

The Flower Girl's inheritance grass suddenly bore dark golden fruit. The moment the fruit split open, countless tiny seeds carrying pale golden Qi Energy flew into the air, landing on the shoulders of every practitioner — Zhang Hao's Iron Arm shimmered with a dark golden light, Love's Taiji Power purity increased to 78%, and even Officer Zhang's old arms and legs were able to assume a standard "Tendon-Locking Move."

The little girl sprinkled the last drop of "Tendon-Unblocking Dew" into the moonlight, and the pale golden light formed the character "Together" in mid-air: "Elder Zhou said this is the 'Legacy Seed,'" she said, lightly tapping the fruit, "Only those who have suffered the same pain are considered fellow Disciples."

As the first ray of morning light washed over the bluestone tiles, Chen Wu's Qi Energy purity finally broke through 90%. The dark golden Yijin Energy and the cyan-golden Taiji Power completely fused, forming a rotating two-colored sphere around his body, and the meridian-piercing pain disappeared completely, replaced by an unprecedented lightness, as if he could take flight with the wind.

A notification from the Global Martial Arts System suddenly popped up: "Because Chen Wu has broken through to the 'Muscle Tendon Change Realm,' the pain tolerance of all Martial Artists Cultivating the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic' is permanently increased by 15%!"

Lin Mo's tablet showed that a new hidden mission had been unlocked: "Head to the Shaolin temple's underground palace, find the middle volume of the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic,' and unlock the 'Marrow Cleansing Realm.'"

On the virtual screen, the holographic projection of the underground palace entrance glowed with a dark golden light, and the eyes of the stone lions at the entrance flickered with the same bronze color as Chen Wu's peace lock.

The boy's fingertips danced on the registration button: "Zhang Hao and Love have both applied to go along, and the Special Incident Response Department is willing to provide security, so we..."

Chen Wu suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him. When his palm met the fists of Zhang Hao and Love, the two-colored Qi Energy suddenly erupted, forming a giant meridian map in the morning light — it was a network connected by countless tiny lines, and on each line flickered a name, from Grandpa Wang to the Flower Girl, from Officer Zhang to A-Mings younger sister, and even including Martial Artists from around the world whom he had never met.

"Pain is the ticket to the Legacy." Chen Wu's voice was filled with unprecedented clarity; he finally understood that the stinging pain of the 'Muscle Tendon Change Classic' was not a test, but a screening — only those who could endure the pain of reshaping were qualified to carry the more ancient Legacy.

As the three of them walked out of the training hall side by side, the billboard at the end of the alley was playing a highlight reel of global Martial Artists' training, with people of different skin colors enduring the stinging pain to perform the same "Tendon-Locking Move," and a line of small text written at the bottom of the screen read: "Only after experiencing the pain, can one understand each other's power."

The final image of the global live stream lingered on the moment Chen Wu turned around. Dark golden and cyan-golden Qi Energy formed a giant vortex behind him, with the bronze light of the peace lock flickering in the center of the vortex like a star guiding the way. In the chat, uniform text suddenly flooded the screen: "The most painful path leads to the highest mountain."