7: Chapter 7 Breakthrough in Boxing Techniques

Lin Bao took the silver bracelet, weighed it in his hand, and held it up to the light to check its purity.

"Old thing, but the silver purity is decent," he nodded. "Alright, leave this to me."

He turned and walked toward a pawnshop on the street.

Lin Tian waited outside the door. Through the half-open curtain, he saw Lin Bao speak a few words to the shopkeeper behind the counter. The shopkeeper examined the bracelet for a long time before taking out a small scale to weigh it.

Before long, Lin Bao came out holding a small ingot of broken silver and a few strings of copper coins.

"The bracelet weighs six mace and three candareens. The quality is acceptable, so the pawnshop gave me one tael and two mace of silver." Lin Bao handed the money to Lin Tian. "Let's go, time to buy the medicinal herbs."

The two returned to the herbal stall. Lin Bao was clearly familiar with the stall owner. After a few words of bargaining, he bought half a tael of Blood Vine Slices and three mace of Red Ginseng Whiskers for one tael of silver, and even got two stalks of Iron Bone Grass thrown in.

The herbs were wrapped in oil paper. When Lin Tian took them, his palms felt slightly hot.

With these, his Cultivation speed for the coming month would be much faster.

There were still over two hundred copper coins left.

Lin Tian thought for a moment, then walked over to a hawthorn candy vendor on the street and spent four copper coins to buy two skewers.

The bright red hawthorns were coated in glistening sugar, shining in the sunlight.

Taking these back for his little sister would surely make her happy.

On the return journey, the ox cart felt much lighter.

The animal skins had been sold, the medicinal herbs bought, and the young men all had little trinkets they had bought in town tucked away in their bosoms—

Lin Hu had bought a leather scabbard, and another team member had bought a whetstone.

Lin Jing had bought nothing; she just sat quietly on the cart, watching the fields by the roadside.

By evening, the ox cart returned to Lin Family Village.

Lin Tian stuffed a skewer of hawthorn candy into the hand of his little sister, Lin Xiaohe, who was looking out at the entrance.

The little girl's eyes widened. She took the candy, licked it cautiously, and then smiled with her eyes curved like crescent moons.

"Brother, sweet!"

Lin Dashan and Zhao stood at the entrance. Seeing their son return safely, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Tian handed the remaining herbs and copper coins to Zhao, saying simply, "Traded the bracelet for these," before returning to his own room.

Zhao clutched the package of herbs, her eyes turning red again. Lin Dashan patted her back without speaking.

In the days that followed, Lin Tian Cultivated even more crazily.

He woke up before dawn every day to practice the Mountain-Opening Fist in the courtyard.

With the aid of the medicinal herbs, his recovery speed increased significantly. He used to be exhausted after practicing three times, but now he could practice five, or even six times.

[Mountain-Opening Fist Proficiency + 1]

[Mountain-Opening Fist Proficiency + 1]

The System's prompt became his only timer.

He sliced the Blood Vine Slices into thin pieces, keeping one under his tongue before each practice session.

The medicinal power dissolved as his Qi and blood circulated, nourishing his muscles and bones while relieving fatigue.

He boiled the Red Ginseng Whiskers into soup, drinking a bowl morning and night to nourish his Qi and blood.

He soaked the Iron Bone Grass in wine and used it to rub his body before bed to soothe muscle soreness.

The medicinal herbs were depleted at a visible rate.

But the effects were also significant.

On the fifth day, Proficiency reached 25/100.

On the tenth day, 52/100.

On the fifteenth day, 78/100.

On the evening of the twentieth day, Lin Tian finished his ninety-ninth round of Mountain-Opening Fist, his body drenched in sweat like rain.

He gritted his teeth, took the starting stance, and began the one-hundredth round.

This time, his movements were more than twice as fluid as they had been twenty days ago.

The forty-nine moves connected naturally, his Qi and blood circulated smoothly, and his fist wind whistled, carrying a faint sense of wind and thunder.

As he finished the final move, "Mountain Collapse and Earth Shatter," the prompt in his mind sounded right on time:

[Mountain-Opening Fist Proficiency + 1]

[Proficiency has reached 100/100]

[Mountain-Opening Fist Breakthrough: Entry Level]

[Next Stage: Minor Achievement (0/300)]

A warm current surged from his Dantian, instantly flowing through his entire body.

Lin Tian could feel his muscles becoming firmer, his bone density increasing, and his Qi and blood surging like a river.

He opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He walked to the corner of the courtyard where there was an abandoned millstone, about a hundred catties in weight, its surface pitted and uneven.

Lin Tian stood still and took a deep breath.

Mountain-Opening Fist, starting stance.

His right fist shot out from his waist, the fist edge tearing through the air, smashing fiercely into the center of the millstone with a whistling sound!

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the millstone split in two. Cracks spread like a spiderweb, stone fragments splattered, and dust flew.

Lin Tian retracted his fist, looking at the broken stone on the ground, his heart surging.

This was only the Entry Level.

If he reached Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, or even Perfection...

How strong would he be?

The medicinal herbs were soon used up.

Without the aid of medicinal power, his Cultivation speed slowed down again. He could practice at most three times a day, and the recovery time became longer, making it harder to soothe muscle soreness.

But Lin Tian did not stop.

The proficiency of the Mountain-Opening Fist accumulated bit by bit.

Thirty days, Proficiency reached 130/300.

Fifty days, 220/300.

On the evening of the sixtieth day, when Lin Tian finished the two hundred and ninety-ninth round of Mountain-Opening Fist, the sky was already completely dark.

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, stretching his shadow very long.

He was soaked through, his arms so sore he could barely lift them, his chest heaving violently, every breath carrying a burning sensation.

But his eyes were startlingly bright.

The last round.

Starting stance, Stele-Splitting Hand, Mountain-Crushing Lean... the forty-eighth move, Stone-Splitting Force.

His waist and hips exerted force, and his right fist blasted out like a cannonball.

This time, a faint ripple of airflow actually appeared in front of his fist; although faint, it was clearly visible.

The forty-ninth move, "Mountain Collapse and Earth Shatter."

Both fists struck out simultaneously, smashing fiercely into the ground!

"Boom!"

With a muffled sound, the ground trembled slightly.

On the packed mud ground, two shallow fist prints appeared; although not as deep as Village Head Lin Tieshan's, they were still clearly visible.

He finished the move and stood still.

[Mountain-Opening Fist Proficiency + 1]

[Proficiency has reached 300/300]

[Mountain-Opening Fist Breakthrough: Minor Achievement]

[Next Stage: Mastery (0/500)]

Just as the prompt faded, a warm current far more violent than before erupted from his Dantian, instantly rushing through his whole body.

Lin Tian could feel his muscle fibers reorganizing, his bones strengthening, and his Qi and blood surging like a great river.

He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking with a "crackle" sound.

His strength had improved again.

Lin Tian walked to the corner of the courtyard, where there were still a few discarded stones.

He chose a blue stone weighing about a hundred catties, took his stance, and threw a punch.

"Bang!"

The blue stone shattered instantly—not just split in two, but completely exploded into a dozen fragments of varying sizes, scattering in all directions.

The power was more than a notch stronger than when he was at Entry Level.

He found an even larger stone, about three hundred catties, which was a stone foundation left over from building a house.

Mountain-Opening Fist, Stone-Splitting Force.

His fist struck the stone surface, emitting a dull, loud thud.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the stone, then with a "boom," the whole stone disintegrated, with fragments falling like raindrops.

A three-hundred-catty boulder, smashed with one punch!

Lin Tian retracted his fist, looking at the stone rubble all over the ground, a satisfied smile on his face.

So strong.

With his current strength, combined with the Mountain-Opening Fist at the Minor Achievement Realm, his single punch power was likely over five hundred catties.

Even an old-school First-Rank Martial Artist like Village Head Lin Tieshan would be injured if he took this punch head-on.

But he did not get carried away.

The Mountain-Opening Fist was only at Minor Achievement; above it were Mastery, Major Achievement, and Perfection. There was still a lot of room for strength improvement.

Besides, the medicinal herbs were used up.

For the next two days, Lin Tian did not continue Cultivating.

Firstly, after three months of continuous hard training, his body really needed a rest.

Combining work and rest was the only way to go further.

Secondly, without the aid of medicinal herbs, his Cultivation efficiency was too low. He had to find a way to get more herbs.

But for village folk, aside from farming and hunting, where would the money come from?

The Hunting Team wouldn't go into town again for at least another month.

Lin Tian sat in the courtyard, looking at the distant mountains, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had to think of a way...

On the morning of the third day, while he was still asleep, he was suddenly woken by a rush of urgent gong sounds.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The gong sounds were urgent and loud, spreading throughout the entire village.

Lin Tian rolled over and sat up, hearing chaotic footsteps and shouts from outside:

"The people from Wang Family Village are here again!"

"They're seizing the water source! Hurry to the threshing floor and assemble!"

"Bring your weapons!"

Lin Tian's pupils constricted.

Wang Family Village.

Three months ago, the original owner of this body had died in a brawl with Wang Family Village over water rights.

He took a deep breath, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He rolled out of bed, grabbed the firewood knife hanging on the wall, and pushed the door open to go out.

This time, it was time to take revenge.