High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Talent: Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness

”AHH!!”

Lin Qi’s eyes bulged and flew wide open as excruciating pain wracked his body.

His already exhausted body began to twitch, muscles clenching and contorting. The muscles in his arms and legs cramped instantly.

”Hiss—”

The sudden agony twisted Lin Qi’s face, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

’Why does it hurt so much? Except for the very first time, it’s never hurt this bad with each 1% increase in Fusion Degree.’

Lin Qi was baffled. He thought he had already adapted to the pain of increasing his Fusion Degree.

He hadn’t expected this. He’d been careless. 5% was clearly a threshold, and the intensity of the transformation was so great that it magnified the pain.

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. He grabbed a towel from the bed, bit down on it, and silently endured the agony.

”CRACK~”

”Nghh—”

Veins popped out on Lin Qi’s arms, and sweat poured off him like rain. His eyes were bloodshot as he bit down hard on the towel.

Pain. It was just too painful!

His muscles were tearing all over, his tendons felt like they were snapping, and even his bones were fracturing.

Everything was happening at once, piling on top of each other.

Not only that, but his internal organs were also undergoing a transformation, as if an invisible scalpel were slicing through them, layer by layer.

The various kinds of pain made Lin Qi feel like death would be a relief.

”Hiss—”

It felt as if his body was being broken down and rebuilt from scratch—a process no ordinary person could endure.

Thankfully, the agonizing process lasted less than half an hour before it finally ended.

”Phew—”

Lin Qi lay on the floor, not wanting to move an inch. He just stared quietly at the ceiling, marveling at how good it felt to be alive.

His body was covered in a sticky sweat, the floor was soaked with it, and a foul stench hung in the air.

A few moments later, he finally climbed up from the floor, hit by an intense hunger and thirst. He immediately opened his backpack and took out box after box of Qi and Blood Capsules.

He popped them one after another, then opened and chugged a sports drink.

That wasn’t all. He opened a drawer, took out some compressed biscuits, and started eating.

Once his hunger and thirst subsided, Lin Qi left his room and went into the bathroom to strip down and wash up.

In the bathroom mirror, he could see his body was covered in a sticky, black waste.

’I thought I’d already metabolized most of the waste in my body. I didn’t expect there to be this much left.’

The hot water washed away the filth on his body, revealing the skin underneath.

’My skin is getting fairer!’

Lin Qi touched his skin. Although it was fair and bright, it felt incredibly tough.

’My body’s proportions have improved, and my frame has gotten bigger again.’

Lin Qi carefully observed his body. Other changes were minor, but the most obvious one was that his frame had grown larger.

This made him look leaner again. His posture was upright, his muscle structure had changed to have smooth and beautiful lines, and his whole body exuded a vibrant vitality.

He finally looked at the panel, which had been updated with several new messages.

[Template Fusion Degree has reached 5%. You now possess 5% of Erlang God’s Talent.]

[Your physical foundation has been reformed. Your Talent has been greatly enhanced, your constitution has changed, and your vigor has been strengthened. You have obtained the Talent: Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness!]

[Your Comprehension has been enhanced. You now have a greater understanding of Martial Arts’ Pile Skills, Fist Techniques, Body Techniques, and Spear Techniques!]

...

After reading it, Lin Qi found it was mostly what he had expected.

His physical foundation and Comprehension had both improved.

But the new Talent intrigued him, so he tapped on it to see the details.

[Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness: Your vigor is extraordinary. Your constitution is special, allowing you to easily enter deep sleep and possess a superior Recovery Ability.]

A pleased expression appeared on Lin Qi’s face. This was just like the Stomach Enhancement from before—far superior to that of an ordinary person.

Moreover, he keenly noted a new word: ”Talent.”

Anything that could be called a Talent was far superior to what others had. It was like one’s physical foundation—some people were born with large frames and robust physiques, making them much stronger than ordinary people.

That was a type of physical foundation Talent.

And powerful vigor also counted as a type of Talent.

This reminded Lin Qi of his previous life. There were some people who were full of energy every day, as if they never got tired, even if their bodies weren’t particularly strong.

But even if they only slept five or six hours a day, they could still remain energetic enough to study or work at a high intensity. That was the benefit of having great vigor.

Although embarking on the path of Martial Arts, refining the body, and transcending mortals would also strengthen one’s vigor, the existence of a Talent was what allowed someone to possess abilities stronger than others at the same level.

[Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness] was exactly that. While others might also be First Realm Martial Artists, he would possess vigor and recovery far exceeding theirs.

’Now that I have the [Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness] Talent, my vigor is abundant and my recovery is formidable. I can devote more time to Martial Arts every day without worrying about a drop in efficiency.’

Lin Qi clenched his fists. The exhaustion in his body had completely vanished, and boundless strength surged into his arms. He felt he was in excellent condition.

About ten minutes later, after tidying everything up, Lin Qi lay on his bed and cleared his mind. A thought suddenly popped into his head.

’If [Stomach Enhancement] and [Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness] count as Talents, then does an Awakened Special Ability also count as a Talent?’

’If I keep increasing my Fusion Degree with the Erlang God’s Talent, could I also awaken a Special Ability before the Seventh Realm?’

At this thought, Lin Qi inexplicably began to feel a sense of anticipation.

...

「The next day, at four in the morning.」

Lin Qi opened his eyes, waking up even before his alarm.

He got out of bed, used the toilet, washed up, and left a note for his mom, Fang Huiyi, before heading out with his backpack.

”Celestial Sea City at four in the morning. As expected, no sun!”

Lin Qi mused while riding his bicycle, munching on a compressed biscuit and looking up at the dark sky.

At four in the morning in Celestial Sea City, the sky had yet to brighten, and puddles from last night’s rain were everywhere.

Only a few breakfast stalls and shops at the wet market were already bustling with activity.

At this moment, Lin Qi’s eyes were bright and clear, and he felt full of energy.

’The [Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness] Talent really is powerful. In the past, my body definitely couldn’t handle getting up this early.’

Lin Qi could feel a distinct difference. He usually woke up at five, feeling nothing but tired and drowsy, relying entirely on willpower to get by.

But now it was completely different. He had slept from midnight to four A.M., and in those four hours, he had been in a state of deep sleep the entire time.

...

「At four-thirty, the only person at the gates of No. 2 Middle School was a security guard on the night shift.」

In the darkness, he was stunned for a moment when he saw a student in a school uniform approaching quickly, thinking he was hallucinating.

”Someone’s coming to school to study at four in the morning? Isn’t that taking the grind a little too far?!”

Lin Qi pushed his bicycle onto campus. The sky was faintly beginning to lighten, but it was still dark enough that someone who didn’t know better would think it was nighttime.

He navigated to the Martial Arts Classroom with ease and began to warm up his body.

He couldn’t unlock Jiangtao’s private Martial Arts Room without his fingerprint, so he simply trained in there only at noon and in the evening.

He changed into a new Martial Arts Uniform, Martial Arts Shoes, and socks. Looking at his reflection, Lin Qi felt completely renewed, having finally shed his scrawny ”skinny dog” physique.

With the 200,000 from the third-tier genius loan in hand, plus the 50,000 he won from Yang Lei, he had immediately upgraded his equipment.

He then opened his backpack, took out three Qi and Blood Capsules, and swallowed them in one go, following it with a bottle of Energy Potion.

He could also drink one bottle of Energy Potion per day.

’My Talent and Comprehension are already high enough.’

’I have 250,000 Xia Country Coins on me, which is also enough for now.’

’Next up is to go all-out in raising my Qi and Blood Value, my Spear Technique, and my Body Technique. I’ll aim for a higher ranking and secure my own private Martial Arts Classroom.’

Having set his goals, Lin Qi immediately began his pile-standing, pouring his entire focus into it.

A few moments later, he felt a difference. His body felt like a burning furnace.

His heart pounded rapidly, and the muscles on his body rippled. Torrents of Qi Blood surged through him like a current, tempering his muscles and organs.

Steam began to rise from his entire body.

The First Realm of Martial Arts is Muscle Training. As long as one continuously performs Refinement on the body’s major muscle groups, their physical fitness will improve dramatically.

And today, Lin Qi could clearly feel that the efficiency of this tempering was increasing.

It was faster than ever before!

And the fatigue from practicing the Hunyuan Posture was gone. The longer he stood, the more comfortable he felt.

An hour later

[By practicing the ”Hunyuan Posture,” your Qi and Blood Value has achieved a great breakthrough. Qi Blood +0.3]

[Qi and Blood Value: 7.0→7.4]

...

’With my enhanced Talent, plus the massive amount of resources I consumed, my Qi and Blood Value has also made a huge breakthrough.’

’Today is September 18th. The monthly exam is less than 20 days away. I can push for a Qi and Blood Value of 8.0!’

Lin Qi was delighted. He set his new goal and continued his pile-standing.

Not far away, Chen Zichuan also arrived at the Martial Arts Classroom. When he saw a figure inside, he froze.

’There’s someone who got to the Martial Arts Classroom even earlier than me?’

He glanced at the time. It was only 5:30.

’Someone is actually grinding harder than me!’

As he walked closer, the figure became more and more familiar. Chen Zichuan paused.

’It’s Lin Qi!’

...