Chapter 3: Cultivation

The sky was just growing light, filled with a thin morning mist. A teenager was continuously practicing basic movements—punching and retracting his fists, kicking and pulling back his feet—all while adjusting the force exerted by every muscle in his body.

“Tong’er, come in for breakfast,” came the voice of his mother, Luo Xiaojuan.

Yang Tong, already twelve years old this year, looked as sturdy as a fifteen or sixteen-year-old due to his martial arts training and good nutrition.

Yang Tong walked inside and saw his father and mother already seated at the table.

“Dad, Mom,” Yang Tong greeted them and sat down.

“No school today?” Yang Tong asked in his gruff voice.

“No, the elementary graduation exam is in two days, so school is closed,” Yang Tong replied.

“Oh, I see. Seems you’re quite confident then,” Yang Tong added.

“That’s right. I’m not afraid of the exam. I already possess the strength of a third-level probational Warrior,” Yang Tong said proudly.

“Eat your meal. After eating, come with me to the yard,” Yang Tong said, then fell silent and began to eat.

Yang Tong understood his somewhat rigid father quite well and lowered his head to eat.

After the meal, Mother went to clear the dishes. Yang Tong took his son to the courtyard and said, “Throw a punch at me with all your strength. Let me see.”

Yang Tong nodded. He drew in his waist, sank his hips, and delivered a standard lunge punch, perfectly combining the power from his legs, waist, and arms.

Yang Tong extended a hand and effortlessly caught his son’s punch. Standing completely still, he nodded. “Not bad. You haven’t slacked off these years at school. Your foundation is very solid, and you use your whole body’s strength very harmoniously.”

Yang Tong withdrew his fist. Having prepared himself mentally, he wasn’t particularly discouraged. After all, the gap between a third-level probationary Warrior and a ninth-level one was still quite large.

“Since your foundation is secure, I can now pass down this family’s heritage, the ‘Wind Wolf Fist,’ to you.” Yang Tong adopted a special fist posture and smoothly executed a complete set of fist techniques. Instantly, fist energy stirred the wind, and fist shadows were everywhere, dazzling Yang Tong’s eyes.

After this set of dazzling fist techniques was finished,

Yang Tong spoke. “Whether punching or kicking, you need unity of waist and stance, force channeled in a single line, utilizing the power of your whole body. This kind of force application is called standard force application. It’s something any third-level Warrior must achieve. However, this set of ‘Wind Wolf Fist’ teaches you how to surpass standard force application, making your fist power even stronger, exceeding human limits. But, the existence of a fist technique is not about set routines; it teaches you how to use force. Don’t become rigidly attached to the technique itself. After learning this set, you must carefully comprehend its method of applying force. Then reach its limits, and surpass those limits to create your own martial path.”

Yang Tong was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself, so the purpose of a fist technique is to teach force application. I understand now.

Thanks to Yang Tong’s remarkable comprehension, it took only a single morning for him to learn the entire fist set.

“This ‘Wind Wolf Fist’ is a technique that can amplify standard force by three times. Mastering it completely won’t be easy. I’ve practiced it for twenty years and have only just reached its peak,” Yang Tong said. Then, he took out a strange machine from the ring on his left hand.

The ring was a Storage Ring. Human Artifact Technology had long reached the level of creating separate spatial storage. Such spatial storage items were already widespread, though they remained expensive and not affordable for ordinary families. Yang Tong had long wanted one, but his father said he wouldn’t buy him one until he reached the Apprentice Fifth Level.

“This is a Force Measuring Device. It can measure up to ten times the standard force of an Apprentice Ninth-Level Warrior. Hit it with all your strength to record your data. After adjusting the program, use it to test how much power you can unleash,” Yang Tong said, nodding toward Yang Tong.

Yang Tong tested it himself. One punch delivered a force of three hundred kilograms. This was Yang Tong’s standard force. When he threw a punch using the Wind Wolf Fist’s force application method, the data showed three hundred and ninety kilograms. An amplification of 1.3 times. This data greatly satisfied Yang Tong. “Not bad, reaching 1.3 times already. Back when I first tested it, I only managed 1.2 times.”

Yang Tong now had a more direct understanding of the Wind Wolf Fist’s value. An ordinary Apprentice Ninth-Level Warrior’s standard force burst was around 1000 kilograms. His father had fully mastered this fist technique and could unleash a force exceeding three times that. Even for Yang Tong, if he learned the threefold amplification, his strength could suddenly skyrocket to rival the standard force of an ordinary Apprentice Eighth-Level Warrior.

The entire Wind Wolf Fist set had only twelve moves. They had to be used in a continuous sequence to finally unleash the threefold force. To deliver a single move with three times the standard force, one had to completely master and thoroughly comprehend this method of force application. At that point, any random punch or kick could achieve threefold force, and one would no longer be constrained by the set technique, free to create even stronger fist techniques.

Yang Tong practiced the Wind Wolf Fist set over and over, familiarizing himself with its force application method. Unknowingly, the morning passed, and he only stopped when his mother called him for lunch.

Yang Tong felt somewhat excited. He never imagined that a person’s muscular strength could multiply under such a fist technique.

According to Yang Tong’s understanding, the physical strength of a human could be enhanced through a special vibrational frequency. The fist technique was the concretization of this vibrational frequency, allowing everyone to learn and master it.

This made Yang Tong think of the internal martial arts from Earth. Perhaps they operated on the same principle?

Cultivating this kind of fist art required comprehension. Through repeated practice, one had to perceive its essence and master the vibrational frequency it embodied.

After lunch, Yang Tong immersed himself in it once more.

Yang Tong and Luo Xiaojuan leaned against each other, watching their son practicing in the courtyard.

“Dear, our son seems to have extraordinary enthusiasm and talent for martial arts practice,” Luo Xiaojuan said.

“Hmm, I’ve already noticed. Our son is actually a genius. He’s been exposed to the Wind Wolf Fist for less than a day, yet he’s practicing it so skillfully. He’s already grasped its essence and is starting to try and master it. It took me three whole years to reach that point, and he did it in half a day,” Yang Tong said with great excitement.

Luo Xiaojuan was also an Apprentice Ninth-Level Warrior, though she had rarely gone out to hunt Savage Beasts since having their son. She could certainly understand Yang Tong’s feelings now. “Perhaps our son can become an Awakener! Then we could move to Falling Star City to settle down. We wouldn’t have to live in constant fear here in the county town anymore.”

At this mention, Yang Tong’s expression darkened. “I heard from brothers at the Mercenary Guild recently that the Savage Beasts deep in the Barbarian Wilds seem to be acting strangely. A new Beast Horde Siege might come before long. Fewer and fewer warriors are going out lately. Every household is preparing for battle.”

Hearing this, Luo Xiaojuan couldn’t help but shudder, her face turning somewhat pale. “I hope we can safely survive this tribulation.”