Chapter Twenty-Four: Lightning Strike!

Life at the quarry was monotonous yet fulfilling. Day by day, Tang Tian grew more robust as he imitated the others, his upper body taking shape, muscles becoming more defined, gleaming with a dark luster as though brimming with inexhaustible power.

With unwavering focus, Tang Tian's fist glowed faintly white as he struck a stone slab. A crisp crack appeared, a narrow, straight fissure. His fists rained down, blow after blow, upon the stone, splintering it with ever more cracks—each one sharp and straight as if cut by a blade—until, with a final snap, the stone disintegrated into a pile of rubble.

Tang Tian sorted through the debris, picking out any pieces larger than a chestnut and tossing them aside. His mastery of the Minor Shattering Fist was still weak, his strength far inferior to Brother Stone's, so it usually took many punches to break a slab, and the resulting fragments varied in size.

He had witnessed Brother Stone's Minor Shattering Fist: every piece of rubble uniform in size—now that was true mastery.

Envy spurred him on, filling him with determination. The Minor Shattering Fist was far more powerful than the Flash Fist. At third tier, it even incorporated techniques to channel true force, whereas the second-tier Flash Fist relied only on basic power.

By instantaneously vibrating true force, one achieved destruction—this was the so-called “shattering.” The Minor Shattering Fist was unadorned and straightforward, but that did not diminish its might. Its style resembled Shen Yuan’s Iron Palm: it prized force over finesse, its destructive power immense.

When cultivated to a profound level, the Minor Shattering Fist could even harm an opponent from a distance. If the vibration of true force was strong enough, it would cause the air itself to tremble, inflicting injury all the same.

What Tang Tian had not anticipated was how well the Crane Qi Method suited the Minor Shattering Fist. When he channeled the Crane Body to drive the technique, the vibration of true force gained a sharpness akin to the trembling of a blade string. The fissures that resulted when Tang Tian’s fist struck rock were utterly distinct from those of others. Where common practitioners left ragged cracks, his were straight as if hewn by a knife.

His progress with the Minor Shattering Fist was rapid, but he did not neglect the cultivation of the Flash Fist.

His practice of the Flash Fist always occurred beyond the Cross Gate of Light.

Tang Tian entered the gate once more, wasting no time for rest before beginning his training.

Having perfected the Flash Fist, the requirement of two hundred thousand repetitions was no longer much of a challenge for him—though the process was excruciatingly dull and arduous.

Each session of rigorous training lasted ten days. In those ten days, no one spoke; there was only the continual sound of fists being thrown, and even rest was a precious rarity. By the final days, both mind and body were exhausted to the brink of collapse.

Tang Tian’s fists moved with lightning speed, flickering in and out of sight, elusive and unpredictable.

By day, he had been shattering rocks with the Minor Shattering Fist; he could feel his own progress, especially his arm strength, which was markedly improved. The ancient, forceful style of the Minor Shattering Fist gradually infused his Flash Fist with a trace of ferocity.

Fluttering agility and brutal power—two utterly different styles—were quietly merging within him.

Sweat coursed down his body in winding streams, heavy breaths mingling with the sound of fists cleaving the air, while the numbers on the gate behind him ticked steadily onward.

399,999.

400,000!

Abruptly, the heavy breathing and the rush of fists fell silent. In the ensuing stillness, a long inhalation was suddenly heard. It was just a breath, yet it carried an edge as sharp as a blade!

Tang Tian stood unmoving, a cold, steely glint flashing in his eyes. In that instant, he was like a beast poised to spring.

The sound of inhalation ceased abruptly.

Tang Tian’s figure vanished like a specter.

A blinding silver streak, bright as lightning, tore through the air. The sudden flare illuminated everything in sight, an aura of unstoppable force sending chills down one’s spine.

The silver lightning crashed into the fog at the edge of the clearing.

Boom!

In a heartbeat, Tang Tian’s true force was utterly depleted. His eyes went wide as the onrushing shockwave slammed into him before he could react, flinging him through the air. He crashed into the opposite wall of fog and bounced back to the ground.

Flat on his back, limbs splayed wide, Tang Tian lay helpless and spent, unable to muster the strength to lift a finger. He simply lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, sweat pouring off him until a puddle formed beneath his body.

At last, he had succeeded—

The Flash Fist’s killing move: “Lightning Strike”!

Exhausted, his eyelids grew impossibly heavy and he drifted into sleep.

For the first time, he slept behind the Gate of Light.

As Tang Tian slept, he failed to notice that when he unleashed “Lightning Strike,” a palm-sized golden card appeared on the gate. The card depicted Tang Tian standing with his fist raised, a grim expression on his face. At his feet, the words “Flash Fist” were inscribed.

Who knows how much time passed before Tang Tian slowly awoke, glanced at the gate, and was startled—his training session was nearly over!

He barely had time to get up before everything swirled before his eyes and he found himself back in the real world.

“Oi, Basic Tang, get up! Time to get to work!” The thin wooden door was no match for Amory’s booming voice.

“Coming, coming!” Tang Tian scrambled up, not even bothering to wash his face before dashing out the door.

Another day began.

Each day was full and satisfying.

Gradually, Tang Tian began to discern a pattern to the Gate of Light. Whether it was the influence of the Southern Cross, he could not say, but the gate and the number “ten” shared a peculiar connection. The gate would open on the tenth day, and one session lasted ten days. If his training was especially productive, he could even choose when to begin the next session.

After each round, Tang Tian needed about ten days to recover his strength and spirit. Ten days of intense training was also about his limit.

Thanks to these grueling sessions, his Minor Shattering Fist improved at lightning speed, but his greatest progress was in the Crane Qi Method. His Crane Body’s outline became clearer, the fine meridians within expanding to more than twice their original size.

With the Crane Body doubled in capacity, Tang Tian discovered another benefit: the efficiency of refining true force improved dramatically.

The refined true force slowly crystallized along the outer wall of his third-tier dantian pool, gradually thickening the pool’s walls.

The capacity of his third-tier dantian was steadily increasing.

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Night was as clear as water. Everyone gathered around the fire, roasting meat and drinking wine. Quarry work was dull and grueling, so evening was their rare chance to unwind.

Over time, Tang Tian and Amory found that, despite their fierce appearances, these burly men were all quite good-natured. The two of them, thick-skinned as ever, joined in for food and drink. Their outgoing, exuberant personalities quickly won them a place among the group.

The firelight danced on their faces, casting shifting shadows.

“Brother Stone, what did you do before?” Tang Tian asked curiously.

Stone gave a simple, honest smile. “I used to do odd jobs, nothing special.”

“No way, Brother Stone, you’re so skilled!” Tang Tian was unconvinced. To him, Brother Stone’s strength was truly astonishing.

He suspected Brother Stone was at least fourth tier, perhaps even fifth—he wouldn’t have been surprised. In Starwind City, ordinary jobs required only second-tier strength, while third tier could secure a very good position. As for fourth tier, well, the captain of the city guard was said to be fourth tier.

Besides him, only a handful of the top academies had experts above fourth tier. In Starwind City, any student who reached fourth tier enjoyed privileges surpassing most teachers. Fourth-tier teachers were rare indeed, not just in Starwind City but on the whole of Martial Peace Star.

Anyone with fourth-tier strength would choose to seek their fortune in bigger places. As for those prodigies who reached fourth tier at a young age, they would never remain in such a small place for life—if they didn’t venture out, they’d enroll in a greater constellation and pursue advanced study at a higher academy.

Fifth tier and above—Tang Tian had never even seen such power.

Brother Stone and his companions were so formidable that Tang Tian was certain: if Shen Yuan from that day had faced Brother Stone, he wouldn’t have lasted ten moves.

Amory, meanwhile, was already so drunk he couldn’t tell north from south. His hearty nature made him popular with the group. Even Tang Tian, a fanatic for physical training, seemed a frail sprout compared to these men.

Brother Stone laughed, taking a deep swig, a trace of drunkenness in his eyes. “Hope your words come true, Little Tian. By the way, why did you choose to become a close-combat specialist?”

“Old Wei suggested it. He said I’m fierce—well-suited for brawling. He even said women would like someone good at close combat…” Tang Tian scratched his head.

Brother Stone choked on his drink, his face turning red.

“Did Old Wei lie to me?” Tang Tian stared, wide-eyed.

Brother Stone’s face grew even redder. After a while, clutching his belly, he straightened up, his expression odd. “I guarantee, Old Wei didn’t lie!”

“Hmph, if he did, he’s dead meat!” Tang Tian declared fiercely.

Stone’s laughter faded. He grew serious. “But becoming a close-combat specialist is hard—no, extremely hard.”

Tang Tian shook his head, just as earnest. “I’m not afraid. As long as I can become stronger, no hardship or fatigue will stop me. I made a promise to Qianhui—to go to Perseus and find her, and then together, we’ll set out for the Heavenly Road.”

Stone’s expression froze on his face. After a moment, he sighed and set down his bottle. “Little Tian, I don’t object to you going to Perseus, but if you plan to venture onto the Heavenly Road, I suggest you have at least fifth-tier strength.”

“Fifth tier?” Tang Tian was taken aback, but quickly nodded. “Alright. I’ll remember.”