[Spirit Crane Body Lv2 (48/200)] 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

After this fight, the Experience Points for Spirit Crane Body shot up by more than twenty. This was far better than when Lu Yuan trained on his own. When he practiced Spirit Crane Body and then struck himself with a stick, the entire process only yielded two or three Experience Points. Enduring Power King’s storm of attacks was equivalent to several days of grueling training.

After all, it’s nearly a tonne of Fist Strength. When a punch lands, it not only hits the flesh but also stimulates the bone...

Although Spirit Crane Body could, to a certain extent, reflect Lu Yuan’s body tempering progress, it wasn’t, after all, the orthodox Advanced Body Forging. Many of the benefits Lu Yuan gained weren’t fully displayed on the panel.

I’ll use this method in the future, borrowing my opponent’s attacks to help me temper my body. As the saying goes, isn’t getting beaten the fastest way to grow?

But not today...

Lu Yuan rubbed his forearm and several other spots. These were the areas that had most frequently blocked Power King’s attacks, and they were injured down to the bone. He needed to recuperate promptly to prevent chronic injuries from lingering.

Power King must have started Cultivating Bone. His flesh is particularly thick, and his bones are damn hard...

Lu Yuan pushed open the door of the resting room, passed through the public rest area, and went straight to his private one. He recalled the final blow on the contest platform where he used Lv2 Special Burst. He had been afraid the explosive force might kill Power King if it detonated inside him, so he’d deliberately channeled it into the platform instead. It blew a large crater directly into the platform, which was made of high-strength cement. However, the fact that most of Power King’s body could be embedded in it proved his head and body were indeed tough enough. He’s likely reached the stage of Cultivating Bone.

In the various realms of body tempering, aside from significant differences in physical defense, there don’t seem to be clear standards for strength and speed... That’s true; different martial arts Sects have different emphases. For instance, the Crane Sect focuses on speed. Practicing a set of Crane-shaped Pile primarily increases agility. Spirit Crane Body likely does the same. Some martial arts Sects might emphasize strength or defense... Everyone has different strengths. Without a real, no-holds-barred fight, who can say who’s stronger? General power level classifications... are utterly meaningless!

Lu Yuan opened his locker, removed the mask from his face, and placed it inside. The Three-eyed Goat mask was stained with a bit of dust and blood from the previous fight. Lu Yuan took out a tissue and gently wiped it clean, his thoughts wandering.

Feast Eater... The Feast Eater should be somewhat famous in the Night of Boiling by now.

「...」

BANG! BANG!

In the early morning forest, faint, continuous impact sounds could be heard. Gradually, these sounds shifted towards a THUD! THUD! THUD! It sounded as if someone were repeatedly hammering a thick wooden board.

THUD!

Lu Yuan stopped and carefully examined the marks on the trunk of a camphor tree before him. Where he had just struck, the bark was almost completely stripped away, and the underlying trunk was also badly damaged. A few faint, blurred indentations from fingerprints and palm prints were barely visible.

Lu Yuan slowly flexed his fingers and checked his professional panel.

[Your Basic Finger Skill has been improved, Experience Points +4]

[Your Basic Palm Skill has been improved, Experience Points +3]

[Your Crane-shaped Fist has been improved, Experience Points +2]

...

[Job: Fighter Lv6 (534/3200)]

[Basic Professional Skills:

...

Basic Palm Skill Lv4 (524/800)

Basic Finger Skill Lv3 (334/400)

...]

This morning’s training session increased the Experience Points for Basic Finger Skill by over thirty and for Basic Palm Skill by around twenty. Crane-shaped Fist saw the smallest increase, only a single-digit rise in Experience Points—it was an advanced fist technique, after all.

Fortunately, these are only basic skills. With Absolute Focus activated, even practicing on a wooden stake yields a decent amount of Experience Points.

Lu Yuan picked out the wood splinters and fibers from under his fingernails. He brought them close to his nose and sniffed; they had a pleasant, fresh woody scent. Scattered beneath his feet were pieces of bark, wood chips, and camphor leaves that had been shaken loose. The camphor tree before him—one he had deliberately chosen, about the thickness of a person’s embrace—now had a large white patch on its trunk, looking rather pathetic.

I should bring a wooden plank or a metal plate to practice on tomorrow...

A wave of sheepishness and guilt washed over Lu Yuan. If a park ranger saw him damaging the trees like this, he’d definitely be fined. Ultimately, he was too deeply influenced by TV shows and novels. In the shows and novels he’d seen, martial arts protagonists always found a big tree to pummel. The more trees they knocked down, the more awesome they were considered. So, when he came for his morning exercises and saw this camphor forest... he just couldn’t resist.

That Sure-kill Spirit Crane Skill move Qin Feng mastered is related to finger and palm techniques. If I don’t train these two basic skills to the intermediate level, I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to grasp even the rudiments...

Lu Yuan was now practicing from both ends, so to speak. On one hand, he was imitating the "end result"; on the other, he was chasing it from the "starting point." He didn’t know when he would achieve any real success.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air, Lu Yuan stepped out of the camphor forest. He walked along the recreational path beside the woods toward the park exit. A cool sensation washed over him as the gentle breeze blew over his dew-dampened clothes.

It was now 7:15 AM, and quite a few people were out for their morning exercise. As Lu Yuan walked, he gradually broke into a run. While running, he consciously controlled the subtle undulation and rippling of the muscles beneath his tracksuit jacket.

After Special Burst leveled up to Lv2, Lu Yuan’s control over his muscles had improved significantly. He began to explore how to better use this ability. For example... how not to make his muscles look so exaggerated? And how to control the activation intensity of Special Burst? Sometimes the opponents he encountered didn’t all require a threefold burst of strength to defeat. Perhaps 1.5 times, or twice the force, would be enough.

Before he knew it, Lu Yuan had completed the run of over ten kilometers from the forest park to his home. Thanks to his 16-point physique, his expression was normal, and he hadn’t even broken much of a sweat, as if he’d merely taken a stroll around the block.

He bought some beef pies, fried dough sticks, and eggs from a breakfast shop on the next street and began to stroll home. But just as he reached the street corner, he saw from a distance three or four police officers in blue uniforms standing at the entrance of his family’s small shop. A police car was also parked in front of the shop.

What happened?!

Lu Yuan was instantly alarmed. Casting aside all other thoughts, he immediately sprinted over.

However, as he neared the entrance, he saw his mother, Zheng Qiuling, beaming as she held the hand of a middle-aged police officer, her smile so wide it seemed her mouth couldn’t close. She was saying, "...The leaders are really too kind! This is just what we should do as good citizens. How could we possibly accept a reward..."

"Uh..."

While Lu Yuan was still trying to process this, Zheng Qiuling spotted him. Her eyes immediately lit up, and she waved him over. "Yuan, you’re back just in time! Come quickly."

Lu Yuan walked over, keeping his expression neutral. Zheng Qiuling took his hand and cheerfully introduced him, "Quick, say hello to the captain... Captain Ge, this is my son, Lu Yuan. He’s a sophomore in high school this year."

At this moment, Lu Yuan also got a clear look at the man who had been talking to his mother with his back turned. He had a typically square, honest-looking face, with an unreadable, almost-smile.

Who else could it be but Ge Wenjun?

「...」

"Your father, Lu Xinghua, rendered meritorious service by reporting the crime this time," Ge Wenjun began. "The city has decided to select him as this year’s Outstanding Citizen and has also specially approved a reward of 500,000."

While his mother, Zheng Qiuling, was busy attending to customers in the shop, Lu Yuan, feigning obedience, poured tea for Ge Wenjun and spoke to him in a low voice. Lu Yuan poured boiling water into a disposable paper cup already containing tea leaves and handed it to Ge Wenjun.

Hearing Ge Wenjun’s words, Lu Yuan was slightly surprised and couldn’t help asking, "Just for reporting a crime, he gets 500,000? Surely it’s not that simple, is it?"

"Of course, it’s not that simple." Ge Wenjun picked up the teacup, blew gently on the surface, and couldn’t help but praise, "This tea is quite good."

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but purse his lips. Of course it’s good. Mom specially opened the most expensive box of tea in the shop for this.

"It’s mainly to reward your contribution," Ge Wenjun continued. "Since it’s inconvenient for you to show your face, we’ll let your father receive it. By the way, why haven’t I seen your father?"

"He took my grandfather to the countryside. He’s probably on his way back now," Lu Yuan replied casually, mulling over what Ge Wenjun had just said. Then, he tentatively asked, "Was this arranged by Yellow Bear?"

"I knew you must have been in contact with them!" Ge Wenjun’s eyes lit up, his expression clearly saying, ’I knew it.’ "Naturally, these were their instructions. You’re very lucky, and quite outstanding yourself, to have the chance to interact with them, and possibly even join them, at such a young age. Judging by their attitude towards you, they seem to hold you in high regard..."

Ge Wenjun took a sip of hot tea from the paper cup, his voice tinged with unconcealable envy and wistfulness.

"Are they really as good as you say?" Lu Yuan replied calmly, primarily wanting to gauge how much Ge Wenjun actually knew about Yellow Bear.

"They’re far better than I’m making them out to be!" Ge Wenjun put down his paper cup, his expression turning serious as he said to Lu Yuan, "Do you think just anyone gets this kind of opportunity? Back when I was a soldier, they came to recruit. The top soldier in our entire company went for an interview and was still rejected. This time they’ve come, even their most ordinary member has to be treated with utmost respect by the city’s top leaders. So, do you think that’s good or not?"

"Alright, I understand." Lu Yuan glanced towards his mother. Seeing her ecstatic expression, her smile almost reaching her ears, his own gaze softened slightly. He turned back to Ge Wenjun and said, "I can see the benefits. Did they ask you to pass on any other messages to me?"

Lu Yuan recalled Gao Qing’s ’intimidating’ words to him earlier. His eyes flickered as he asked, "They’re not planning to take me away immediately, are they?"

Hearing this, Ge Wenjun paused as he was putting down his teacup and gave Lu Yuan a peculiar look. "How did you know?"

...

「...」

The police car slowly pulled over to the side of the street. Ge Wenjun, who was driving, turned to Lu Yuan, pointed across the street, and said, "It’s in there. You can go in by yourself. I don’t know who’s looking for you either. They just told me to bring you here."

Lu Yuan followed Ge Wenjun’s gesture and looked up. He saw a coffee shop called ’Manke.’ Its entire facade was glass, allowing a view of the people inside drinking coffee. But a quick scan revealed no familiar faces near the windows.

"Alright, I understand."

Lu Yuan nodded, bid Ge Wenjun farewell, then got out of the car and walked alone across the street.

Who from Yellow Bear would specifically come looking for me? As Lu Yuan crossed the road, he pondered briefly. I only know two Yellow Bear Members: Zhou Ling and Gao Qing. Judging from this appointed meeting place... it’s more likely the latter.