Chapter 139 – Skill Fusion, Apprenticeship Banquet

The “Ten Thousand Refined Domain Breaking Technique” approach to body training is actually quite simple: it uses muscles to pull on the skin membrane, compressing bones and even the Five Viscera to achieve a full-body Tempering Effect.

In this process, the practitioner’s muscles also receive significant training, complementing each other.

Of course, while the principle is simple, executing it is incredibly difficult.

Except for the rare few with the innate talent for muscle control, like the owners of the Palace of Flesh, most people find it nearly impossible to practice according to the described method.

It’s akin to how some people can easily turn the back of their hand up and raise a single ring finger, while others can never accomplish it no matter how hard they try.

For Lu Yuan, whose muscle control ability had reached the pinnacle with Level 3 special exertion, practicing the initial layers of the “Ten Thousand Refined Domain Breaking Technique” was as easy as eating and drinking.

Suddenly, the well-built muscles on Lu Yuan’s chest deeply caved in, as if an invisible hand was fiercely pressing on him.

Then it happened at another spot.

More and more.

Increasingly dense.

The surface of Lu Yuan’s skin continuously caved in and then bounced back up, repeating this process.

It looked as if numerous invisible fingers were wildly poking and pressing on him.

Sometimes, the indentations grew larger, and his whole body’s muscles slowly undulated like waves.

During this process, a thin layer of light red blood mixed with sweat oozed from his skin, trickling down.

Due to the constant motion of his muscles, this blood and sweat couldn’t linger long on his skin.

It just kept washing down in waves.

“Hu—”

Lu Yuan suddenly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, stopping his training completely.

“Not bad.”

Lu Yuan briefly assessed the results of his first training session.

He discovered that his skin had become slightly stronger, seemingly more resilient and smoother.

This was a secondary Tempering of the skin membrane, something the Spirit Crane Body didn’t cover.

Additionally, his strength seemed to have increased.

Perhaps it was because the constant muscle movement during training subjected his entire body to a high-intensity workout.

But this was just a feeling.

Lu Yuan’s basic boxing power now reached an impressive 1.5 tons, making fluctuations of three to five pounds in strength practically imperceptible to him.

“Let’s see if there’s any change in the professional panel.”

Lu Yuan brought up his [martial artist] professional panel.

As expected, under the advanced professional skills section, there was a new skill—[Ten Thousand Refined Body Level 1 (17/100)].

Like the Spirit Crane Body, it was a legitimate advanced body training technique.

“This proves that the ‘Ten Thousand Refined Domain Breaking Technique’ is indeed practicable and beneficial for me.”

Checking the time, Lu Yuan saw that it was only slightly past 1 a.m. He contemplated whether to continue practicing the Ten Thousand Refined Body for a bit longer.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

Cultivating the Spirit Crane Body produces Crane Power, so could training the Ten Thousand Refined Body stimulate the production of a corresponding new inner strength?

Once this thought emerged, it began to spread uncontrollably in Lu Yuan’s mind.

Inner strength is unique to martial artists and is a supplementary product naturally generated when the body’s potential is tapped to a certain level.

When inner strength is applied to fists and feet, it can significantly enhance the destructive power and speed of attacks.

When spread through the skin and flesh, it greatly increases the body’s defense power.

A martial artist with inner strength is on a completely different level than one without.

In some sense, the presence or absence of inner strength is the true standard for judging whether a martial artist has reached the entry level.

Xiang Lei’s notes also detailed methods and techniques for stimulating inner strength.

Lu Yuan began to try.

With a constitution value of 18 points, his attributes and skills had improved significantly, making him a different person from when he first took the direct disciple assessment.

Under the Level 3 [absolute concentration] state, he easily stimulated the inner strength of the Ten Thousand Refined Body after just two attempts.

“Hu—hu—”

Lu Yuan attached this trace of inner strength to his palm and swung it around casually.

It emitted a low, dull sound like a blunt object cutting through the air.

The feeling was completely different from using Crane Power.

“Crane Power is agile and possesses strong penetrative power. The inner strength of the Ten Thousand Refined Body, on the other hand, has a majestic and robust quality.”

Lu Yuan realized the significant differences between the inner strengths cultivated through the Legacy of different martial arts styles.

The disparity between styles is not just in the martial arts techniques themselves but primarily in the inner strength they produce.

“Bang!”

Lu Yuan suddenly punched forward, producing a deep, resonant boom in the air.

The sound was like a drumbeat.

He had just activated the killer move [Crane Shadow Float] from the Spirit Crane Technique, but he used the inner strength of the Ten Thousand Refined Body.

The result was a completely different effect.

“When [Crane Shadow Float] is driven by Crane Power, it’s swift and sharp, aiming to defeat the enemy in one strike.

When driven by the inner strength of the Ten Thousand Refined Body, it presents a majestic and crushing force!”

Lu Yuan glanced at the [martial artist] panel and saw a new entry, [Ten Thousand Refined Technique Level 1 (23/100)].

He couldn’t definitively say which of the two types of inner strength was stronger; each had its own strengths and victories.

“Unfortunately, only one type of inner strength can be activated at a time, adding only a bit of variety in combat tactics.”

The activation of inner strength relies on the instantaneous compression and collision between muscles, bones, and skin membranes.

Different inner strengths have different activation methods.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh, “If only I could activate both at the same time.”

Whether it was the swift penetration of Crane Power or the majestic force of the Ten Thousand Refined Technique, he wanted both.

As soon as this thought emerged, a message prompt appeared on the professional panel.

[The [martial artist] panel has skills that meet fusion conditions. Fuse them?]

Lu Yuan blinked and instinctively replied, “Yes.”

Immediately, he saw [Ten Thousand Refined Technique Level 1] and [Crane Power Level 3] disappear simultaneously.

A new skill quickly appeared—

[Ten Thousand Refined Crane Technique Level 2 (0/200)]

At the same time, a completely new understanding merged into Lu Yuan’s mind, containing techniques and methods for activating this new inner strength.

It differed from the methods of separately activating the Ten Thousand Refined Technique or Crane Power.

“That actually worked!”

Lu Yuan was hit with immense joy and immediately tried to activate the inner strength.

Within his flesh, muscles, and skin, a new type of inner strength emerged, possessing both the penetration and swiftness of Crane Power and the majesty and robustness of the Ten Thousand Refined Technique.

“Have it all!”

The new Ten Thousand Refined Crane Technique had nearly half the total amount of the original Crane Power, but its quality was much higher than either Crane Power or the Ten Thousand Refined Technique.

“Let’s test the Effect of this new inner strength!”

Excited, Lu Yuan closed his eyes, activated [Imaginary Enemy], and entered the Consciousness Space.

Five minutes later.

Inside the Consciousness Space.

The second floor of the Yuan Martial Arts Gym was in complete disarray.

At the end of a corridor, as if ravaged by a demolition crew, Lu Yuan lifted Qin Feng with one arm, his five fingers tightly gripping Qin Feng’s neck, pinning him firmly against the concrete wall.

A large hole had been smashed into the wall behind Qin Feng as he struggled feebly.

“Utterly devastating!”

Lu Yuan exhaled slowly, a mysterious glow flickering across his face.

The power of the Ten Thousand Refined Crane Technique far exceeded his expectations.

Combined with Level 3 [Special Exertion], he easily and overwhelmingly crushed Qin Feng, who ranked in the lower-middle tier among The Nine Sons of Crane Style, without exerting his full strength!

“And this is without having completed Organ Training, with the new Ten Thousand Refined Crane Technique only at Level 2. If it gets even stronger…”

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and murmured, “Perhaps I could challenge my teacher.”

“Crack.”

He casually snapped Qin Feng’s neck, watching the light in his eyes quickly fade away.

The shadow that had long haunted Lu Yuan’s heart was now completely dispelled.

Lu Yuan looked at his hands, his eyes flickering with thought.

The fusion of two types of inner strength was already so powerful.

What if there were three types, Four Types, Five Types, or even more?

One day, could he create an unparalleled inner strength that was unmatched in the heavens and on earth?!

Could he truly elevate the [martial artist] panel to an “extraordinary” level, on par with any extraordinary power?!

No matter what, Lu Yuan had gained a new trump card.

A new ace up his sleeve!

Lu Jing was wearing a traditional Chinese long dress, which had been rushed overnight by the people at Linghexuan.

The dress was very beautiful, perfectly fitted, and made of high-quality materials.

Standing under the giant luminous sign of “Yuehaitian,” she attracted many admiring glances from passersby.

However, Lu Jing felt a nervousness she couldn’t quite explain.

She didn’t know where to place her hands and feet; her palms were sweaty from being tightly clasped together.

Finally, she saw three familiar figures in her line of sight.

Lu Jing breathed a sigh of relief. The people she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“Xinlei, Xue Jian!”

Lu Jing quickly walked towards the three, smiling and nodding at the tall, somewhat unfamiliar young man among them.

“Lu Jing, you look beautiful today!”

Wu Xinlei couldn’t help but compliment Lu Jing as soon as they met, making Lu Jing feel quite embarrassed.

She kept inviting the three into the restaurant to hide her shyness and awkwardness.

Inside the restaurant, the hall on the first floor was crowded and bustling with guests clinking glasses and toasting each other.

The second floor was just as lively.

“I looked up Yuehaitian, and it’s supposed to be the highest-end restaurant in Weishan. I’ve heard the average spending per person exceeds a thousand.”

The glasses-wearing man following behind them adjusted his black-framed glasses and couldn’t help but marvel, “I didn’t expect business to be so good. People in Weishan must be really wealthy.”

Lu Jing hesitated for a moment and then explained softly, “Tonight, the restaurant’s first to third floors have been booked by Xiao Yuan’s sect. The first two floors are free, but the third floor is the real guest banquet, and you need an invitation to enter.”

“So wealthy?!”

The glasses-wearing man and Wu Xinlei were both taken aback.

“Lu Jing, what kind of sect did Lu Yuan join that’s so rich?”

Lu Jing didn’t speak, but Sun Zhihua, standing beside her, spoke calmly, “The major sects in ancient martial arts value grand displays. This is nothing. Years ago, my father and I attended an apprenticeship banquet of a top sect in Xiabang, and they had a banquet that stretched for an entire street, lasting seven days and seven nights.”

“Wow.”

The glasses-wearing man had his mouth slightly open, a bit stunned.

Wu Xinlei, who came from a well-off family, wasn’t as shocked but was still surprised.

The four of them went straight up to the third floor.

Compared to the floors below, the setting here was much more formal.

At the entrance of the banquet hall stood a line of handsome men and beautiful women, all wearing matching uniforms with the character “Crane” prominently displayed on their clothing.

A middle-aged man with a short ponytail and a friendly smile greeted each arriving guest.

Beside him, a young man with puffed cheeks was loudly announcing names, all of which were names of various “xx martial arts gyms” and “xx Martial Arts Gyms.”

Congratulatory flower baskets nearly filled the entire staircase leading to the third floor.

Lu Jing led the three of them over, and without needing an invitation, they smoothly entered the banquet hall.

They casually found a table to sit at, and Sun Zhihua suddenly spoke up, “This sect is quite impressive. Even the greeters at the door are experts.”

Wu Xinlei blinked but, knowing her boyfriend’s usual behavior, didn’t ask further.

Instead, she turned to Lu Jing and asked, “Lu Jing, where’s Lu Yuan?”

Lu Jing stood up and looked around briefly before pointing in a direction, “There, over there!”

The group followed Lu Jing’s pointing finger.

Soon, a tall figure came into view.