Chapter 144 – The Trap

A vast martial arts room.

Three of the walls were simply adorned with the character for “Crane,” while the fourth wall was entirely made of floor-to-ceiling windows.

The early morning sunlight streamed through the glass, bathing the white cushion-covered floor in a golden glow.

Lu Yuan stood in the center of the room, his feet slightly apart, arms naturally hanging by his sides, with a calm expression on his face.

He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of loose white martial arts pants, tied at the waist with a black cloth belt.

His eyes were closed, and his breathing was as serene and long as drifting clouds.

The muscles on Lu Yuan’s body moved rhythmically with his breathing, undulating beneath his skin.

His pale skin occasionally bulged, highlighting thick veins and muscles taut as iron.

It was as if a large rat was darting and scurrying beneath his flesh.

At a certain point, Lu Yuan’s entire body suddenly expanded, his height surging rapidly to nearly two meters.

His skin turned a bluish-black, with veins like tree roots winding beneath it, and his limbs thick and solid like steel pillars.

The muscles in his chest stretched to the limit, looking like tightly pulled steel wires.

“Whoosh—”

Lu Yuan suddenly punched.

The moment his fist struck, a deep, thunderous sound echoed through the empty room.

This was immediately followed by a series of rapid, consecutive blasts, as if something was being crazily pulverized.

A visible ring of white shockwaves spread swiftly from Lu Yuan’s fist.

When the punch was fully extended, the air at the tip of his fist seemed to twist and shoot forward.

“Crash—”

The large floor-to-ceiling window directly in front of Lu Yuan shattered, with shards of glass clattering to the ground.

In an instant, Lu Yuan moved to the window.

Looking down, he saw the calm lake below, with only a few white egrets flapping their wings and flying away, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Whoosh—crack—”

In less than a second, his swollen figure deflated, returning to normal.

A thin layer of sweat had formed on his pale skin, making it appear especially delicate.

“My punching power is now eight tons?”

Lu Yuan casually picked up a white towel from the floor and carefully wiped the sweat off his body.

It had been ten days since he returned from Weishan.

Unbeknownst to him, Lu Yuan’s strength had undergone another significant transformation.

He pulled up his panel information.

[Name: Lu Yuan]

[Age: 17]

[Strength Points: 17]

[Agility Points: 18]

[Constitution Points: 19]

[Intelligence Points: 17]

[Profession: Martial Artist lv7 (2293/6400)]

[Spirit Crane Body lv3 (379/400)]

[Ten Thousand Refined Body lv2 (178/200)]

[Steel Bones lv2 (145/200)]

[Ten Thousand Refined Crane Bone Technique lv2 (13/200)]

His Four Basic Attributes showed that both his strength points and constitution points had increased by one.

These two points of improvement mainly came from breaking through with the Ten Thousand Refined Body.

Unlike the Spirit Crane Body, which focused on agility, the Ten Thousand Refined Body primarily enhanced strength.

The one-point increase in strength brought Lu Yuan’s basic boxing power to over two tons. When he activated lv3 [Special Exertion], his punching power instantly soared to over eight tons.

And this was not even Lu Yuan’s limit.

The upper limit of the strength increase from lv3 [Special Exertion] had not yet been reached, with his constitution greatly limiting the full extent of his strength.

“Even so, it’s enough to sweep through most opponents at the martial artist master level…”

Lu Yuan had tested this in his Consciousness Space.

Among the direct disciples of the Crane Style, except for Zhao Qiancheng, who had practiced inner strength throughout his entire body and was on the verge of breaking through to the True Intent Realm, none of the other direct disciples were his match.

With his terrifying physical strength, as long as he touched any of the direct disciples, the fight was basically over.

After all, before reaching the full mastery of the martial artist master level, it was impossible for inner strength to cover the entire body, and the inner strength they had was too thin to defend against such pure blunt force attacks.

“This is what true brute strength looks like…”

Lu Yuan now understood why Liu Daoyuan valued his Palace of Flesh talent so highly and why he said that if the Palace of Flesh was developed to its fullest, even if he didn’t reach the Grandmaster level, he could still contend with a Grandmaster.

Indeed, if this strength continued to grow, reaching twenty tons, thirty tons, or even higher, a casual punch would be equivalent to a high-speed collision with a super-heavy truck. A Grandmaster was still human; they couldn’t withstand that.

“However, an ordinary Palace of Flesh might not be able to bear the backlash of twenty to thirty tons of force. Ultimately, constitution is the foundation…”

Thinking of this, he instinctively glanced at the new lv2 Steel Bones skill on his panel.

This skill came from the body training techniques of the Steel Bone Sect, which Lu Yuan had already trained to lv2 and had even fused into the Ten Thousand Refined Crane Bone Technique.

“My constitution is already much higher than that of most martial artist masters who have completed Organ Training. I can still increase it by one point. The breakthrough in the Ten Thousand Refined Body alone wouldn’t be enough; it’s probably also due to the upgrade in Steel Bones…”

In his Consciousness Space, Lu Yuan had attempted to immerse his consciousness in all the Crane Style experts enveloped by Liu Daoyuan.

He found that his current physique was no less than that of these ancient martial arts masters. Although there was still a gap in the precision of his training, in some aspects, he even surpassed them.

“Thump, thump! Thump, thump!”

Now, as long as Lu Yuan concentrated slightly, he could clearly hear the drum-like beating of his heart in his chest.

The sound of blood flowing through his veins, like the ebb and flow of tides, was also audible.

He once regarded the physiques of Lin Zhiqin and Qin Feng, which were like precisely engineered machines, as his goal.

But as he progressed, he unknowingly deviated from the normal path of a martial artist. His Martial Body began to develop in the direction of some of the top predators in nature.

“In the future, could I become comparable to a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus, a humanoid beast?”

Lu Yuan stopped wiping his body and casually tossed the white towel onto the floor, deep in thought. “Another path to extraordinary physical prowess?”

In fact, as his constitution points neared the twenty-point threshold, Lu Yuan increasingly sensed the changes in his body.

His senses were becoming sharper, and his intuition during fights was growing stronger.

It was as if… layer by layer, the shackles placed on his body were being unlocked, and the instincts dormant within him were continually awakening.

“I wonder what changes occur at the True Intent Realm for a martial artist. It’s a pity my teacher’s body was left in such a poor state by others; his condition offers too little insight…”

Lu Yuan rummaged through a corner and found a crimson Bone-Tempering Pill, which he casually tossed into his mouth.

He then walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling window, calmly gazing into the distance.

This was a premium member club of the Yuan Martial Arts Gym, open only to select premium members.

Located on a hillside just outside of Jiaoyan City, the environment was serene and secluded.

From his current position on the top floor, he could overlook the entire city of Jiaoyan in the distance.

The effects of the Bone-Tempering Pill quickly began to manifest.

Unlike before, this time Lu Yuan’s skin merely turned slightly red and warm.

He remained still, simply standing there.

However, the inner strength within him began to activate, complementing the effects of the Bone-Tempering Pill and continuously tempering his entire skeletal system.

A series of faint, subtle cracking sounds could be heard.

The body training techniques of the Steel Bone Sect were quite peculiar, specifically targeting the Bone Training Level.

Additionally, one needed to first cultivate Steel Bone Strength to proceed further.

“It’s as if a specific section was extracted from a broader cultivation technique.

I suspect that when the Holy Fist Sect split, the Steel Bone Sect only managed to seize the bone training portion of the Heavenly Domineering Physique…”

Lu Yuan speculated.

The Steel Bone Strength that accompanied the Steel Bone Sect’s body training techniques was unremarkable, presenting itself outwardly like needles, causing a stinging pain to opponents.

Its penetrating power was even less than that of the Crane Technique, being somewhat too soft.

However, for internal bone training, its effects were exceptionally good, as if it were a type of inner strength specifically designed for body training.

“The Heavenly Domineering Physique is reputed to be the number one body training technique in the martial arts world, perhaps because it follows a path of invulnerability through rigorous physical training. The inner strength’s effect isn’t for combat but solely for strengthening the body, which makes sense…”

Even though Steel Bone Strength itself was rather mediocre, incorporating a new type of inner strength did slightly improve the overall quality of Lu Yuan’s inner strength.

The Ten Thousand Refined Crane Bone Technique was now even more formidable than the original Ten Thousand Refined Crane Technique.

However, the experience points were accumulating a bit slowly…

“For the time being, I’ll refrain from integrating new inner strengths. Otherwise, my inner strength might remain stuck at lv2 forever, making it extremely difficult to break through to the martial artist master level…”

The integrated Ten Thousand Refined Crane Bone Technique manifested in needle-like forms, combining the tenacity of Steel Bone Strength with the robustness of the Ten Thousand Refined Technique and the penetration of Crane Power. This technique moved along every inch of his bones, proving to be far more effective for Bone Training than the original Steel Bone Strength.

When inner strength reached a certain concentration, it could become visible on the skin.

Lu Yuan had seen this in individuals like the “Northern Eagle King,” whom he had previously defeated, and the direct disciples of the crane style in his Consciousness Space.

Most of them exhibited white inner strength.

However, Lu Yuan felt that his Ten Thousand Refined Crane Bone Technique might differ, appearing darker in color, though the exact shade was uncertain.

After fully digesting the Bone-Tempering Pill, Lu Yuan exhaled impure air and gradually dissipated his inner strength.

By this time, the sun had risen high, filling the entire martial arts room with sunlight.

In another two hours, without drawing the curtains and turning on the air conditioning, the room would become a giant steamer.

Lu Yuan quickly tidied up, put on his clothes, and left the martial arts room.

The training room Qin Feng had arranged for him was on the top floor of this martial arts gym. He took the elevator down to the second-floor dining room.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator and walked a few steps, he collided head-on with a staff member wearing the gym’s uniform.

“Sorry, sorry…”

The clumsy girl repeatedly bowed and apologized, her ponytail bouncing vigorously, making it impossible to see her face clearly.

Lu Yuan felt a bit speechless and called out.

“Lu Jing.”

The apologizing girl immediately froze, then straightened up to reveal her face it was indeed Lu Jing.

“Not fun… I was hoping to trick you.”

Lu Jing pouted and mumbled.

Then, still a bit unwilling to give up, she tugged at her hair and asked Lu Yuan.

“How did you recognize me? I just did my hair and even used a clip…”

“I could smell you.”

Lu Yuan responded casually, then scrutinized Lu Jing’s clothes and hair, frowning, “What clip? I don’t see any clip on you.”

“This clip1, Lu Yuan~”

Lu Jing suddenly pinched her voice, replying in a saccharine and cloying tone.

Lu Yuan’s martial body, honed through body training, trembled slightly, the hairs on his arms standing on end and his eyelids twitching.

After a brief silence, he said, “Let’s eat; I’m hungry.”

“You’re such a boring straight guy!” Lu Jing scolded him.

…

Lu Yuan found a random corner seat in the dining room.

At the martial arts gym, his meals were prepared by a designated nutritionist, so he didn’t need to order. Someone would naturally bring the food to him shortly.

Lu Jing tagged along to get a free meal.

While Lu Jing went to get drinks, Lu Yuan watched her back, his gaze gradually softening.

Lu Jing’s current state was much better than when she had just returned.

She had gained some weight, looked healthier, and even took the time to style her hair. She was in good enough spirits to joke with Lu Yuan…

It seemed she had completely moved on from the shadows of the archaeological team.

“I can stand in the rain, but the people around me… must have sunshine above their heads,” Lu Yuan thought calmly.

“Here, for you!” Lu Jing soon returned, holding two bottles of drinks, handing one to Lu Yuan.

She knew Lu Yuan’s tastes very well.

Gradually, the dining room staff brought various dishes to their table, filling it up in no time.

Lu Yuan and Lu Jing felt no need for formalities with each other and started eating right away.

“I’ve realized that eating with you now is actually pretty nice,” Lu Jing said suddenly, mid-meal.

“Hmm?” Lu Yuan looked up slightly, “Why do you say that?”

“Because you used to be so picky, never eating this or that…” Lu Jing said, stuffing a chopstick-full of some unknown dish into her mouth, squinting her eyes in delight. “But now, you’re like a food vacuum, eating everything. Eating with you means I get to try all sorts of dishes without worrying about waste. Ah, too spicy, too spicy…”

“…”

Footnote:

1. Clip(夹子): In Chinese, the term “夹子” (jiāzi), which literally means “clip,” is used metaphorically to describe a way some girls speak. It refers to a high-pitched, sharp, and somewhat mechanical tone, as if their voice is being clipped or pinched.