Chapter 170: 159 Approach

“True or false… false or true.” Zhang Rongfang put these thoughts aside, “Forget it, let’s test the current state of the body again, see how long it can endure the critical state.”

With the newly added attribute point, after breaking through the Golden Core, his life limit increased from 42 to 45.

“Void Observation Skill truly lives up to being the most cost-effective way to increase life points. If I simply use attribute points to increase life, it’d only add one point at a time, losing countless life in vain.”

He steadied his mind.

Zhang Rongfang raised his hand, his ten fingertips facing each other in front of him, forming a triangular gap.

He then inhaled deeply.

Closed his eyes.

In an instant, he suddenly opened his eyes.

“Critical!”

With the vibration of his voice through his entire body, something swift and wondrous happened inside Zhang Rongfang.

A large amount of qi and blood was compressed and divided into two parts.

One part concentrated in his upper body for the explosion of the Heavy Mountain Limit-Breaking Skill focused on the torso.

The other part concentrated in his legs for the muscular explosion of Shrinking Step.

Bang!!

The ground was fiercely stomped into a depression.

Zhang Rongfang’s muscles swelled all over, his speed so fast, it was nearly like a phantom, rushing out several meters, striking a wooden stake with his palm.

Crunch, the wooden stake broke with a sound, flew out, and lodged into the rear wall.

This wooden stake, which had undergone many tests, finally reached the end of its days, completely done.

Yet in the critical state, Zhang Rongfang showed no change, his form still expanded slightly.

His height went from just reaching 1.9 meters to about 1.95 meters.

His skin color was flushed with blood, as he stood firm constantly executing one Flame Emperor Talisman after another.

As the qi and blood circulated rapidly, the surface of Zhang Rongfang’s skin also started to slowly climb with blood vessels.

His facial veins stood out distinctly, hideous and unusual.

His body temperature rapidly increased as time went on, soon soaring above 40 degrees.

This temperature, which for ordinary people would count as a fever, appeared completely normal on him.

In fact, even for ordinary athletes, during intense exercise, their internal temperature can reach forty degrees.

At this moment, Zhang Rongfang sensed that the Golden Core inside his Dantian seemed to act like a heartbeat, sharing part of the qi and blood’s agitation.

In the human body, the heart is the driver of all qi and blood, like the engine of a car.

A strong heart means strong qi and blood propulsion.

Thus, a person’s explosive power and endurance depend on their heart.

Yet very few understand that the heart is also made of muscle.

The so-called myocardium refers to this.

All cultivation techniques in martial arts focus on increasing the load on the myocardium.

This is done by squeezing the myocardium to unleash stronger qi and blood, supporting the body’s kinetic energy.

But cultivation of literature is different.

In literature cultivation, stillness is primary, movement secondary, with nourishing and repairing the myocardium as a priority.

“Therefore, muscles are the most important component of the body. In reality, exercising muscles involves not only training the external limbs, but also the internal organ muscles.”

Zhang Rongfang realized.

He faintly felt that this so-called Golden Core seemed to be a tangible thing.

An additional growth of a second heart.

Just as in modern science, some also refer to a person’s calf as the body’s second blood pump.

Due to planetary gravity, human blood tends to fall significantly, gathering in the lower half.

The calf is a key area of blood accumulation.

Checking if someone’s qi and blood is sluggish can be done by pinching the calves.

If someone has good qi and blood circulation, their calves will be soft, warm, and elastic. Poor circulation often makes them hard, taut, and painful to pinch.

Zhang Rongfang at this moment felt that the Golden Core was sharing some functions of the heart. Continually propelling qi and blood in his body, accelerating circulation.

Not long after, he slowly stopped moving, standing still.

Time slipped away second by second, and soon it was twenty seconds past.

Yet Zhang Rongfang still did not feel any stinging in the heart.

Clearly, the breakthrough of the Golden Core had significantly enhanced his body’s endurance.

He continued to wait, to see where his limit was.

In the blink of an eye, another twenty seconds passed, the body remained unscathed.

But Zhang Rongfang faintly felt a heavy burden in his chest.

Another fifteen seconds….

He vaguely sensed his breath quickening, the burden in his chest growing stronger.

Hiss….

Finally, a few seconds later, he completely released the agitation of qi and blood.

He withdrew from the critical state.

He glanced at the timing clock hanging on the wall.

“One minute…. absolutely must not exceed one minute…. From twenty seconds to a minute, the progress speed is truly formidable!”

Zhang Rongfang admired in his heart.

The effect of the Nine-Turn Golden Core is indeed extraordinary.

He stood in place, slowly inhaling, exhaling, waiting for the body to recover.

About ten minutes later, he felt his body regain lightness.

He then began the next item.

“Let’s try again with stacking.”

Qi and blood accelerated once more, Zhang Rongfang instantly entered the Heavy Mountain state.

Then immediately, one second later, he again forced his heart for a second explosion.

This was the double Heavy Mountain.

“Can still withstand!” Zhang Rongfang felt joy in his heart.

Without hesitation, he executed the third Heavy Mountain.

Puff!!

In a flash, he felt light, all qi and blood flowed wildly, the triple stacking of Heavy Mountain compressed his muscles into a short, tense state.

Just waiting for an instant full burst.

Zhang Rongfang’s eyes focused on the wooden stake, aiming at the other side’s intact wooden stake.

“Go!”

Swoosh!

He suddenly struck out, his palm slicing horizontally like a blade.

Thud, thud, thud!!

Three crisp sounds in succession.

Three wooden stakes were completely slashed with blade-like marks.

Only after this strike did Zhang Rongfang slowly relax.

Whoosh!

He exhaled a mouthful of hot air; when exerting force, one needs to hold their breath, otherwise, it disperses the strength.

“Threefold is achievable… Critical State, Threefold Heavy Mountain… each can be suited for different situations.

The Critical State primarily boosts body technique speed, strength is secondary, with little increase. It’s very useful for pursuing or escaping.

My body technique is already fast, and with the Critical State, it can only get faster.

While Threefold Heavy Mountain can be used for breaching defenses and can kill highly defensive roles slower than my body technique.”

“Moreover, in the Threefold Heavy Mountain state, if I throw out the willing wheel for an assault… the power.” Just thinking about it made Zhang Rongfang afraid.

He rested for a moment, walked to the inner room, and picked up a millstone used for training.

This was a specially crafted millstone, roughly 250 pounds, handled single-handedly, tossed up and down.

Tweet tweet.

A crisp bird call suddenly came from outside the window.

The little red bird flapped its wings, landed in front of Zhang Rongfang’s window, flapping its wings a few times, and hopped a few steps towards him, chirping clearly.

“Understood.” Zhang Rongfang put down the millstone, nodded at its little head, took down the bamboo tube, and then fed it some grains and water.

The little red bird, after eating half, chirped twice in satisfaction and flew away.

Retrieving the paper scroll from the bamboo tube, Zhang Rongfang carefully examined it.

This contained the information he wanted Qingsu to investigate.

It was all the available information on martial artists, before and after cultivating martial arts, detailing the enhancements in various physical attributes.

The paper scroll was filled with rows of tiny sesame-like writing; Zhang Rongfang took out a magnifying glass and read carefully line by line.

He was researching how much the Limit-Breaking Skill enhances a person’s overall capacity.

This research had evident benefits for the attribute panel’s ability in his mind.

For now, the attribute panel in his mind could only display the superficial attribute data of others outside.

And much of that data was neither real nor detailed enough.

Therefore, to improve accuracy, Zhang Rongfang decided to attempt collecting data himself to refine this further.

*

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*

Outside Wushan Prefecture.

Huazhi River Path.

The waters of Wujiang River flowed ceaselessly, branching here, leading in different directions.

Thus, Huazhi River would also continue splitting, refining into small river streams spreading over the surrounding land.

At this time, the morning sun rose.

By the banks of Huazhi River, a simple arena formed by four large blue stones and four deeply dug stone paths was clearly bathed in the pale golden sunlight.

Normally, such an arena would attract no attention from anyone.

Crude, simple, without even basic barriers.

Yet at this moment, it was surrounded by people.

People from Wushan Prefecture, coming one after another, were peering from afar, looking this way.

Among them were bored rich family scions, accompanied by bodyguards, coming to watch the fight.

Some were ordinary martial men curious to see how formidable Dang Shan Tiger truly was.

Poor martial artists often practiced external martial arts that harmed their bodies and low-grade martial arts.

They had clear distinctions from those wealthy enough to nourish their bodies and Qi and blood.

The former were often neither tall nor strong.

While the latter were mostly burly and tall, exuding a powerful aura, with eyes gleaming brightly.

At this moment, everyone’s eyes focused on the arena.

From Wushan Prefecture came officials from the Shangguan family, Ninth-Grade Expert Shangguan Qingrong.

And his son Shangguan Hao.

The two were tall, with particularly strong arms, wearing the same close-fitting brown leather armor vests, inlaid with silver nails.

Both were staring grimly at the person standing on the stage.

That person was Dang Shan Tiger, Ding Yu.

As high-ranking officials, they would hardly foolishly fight to the death.

In the first few days, they employed various tactics, sending experts for ambush, shooting with crossbows. Gunfire in volleys.

But Ding Yu was extremely cunning.

At the slightest hint of anything amiss, he would turn and leap into Huazhi River.

He was so adept in water that one dive and his silhouette was nowhere to be found.

Several times, they couldn’t harm him.

Instead, he retaliated with hidden weapons, killing or injuring many.

“Do you have any other tactics?” Dang Shan Tiger stood on the arena, his expression growing more wooden.

“Or is it that, from the whole Wushan Prefecture, only your garbage dares to come?”

This was completely different from what he initially thought.

The people of Wushan Prefecture did not engage him in single combat.

They resorted directly to different surrounding tactics.

It’s just that he was prepared long ago, and it just happens that the guns require considerable preparation to fire. Plus, the area around has no obstructions and is clear.

Otherwise….

“Forget it.” After waiting for a long time, no one came up.

Ultimately, Dang Shan Tiger was disappointed…

“So you can come up two together. Anyway, you’re so garbage; maybe two together might die a bit slower.”

“Is that truly your word!?” Shangguan Qingrong said solemnly.

Here his word counted.

As the Prefectural Governor, he also had the authority to mobilize the Thousand Households’ troops.

Except Dang Shan Tiger had chosen too well.

Due to his aquatic skills, blocking his escape was simply impossible.

Hence the situation had been pushed to this point.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep