Chapter 100
Returning to the abandoned courtyard, Ji Wuye's footsteps crunched on the gravel as he surveyed the overgrown scene before him.
Scattered boulders and logs lay strewn about. Weeds poked through the cracked stone tiles underfoot as a gentle breeze rustled the few withered leaves clinging to the gnarled branches overhead.
Ji Wuye tilted his head back, squinting against the brilliant afternoon sunlight filtering through the canopy as he studied the patchy blue sky.
"Shall we train then?" he said, his deep voice a rumbling baritone that seemed to reverberate in the secluded space.
Deftly spinning on his heel, he made his way to the courtyard's weather-wooden gate and heaved it closed.
Lowering himself fluidly to sit cross-legged on the ground, he rested his hands lightly on his knees as a translucent screen flickered into existence before him.
With a deft tap, the screen responded with a soft electronic chime. A rounded glass vial shimmered into view, which Ji Wuye snatched effortlessly from the air with a calloused hand.
The unmistakable shape and pearlescent gleam beneath the smoky glass marked it as none other than the Elixir of Growth.
Deftly plucking out the tightly stoppered cork with his thumb, he tilted his head back and downed the viscous white liquid in one continuous gulping motion, his throat bobbing rhythmically.
Almost immediately, a notification window flashed into existence, the bold text seeming to shimmer with energy:
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[!] You have consumed the Elixir of Growth!
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[!] For the next 2 hours, your muscles, tendons, and natural healing capacity are now amplified twofold!
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Rather than leaping straight into his training routine, Ji Wuye settled himself with a slow exhale, reassuming his cross-legged meditative pose.
His brow furrowed in concentration as the pads of his fingers found the vital acupressure points along his spine, kneading firmly in a clockwise spiral from the Mingmen at the small of his back up towards his shoulders.
One by one, he systematically applied pressure to each of the meridian nodes along his limbs and torso, muscles tensing then releasing like the ebb and flow of the tides beneath his calculated ministrations.
All the while, the flickering projection continued cataloging his advanced techniques:
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[>> [PRESSURE FORM PERFECTION STYLE (D)] <<]
The proficiency of your passive skill - external arts has slightly increased!
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With just a few steadying breaths, Ji Wuye's eyes snapped open, his irises sharpening into blazing focus.
Moving with an economy of motion drilled into his very bones, he grasped one of the larger boulders strewn about the courtyard, feeling the rough granite catch against his calloused palms as he hefted the immense weight.
With his back arching in a deep squatting stance, he braced the craggy stone across his shoulders, the tendons in his neck already straining against the burden.
But he didn't stop there.
His jaw clenched, Ji Wuye stretched to his limits, stacking not just one, but two precariously balanced boulders atop the first along the length of his back. The sheer mass threatened to drive him into the packed earth with its crushing weight.
Cords of muscle rippled along his arms and legs as he fought against the monolithic force, beads of sweat already prickling at his hairline with exertion.
With these two enormous boulders on his back, he began squatting, "One... Two... " After a few moments, once the count reached 500, a loud bang echoed as the boulders dropped to the ground.
Without even a break, he immediately took several logs in each hand, carrying them in a farmer's walking stance.
…
Two grueling hours later, Ji Wuye finally allowed himself to sink back to the ground, chest heaving with each ragged inhalation.
Recalling the flowing movements of the Healing Art Primer, he gradually brought his ragged breathing under control as an azure radiance began emanating from his very pores.
The cool, revitalizing Qi flowed through his battered body like a soothing balm, gradually unknotting the snarls of lactic acid built up in his over-exerted muscles.
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[>> [HEALING ART PRIMER (E)] <<]
The proficiency of your passive skill - external arts has slightly increased!
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And just like that, the cycle repeated itself - consuming the Elixir, applying the Pressure Form Perfection Style, enduring the grueling Wudang training method, and finally resting briefly to heal with the Healing Art Primer before starting anew.
------------------------------------
[!] You have consumed the Elixir of Growth!
----------------------------------—
------------------------------------
[!] For the next 2 hours, your muscles, tendons, and natural healing capacity are now amplified twofold!
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
[>> [PRESSURE FORM PERFECTION STYLE (D)] <<]
The proficiency of your passive skill - external arts has slightly increased!
------------------------------------
------------------------------------
[>> [HEALING ART PRIMER (E)] <<]
The proficiency of your passive skill - external arts has slightly increased!
----------------------------------—
…
Soon enough, three of the precious Elixirs of Growth had been consumed, their vitalizing effects allowing Ji Wuye to push his body far beyond its natural limits as the young night grew old, the inky blanket of midnight descended.
The rhythmic flapping of leathery wings and haunting hoots of unseen owls vibrated through the star-studded sky as Ji Wuye continued his relentless training regimen.
More than six grueling hours had passed before he finally allowed himself to retreat to the modest residence at the edge of the compound, lowering his sweat-soaked frame onto the worn but immaculately kept straw mat with a bone-weary sigh.
Crossing his legs, Ji Wuye closed his eyes and focused inward, the furrow between his brows deepening as he recalled the finer details of the Pressure Form Perfection Style techniques.
Even as his spiritual awareness expanded, a flickering notification materialized in his mind's eye:
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[!] Congratulations! Your Pressure Form Perfection Style skill has achieved a minor breakthrough!
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[>> [Pressure Form Perfection Style] <<]
Type: Passive skill - Mixed Martial Arts
Stage: Moving Target Point Techniques (2nd Stage)
A technique that integrates knowledge of meridian placement, Qi flows, and pressure points.
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The first stage had focused on memorizing the locations and categories of vital pressure points along with basic striking drills against stationary targets like suspended sandbags or tightly bound fabric dummies.
Mastering those fundamentals alone would take most dedicated students over half a year with an experienced master's guidance - or nearly twice that long through self-study.
But this martial art had been accelerated by the Tower's unique leveling system, allowing traditional proficiency barriers to be overcome at a vastly increased pace compared to the outer realms.
With the ability to integrate his past life's knowledge observing his Du Chen's acupuncture treatments, applying those pressure point concepts to his own body during his training regimen, and even treating his former Senior Sister's injuries, this martial art had rapidly achieved its minor breakthrough.
A faint, self-satisfied smile tugged at the corner of Ji Wuye's lips as he muttered the new stage's description aloud. "Moving Target Point Techniques...now I can use this as another way to attack."
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