Hidden Force（An Jin)

Fang Lingtian and the others could only watch helplessly—even Hua Jin masters stood no chance against helicopter gunfire once exposed.

The searchlight's glare electrified Huo Xuan's skin, every hair standing on end. Instinctively, he unleashed Dragon-Riding Step, his body coiling like a serpent as he dashed over twenty meters in a blink.

One helicopter banked sharply in pursuit, its machine gun roaring to life again, stitching bullets across the sand in lethal arcs. The other circled the original site, spraying random fire into the darkness.

Huo Xuan's pulse hammered as he pushed his limits, sprinting faster than ever before. Yet no human could outpace a helicopter. The searchlight locked onto him repeatedly, bullets grazing his clothes, each near-miss kicking up geysers of sand.

At every critical moment, a tingling sensation would flare across his body—forcing him to dodge at the last possible instant. Without this preternatural warning, he'd have been riddled with bullets long ago.

After ten frantic minutes, steam rose from his scalp, his tendons vibrating like plucked strings. Rampant blood and qi threatened to rupture his skin. His heart pounded like a war drum, each ​boom echoing in his ribs.

Exhaustion clawed at him. I can't keep this up—I'll die! His pace faltered slightly as despair crept in.

Then—tingle—the back of his skull prickled with warning. With a roar, he twisted left. A bullet grazed his ear, drawing a crimson thread.

"I won't surrender!" His mental scream propelled him forward, speed surging anew.

In that instant, a cooling wave washed through his feverish body. The tendon vibrations ceased; his raging qi settled. Pores sealed shut, heartbeat slowing—the fatigue vanished.

Hidden Force! Elation flooded him. It felt like an adrenaline overdose—every cell humming with power. His blood and qi flowed unimpeded, merging into seamless unity.

His speed skyrocketed. With a sudden lateral burst, he slipped beyond the searchlight's reach.

The helicopter's beam darted frantically but found only empty dunes. After ten futile minutes of blind firing, it retreated into the night.

Huo Xuan buried himself completely in the sand, motionless, until the helicopter's roar faded into the distance. Only then did he emerge, exhaling heavily.

That single breath released, his body collapsed into exhaustion. He lay sprawled on the ground, utterly spent.

Minutes later, his communicator crackled to life. Fang Lingtian's voice barked through: "Huo Xuan! Huo Xuan! Respond if you're alive!"

"Stop yelling," Huo Xuan groaned weakly. "I'm not dead yet!" Then he burst into laughter, earning a string of curses from Fang Lingtian.

An hour later, the team found him. They stared as if he were a ghost. Huo Xuan, having regained some strength, scanned their faces. "No one got hit?"

"That's our line," Leafblade snapped. "How the hell did you survive?"

Huo Xuan shrugged. "Broke through to An Jin by accident. Then I dug into the sand."

Silence.

Leafblade's face twisted with envy. "Unbelievable. We had to crawl through hell to reach this level."

Ignoring him, Ancient Rock studied Huo Xuan. "When you dodged, did you... sense the bullets coming?"

The question made the team lean in.

Huo Xuan recalled it clearly—the tingling numbness, the standing hairs signaling each near-miss. "Maybe? Do you all feel that too?"

Their expressions turned peculiar. Rose sighed. "Legendary masters throughout history often had this... death premonition when young. It's how they cheated fate to become grandmasters."

Now Huo Xuan understood. These seven lacked his instinct. No wonder they eyed him like a freak. All he could do was smile wryly.

That night, the eight of them returned to camp. On the way back, Huo Xuan learned that Fang Lingtian and the others had also narrowly escaped death—thanks to Chinese radar detecting the enemy helicopters and dispatching two of their own for reinforcement.

Only then did Huo Xuan realize that the helicopter chasing him had likely retreated for the same reason. Otherwise, his odds of survival would have been slim.

Back at camp, everyone dispersed to rest.

Huo Xuan entered a solitary tent, sitting cross-legged to fully absorb the day's breakthroughs.

What exactly is Hidden Force (An Jin)? Hua Buyi had once said it was an advanced method of channeling power, combined with the explosive release of latent potential. Today, he had finally grasped the meaning of those words.

The helicopter's relentless pursuit had forced him to tap into his deepest reserves, his focus sharper than ever, ultimately propelling him into the higher realm of Hidden Force.

Now, as he turned his gaze inward, he sensed something like a blood dragon coiled within his qi and blood. With a single thought, the dragon could surge forth, multiplying his strength tenfold—even a hundredfold!

When this latent power erupted, an extraordinary force reverberated through his body, imbuing his every movement with uncanny precision. His strikes now carried the true might of internal martial arts—capable of delivering blows that could penetrate armor like "striking an ox through a mountain."

Moreover, he noticed his seven chakras had grown more distinct. A cascade of golden light from the Buddha Eye descended, bathing his body in a more comprehensive nourishing glow. The light seemed to amplify the hidden force within him, steadily strengthening it.

This force was internal power—the foundation of Hidden Force and Transformed Force (Hua Jin), also known as true qi or inner strength.

The inner strength within Huo Xuan carried the imperial grandeur of Green Emperor's Heart Method, the very foundation of his cultivation. His future achievements in medicine would hinge entirely on this Green Emperor's energy.

Yet, he also sensed that this power currently flowed only through specific channels—reaching his hands and feet but not yet permeating his entire body. In combat, only his limbs could unleash Hidden Force's effects; other parts remained dormant.

Just as Shifu(master) said—those who can channel Hidden Force throughout their bodies are already on the cusp of Transformed Force(Hua Jin). I still have a long way to go.