Chapter 55: The Threshold from Martial Practitioner to Martial Master

The underground square was filled with people gathered together.

"I have an announcement to make," Old Xia stood on the steps, taking a gulp from his wine jug. "This month's Guards assessment is canceled. Everyone will participate in the Martial Arts assessment next month! Members of the hunting squad, including Zhou Bing and Tang Wen, will also join!"

After speaking, he glanced behind him.

A middle-aged man walked in from around the corner.

"Father, your... your hand?" Zhang Lin was initially overjoyed to see the newcomer, but then his body stiffened, and he grew visibly anxious.

The square buzzed with murmurs but quickly fell silent.

Tang Wen looked at Zhou Bing and his sister, his expression as calm as still water.

The Commander had lost an arm. How many other captains and squad members had been killed or injured?

Commander Zhang glanced at his son, not hiding his empty sleeve.

He scanned the crowd and spoke calmly, "In this war, we have lost many brothers and sisters. Of course, I am also disabled. Next month's assessment is not just about evaluating your progress in Martial Arts but also a selection! We will choose the best to assist the Queen and the General in managing the camp!"

The Guards couldn't help but stir at this.

Discussions broke out. Someone said, "Has the situation deteriorated to this extent?"

Others clenched their fists in secret, seeing this as a rare opportunity.

Tang Wen and Zhou Bing, being people who disliked trouble and lacked ambition, were indifferent to the selection. They were more concerned about the state of the war outside.

A shadow of worry loomed over their hearts.

"Let's practice boxing together tonight," Zhou Bing said flatly.

Tang Wen thought of something, "Sister Bing, are you about to break through?"

"Yes, I've accumulated enough over time."

During this period, Zhou Bing had wanted to advance her relationship with Tang Wen.

Since his abilities could counter the Awakened's "Doom Art," he could surely suppress my "Husband Killer."

Of course, to be safe, we won't get engaged or married.

I'll just call him Tang Wen, Little Wen, or brother.

After all, we've shared a bed (at different times), he can't escape!

But unexpectedly, upon arriving at the underground palace, Tang Wen's fervor for training had unknowingly infected her.

With Tang Tang around, it wasn't convenient.

She had to suppress her feelings and compete with Tang Wen in training every day.

As a peak Martial Practitioner, her combat power was comparable to a half-step Martial Master. Recently, she felt the threshold was loosening.

Having been a member of the hunting squad for several months, Tang Wen was well aware of the difference between a Martial Practitioner and a Martial Master.

To put it simply: Can you execute the "Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist" in actual combat, anytime, anywhere?

Or, can you use the Cannon Fist Force with spear or sword techniques?

For a profound martial art like the "Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist," learning it doesn't mean you can use it in combat.

Tang Wen had a deep understanding of this.

He had learned it for several days, but every time before executing it, he had to settle his shoulders, enter stillness, visualize the diagram, and then guide the force to his arms before he could unleash it.

Through rigorous training, he could complete this set of actions in just two or three seconds. But in a life-and-death battle, two or three seconds were enough for the enemy to kill him several times over!

Therefore, after learning the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Tang Wen had been practicing diligently but had never used it in actual combat.

It was somewhat like when he was in school, learning many mathematical laws but never using them in real life.

Similarly, Zhou Bing was in the same situation.

She had always used spear techniques to kill enemies, never the Cannon Fist.

However, she had learned Cannon Fist earlier and practiced it more proficiently.

At night, she practiced until she was completely exhausted.

The two returned to the dormitory, and Tang Tang was already fast asleep.

Zhou Bing then went to Tang Wen's room and sat by the bed, exchanging experiences on practicing the fist technique.

"Many Commanders have said that they unanimously believe the difficulty of Cannon Fist lies in how to quickly visualize the scene and how to evenly accelerate every image sketched in the mind to deliver a rapid punch!"

Even acceleration?

Tang Wen's mind flashed to the image of watching a movie at double speed.

If he had a phone, he could probably do it.

As long as he could record the scene from the Visualization Diagram.

Hmm?

Wait?

I think I can draw the scene, right?

A light bulb went off in Tang Wen's head.

Anyone who has drawn little figures in the bottom right corner of their textbooks knows.

If you draw a little figure on each page, changing only one action per page, the more you draw, the more the figure will move when you flip through the pages, making the flipbook more vivid and realistic.

But if you're lazy and draw each figure in a different pose on every page, the movement will lack intermediate steps, making it seem like it's sped up!

This is even acceleration!

Tang Wen immediately jumped off the bed and rummaged through the cabinet.

Zhou Bing was puzzled.

She heard him say urgently, "Sister Bing, can you check if we have any yellow paper in our luggage?"

"Yellow paper?" Zhou Bing didn't understand, but she still went back to her and Tang Tang's room and brought out a stack of rough paper: "Will this do?"

"Yes, it's perfect!"

"Do you have a charcoal pencil?"

"Wait, there's coal outside."

Tang Wen took a long piece of coal, sharpened it with a dagger, and then sat at the table, starting to draw.

Zhou Bing didn't leave or ask further questions. She remained seated by the bed, watching Tang Wen draw intently.

Hmm, he really does look more and more handsome.

A fireball flies out, the fireball leaves countless afterimages in the air, the fireball hits a mountain and explodes.

Tang Wen used sparing strokes to depict three scenes in the bottom right corner of a stack of yellow paper.

"Sister Bing? Sister Bing? Is there something on my face?"

He touched his face.

"No. I was thinking about you, uh, thinking about something." Zhou Bing, who had been daydreaming, quickly averted her gaze.

Tang Wen excitedly showed her his latest masterpiece.

He flipped through the three pages one by one.

"What is this?" Zhou Bing looked at it for a long time but couldn't understand.

Tang Wen looked at it himself and felt a bit embarrassed; there were too few images.

Even when flipped, it didn't have the effect of a flipbook at all.

"Uh, Sister Bing, just wait a moment."

"Okay, no rush."

Zhou Bing gently picked up her handkerchief and wiped the nonexistent sweat from Tang Wen's forehead.

He started drawing little figures, stick figures holding swords.

After a while, he had drawn a thick stack of paper.

Under Zhou Bing's curious gaze, he divided the papers into two stacks, one with 16 sheets and the other with 8, and flipped through them quickly.

The little figure moved, practicing a set of Wind-splitting Saber.

The other stack had only 8 sheets, and when flipped, the little figure quickly practiced a set of Wind-splitting Saber.

"This?"

The ice beauty's almond-shaped eyes blinked.

Tang Wen flipped through the two stacks repeatedly, comparing them.

Zhou Bing suddenly understood: "This is a shortcut to practicing the Contemplation Method!"

Her tone was filled with immense astonishment.

"Yes, I just thought of it."

"Tang Wen, you're truly a genius!" Zhou Bing's eyes sparkled with admiration. She leaned forward excitedly, revealing a glimpse of her fair chest, and grabbed Tang Wen's arms, looking at him as if he were a rare treasure.

"Ahem, I'll make the Visualization Diagram more detailed. The faster you flip through it, the quicker the scenes will move!"

"Alright."

As Tang Wen drew, Zhou Bing's moist, beautiful eyes kept glancing up and down at him.

Once the stack of Visualization Diagrams was completed, she gradually calmed her mind. She flipped through them repeatedly for a while, then closed her eyes to visualize for a moment before finally putting the diagrams down and saying, "I need to go into seclusion for a few days. Don't show these diagrams to anyone."

Tang Wen handed them directly to her: "They're for your seclusion, after all."

"Mmm," Zhou Bing looked at his lips, neither too thin nor too thick, and barely resisted the urge to kiss him. She turned and left, saying, "I'll go apply for a seclusion chamber. I'll let Tang Tang know tomorrow."

"Alright! Don't rush."

Zhou Bing smiled softly, walked to the door, and opened it. Suddenly, she turned back and tossed out a sentence: "Wait for me to return."

Tang Wen was puzzled but assumed she was just overly excited about her imminent breakthrough.

The next day, Tang Wen and his sister went to train as usual.

But with Zhou Bing absent, Tang Tang was fine, but Tang Wen felt like something was missing.

At night, he practiced his fist techniques alone.

His punching speed had improved, and he turned around excitedly: "Sister Bing, I..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Wen touched his nose, realizing there was no one around. The entire underground plaza was empty.

Only the flames behind the glass were flickering.

If she's in secl

usion, it shouldn't take more than a few days, right?

He shook his head and continued practicin

g.

Bang!

The wooden stake was shattered into splinters.

[Skill: Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist, Beginner → Novice (1/1000)]

The fist technique, which had been stuck for two days, had leveled up.

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