Chapter 21: The Four Realms of Strength Refinement

[Red Line Fist, Entry Level!]

Blood began to boil.

A surge of heat flowed out from the heart, spreading through the limbs and bones, and finally flowing back to settle at the shoulders.

There, two vivid, blood-red lines appeared on the shoulders.

Slowly, the red lines vanished, and Zhang Lingshan's body returned to a state of calm.

'Is this what entry-level means?'

Zhang Lingshan clenched his fists slightly, but noticed no significant change; the increase in strength was negligible, even less than the improvement brought by the Hunyuan Zhenyang Stance.

He attempted to perform a set of the Red Line Fist.

As he moved through the routine, his body began to heat up, and two blood-red lines slowly emerged on his shoulders.

The moment he threw another punch, he felt his strength increase by more than a single tier—it at least doubled.

'So this is the mystery of the Red Line Fist. However, an enemy won't give me time to warm up during a fight.'

Zhang Lingshan felt somewhat speechless.

It felt like a "chicken rib"—something of little use.

But the Red Line Fist was the technique that had made Hong Zhengdao famous; it shouldn't be this useless.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to stop trying to figure it out on his own and went directly to his master, Dao Ming, to voice his confusion.

"You've reached the entry level?"

Hong Zhengdao was instantly startled when Zhang Lingshan asked the question, prompting him to make Zhang Lingshan perform the routine right in front of him.

Seeing Zhang Lingshan's movements clean and sharp, without a hint of stumbling, and seeing the red lines actually condense on his shoulders, Hong Zhengdao's expression became incredibly colorful.

"Good, very good. To reach the entry level so quickly shows that you have been diligently practicing every day without any slack. Moving to Hongwu Street was the right decision."

Hong Zhengdao was deeply gratified, then said, "The question you asked is a very good one. Next, I will teach you the combat application of the Red Line Fist, and then you will understand."

With that, he stomped his feet heavily against the ground, slightly crouched his legs, leaned his upper body forward, and clenched his fists tightly, producing a series of crisp cracking sounds.

In that instant, Zhang Lingshan saw fine red lines condensing on the surface of Hong Zhengdao's fists.

"Hah!"

Hong Zhengdao let out a sudden, explosive shout. His body lunged forward violently, and his fist, like a cannonball, slammed down heavily in front of Zhang Lingshan.

*Thud.*

A gust of hot wind struck, and Zhang Lingshan's body was thrown backward. He felt his breath seize and his heart stop beating.

It wasn't until Hong Zhengdao finished his form and retreated that he began to gasp for air. Sweat poured from him uncontrollably; in a short time, the ground was dampened by his perspiration. He felt completely drained of strength, unable even to stand.

Once his breathing had mostly stabilized, Hong Zhengdao reached out to pull him up and asked, "Do you see it now? That is the combat application."

Still shaken, Zhang Lingshan shook his head.

Hong Zhengdao smiled and comforted him, "Rest for a bit and calm down. Recall those two forms I just performed and try to perform them yourself. I think you will understand."

"Yes, Master."

Zhang Lingshan nodded heavily.

A moment later, after taking a sip of tea, he finally calmed down. He recalled the stance where Hong Zhengdao stomped and leaned forward, as well as the direct, cannonball-like strike.

A realization struck him.

Those two forms were clearly the "Shaking Fist" and "Hammer Fist" styles within the Red Line Fist.

The difference was that the training forms were more fluid and gentle in posture and power, whereas the combat application was far more intense.

With this thought, Zhang Lingshan imagined that the person standing before him was that damn, treacherous Li Fu.

Then, with a surge of indignation, he let out a wild roar and lunged forward with a heavy strike.

*Bang!*

A punch slammed hard into Hong Zhengdao's abdomen.

Startled, Zhang Lingshan quickly pulled back his hand. "Master, when did you get in front of me?"

Hong Zhengdao chuckled. "Your comprehension is good. Combat application is the method of striking an opponent. You must deconstruct the training routine and then choose which moves to execute based on the specific situation. Sometimes, even if you use the same move repeatedly, you can defeat an enemy."

As he spoke, he placed one hand behind his back and said, "Come, try to hit my stomach. If you can land a hit, you win, and you can make one request."

"Yes!"

Zhang Lingshan took a deep breath, lunged forward, and threw his fists with great force toward Hong Zhengdao's abdomen.

However, Hong Zhengdao simply used a simple sweep of his left hand, and Zhang Lingshan's body spun away.

Zhang Lingshan adapted instantly, immediately employing the "Swinging Punch" style, but it was still to no avail.

After dozens of rounds of this back-and-forth, he hadn't even touched Hong Zhengdao's wrists, let alone his stomach.

It was as if he were a three-year-old child being toyed with.

"As expected of Master, your disciple is powerless."

Zhang Lingshan admitted defeat honestly.

Hong Zhengdao smiled. "Do you know why you lost? In a word: clumsy technique and weak strength."

"Technique cannot rely on training alone; you must fight. How can you master combat without actual fighting?

"Strength requires 'tempering strength.' Lifting stone locks, rolling stone balls, pulling stone slabs, and so on—all these methods of using heavy weights to hone your power are ways to temper strength.

"If you want to become strong, simply practicing the fist routines is impossible.

"So, from now on, you will go to the backyard to temper your strength with Shi Lei and the others, and practice sparring together.

"This is a slow, grinding process. I cannot help you; the gap between us is too large, and you won't learn anything from training with me. You must find someone of similar strength to truly progress.

"Remember, take it slow. Do not be impatient. If you injure your tendons or bones while tempering strength, it will take a hundred days to heal, and that would be a waste of precious time.

"Sometimes, slowness is speed, and speed is slowness. Do you understand?" Hong Zhengdao said earnestly.

Zhang Lingshan nodded heavily to show his understanding.

"Good. Next, I will explain the four stages of tempering strength."

Hong Zhengdao said in a deep voice, "There is a mnemonic: first skin, second flesh, third tendons, fourth bones. It means you first hone the skin, then the flesh, then change the tendons, and finally forge the bones.

"Every advancement in realm brings earth-shattering changes.

"Let me put it this way: an ordinary 'Skin-Honing' martial artist cannot withstand a single punch from a 'Flesh-Tempering' martial artist.

"And an ordinary person cannot withstand a single punch from a 'Skin-Honing' martial artist either.

"Don't be fooled by your Senior Brother Shi Lei; despite being lazy, gluttonous, and unreliable, he is a Skin-Honing martial artist. If you practice combat with him, you will surely be knocked down by a single punch.

"So, when you go to the backyard to spar, don't look for someone at Shi Lei's level. Look for someone who, like you, hasn't reached the Skin-Honing stage.

"Once you feel your strength is sufficient—when you can lift a two-hundred-jin stone lock with one hand—then you can go test yourself against a Skin-Honing martial artist. Understand?"

Zhang Lingshan nodded. "Your disciple understands."

"Mm. Then let's eat. You were just startled by me and are drenched in sweat; you might catch a chill and need to replenish your energy."

"Thank you, Master."

Zhang Lingshan was secretly delighted.

He could scrounge a meal again.

A meal here at Master Hong's was something he couldn't afford even by spending a lot of money outside; one meal here was worth several elsewhere.

If his relationship weren't already established, he would want to come here every day just to eat for free.

"By the way, Master, what level are you at?"

(End of Chapter)