Chapter 18: Mastered!

Zhang Lingshan had no idea that the little monk, Huixiu, had changed his expression and started cursing the moment he left.

By then, he had already returned to the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall.

He arrived just in time for lunch.

After eating and drinking his fill, he went straight to the apothecary to buy medicine.

These twenty taels of silver had arrived at the perfect time; his own funds were nearly exhausted, making this a true lifeline in a time of need.

To maximize his time for accumulating energy, he spent heavily to purchase a large quantity of Snow Silver Flowers.

One *qian* of Snow Silver Flower could accumulate 1 point of energy, but it cost one tael of silver.

One *qian* of Spirit Root Grass could accumulate 0.2 points of energy, but it cost only one *qian* of silver.

In other words, one tael of silver could buy one tael of Spirit Root Grass, which would accumulate 2 points of energy.

The cost-effectiveness was twice that of the Snow Silver Flower.

However, Spirit Root Grass was absorbed slowly; one tael of Spirit Root Grass would take five or six days to absorb.

In contrast, one *qian* of Snow Silver Flower only required four hours.

With twelve hours in a day, if he took them precisely on schedule, he could accumulate three points of energy.

This was no small amount.

It was much faster than slowly consuming Spirit Root Grass.

The only drawback was the high cost.

With twenty taels of silver, plus what he had left, totaling twenty-seven taels, he could last at most nine days and accumulate 27 points of energy.

Over those nine days, including the two meals provided by the martial arts hall each day, he could accumulate an additional 1.8 points of energy.

Adding in the remaining dried meat at home, he could accumulate a total of approximately 35 points.

It was still somewhat low, and the speed was still slow, but this was already his absolute limit.

'I wonder how much energy is needed to break through the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance to Great Success? Will 35 points be enough?'

Zhang Lingshan still felt uncertain.

But since he had no other way to earn money, he could only pin his hopes on training the stance frantically to increase his experience, thereby reducing the energy consumption required for a breakthrough.

Thus, in the days that followed, he had almost no free time.

He tempered himself day and night, tireless and unyielding.

He only slept for two hours a day, just like Zhang Chaoyang.

The benefits were obvious; Zhang Lingshan could clearly feel his Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance becoming increasingly fluid, and he was not far from forming his own routine.

The downside was that his body might become overly fatigued. Even though the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance was a health-nourishing technique, with this style of training and insufficient rest day after day, he feared he wouldn't last long.

Just as Zhang Lingshan suspected, he could only hold out for five days.

That night, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he suddenly heard a loud *bang, bang, bang* at the door, someone outside was urging him to open it.

The knocking grew louder and the shouting more urgent, becoming maddeningly persistent.

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Lingshan climbed out of bed and walked to the door to open it.

Just then.

A scream rang out: "Brother!"

*Buzz!*

Zhang Lingshan snapped awake. Seeing that he had almost unbolted the door, his expression changed instantly. Cold sweat poured down his back as he was gripped by extreme terror.

He hurriedly slid the bolt back into place and turned to look at his sister.

In the darkness, the small, bean-like candlelight flickered, casting her face in alternating light and shadow.

Her tender face was filled with terror, and her small body was trembling uncontrollably.

"Xiao Shan..." Mother Zhang followed with a trembling voice.

"Mother, Xiaoyu, you aren't asleep yet?" Zhang Lingshan asked in surprise as he slowly regained his composure.

Mother Zhang said, "We saw how pale your face has become from exhaustion these past few days. We were worried something might happen to you, so we've been taking turns keeping watch at night."

"Brother, although they say that abundant blood and qi can ward off evil, you can't push yourself too hard. You're even sleepwalking in a trance at night. If you keep training like you're trying to throw your life away, I'm afraid you won't even make it before Li Fu's family arrives," his sister advised worriedly.

Zhang Lingshan nodded heavily. "Xiaoyu is right. I understand. It's fine now, you all should rest. I'll do a bit more stance training, and I'll rest during the day tomorrow."

"Mm, that would be best."

Zhang Linyu was also exhausted.

Their lives these past few days had been no better than Zhang Lingshan's.

Everyone was living in constant fear.

They only hoped to pass through this ordeal as soon as possible.

Unlike Zhang Lingshan, the mother and daughter were looking forward to the passage of time, hoping that the resentment of Li Fu's family would slowly dissipate so they could be free.

As for how long that would take, who knew?

They would just try to survive one day at a time.

***

Early morning.

Only after the sun rose did Zhang Lingshan go to sleep, and he didn't head to the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall until noon.

At night, he practiced his stance in his room.

With his days and nights reversed, another five days passed.

At noon on this day.

After eating lunch at the Hong Clan Martial Arts Hall, Zhang Lingshan sat on a stone stool, dozing off.

In a daze, he lost track of time.

Suddenly, a line of text flashed through his mind.

【Energy +1.1】 【Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance is ready for breakthrough! Breakthrough?】

*Snap!*

Zhang Lingshan jolted awake!

The 1.1 energy consisted of 1 point accumulated from the Snow Silver Flowers he had bought with his last bit of savings, and 0.1 from his lunch.

He checked his panel.

Name: Zhang Lingshan Martial Art: Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance (Minor Success +) Energy: 39.8

"Allocate energy! Breakthrough!!"

Zhang Lingshan roared in his heart.

He had waited so long for this day.

Without a moment's hesitation, his entire will surged toward that yellow "+".

*Boom!*

He felt as if the thought in his mind was a shockwave, shattering the words "Minor Success" and transforming them into "Great Success."

The blood in his entire body began to boil.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

A sound like a rushing river erupted.

Everything around him seemed to fall silent.

Zhang Lingshan could only hear the sounds within his own body—the sound of all things reviving and growing.

His bones felt like bamboo, shooting upward like spring sprouts after a rain.

The muscle cells in his body seemed to transform into countless tiny figures, running around excitedly within him.

No, they weren't just running wildly; they were being directed by a conductor's baton.

They ran with order amidst the chaos, surging through his limbs, his skin, his soles, and his fingertips.

This miraculous state lasted for an unknown amount of time.

It felt like an eternity, yet also like a mere instant.

When Zhang Lingshan regained his senses, he looked down at his exposed wrists.

*Whoosh.*

A cool breeze brushed past his ankles.

It turned out his arms and legs had grown longer; his calves had grown by a full five centimeters.

He stood up.

His height now exceeded 1.6 meters.

At least 1.62 meters.

'Finally, I've reached the height I was in the first year of middle school in my previous life...'

Composing his emotions, Zhang Lingshan carefully felt the changes in his body.

He realized that the change in height was merely the most insignificant part.

At this moment, he felt his spirit was at its absolute peak. The fatigue of the past few days had been completely swept away, and his entire body was brimming with power.

His heart surged with excitement, and his strength was overflowing!

If he were to encounter Li Hu and his two companions asking for money again right now, he wouldn't even need to launch a sneak attack; he could kill all three in a single encounter.

Even if he didn't know any specific combat techniques, he had the confidence to rely solely on the powerful physical constitution he now possessed.

"Disciple Zhang Lingshan has mastered the Hunyuan Zhengyang Stance. I request Master Hong to conduct the assessment!"

Facing the main hall, Zhang Lingshan called out loudly.