Chapter 044: Mastering the Hidden Force (Fifth Update)

Xin Lang searched the woods for some dry branches, piled them up, and set them alight. Wisps of smoke drifted skywards through the dense foliage. “If you still can’t find me after this, you don’t deserve to call yourself a martial artist,” Xin Lang thought to himself.

Once the branches had burnt down and left just the right traces, Xin Lang stealthily moved eastward through the forest. Half an hour after Xin Lang had gone, the old martial artist, Ouyang Bu Zhong, appeared at the fire pit, his face twisted with fury. Staring at the remnants of the fire and a piece of dark cloth hanging from a branch, Ouyang Bu Zhong cursed, “You little brat! If I catch you, I’ll skin you alive!”

Xin Lang had destroyed half of Ouyang Bu Zhong’s masculine prowess—a loss that was as good as robbing a man of his life. At first, Ouyang Bu Zhong intended to trail Xin Lang in secret to investigate his background, but now it had turned into a deadly pursuit.

But this was exactly what Xin Lang wanted. He truly feared the old man might let him off too easily.

After moving stealthily through the forest for a while, Xin Lang found a relatively open spot and began practicing the low-tier Earth-level technique, “Inch Force Fist.” Before training, he had already studied the terrain carefully, preparing an escape route for himself.

“Gather the force into the fist… condense it within an inch…”

Again and again, Xin Lang struck the tree trunk with his fist, searching for the secret of hidden force.

He trained until sweat poured down his body, but the elusive threshold still would not open to him.

After about two hours, Xin Lang glanced up at the sky and said, “It should be about time. That old bastard must be closing in.”

He took a bottle of “Flower Goji Dew” from his pack and drank it in one gulp to restore his stamina.

As the medicine entered his body, heat surged within him, and his depleted strength quickly recovered.

Soon, Xin Lang heard faint sounds of stealthy movement from the distant woods.

Ouyang Bu Zhong, having followed Xin Lang’s trail, had wandered many false paths, but finally found him.

Xin Lang leaned against a tree, a blade of grass in his mouth, and watched the panting Ouyang Bu Zhong approach. “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting half the day for you!”

“You little brat, this time I’ll kill you for sure!” Ignoring his exhaustion, Ouyang Bu Zhong pounced like a starving tiger.

Seeing Ouyang Bu Zhong rush at him, Xin Lang was not afraid. Instead, he grinned, “Heh, if you want to kill me, you’d better protect your last remaining ‘egg’ first!”

Xin Lang was well acquainted with Ouyang Bu Zhong’s “Mountain-Shaking Palm”; his only concern was Ouyang Bu Zhong’s hidden force, but that was precisely what Xin Lang needed most.

“Ten Thousand and Eight Dragon-Palms, Gale-Falling Leaf Finger, Shattered Heart Dragon-Claw—triple martial skills stack!”

Xin Lang had mastered three high-tier mortal techniques to perfection and could layer them together, multiplying their power several times.

“Ah…” After several exchanges, Ouyang Bu Zhong suddenly cried out in pain and knelt on the ground for the second time—Xin Lang had crushed his last remaining ‘egg’!

During their fight, Xin Lang deliberately took two palm strikes from Ouyang Bu Zhong, then feigned serious injury and escaped.

“You little brat… I swear I’ll kill you…” Ouyang Bu Zhong’s hatred for Xin Lang was bone-deep; he was determined to take his life.

Xin Lang treated Ouyang Bu Zhong entirely as his sparring partner. He kept Ouyang Bu Zhong trailing him, and whenever he needed, Xin Lang would purposely reveal himself, engage in a bout, then feign injury and flee.

Each time, Xin Lang gave Ouyang Bu Zhong hope—when it seemed he was about to catch Xin Lang, the latter would slip from his grasp yet again.

Sometimes, Xin Lang and Ouyang Bu Zhong fought two or three times a day; at minimum, they clashed once daily. One chased, the other fled, circling the forest for seven or eight days.

During these days, Xin Lang had buns and meat every day, plus stamina-restoring potions, keeping his spirits high. In stark contrast, Ouyang Bu Zhong was in dire straits—not only had both ‘eggs’ been crushed by Xin Lang, making walking agonizing, but he had little food, surviving mostly on wild fruits. At best, he managed to catch a wild rabbit, but that was rare—over seven or eight days, he caught only one.

“Gather the force… condense it within an inch…”

Having personally experienced the domineering power of hidden force, Xin Lang devoted himself to practicing “Inch Force Fist” once more.

Bang, bang, bang…

Xin Lang had no idea how many punches he’d thrown in this period; the threshold in his mind had grown clearer, as if he might push it open at any moment.

The tenth day!

Xin Lang felt the breakthrough was imminent, just a thought away.

Today, he did not seek out Ouyang Bu Zhong as a sparring partner, but quietly struck the tree trunk again and again—one punch, two punches, three punches…

Bang!

Xin Lang’s fist struck the trunk once more, and he sensed a tangible change—a force penetrated his fist, plunging deep into the tree’s core. Although the punch seemed ordinary, the trunk emitted a dull thud from within, where the internal structure was damaged by the punch’s force. However, the power was not yet strong enough to be obvious.

“Ding!” Suddenly, the level-up device emitted a clear notification: “Ten-star mainline quest completed. User has advanced to Level One Martial Artist. Usage rights retained. Experience points awarded: 100.”

“Success! Finally, success! I’ve mastered hidden force!” Xin Lang felt a surge of heroic pride. “Hmph! Who says I can’t become a martial artist because of my meridian defect? With my own strength, I’ve cultivated hidden force!”

Only Xin Lang himself knew how much hardship and danger he had endured to master hidden force—it was won with his life on the line.

“Gate of Immortality, just wait. I, Xin Lang, will climb to the pinnacle of martial arts and trample you all underfoot! If Heaven won’t let me walk the martial path, I’ll defy Heaven itself!”

Unable to contain his excitement, Xin Lang seized the moment of clarity and unleashed dozens more punches against the tree trunk as thick as a water vat.

Boom!

The great tree could no longer withstand Xin Lang’s hidden force—the trunk cracked and toppled to one side. Inside the fractured trunk, broken wood fibers were clearly visible, evidence of the domineering destructive power of hidden force.

At the same time, the level-up device flashed another notification, but Xin Lang, caught up in his exhilaration, did not notice it.

PS: One more chapter coming—brothers, throw your votes!