Chapter 41

Yang Ji rallied his spirits and stared at the fist in the painting, beginning to study it inch by inch. Fingers, nails, pores... Yang Ji did not overlook any of these details.

When Yang Ji's gaze focused on the center of the fist, where there was a small, seemingly intentional or unintentional spot of ink, a sudden change occurred—

"Hmm?"

Yang Ji's vision blurred for a moment, and then the fist in the painting seemed to come to life, breaking through the paper and continuously expanding in his field of vision, growing larger and larger...

Yang Ji's mind buzzed, and all his attention seemed to be drawn into the rugged shadow of the fist, unable to look away.

It felt like an instant, yet it also felt like countless long centuries had passed. Yang Ji's body trembled, and he finally broke free from that strange realm, feeling an unprecedented fatigue, as if he could hardly open his eyes.

"Ouch..."

Yang Ji came to his senses, feeling a needle-like pain in his head, as if he had exhausted all his energy. He was drenched in sweat, panting heavily, and his eyes flickered with changing light.

In front of him, the scroll had returned to normal, but everything was different in Yang Ji's eyes.

"So the secret of the unity of fist and intent is hidden in the center of the scroll."

Yang Ji lowered his head, carefully recalling his recent experience. It felt as if his soul had been sucked in. In all his years of martial arts practice, he had never experienced such a bizarre phenomenon.

He glanced at the oil lamp beside him; the wick had only burned a little. Clearly, although it felt like a long time had passed, in reality, only a short moment had gone by.

Sss!

Xiao Ji slid down from the window frame and swam to Yang Ji's feet, looking at him with concern, as if asking, "What's wrong with you?"

It couldn't see anything special about the scroll, only that after a short while, Yang Ji suddenly turned pale and was drenched in sweat.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Yang Ji gently stroked Xiao Ji's head and smiled. Although he felt exhausted, he was more satisfied than ever.

Even though he hadn't yet grasped the secret of the unity of fist and intent and hadn't reached the Martial Dao realm, at least Yang Ji now knew the direction to move forward.

The room was silent. Yang Ji closed his eyes and leaned against the table leg, quietly resting. After about half an hour, he felt sufficiently recovered and opened his eyes, starting to study the "Unity of Fist and Intent" scroll again.

This time, with experience, he focused his mind and directly stared at the small, inconspicuous black dot on the "fist" in the center of the scroll.

"Buzz!"

Yang Ji's mind buzzed, and he immediately experienced the same feeling as before. However, this time, the sensation was clearer and more distinct.

A rugged, masculine aura rushed at him, and the scene before his eyes was no longer an ordinary painting. Yang Ji felt as if he were in another world, with a massive fist filling the sky, pressing down on him, as if he were about to be crushed to pieces.

His mental energy drained rapidly, changing exponentially every moment. The "world" in his eyes quickly became blurry, as if he were about to break free from this state of mind.

"Just a little longer, just a little longer..."

Yang Ji strained to "open" his eyes, trying to prolong the time, to gain more insights into the secrets of the Martial Dao from this "iron fist."

Yang Ji had a feeling that if he could persist a bit longer, he would surely grasp the martial secrets in the scroll.

His mental energy grew weaker, but Yang Ji persisted. The "world" in the painting became blurry and distorted, almost indistinguishable, but Yang Ji still held on.

A severe dizziness came from his mind, and Yang Ji felt he had reached his limit...

"Boom!"

The expected moment arrived. Yang Ji's mind buzzed, and he completely broke free from that strange world.

"Ah!—"

Yang Ji cried out in pain, his body collapsing, his hands supporting him on the ground, panting heavily.

This time, the mental exhaustion was much more severe than before. Yang Ji felt as if his head were about to split.

"Failed, still failed..."

Yang Ji couldn't help but feel disappointed. His chest heaved, and large drops of sweat fell from his forehead to the ground. Compared to the pain in his head, Yang Ji was more concerned about the result of his study of the scroll.

He felt he had almost reached his limit, but the expected breakthrough did not come. From this scroll, Yang Ji had not grasped any secrets of the unity of fist and intent.

"Am I really not talented enough..."

Yang Ji thought of the countless disciples who had failed and returned empty-handed from the "True Martial Hall." One experience could reveal a lot; not everyone who obtained the "Unity of Fist and Intent" scroll could reach the Martial Dao realm.

Taking the first step did not guarantee final success!

This had been proven by countless people in the past. Many had stopped at this stage, including many who considered themselves talented and promising disciples.

Time was running out, and with this situation, Yang Ji had no confidence that he could reach the Martial Dao realm in the remaining months.

Yang Ji was not someone who would easily give up, but the "imperial examination" in a few months was too important to him.

If he missed this martial examination, a few months later, "Madam" could expel him from the clan in front of everyone. Even if he passed the second martial examination three years later, it would be meaningless.

A "nineteen-year-old" martial student was destined to be mediocre and have no future.

Yang Ji had endured humiliation for over eight years; he did not want this result.

Because he cared so much, Yang Ji was deeply affected by this setback. He couldn't afford to lose in this matter!

"Buzz!"

Just as Yang Ji was feeling dejected, a sudden change occurred. His brow twitched, and a cool, refreshing energy spread throughout his body.

In an instant, the pain in his head disappeared, and the fatigue from mental exhaustion was gone.

Yang Ji felt as if he had been restored to his original state.

"This is... that stone!"

Yang Ji was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening, feeling both surprised and delighted.

When he had obtained the strange stone from Yang Erniu, or perhaps a meteorite, his body had undergone a transformation, which then lay dormant. Yang Ji could only faintly sense that it had retreated to his brow.

After so long, Yang Ji had almost forgotten about it. He never expected to feel its presence again at this moment.

This was a pleasant surprise.

"I wonder what that stone Yang Erniu found really is?"

Yang Ji thought to himself.

For so long, Yang Ji had known almost nothing about this "meteorite." Now, he could only infer that it seemed to contain mental energy, which could replenish one's mental strength.

"I've consumed a lot of mental energy before, but nothing happened. Could it be that it only infuses energy when my mental strength is completely drained?"

Yang Ji speculated.

To verify his guess, Yang Ji began to study the "Unity of Fist and Intent" scroll again.

"Boom!"

His mind buzzed, and the familiar sensation returned...

After a long time, Yang Ji took a deep breath and broke free from that strange feeling. This time, he deliberately extended the duration.

Sure enough, when Yang Ji's mental strength was completely drained, his brow twitched, and the cool, refreshing sensation returned, soothing the pain in his head.

In just a moment, Yang Ji felt refreshed, his eyes bright, and his entire body restored. All the fatigue was gone, and his mental strength seemed to have increased slightly.

"Indeed, it is so."

Yang Ji confirmed the characteristics of the energy in his brow and felt a surge of energy. With the help of this strange energy, his confidence in studying the "Unity of Fist and Intent" scroll increased.

The feeling of mental exhaustion and the pain in his head was too painful, and each time it took more than half an hour to recover. Even Yang Ji did not want to experience it too often.

However, with the help of the cool, refreshing energy, everything was different.

"Sss!"

Yang Ji took a deep breath and immediately focused all his attention on studying the "Unity of Fist and Intent" scroll. Each time his mental strength was drained, he would re-immerse himself, again and again, tirelessly...

Days passed, and although Yang Ji had not yet fully grasped the "Unity of Fist and Intent" scroll, he gained new insights each time. Moreover, he could feel that each time his mental strength was completely drained and then restored, it increased to some extent, and the duration he could persist in studying the scroll also grew longer...

...

"Has Yang Ji made any recent moves?"

In the main hall of the Yang Clan, the Madam held a cup of tea, not even looking up.

"No. As per your instructions, my subordinates will report to you if Yang Ji appears at the entrance and tries to enter the True Martial Hall. However, this has not happened yet. It seems he has not yet reached the tenth stage of breathing."

A guard in a brocade robe said, bowing respectfully.

"Hmm."

The Madam nodded in agreement.

"Logically, he shouldn't reach the tenth stage of breathing so quickly. However, we must be cautious. This little brat is very cunning. He could quietly reach the eighth stage of breathing in a few months, and he might also quickly break through to the tenth stage. In any case, keep a close eye on him."

"Additionally, increase the number of guards in the True Martial Hall by six, and double the security. There must be no room for error. With only a few months left, I would rather use a sledgehammer to crack a nut than hear any unexpected news. If anything goes wrong, you will answer with your heads."

The Madam's face was stern as she spoke.

"Yes, Madam."

The loyal subordinates in the room responded loudly.