This shows just how intense Chu Ming's attacks are. However, Cheng Ming's defense is also formidable. Besides the Golden Light Fist, he has also cultivated an advanced Yellow Level defensive martial technique, the Iron Cloth Shirt!
"Creak!"
The two retreated, Chu Ming stepped back five paces and halted. Through the battle with Cheng Ming, he had almost gauged his own strength.
"In the fight with Cheng Ming, I used about half of my power. If I go all out, I might be able to match disciples in the Eighth Layer of the Postnatal Realm. It is unlikely but not impossible that the opponent has a trump card."
At this moment, Chu Ming had a clear sense of his own strength, while Cheng Ming stared at him in shock, his heart already in turmoil.
He was very aware of his own strength, having killed a martial artist at the Eighth Layer of the Postnatal Realm during a mission.
Therefore, he had looked down on Chu Ming. Never did he imagine that Chu Ming's strength was so formidable.
"Brother, let me help you!" Cheng Lin, who had been watching the fight, naturally noticed Cheng Ming's hesitation. With a loud shout, he charged at Chu Ming, his hand in a claw-like position, red spiritual power swirling in his palm.
Seeing this, Cheng Ming's heart stirred, and he pushed his Tyrant Fist to its extreme. His fists looked like two golden suns, making the air around them boil upon contact.
"It's time to end this." Chu Ming's refined iron sword drew an arc, and the sky suddenly turned humid, as though raindrops were falling, endless yet seemingly right in front of him. The air condensed into drops of water, each brimming with killing intent.
"Rainfall Kill!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
It felt like an ethereal realm, mysterious and unrestricted.
Crack
"Puff…"
Cheng Lin's eyes widened as his body was flung away. Blood flowed from his hand, and his body was riddled with wounds, covering him in blood.
"Second Brother!" Cheng Ming stopped his attack and quickly rushed over to catch Cheng Lin, his eyes turning bloodshot with fury as he saw the blood on his brother.
"Chu Ming, I swear I will never forgive you!" Cheng Ming shouted angrily, turning and leaving with Cheng Lin in his arms, not even sparing a glance at Zhao Yun.
Offending Zhao Yun might not lead to death, but any further delay would risk Cheng Lin's life. Cheng Ming and Cheng Lin were close brothers.
At this moment, Zhao Yun stood to the side, completely stunned, not even noticing Cheng Ming and Cheng Lin's departure.
In his memory, Chu Ming had always been timid and incompetent, with weak skills. How could he be so powerful today?
"Get lost!" Chu Ming said coldly, turning to walk towards the wooden hut. In truth, the full strength of his Rainfall Kill hadn't been unleashed just now; a full power Rainfall Kill could have killed both Cheng Ming and Cheng Lin.
Although the Cyan Yang Sect allowed personal duels, it was only under the condition that no lives were taken. Once a life was lost, the consequences could be severe, from crippling one's cultivation to execution.
For a martial artist, losing their cultivation was even more cruel than death. A once lofty martial artist turning into an ordinary person—who could accept that?
In silence, Zhao Yun realized that the current Chu Ming was beyond his ability to handle. If not for being in the Cyan Yang Sect, he might already be a corpse.
Returning to his wooden hut, Chu Ming packed his things. Suddenly, he began to envy those powerful martial artists who had storage rings. Just placing everything inside a storage ring seemed so convenient, but that was too far out of reach for him now.
As far as he knew, only the high-ranking members of the Chu Family possessed storage rings, and the first condition to become high-ranking was to be a True Dao expert.
The True Dao was a realm beyond Transcendence. Once one became a True Dao master, they could become an Outer Sect Elder in the Cyan Yang Sect. The position might not be extremely high, but it wasn't low either.
However, Chu Ming's goal was the pinnacle of martial arts.
After packing, Chu Ming went to the Martial Arts Pavilion, returned the Rainfall Swordsmanship to the Guardian Elder, and decided to choose a fist technique. His body strength now equated to that of a Postnatal Seventh Layer expert, making it the right time to choose a fist technique.
"How did it go? Failed, didn't you? The comprehension required for the Rainfall Swordsmanship is extremely high. Even Li Yuqing failed when she was in the outer sect," the Guardian Elder said, still remembering Chu Ming, but tried to dissuade him in fear that Du Ming might lose confidence in martial arts.
"I mastered it." Chu Ming replied calmly, waving his hand. "Ah, young people nowadays, aiming too high." Hearing this, the Guardian Elder didn't believe it but didn't bother with Chu Ming.
"Alright, go on in." Chu Ming nodded and entered the Martial Arts Pavilion, which was bustling with disciples.
The Guardian Elder had his reasons for disbelief. Li Yuqing, the Cyan Yang Sect's core disciple, was a sword Dao prodigy, making a name for herself in the martial world with the nickname "Shadowless Sword."
There was a saying in the martial world: "Better to provoke a ghost king than Li Yuqing." Though somewhat exaggerated, Chu Ming knew her strength rivaled that of the average Outer Sect Elder, and her sword Dao achievements could be compared to those of an Inner Sect Elder.
If Chu Ming had successfully cultivated the Rainfall Swordsmanship, it would mean his comprehension surpassed that of Li Yuqing, which the Guardian Elder found impossible.
Chu Ming bypassed the low-level Yellow martial techniques and went straight to the intermediate and advanced Yellow Level martial arts shelf. Low-level techniques were a waste of time for him.
"Rolling Stone Fist, Vajra Fist, Tyrant Fist." These were the only three techniques left. In the end, Chu Ming chose the Tyrant Fist. He had seen Cheng Ming use it before, but Cheng Ming had not grasped its essence.
To achieve Great Success in Tyrant Fist, one's body must have immense vitality. The essence of Tyrant Fist lies in its overwhelming aura, requiring a relentless spirit. Without it, one cannot truly understand Tyrant Fist.
"Tyrant Fist, a good technique." The Guardian Elder smiled as he observed Du Chuming and the technique.
Chu Ming returned to his hut and took out the Tyrant Fist manual, which consisted of three techniques.
First technique, Fist-Determined Kingdom.
Second technique, Domineering the Four Directions.
Third technique, Tyrant's World.
From what Chu Ming saw, Cheng Ming had only reached the second technique, and even then, only at a minor accomplishment.
Chu Ming meticulously practiced the techniques, but soon stopped, standing in silence.
"The techniques so far are just superficial, not the essence. Without sufficient vitality, I can't practice the Tyrant Fist." His body strength was only 900 jins, inadequate.
With a solution in mind, Chu Ming felt relieved. The worry was not about not mastering it, but failing to find the root of the problem.
The first step was horse stance training. Only with a stable horse stance could powerful fist techniques be executed. In combat, an unstable foundation means risking defeat.
His feet slightly wider than his shoulders, legs bent, eyes forward, his body rooted to the earth as if riding a horse, hence horse stance. A good horse stance enhances physical fitness, endurance, concentration, internal strength, and stabilizes the body's foundation.
Chu Ming's legs were slightly apart, crouched down, eyes gazing forward as he rapidly punched with each breath.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh
Gusts of wind continuously blew, ruffling Chu Ming's hair. He paid no heed, throwing over five hundred punches in a short time.
Next, Chu Ming worked on core stability for five minutes, simulating combat stances to train his leg muscles, practicing morning and evening with increasing duration.
Ten days later, his vitality was threadlike, his qi flow mountain-like, his strength surpassed a thousand jins, embodying the power of a tiger, able to smash rocks and shatter the sky.
Chu Ming then began practicing the Shoulder Rubbing Ear Listening Thunder Technique from his past life's memories. His front foot would leave the ground, hands spread, adopting a combat posture. The air resonated continuously, his strength incrementally increasing, always at peak combat readiness.
Next was the Waist-Destined Clear Eye Technique, strengthening his waist muscles, extending his hands, rearward lunging on the ground, repeatedly jumping to improve leg flexibility and upper body strength. A month of such training skyrocketed Chu Ming's strength to over two thousand jins, equal to the power of two tigers.
Chu Ming's appetite also grew, now equivalent to three or four people's meals, his punches producing sonic booms.
Before a rock wall, a solitary figure roared, his golden fist morphing into a towering mountain, smashing into the wall like a charging tiger.
Boom
A deafening sound echoed, stones flew, dust scattered. A half-meter deep crater appeared on the wall, daunting and terrifying.
"I've now achieved Great Success in Domineering the Four Directions. But to reach Perfection, I need the strength of three tigers," Chu Ming pondered.
"I must enter the Cyan Yang Mountain Range to earn cultivation resources." Chu Ming had broken through to the Seventh Layer of the Postnatal Realm yesterday, but his cultivation speed had slowed. To accelerate, he needed elixirs.
"With two months until the Wooden Men Stakes trial, I must push harder." Packing his things, Chu Ming rented a Blue Pheasant Horse from the Cyan Yang Sect and headed toward the Cyan Yang Mountain Range.
The Blue Pheasant Horse was on par with the legendary sweat-blood horse, capable of covering a thousand miles a day. The daily rental cost fifty taels of silver. Above the Blue Pheasant Horse was the Blue Star Horse, twice as fast and able to cover two thousand miles a day. The most powerful was the Red-Eyed Blood Demon Horse, originating from the Black Wind Plain in the Celestial Realm, bearing the bloodline of the Third Level demon beast, Red-Eyed Blood Wolf, worth a fortune.