Online Game: Me, with Unparalleled Comprehension

Iron Palm Proficiency +126.

"Not bad." Wu Changfeng glanced at his palm. In the instant of contact, he could clearly feel that the lynx's hard skull was as fragile as paper under the palm force. The scorching force even penetrated into the skull, causing additional damage.

He actively sought out monsters, no longer pursuing the fastest kill, but deliberately using Iron Palm to deal with them.

Lynxes are fast, have sharp claws and venomous teeth, making them perfect for the precision and explosive power of the Hammering Palm technique.

One palm strike after another, the dull thud echoing through the forest.

Sweat quickly seeped out, and his arms became slightly hot from continuously activating that unique, scorching palm force.

The proficiency of Iron Palm is steadily increasing, but compared to other martial arts, the increase seems to be a little slower—not because the system deducts it, but because this palm technique requires higher levels of power and energy, and cannot rely on rapid swings to "grind" proficiency like swords, spears, and staffs.

Each palm strike must draw upon that scorching, powerful force to achieve a significant effect.

It's tedious and consumes even more energy.

But feeling the increasingly solid force of his palms with each strike, and the slow but steady progress of his proficiency bar, Wu Changfeng patiently continued to strike, palm after palm.

They fought from the afternoon until the sun began to set.

When he slammed the last lynx's head into its chest cavity with a single palm strike, the number in his skill bar, [Iron Palm (Mastery 10126/15000)], finally stopped jumping and overflowed.

He walked to the stream, panting, and splashed water on his face. The cool water soothed the burning sensation in his palms.

"promote."

The familiar prompt did not appear. Instead, it read: [Your Iron Palm cultivation has reached its current bottleneck. You need to soak your hands in the "Bone Forging and Meridian Opening Soup" to further temper your palm bones and open your palm meridians before you can break through to the "Perfect" realm. The new prescription has been unlocked.]

Wu Changfeng frowned and opened the new prescription.

Five mace of ten-year-old Crimson Vine, two mace of one-hundred-year-old Cinnabar, ten stalks of Iron Wire Grass (with dew), three stamens of Blazing Sun Flower, three drops of Earth Core Milk, a bowl of Rootless Water (morning dew)... a total of twelve items, not only are there more varieties, but the requirements for the year and condition are also more stringent.

His gaze swept over the estimated price, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

The shop assistant had mentioned this medicine in casual conversation before; its market price was around thirty taels of silver.

"Thirty taels..." Wu Changfeng was speechless for a moment.

It cost fifteen taels to break through to the Great Completion stage, and now it costs thirty taels to reach Perfection. So how much would it cost to reach the Great Perfection stage? Wouldn't it cost forty or fifty taels, or even more?

This Iron Palm technique is powerful, but the way it costs money like water is really painful.

"I'll have to think twice before using these obviously pay-to-win items in the future. They're such a waste of money," he muttered to himself, glancing at his recent earnings.

As monsters level up to 18 or 19, the amount of copper coins dropped increases significantly, and occasionally some loose silver coins can also be found.

Including the few small groups of bandits he had dealt with while traveling, the silver in his backpack had accumulated to one hundred taels.

"With increased strength, the speed at which I can farm money is indeed much faster," he thought to himself.

If I were still killing wild dogs in the newbie village, it would have taken forever to save up 100 taels of silver. Now, I've been killing as I go, and it's just accumulated over time.

Unfortunately, they are now in the middle of nowhere, with no one to rely on, and they can't find anyone like Luo Tiancheng to cash out their money.

The game map is too large, and players are scattered, making trading inconvenient.

"I'll just have to spend it for now. Anyway, once I get to Wudang Mountain, I'll probably need even more money." He made up his mind, put away the control panel, mounted his rested black horse, and headed towards the next town where there might be a pharmacy.

Before it got completely dark, he arrived at a town slightly larger than Shiquan Town—Qinglin Town.

The town gates were closed, but thanks to his status as a martial artist and some money he had bribed the local militia guards, they still let him into the town.

We headed straight for the only pharmacy in town that was still lit up, "Baicaotang". The owner was an old man with white hair and beard, who was sorting medicinal herbs by the light of an oil lamp.

Wu Changfeng handed over the prescription.

The old man adjusted his glasses, looked at it carefully, and then glanced at Wu Changfeng's hands, which had distinct knuckles and an unusual ruddy color. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"Bone-Forging and Meridian-Clearing Soup... Is this a powerful external martial arts style, sir?" The old man said slowly as he turned to fetch the medicine. "This formula is potent and has a strong effect. It will be quite bitter when you soak it, so please bear with it."

"Thank you for reminding me." Wu Changfeng nodded.

The medicinal herbs were weighed out one by one, and the price was indeed exorbitant. In total, it amounted to a full thirty-two taels of silver.

Wu Changfeng counted out the silver, inwardly cursing the money-burning nature of the Iron Sand Palm technique once again. After receiving the packaged medicinal herbs, he found an inn in town, asked for a superior room with a bath tub, and paid extra to have the waiter carefully brew the herbs in a special medicine pot.

The dark brown medicinal soup churned in the wooden basin, emitting an even stronger and more pungent odor than before, with a faint burning sensation emanating from it.

Wu Changfeng immersed his hands in the water.

"hiss--"

Even with some preparation, the sudden, excruciating pain, like plunging one's hand into lava, still made him gasp. His skin, muscles, and bones seemed to be torn apart, burned, and reshaped by the violent power of the drug.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and forced himself to calm down. He circulated the Iron Sand Palm technique, guiding the domineering medicinal power to penetrate deeper into his tendons, bones, and palms.

The process was longer and more painful than last time.

Only when the medicinal soup became cloudy and dark, and the temperature dropped to lukewarm, did the inhuman pain gradually subside.

The system notification arrived as expected: [Conditions met; Iron Palm has broken through to the Perfect Realm.]

[Iron Palm (Perfect). Arm Strength +85, Constitution +40, Palm Damage +75%. The palm strike is unparalleled in its power, inflicting strong "burning" and "bone-crushing" effects. It has significant destructive power against metal armor and protective internal energy. The hands are harder than refined iron, capable of withstanding ordinary swords and blades.]

The attribute bonus has taken another leap forward! At the peak level, the arm strength bonus is already comparable to the combined maximum strength of several third-rate martial arts!

Wu Changfeng raised his hands and examined them carefully. The skin on his palms had a healthy bronze color, with a faint metallic sheen flowing through them. His finger bones seemed to have thickened slightly, and when he clenched his fists, he could feel the explosive power contained within.

"This effect...it's definitely worth the thirty taels." He cracked his knuckles, making a crisp "pop" sound. "Just how powerful will the Great Perfection realm be this time?"

The anticipation overshadowed the heartache of spending a huge sum of money.

After completing the breakthrough, it was already late at night. Wu Changfeng didn't rush on his way, but stayed at an inn and logged off immediately.

In the real world, he casually cooked a bowl of noodles to fill his stomach, leaned back on the sofa to rest for a while, and relieved the mental fatigue brought on by playing games for a long time.

I logged in again half an hour later.

It was still dark in the game. He sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating the "Hun Yuan Gong" to harmonize the slightly restless blood and true energy in his body caused by the breakthrough of Iron Sand Palm, while steadily improving his internal strength cultivation.

As the light outside the window gradually brightened, he finished his practice, got up, went downstairs, and ate a simple breakfast provided by the inn—a few steamed buns and a bowl of porridge—to replenish the hunger level of his virtual body.

After settling the bill and replenishing his food and water, Wu Changfeng embarked on his journey once again.

Qinglin Town is not far from Wudang Mountain. According to the map, if they travel at full speed, they can reach the foot of the mountain by the evening of the next day. But Wu Changfeng is not in a hurry.

"Anyway, Wudang Mountain won't grow legs and run away." He thought to himself, and continued with his previous rhythm: when the horse got tired, he would tie it up and rest, and then go to find monster spawn points nearby to earn some spare coins and experience while practicing Iron Sand Palm and accumulating the final proficiency level to reach the Great Perfection.

However, the monsters in this area are mostly lynxes, wild boars, and venomous pythons. Although they give a little more experience and money, they never drop martial arts manuals, which he finds quite regrettable.

"I really want to find a bandit stronghold and raid it..." he muttered as he smashed the vital spot of a venomous python with a single palm strike. "It's a pity that the journey has been too peaceful, and I haven't seen any decent bandit dens. I should check the bounty board in the next town. If there are any wanted criminals or bandit strongholds along the way, I can raid them and maybe even get some new martial arts skills."

With this thought in mind, he patiently pushed his mastery of Iron Palm step by step towards perfection.