Martial Arts Overlord!

"I agree!!"

Chen Wei was the first to jump up, his voice as loud as if he had thrown a grenade on the training field!

This shout completely jolted everyone out of their shock.

The training ground instantly exploded like a powder keg that had been ignited.

"A few days? He jumped from the fourth level of Bone Forging to the extreme level in just a few days? Brother Hai spent nine months! Nine months! He visualized the Intent Fist Manual fifteen times!"

"Can anyone tell me how long Senior Brother Lu Jin has been in the inner city, and how long he's been practicing martial arts in total?!"

"Difficult! Too difficult! I can't do this problem!"

A student at the third stage of Bone Forging was counting on his fingers, his expression like someone who had solved an arithmetic problem and found that the answer didn't match up.

"No, why should I?"

Peng Yu grabbed Yan Wenzhi's arm, his voice cracking.

"Was the difference in human beings so great when Nuwa created them? We're all born of mothers and fathers, so how come he seems to have cheat codes?"

Yan Wenzhi glanced down at his arm, which had turned white from Peng Yu's grip, and pried his hand off expressionlessly, his tone calm but tinged with shock.

"See? I told you so. I said this monster can't be judged by ordinary standards, but you didn't believe me. Now you do?"

Peng Yu shut up.

I believe it now, this time I completely believe it!

Monsters cannot be viewed using common sense.

Chu Zhen and Yang Tai stood on the periphery of the crowd, their expressions remarkably identical.

His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were vacant, like two wooden stakes that had been struck by lightning twice in a row.

They thought they were used to being shocked by Lu Jin, after all, they had been shocked too many times since they followed him from the outer city branch to the inner city, so they should have some immunity.

But today's punch has shown them they were overthinking things.

Immunity is a joke when it comes to Lu Jin.

Jiang Zheng stood next to Chu Zhen, arms crossed, looking calm and collected like someone who'd been through it all: "You'll get used to it. Little Lu's future achievements are unimaginable. Hopefully, he won't forget us when he becomes successful."

At this moment, He Yulong snapped out of his shock, and the expression on his face changed from bewilderment to excitement.

He strode up to Lu Jin, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Good lad! In just a few days, you've broken through to the Extreme Realm without a word! Have you grasped the essence yet?"

"No." Lu Jin shook his head.

Zhao Wen let out a long, deep breath, as if he had finally found an outlet for the pent-up frustration he had been holding in for half his life.

He spent half a year entering the extreme realm, but he only touched the threshold of the realm of intent. He may not be able to fully comprehend it until he reaches a later level.

Don't underestimate this threshold. When you reach the stage of specializing in artistic conception, this threshold can save you several years or even ten years of hard work.

He was terrified by Lu Jin's talent. If Lu Jin could even comprehend the essence of the art, then he, as the senior brother, would go to He Yulong tomorrow to apply for a transfer to the provincial capital.

If I can't get transferred, I'll run away from home. I just can't stay with this monster anymore.

"But it will be soon," Lu Jin added.

Zhao Wen hadn't finished exhaling when the breath he was about to exhale was abruptly stuck in his throat.

He turned his head, looked around expressionlessly, then put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the door: "This is boring. I'm leaving. I'm going back to sleep. What's the point of practicing martial arts?"

"Indeed. Senior Brother Lu has only been practicing martial arts for a short time and he's already at the pinnacle, while I'm still struggling in the third stage of the Body Refinement Realm."

Immediately, someone nearby chimed in, slinging their training uniform over their shoulder.

"Going back to play games, no practice tonight."

"Count me in, let's stay up all night!"

"A five-seater row of seats in an internet cafe!"

...

The crowd at the training ground dispersed quickly, like the receding tide.

Lin Ruohai woke up at some point, and taking advantage of the chaos in the crowd, he covered his face and slipped out through the side door, moving very quickly.

In less than half an hour, the news of Lu Jin breaking through to the extreme realm spread throughout all the group chats of Tianlong Martial Arts School in Pingshui City.

First came the text message, then the live video.

Someone filmed the scene where Lu Jin punched Lin Ruohai and sent him flying more than a dozen times from various angles. In the slow-motion replay, you can clearly see the moment when the golden dragon pierced through his back.

Other martial arts schools and major forces also received the news immediately through their intelligence channels.

In a courtyard in Pingshui City, Han Chong handed his phone to his daughter sitting opposite him, his tone carrying an air of certainty that said, "I told you so long ago: Look at this. In just a few days, he's broken through to the extreme realm! Xiao Lu's talent is terrifying; now you believe it, right?"

Han Qingling took the phone and watched the video.

Her expression didn't change much, but her knuckles were slightly white as she gripped the phone.

"I have never denied his talent."

She placed her phone on the table, her tone remaining calm.

"But cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as you progress. He started late; many martial artists his age have already reached the Meridian Opening Realm. Do you know what level the true geniuses in the provincial capital are at?"

"How can that be the same?"

Han Chong put down his teacup, his tone somewhat displeased.

"Some people start learning martial arts at the age of three, but how long has Xiao Lu been training? Less than two months! Starting from scratch, training his body to the extreme, in less than two months! Can you find someone like that in the provincial capital?"

Han Qingling did not respond.

She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and then put it down. Her voice was soft but firm: "One step slower, and you'll be slower at every step. Dad, this path isn't one where talent alone can get you to the top."

Han Chong looked at his daughter, sighed, and said nothing more. He felt that his daughter's personality might have caused the Han family to miss an opportunity to advance further.

He Yulong submitted the list of recommended students faster than Lu Jin had expected.

The Martial Arts Association's procedures were surprisingly smooth, probably because Han Chong had given instructions. The Heaven-level martial arts manuals awarded as prizes were delivered to the Tianlong Martial Arts School that very evening.

The booklet cover was light blue, indicating it was mass-produced, and it had three characters printed on it: "Paiyun Zhang" (排云掌).

Lu Jin opened it, glanced at it twice, and then casually closed it.

The form and characteristics of the palm technique are not important to him; what matters is how much his attributes will increase after learning it.

The only regret is that the giant wielding a sword in the Eternal Night Ruins cannot be defeated for the time being. The source of the Ultimate Profound Pearl has been cut off, and all martial arts can only remain at perfection, unable to break through to the ultimate limit.

This is a problem, and it's quite urgent.

"Should we go to other cities... or look for cult members? They must have boxing slaves around them."

"Forget it, I don't know what it's like to enter the Eternal Night Ruins in other cities, and as for cult members... they're a bit hard to find."

Lu Jin frowned. Just as he was lost in thought, He Yulong called him to the training room on the top floor.

"Xiao Lu, you really surprise me more and more each time."

He Yulong looked Lu Jin up and down, his eyes like those of someone looking at a work of art he had personally crafted.

"Others are lucky if they can shock me once in their entire lives, but you do it every few days. My heart will break from all the fear you're giving me sooner or later."

He put away his smile and his tone became serious: "From today onwards, you can officially begin practicing the method of refining essence."

As I told you before, the skin, flesh, bones, and extreme conditions are all laying the foundation, making the human body, this container, large and strong enough.

The size of the container directly determines how much essence you can hold in the Refinement Realm.

Even with the same level of essence-replenishing medicine, some people's dantian is full after just one dose, while others can consume dozens of doses.

"That's where the gap starts to widen."

"I am going to teach you the method of refining essence and cultivating your spirit. It is the true core technique of our Tianlong Martial Arts School, called the Azure Dragon Refining Essence Technique."

This is a martial art that cultivates both internal and external strength. When combined with medicinal refinement of vital essence, it can transform vital essence into dragon essence, replenishing the depleted vital essence within your body, achieving another leap in physical strength, and simultaneously prolonging life.

He held up four fingers: "It is also divided into four realms: Python Realm, Flood Dragon Realm, Chi Realm, and Dragon Realm."

However, unlike the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones, the fourth realm can be reached as long as one has talent and the aid of medicine.

The Refining Essence Realm is different; it is entirely based on the martial artist's physique.

If one's physical strength is insufficient, even if one's essence is replenished all at once, one can only reach the Chi Yuan realm at most, or even lower.

The Chi Yuan realm can only extend one's lifespan by thirty years. The average lifespan of a martial artist before the Refining Essence realm is ninety-five years. Even with these thirty years, it's still only one hundred and twenty-five years.

The Dragon Essence Realm, also known as the fourth realm of Refining Essence, requires a martial artist who has reached the extreme realm to have a physique sufficient to bear that enormous amount of essence.

Reaching this level grants the ability to extend one's lifespan by fifty years, and one's strength undergoes a complete transformation.

After listening, Lu Jin nodded slightly. Now he understood why everyone was striving to reach the pinnacle.

This is the most crucial reason.

He had already tempered his flesh and bones one more time than others, and the extreme state was equivalent to the sixth time.

With this physique, what kind of effect can one achieve when trying to break through to the fourth level of the Refinement Realm?

More importantly, he also has the Ultimate Profound Pearl to break through limits. Once he obtains the Ultimate Profound Pearl, the Azure Dragon Refining Yuan Technique may be able to break through to a realm that no one else has ever set foot in.

But that's a story for another time.

The most pressing issue at hand is the availability of sperm-enhancing drugs.

Just like martial arts, the grading of essence medicines is similar. The lowest grade of human-level essence medicine has an officially regulated price of one million.

These figures are the result of repeated suppression. Without regulation, the supply and demand relationship alone could have driven prices sky-high, and the production rights are all in the hands of the government.

The amount consumed varies greatly depending on the martial artist's physique.

Zhao Wen's physique was already quite good among his peers, and he took twenty doses of human-grade essence medicine to fully replenish his essence.

Twenty portions would amount to twenty million.

This is because Zhao Wen is He Yulong's true disciple, and a copy is mailed directly from the provincial capital every month, saving most of the expenses.

Lu Jin naturally received the same treatment; true disciples received one per month, plus the Martial Arts Association also promised to provide one per month.

Two servings a month sounds like a lot, but according to Zhao Wen's standards, it would take ten months to accumulate twenty servings.

Ten months of cultivation time was too long for Lu Jin.

We have to find a way to make money.

Lu Jin did some mental calculations. Of the five million in official rewards, three million had already been invested in Chen Wei's weapons shop. In addition, he had bought a car and was also looking to maintain a villa. His savings were just enough for his daily expenses.

"How much is the prize money for the martial arts tournament? I think the champion gets 50 million, plus essence-replenishing drugs, and even spirit-nourishing drugs."

"I wonder how much money Chen Wei's weapons chain store can come up with."

"Forget it, if all else fails, I can take out a loan. With my current status and a villa as collateral for a loan, tens of millions shouldn't be a problem. The real issue is how to obtain essence drugs in bulk."

Lu Jin frowned. Things like essence drugs are produced by three national pharmaceutical factories and then distributed to various units across the country according to a rationing system.

Even someone like Han Chong couldn't get a back door.

"alright."

He Yulong's words interrupted Lu Jin's thoughts. He held a scroll in his hand and took out an exquisite wooden box, handing them both to Lu Jin.

The scroll cover is printed with a coiled blue dragon, which is warm to the touch and you can vaguely feel some kind of life force flowing within it.

The wooden box was opened, revealing a blood-red Ganoderma lucidum. The cap of the Ganoderma lucidum was covered with fine golden patterns, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire training room, invigorating anyone who smelled it.

"This is the blood-ganoderma that the provincial capital gave to Awen this month."

He Yulong explained, "He has already reached the peak of the Refinement Realm and doesn't need this for the time being, so I'll give it to you first."

Your copy won't arrive from the provincial capital until next month. Go and practice your meditation first. The Azure Dragon Refining Essence Technique is unlike other cultivation methods; its progress in the Refining Essence stage largely depends on the supply of medicinal ingredients. With medicine, progress is rapid; without it, you can only rely on time, which will be incredibly slow. Alternatively, you can supplement your diet with more nutrients, but the effect will be minimal. This applies to other Refining Essence cultivation methods as well.

"OK."

Lu Jin didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the visualization scroll and the Blood Spirit Mushroom, then turned and walked towards his private cultivation room.

The moment the scroll is unfurled, an ancient and powerful life force surges forth from it. On the scroll is a blue dragon coiled amidst a sea of ​​clouds, its body winding and its scales and claws clearly defined.

Lu Jin immersed himself in the experience, and the blood in his body began to surge faster. Each heartbeat felt like someone was beating a drum inside him.

Deep within his dantian, a faint, almost imperceptible flow of heat began to slowly gather.

A moment later, the panel popped up automatically.

[Azure Dragon Refining Essence Technique: Beginner Level (1%)]

Attack: 3621.7 → 3896.4

Speed: 3147.2 → 3402.5

[Defense: 3408.5→3651.8]

[Stamina: 3356.8→3612.3]

[Spirit: 1136.9→1203.1]

[Willpower: 1158.6 → 1213.9]

"With my current mental strength and willpower, combined with my dedication to martial arts, it shouldn't be too difficult for me to get started with ordinary King-level martial arts visualization techniques."

"But something just doesn't feel right."

Lu Jin looked at the numbers on the panel, his brows furrowing deeply.

He could clearly feel the heat, and his essence was gathering, but the gathering was very slow, as if something was blocking his dantian, preventing the power from flowing smoothly.

I've never felt this way before.

"Are you lacking sperm-enhancing drugs?"

Lu Jin immediately picked up the blood-red Ganoderma lucidum and swallowed it clean in a few gulps. The Ganoderma lucidum melted in his mouth, and a hot, warm current slid down his throat into his abdomen, then exploded in his dantian.

In an instant, the faint heat in his dantian suddenly surged, and the Azure Dragon Refining Essence Technique began to operate on its own. The heat in his dantian transformed into strands of essence, which permeated his limbs and bones along the meridians.

The muscle fibers were filled with essence and became denser, and the golden patterns on the surface of the bones became even brighter under the nourishment of the essence.

"Just as I expected!"

Lu Jin's eyes lit up, and he immediately assumed a fighting stance.

At that moment, he could clearly feel his vitality growing, as if every cell in his body had been reawakened.

"Click click click!"

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Jin slowly opened his eyes.

A series of crackling sounds came from inside his body; they were the crisp sounds of his bones and tendons being nourished by the essence.

He looked down and focused his inner energy on his dantian, where a primordial pearl the size of a grain of rice was suspended in the center, with a faint, indistinct phantom of a python coiled around it.

However, the python is still very weak, and its body is almost translucent. Although it has not yet fully reached the python essence, it will grow.

With sufficient medicinal nourishment and the Azure Dragon Refining Essence Technique, this young python will eventually grow into a true Azure Dragon.

"This is the Refining Essence Realm." Lu Jin exhaled a breath of turbid air. "I haven't even reached the Python Essence Realm yet. My body's essence has only been slightly replenished, but..."

The panel pops up automatically.

Attack: 3896.4 → 5213.7

Speed: 3402.5 → 4516.2

[Defense: 3651.8→4826.4]

[Stamina: 3612.3→4789.5]

[Spirit: 1203.1→1283.1]

[Willpower: 1213.9 → 1301.3]

Excluding spirit and will, all attributes increased by nearly one-third.

This is just the beginning; he hasn't even fully reached the Python Essence level yet. If he accumulates enough essence-boosting medicine to max out all four realms, and then uses the Ultimate Profound Pearl to break through to the next limit…

Lu Jin looked down at his clenched fist, the force emanating from between his fingers causing the air to tremble slightly.

"Bang!"

Lu Jin slammed his fist into the full-force testing device, his face beaming with joy. "51 tons of strength! In such a short time, my strength has made another qualitative leap."

"It's all about money and the ultimate secret pearl..."

Thinking of this, Lu Jin raised his head, looked at the night sky outside the window, and his eyes were cold.

"Damn cultists, when are you going to get your revenge on me? I kind of miss you guys."

Lu Jin scratched his head, a bold plan forming in his mind.

"If you don't come... then I'll come to you myself."

"Sorry, I'm just too eager to improve."

...