I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

Hidden strength.

Hidden strength!

Washing your arms and shoulders helps to improve circulation; you must train diligently day and night.

"Use force to circulate the blood and qi throughout the body, and use breathing to guard the vital energy within the body... The so-called hidden force is to expel the blood and qi generated within the body through the pores."

Zhou An stared intently, repeatedly digesting Old Liu's cultivation insights from his notes, word by word, transforming them into words and knowledge that he could understand.

Training blood is training strength.

The greater the strength, the stronger the energy that can be generated during movement, and the more the hidden power will increase.

However, a person's vital energy is limited, so one cannot use hidden force too much.

Because what is being expelled is one's own vital energy and blood, excessive depletion of this vital energy can lead to physical weakness and fatigue.

At best, it damages the foundation of martial arts; at worst, it endangers one's life.

"To mobilize the body's vital energy, there must be a core. Using the waist to drive the power is just the surface. The real core is the spine at the back."

This is the human body's large cone; every movement of it can affect the muscles and bones throughout the body...

Zhou An took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

"I really owe them a huge favor this time."

Although Old Liu's notes did not contain specific cultivation methods, his summary of cultivation insights pointed Zhou An on the path forward.

"Give it a try!"

A moment later, Zhou An slowly opened his eyes, got up and walked into the courtyard.

Tongbei Changquan (Long-Arm Fist).

Relax your shoulders, straighten your wrists, and shake the bell in your hand; the rolling punch should be performed with relaxed movements...

Tongbei Changquan has 38 forms, and every punch and kick will stimulate the blood and qi of the whole body.

Zhou An's boxing skills were already perfected, so he was naturally no stranger to this technique. Moreover, because he often practiced it silently in his mind, he had already memorized the moves.

But this time is different.

During the practice of his fist technique, Zhou An did not shout or growl as he usually did to generate power throughout his body. Instead, he kept his inner strength contained, preventing it from being easily leaked out.

Once, twice...

At this moment, the blurry image of the fist in Zhou An's mind became increasingly clear.

It was a small person, a small person just like him, constantly practicing Tongbei Changquan (a style of Chinese martial arts).

The small figure initially appears, but there is no change in its strength.

But the moment this little man appeared, Zhou An no longer needed to memorize it by rote.

Because the art of boxing had become an integral part of his physical instincts.

Breathing, exhaling and inhaling.

As time passed, Zhou An could clearly feel the blood and qi in his body becoming increasingly turbulent.

Unlike before, when he would shout and roar as he punched and kicked, Zhou An's qi and blood grew stronger and stronger because he held onto his breath.

It's like building a dam and blocking the ever-flowing stream.

The water accumulated more and more in Zhou An's body, and the level rose higher and higher.

The blood and qi became increasingly hot, and it felt as if there was a large furnace inside the body, burning like flames.

Zhou An gritted his teeth. Because the power of his internal energy could not be released, blood vessels appeared in his eyes, and the veins on his forehead and temples bulged.

Feeling depressed.

So boring.

Zhou An felt he couldn't hold back any longer. He clenched his fist tightly and threw a powerful punch. The force of the punch struck the air, exploding like firecrackers.

"Slap, slap, slap..."

The crisp sounds continued incessantly, but the blood and energy within his body grew ever stronger, as if the burning furnace was about to explode.

"call!"

At that moment, Zhou An abruptly pulled back his fist, his bloodshot lips clenched together, and a long breath escaped from his mouth.

White vapor.

White steam, resembling sharp swords, spewed from Zhou An's mouth, reaching a length of about a foot.

It was midday in the height of summer, but the breath Zhou An exhaled felt like that of winter.

The breath inside his body flowed out like a floodgate being opened, lasting for five breaths before he finally exhaled.

Zhou An looked at his hands and touched his forehead; they were covered in hot water and sweat.

He felt a distinct sense of suffocation after a large amount of water came out in a short period of time, but his eyes became increasingly bright.

"This is the vital energy and blood. A punch or a kick can only activate a little bit, but after accumulation, it becomes an unstoppable force like a flood."

What if we focused our energy on a single point, not by exhaling through our mouths, but by striking with force through even the smallest pores?

"Will it be stronger, more impactful, like a high-pressure water gun?"

Zhou An closed his eyes, recalling the scenes from his past life, and the flames in his heart burned even brighter.

"To master this immense power, one needs strong control. The first thing I need to do is to be able to sense this energy, and even more subtle energy."

Sensing through breath!

Soon, Zhou An had an idea. The moment he opened his eyes, all the weariness in his gaze disappeared.

"Brother Zhou, didn't you say we didn't need to rush and just needed to cultivate properly? Why are you suddenly smashing things, making a loud banging noise? Hehe!"

At that moment, Liu Shuqing's teasing voice came from the other side behind the earthen wall.

"My hand cramped up, can't I just punch it?"

Zhou An replied irritably, then began pounding his fist with his left hand.

He was so engrossed in his practice that he couldn't help but utter a sound, which the kid heard perfectly.

"Hehehe, I understand, I understand. Brother Zhou, practice slowly and don't rush it and hurt your health."

Hearing Liu Shuqing's teasing laughter, Zhou An shook his head in annoyance, took a deep breath, and after adjusting himself a few times, resumed his cultivation.

Unlike last time, this time his punches were much slower.

But after several repetitions, the blood and qi in the body began to boil again, gradually moving from calm.

Zhou An wasn't in a hurry. When he was about to lose control, he slowly released his breath through breathing exercises to regulate the restless blood and qi in his body.

You must practice obvious strength, and cultivate hidden strength.

The former is fierce and domineering, while the latter is subtle and gentle.

One yang and one yin, one hard and one soft, the body begins to change from the outside in.

The most obvious feeling was that Zhou An found that his strength, which had been gradually stagnating, was once again significantly increasing.

Eating, practicing martial arts, and reading.

The boxing techniques changed little by little over time, and Zhou An recorded the principles of various herbs in his mind.

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

At one point, Zhou An, who was practicing boxing in the courtyard, suddenly took several steps in quick succession.

He clenched his fist tightly, stomped his right foot, and took a right lunge, his fist smashing into the earthen wall in front of him like a cannonball.

The fist, as big as a sandbag, stopped abruptly as soon as it touched the earthen wall, without the crisp, firecracker-like booming sound.

But when Zhou An moved his fist away, he saw tiny holes in the earthen wall, like needle pricks.

You can't see it at all unless you look closely.

"A hidden strength is emerging; I understand."

Zhou An smiled slightly, his face beaming with a bright smile.

It was only because he remembered the scene from the first day when Guo Tao punched the wooden stake, and countless wood chips exploded like fireworks.

He didn't understand it before, but he understands the principle now.

This is the hidden force, like striking from afar, a ruthless and insidious attack that undermines the target from within.

When every punch and kick combines hardness and softness, and hidden strength permeates the entire body, to the point where not even a feather can be added, that is called neutralizing strength.

The transformation of internal energy can be used to forge and cleanse the marrow. This realm involves the bone forging of the third level of martial arts and the internal organs of the fourth level of martial arts.

"However, I have only just mastered the hidden strength, and it is still very difficult to achieve this unless there is a corresponding technique."

Otherwise, relying solely on my own understanding and trial and error would waste a lot of time.

"Hmm, next time I'll talk about achieving mastery of Blood Refinement with Wang Yi and Sun Wenhao, and see if there's a reward then."

Zhou An made up his mind.

As for whether Guo Tao would doubt his rapid progress, with Lao Liu's notes, there shouldn't be any problem.

"Besides the cultivation technique, I also need money, lots and lots of money to buy blood-replenishing powder."

To make money, you need to complete tasks.

There are risks involved in doing tasks.

For safety, the only option is to continuously improve one's own combat capabilities.

"Hidden strength needs to be practiced but also nurtured. Let's try to combine the hidden strength of striking a cow from a distance with sword energy."

If successful, the sword energy might be able to travel even further; if not, there's nothing we can do but compensate with sheer numbers.

With Zhou An's current swordsmanship, he can unleash five sword energies in a short period of time.

Five paths are too few; he wants a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand.

When the time comes, with a single sword strike, thousands upon thousands of sword energies will surge forth like an endless hedgehog; let's see who can withstand it.

"I still have a lot to do; I must continue my cultivation."

......