’What kind of impact will this have?’

Xu Meng thought for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.

’...Is business going to drop again?’

’This world is so difficult...’

He shook his head.

Taking a deep breath, he was about to go call someone and delegate the matter.

Suddenly, he felt thirsty again. He scooped up another large ladle of water and, GULP GULP GULP, drank it all down...

’...This Qi Blood Pill is great in every way, but the side effect is a bit annoying. Having to drink so much water every day is such a hassle.’

Xu Meng shook his head.

...

After returning to Fishermen’s, Qin Fang fell back into his old routine.

Every day was Standing Pile, Body Refining, and practicing his fists...

Unsurprisingly, news about the parasitic Demons reached Fishermen’s a few days later.

The buzzing sound of discussion could be heard everywhere.

Everyone was shocked by the news.

And with the shock came all sorts of worries.

...In the past, when Demons caused trouble, the worst that could happen was being eaten or killed by one. Although it scared the fishermen from entering the river, the threat to those on shore was at least limited... After all, unless the Demons came ashore, you were safe as long as you stayed out of the river, right?

But now, things were different.

People were being used as hosts by Demons.

And the Demon would even burst out from their stomach.

...That was terrifying.

Because this meant...

The shore was no longer safe.

How could this not fill people with dread and anxiety?

At this critical juncture, the outcry against Huichun Hall grew louder. The rumors about Huichun Hall’s Demon problems had mostly died down, but now they surged back with a vengeance.

With the rumor flaring up again after being extinguished once, the connection between the Demons and Huichun Hall seemed all but confirmed.

Many people began to feel a deep-seated loathing and wariness toward Huichun Hall...

Now, there was no trace of Huichun Hall in the market. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

As for the situation within True Martial County... Qin Fang had no way of knowing.

While rumors ran rampant in the outside world, on Qin Fang’s status panel, the progress for ’Standing Pile’ finally reached 4999!

’...Just one more point to a breakthrough!’

...

His muscles rippled as if they were alive, accompanied by the THUMP THUMP THUMP of the Skin Membrane Drum Sound, the CRACK CRACK CRACK of the Muscle-Bone Thunder Sound, and the RUSH RUSH RUSH of his surging Qi Blood...

The three sounds mingled and echoed, yet they seemed to possess a strange harmony, like a symphony in progress.

Qin Fang maintained the posture of the Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile, standing in the very center of his courtyard.

His entire spine arched high like a great bow, tensing and relaxing. With his chest hollowed and back extended, his posture was as steady as a pine.

In his mind’s eye, he pictured himself as a wild bull, standing between heaven and earth, horns pointing to the sky, planted on the vast plains, fending off all imaginary foes.

At a certain moment...

The text on his panel flickered softly.

From ’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Low Grade Root Technique) (Great Success) 4999/5000’

It changed to...

’Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile (Low Grade Root Technique) (Perfection): 1/∞’

In that instant, a feeling of serendipitous enlightenment washed over him!

In a daze, he suddenly understood certain things.

"Force..."

"Vitality..."

"Strength..."

"So, that’s how it is..."

His eyes suddenly brightened as they snapped open.

The next moment, he began to perform the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist!

The form of his fist was still wide and sweeping.

But this time, his movements were devoid of the previous rushing sounds.

Instead, they were completely silent.

Yet he could clearly feel that everything was different!

His figure blurred. He charged forward, silent but as fast as lightning.

Then he slapped a palm against the wooden pile.

There was a sharp CRACK.

Looking at the wooden pile...

The spot where Qin Fang’s palm had made contact had exploded outward!

A shower of splinters burst out from the other side!

CRACK...

The wooden pile, over twenty centimeters in diameter, snapped in two!

"Strength..."

"This is the ’Strength’ in ’Mingjin’!"

A realization dawned in Qin Fang’s mind.

Everything he had trained before this was force.

The purpose of training was to refine this ’force’ into ’Strength’!

’Force’ is scattered and chaotic.

’Strength,’ on the other hand, is integrated and unified.

Scattered force only reaches the surface, finding it difficult to penetrate deeper.

Unified ’Strength’ possesses far greater Penetration Power and destructive capability!

...That was the biggest difference.

For example, before today, even if Qin Fang had attacked this wooden pile with all his might, he would have at most damaged its surface.

With his current power and physical hardness, breaking the pile wasn’t impossible, but it would have required dozens, maybe even hundreds, of consecutive punches.

But now... a single, simple palm strike had snapped the wooden pile in two!

’Hasn’t my destructive power increased by more than tenfold?’

Qin Fang’s expression was dazed. This Epiphany had allowed him to truly comprehend what ’Strength’ was!

At this thought, he suddenly picked up a wooden splinter from the ground. The next moment, he flicked his hand. With a SWISH, the splinter shot out and left a deep hole in the courtyard wall ahead!

’If this wall wasn’t so thick, that probably would have gone straight through!’

One could imagine that if this hit a person, they would be pierced through in an instant.

’Before today, even using an Iron Nail couldn’t have produced such a terrifying result!’

This was the terror of ’Strength’!

"Picking a leaf, flicking a flower, both can be lethal..."

Qin Fang... could now barely manage to do it!

A smile involuntarily appeared on Qin Fang’s face.

Then he mused...

"In that case, during our spar the other day, Senior Brother was actually holding back... He’s at the Peak of Mingjin, so he must have already mastered this ’Strength’."

"It’s just that the killing power of ’Strength’ is too great. Senior Brother was probably worried that if he used ’Strength’ against me, he would end up hurting me, right?"