"Hoo~ Hoo~ Breathe~"
Yang Hong took a few deep breaths to calm his excitement and looked at his status panel again.
[Cultivation: 157 years of True Qi (Martial Grandmaster, Hundred Thousand Jin of Strength)]
He focused on the cultivation section.
He now had 157 years of True Qi, but his realm was still Grandmaster, not yet broken through to the Heaven Human realm.
However, his strength had indeed reached a hundred thousand jin.
He clearly remembered that before, his strength was only sixty thousand jin.
This single evolution of martial arts had directly boosted his strength to a hundred thousand jin.
This was a miracle.
Yang Hong now wished he could find someone to spar with and test his strength.
"No rush, I'll find someone tonight to spar with. There's a person who's definitely a good candidate."
He suppressed the impulse in his heart and used his remaining two opportunities for anointing. He then hurried back to the small building, needing to adapt to his new strength.
Yang Hong, filled with excitement, didn't notice that Concubine Zhou, Zhou Fengzhi, was looking at his retreating back with disbelief.
"That aura just now, was it a Xiantian Grandmaster? Or perhaps a Great Grandmaster?"
When Yang Hong endured the pain, he accidentally released a bit of his aura, which was sensed by Concubine Zhou, who was not far away.
"Should I report him?"
"If I report him, can I leave the Cold Palace?"
"If I leave the Cold Palace, will I still have a chance to rise?"
Concubine Zhou hesitated for a long time but ultimately did not choose to report him. Her four months of life in the Cold Palace had given her a preliminary glimpse into the wickedness of human hearts.
She dared not risk her life.
...
The sun set and the moon rose, and soon it was deep into the night.
"A dark and windy night, a night for murder~ Tonight I'll spar with Consort Zhen."
He sighed at the favorable weather. Tonight, the moon was dim. Although it wasn't pitch black, visibility was very limited and dim.
With such a sky, moving through the dim Cold Palace, he wouldn't be afraid of being discovered.
Dressed in black and wearing a mask, Yang Hong reached Consort Zhen's small courtyard in a few leaps.
"Knock, knock~ Knock, knock~"
He boldly knocked directly on Consort Zhen's door.
He was here to spar and test his skills, not to assassinate. Knocking openly was perfectly fine~ right?
"Who~"
Consort Zhen was indeed alert. She woke up instantly and asked in a low voice.
Yang Hong, with a hoarse voice, said, "Looking to spar."
"You're seeking death~"
As if knowing her secret was exposed, Consort Zhen gritted her teeth and said, a sharp Emei刺 (a type of hairpin weapon) thrust out through the door.
She wanted to catch Yang Hong off guard.
"Well come!"
With a light shout, Yang Hong's eyes lit up. He slapped the middle of the Emei刺 with his right hand, breaking the attack.
"Little thief, take your life."
Consort Zhen had been prepared for this, knowing a single strike wouldn't be enough. After her attack was interrupted, she didn't retreat. Instead, she lowered her body, each hand holding an Emei刺, and lunged directly at Yang Hong's chest and abdomen.
These two Emei刺 were clearly specially made. In the dim environment, they were almost invisible. Coupled with Consort Zhen's lightning-fast moves, this attack was hidden and subtle, making it seem as if she had no weapons at all.
*Pa, pa~*
With two crisp sounds, Yang Hong again struck the Emei刺, blocking the insidious thrust.
Although Yang Hong had 157 years of True Qi, his practical combat experience was almost zero, forcing him to be extremely vigilant.
*Pa, pa~ Pa, pa~* The light sounds continued.
If a gentleman were to pass by, they would surely lament the decline of public morals.
But this was Yang Hong passively defending, each time hitting the Emei刺.
However, the sounds grew faster.
After thirty exchanges, Consort Zhen discovered that her opponent was only fast and strong, but his martial arts techniques were ordinary. Thus, she continuously increased her attack speed, trying to overwhelm Yang Hong with her rapid strikes.
However...
*Crack~ Crack~*
Yang Hong's terrifying strength of a hundred thousand jin was too much. After repeatedly striking the Emei刺, he directly broke them.
"Hmph~"
Consort Zhen let out a cold snort and threw the broken Emei刺 at Yang Hong like hidden weapons. Then, she surged forward, circling to Yang Hong's side, and struck at the back of his head with a palm.
*Bang~*
Yang Hong's punch was like a rhinoceros charging with its horns. First, he sent the two Emei刺 flying. As his fist returned, he directly jabbed his elbow into Consort Zhen's armpit, employing a strategy of mutual destruction.
*Bang~*
However, Yang Hong was still a novice. His change of pace was stiff, and Consort Zhen dodged and struck him on the lower back.
"Hmph~"
Yang Hong grunted, feeling a slight pain.
But that was all.
Since he was not injured, Yang Hong became even more reckless, fighting with an all-out exchange of blows, forcing Consort Zhen to retreat steadily.
After about a quarter of an hour, or half an hour, Yang Hong was done.
Although he was not injured, his black clothes were tattered.
Although his body had an advantage, his techniques were stiff, and he took more hits.
This also made him clearly realize that having True Qi cultivation did not necessarily mean combat effectiveness.
However, powerful True Qi, coupled with ordinary leaping techniques, allowed him to easily disengage from the battlefield.
Seeing Yang Hong turn and run, Consort Zhen trembled with rage.
*Smash~*
She slammed her palm onto a nearby stone table.
*Crack~ Crack~ Bang~*
A palm strike that had no discernible effect on Yang Hong shattered the stone table made of hundred-thousand-jin bluestone into pieces.
Yang Hong easily returned to his small building.
"Hehe~ So invigorating."
Yang Hong fetched water himself and took a bath. Looking at his reddened body, he not only wasn't injured but felt completely comfortable.
"Is this the effect of a perfected physique? I feel like this was just a warm-up exercise."
A Grandmaster's palm strike, capable of cracking stone, felt like a powerful massage to him.
"Great! I'll continue tomorrow. Such sparring partners are hard to come by. Hehe~"
Yang Hong smiled happily, while Consort Zhen was miserable.
For the next month, Yang Hong came to spar with her every night to practice his martial arts.
He knew for sure that Consort Zhen dared not publicize it, which was why he brazenly harassed her.
Moreover, his martial arts cultivation was like cheating.
The system that returned cultivation from anointing not only returned True Qi from cultivating techniques but also from martial skills.
After choosing to cultivate the "Mang Niu Quan" (Raging Bull Fist), each anointing returned a large amount of combat insight directly into Yang Hong's mind. With his photographic memory, he quickly grasped its profound principles.
What he needed to do was to constantly practice the moves and adapt his body to them.
The fastest way to achieve this adaptation was through actual combat.
"No more fighting~ No more fighting~ I know you're just using me as a punching bag for practice. I'm completely no match for you now. Find someone else."
"Uh~"
This night, as soon as Yang Hong appeared, he saw Consort Zhen sitting by a new stone table, waiting for him. Upon seeing Yang Hong, she immediately waved her hands, signaling an end to the fight.
This made Yang Hong feel a bit awkward.
But his plan to practice martial arts would certainly not change, so he directly asked.
"Are there any stronger people in the palace than you?"
"Yes, the Emperor Emeritus has three old eunuchs. Any one of them is stronger than me. Others might not be enough for you to fight."
"Goodbye~"
Yang Hong turned and left. Since Consort Zhen could no longer provide him with experience, he naturally had to seek out bigger challenges.
However...
Looking at the three old eunuchs lying on the ground, unable to move, Yang Hong was a little stunned.
"I only used seventy percent of my strength? How did they collapse so quickly?"
"Cough cough~ Pfft~"
Hearing Yang Hong's low murmur, the three old eunuchs coughed up blood.
'Do you even know how heavy your hands are? Don't you have any self-awareness?'
He looked at his fist, then at the three old eunuchs spitting blood, and Yang Hong realized that he seemed invincible.