Chapter 5 Breakthrough_1

```

"Losing is losing, making excuses? So, this is the true caliber of the Ling Family's own scions!"

Facing Ling Chong's sophistry and everyone's discussions, Ling Xiao simply left a comment before turning around and leaving.

Ling Chong was so angry that he clenched his teeth.

He roared at Ling Xiao, "You little beggar, just you wait! Once I've healed, I definitely won't hold back against you again!"

After speaking, he was also holding his chest, his complexion ghastly as he was supported by two outer disciples as they left.

In Ling Chong's view, his loss to Ling Xiao today was simply due to underestimating the enemy.

In the past, that boy didn't even fight back, but today, he actually took the initiative to counterattack.

No, he must train harder... Next time, he would surely make Ling Xiao pay!

...

After returning home, Ling Xiao reported his victory over Ling Chong to his grandfather, and then he returned to his room to continue his cultivation.

He was well aware that his victory over Ling Chong today was indeed somewhat fortuitous.

On one hand, his opponent was conceited; on the other, he was counting on the effect of the Mountain and River Martial Soul.

But that was ultimately not true strength.

The Advanced Martial Arts that Ling Chong cultivated were among the secular martial arts, only second to the top-tier martial arts. If he really mastered them, even if the Mountain and River Martial Soul could find the flaws, Ling Xiao might not be able to exploit them.

Therefore, Ling Xiao had already decided that self-improvement was most important. Having the Mountain and River Martial Soul for assistance was good, but increasing his own power was the key.

If he managed to reach the Martial Veins Second Layer, breaking through the second martial vein, then perhaps he could win against Ling Chong once more despite his enemy not underestimating him, relying on the Mountain and River Martial Soul.

But definitely not now, after all, opening each martial vein brings a tremendous boost in strength.

The gap between Martial Veins First Layer and Martial Veins Second Layer is very big.

The human body has nine martial veins, hence the term Martial Pulse Ninth Level.

Every three levels constitute one stage.

The first stage, which is the first three levels, is also known as the Awakening Stage.

As the name implies, it is about awakening the martial artist's power, strengthening the body, and laying the foundation for martial arts cultivation.

Generally speaking, in the Awakening Stage, every time a martial vein is opened, the body's strength will increase by one or two hundred pounds.

At the same time, the amount of True Qi in the body will increase by 100 standard points.

Standard points are the unit for a martial artist's True Qi. In general, martial artists won't bother with such a cumbersome term and will just say how many points of True Qi they have.

In battles between martial artists, what often decides victory or defeat is the strength and the quantity of True Qi.

This means that a martial artist at Martial Pulse First Level is not only lacking one or two hundred pounds of strength compared to someone at Martial Pulse Second Level but is also short by a hundred points of True Qi, which puts them at a significant disadvantage in combat.

This is why when Ling Xiao, with his Martial Pulse First Level strength, defeated Ling Chong, who was at the Martial Pulse Second Level, with a single move, they were so shocked.

So much so that they were even willing to believe a rather absurd and extraordinary excuse.

One to two hundred pounds of strength and a hundred points of True Qi are extremely important for a martial artist.

Therefore, Ling Xiao felt that as long as he couldn't access higher-level martial arts texts, the best course of action was to make a rapid breakthrough.

Once he reached the Martial Veins Second Layer, he would then be eligible to enter the Ling Family's Book Collection Pavilion to select higher-level martial arts texts.

Martial Veins Second Layer is a turning point.

With that in mind, Ling Xiao didn't hesitate any longer.

He began to repeatedly practice Wild Ox Power in his room.

Of course, every practice session followed the motions of the figure in the Mountain and River Map.

Wild Ox Power consisted of only nine moves.

Currently, Ling Xiao could only perform the first three moves exactly like the figure in the Mountain and River Map.

This was far from enough.

```

Once!

Twice!

Thrice!

Repeat without end! Practice without cease!

Ling Xiao not only found that all his movements had become as smooth as drifting clouds and flowing water, extremely fluid, but every move seemed to contain a more powerful force than before.

Of course, what pleased him the most was that, after more than ten repetitions, in addition to the first three techniques, he had finally perfected the fourth, fifth, and sixth moves as well.

But the surprises were far from over.

With each practice, he could feel an energy slowly flowing from the Mountain and River Martial Soul into his Dantian Martial Pulse.

This Mountain and River Martial Soul seemed to be able to transform natural energy into True Qi, and then grant it to martial artists!

Although this was still Ling Xiao's speculation, if it were true, then no matter which cultivation technique Ling Xiao practiced in the future, the results would likely be much better than those of others.

After all, while he was cultivating, the Mountain and River Martial Soul was helping him cultivate, making the improvement that much faster.

Additionally, he noticed a change in the Mountain and River Martial Soul—that is, the Mountain and River Map, which previously showed only a corner of a village in the mist, now revealed more and more of the picture.

Although it was only a slight increase, it represented a possibility.

The effects of the Mountain and River Martial Soul might not have been fully discovered by him yet. Perhaps the day when the clouds above completely dissipated and the Mountain and River Map was fully revealed would be the day when the Mountain and River Martial Soul truly awakened.

Keep pushing, keep striving!

Even though his understanding of the Mountain and River Martial Soul was still very limited, Ling Xiao knew at the very least that it was harmless to him.

Once more, he began to practice the Wild Ox Power over and over, tireless in his repetition. This time, he chose to focus on strengthening the last three moves that had not yet been perfected.

He practiced nonstop from morning until the night sky darkened, only breaking for meals without any rest.

The final result was that he had perfected both the seventh and eighth moves. He estimated that if he could perfect the ninth move as well, he should be able to break through the restraint of the Martial Veins Second Layer.

But in the end, he was not a machine, just a thirteen-year-old boy, and at last, he ended up lying on the ground and falling asleep while practicing.

The next morning, the first thing Ling Xiao did after getting up from the ground was to start practicing again.

He had no choice, as the strong sense of crisis and pressure left him no alternative but to strive hard.

Poor him, he didn't even have the qualifications to use the training field now.

It should be known that the reason the training field was so coveted was not merely a matter of face.

Because that training field was built by the Ling Family's ancestors using special materials, and the stones laid on the ground were special as well.

Practicing there not only required less physical exertion but also resulted in greater gains.

"One day, I not only want to practice on the training field openly, but I also want to move my grandfather into a better house."

The current house they lived in was so leaky when it rained that it was nearly as bad as the decrepit temple he used to stay in when he was a beggar.

This morning, Ling Xiao focused his practice on the ninth move, repeating it endlessly.

Finally, after practicing it over a hundred times, he felt a sense of comfort and exhilaration he had never experienced before.

All nine moves of the Wild Ox Power were perfected, identical to the actions of the person in the Mountain and River Map.

"The house is too cramped, better go outside and test its power!"

After perfecting the Wild Ox Power, Ling Xiao really wanted to test the might of this basic martial arts.

So he left the house, but not for the training field. Instead, he walked out of the Ling Family's main gate and into a small forest outside.

"Ha!"

With a fierce shout, Ling Xiao turned into a roaring wild ox, charging straight towards a large rock in front of him.

The boulder, weighing about two or three hundred pounds, previously could only be chipped slightly by Ling Xiao, with breaking it being nearly impossible.

However, this time as the ferocious Wild Ox Power crushed against the boulder, the stone shattered with a loud boom.

"Martial Veins Second Layer! I've finally broken through!"