The Cost of Strength : Part 1

Acupuncture, was the most direct method that traditional medicine had come up with. While Huang Ji was capable of accurately inserting the needles, he still felt like it wasn't very convenient.

This was especially true for certain hidden pressure points that were in very strange locations such as the inner back; he couldn't reach the acupoints by himself.

There were also hidden acupoints in the gaps between important organs and bones that the needle simply couldn't reach.

Not to mention, some acupoints were extremely frail and only required minimal stimulation. Even the weakest amount of force applied by hand would still be considered excessive.

"I'll call this hidden meridian the 'Neural Nexus Meridian'. It's the head of the twelve major meridians and is responsible for neurotransmission. There are only two places on the neural nexus meridian that I can access with needles. One place controls the cardiovascular system while the other stimulates growth hormones."

Huang Ji was a bit disappointed. He'd already identified the 42 acupoints of the neural nexus meridian and each of their effects, but the majority of the feedback points were unsuitable for acupuncture.

"I'll try out these two first then."

He undressed and took out the stainless steel needles he'd bought earlier, accurately inserting them into a particular set of four pressure points. This was all just like a primer to assist with what he was about to do next.

Once he was ready, Huang Ji swiftly inserted a needle into his lung, avoiding all of the blood vessels and hitting the hidden meridian that controlled the cardiovascular system. After some slight stimulation, he quickly pulled it out.

Immediately, his heart started pounding faster and faster. Huang Ji felt a wave of suffocation wash over him as he gasped for air, but the feeling of suffocation did not go away. His lung capacity was only so large. He had already reached his limit.

Struggling with the suffocation, Huang Ji maintained a steady position while taking a small step back.

On the wall at his back, he had already setup beforehand four needles of varying length. At the locations that he'd already calculated earlier, they stabbed precisely into the another four pressure points located on his back.

"Gasp~" His alveoli rapidly ballooned. The feeling of having reached the limits of his lung capacity seemed to have disappeared.

The tightness in his chest vanished, and his respiratory muscles appeared to have been greatly expanded as a refreshing sensation spread throughout his body.

While this was happening, Huang Ji paid close attention to an pressure point located at his stomach that was constantly shifting around.

It was the remarkable hidden acupoint that was always shifting positions and controlled growth hormones. His hand wandered over his stomach as he held onto an acupuncture needle, tracking the acupoints precise location!

Suddenly, the hidden acupoint's position stopped changing and stood still. With one swift motion, Huang Ji stabbed the needle down!

At that moment, his heart started pounding even harder. Huang Ji felt his entire body heating up, like all of the fat in his body was being burned up!

"Hu~" Huang Ji exhaled a deep breath. As he repeatedly took deep breaths, the feeling of large amounts of oxygen entering his body felt very comfortable. Huang Ji's stomach slowly rose and then fell, his limbs had all gone numb.

He knew that his body was currently undergoing a rapid growth spurt, and his lungs were also expanding.

Huang Ji never knew that breathing could feel so amazing and soothing. After an hour, he had unknowingly fallen asleep.

By the time he woke up, it was already the morning of the next day.

"My mind feels so clear." Huang Ji said as he looked through his personal data. He knew that, whilst before he was nearing the end of the human development period, this process had now been miraculously extended! His heart and lungs had clearly grown larger compared to before.

"But...my lifespan had been drastically reduced... Is it toxins? My liver and kidneys didn't experience any growth. It's liking undergoing a detoxification cleanse, but all of the toxins were left in the body... Dammit, these are the couple of acupoints I can't reach"

"I still don't know enough. There has to be a way to control the junctions even without using acupuncture."

Huang Ji didn't fall into a slump and continued studying basic anatomy, biology, and medicine. At first, his learning speed was very slow.

He could only finish studying about one book a day. But after continuing like this for ten days, he had built up his basic knowledge and his speed gradually picked up.