Chapter 31: Raging Dragon Fist!

  Three days had passed since Su Tianhao began cultivating the Supreme Dragon Transformation Technique. Three quiet, uneventful days—and he had spent nearly every waking hour of them either deepening his understanding of the technique or pushing his cultivation forward. The solitude of Fei Wu Quarter, once a punishment, had become something else entirely.

  Su Tianhao stirred from sleep as a thin ray of morning sunlight pierced through his open window. His eyes fluttered open, revealing their familiar golden hue, and his lips curved into a quiet smile as he sat up on his narrow bed.

  "Another day in solitude... But it's a good thing for me. I can cultivate in peace without any disturbance."

  Su Tianhao stood up and stretched his body with a satisfying yawn, feeling rejuvenated and filled with vigor. His muscles felt more solid than before—a clear result of the past few days spent cultivating.

  "It would probably take a while for my meal to arrive. Luckily, I've learned how to suppress my innate hunger," Su Tianhao mumbled.

  Three days ago, before going to bed, he had spent time organizing his inherited memories into sections. It was then he discovered a method to manage his excess hunger—by suppressing it with a unique spiritual energy circulation. Although it wasn't a perfect solution and could only hold him for a while, it was far better than constantly needing to leave the estate in search of food. The only downside was that when he finally ate, he would likely end up consuming even more than usual.

  'I just hope when the time comes, I won't need a hundred plates of food,' Su Tianhao thought with a wry smile.

  He walked out of his humble home into the courtyard and made his way straight to the massive oak tree at its center, settling beneath its shade. The tree had served as his training spot for an entire year, and he felt completely at ease cultivating under its familiar shadow.

  "Yesterday I finally touched the threshold of initial mastery into the first layer," Su Tianhao murmured, his expression sharpening. "But touching it isn't enough."

  "To cultivate the second layer, I must first master the first layer to perfection and break through to the Martial Disciple Realm!"

  Su Tianhao immediately settled into a perfect lotus position and closed his eyes as the first layer of the technique resurfaced in his mind.

  'Supreme Dragon Body Tempering—cultivate!'

  Su Tianhao immediately entered a serene state, the world around him vanishing into perfect focus and tranquility. The only thing in his mind was mastering the first layer and advancing his cultivation.

  Whoosh!

  Spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the surrounding area was slowly drawn into his body through the patterns recorded in the cultivation method, tempering his muscles, organs, bones, and flesh. At the same time, he focused intensively on mastering the technique.

  Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and without knowing when, six hours had already passed in a flash.

  Throughout this time, Su Tianhao remained in his perfect lotus position, his presence completely tranquil as he sat beneath the massive tree. Its branches rustled in the wind, sending leaves drifting down around his motionless figure like gentle rain.

  Within Su Tianhao's body, spiritual energy was being refined in his dantian before circulating throughout his entire body in rapid succession. His strength grew steadily, his physique being refined and strengthened with each passing cycle. Suddenly—

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  ROOOOOAR!!!

  A phantom dragon roar echoed from deep within him. His golden eyes fluttered open the next instant, a brilliant light flashing within their depths.

  "Initial mastery!" Su Tianhao said with satisfaction. "I've finally reached initial mastery of the technique. Two more stages before perfection."

  He stood up and stretched. The sound of crackling bones filled the courtyard, giving him an oddly satisfying feeling as his joints realigned.

  "This—" Su Tianhao paused in surprise. His strength had increased considerably compared to before.

  He quickly guided his perception inward to examine his body, and his eyes widened at what he felt.

  "I'm close to the 3rd level of Martial Apprentice Realm already?!" Su Tianhao was shocked.

  "I've never heard of anyone progressing so fast! It's only been three days since I broke through to the 2nd level, yet I'm already close to another breakthrough?!"

  He couldn't help but shake his head in amazement. "Looks like I underestimated my own talent."

  Su Tianhao smiled brightly as he glanced at the sky overhead. The sun burned high and fierce.

  "It's afternoon already."

  Turning toward his humble building, he spotted a wide tray near his door carrying five bowls of food and two bottles of water.

  Su Tianhao raised an eyebrow. "Looks like the servants brought the food and left already. But why five portions this time?"

  The memory of his confrontation with Yu Chen surfaced in his mind.

  "Hmph! Now that they know I'm not completely trash, they finally decided to show some hospitality?" Su Tianhao said with obvious amusement.

  He didn't blame them for it and quickly approached the tray. He could suppress his hunger, but that didn't mean he could do without food entirely—at least not at his current cultivation level.

  Su Tianhao sat on the stool beside the tray and uncovered the contents. Steamed buns again, with some simple vegetables.

  "It's already cold," he frowned slightly—but with no other choice, he quickly devoured the entire meal within minutes.

  After eating and resting for a while, Su Tianhao made his way back to the massive oak tree and settled cross-legged beneath it.

  'Now that I have a proper cultivation technique, it's about time I start practicing real martial arts,' he thought.

  'With my current cultivation, I can only practice Mortal rank martial arts techniques at most,' Su Tianhao noted inwardly.

  Mortal rank techniques were the only methods that relied purely on physical strength. From Spirit rank and above, one needed to be capable of channeling spiritual energy attacks—and normally, only by reaching the Martial Core Realm would a cultivator become capable of true spiritual energy offense.

  Closing his eyes, Su Tianhao dove into the library of techniques within his inherited memories, focusing specifically on the Mortal rank martial arts section. One by one, the techniques began revealing themselves.

  Iron Vein Fist.

  A solid technique focused on refining the arms like metal, enhancing durability and striking power. Su Tianhao skimmed through its details but quickly moved on.

  Boulder-Crushing Palm... Mountain Tiger Punch... Thunder Shoulder Smash...

  One after another, he browsed through the Mortal rank techniques in his inherited memory. They were all decent—suitable for ordinary martial apprentices—but none of them truly resonated with him. None carried the pressure, the raw force, or the destructive intent he was instinctively drawn toward.

  Until—

  Raging Dragon Fist.

  His mental exploration halted completely.

  "Raging Dragon Fist...?"

  The name alone stirred something deep in his blood. A low hum echoed in his chest, like a dragon stirring from slumber. His awakened bloodline seemed to recognize something familiar in the technique's very essence.

  He focused deeper, and the technique revealed itself in full detail. Images and intent flooded his mind—fists crashing down like falling mountains, shockwaves erupting in all directions, a furious roar echoing with each devastating strike. It wasn't refined or graceful, but it was violent, primal, and alive with raw power.

  "This is it," Su Tianhao whispered, his eyes snapping open with a flicker of golden determination.

  ---

  Raging Dragon Fist — Peak-grade Mortal Rank Technique

  A devastating close-combat method that focuses on unleashing explosive power through raw physical strength and internal energy flow. Drawing inspiration from the fury and momentum of a rampaging dragon, the technique emphasizes aggressive forward motion, powerful short-range bursts, and devastating impact with each strike.

  The method refines the practitioner's breath control and inner rhythm, allowing every punch to carry the force of a dragon's roar—wild, overwhelming, and difficult to defend against. The technique favors those with strong physiques and battle-hardened foundations, as its recoil can cause serious backlash if not properly mastered.

  Though classified as a Mortal rank technique, the Raging Dragon Fist is anything but simple—it is a manifestation of pure martial intent and brute force. At full proficiency, each blow can crack boulders, rupture defenses, and send shockwaves through the ground, making it a dominant close-combat style at the foundational stages of cultivation.

  Warning: Practitioners must refine breath control and synchronize internal energy flow with each strike, matching every heartbeat to the technique's rhythm. Physical endurance and bone density are essential. Improper execution invites serious backlash.

  ---

  As the complete description settled in his mind, Su Tianhao's anticipation and motivation surged. The technique suited his current situation perfectly—built on raw physical power rather than spiritual energy offense, yet carrying the potential for devastating effectiveness in close combat.

  After several minutes of studying its fundamental principles, he touched upon the threshold of understanding. But surface comprehension wasn't enough. His mind sank deeper into the technique's essence, and before long he had fallen into a trance-like state.

  In this profound meditative condition, the Raging Dragon Fist began integrating naturally with his awakened bloodline. The phantom dragon roars that accompanied his cultivation resonated with the technique's core philosophy as though they had always belonged together.

  'This isn't just a martial art,' Su Tianhao realized. 'It was designed to work with draconic power. No wonder my bloodline recognized it immediately.'

  Time passed unnoticed as Su Tianhao remained lost in comprehension beneath the ancient oak tree. The afternoon sun shifted slowly across the sky, stretching long shadows across the courtyard floor. He stayed motionless through it all, sinking deeper into the foundation of his first true martial technique—one that felt, with every passing moment, less like something he was learning and more like something he was remembering.