Chapter 1: Inheritance

The cold wind howled, as sharp as a blade. In the early winter morning, with the sky just beginning to lighten, Lu Sheng braved the biting wind and made his way to the central training ground of Blackstone Fortress.

Though it was already quite early, upon his arrival Lu Sheng found more than a dozen people already present, each one shouting and calling out as they tempered their bodies with rigorous exercises.

“Lu Sheng, you’ve recovered from your injury?” called out a tall, robust youth whose face still bore traces of boyishness. As he spoke, he gripped two massive stone locks, rolling them up and down his body with ease, clearly not yet exhausted.

Though Lu Sheng’s mind still lagged somewhat, preventing him from immediately recalling who the youth was, it did not hinder his reply. “Not yet, I need a few more days to recuperate.”

“Haha!” The youth laughed heartily. “You’d better hurry up, then. Soon my Stoneforce Technique will reach perfection. When you’re healed, let’s see whether your Rolling Stone Palm is fiercer, or my Stoneforce Palm is mightier!” His words brimmed with confidence.

After searching his memory, Lu Sheng recalled the youth’s name and remembered they were not only playmates of the same age but also relatives, frequently sparring with each other. Thus, he paid little heed to the good-natured challenge and replied with a laugh, “Well, we’ll see what you can do! Shi Qinhu, you’ve claimed your Stoneforce Technique was perfected more times than I can count—perhaps in a few days, you’ll still need a bit longer to really achieve it!”

“That’s right, Brother Qinhu!” someone interjected, “We’ve heard you say that so many times. When are you actually going to show us what you can do?” The crowd erupted into laughter.

Shi Qinhu was famed as a prodigy of their generation in Blackstone Fortress—barely past his fifteenth birthday, yet already as powerfully built as a grown man. With such natural talent, he did not need to practice with the caution required of other boys, who risked injuring their still-growing bones if they overexerted themselves. Moreover, with his father being the fortress lord, not only was he guided by profound martial knowledge, but he also had the means for medicinal baths to aid his training.

Thus, though he had formally practiced martial arts for only two or three years, Shi Qinhu’s mastery of the Stoneforce Technique was nearly complete. Especially after making progress in his martial skills a few months prior—perfecting both the Stoneforce Stance and Stoneforce Palm—his training became even more effective, and he often felt on the verge of a breakthrough. He took pride in this and frequently boasted to others.

Yet, perhaps due to lingering youthfulness in his body, despite perfecting the stance and palm, Shi Qinhu did not achieve full mastery of the technique as swiftly as others. His skills were indeed formidable, but he always fell just short of true perfection.

Furthermore, Shi Qinhu’s youthful nature and loose tongue meant that after several boasts that went unrealized, his claim of having perfected the Stoneforce Technique became something of a running joke throughout Blackstone Fortress, often eliciting playful teasing.

“Heh, this time it’s for real,” he laughed, unfazed by their ribbing. “My father and the new Martial Master Wan both say the reason I haven’t perfected the technique is because my bones are still growing and my strength is still increasing, making it impossible to fully consolidate my power.”

“But now my strength has surpassed thirteen hundred jin—eight times my body weight. Unless I switch to a supreme force-tempering method or awaken a special bloodline, it won’t increase any further, and the fluctuations in strength won’t hinder my mastery any longer.”

“I have a feeling—within three to five days, my Stoneforce Technique will be perfected. Then I’ll show you all what I’m capable of!”

Hearing the laughter around him, Shi Qinhu was not at all annoyed. He chuckled, knowing well how to regain his reputation, despite his tendency to speak his mind.

“Thirteen hundred jin!” The crowd gasped in astonishment. Not a single person dared mock him now; instead, envy shone in their eyes.

As a high-grade force-tempering technique, the Stoneforce Technique could theoretically allow a practitioner to develop strength six to eight times their body weight. Most, however, could only reach around seven times, some barely six. For someone to truly achieve eightfold power was exceedingly rare. Shi Qinhu, at just fifteen years old, had reached this level, earning the awe of all present.

“Thirteen hundred jin!” Lu Sheng, standing nearby, also heard the number. His face twitched involuntarily, at a loss for words.

From his observations over the past days, the measurement units of this world closely resembled those of his previous life, and their method for gauging strength was similar to weighted squats—one’s strength equaled the maximum weight one could carry.

Shi Qinhu’s body weighed about one hundred sixty jin; his strength, at thirteen hundred jin, was eight times that. Compared to the world record for squats in his previous life—less than twelve hundred jin, with a ratio of just over six times body weight—Lu Sheng found himself utterly speechless.

“And he’s just a fifteen-year-old boy, barely two or three years into his martial training!” Lu Sheng marveled as he looked at Shi Qinhu’s still-youthful face. He entirely forgot that his own body, compared to his previous life, was monstrous as well—at a hundred ten jin and nearly eight hundred jin of strength, he possessed abilities far beyond those of an ordinary youth.

After some joking around, the sky grew steadily brighter, and more and more people gathered at the training ground. Many, upon hearing the commotion, abandoned their exercises to crowd around Shi Qinhu, showering him with praise and scrutinizing him as if trying to discover the secret of his success.

“Brother Qinhu’s strength is already over thirteen hundred jin. I wonder how Brother Lu Sheng is doing? They both used to reach sevenfold strength!” a boy of twelve or thirteen remarked amidst the crowd, though it was unclear to whom he spoke.

“I’m sure he can’t match Brother Qinhu now!” another replied. “Lu Sheng may have matched him in the past, but his body weight is lighter, so his strength was two or three hundred jin less. Now that Brother Qinhu’s reached eightfold strength, the gap must be four or five hundred jin. Even if Lu Sheng’s Rolling Stone Palm is more agile, Brother Qinhu’s Stoneforce Palm is now perfected—there’s no way Lu Sheng can keep up anymore.”

“That’s true! And Lu Sheng was injured recently, and has been recuperating for over a month. Even when he recovers, it’ll take him days to regain his former strength. By then, Shi Qinhu’s Stoneforce Technique might truly be perfected!” said a youth of eighteen or nineteen.

“It’s such a shame Lu Sheng’s injury came at the worst possible time. His strength was advancing rapidly, but this setback has broken his momentum. Who knows if he’ll ever catch up to Brother Qinhu again?” the first boy lamented.

“Catch up to Brother Qinhu?” the earlier supporter of Shi Qinhu scoffed. “Impossible. Haven’t you heard? The new Martial Master Wan, in gratitude for Blackstone Fortress’s aid, is going to teach a technique that helps convert strength into inner energy. Once Brother Qinhu perfects his Stoneforce Technique, he’ll quickly be able to learn it. If all goes well, his strength will soon transform into inner energy, and he’ll open his dantian to become a true martial artist. Even if Lu Sheng tries, how could he ever catch up?”

“A technique for cultivating inner energy? What is it? I’ve never heard of such a thing!” the conversation went on.

“It’s said to be a special breathing and absorption method that helps draw in the world’s vital energy and transform strength into inner energy. While it’s not considered rare in the Central Plains, it’s precious on our small island. Only the fortress lord and Doctor Lu, who’ve traveled to the Central Plains, might have heard of it.”

“To become a martial artist! Only about a hundred of Blackstone Fortress’s two thousand people are true martial artists. If only I could become one someday!”

“Then we’d better train hard. Let’s hope we can all become martial artists in the future!” Their voices faded as the two boys left Shi Qinhu’s side and went off to train together.

Meanwhile, the older youth, hearing the words “martial artist,” darkened. He too stopped watching and returned to his own training. In his boyhood, he’d often dreamed of the glory of becoming a martial artist, but had preferred play to diligence. Now, with only fivefold strength, his bones had set with age, making further progress nearly impossible. Life’s burdens pressed upon him one by one. Only now did he realize the value of youth, though he wondered if he would ever get another chance.