Chapter 84: Chapter 84 Great Achievement
Medicine King Hall’s main hall filled with laughter that echoed from the inner courtyard, as loud as thunder.
Surrounded by a crowd in the middle of the hall, Chen Ku immediately recognized the owner of the voice.
Master Yang? Master Yang has returned. It seems that during the half-day I was resting, Master Yang and the other masters successfully rounded up all those Demon People from Peace Path who appeared in the city today.
As this thought flickered through Chen Ku’s mind, the blue curtain at the back of the hall was lifted, and the tall figure of Master Yang emerged first, followed by his disciple, Yang Shaoqi. Ke Yansheng followed closely, his expression somewhat frustrated.
"HAHAHA, good disciple."
Upon emerging, Yang Luochen saw the young man in the long robe in the hall, the twinkle in his eyes impossible to hide. He strode over, looking at Chen Ku as if appraising a treasured possession.
"You’re Chen Ku, right? Have you practiced ’Skyward Strike,’ the first move of my Furious Ape Mighty Staff?"
"Yes, Master Yang. I am Chen Ku."
While Chen Ku answered Yang Luochen’s question, his thoughts raced. Although I was prepared for Master Yang to possibly take an interest in my talent for strength, and I hoped to become his disciple, I never imagined that this guardian deity of Medicine King Hall would show such enthusiasm for me.
He felt somewhat overwhelmed but still managed to ask, "Master Yang, when you say disciple... do you mean me?"
I’d heard that a master typically only accepts one disciple. As he said this, he couldn’t help but glance at Master Yang’s formally recognized disciple.
"Who else but you?" Yang Luochen looked at Chen Ku with a smile, stroking his goatee as he said, "Come on, tell me honestly, just how much Root Bone strength do you possess? Enough to actually lift my Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff?"
The moment he said this, many people in the hall quieted down, looking at Chen Ku with curiosity and envy. Just then, the curtain at the back parted, and Jiang Shaoyou and apprentices from other courtyards, drawn by the commotion, came over.
"What? Junior Brother Chen lifted Elder Yang’s Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff?"
Hearing Yang Luochen’s words, Jiang Shaoyou and several apprentices from notable families in the county all widened their eyes. Jiang Shaoyou, in particular, stared at Chen Ku as if seeing a monster.
He had sparred with Chen Ku before. Chen Ku’s tremendous strength had made him feel hard-pressed. At that time, Chen Ku was only in the Initial Period of Force Transforming, yet somehow possessed a strength of three to four thousand Jin. For this exact reason, he was even more convinced he hadn’t misjudged Chen Ku and wanted to cultivate a deep friendship with him. This led him to invite Chen Ku to gatherings of the county’s upper-class circles and even help Chen Ku acquire a one-thousand-jin iron staff. He had assumed that the one-thousand-jin iron staff was merely for Chen Ku’s daily practice. After all, while someone with three to four thousand Jin of strength could lift a thousand-jin staff, wielding it effectively was another matter entirely.
But now... so little time had passed, yet Master Yang himself was saying that Chen Ku had lifted his Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff—a Famous Weapon weighing twelve thousand Jin!
He was instantly shaken. So, was Junior Brother Chen actually holding back when we sparred that day? Jiang Shaoyou was astounded, his emotions a complicated mix. After all, if Chen Ku truly possessed twelve thousand Jin of strength, then even though Jiang Shaoyou himself was two realms higher in Force Transforming, he certainly would have been no match for him.
How much Root Bone strength do I have? Hearing Yang Luochen’s query, Chen Ku pondered, Should I tell the truth?
His gaze settled on Master Yang and everyone present. Thinking of the shop he was about to open, he began to speak, "As for strength, I haven’t tested it precisely. I only feel that after practicing martial arts, my strength has increased extremely rapidly. I can now wield my thousand-jin Refined Iron Dragon Stick effortlessly, and because of that, my ’Skyward Strike’ has also reached the Minor Achievement stage."
"Wield a thousand-jin staff effortlessly? ’Skyward Strike’... Minor Achievement?!"
Yang Shaoqi, standing behind Yang Luochen, heard this brief statement and looked at Chen Ku as if he were seeing a little monster. His own Root Bone was considered exceptional, earning him the moniker "Ape Arms, Tiger Bones, and Stout Ox Tendons." Yang Shaoqi’s arms were extremely long, his bones incredibly hard, and his tendons far more resilient and elastic than others. Even before he began Strength Training, he possessed three thousand Jin of strength. Yang Luochen discovered him in his hometown and immediately asserted that no one in the world was more suited to cultivating the Furious Ape Mighty Staff. Subsequently, through Strength Training, Force Transforming, and entering the realm of Inner Qi, his physical power had increased manyfold. He achieved Nine Thousand Jin of strength in a single arm, capable of dragging back nine bulls. When using both arms, he could exert nearly Twenty Thousand Jin of force. Yet even with his current strength, he couldn’t wield a thousand-jin staff; instead, he used an eight-hundred-jin Mystic Water Iron Stick. With Nine Thousand Jin of strength in one arm, he couldn’t even dream of lifting Master Yang’s Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff single-handedly.
"Minor Achievement, truly Minor Achievement?" Yang Luochen couldn’t fathom it.
Ke Yansheng also approached Chen Ku and asked seriously, "Has your ’Skyward Strike’ truly reached Minor Achievement?"
Chen Ku nodded.
Ke Yansheng felt his emotions surge violently. I gave Chen Ku a one-year deadline! How long has it actually been? Three months?
Yang Luochen closed his eyes and silently made some calculations. ’Skyward Strike’ at Minor Achievement means his claim of easily wielding a thousand-jin staff isn’t false. And to wield a thousand-jin staff with such vigor, plus lift the Water-Fire Dragon Head Staff with one arm... he must have at least...