Chapter 12: Proving One’s Resolve Through Martial Prowess and Rising Above the Rest

Upon hearing Chen Jie’s words, He Xiaoyuan hesitated for a moment. Chen Jie’s immediate offer of ten thousand yuan was already quite sincere. Although it was their first transaction and normally a deposit for the mold would be required, the real value in the silver processing business lay in the price of the silver itself.

The market price for silver was indeed around seven yuan per gram, but that was the retail price. She procured it at about ten percent less through her supply channels. Setting aside future business prospects, just from these fifty silver coins, including the processing fee, He Xiaoyuan could earn around thirteen hundred yuan.

“All right! You’re so generous with the payment, what else can I say? Come pick up the goods in three days!” She counted the ten thousand yuan on the counter once more, verified it was correct, and put it away. Then she carefully put away the silver coin blueprints and issued Chen Jie a receipt.

After finalizing the deal, it was already late. Since her shop had only opened that morning and she had already closed a deal, He Xiaoyuan, after exchanging contact information with Chen Jie, warmly invited him to have lunch together. Chen Jie declined briskly, explaining he had to rush to the hospital and had no time.

...

In the following days, Chen Jie immersed himself daily in martial arts training. Old Chen was still in the ICU, and the medical expenses were burning through money like wildfire. Even with rural medical insurance cooperation, the daily cost exceeded a thousand yuan.

Chen Jie sold the two pigs and the chickens and ducks at home, altogether fetching only about five thousand yuan. Money, money, money—!

Chen Jie was still worried about money. Yet, his current “Martial Merit Points” in his mind hadn’t reached 100, so he couldn’t activate the ‘Blood Dragon Jade’!

Training martial arts granted Martial Merit Points, but the efficiency was low—only one point per hour of practice. He kept wondering why, when the Thirteenth Aunt performed the ‘Tendon Separation and Bone Shifting’ technique on him, he suddenly gained 18 points. Moreover, when she taught him the basic foot-stabbing skill, he gained 49 points at once. What was the reason behind this?

At present, Old Chen’s condition was stable but he had not regained consciousness. If he didn’t wake up within half a month, he might become a vegetable.

Chen Jie set aside the money worries and devoted all his energy to martial arts training. Although Thirteenth Aunt believed he had missed the optimal age for training and it would be difficult to achieve anything great, Chen Jie’s expectations were modest. Training kept him vigorous and granted Martial Merit Points, which was enough.

He focused his training on all his joints and tendons—from the ankle joints up to the neck, then from the neck back down to the ankle joints again—repeating tirelessly.

Though Thirteenth Aunt had helped him loosen his tendons and bones and taught him how to temper them, how to exert force, and how to mobilize his entire body when initiating movement, Chen Jie listened intently but discovered through daily intense practice that fully loosening his tendons and bones was not so simple.

At first, he stood in a stance for an hour a day, feeling his center of gravity drop but struggling to channel power into his legs. For days, he could not master the core force release.

However, he did not give up or become discouraged. Instead, he tried to recall the sensations when Thirteenth Aunt performed the ‘Tendon Separation and Bone Shifting’ on him and reviewed each fundamental movement she taught him.

Unknowingly, Chen Jie became fully immersed in his martial arts training. Except for daily hospital visits to check on Old Chen’s condition, his time was spent eating, sleeping, or practicing martial arts on the hill behind his village.

Chen Jie was easygoing and lacked grand ambitions, which explained why he had not pursued opportunities in coastal cities after graduating from university. Of course, his family’s poor financial situation was a significant factor.

When one is poor, lofty ideals are but illusions. His personality was reserved, even introverted, usually quiet and taciturn. Yet this did not mean he was resigned to a lifetime of mediocrity. Everyone harbors a desire to stand out, earn big money, and change their life.

But when you are born, your social class is already fixed. To climb to another tier requires ten times the effort of others.

Since Chen Jie inadvertently activated the ‘Blood Dragon Jade’ and traveled freely between parallel worlds, he knew he had embarked on an extraordinary path. Moreover, he had lost all interest in conventional employment. When practicing martial arts, his heart was calm, and the skills resonated with his subconscious.

“One step, one kick; counterattack from behind; half-step leg rise, neither a kick nor not a kick—mind leads intention, intention leads leg!”

Unwittingly, Chen Jie had trained diligently for a week. Each day he practiced stance training, rising and lowering like a galloping horse. His foundational kicking skills had reached the level where movement followed intention.

Yet the continuous chain of foot-stabbing force eluded him; he could not connect the power under his feet smoothly.

One day, after returning from the hospital, Chen Jie prepared to activate the ‘Blood Dragon Jade.’ His Martial Merit Points had reached 136; last time he had only 45, meaning he had trained 91 hours that week.

The village had applied for serious illness aid for Old Chen, and the town had directly allocated twenty thousand yuan, easing Chen Jie’s financial strain somewhat.

Because of this, he had delayed a few days; otherwise, two days prior, he planned to activate the ‘Blood Dragon Jade’ and venture into the other world to earn money.

【Carried items exceed limit; insufficient Martial Merit Points!】

【Blood Dragon Jade not activated; Martial Saint Gate yet to open!】

What?

Chen Jie had prepared everything in his room: the fifty silver coins kept close, his phone on him, along with two fully charged power banks.

But when he tried to activate the ‘Blood Dragon Jade’ with his mind, a warning suddenly popped up: insufficient Martial Merit Points.

What was going on? Carrying items exceeded the limit?

Could it be that carrying items over there also required Martial Merit Points?

Chen Jie calmed himself and thought it over, removing the phone and power banks. Compared to the other world, the technology of the phone and power banks was far too advanced. Bringing them over definitely required a significant amount of Martial Merit Points.

Without network, the phone would serve little purpose aside from taking photos. If he could bring them over unconditionally, it wouldn’t matter much. But now that he knew Martial Merit Points were needed, he set the phone aside.

After confirming no other issues, Chen Jie mentally checked the ‘Blood Dragon Jade’ in his mind.

Sure enough, after putting away the phone, a solemn voice soon rang out in his mind:

【Consume 105 Martial Merit Points!】

【Blood Dragon Jade activation complete, Martial Saint Gate opened!】

Seeing the words appear on the ‘Blood Dragon Jade,’ Chen Jie suddenly understood. Carrying items indeed consumed additional Martial Merit Points. Moreover, the amount consumed varied.

Judging by this, bringing things back from that side would also require expending Martial Merit Points!

In an instant, Chen Jie grasped the key point clearly.