[Name: Tang Wen]
[Age: 15]
[Body: 5.5]
[Spirit: 6.08]
[Skills: Farming, Proficient (719/1000)]
[Flying Stone, Mastery (2939/3000)]
[Wind-splitting Saber, Mastery (2717/3000)]
[Flying Knife Skill, Mastery (1531/3000)]
[Eight Section Brocade, Mastery (5175/6000)]
[Earth Fire Stance (Entering Stillness), Mastery (513/3000)]
[Archery, Proficient (1/1000)]
[Tracking, Beginner (411/500)]
[Hunting Traps, Beginner (303/500)]
[Horsemanship, Proficient (37/1000)]
In the morning, on his way to the Guard Barracks.
Tang Wen was planning his next phase of training goals.
The Eight Section Brocade and Earth Fire Stance (Entering Stillness) remained his top priorities.
Next was the Flying Stone, which was on the verge of a breakthrough.
He wondered what the next level after "Mastery" was, and how much more powerful the Flying Stone would be at a higher level.
The Wind-splitting Saber, which was progressing the fastest, along with a few other skills, would continue to be trained as usual.
The rewards for being the top recruit had finally been issued yesterday.
Twenty silver ingots, totaling one hundred taels of silver.
A hundred-fold refined Tiger Head Steel Saber, measuring one meter and ten centimeters in length, weighing twenty-two catties.
Holding it in his hand, it felt even heavier than the one-and-a-half-meter-long Horse Chopping Saber.
When the saber was handed out, even Zhou Bing couldn't help but covet it, saying that if it were sold, it would definitely fetch five hundred taels of silver.
And the reward Tang Wen had been most looking forward to—the opportunity to study the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram three times.
The Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram was hidden in an underground meditation room within the inner city.
Tang Wen could study it for free three times, which meant three days. Each time he went to study, he had to make an appointment with the Quartermaster in advance.
Upon hearing these stringent conditions, he immediately asked, "What if I still can't learn it after the three opportunities? Will there be more chances to study?"
The guard captain delivering the rewards informed him, "After the three opportunities, you must make a breakthrough and demonstrate it to the camp's Commander to qualify for further study. The cost for further study is one hundred taels of silver per day."
Hearing this price that would make his sister faint, Tang Wen secretly resolved to be fully prepared before attempting to learn it.
As for how to prepare?
He would need to consult his own captain and Commander Zhao.
Arriving at the camp, he first sought out Zhou Bing.
"I knew you'd ask," Zhou Bing smiled, the ice in her demeanor melting slightly, leaving Tang Wen momentarily stunned.
"Come with me, don't just stand there," Zhou Bing shot him a glance, her steps light and quick.
Inside the training room.
Zhou Bing asked, "To learn a fist technique, you must understand it. Do you know why the camp has made this fist technique a reward?"
Tang Wen thought about the information he had gathered earlier and said, "Because it's powerful, and all the Commanders know it?"
Zhou Bing shook her head, "It is powerful, but not all Commanders know it. Rather, those who know it can become Commanders. You can't reverse the cause and effect. The reason this fist technique is offered as a reward is also because it's extremely difficult to master."
Seeing Tang Wen's puzzled expression, she explained, "Difficult-to-master fist techniques shouldn't be kept hidden. They must be exposed to and learned by more people to ensure their transmission through generations. Not just you, but all promising talents in the Guard Barracks have the opportunity to learn this technique to some extent. This way, we can cultivate more experts for the camp."
Tang Wen silently marveled at the wisdom of inheritance and nodded after a while:
"I see, Sister Bing, have you practiced it too?"
Over some time, Zhou Bing had dined at the Tang family's home several times and stayed overnight twice.
When no one else was around, Tang Wen no longer addressed her as captain.
Zhou Bing didn't respond. She approached the Wooden Dummy, assumed a horse stance, and with a firm shoulder, punched the dummy.
A thunderous explosion ensued.
The Wooden Dummy shattered into pieces, as if hit by a large-caliber pistol.
Looking at Tang Wen, who was stunned and leaning back, Zhou Bing said calmly, "This is the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist."
"Coach, I want to learn!"
"What?"
"Uh, Sister Bing, I want to learn!"
"To learn the Cannon Fist, you need a Visualization Diagram. I just showed you the effect of the Cannon Fist's explosive strength."
Tang Wen eagerly said, "Sister Bing, I haven't seen the Visualization Diagram, nor have I learned any fist techniques. What's the hardest part of the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist? I want to prepare in advance."
Zhou Bing's face showed a reminiscent expression: "The Cannon Fist, the word 'cannon' refers to a weapon used for bombing. The hardest part of the Cannon Fist to learn, understand, and imagine is what a cannon is, and what bombing and explosion mean!"
Don't know what a cannon is?
Don't know what bombing and explosion are?
Tang Wen was slightly astonished, his mind instantly filled with images of machine guns, rocket launchers, close-in weapon systems, howitzers, Italian cannons, and other artillery he had seen in videos.
As for bombing, he had watched documentaries of atomic bomb explosions.
"You see, you don't know either, do you?"
Not answering directly, Tang Wen touched his nose and tentatively asked, "If I know what a cannon and bombing are, can I learn the Cannon Fist?"
"It's not that simple. At most, it might help you understand the Visualization Diagram a bit. Just don't waste any opportunity."
Zhou Bing added, "If you have any more questions, ask quickly. I'll be in training for the next one or two months and won't have time to teach you."
"Training?"
"Yes, every two years, we have a match with the Black Mountain Camp to decide the ownership of a coal mine at the border of our territories. The competition date is set two months from now. All hunting squad captains might participate. So, we'll have intensive training."
Tang Wen was surprised: "Black Mountain Camp. I heard their camp leader is very powerful?"
Only after becoming a guard did he learn that there was a Black Mountain Camp hundreds of miles away.
As the saying goes, one cannot tolerate others snoring beside their bed.
In this post-apocalyptic world with scarce resources, the two camps are in direct competition.
Their hunting squad, besides hunting Mutated Beasts, must also face competition from rival camps.
While they don't engage in all-out battles, ambushing each other's teams and killing a few people happens from time to time.
Tang Wen heard that the Black Mountain Camp is a slave camp, where the powerful dominate.
Ordinary people are treated like beasts of burden.
The leader of the Black Mountain Camp, self-proclaimed as the Black Mountain Demon, is said to practice a very sinister Cultivation Method, especially skilled in night combat.
"He is indeed eerie, but his strength doesn't compare to our Queen," Zhou Bing said in a calm tone, with a hint of pride.
Tang Wen believed that if it weren't for the deterrence of Flame Camp, the other party would have already come to burn, kill, and plunder!
The next day, Zhou Bing and more than a dozen hunting squad captains were summoned by Commander Zhao for intensive training.
Tang Wen made a point to inquire about this martial arts competition.
The reality was far more brutal than what Zhou Bing had described.
First, the competition was a fight to the death.
Second, since Flame Camp had been the victor last time, the rules for this competition were set by the opposing side.
Although it seemed unrelated to him, Tang Wen couldn't help but feel a sense of worry.
In these chaotic times, why is it so difficult to live a peaceful life?
Strength!
In the end, strength is the only thing to rely on!
After only a few days of enjoying a laid-back life, Tang Wen recorded all the details Zhou Bing had shared about the "Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist" in his notebook.
He understood explosive strength: it's the concentration of force at a single point, released instantaneously.
It's inch strength, it's explosive power, it's penetrating force!
In the evening, Tang Wen went to the supply department of the Guard Barracks and bought a weighted vest.
The weighted vest looked somewhat like a life jacket, filled with sand. Wearing it made one's body swell up, making it inconvenient to walk.
It was something that captains and commanders wore to train their strength and body control.
Carrying the weighted vest, Tang Wen went to the grocery store to buy a stack of kraft paper and a stack of yellow paper.
Back home, he lowered the clothesline to chest height and hung the yellow and kraft paper on the clothesline in the yard.
Under his sister's curious gaze, he placed his wrist ten centimeters away from the yellow paper and, with a snap, threw a punch.
The punch hit the paper, and the yellow paper tore.
Tang Wen did the same with the kraft paper.
Snap!
The kraft paper swayed.
Again.
Snap!
The sway was more pronounced.
But it was still far from being penetrated and shattered by the force.
After practicing for a long time, he still hadn't grasped the key.
Tang Wen thought for a moment, deciding to practice with the yellow paper first. Then he found some weighted sandbags, tied them to his arms, and continued punching the yellow paper.
Before bed, he lay in bed thinking: If explosive strength is inch strength and explosive power, then what is blast strength?