Chapter 149: Breakthrough!

When Lin Xiao stepped out of the bathroom, Yuan Yu had already prepared dinner. The table was set with a few simple dishes. Despite their simplicity, their delicious aroma was mouth-watering, triggering Lin Xiao’s appetite and making his stomach rumble.

Seeing Lin Xiao emerge topless from the bathroom, Yuan Yu blushed and covered her eyes, scolding, “Big Brother Lin, why did you come out without wearing a shirt?”

“Why should I wear one? You’re not a stranger.”

Lin Xiao was puzzled by Yuan Yu’s reaction. After all, it was quite normal for a man to be shirtless at home, wasn’t it?

However, noticing Yuan Yu’s shy demeanor, he respected her feelings and picked up a shirt from a nearby rack to put on.

“I might not be a stranger, but I’m still a girl, you know.” Yuan Yu raised her head, giving Lin Xiao a slight reprimanding glance, once he was dressed.

Then she picked up a small bowl and filled it to the brim with rice for Lin Xiao, “Big Brother Lin, have you had a tiring day?”

“Why do you ask?” Lin Xiao said, spooning a generous mouthful of rice.

“Because you looked a bit off when you came in earlier,” Yuan Yu said, not starting her meal yet but instead gazing intently at Lin Xiao’s face with her bright, expressive eyes. “But you seem better now.”

As Lin Xiao raised his head, his gaze unintentionally met Yuan Yu’s. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, and she quickly looked away, too shy to maintain eye contact.

“Stop daydreaming and eat.” Lin Xiao flicked Yuan Yu’s forehead lightly, “It’s because you don’t eat enough that you’re so frail. You should eat like Caixing, she’s much stronger than you.”

Hearing Lin Xiao mention Huang Caixing in front of her made Yuan Yu slightly discontented, and she pouted, “Big Brother Lin, why do you always talk about Caixing in front of me?”

“Okay, okay, I won’t mention her anymore,” Lin Xiao hastened to reassure her.

But internally, he was perplexed. Weren’t Yuan Yu and Huang Caixing close friends? Why would Yuan Yu be upset at the mention of Huang Caixing?

It seemed that not only women’s hearts but even a girl’s heart could be as mysterious as the depths of the ocean.

After dinner, Lin Xiao and Yuan Yu each washed up and then retreated to their own rooms.

Lin Xiao quickly fell asleep in his bed, whereas Yuan Yu, seemingly preoccupied with thoughts, tossed and turned until she finally succumbed to sleep around midnight.

The next day, at five in the morning, Lin Xiao listened to the steady breathing from the adjacent room where Yuan Yu slept and quietly rose from his bed. He dressed silently, his movements as stealthy as a cat’s, and approached the window, and leaped out.

Yuan Yu’s apartment was on the third floor, a good six meters above the ground, but such a height was trivial for someone with Lin Xiao’s physical prowess. Upon landing, he bent his knees slightly, absorbing the impact soundlessly.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, the park empty and still. Dim morning light filtered through the leaves, casting a patchwork of shadows on the ground and lending the atmosphere a quiet, almost eerie quality.

In a discreet corner of the park, Lin Xiao positioned himself and began his training of the Thunderbolt Decree.

Today, he aimed for another breakthrough.

Time ticked away, and a continuous, deep thunderous rumble began to resonate within Lin Xiao’s body. His clothes fluttered as if stirred by an invisible wind.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the clothes themselves moving but the muscles beneath them. Every muscle, every bone in Lin Xiao’s body vibrated, merging together to produce a sound akin to rolling thunder.

The thunderous noise gradually intensified, growing louder and more urgent. Wisps of white steam started to emanate from Lin Xiao’s head.

After what seemed like an eternity, all the thunderous sounds converged into one, culminating in a sudden, explosive thunderclap that echoed throughout the still park.

At that moment, a streak of lightning split the sky—Lin Xiao’s eyes abruptly snapped open. For an instant, a red-tinged flash of thunder flickered within his gaze before vanishing into the depths.

Lin Xiao exhaled a long breath, his breath transforming into an air arrow, cutting through the air with a faint whistling sound. It shot straight out several meters before gradually fading away.

After decades of relentless training, Lin Xiao finally achieved a breakthrough today in the first level of the Thunderbolt Decree, reaching the second tier of Qi Initiation. This accomplishment marks him as a Grandmaster in the martial arts world, a title reserved for those who have mastered the art of Flowing Force.

Bright Force was characterized by its firmness, Dark Force by its softness, but the Flowing Force was a harmonious blend of both, epitomizing the essence of returning to one’s true nature.

Bright Force symbolized the body’s rigorous conditioning, while Dark Force indicated the transcending of the physical limits to begin manipulating Qi, the life force, the inner energy.

A Grandmaster, revered as a master figure in his generation, exercised complete mastery over Qi, wielding it at will, unrestrained.

Before this breakthrough, Lin Xiao could use inner energy, but it was heavily constrained and prone to rapid depletion. Now, as he entered the realm of the Grandmaster, he felt a profound transformation, like being reborn.

His inner energy not only surged in strength and became effortlessly controllable, but it also seemed inexhaustible. Techniques and secrets that were once beyond his reach were now easily within his grasp.

For instance, when he projected his inner energy at the police station, entering Le Fangyun’s body, the old Lin Xiao could only cause Le Fangyun to fall. Now, he could effortlessly end a life undetected.

If Bright Force was about killing a person within ten steps, and Dark Force was akin to silently mowing down enemies like grass, then the Grandmaster’s Flowing Force was an overwhelming power, each move resembling a tidal wave, unstoppable and commanding.

Stepping into the Grandmaster’s realm marked a drastic change in one’s status in the world of martial arts, akin to the difference between heaven and earth.

No longer vulnerable to ordinary firearms, only a barrage of concentrated firepower might stand a chance at taking down a Grandmaster, and even that’s just a possibility. After all, a Grandmaster was not a stationary target but a living, dodging person.

Such an elusive and formidable Grandmaster was comparable to a nuclear weapon in terms of power and impact.

Lin Xiao approached a large tree, extended his arm, and gently pressed his palm against a smaller tree, about a meter high, without exerting any noticeable force. It was as if he was merely touching a delicate fabric. In an instant, the entire tree violently trembled, and with a muffled sound, it disintegrated into fine fragments the size of rice grains.

After decades of unyielding practice, Lin Xiao finally broke through the first stage of the Thunderbolt Decree, reaching the second layer of Qi Initiation.

It was a transformation, a metamorphosis from the old to the new.

Years of grueling effort culminated in a moment of triumph. Despite Lin Xiao’s resilient nature and iron will, he couldn’t contain the surge of emotion, his thoughts soaring with excitement.

Yet, he refrained from any excessive reaction. He suppressed his exhilaration, fully aware that even with his breakthrough to the Grandmaster level, he still had much to achieve.

Putting aside the legendary Transcendent Force mentioned by the elder of Chen’s Martial Arts Hall, even the Thunderbolt Decree he practiced was extraordinary in itself.

The Thunderbolt Decree was divided into three stages: Qi Initiation, Qi Refinement, and Spiritual Ascension, each with three layers. Lin Xiao was only at the second layer of the first stage, Qi Initiation.

Even at this stage, his abilities equaled those of a Grandmaster in the martial arts world.

Though the fragment he had only contained the Qi Initiation techniques, the mention of the subsequent stages in the text indicated that they were more than mere fabrications.

Hence, Lin Xiao maintained a clear self-awareness. He didn’t allow his success in reaching the Grandmaster realm to lead to arrogance or to underestimate the prowess of other masters in the world.

He still had a long journey ahead. After all, who knew how many other such cultivation techniques were there in the world?

“Stepping into the Grandmaster realm is a major breakthrough, but I’m still far behind those who’ve long stood at its peak—let alone those who’ve mastered it completely, or reached the elusive Transcendent Force. I must continue to train relentlessly. More importantly, I need to fight. Only through real combat can I push my limits, break through my barriers, and absorb a broader range of techniques and insights. Tomorrow might be the perfect chance to begin carving out my name in the martial world.”

Lin Xiao’s gaze was steady as he reflected.

“I also need to find the remaining fragments of the Thunderbolt Decree as soon as possible. And I have to be cautious—if such a technique exists, there are bound to be others like it. Who knows what hidden dragons are roaming the world.”

He knew better than anyone how miraculous the Thunderbolt Decree truly was. Discovered by chance in his youth, it had become his foundation. Without it, even with his natural talent and unwavering dedication, stepping into the Grandmaster realm at such a young age would’ve been a pipe dream. In a world where many strive for it and few ever succeed, the Thunderbolt Decree had been his edge.