CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 53: DRAGON-PIERCING TECHNIQUE

Several archers nearby drew their sabers with a ’swish,’ approaching Lou Yi, unwilling to give him a chance to release the shackles on his feet.

"Bring it on!"

Lou Yi laughed heartily, picked up half a wooden shackle weighing fifty to sixty pounds, and swung it down on the archer closest to him.

That man hurriedly raised his knife to block, only to feel an unstoppable force pouring down, as if a mountain was pressing on him!

’Bang!’

The man’s skull burst, his eyes turned white as he fell to the ground, seemingly inhaling more than he exhaled.

The other men halted instinctively, fear apparent in their eyes.

Taking the opportunity, Lou Yi directly picked up the saber dropped by the archer and fiercely slashed at the shackles on his feet!

’Clang clang clang!’

In a flash, Lou Yi swung five consecutive times, cutting the shackles in two.

By now, Lou Yi was completely unrestrained, and like a tiger breaking out of its cage, he charged at the many officers.

He used the saber as an axe.

With a proficient level of axe skill combined with a force exceeding a thousand pounds, he felled the officers one by one like chopping melons and slicing vegetables, practically slaying them like they were children.

"Run away!"

Prison Chief Old Li turned pale with fright, wanting to flee.

But the dungeon passage was narrow, and several archers had the same idea as him.

Several people scrambled to squeeze outside, unfortunately blocking each other, making it easy for Lou Yi to seize them.

Lou Yi was unmerciful, raising his hand and bringing the blade down, adding another three energy points to his attribute panel.

Leaving only Prison Chief Old Li, he grabbed his head and dragged him back to his original position.

There, Sunset Mountain’s third leader, Zhu Darui, stood dumbfounded, watching the unfolding scene.

"This, this is too fierce..."

Zhu Darui hadn’t recovered when he saw Lou Yi on the opposite side raising his saber, panic swelling in his heart: "I’m done for!"

’Clang clang!’

The next moment, the chains on his hands snapped, and his feet gained freedom.

"You owe me a debt now." Lou Yi glanced at him and then pressed the blade against the prison chief’s neck, "Where are the horses?"

"Spare me, spare me!" The prison chief instinctively begged for his life, spilling secrets to save himself, "In the backyard of the Government Office, there are over ten horses there."

The prison chief couldn’t understand how Lou Yi, whose tendons were cut in his hands and feet, managed to break free from the chains.

Unbeknownst to him, Lou Yi had already restored his body to peak condition, waiting for an opportunity to break out today.

The prison chief letting him out actually solved a major problem for Lou Yi.

"The backyard of the Government Office..." Lou Yi squinted his eyes.

Meanwhile, the sudden upheaval had already been sensed by the prisoners in other cells, the entire dungeon was in an uproar.

"Let me out, let me out!"

"Hero, if you release me, this life of mine will be yours!"

"Kill this old bastard! This old thief tortures us for benefits every day!"

"Quiet! Anyone who continues to make noise will be left to fend for themselves!" Lou Yi shouted loudly, quelling the unrest in the dungeon to delay the Inspection Bureau’s detection as much as possible.

Then, under Zhu Darui’s surprised gaze, he sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Give me a moment’s tea break."

Lou Yi looked at the attribute panel:

[Name: Lou Yi]

[Age: 19/55]

[Realm: None]

[Skills: Lou’s Axe Skill (Proficient 0/30), Stone Throwing (Mastery 0/30), Basic Boxing Technique (Mastery 0/30), Basic Spear Technique (Beginner 0/6), Secret Skill: Dragon Piercing Technique - Fragment (0/20)]

[Energy: 24]

Energy was full at twenty, achieving the condition for advancing the Dragon Piercing Technique.

He did not hesitate.

"Advance."

Then, twenty energy points vanished.

Secret Skill: Dragon Piercing Technique - Fragment (0/20) → Secret Skill: Dragon Piercing Technique - Fragment (One)

Unfamiliar memories appeared in Lou Yi’s mind.

In a ’dream realm,’ he became a one-armed man burdened with deep vendetta, apprenticing under his father’s old acquaintance.

His master’s appearance surprisingly resembled Instructor Lin by seventy to eighty percent.

"You have only one arm, your strength can at most reach seventy to eighty percent of a normal person. Originally a weakness, yet it aligns perfectly with the essence of the Dragon Piercing Technique."

"Inhale, throw a punch!"

Lou Yi took a deep breath, his chest swelled, abdominal cavity contracted, and his left fist forcefully struck out.

Unfortunately, he lost his right arm, unable to coordinate with the left, reaching a normal person’s level.

And at this moment, the master suddenly jabbed a certain acupoint in Lou Yi’s chest, making him feel a numbing sensation followed by warmth.

Subsequently, a new force erupted from the point, like a rushing stream flooding towards his left arm!

’Whoosh!’

Under the overlapping forces, the left fist emitted an air-breaking sound.

"The human body is filled with blood qi, especially in the chest. If you can draw it, then potential can be stimulated."

"The acupoint I targeted may not be the best position, you need to practice extensively to identify the perfect spot."

"Once proficient, you won’t need a pointer, as blood qi can manifest spontaneously."

The master turned and left, leaving Lou Yi standing in place, deep in thought.

Throwing a punch was certainly not an option; with only one arm, he had to conserve his Blood Qi.

Inhaling, he pointed to his chest, sensing carefully.

There was no response, so he continuously adjusted the pressure and the position of the point.

After thousands of attempts, he finally felt a reaction—his chest heated up.

Lou Yi was overjoyed and continued to try relentlessly.

Once, his whole body tingled, and his Blood Qi erupted like a volcano being activated, flooding his arm with endless power.

"It’s working!"

With the first time came the second, and the third...

Thus, day after day, month after month, year after year.

Three years later, Lou Yi was able to accurately stimulate the acupoint that ignited his Blood Qi every time.

This was enough for ordinary people, but with only one arm, it was still far from sufficient for him.

Nine years later, the eruption and circulation of Blood Qi had become instinctive, forming a specific muscle path in his chest cavity.

Lou Yi discovered that even without using finger-pointing, he could stimulate the acupoint to ignite his Blood Qi through muscle memory.

By this point, he had fully grasped the essence of the Dragon Piercing Technique.

It was not limited to boxing; even swordsmanship and spear techniques could employ this universal secret technique.

Ten years later.

Lou Yi openly challenged Wang Qi, the most famous swordsman within a hundred miles and the enemy who once severed his right arm, while holding a simple saber.

Amid numerous mocking, astonished, and sympathetic gazes.

With one arm wielding the saber, in the tenth round, he unleashed the Dragon Piercing Technique, amplifying his strength significantly, slicing the unprepared Wang Qi cleanly in two!

The martial world was shaken!

The memory abruptly ended there.

In reality, Lou Yi felt a huge surge of seething Energy pour into his body, circulating slowly through all his limbs and bones.

Left leg, abdomen, right arm, chest, left arm, right leg...

Following a fixed path, cycling continuously, and its speed increasing.

As time passed, the Energy gradually dissipated, leaving only the purest thread hidden in the chest.

But this pathway was etched into Lou Yi’s mind, as if it were a natural instinct.

Lou Yi opened his eyes, inhaled first, then pushed his left palm forward against the prison gate.

At the same moment, a certain muscle on his chest contracted into a line, rapidly flowing in one direction like a snake.

Immediately, his chest numbed, followed by a burst of Blood Qi through his entire body, instantly concentrating Energy on his left arm.

’Boom!’

Under the overlap of dual forces, the speed of the left hand thrusting forward increased dramatically, stamping onto the prison gate.

’Bang!’

The iron-skin-covered prison gate shook violently, with a large amount of dust ’whooshing’ down.

On the gate, a distinct handprint appeared, as if it were branded there.

’This power...’

Lou Yi squinted his eyes, shocked by the power of this move.

This was only the power from stimulating the first acupoint, the Candle Dragon Acupoint. What if it were to stimulate the second and third acupoints?

Unfortunately, the secret manual was fragmented and had no continuation; the Attribute Panel temporarily lacked the function for forced enhancement.

But for now, this was enough.

Lou Yi felt he was entirely capable of confronting martial artists head-on.

"Release them all!" Lou Yi instructed Zhu Darui, the third leader of Sunset Mountain.

Zhu Darui was still immersed in the power of Lou Yi’s palm attack just moments ago.

He couldn’t understand how the opponent seemed to become even more powerful after just a few moments.

He had always thought stories of sudden breakthroughs during fights were just legends.

"Alright, alright..."

Zhu Darui was a decisive person and searched the prison chief for the keys.

"Release me, release us!"

"Brothers, we’re leaving this suffering behind!"

The dungeon boiled once again, even affecting the floor above.

Now and then, the sound of keys sliding into locks and swords cutting chains rang out, making the prison a lively scene.

In the blink of an eye, all the prisoners on the two levels were released, numbering around forty to fifty people.

Each person was disheveled, covered in filth, and exuded a foul odor, like they had crawled out of hell.

Several were abnormally large, no less formidable than Zhu Darui, surely formidable characters before their imprisonment.

"Brother, you’re like a parent reborn to me!"

"From now on, my life belongs to you, Liu Yuan proclaims!"

The crowd looked at Lou Yi, their eyes reflecting gratitude, fear, excitement, and other emotions.

"Follow me to the Government Office and seize the horses!" Lou Yi said sternly, "Repay kindness with kindness, and revenge with revenge!"

"Follow the benefactor, charge!"

"Kill the dog officials!"

"I want revenge!"

In everyone’s eyes, a restless gleam shone.

...