Martial Fist: Adding Points in Dreamland

Translator: Cinder Translations

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[Metal Essence +1!] 

[Metal Essence +1!] 

[Metal Essence +1!] 

Inside the bedroom, notifications flashed continuously on the interface. 

A black box lay open on the floor, and a head-sized chunk of bronze-grade metal was pressed firmly against Chen Feng’s palm. 

This continued for nearly ten seconds. 

Crack! 

Fissures spread—one, two, three... 

In the blink of an eye, the Bronze metal crumbled into shards. 

[Steel Bones LV1: 91/100] 

“Still a bit short,” Chen Feng muttered. 

Wiping the brownish dust off his hands, he glanced at the progress bar on the interface. 

A piece this size, while impressive, was naturally far less effective than what a fully augmented cyborg could offer. 

“But if I can get another piece of a Legacy Iron Tome, that should be enough to upgrade.” 

With that thought, he looked at the night outside, now blanketed in darkness. 

Chen Feng lay back on his bed, slowly closing his eyes and drifting into dreams. 

---

Buzz! 

Darkness dissipated as the ground beneath him stabilized. 

Wearing a black, sleeveless vest and a backpack, Chen Feng opened his eyes. 

He was standing on the balcony of an apartment building, overlooking rows of low-rise buildings ahead. 

Thick fog swirled in the distance, and about a kilometer away, he could faintly make out the outline of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's branch. 

Without delay, Chen Feng vaulted off the third-floor balcony. 

Thud! 

The ground shook slightly as he landed in a crouch, unharmed. 

He took steady steps forward, heading straight toward the asphalt road and his destination—the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. 

All around, the fog churned, and the steady sound of footsteps echoed. 

Tilting his head slightly, Chen Feng noticed figures emerging from the surrounding low-rise buildings—eight faceless humanoids. 

They varied in height, build, and even gender, wearing either blue jackets or dark, heavy clothing. 

Their strength, as Chen Feng had suspected, peaked at an amateur eighth or ninth stage. 

“Just as I thought.” 

Narrowing his eyes, Chen Feng pieced together the puzzle. 

When he first entered this dream realm, he’d explored relatively ordinary zones near the outskirts of the fog. Back then, the black ant swarms he encountered were smaller in number and weaker in strength. 

But now, as he delved deeper into the fog, the black ant swarms had grown significantly in both size and power, along with the humanoids they controlled. 

“Still, they’re too weak.” 

Whoosh! 

Chen Feng vanished from his spot, leaving the faceless figures momentarily stunned. 

Bang!! 

One figure was sent flying, crashing through a neighboring building’s glass window and landing within. 

And then—more crashing sounds. 

Finally, with a resounding boom, Chen Feng stood on the street. His hand firmly pressed the head of a faceless figure into the brick wall. 

Sensing an attack, he swiftly retreated a step. 

Black ants swarmed toward him, their assault narrowly missing as clusters of gray energy spheres materialized around him. 

[Perception LV3: 14/100] 

“Still not enough.” 

Shaking his head, Chen Feng resumed his advance toward the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. 

Crossing the sunken potholes in the asphalt and stepping past shattered glass windows, his footsteps echoed. 

After walking a hundred meters, Chen Feng suddenly stopped, frowning slightly. 

Ahead, under the dim glow of a streetlight, stood two figures clad in white martial arts uniforms. 

Both wore masks with black patterns on a white base. The symbol "极" (Ji) was embroidered on their left chest in black thread—undeniably members of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. 

“Why are they here?” 

Based on his prior experiences, the Black Soldier Ants controlling the masked figures usually stayed within the pavilion and rarely ventured out. 

Tap, tap, tap! 

Urgent footsteps echoed, leaving Chen Feng with little time to think. 

The two masked figures advanced swiftly, one to his left and the other to his right. 

One exuded a violent aura, clearly at the peak of the professional level and in the refined visceral state, with a faint thread of inner force coiling around his hand. 

The other bore a similar presence. His arm muscles swelled as he charged forward, delivering a powerful blow. 

Boom!! 

A dull sound reverberated. 

Chen Feng stood unmoving as his bronzed skin shimmered. One hand caught the swollen fist, while his chest deflected the invading force with ease. 

Bronze Skin rebounded, strength erupted! 

Whoosh! Bang!! 

One figure was sent flying like a ragdoll, while the other struggled to escape Chen Feng’s iron grip, only to be firmly pinned down. 

“Tiger Roar Style.” 

Chen Feng muttered under his breath, his right palm faintly glowing red. 

Boom!!! 

A single strike hit the faceless figure's chest. 

The crimson Red Tiger Force surged within, ripping through the flesh and instantly destroying the Black Soldier Ant inside, silencing its screech. 

Whoosh! 

In a flash, Chen Feng dashed toward the second faceless figure. 

His left palm turned, gathering another crimson glow. 

“Flame Burst Style.” 

Thud!! 

With pinpoint precision, his palm struck the figure's left chest. 

The concentrated force exploded violently, exposing bones and mangled organs as blood sprayed. 

Both the masked figure and the controlling Black Soldier Ant perished instantly. 

---

Tap, tap, tap! 

Footsteps resounded again as more Black Soldier Ants swarmed from all directions, encircling Chen Feng. 

Three...six...nine... A total of sixteen faceless figures! 

In an instant, countless figures lunged at him, grappling his arms and locking his waist. 

A punch struck his head with a muffled thud, but Chen Feng remained unmoved, his gaze calm. 

“How...truly weak.” 

Boom!! 

With a burst of strength, the figures flew back like scattered leaves. 

His heavy punches landed one after another, crushing and blasting. 

In seconds, the ground was littered with rotting black stains. Broken shop windows lined the street, and shelves toppled over. 

A dozen gray energy spheres floated around him, accompanied by two faint blue orbs. 

---

Step! 

Chen Feng advanced, absorbing the gray energy into himself. 

[Perception LV3: 22/100] 

Without pause, he touched the two blue orbs. 

[You have collected two (Skill Orbs)!] 

[Skill: Explosive Punch] 

[You already possess this skill!] 

[Option 1: Fuse—Increase Explosive Punch proficiency!] 

[Option 2: Disassemble—Convert the Skill Orb into pure Martial Will Residue: Limit-Breaking Light Orb!] 

[Note: If used to enhance Explosive Punch, the effect is halved.] 

“Enhance!” 

Without hesitation, Chen Feng upgraded his Explosive Punch. 

[Explosive Punch: Proficient (91/100)] 

Clenching his fists, Chen Feng exhaled softly. 

“Almost there.” 

One more masked figure from the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, or two Limit-Breaking Light Orbs, and the Explosive Punch would reach the Mastery level. 

Satisfied with his steady progress, Chen Feng turned to the vanishing corpses of the masked figures around him. 

"The Extreme Martial Hall is their territory." 

"But why are they appearing here now?" 

Chen Feng frowned, recalling his first encounter with the Masked Men. Back then, they relentlessly pursued him but never left the confines of the martial hall. 

Looking toward the distant Extreme Martial Hall, about half a kilometer away, it lay at the edge of the dissipating mist, shrouded in deep darkness. 

His eyes flickered as he thought for a moment. 

Whether for the sake of the Limit-Breaking Light Orbs or the possible existence of a Legacy Iron Book, he had to make the trip. 

With that, he started walking again. 

The shadow of his figure stretched long under the streetlights, the silent, gloomy street growing increasingly oppressive. 

Carrying a black backpack, Chen Feng walked several hundred meters before looking up. 

Across the road, on the second floor, the martial hall’s three-character signboard stood out clearly. 

Behind the dim glass windows, vague outlines of sandbags and various training equipment could be seen. 

Tap! 

His footsteps halted as his heightened perception kicked in, and his brows furrowed. 

"There’s… something else here." 

Within the hundred-meter radius of his perception limit, the dim surroundings of the martial hall revealed spiderwebs scattered about—some beneath eaves, others on ceilings. 

Several black spider-like creatures hung upside-down, each about a meter in size. 

The weakest among them were comparable to peak professionals, equivalent to experts at the pinnacle of the Body Training stage. 

What was more concerning were two spiders perched on large webs, each over two or three meters in size—one male and one female, judging by their form. 

Based on their auras, both were at least at the Master level. 

Buzz! 

Suddenly, as if sensing something, pairs of eerie green eyes snapped open. 

With eight glistening eyes per creature, a cacophony of scraping noises filled the air. 

Swoosh! 

A harsh, ear-piercing soundwave erupted like a gale, shaking nearby windows. 

One after another, the black-faced spiders dropped from their perches, rushing straight toward Chen Feng. 

"So that’s how it is." 

In that instant, Chen Feng understood why the Black Soldier Ants had vacated the martial hall. 

These creatures were far stronger—black-faced spiders, the kind described in the bronze tablet. Adults of their kind were naturally at the second tier of strength. 

Click, click, click! 

The hundred-meter distance closed rapidly as a swarm of black-faced spiders surrounded him. 

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! 

Several streaks of gray-white silk shot out, forming webbing that descended like a net from above. 

Relying on the records from the bronze tablet, Chen Feng’s figure blurred as he sidestepped and dodged swiftly. 

Splat, splat, splat! 

Missed webs struck the ground behind him, while three black-faced spiders closed in. 

From up close, they resembled regular spiders, but their grotesque features became even more pronounced: four pairs of compound eyes glowing with malicious green light and scythe-like mandibles near their abdomens. 

Rip! 

The air tore as three black-faced spiders lunged from different directions, with one aiming directly for his face. 

Drawing on his previous battle experience with the venomous bee swarm, the azure mark on Chen Feng’s hand flashed. In an instant, he activated his Azure Armor Form. 

Smack! 

The spider aiming for his face was caught mid-air and slammed into the ground. 

Boom! 

The impact resounded as the ground caved in. Green blood splattered as the spider's hardened shell shattered. 

Two more spiders, sensing danger, attempted to retreat, but they were sent flying by a powerful sidekick and spin move. 

Swish! 

The spiders crashed into a streetlight pole with a crunch, green blood oozing from their ruptured abdomens. 

Hiss! 

The two larger adult spiders shrieked in rage. 

The larger male, over three meters tall, launched a massive web like a bullet, tearing through the air with a white streak. 

Following closely behind, it lunged with open mandibles, aiming to crush Chen Feng in one strike. 

Whoosh! 

Chen Feng dodged the web by a hair's breadth, his body expanding rapidly as he countered with a fully powered Explosive Punch. 

Boom!!! 

A shockwave rippled outward, shaking withered trees nearby. 

The male spider staggered, its hard exoskeleton slightly dented. 

Chen Feng, however, was forced backward, leaving deep grooves in the asphalt. 

"So strong." 

His crimson eyes gleamed faintly as he felt numbness spread through his arm. 

He had poured everything into that punch—Explosive Punch, augmented by his Giant Tiger and Azure Armor forms—unleashing a force exceeding four tons. 

And yet, he was still overpowered. 

Shriek! 

Seizing an opening, the injured female spider charged from the left. 

Chen Feng’s left arm swelled, imbued with the might of his Explosive Punch, swinging horizontally in a whip-like arc. 

Thud! 

The female spider, smaller by comparison, was flung away, its shell cracking and green blood seeping from the fractures. 

Hiss! 

Its pained cries enraged the male spider, which surged with even more power, its body expanding as though breaking through a limit. 

Whoosh! 

The massive creature descended like a mountain, its oppressive aura crashing down. 

Faced with the overwhelming pressure, Chen Feng crossed his arms to defend. 

Boom!!! 

The ground beneath his feet caved as the asphalt shattered. Chen Feng gritted his teeth against the crushing weight. 

Sensing an opening, he retaliated with all his strength, gathering his internal energy in his arms. 

Buzz! 

Explosive Punch! 

Boom!!! 

The male spider staggered, its hardened shell dented once more. 

Just as Chen Feng prepared to press his advantage, he heard the whistling sound of approaching danger. 

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! 

Threads of silk zipped past him as the injured female spider, rallying her remaining forces, launched a coordinated sneak attack. 

Through his heightened perception, Chen Feng detected an even larger black-faced spider approaching from afar, rushing to reinforce the group. 

Faced with the dire situation, he glanced at the still formidable male spider and the swarming reinforcements. 

Chen Feng’s eyes flickered, and without hesitation, he turned and dashed into the distance. 

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap! 

His rapid footsteps echoed as he disappeared down the street. 

The male spider let out an enraged screech but, after glancing at the injured female and their other subordinates, could only roar helplessly in place. 

Hiss!!! 

Several minutes later, with the noise fading behind him, Chen Feng stopped at the base of a residential building. 

Confirming he wasn’t being pursued, he finally relaxed. 

"That was close." 

Shaking his head, the Azure armor on his body receded like a tide, his enlarged physique shrinking back to normal. 

"That male spider… it must’ve been close to Tier Two." 

Reflecting on the battle, Chen Feng noted the vast disparity between the male and female spiders. 

The former suppressed him even at full strength, while the latter was nearly overpowered by his attacks. 

"In the real world, that male spider would probably rival a Silver-tier cyborg." 

With a rough comparison, Chen Feng felt confident he could take it down, but not with so many reinforcements around. 

"I’ll need to reach the Inner Strength Stage or break through in Bronze Statue Arts first." 

Glancing at his sleeveless vest, he sighed. 

The battle had stretched it to the point of tearing. 

Shaking his head, he expanded his perception, searching the nearby residential buildings for Limit-Breaking Light Orbs or spare clothes. 

Eventually, the dream faded. 

With some gains and some losses, his luck wasn’t too bad. 

He had managed to find three Limit-Breaking Light Orbs in the vicinity. 

Upon waking and seeing the familiar ceiling, Chen Feng summoned his status panel. 

His gaze landed on the skills section. 

[Crimson Tiger Force: Beginner (88%) +] 

"Upgrade!" 

(End of the Chapter)

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