Only a 'thrust'—and one that extinguishes a candle from a distance—counts as Aster Force!

Unlike Hidden Force, Aster Force actually has no lethality. However, it signifies that one has reached a certain realm in their Weapon mastery, powerful enough to cut through metal and split stones!

And legend has it that the highest realm of Aster Force is 'the Weapon has yet to arrive, but the grass and trees have already broken!'

Understanding this, Zhang Beixing got it.

I was wondering if I was practicing incorrectly.

Now it seemed that was not the case.

Extinguish the flame from more than half a palm's breadth away, huh?

Zhang Beixing murmured to himself, then picked up his spear and went to an open space in the courtyard, where he lit a candle on a table.

Standing one meter away, he made sure that when he thrust his spear, its tip would stop with exactly half a palm's breadth of distance remaining to the candle.

Zhang Beixing executed several spear forms, then aimed at the candle and thrust forcefully.

WHOOSH—

The wooden spear sliced through the air with a whooshing sound, its momentum fierce.

The spear tip halted, half a palm's breadth from the candle.

Zhang Beixing focused his gaze, only to see that the candle he had lit merely flickered from the force of the thrust; nothing more happened.

"Oh?"

Seeing this, Zhang Beixing let out a soft sound of surprise, finding it somewhat interesting.

Then he thrust again with his spear.

The candle merely swayed.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Beixing didn't hesitate. He retracted his spear, stepped forward, and blew out the candle.

After these two attempts, he was quite certain he was still far from mastering Aster Force.

Given this, he decided it was better to practice diligently rather than continue swinging his spear in vain and humiliate himself.

Two days later, on July 3rd, Sophia Zhou learned through Zhou Fan that Zhang Beixing had already left the military camp.

She couldn't wait to invite Zhang Beixing to go shopping with her.

To this, Zhang Beixing readily agreed.

After all, before coming, he had already said he would go out with Sophia Zhou if he had time.

He had been in Yanjing for quite a while. As it turned out, the only time he had seen Sophia Zhou was when he beat up her brother and they met at the police station.

Whether it was to keep a promise or for some other reason, that day, Zhang Beixing spent time with Sophia Zhou, touring several famous sights in Yanjing.

They stayed out until late at night when Sophia Zhou's sister-in-law, who was worried, came to pick her up.

Only then did the two part ways.

The next day, July 4th, Zhang Beixing figured he had no more business in Yanjing.

He had learned everything he needed to, but practicing Martial Arts there felt restrictive.

At the same time, he reflected that three months had passed since his return.

Yet, to this day, he had not returned home once. He was living like an orphan.

He then informed Liu Yi and Sophia Zhou of his impending departure.

In the afternoon, he boarded the high-speed train to Shishi.

After getting off the train, he took the 556 bus straight to his village.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar house, Zhang Beixing was filled with a torrent of emotions. He reached out to push open the gate, eager to see his parents and grandparents.

Then...

Eh, why can't I open the door???

After pushing the gate a couple of times, Zhang Beixing found it was firmly shut and wouldn't budge at all.

So he searched for the key near the windowsills and under stones.

After searching for a long time without success, a puzzled Zhang Beixing messaged his mother.

Soon, he received a video call from her.

In the video, his mother, father, and grandparents were all together on a sunlit beach. The contrast with the gloomy, rain-threatening sky behind him was particularly stark.

Zhang Beixing was baffled and asked what was going on.

Then, he learned from his mother that a relative was getting married in Sanya, and they had invited the whole family to attend the wedding and take a vacation.

Hearing this, Zhang Beixing was stunned. He recalled that this event had indeed happened in his previous life.

But the issue now wasn't about his previous life.

Instead, he blurted out, "Why didn't anyone tell me? Am I not part of this family? And Mom, where's the key?"

"Well... son, you were going to Yanjing with your teacher back then, so I figured Yanjing was pretty nice and didn't call you. As for the key... we didn't leave one. Why don't you go back to your teacher and ask him to take you in for another week or so?"

His mother looked at Zhang Beixing and asked tentatively.

Hearing her words, the corner of Zhang Beixing's mouth twitched, and he was utterly speechless.

Great. So I just went off to learn Martial Arts with my teacher, and upon my return, I've been kicked out of the Zhang family!

Feeling a mix of emotions, he ended the call.

Zhang Beixing had been about to contact Liu Yi to ask if his room had been tidied up, when his gaze fell upon his class group chat, which was unusually active.

He opened it and discovered his classmates were busy organizing a group camping trip.

A thought suddenly struck Zhang Beixing.

Now that I have no home to return to, I'm practically at the mercy of the elements. Since my classmates are planning a camping trip in the mountains, why not take this opportunity to go into the mountains for cultivation?

The great masters of old often secluded themselves in the mountains, hidden from the mundane world. Firstly, this allowed them to adjust their state of mind, cultivating in peace and tranquility, free from worldly disturbances. Secondly, being close to nature in the mountains could inspire epiphanies, helping them achieve breakthroughs in their current realms.

In short, for those weary of the noise and restlessness of the mundane world, retreating to the mountains for a period was indeed an excellent way to advance one's Martial Arts.

And he was now a young Grandmaster, possessing a decent amount of strength.

A mountain seclusion for training was perfectly reasonable for him.

Moreover, in the mountains, with few people around, he could practice Martial Arts however he wished.

He would no longer have to be overly cautious or hold back. How liberating that would be!

Thinking this, Zhang Beixing grew increasingly convinced that retreating to the mountains for training was a feasible plan.

Thus, believing action was better than mere intention, Zhang Beixing decided to buy some camping and Martial Arts training equipment and then formally head into the mountains.

When he emerged from the mountains again, he would be the 17/0 KDA, the Yanjing conscription representative, the Shishi youth representative, Senior Zhang—the youngest Grandmaster of the current era!

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