Chapter 51

When Li Pu woke up, several hours had already passed.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying naked from the waist up, with a few scorching golden needles piercing his body. Not far from the bedside, there was a fragrant incense that invigorated the lungs and calmed the mind.

This was a guest room decorated in a very Chinese style, with a graceful and enduring landscape painting directly on the white walls, exuding a transcendent and almost divine aura. Not far away, a young girl was sleeping with her head on the sandalwood square table, while another person was sitting in a secret sect posture, meditating with a steady and long breath.

"You're awake." The one sitting in meditation was Zhang Shi. The moment Li Pu woke up, he immediately sensed it. He stood up and asked, "How do you feel now?"

"My stomach is so hungry. I specially came with an empty stomach, ready for a big meal..." Li Pu flipped off the bed, pulling out the golden needles, "What's this for?"

"These are the special golden needles for stabilizing the soul and consolidating the qi, applied by Old Feng to adjust your disordered qi and blood..." Zhang Shi carefully examined Li Pu from head to toe, "But looking at your current complexion, it seems there's nothing wrong with your body?"

It was no wonder he was surprised. The all-out "Dark Force Hundred-Crack Fist" that Li Pu used earlier was something even he, who had been raised by a Dan-Qi Martial Saint, had never heard of. According to common sense, not to mention whether it could be done, even if it could, it should have caused a disordered qi and blood flow, leading to immediate death due to organ failure.

But Li Pu just slept for a while and woke up full of energy, only complaining about being hungry?

Faced with Zhang Shi's question, Li Pu smiled a bit awkwardly. He had used the "God of War Armament" black technology to turn the tide. In terms of true skills, Zhang Shi's physical strength was on par with his (excluding recovery), and in terms of martial arts experience and combat techniques, Zhang Shi had a clear advantage—after all, he had only learned from Chen Xin for two months, then practiced in isolation and dominated beginners, while this "Little Fist Saint" was about the same age as him but had extensive combat experience with Dark Force, Transformation Force, and even Dan-Qi level experts.

"My constitution is a bit special," Li Pu could only say evasively. In fact, no matter how recklessly he fought, any internal injuries—unless the organs were irreparably damaged—could be healed by the medical system of the God of War Armament. The imbalance of qi and blood caused by excessive physical exertion was nothing to worry about.

—Just rest and eat, and it's fine!

Zhang Shi nodded, "Indeed. Sigh, I thought my physique was the strongest of this generation, but I didn't expect there to be a monster like you."

Monster? You're the monster! I'm just a normal person enhanced by alien technology and my own hard training! Li Pu silently complained. He didn't want to continue this topic and glanced at Qin Xia'er, who was sleeping on the table, "Uh, have you been here all along?"

Zhang Shi followed Li Pu's gaze to his cousin and smiled, "Do you know, when you fainted, Xia'er was almost in tears."

"Huh?" Li Pu vaguely remembered lying in Qin Xia'er's arms before he fell asleep—there was no way he could lie in the arms of Zhang Shi, who had just fought him fiercely.

"She said she invited you here and felt responsible," Zhang Shi shook his head, "Uncle Yuan Cheng called earlier, but he couldn't get her to go home. Hey, this is the first time Xia'er has stayed out all night. If I hadn't said I would take care of her, Uncle Yuan Cheng would have driven over to pick her up. But she usually has a very regular schedule. By three in the morning, she couldn't hold on and fell asleep."

"..." Li Pu didn't know how to respond. However, his gaze towards the drowsy Xia'er became noticeably softer.

Maybe, I shouldn't tease her so much in the future? But it's a reflex that has been maintained since kindergarten, and it's hard to overcome.

Li Pu took a deep breath and looked back at Zhang Shi, "You were here to keep her company? But you probably didn't have it much better, right?"

Li Pu's martial arts level and combat techniques were far behind this "Little Fist Saint," but in the final confrontation, the Dark Force rain from his "Ultimate Enhancement Program" was not easy to withstand.

Zhang Shi raised his hands, his expression slightly bitter, "My qi and blood were scattered and haven't fully recovered yet. My tendons and muscles are also quite damaged. But fortunately..."

"My constitution is also a bit special, and I have family secrets for moving and cultivating qi and blood." He raised his distinctive single-eyebrow, "A bit of rest will be fine."

Li Pu didn't doubt this: apart from Aunt Chen Xin, who had reached the upper Dan-Qi level, and the unknown depths of Di Tianxia and Brad, Zhang Shi was the strongest he had seen. Li Pu himself not only had the alien black technology "God of War Armament" but had also trained hard for several years, yet he still couldn't completely suppress Zhang Shi in pure physical strength.

According to what Zhang Shi said, he had more than three times the innate true force. Even without martial arts training, his physical strength was more than three times that of a normal person, almost comparable to some superhuman abilities in science fiction. Combined with his Transformation Force level cultivation and profound heritage, he was almost invincible below the Dan-Qi level.

Li Pu had a deep personal experience of this. He remembered Aunt Chen Xin saying that she herself had twice the innate true force, and the strongest among her peers had more than four times the innate true force! When Li Pu was younger and less experienced, he didn't feel it much, but now, thinking about it seriously—Aunt Chen's peer with such monstrous innate true force and martial arts realm on par with Aunt Chen, how terrifying must they be?

—Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.

Li Pu was still lost in thought, but Zhang Shi suddenly said seriously, "But I'm here not just to keep Xia'er company. I'm glad you're fine."

"Eh?" Li Pu was taken aback, a bit confused.

"Before today, after achieving Transformation Force, I thought the only ones who could face me head-on were those old Dan-Qi Martial Saints. But they have practiced for decades more than I have. If I had the same time, including my uncle, none of them would be my match."

Zhang Shi smiled, his bright and sincere eyes showing a pure fighting spirit, "But you're different. You're the only one younger than me, with a lower martial arts level, who has genuinely defeated me." He emphasized the part about being younger.

What a super confident martial arts fanatic! But he has the capital to be confident. Li Pu shrugged, "Do you want to spar again?"

After all, Li Pu, who had been practicing in isolation for several years, also needed combat experience with strong opponents. Fighting with someone as strong as Zhang Shi was tiring but beneficial.

"Of course, but not now." Zhang Shi raised an eyebrow, "Based on your previous performance, excluding physical strength, you should still be between the middle and upper levels of Dark Force? In terms of combat techniques... you're a bit lacking in experience."

The initial level of Dark Force means the limbs, the most suitable parts for releasing Dark Force, can emit it; at the middle level, major muscle groups like the knees, elbows, shoulders, and back can burst with Dark Force; at the upper level, even hard-to-emit parts like the waist, hips, neck, and inner thighs can generate Dark Force (though not as powerful as the limbs and back, which are 100% effective, while other parts are 50% or even less).

Li Pu nodded. Zhang Shi's insight was sharp. Excluding constitution and physical strength, in terms of technique and cultivation, he was indeed at this level.

"To be honest, I lost completely when I used the 'Hum' sound to ignite the 'Kundalini Fire' in the sea of qi, unleashing my potential and fighting you with a barrage of arrows." Zhang Shi sighed, "But the benefits were significant. I learned that humans can actually release Dark Force at that frequency. Experiencing it firsthand will be very beneficial for my future cultivation."

Eh! The guy seems to have misunderstood something. Without the God of War Armament's repair, it wouldn't have been possible. Li Pu's lips twitched, but this reason wasn't suitable to explain to the martial arts fanatic in front of him...

Since he achieved Dark Force at fifteen, Zhang Shi had always won against stronger opponents. He couldn't find anyone at the same Dark Force level to fight on equal terms; at seventeen, he could even exchange blows with some Transformation Force masters; now at eighteen, even combat-oriented soldiers in their prime like Chi Fei were clearly inferior to him. Feng Kuchan, a peak Transformation Force expert, might surpass him in some specific techniques, but in real combat, it was a different story.

So, the proud Zhang Shi felt quite conflicted. He really wanted to fight Li Pu again, but he could see that Li Pu's combat experience—especially against true experts—was probably limited. From his perspective, Li Pu's boxing techniques were also a bit shallow, with only one technique, a blend of Pi Gua and Su He, being highly refined.

Although he was a bit careless in the previous fight due to overconfidence—had he been more cautious, he might have relied on his more balanced physical strength and combat skills to avoid being so easily overwhelmed. But if the young man in front of him could accumulate combat experience and refine his techniques to match his physical strength, he would definitely become much stronger.

Faced with this young man who, for the first time, made him feel a competitive spirit, to win back, at least the other party needed to be at the same level, with a similar martial arts realm and combat techniques, to have the greatest value.

Zhang Shi looked at Li Pu, his sincere eyes shining with genuine hope, "I hope you can quickly achieve Transformation Force and fight me again."

This... is a declaration of a rival? I never thought I'd encounter such a situation! Li Pu blinked and suddenly smiled.

Qin Xia'er's rich second-generation cousin is indeed a bit strange. But—very much to his liking!

"Let's see if I can achieve Transformation Force. But I'm almost starving to death." Li Pu pondered for a moment, not answering directly, and complained, "Didn't you say there would be a high-end banquet?"

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