Chapter 10

"Damn!"

Li Pancheng only had time for a loud shout before he jumped out of the window. As he jumped, his body shrank, his legs tightened, and upon touching the ground, he sprang up, taking several steps before coming to a stop. Just as he stood firm, he saw Hao Qi standing in front of him.

"You..."

Li Pancheng only managed to utter one word before a wave of energy enveloped him, making him speechless. This energy made his entire body tense, causing goosebumps to rise, and his body involuntarily assumed the stance of the Snake Fist.

Internal energy...

An internal energy master!

A few seconds earlier, Hao Qi had loaded the *Yi Jin Jing* onto his character template. This was one of the three strongest conventional internal energy techniques in his system. In the game represented by this system, the three strongest conventional internal energy techniques were the *Yi Jin Jing*, the *Nine Yin Manual*, and the *Nine Yang Divine Skill*. They represented the pinnacle of harmonizing internal energy, yin-based internal energy, and yang-based internal energy, respectively. Now, he was about to learn the *Yi Jin Jing*!

The moment he loaded it, Hao Qi felt his body tighten, just as it did when he loaded the *Luohan Fist*. A large amount of postures, movements, and internal energy exercises, as well as methods for gathering blood and energy at acupoints and the principles of circulating energy through the body, all naturally infused his mind, as if he had always known them. At the same time, on his character panel, the words "Level 1 Yi Jin Jing" appeared in the second martial arts slot.

However, unlike the *Luohan Fist*, Hao Qi's body was unable to move. He felt his muscles from his arms, legs, and waist tighten and become more dense. These areas, which he had trained for ten years with the *Luohan Fist*, were already incredibly solid, and now, under the influence of the *Yi Jin Jing*, this solidity began to spread throughout his entire body. Although it felt as if he had trained for just as long, his other body parts, muscles, bones, and organs became equally solid, with no difference at all...

Hao Qi felt his body tighten to the extreme, as if it could not tighten any further, or he would be crushed. At that moment, a cool energy surged into his body from above his head, below his feet, and from all sides. This energy was so comfortable that he became lost in it, and his extremely tight body was filled with this energy, slowly transitioning from being compressed to being inflated, and then from being inflated to being tight, over and over again...

All of this seemed long, but it only took a few seconds in reality. To outsiders, Hao Qi remained in a punching stance, and then he moved, delivering a punch. It was still the ordinary *Luohan Fist*, but the speed and power were completely different. The punch even broke through the air, forming a trail of air, and the immense force shattered the sandbag with a loud boom. Then, with a single step, Hao Qi jumped from the rooftop of an eight or nine-story building, covering over ten meters in an instant.

"Internal energy... It's a kind of energy absorbed from the universe and combined with the body, which has been trained to the extreme, forming a new type of human energy."

In mid-air, Hao Qi was certain that he indeed possessed internal energy. Although his body had not been trained to the extreme like those in this world, the system was indeed a system, and the golden finger was indeed a golden finger. Even though he had often underestimated this system and felt cheated many times over the past ten years, the system was truly an extraordinary thing.

The *Yi Jin Jing* he loaded directly granted him Level 1 internal energy, which meant he indeed possessed internal energy. This energy was not just a concept from martial arts novels but a real manifestation in this world, following the rules of this world.

First, while in mid-air, he confirmed that this internal energy could extend outside his body, forming a tangible yet formless presence. Although this presence was very thin, barely stronger than air and far from liquid, it was still an externalized, purely energetic substance. It was highly sensitive, allowing him to perceive everything within a ten-meter radius in a 360-degree, unobstructed view, even with his eyes closed.

Next, the application of this internal energy. If it was not spread in a circular pattern but in a film-like manner, it could extend up to twenty meters, beyond which it was ineffective. This twenty-meter film could be used to borrow force in mid-air, allowing him to perform special effects similar to those in martial arts novels.

Then, the significant increase in strength and speed. This was evident in the last punch he delivered to the sandbag, where his physical strength increased by at least ten times, and his speed by several times, all of which were hard increases, not just the explosive power or clever techniques of martial arts moves.

Simultaneously, there was an improvement in his body's recovery and endurance. After releasing the internal energy, the wounds on his fists began to heal, with a warm and itchy sensation, clearly indicating the slow repair of the injuries.

Finally, there was a significant increase in his thinking speed. This was evident from his current state. From the rooftop to the ground, the entire process took only a few seconds, but to him, it felt like a slow descent. He could even see a leaf falling from a nearby tree at an extremely slow speed, and he saw Li Pancheng jump out of the window, along with the look of disbelief and confusion on Xue Na's face behind him.

The increase in thinking speed was even more useful than the increase in physical strength and speed, as it represented a combination of reaction speed, thinking speed, and dynamic vision. Hao Qi believed that even without any increase in physical strength, the mere effect of increased thinking speed made an internal energy master overwhelmingly superior to a non-internal energy master, a superiority at the biological level.

Internal energy definitely had many other effects and uses, but these were minor details that could be explored and practiced over time. Now, without a doubt, he...

Was undoubtedly an internal energy master!

Ten years of hard work, ten years of pain, ten years of struggle, ten years of anxiety, all culminated in this moment, transforming into the long-desired internal energy. Unfortunately, the person who could share in this joy was now one less...

"Brother Li."

Hao Qi clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for everything you and Big Sister have done for me. I will remember it in my heart. I owe you a favor, and I have a question to ask Brother Li."

Li Pancheng, who was about to say something, could not utter a word. After confirming that Hao Qi was indeed an internal energy master, he managed to say, "Brother Hao, what do you want to ask?"

"Xu Wen, is she not at the internal energy realm?" Hao Qi asked.

Li Pancheng hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Yes, Xu Wen is not at the internal energy realm. Achieving the internal energy realm is not easy. I only have a seventy percent chance of achieving it, and the time is never fixed."

"Second question, since you know Xu Wen wants to deal with me, you must also know where she is, right?" Hao Qi continued.

Li Pancheng did not answer immediately. He carefully chose his words and said, "Brother Hao, please consider carefully. The Xu family is a large family, and they have internal energy masters. Xu Wen is a direct descendant of the Xu family, with a special status. You have just achieved the internal energy realm, and you are not familiar with its applications, strength, or combat methods. It would be better to think long-term, wouldn't it?"

Hao Qi shook his head and raised three fingers, "First, I am an internal energy master, but I have just achieved it, and I am seeking revenge for a brother who died with me, so I am not afraid of death."

"Second, the Xu family is a large family."

"Third, I owe you a favor."

"Please, Brother Li, grant me this."

Li Pancheng was momentarily stunned, not understanding the meaning of Hao Qi's three points. At that moment, a dignified and aged voice said, "Young friend, Xu Wen is at the Gray Bar, in the old district, on the street where the fire occurred."

Hao Qi looked at the elderly man who appeared behind Li Pancheng. He felt the tangible yet formless energy emanating from the elderly man, indicating that he was also an internal energy master. However, what puzzled him slightly was that the energy from the elderly man seemed much thinner in texture compared to his own.

Li Pancheng was startled and quickly said, "Uncle, why are you here?"

The elderly man did not answer but looked at Hao Qi and said, "Young friend, if you want to go, go. Your sister will be protected by our Li family."

Hao Qi nodded, then took a deep look at Xue Na, who had just run out of the dormitory, and with a step, he vanished completely from the scene.

The elderly man looked into the distance for a long time before sighing, "What a talent, what internal energy... What a fine young man, truly a born hero."

"Uncle, why are you here?" Li Pancheng asked again.

The elderly man glared at Li Pancheng and said, "Do you think why Xu Wen let you take people away? This is a cargo worth billions. Not only Xu Wen, but the entire Xu family is desperate. You are the eldest son of our Li family. Although the Xu family is unlikely to be so ruthless, what if something happens? I had to come out, or would you want your grandmother to come out? Besides, it's a good thing I came, or you would have lost this favor."

Li Pancheng nodded in confusion, and the elderly man sighed, "You seem quite broad-minded and methodical in your actions, but as your grandmother said, you lack quick thinking. You can maintain stability, but when faced with unexpected situations, you become lost... Do you know what Hao Qi meant by those three points?"

Without waiting for Li Pancheng to answer, the elderly man continued, "First, he is also an internal energy master. Unless several internal energy masters of the same level surround and attack him, and he fights to the death, it is impossible to kill him. This is the first point. The second is that if he fights to the death, he can definitely take one down with him. This is the difference between being willing to die and not. The noble families indeed have internal energy masters, but a large family relies on these masters for support. If one falls, what happens to the family? With such heavy responsibilities, who would dare to fight to the death with an orphan seeking revenge and with no ties? As a saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of the shoed, and this is the principle. As for the third point, it's even simpler. Xu Wen is not at the internal energy realm, and the Xu family has more than one direct descendant. Is face more important than substance? As a noble family, the Xu family will make the right choice, so why should you be troubled?"

"Second, the Xu family is a large family. If someone below the internal energy realm offends them, the Xu family can easily crush them. But if an internal energy master offends them, as long as this master is patient, they can kill one Xu family member today, another tomorrow, whether a direct descendant, a collateral descendant, a subordinate, or a business partner. The larger the family, the more vulnerabilities. Then, as I mentioned earlier, if they cannot kill this internal energy master, they are at a loss. It's clear who will suffer in the long run."

"As for the third point, it's even clearer. He almost directly told you. You are a descendant of the Li family, not the Xu family. He owes you a favor, so why should you help the Xu family hide? What's the point? Can't you tell the difference between a friend and an enemy?"

After explaining these three points, the elderly man no longer looked at Li Pancheng but turned his gaze to Xue Na, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

In fact, the Li family was a large family, and Li Pancheng was the eldest son. Most people in the family were not satisfied with Xue Na's existence, but due to Li Pancheng's insistence and Xue Na's martial arts talent, and because she had won the favor of the patriarch, the family reluctantly accepted her. However, many people still criticized Xue Na. In fact, the elderly man was also unsatisfied with Xue Na at first.

But now, all that dissatisfaction had turned into satisfaction, satisfaction, and more satisfaction. After all, she had a brother who was an internal energy master. Could there be a better match?

What pleased the elderly man even more was that although Hao Qi had just burst with internal energy, his internal energy was extremely condensed, even surpassing his own, who had burst with internal energy several years ago. It was as if he had been training for over ten years, a true genius with limitless potential.

At this point, Li Pancheng seemed to finally understand what Hao Qi had said earlier. He suddenly asked, "Uncle, wasn't he just a quasi-internal energy master before, and he only practiced a trashy boxing technique? Even if he reached the peak of that trashy technique, how could he burst with internal energy in an instant?"

The elderly man sighed and said after a long pause, "Who says you have to be a quasi-internal energy master to burst with internal energy? A quasi-internal energy master is a quasi-internal energy master, and internal energy is internal energy. They are two completely different things. One is the body trained to the extreme, and the other is the possession of internal energy."

"But that's not right," Li Pancheng still didn't understand and asked, "Isn't internal energy supposed to be a new energy circulation system that bursts within the body after the body is trained to the extreme?"

The elderly man looked at Li Pancheng and said, "Then I ask you, in the family's core secrets, what is the purpose of training the body to the extreme?"

"To carry the burst of internal energy and the new energy circulation system within the body, otherwise it would..." Li Pancheng trailed off.

The elderly man glared at him and said, "Do you understand now? Instead of saying that training the body to the extreme is a prerequisite for bursting with internal energy, it is more accurate to say that training the body to the extreme is a prerequisite for surviving the burst of internal energy. Internal energy is actually a type of energy that circulates within the body and combines with the omnipresent energy in the universe. This energy is referred to as 'qi' in ancient times and as 'energy' in modern science. It is said that there is omnipresent energy in the universe, almost everywhere, but it cannot be absorbed and used by humans because our circulation system is based on eating and producing energy from food."

"You should have felt this. As you became a quasi-internal energy master, your food consumption increased dramatically because you consumed more energy and needed more to replenish. The human body's natural circulation system can only handle so much. Even as a quasi-internal energy master, it is almost at its limit, let alone an internal energy master?"

"Training the body to the extreme and the so-called martial arts techniques and moves are actually a process of building a new internal circulation system. For example, our family's Snake Fist, the acupoints, the energy flow diagrams, the blood and energy flow diagrams, and the meridians are all part of the energy circulation system. They are just invisible and unperceivable without internal energy, but they do exist."

"However, some people are born with a natural energy circulation system. In ancient times, they were called 'innate bodies,' 'pure yang bodies,' 'Dao bodies,' and so on, describing such people. Generally, these people only need to practice a martial arts technique to the peak to feel the energy in the universe, then they can guide the energy into their bodies, combining it with their own blood, energy, and spirit to form internal energy. Their bodies naturally have a circulation system, so whether they train their bodies to the extreme is less important. The effect of training the body to the extreme is almost negligible compared to internal energy, and their control is incomparable. Moreover, such internal energy masters can achieve in a few months what you might take decades to achieve, using internal energy to train their bodies to the level of a quasi-internal energy master. This is the difference."

At this point, the elderly man sighed with a sense of loss, "I never thought I would see such a person in my lifetime. As long as they don't die, they have a chance to become an energy master... Out of ten thousand internal energy masters, only one might become an energy master. In the entire eastern Blue Sea region, which has ninety-three countries, there is only one and a half energy masters. Such a person, such a person... sigh."

Regardless, no matter who Hao Qi was before, whether an orphan, without background, without support, or a weakling, once he achieved internal energy, he became an internal energy master, his own background, and his own support!

At this moment, Hao Qi's ten years of effort were all for this...

Internal energy achieved!