Chapter 12

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Hao Qi made a great effort to straighten his body, but with each inch he straightened from his hunched state, the pain intensified. The pain was so severe that it made him break out in a cold sweat all over, but he still resolutely straightened himself. Then, he performed a simple set of Luohan Fist, which took no more than ten minutes. However, by the end, Hao Qi was trembling all over, his body drenched in cold sweat, and even a puddle of sweat had formed under his feet. Just this one set of Luohan Fist had left him without the strength to move.

Despite this, Hao Qi's mood was quite good because it meant his body had recovered somewhat. Compared to yesterday, when he could barely hold a fighting stance, today he had clearly made significant progress.

Hao Qi had suffered severe injuries, extremely severe injuries. If not for his internal energy, these injuries would have been fatal, or at the very least, left him paralyzed and unable to practice martial arts again.

Five days ago, in the capital region, Hao Qi faced two internal energy experts. Before this battle, he had been awake for over thirty hours, eating only a meat pie and a little water. Then, he fought the two internal energy experts after just unleashing his internal energy.

The outcome of the battle was nothing short of miraculous: one of the internal energy experts died, the other was forced to retreat, and Hao Qi managed to escape from the capital region. This battle alone was enough to make his name resonate throughout the Blue Shadow Republic. Even as a newly minted internal energy expert, he would be considered one of the strongest in that category.

But only Hao Qi knew the truth. He had been incredibly lucky to win that battle. In terms of actual combat strength, either of the two internal energy experts on the scene could have easily outmatched him. There was no doubt about it. Just looking at the middle-aged man he faced, no matter how many Luohan Fist strikes Hao Qi threw, the man could catch them with his Eagle Claw. This alone revealed the gap in their strength.

It's hard to understand this gap just by describing it. The difference is actually quite significant. For example, if someone punches you, the options for defense are either to dodge or to take the hit on a less critical, thicker part of your body. If you can see the path of the punch clearly and block it with your palm, and the punch cannot break through your palm to hurt you, then you are definitely stronger than the other person, and likely not just a little bit. This means your reaction speed, body speed, and strength are all superior. In martial arts battles, being just a little stronger can make a huge difference, let alone being able to block punches with your hands.

Because of this, the first reaction of the Xu family's internal energy expert was to call out the other hidden internal energy expert. He actually intended to kill Hao Qi. When a major family gets into a conflict with an internal energy expert, especially one that could end in a life-or-death feud, the severity of the situation is self-evident. If the internal energy expert has reservations, it might be manageable, but if he is someone like Hao Qi, an orphan with no ties, the family faces an immediate life-or-death crisis. The larger the family, the more vulnerabilities they have. One misstep, and the family could decline. So, the options are either to kill the internal energy expert, solving all problems, or to make peace at any cost.

The middle-aged man realized that Hao Qi had just unleashed his internal energy and that the gap between them was enormous. He might not be able to kill Hao Qi alone, but with another person attacking from the front and back, the chances of killing Hao Qi were very high. So, his goal at the time was to kill Hao Qi.

Thinking about this, Hao Qi broke out in a cold sweat. It was as if he had danced on the edge of death. Surviving and even winning was not just a matter of luck; he even suspected that it might have been Lin Xiong's spirit protecting him from beyond.

But regardless, he had survived. After this battle, not only had the awkwardness of his newly acquired internal energy disappeared, but he had also gained experience in the strength of internal energy experts. As long as he recovered and trained a bit more in the use of internal energy, even without using the Boddhisattva Palm, he would not be weaker than either of the internal energy experts he faced.

The key to internal energy experts lies in their internal energy. This energy is an unknown force or energy from the universe, which, when absorbed through the top of the head and the soles of the feet, combines with the body's own essence, qi, and spirit to produce a new form of energy. This energy circulates within the body, continuously dissipating and regenerating. This dissipation is not harmful; Hao Qi could sense that as the internal energy dissipated within his body, his blood, muscles, bones, capillaries, nerves, and meridians were all nourished. This nourishment is not immediate but subtle, like the gentle rain that nourishes the earth, and the effects can only be seen over years. Based on Hao Qi's estimation, internal energy experts, regardless of other factors, definitely have a much longer lifespan, easily reaching over a hundred years.

Before the internal energy stage, there is a quasi-internal energy stage, which is a level given to humans who have trained their bodies to the limit. However, quasi-internal energy experts are still ordinary people, with strength comparable to the top-tier characters in the martial arts novels Hao Qi read before his穿越. They focus on refining their bodies to the finest detail, reaching the pinnacle of physical refinement. They can control and train the smallest parts of their bodies using techniques like internal martial arts, sound, vibration, and movement, such as moving blood, vibrating internal organs, and healing hidden injuries. These are the quasi-internal energy experts, whose vitality is incredibly strong, reaching the limits of human physicality. Their strength, speed, and reaction time far exceed ordinary people's imagination, and calling them "a match for a hundred men" is not an exaggeration. These "hundred men" are not ordinary people but soldiers or martial artists.

However, the gap between quasi-internal energy experts and internal energy experts is immeasurable. Just in terms of self-strengthening and self-healing, they are incomparable.

Quasi-internal energy experts rely on their senses and experience to strengthen and heal themselves. Because they have trained their bodies to the limit, they are extremely sensitive to changes in their body's strength and weaknesses, able to sense internal injuries and areas of strength and weakness. They can then use blood and vibration to treat and strengthen these areas, and their control over their bodies is at the limit. If an ordinary person can deliver a punch with a hundred pounds of force, a quasi-internal energy expert can deliver a thousand pounds of force with the same effort, all advantages of quasi-internal energy experts.

However, to internal energy experts, these are child's play. The key difference is internal energy!

Hao Qi can now see the state of his body when he mobilizes his internal energy. This is not a metaphor; he can truly see it in his mind, not just feel it, but see it as if using echolocation. Internal energy is like a new organ that evolves, intangible but real. As long as the internal energy circulates throughout the body, any injuries, long-term training injuries, blood stasis, and nutritional deficiencies are all clearly visible, without the need to feel them.

Unlike the detailed self-healing and training of quasi-internal energy experts, internal energy experts do not need external means like external martial arts, internal martial arts, or vibration. They can move blood, nutrients, and remove impurities using internal energy, which is far more effective than those methods.

When Hao Qi escaped from the capital region, both of his arms were fractured, with cracks all over the bones, burst capillaries, blood stasis, torn muscles, and even nerve damage. Besides his arms, his spine, legs, and waist were also severely injured, and several internal organs showed signs of internal bleeding.

Such severe injuries would have killed an ordinary person, and even a quasi-internal energy expert would have struggled to survive, let alone unleash internal energy. It would take years of recuperation to possibly recover martial arts abilities and physical strength.

But for an internal energy expert, such injuries can be recovered in about ten days. With sufficient food, herbs, and modern medical treatment, it might take only four to five days, with no lingering effects. The difference is enormous.

After escaping from the old street five days ago, Hao Qi did not return to the university or go to the Li family's base. Instead, he hid and left the capital region, sneaking onto a train. He didn't know where the train was going, but he got off in a small town, stole some money from a wealthy family, and found a decent hotel to stay in. Over these five days, his body had healed enough to engage in combat with anyone below the internal energy stage, a testament to the terrifying recovery speed of internal energy.

During these five days, Hao Qi did not just focus on healing his injuries. Although he could not practice martial arts, he continuously simulated and recalled the battle in his mind. He also experimented and familiarized himself with the various properties of internal energy.

First, internal energy can be controlled, but this control has limits. For example, Hao Qi can only condense his internal energy to a certain level. Beyond that, he feels a sense of strain, similar to how an ordinary person can carry a hundred pounds but not a hundred and fifty. Internal energy can be condensed, diffused, and extended outside the body, but there are limits to how condensed, diffused, or extended it can be. This is the limit, or at least Hao Qi's current limit.

Hao Qi clearly remembers that when he used the Boddhisattva Palm to form the Buddha Seal and knocked the Xu family's internal energy expert away, he shouted the term "internal energy stage." This suggests that the internal energy stage is not the ultimate level of internal energy. There might be an "internal qi stage" above it. While he cannot be entirely sure, Hao Qi suspects that the internal qi stage is related to the amount of internal energy, the level of condensation, and the control of internal energy.

These are some of the inherent properties of internal energy. Additionally, Hao Qi discovered that internal energy can grow. When he attached the Yi Jin Jing to his character template, he received a lot of infused knowledge, including various postures, movements, and methods for moving and training internal energy, as well as techniques for gathering blood and energy at acupoints and the principles of circulating energy through the body. These are all part of the Yi Jin Jing cultivation method. Over these days, he has tried practicing these methods, and they have been very beneficial for his injuries. He has also clearly felt that his internal energy has become more condensed and increased, even if only slightly. The sensitivity of internal energy is so acute that even the slightest change can be clearly felt.

Hao Qi had already noticed this when he faced the Li family's internal energy expert. When their internal energy spread outside their bodies, he felt that his internal energy was more condensed than the other's. He had the same feeling when fighting the Xu family's internal energy expert. It seems that even at the internal energy stage, not all internal energy experts have the same level of internal energy, with differences in condensation and amount. The Yi Jin Jing, being one of the top three internal martial arts in the system, is indeed extraordinary, even with just a small amount of internal energy.

In addition, Hao Qi has experimented with various applications of internal energy. For example, when he absorbs internal energy into his body and distributes it evenly, his strength, speed, mental reaction, and physical resistance all increase proportionally. When he condenses the internal energy and focuses it in his brain, his mental reaction becomes extremely enhanced, potentially increasing his thinking speed by ten to fifteen times. In this state, he can see individual frames when watching TV, and when he throws a glass to the ground, he can see the glass deform and shatter in slow motion. This level of mental reaction speed is astonishing.

However, in this state, his physical condition cannot keep up with his mental reaction speed, as if his consciousness is trapped in his body, turning it into a prison he cannot control. He can only watch everything in a frozen state. Conversely, when he focuses all the internal energy into his muscles, his speed and strength increase dramatically, at least two to three times more than when it is evenly distributed, but his mental reaction is completely out of sync. He would walk straight into a wall or hit something before realizing what happened.

He also confirmed a hypothesis he had when he first unleashed his internal energy five days ago: focusing internal energy on a specific part of the body can double its effects. For example, focusing a large amount of internal energy in the muscles of one arm greatly increases its strength, defense, and recovery, far more than when it is evenly distributed. This led him to understand the combat style of the Xu family's internal energy experts, or rather, the true combat style of internal energy experts.

In combat, they flexibly concentrate their internal energy. Before making contact with the opponent, they absorb and distribute more internal energy in their brain and nerves to observe the enemy's movements and attack direction more clearly. When making contact, they absorb and distribute more internal energy in the areas of attack and defense. This explains why the Xu family's middle-aged internal energy expert could always catch Hao Qi's punches with his Eagle Claw and block them. This expert had trained the use of internal energy to an instinctive level. Before Hao Qi's punch reached his body, he would enhance his mental reaction to observe and determine the path of the punch, then focus the internal energy in his claws for defense. Even when moving, he would enhance the muscles and nerves in his legs, and in prolonged battles, he would enhance his blood and heart. These are all internal energy combat techniques that require careful training, not just having more internal energy or a higher level of condensation.

Thinking about this, Hao Qi ended his Yi Jin Jing practice and the healing of his injuries for the day, breaking out in a cold sweat. He took a deep breath and set a cultivation plan for himself. His goal is to travel the world, and without deep martial arts skills, he would not be able to explore it. Strength is essential, and this is undoubtedly his top priority.

First, he needs to focus on training his internal energy. The key points are the condensation, amount, and fine control of internal energy. He needs to be able to instinctively switch the distribution of internal energy in the shortest time possible. Evenly distributing internal energy is the most balanced state for combat, but it is not the best. The best is to absorb and distribute internal energy in the areas most needed, such as attack, defense, and reaction, each with its own focus. These are the areas he needs to train seriously.

Second, he needs to plan his martial arts cultivation in the system. After reaching the peak of Luohan Fist, he now has 60 points in fist skills, but he cannot yet practice intermediate fist skills with 70 points. He needs to learn another fist skill. The Yi Jin Jing is already being practiced, and although it is only at level one, he has been using the internal energy training methods of the Yi Jin Jing and has noticed that it is gaining experience, and the rate of experience gain is much higher than just practicing, about ten times higher. Even if he cannot practice the Yi Jin Jing as intensely as the Luohan Fist due to his body's meridians, he estimates he can reach level ten in three to five years, which is already quite good.

So, his next goal is to choose another internal martial art with special effects, such as the Luohan Subduing Demon Power. This is one of the internal martial arts he has been eyeing, with the in-game effect of restoring health each turn. Although the internal energy enhancement effect is far less than the Yi Jin Jing, this special effect is simply amazing. If it has the same effect in real life, Hao Qi would not fear any group battles. Of course, there will be many differences in real life, but the Luohan Subduing Demon Power is one of the internal martial arts he most wants to learn.

Besides the Luohan Subduing Demon Power, there are two other internal martial arts he wants: the Hunyuan Power, which restores stamina each turn in the game, and is extremely important in the real world. Stamina, while greatly increased with internal energy, is still a concern for internal energy experts, especially in battles with other internal energy experts, where the consumption of stamina is terrifying. If he has this internal martial art, it would be a powerful weapon for Hao Qi.

The last internal martial art is one of Hao Qi's absolute goals: the Shen Zhao Jing!

This internal martial art has only one special effect in the game: resurrection once. Yes, resurrection once. When you are out of health and dead, you can come back to life. In the game, it is a game, but in real life, if the Shen Zhao Jing has the same effect, it would be one of the strongest internal martial arts, if not the strongest. Resurrection is a matter of life and death, and if it is possible, it would be a game-changer. Hao Qi does not know what other changes it might have in real life, but even with a one in ten thousand chance of resurrection, it is his absolute goal among the twenty martial arts slots, no question, he must learn the Shen Zhao Jing.

However, the cultivation requirements for the Shen Zhao Jing in real life are quite high. First, he needs at least two internal martial arts at level ten. Second, he needs at least three external martial arts at the peak level. The third requirement, and the most challenging for Hao Qi, is that he cannot cultivate any other martial arts until he reaches level ten in the Shen Zhao Jing.

Hao Qi pulled his thoughts back from the system and slowly walked to the window, looking at the street outside and the bright sunlight in the sky. He sighed, putting aside the tempting options in the system and focusing on the practical steps. For his second internal martial art, he will choose the Luohan Subduing Demon Power. This internal martial art requires only two external martial arts, each at least level five, which fits his plan to cultivate another fist skill. When the second fist skill reaches level five, he can attach the Luohan Subduing Demon Power to his character, achieving two goals at once without delay.

As for the second external martial art, he will not choose a low-level fist skill like the Luohan Fist. Although they are all low-level fist skills, there are differences in the system. After some consideration, Hao Qi chose a yin-attribute fist skill: the Tian Luo Di Wang Palm. The skill coefficient is twenty, but the power is 300, fifty points higher than the Luohan Fist. This is not the key; the real key is that this fist skill enhances lightness skills in the game. Currently, he is most in need of good combat footwork, body movement, and lightness skills, so the second external martial art will be...

Tian Luo Di Wang Palm! Decided!