Chapter 44

Zhang Heng made a series of deductions, which Hao Qi found to be highly plausible because they were logically sound. It was like the story of Columbus's egg—no one could think of it until it was pointed out, but once it was, the solution turned out to be much simpler than imagined.

Growing new blue grass would take too long, so Zhang Heng's plan was to transplant it. In fact, although blue grass was a medicinal herb, it was a very common plant, almost like the foxtail grass by the roadside. It could be found under tree shadows or behind rocks, and it was not a rare herb. Its survival rate was also high, so the transplantation plan was feasible.

The roots of blue grass were very long; a ten-year-old blue grass could have roots up to thirty meters long. The roots of the blue grass they picked were at least five to six meters long. It was impossible to ensure the integrity of the roots, but fortunately, blue grass was a very resilient plant. As long as a small part of the main root remained, it could survive after transplantation. With some soil nutrients, the roots would start growing rapidly in a few days, and within ten days, the blue grass would be basically established.

That night, Zhang Heng and Hao Qi carefully selected and set aside 150 blue grass plants. The next morning, they headed straight to a cave in the mountains. After searching for several hours, they chose a crystal-lit cave about the size of a soccer field. This cave had several corners with the terrain Zhang Heng described as suitable for planting—protruding pillars with soil and rocks above and below, and soil and rocks on three sides except for one opening. The light from the crystals could also slightly illuminate the area. Zhang Heng chose one of these spots, and they began the transplantation process. For each blue grass plant, they dripped some of the plant nutrient solution that Zhang Heng had prepared the day before. Essentially, the blue grass could survive.

After completing this task, the two men left the crystal cave without further inspection. To be honest, both were preoccupied with their thoughts and remained silent on the way back. Over the next few days, they had no interest in checking whether the blue grass had survived. However, they agreed to return to the cave in ten days to see if the blue grass had taken root. By then, they would know whether their efforts had been successful or not.

During these ten days, Zhang Heng and Hao Qi were initially quite anxious. After all, they had worked hard for several months, and this was Zhang Heng's ultimate goal after twenty years. It was understandable for them to be tense.

However, both were martial artists. Martial arts could cultivate the body, mind, and spirit, and one of the basic qualities of a martial artist was to remain calm and composed. Hao Qi adjusted his mindset that night, while Zhang Heng took three days to do so.

In the following days, they practiced martial arts, cultivated their bodies, treated their hidden injuries, and exchanged martial arts insights, without thinking about the blue grass in the cave.

Through this exchange, Zhang Heng realized the extraordinary nature of the bow-fighting technique passed down in his family. It wasn't exactly magical, but according to Hao Qi, the Zhang family's bow-fighting technique was likely a top-tier martial art, possibly even a superlative one.

This martial art was a progressive training regimen. The combat techniques of the bow-fighting style were also progressive. Initially, the bow stance could only train six parts of the body, which was the content of a third-tier martial art, slightly better than the Shaolin Fist Hao Qi had practiced. According to Zhang Heng, one had to master the bow stance before moving on to the next stance.

The mature stage of the bow stance, if translated into Hao Qi's system, was roughly equivalent to levels five or six, far from the ultimate level but beyond the basic stage.

Next was the bowstring stance, which could train twenty-one parts of the body, reaching the upper echelons of second-tier martial arts, approaching the first-tier level. As the training progressed, this martial art could eventually train every part of the body, including the soles of the feet and the top of the head, achieving the special effects of a superlative martial art.

Hao Qi found it hard to imagine that a hunter's descendant from a small village could possess such a progressive superlative martial art. Just listening to Zhang Heng's explanation, Hao Qi could sense its vastness. Each step of the progression was based on the previous step's training, aligning with human biology. In essence, this superlative martial art far surpassed the Ling Snake Palm of the Li family in the Blue Shadow Republic. With patience, resources, and some aptitude, it had a high potential to break through to the internal energy realm.

However, the internal energy realm was still difficult to achieve, and the Zhang family's bow-fighting technique had significant limitations, primarily in terms of time and aptitude.

According to Zhang Heng's calculations, it would take an ordinary person about seventy years to reach the second-to-last level of the bow-fighting technique, which could train every part of the body. Even with good aptitude, sufficient resources, and a passion for martial arts, it would take at least forty years. Zhang Heng himself had only reached the second level, the bowstring stance, after twenty years, partly because he had spent a lot of time studying biology and ecology. This highlighted the difficulty of mastering the Zhang family's bow-fighting technique.

Zhang Heng had encountered a bottleneck in his bow-fighting technique practice, but fortunately, he had Hao Qi, an internal energy realm expert, by his side. For the problems Zhang Heng faced, Hao Qi had no difficulty at all.

After achieving the internal energy realm, Hao Qi finally understood why many martial arts novels in his previous life emphasized the importance of internal energy. Once internal energy reached a high level, all martial arts became smooth, with almost no bottlenecks.

After achieving internal energy, his internal energy training was highly effective. Not only that, but when he practiced the Heavenly Net Palm, he initially tried to rely on diligence, similar to his Shaolin Fist practice. However, he soon realized he was being foolish. During his practice, every muscle's vibration and stretch, even the smallest and most peripheral muscles, were clearly visible to him through his internal energy. Similarly, his capillaries, nerve tissues, bones, and meridians were magnified and presented in his mind. Each punch's results, the training effects, and whether it was performed correctly or innovatively, were all verified. Additionally, internal energy could directly imprint knowledge in the mind, almost as effective as the legendary method of transmitting knowledge through the top of the head. Therefore, after a few hundred punches, Hao Qi could transform his movements into the most scientific and practical combat stance. This was one of the greatest benefits of achieving the internal energy realm and the true meaning of "all martial arts become smooth."

Because of this, Hao Qi's progress with the Heavenly Net Palm far exceeded his expectations. From the Blue Sea Republic to the six months spent in the small village with Zhang Heng, Hao Qi's Heavenly Net Palm had advanced to the fourth level. In the Shaolin Fist era, it would have taken him at least three years to achieve this, making his progress much faster.

Similarly, when Zhang Heng practiced, Hao Qi didn't hesitate to place his hand on Zhang Heng's shoulder, allowing his internal energy to flow through Zhang Heng's body. He immediately identified the errors in Zhang Heng's stance, the subtle adjustments needed, and the muscle and bone movements. Although it wasn't as precise as adjusting with his own internal energy, it was still several times more effective than Zhang Heng's own practice.

Thus, the two men settled into a routine of training for ten days. On the morning of the tenth day, they both woke up early but didn't rush to the cave. Instead, they enjoyed a hearty breakfast, drank tea, and practiced some more. It wasn't until around ten in the morning that they set off for the mountain path.

What Zhang Heng didn't notice was that Hao Qi, while tidying up the camp, left a piece of paper behind. On this paper, he wrote down the location they were about to visit...