Chapter 7

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"Damn!"

Xue Na let out a cry of surprise and quickly retreated. Her body did not move in a straight line but with a special rhythm and pattern, making it impossible for Hao Qi's next punch to hit her.

"The power of the punch is continuous, and after it is thrown, it remains unbroken. What a good talent, what diligence, what talent! Brother Hao has already mastered this set of boxing techniques. One more step and he will reach the pinnacle of this boxing style. Impressive!"

On the sidelines, Li Pancheng cheered loudly when he saw his fiancée being pushed back by a punch. Xue Na's face immediately darkened. However, this was a martial arts competition. Although Xue Na was unhappy, she maintained her martial integrity and did not start an argument. She did not intend to admit defeat either. Instead, she turned her feet and glided toward Hao Qi as if her feet were touching the ground but not actually touching it, moving at an incredible speed.

"Brother Hao, be careful. This is the Spirit Snake Step. It's fast and unpredictable!" Li Pancheng shouted, reminding Hao Qi. After all, Hao Qi was using a low-level boxing technique.

Xue Na, as the future daughter-in-law of the Li family in the capital, though currently just a fiancée, had already qualified to practice the Li family's martial arts. The Spirit Snake Step was one of them. If ranked by market standards, it could be considered a top-tier light skill.

Hao Qi, however, stood firm, watching Xue Na approach him with her agile movements. He paid no attention to her attacks, allowing her to strike any part of his body, while his fist remained motionless, aimed at Xue Na's head.

Xue Na had to retreat several times due to this. Her attacks could only injure Hao Qi, as neither of them had internal energy. They relied solely on physical strength and the power of their external martial arts techniques, which was akin to the false internal energy of internal martial arts. This power, though strong, was not sustainable. Each move had only the power of that move. Unless the external martial arts were practiced to perfection, this power could not be continuous and unending. Thus, her attacks could only injure Hao Qi, but Hao Qi had already mastered the boxing technique. A single punch to her head would be fatal, even in a friendly match where they would hold back. If she were hit, she would lose. This was a martial competition, and she could not stubbornly refuse to admit defeat.

After several attempts, Xue Na was seething with anger. About a year ago, when she and Li Pancheng returned to the capital, she had easily subdued Hao Qi in a few moves. Who would have thought that in just over a year, Hao Qi had perfected his low-level boxing technique, making it impossible for her to defeat him? How could this be?

The main purpose of her return was to persuade Hao Qi to change his martial arts practice. She had even obtained a top-tier second-class boxing technique from the Li family. If Hao Qi agreed to join the military and serve under Li Pancheng, he could practice this technique. As her brother, and knowing his character from a young age, there was no concern about his loyalty. This would make him a direct descendant of the Li family, with boundless potential!

However, the prerequisite was that she had to defeat him. Otherwise, if he believed that a low-level boxing technique could lead to success when practiced to perfection, Hao Qi, with his character, would never change his martial arts practice.

Thinking of this, Xue Na gritted her teeth and continued using the Spirit Snake Step. Her arms twisted and moved as if they had no bones, and even her neck contorted into a strange shape. In an instant, she charged at Hao Qi's punch, then, just before it hit her head, she twisted her neck to the side, narrowly avoiding it. At the same time, her arms, like whips, struck Hao Qi's body.

"Boom!"

A loud noise echoed, but it was not from Xue Na's arms hitting Hao Qi. Instead, a figure suddenly appeared between them, one hand supporting Hao Qi's arm and the other pushing Xue Na back, causing her to retreat several steps and nearly fall to the ground.

"Ridiculous! Can you use the Spirit Snake Fist now? Do you want to damage your body's foundation?"

The person who appeared between them was Li Pancheng. Only then did Hao Qi realize that Li Pancheng had covered a distance of over twenty meters in an instant, directly entering the battlefield. The ground where he had been standing was even indented, and he had stopped the fight. This speed, strength, and control were beyond the ordinary, almost like... internal energy!

Li Pancheng immediately looked at Hao Qi, then bowed and smiled. "Brother Hao, my wife acted rashly and used the Spirit Snake Fist. Please bear with us for a moment."

With that, he walked over to Xue Na and began patting her body. As he did so, his palms turned red, and sweat began to steam from his body. After a few minutes, he slowly stopped, and Xue Na spat out a mouthful of blood.

As soon as she finished, Xue Na immediately said to Hao Qi, "I won, didn't I?"

Hao Qi was somewhat helpless and could only nod. "Yes, yes, Big Sister, you won. Just now... is Brother Li already an internal energy master?"

Xue Na shook her head but said proudly, "No, he hasn't reached the internal energy realm yet. He only broke through to the quasi-internal energy realm this year. It's nothing. If you change your practice, with your diligence and talent, it won't be long before you can also become a quasi-internal energy master."

He's not even an internal energy master yet!?

Hao Qi was quite astonished. In the nine years he had been in this world, he had read some martial arts books, especially in school, where martial arts were part of the curriculum. He naturally knew what the quasi-internal energy realm was. It referred to a person who had pushed their body to its limits, with every inch and every part of their body under their control. Their blood, strength, and senses had reached the peak of human capability. They could also condense their strength in the dantian, forming a force similar to a round, condensed energy mass. They could use their blood and qi to train parts of their body that were difficult to train or to heal long-term injuries from martial arts practice and combat. Generally, a quasi-internal energy master could be called a match for a hundred men in this world.

In Hao Qi's understanding, this was akin to the golden core, gang qi, or the invincible state of martial arts masters in the martial arts novels he had read on Earth. They were almost the top-tier masters in martial arts. In this world, they were described as quasi-internal energy masters... so what kind of power would an internal energy master possess?

At this moment, Li Pancheng took a few deep breaths, opened his eyes, and a light seemed to shine from them, making Hao Qi hesitant to look directly. However, the light disappeared quickly, and Li Pancheng smiled. "Brother Hao, I believe you can guess the purpose of our visit. I won't embarrass myself here. How about I tell you about martial arts, the quasi-internal energy realm, and the internal energy realm? It can be considered an apology for my wife's rudeness."

Hao Qi was delighted and immediately said, "I will gladly accept."

Li Pancheng then looked at the sky and smiled. "I see it's getting late. I assume Brother Hao hasn't had dinner yet? My wife and I have already made dinner reservations. How about we go together?"

Hao Qi hesitated for a moment but then nodded. However, he couldn't help but think of the meat soup and ribs in the cafeteria. It was a pity...

Thus, the three of them got into a car and drove to a bustling street. They followed Li Pancheng into a quiet alley, which led to an ancient and elegant restaurant. Li Pancheng, who seemed to be a regular, led them directly into a room with a sandalwood scent. No one greeted them or said a word. After a few minutes, a large amount of exquisite food was brought to the table by the waiters.

"The medicinal dishes here are among the best in the capital. Brother Hao practices external hard boxing, which is very demanding on the body. You should eat more," Li Pancheng said, then picked up his chopsticks and began eating. He chewed a few times and swallowed without saying a word, and the only thing visible on the table was the shadow of his chopsticks.

Hao Qi did not hesitate and began eating as well. He was already very hungry and didn't care about manners. He ate whatever was on the table, and his mouth didn't stop. He ate with great enthusiasm.

All three of them were martial artists, and even Xue Na ate a lot. They ate through five courses, including many precious medicinal dishes and rare delicacies. According to Hao Qi's estimate, this meal would cost at least 100,000 to 200,000. Since someone else was paying, he ate to his heart's content, consuming about twice as much as Xue Na but only half as much as Li Pancheng, which surprised him. Li Pancheng's appetite was enormous.

After the meal, the waiter brought fragrant tea and silently left the room. Li Pancheng drank a few large sips of tea and then said, "Brother Hao, I apologize. Since I achieved the quasi-internal energy realm, my body's consumption has increased dramatically, and so has my appetite. Ordinary meat and grains are not enough to replenish my nutrients. This is also what I want to tell you."

Hao Qi immediately bowed and said, "I am all ears!"

Li Pancheng smiled and waved his hand. "Don't be so formal. Consider this a family dinner. My wife is your sister, so you are like my brother-in-law. There's no need to be so formal."

"Martial arts, there is so much to say that I could talk for days and nights. Let me start by explaining the levels of martial artists."

Li Pancheng paused and continued, "First, let's talk about ordinary people. If an ordinary person doesn't practice martial arts, they will just flail their limbs when fighting, with no proper movement or evasion. Basically, the stronger and bigger person wins. Even if you are faster, if you are smaller, you will likely lose. The level of ordinary people is determined by their physical attributes."

"Then there are martial artists. After practicing martial arts, whether external hard techniques or internal body techniques, they develop what we call techniques. Techniques are a big topic. Many people think that martial arts techniques are just a series of movements, like a dance routine. This is a misconception. If that were true, you could just pose and call it martial arts, and someone could run away or attack you from a distance. What would you do?"

"Techniques serve two purposes. One is to train specific parts of the body. For example, I see that Brother Hao's techniques focus on the forearms, waist, and legs. These parts are much stronger than those of ordinary people."

"The second purpose of techniques is for combat and maneuvering. It's not about performing the techniques but using them. For example, to counter my wife, your fist remained near her head. How did you find her head? Using the Spirit Snake Step, she is extremely fast, leaving afterimages within three meters. An ordinary person couldn't even locate her, let alone hit her. I saw that you used the techniques from your boxing style, like this move."

At this point, Li Pancheng stood up, placed his feet on the ground, and twisted his left foot, turning his body quickly and naturally to face another direction.

"That's it. This is the technique and step you use in your practice. When you raise your fist, your forearm naturally presses down slightly, and with a quick movement, you can defend your chest. This is also a technique from your boxing style. These techniques are combined in practice routines. In a martial arts style, the practice and application of techniques are two different things. One is a combination of all the techniques, and the other is breaking them down into smaller details. Being able to use them flexibly is what makes a qualified martial artist. Otherwise, it's just dead practice, and it's not worth worrying about."

Li Pancheng sat down again and smiled. "This is the difference between martial artists and ordinary people. We use techniques to train our bodies. In modern terms, we use the most scientific postures and methods to train our bodies, which is hundreds or thousands of times more efficient than ordinary people. In combat, due to thousands of repetitions, martial arts techniques are deeply ingrained in our flesh and soul. We can instinctively perform the most biomechanically sound attacks, defenses, and evasions without thinking. At the martial artist level, it's no longer about who is stronger or bigger but who is more proficient in techniques, who has more refined techniques, and who has better-trained bodies. This is the path of martial arts, a way for the weak to overcome the strong."

Hao Qi listened carefully. In the nine years he had practiced the Luohan Fist, he had done it thousands of times, to the point where the Luohan Fist had become a part of his body. The various techniques could be used instinctively, and the distinction between practice and application no longer existed. But after listening to Li Pancheng, he had a sudden realization. Indeed, in combat, he did not fully perform any technique but used specific parts of techniques, such as punches, arms, legs, or body movements, depending on the situation. This was similar to what Feng Qingyang had taught Linghu Chong in "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer."

"I will take your advice to heart," Hao Qi stood up and bowed.

The usually polite Li Pancheng sat back and accepted the bow, then smiled. "Sit down, sit down. Let's continue."

Xue Na also urged, "Yes, get to the point!"

Li Pancheng ignored her and continued, "Brother Hao, the purpose of my wife and me is to persuade you to change your martial arts practice. This is what I will talk about next. We discussed techniques, which represent the degree and extent of body training during practice and the power they can unleash in combat. Why are there first-class, second-class, third-class, and even low-level martial arts? The reason is here. Brother Hao's martial arts can only train three parts of the body, and the techniques available in combat are limited. Even if you have perfected it, can you honestly say you could last three moves against my wife using the Spirit Snake Fist?"

Hao Qi remained silent, recalling how Xue Na's body twisted and moved unpredictably, making it almost impossible to sense her movements and attacks. Her speed was astonishing, and her attacks were likely terrifying. He finally shook his head. "I couldn't block it. Not just three moves, probably just one move, and I would lose."

Li Pancheng nodded, feeling even more favorably towards Hao Qi. He was a true martial artist, calm and composed, and had a strong sense of righteousness. Over the years, he had heard many stories from Xue Na about her time in the orphanage, and Hao Qi was a person of deep emotion and loyalty. Now, he had another virtue: the ability to let go.

Li Pancheng then said, "Exactly. The Spirit Snake Fist is a top-tier martial art of the Li family, a preparatory technique for the advanced Spirit Snake Palm. It is a high-level first-class martial art. To use it in combat, you must train your spine and eighty percent of your bones to be transparent. Otherwise, it can only be used for practice. To be honest, my wife's use of the Spirit Snake Fist just now only unleashed two or three percent of its power. If I were to use it, I could at least hold my own against an internal energy master for one move. This martial art trains eighty-one parts of the body, including areas like the perineum, which are difficult to train. In the history of the Li family, at least three people have burst into the internal energy realm by practicing only the Spirit Snake Fist, without even learning the Spirit Snake Palm. This is the power of a high-level first-class martial art."

"As for the classification of martial arts, besides the advantages and disadvantages mentioned, there is another key role: body training. What we are doing now is just a small-scale affair. The true power that determines the fate of the world is always in the hands of internal energy masters. A good martial art that trains more parts of the body increases the chances of bursting into the internal energy realm. Even if you don't achieve the internal energy realm, it's a matter of diligence, martial arts, talent, and fate. Even so, a good martial art can help you reach the quasi-internal energy realm, the peak of human capability. So..."

"Brother Hao, I will say this: if you change your martial arts practice and join my wife and me in the military, and if you can spend five years focusing on the martial arts we give you, I will teach you the Spirit Snake Fist after five years. What do you think?"

Xue Na gasped but said nothing. Hao Qi was moved. He had lived in this world for nine years and knew the general knowledge. He understood the value of the Spirit Snake Fist. Although the government of this world promotes martial arts among the general public, high-level martial arts are still in the hands of noble families, sects, and the elite. Ordinary people can usually only buy third-class martial arts, and second-class martial arts are expensive. High-level second-class martial arts are even rarer and could bring danger to ordinary people.

As for first-class martial arts, they are not available on the market. If they are, they can only be found in black markets or auctions, usually monopolized by noble families, sects, and the elite. High-level first-class martial arts are even rarer, almost on par with the most important martial arts of sects and families. Their value is immeasurable. From Xue Na's reaction, it seemed they initially intended to give him a different martial art, but Li Pancheng might have decided to give him the Spirit Snake Fist out of respect for Xue Na or because Hao Qi had perfected the Luohan Fist. Regardless, this favor was enormous, almost like a second chance at life.

Unfortunately, Hao Qi already had his own path and plans. Although he was tempted by the Spirit Snake Fist, it was equivalent to a mid-level martial art with a 70 coefficient in his system, or even the weakest in the 100 coefficient category. The Sumi Mountain Divine Palm and the Six Yang Palms of the Xiangya Sect were the strongest in the 100 coefficient category.

"This is a great favor," Hao Qi sighed. With the situation as it was, he didn't know how to refuse. Finally, he said, "Big Sister, Brother Li, I know I might seem ungrateful, but please give me three more months. In three months, it will be my nineteenth birthday. If... after my nineteenth birthday, I will agree to your request."

Xue Na glared at Hao Qi. "If what? Planning to perfect this boxing style? Tell me, are you that stubborn? Do you know how much responsibility my husband is taking by promising you the Spirit Snake Fist? He'll probably have to kneel when we get home!"

Li Pancheng smiled and patted Xue Na's hand. "It's fine. Three months won't delay anything. Perfecting a martial art to its peak greatly enhances your understanding of it. I haven't perfected any martial art to its peak yet. Once you reach that level, this low-level boxing style might transform into something extraordinary, at least as powerful as a second-class martial art. You might even create a new second-class martial art. So... is three months your promise, Brother Hao?"

Hao Qi thought about his ordinary life on Earth, his despair and hopelessness after coming to this world, and the dreams that gave him the courage to live... the world is so vast, and he wanted to see it...

He thought of many things but also of reality, of life, of the money Lin Xiong had raised for him, of seeing Lin Xiong with a bruised face, and of the promise he made to Lin Xiong to take him to enjoy the good life after becoming an internal energy master...

And the uncertainty of the system, whether practicing the Yi Jin Jing could directly make him an internal energy master, just as he instantly mastered the Luohan Fist when he equipped it...

All these thoughts led Hao Qi to a decision. If, on his birthday, he perfected the Luohan Fist but still couldn't practice the Yi Jin Jing or didn't gain internal energy, he would abandon the system and strive in this world using the