Chapter 54

That evening.

Still at the same playground, Bai Xiaofei had already been waiting here for a while. Unlike Ali, who was tied up with mundane affairs, such as washing up and tidying his clothes, Bai Xiaofei had nothing much to do. After dinner, he familiarized himself with the script, and with nothing else to do, he left his room and came to the playground.

At this time, it was still early, more than an hour before the agreed 9 PM.

Bai Xiaofei, seeing that he had nothing better to do, decided to sit and meditate, focusing on his mental energy. Although he didn't have a specific method to cultivate mental energy, the effect was minimal, but as the saying goes, even a mosquito's leg is meat. With persistence, there would be progress.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was 9 PM.

Ali arrived as scheduled. He was now dressed in casual clothes, looking less serious than during the day and more like a sunny young man.

Seeing that Bai Xiaofei had already arrived and was sitting quietly on the playground, meditating like a martial arts master from ancient times, Ali was slightly taken aback. He thought to himself, "Is Bai Xiaofei cultivating internal energy? But... it doesn't look like it, and if he really knew internal energy, he shouldn't just be at the level of Mingjing (manifest strength)."

Bai Xiaofei's senses were extremely sharp. He had already sensed Ali's approach, but he didn't immediately wake up. When Ali came close, he opened his eyes, stood up with a smile, and said, "Brother Li!"

Ali smiled and nodded, greeting Bai Xiaofei. Then, he looked at him curiously and asked, "Xiaofei, were you cultivating internal energy just now?"

"Ha ha, Brother Li, you misunderstood. I don't know any internal energy techniques. I was just sitting there to calm my mind. I found that sitting like the ancients to meditate and regulate my breathing helps me focus, so whenever I need to think, I sit like this!" Bai Xiaofei said with a smile.

"I see!" Ali said, suddenly understanding. "I was wondering, if you knew internal energy, your strength shouldn't just be at the Mingjing level!"

"Oh? Then, Brother Li, do you know internal energy?" Bai Xiaofei asked, his eyes shining.

"No!" Ali shook his head. "Ancient martial arts are vast and profound, especially internal energy techniques, which are extremely mysterious. However, over time, much of the content has been lost. Now, only a few fragments of the original texts remain. Because they are so important and involve personal safety, few people dare to practice them. Otherwise, there would be more martial arts masters in the country!"

"Is that so? Then how do people practice now?" Bai Xiaofei thought for a moment and asked curiously, "Do they just practice techniques, and when they reach the peak of external techniques, their internal energy naturally forms?"

"Smart!" Ali nodded approvingly and said, "You guessed right! Ancient martial arts have always emphasized the foundation. In ancient times, physical conditions were not the only factor. The cultivation of internal energy techniques was the fundamental and the main path. As long as one's internal energy is pure and deep, other martial arts techniques can be easily mastered!"

"Now, with the Earth entering the technological era, the elemental energy is scarce, and the natural environment is severely damaged. Internal energy techniques have been lost, making cultivation even more difficult. Therefore, people have had to change, using some external techniques as the foundation. Only those with a solid foundation and great determination have a chance to cultivate internal energy, but such people are very rare!"

"One reason is that most people today don't believe in internal energy, and there are few martial artists. Another reason is that the cultivation of external techniques is extremely difficult and shows little progress, so many people give up. Even those who persist, due to the lack of elemental energy, rarely cultivate internal energy, at most just internal strength. As for how to condense internal strength into internal energy, no one knows. So... the current martial arts masters, who are at the Huajing (transformed strength) level, are few and far between!"

"So few!" Bai Xiaofei said, looking incredulous. "Brother Li, what about the famous schools and sects, like Shaolin and Wudang? Don't they have complete internal energy techniques passed down?"

"Alas..." Ali sighed deeply and said helplessly, "They did, but due to the large-scale turmoil and chaos during the Republic of China, the War of Resistance, and the Liberation... many of the complete texts were either stolen or destroyed. Even if some survived, they are like pearls hidden in the dust, and no one can recognize them!"

"..."

Bai Xiaofei was silent, not knowing what to say about such matters.

After a brief silence, Ali patted Bai Xiaofei's shoulder and said with a smile, "Let's not talk about the past. Let's discuss our own situations. Xiaofei, what technique did you use during our sparring today? You were able to resist my Anjing (hidden strength) with just Mingjing. I imagine it must have a significant background!"

Bai Xiaofei humbly replied, "Brother Li, you flatter me. The technique I used is called Cunquan (inch punch). I combined the strengths of the inch punch and inch strength from various styles like Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do, and added scientific muscle activation techniques to create my own unique version. This was the first time I used it, and I didn't expect it to be so powerful!"

"You invented it yourself?" Ali was surprised, looking at Bai Xiaofei with disbelief. "Xiaofei, I know about the inch punch, but I've never heard of an inch punch with such power. I can only say that your talent is as freakish as your body. You've created an inch punch that can match Anjing! I think you should give it a name. 'Inch punch' is too general for it!"

"Brother Li, I'm not good at naming things. How about you help me come up with a name?"

"Sure, that's fine. Tell me the characteristics of this move, and I'll come up with a name that fits it!"

"Okay, the principle of this move comes from the inch punch of Wing Chun, the inch strength of Jeet Kune Do, and..."

Thus, Bai Xiaofei and Ali engaged in a lively discussion and exchange about their martial arts. This discussion lasted for over three hours, ending around 1 AM. Both of them gained a lot from the exchange.

Ali, being a master at the Anjing level, had just broken through and was not yet proficient in using internal strength. Without a master to guide him, he was feeling his way forward. After listening to Bai Xiaofei's creative ideas and thoughts, he felt a sudden clarity. Although his strength didn't improve, he had some new ideas and directions for using and developing his strength!

Bai Xiaofei's gains were even greater. After learning about the Mingjing, Anjing, and Huajing levels, he had a clear understanding of his own strength.

If an ordinary person is like a toy gun made of paper, a well-trained soldier is like a wooden gun. A martial artist at the Mingjing level is like a real gun, but without bullets, they can only use the gun itself to fight, like hitting someone with the gun.

A martial artist at the Anjing level is like a gun with bullets, and they can also use the gun-throwing technique, making them effective in both close and long-range combat. The bullets are unpredictable and highly lethal. A martial artist at the Huajing level is like a battle-hardened warrior with a gun loaded with bullets. They not only know the gun-throwing technique but can also use special abilities, making them extremely lethal and almost invincible against ordinary opponents.

Bai Xiaofei's current physical strength is like a real gun without bullets, which is the Mingjing level, and he is at the peak of this level. His physical attributes are already close to the human limit. To advance further, he would need to develop internal strength, which is the Anjing level.

However, this step, though seemingly close, is not easy to achieve. Without a cultivation method and a master to guide him, it would be even more difficult. Fortunately, Ali is not a stingy person. Bai Xiaofei shared all his cultivation insights with Ali, and in return, Ali taught him the Luohan Quan (Buddhist Fist) and his experience in cultivating Anjing.

With both the cultivation method and insights, Bai Xiaofei is confident that once his body reaches its limit, he can successfully break through to the Anjing level.

Thinking about the future, Bai Xiaofei couldn't help but think of the time-traveling device. If he could travel to a martial arts world or draw a martial arts secret manual, breaking through would be even easier! It has been over ten days, why is there still no movement? Just a level-up, why does it take so long? And, will it fail?

Bai Xiaofei was lost in thought when suddenly, a familiar cold electronic voice echoed in his mind:

"Ding!"

"Time-traveling device upgrade successful! System restarting..."

Bai Xiaofei was instantly shaken, feeling both surprised and delighted. "Damn! Finally, there's some movement. Hurry up and restart, I can't wait anymore!"

...

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