Chapter 36

Lin Fan, hearing this, asked again, "How are external strength, internal strength, and qi strength specifically categorized?"

Zhang Haitian also looked at Gu Chengyuan with great interest. He was not a martial artist, so he only had a superficial understanding of the knowledge related to the ancient martial arts world and was not clear about the specifics. Now, he had the opportunity to learn about this unfamiliar field, and he was quite interested.

Gu Chengyuan moved his fists as if they were wind and said, "Martial artists emphasize external training of the muscles, bones, and skin, and internal training of a single breath. This sentence describes the first two realms of ancient martial artists."

"External strength martial artists are those who have unleashed their body's potential, strengthening their physique! At this realm, they are vastly different from ordinary people, as if they have been reborn. They may be as fast as lightning, as strong as a bull, or as tough as steel. In short, when facing an external strength martial artist, ordinary people can hardly harm them at all."

"But external strength martial artists rely solely on the energy of their physical bodies and can only practice external martial arts. As the saying goes, 'Practicing boxing without practicing skills is a waste of time.' Just practicing external martial arts will never lead to great achievements. When they encounter internal strength martial artists, their proud physical attributes are useless, and they will be defeated in an instant."

"Of course, there are always exceptions. For example, the Western Chu Overlord from two thousand years ago was an exception. According to historical records, the Western Chu Overlord was only at the external strength level, but his physique was extremely special, and he seemed to have practiced a specific body-strengthening technique, making his physical body incredibly powerful! Relying solely on his physical strength, he could even suppress internal strength martial artists!"

"Now, let's talk about internal strength martial artists. If an external strength martial artist generates a thread of qi within their body, they have entered the internal strength realm, which is also known as a qigong master. This qi is called true qi or internal force. Internal strength martial artists can initially communicate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, using it to strengthen and refine the true qi within their body, making it circulate and continuously enhance their physical functions, greatly improving their strength, speed, and reaction time."

"I lack the talent for cultivation, so I have only touched the threshold of internal strength. I don't know when I will advance, which is a disgrace to the Baguazhang."

Although he said this, Gu Chengyuan's tone did not show any dejection; instead, there was a hint of pride.

In the last century, the country was almost always in a state of war. At the critical moment of national survival, the ancient martial arts world could not stand idly by. Many ancient martial arts families and sects emerged, and countless ancient martial artists rushed to the battlefield to fight the enemy.

Although ancient martial artists were individually powerful, they were not gods. No matter how high their realm, they could not guarantee their safety on a battlefield filled with artillery fire.

Countless ancient martial artists fell in the battle to protect their country, leading to a historical low in the number of ancient martial artists in the new century. Gu Chengyuan was not a martial arts fanatic; he first served in the military and then took a government position. Being able to cultivate to the peak of external strength in his spare time was absolutely something to be proud of.

From Lin Fan's perspective, Gu Chengyuan's explanation of the external and internal strength realms seemed no different from the acquired and innate realms of the cultivation world. In the cultivation world, besides cultivators, there was also a much larger secular world, and within the secular world, there were cultivation levels, namely the acquired and innate realms, which seemed to correspond to the external and internal strength realms of the ancient martial arts world on Earth.

So, does qi strength correspond to the qi refinement stage in the cultivation world? If so, there might really be cultivators on Earth! Or perhaps there is a cultivation system similar to the cultivation world on Earth!

Thinking about this, Lin Fan's mind stirred, and he looked at Gu Chengyuan and asked, "Brother Gu, how is qi strength defined?"

Zhang Haitian, recalling Lin Fan's bare-handed handling of the small pot in the morning, had a thought and said with a smile, "Brother Lin, you must be an ancient martial artist, right? What realm are you currently at?"

"Oh?" Gu Chengyuan looked at Lin Fan in surprise and said, "Brother Lin is also an ancient martial artist?"

"Uh... I guess so..." Lin Fan scratched his nose and said.

Gu Chengyuan was only surprised that Lin Fan was an ancient martial artist, but he quickly recovered. He thought that Lin Fan, being young, was probably just a beginner at the external strength level and did not think much of it. He asked curiously, "Since you are an ancient martial artist, how can you be completely unaware of the ancient martial arts realms? Didn't your master teach you these basic concepts?"

Lin Fan did not know how to answer this question. Should he say that he came from the cultivation world and was not an ancient martial artist but a cultivator? Not only would this be hard to believe, but he did not intend to let anyone else know about his secret of being a穿越者 (穿越者 means '穿越者' in Chinese, which translates to '穿越者' in English, but in this context, it means 'a person who has traveled through time or space').

"Never mind, that's not important. It's rare to meet an ancient martial artist. How about we spar a bit?"

Before Lin Fan could speak, Gu Chengyuan looked at him with fiery eyes, eager to start.

Zhang Haitian looked at Gu Chengyuan with a mix of amusement and exasperation and said, "Brother, your old habit is showing again."

Gu Chengyuan was good in every way except for his love of fighting. Even at nearly forty, he was as competitive as a twenty-year-old, always eager to spar with any ancient martial artist he met. However, in modern society, ancient martial artists were indeed rare, and he had not encountered one in a long time. Now, finally meeting Lin Fan, he was itching to spar.

"Brother Gu, this... isn't a good idea, right?" Lin Fan was also at a loss.

"Don't be afraid! You can trust me; I won't hurt you. We'll just stop at the first touch." Gu Chengyuan, thinking that Lin Fan was afraid of being injured, said generously.

"Alright... I guess so..." It seemed that he couldn't avoid this, so Lin Fan nodded.

Seeing Lin Fan nod, Gu Chengyuan's face lit up. He stood up, took off his suit, and threw it on the sofa, then pulled Lin Fan toward the door. Zhang Haitian smiled and shook his head, also standing up to follow them.

"Brother Zhang, what are you two up to?" Gu Meijuan noticed the commotion and asked.

"What else? Your brother is going to spar with Brother Lin." Zhang Haitian was also exasperated by his competitive brother-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Qiqi immediately ran out the door, shouting in a childish voice, "Daddy, go for it! You're the best!"

"Ha ha, Brother Lin, don't worry. I'll give you some face in front of your daughter." Gu Chengyuan looked back at Qiqi, who was running after them, and said generously.

Lin Fan thought this person was quite interesting and did not say much, just nodding in acknowledgment.

Soon, Gu Chengyuan and Lin Fan were in the courtyard, facing each other, standing five meters apart.

Gu Chengyuan had his left hand behind his back and his right hand extended, adopting a high-level stance, and said, "Brother Lin, you go first."

Lin Fan shook his head and said, "Brother Gu, you go ahead."

Gu Chengyuan was not a pretentious person. His expression changed, and after saying "Be careful," he let out a low shout, assumed the starting stance of Baguazhang, and charged at Lin Fan. In an instant, the five-meter distance was covered, and Gu Chengyuan's right fist aimed for Lin Fan's cheek.

This time, Gu Chengyuan used only seven-tenths of his strength, unsure of Lin Fan's abilities and worried about accidentally hurting him.

"Brother Lin, be careful!"

Seeing this, Zhang Haitian couldn't help but warn.

Qiqi, as Lin Fan's number one fan, had no doubt about his abilities. She was only slightly nervous but not worried, because in her heart, her daddy was the best and invincible.

Facing Gu Chengyuan's attack, Lin Fan did not move, seemingly giving up resistance. Gu Chengyuan, regardless of this, reduced his strength by another two-tenths just before his fist hit Lin Fan's face, ensuring that even if he hit, it wouldn't seriously injure Lin Fan.

"Whoosh!"

Gu Chengyuan felt a blur in front of him, and Lin Fan's figure suddenly vanished from its original position. His seemingly certain punch missed!