Chapter 37

Originally, Gu Chengyuan thought his punch would definitely hit, but it missed, leaving him greatly surprised. He steadied himself, turned around, and saw Lin Fan, who had appeared behind him at some unknown point, with a much more serious expression.

Lin Fan's speed was too fast, far exceeding Gu Chengyuan's understanding of an external force martial artist. However, he didn't think much about it, assuming that Lin Fan was just focused on improving his speed.

As for whether Lin Fan was at a higher realm than himself, Gu Chengyuan didn't consider it, after all, Lin Fan was too young.

"Brother Lin, always dodging isn't what a true man does," Gu Chengyuan said with a smile, teasing him.

Lin Fan smiled slightly and said, "Since that's the case, Brother Gu, take this move from me."

"Come on!" Gu Chengyuan shouted, getting into a defensive stance, but Lin Fan's next move left him baffled.

Lin Fan bent down and picked up a fallen petal from the ground. He held it between his index and middle fingers, looked up at Gu Chengyuan, and then gathered his spiritual energy, focusing it on the petal. With a light flick of his wrist,

Instantly, the petal shot towards Gu Chengyuan like a meteor, seemingly light and slow, but actually as fast as lightning.

At that moment, Gu Chengyuan's face turned pale with shock, and his hair stood on end.

Gu Chengyuan could clearly see the petal getting closer and closer to him. He knew he should dodge, but his body couldn't react in time.

In Gu Chengyuan's eyes, the petal got closer and closer, and he could even hear his own heartbeat clearly.

Time seemed to freeze, appearing slow, but the entire process was over in an instant. Before Gu Chengyuan could blink, the petal was already in front of his eyes.

"Whoosh!"

The petal grazed past Gu Chengyuan's face, brushing against his ear, and continued to fly backward.

"Bang!"

A faint sound came from behind.

Gu Chengyuan, with a stunned expression, slowly turned around to look behind him. He saw that the petal had actually pierced into the tree trunk!

The petal was embedded about one centimeter into the tree trunk, and the part that was exposed outside had returned to its soft state, hanging down slowly.

"What!"

Gu Chengyuan's pupils contracted, and his face looked as if he had seen a ghost. He felt a slight pain in his earlobe and slowly raised his hand to touch it. When he pulled his fingers away, there was a faint trace of blood.

Zhang Haitian and Gu Meijuan were even more stunned. A petal, which could be crushed with just a little more force, could actually be used as a weapon to injure someone?

They looked at each other, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

"Whoa----" Looking at the blood on his fingers, Gu Chengyuan drew in a sharp breath and said in a hoarse voice, "F... F... Flying petals and plucked leaves can all be used to injure? You are...?"

"A Qi Master!!!"

Gu Chengyuan looked at Lin Fan as if he were a monster. He had thought Lin Fan was just a beginner in external force, and even spoke to him with the tone of a martial arts senior. He never expected that Lin Fan was actually a Qi Master!

A genuine Qi Master!!!

A living Qi Master!!!

A Qi Master right before his eyes!!!

This is a Qi Master, who, even in the ancient times when martial arts were flourishing, was considered a significant figure, let alone in the current era when martial arts are in decline.

After a while, Gu Chengyuan recovered from his shock. He stepped forward, bowed to Lin Fan, and said respectfully, "I did not recognize the true identity of the Master. I hope the Master will not take offense."

At this moment, Gu Chengyuan was speaking to Lin Fan as an ancient martial artist. In the ancient martial arts world, strength was revered, and the capable were respected, while age was not as important.

If Gu Chengyuan's good attitude towards Lin Fan before was due to Lin Fan solving his sister's infertility problem, now he felt not only gratitude but also deep respect, as he knew how terrifying a Qi Master could be!

External force and internal force could only be called martial artists, but Qi, on the other hand, was called a Master, and the difference between the two was incomparable.

Lin Fan was not a pretentious person. He quickly reached out to support Gu Chengyuan and asked with interest, "Brother Gu, is the level I just demonstrated that of a Qi Master?"

Gu Chengyuan gave Lin Fan a strange look, thinking that Lin Master had already reached such a realm but didn't know the specific classification. However, he was just a bit puzzled and didn't ask further. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Yes, internal force martial artists can only use true qi to further enhance their physical abilities, which is the most basic use of true qi. Once they can release true qi externally to use against enemies, they enter the realm of Qi. The move you just demonstrated, Brother Lin, is a typical characteristic of a Qi Master—flying petals and plucked leaves can all be used to injure!"

"Qi Masters can release true qi externally and attach it to objects, making any item a lethal weapon! In the hands of a Qi Master, a willow branch can be a sword that cuts through iron, a leaf or petal can be a deadly projectile, and even a silk thread used for embroidery can easily pierce through steel!"

"The last time I saw a Qi Master was five years ago. I never thought I would have the chance to witness the prowess of a Qi Master again, especially one so young. This trip has truly been worthwhile for me!"

True qi attached to objects?

Lin Fan noticed Gu Chengyuan's description. From his words, it seemed that true qi could only be released to objects that were touched by the hands, not truly released into the air, which matched the characteristics of the early stage of Qi cultivation. Lin Fan, who could now control objects in the air, was at the intermediate stage of Qi cultivation, which should correspond to a higher level in the ancient martial arts world.

Thinking about this, Lin Fan looked at Gu Chengyuan with a keen gaze and asked, "Is there a higher realm above the Qi Master?"

"Well... I'm ashamed to say, but I'm just an external force martial artist. The highest realm I can currently reach is that of a Qi Master. I'm not very clear about what lies beyond."

Gu Chengyuan's words left Lin Fan somewhat disappointed, but his next words made Lin Fan's eyes light up.

"However, I've heard that in the ancient martial arts world, there is the title of Grandmaster, which is equivalent to a Martial Arts Grandmaster. It is said that at the Grandmaster level, one has cultivated true qi to perfection, transcending the mortal body, and can control objects in the air, easily taking someone's head from a hundred meters away, which is incredibly terrifying! The mystical martial arts techniques mentioned in martial arts novels, such as the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms and the Six Pulse Sword, are a general description of the abilities of a Martial Arts Grandmaster."

With this, Lin Fan had a rough understanding of the initial cultivation levels on Earth!

External force martial artists are equivalent to the postnatal stage, and internal force martial artists are equivalent to the prenatal stage. These two realms are still at the secular level in the cultivation world.

Qi Masters and Martial Arts Grandmasters correspond to the early and intermediate stages of Qi cultivation, respectively. Lin Fan was currently at the intermediate stage of Qi cultivation, which in the ancient martial arts world would be a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

However, Lin Fan had absolute confidence that an ordinary Martial Arts Grandmaster would not last three moves against him. After all, he came from the cultivation world, not as a martial artist but as a genuine cultivator. His mastery and control of true qi far exceeded that of the so-called ancient martial artists on Earth.

The cultivation civilization of the cultivation world far surpasses that of Earth by more than a thousand years!

Lin Fan did not reveal his true cultivation level, not because he was deliberately hiding it, but because he knew that a 2