High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Li Zhenshan’s Speculation

Xu Wuyi’s eyes narrowed as he faced Li Mo’s desperate, all-or-nothing strike.

With his Body Technique and Spear Technique, he could have easily avoided the blow and waited for Li Mo to tire himself out, securing an easy victory.

But he didn’t.

He also wanted to test the fruits of his arduous month of training and see just how far he had come!

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. At that instant, the invisible Melting Furnace inside him roared to life!

His Qi and Blood stopped circulating gently. Instead, like an ignited inferno, they instantly began to surge, following the unique path of the fifth form of the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, ”Furnace Flame.” They rushed madly toward his right arm and poured into his spear!

Simultaneously, he pushed the essence of the Wind-Settling Spear Technique—the Triple Power eruption—to its absolute limit.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, his spear striking like a dragon!

A glint of cold light shot straight for Li Mo’s throat. Though launched second, it seemed destined to arrive first!

In the instant before the tip of the spear and the edge of the saber clashed, Xu Wuyi roared in his mind, ’Burst!’

WHUMMM—!

An invisible Furnace Flame seemed to erupt from the spear!

The layers of the Triple Power stacked, then were instantly detonated by the incredibly condensed Qi and Blood of the Furnace Flame!

BOOM!

The tip of the spear collided head-on with the saber’s edge, which was wreathed in a bloody light!

The expected stalemate did not occur.

Li Mo felt a terrifying power, far beyond his imagination, erupt from the spear’s tip like a volcano!

His much-vaunted Innate Divine Power was as flimsy as paper in the face of this force!

His Ghost Head Saber was violently knocked aside. The relentless spear, not pausing for even a moment, instantly shattered the virtual protection over his throat!

[You have died!]

The cold system prompt sounded.

Li Mo’s burly figure froze, an expression of incredulous horror etched on his face. He then dissolved into a flash of white light and vanished from the arena.

Xu Wuyi slowly drew back his spear and stood still, calming the surging Qi and Blood within him.

That last strike had nearly drained a third of his strength, but the effect was astonishing enough.

’The fifth form of the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, Furnace Flame, combined with the Triple Power eruption of the Wind-Settling Spear... The power is even greater than I imagined.’

’This is the strongest burst attack I can currently unleash, unless I were to add my True Intention of Martial Arts...’

He muttered to himself, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

’The Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace really lives up to its name as a B-Level Martial Arts. And this is only the Beginner Stage. If I could cultivate it to a higher Realm...’

[Rank Battle Victory. +8 Points. Current Rank: Second Rank, 59 Points.]

After a glance at his point gain, Xu Wuyi didn’t log out of the Battle Network. Instead, he queued up for another match.

He was going to strike while the iron was hot and push for Third Rank in one go!

...

「Reality. Silver Harbor City, Li Family private training ground.」

BANG!

Li Mo shoved open the lid of his Virtual Cabin. His face was white as a sheet, cold sweat beaded on his temples, and a phantom pain lingered in his chest, as if he’d just been run through by a spear.

He stumbled out of the access room, barreled through a series of doors, and burst into the private meditation room of his uncle, Li Zhenshan.

”Uncle!” Li Mo’s voice was tinged with tears, a mix of shock and fury. ”I... I lost again! I lost to Xu Wuyi!”

Li Zhenshan, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. He frowned at his nephew’s devastated state. ”That Xu Wuyi from Honghe First Middle School? Did the gap between your Life Energy Levels shrink again?”

’In his view, Li Mo had been spurred by his previous shame to train hard, and his Martial Arts had improved considerably. To lose to Xu Wuyi again, it most likely meant the gap in their Life Energy Levels was no longer wide enough to give him an advantage.’

”He’s Level 13!” Li Mo almost roared, his face full of disbelief.

”In just over a month, he shot up to Level 13!”

”And his strength is no less than mine! He’s faster than me, too! My saber... my saber could barely even touch him! He met me head-on and ran me through with a single spear thrust!”

He gestured erratically, as if that silver spear were still hovering right in front of him.

Li Zhenshan listened without comment. He simply brought Li Mo back into the Battle Network and pulled up the recording of the match.

After watching the recording several times, Li Zhenshan finally let out a soft sigh. ”That’s definitely the standard of a Level 13. Furthermore, his Qi and Blood is highly refined—far more so than yours. That’s the only way he could match you directly in strength.”

”...Uncle, do you think that kid took some kind of enhancement drug? Going from 11.6 to 13.0 in just over a month... that’s impossible!”

Listening to his nephew’s complaint, Li Zhenshan shook his head helplessly.

”Enhancement drugs? If a drug like that existed and he could afford it, you would have already taken a full cycle’s worth.”

”Then how did he...”

”If I’m not mistaken, this Xu Wuyi must have cultivated... a High-Tier Body Refining Method.”

”A High-Tier Body Refining Method?” Li Mo was stunned.

”At least B-Level, possibly even higher.”

Li Zhenshan’s tone was firm. ”Only High-Tier Body Refining Methods that focus on unlocking the body’s latent potential and fortifying one’s foundation can grant a Cultivator such an all-encompassing physical enhancement.”

”Strength, speed, defense, recovery... It’s a fundamental breakthrough in one’s life essence, far beyond what ordinary Body Refining Techniques can achieve.”

He looked at Li Mo and explained, ”Your Innate Divine Power is a natural talent, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be surpassed. High-Tier Body Refining Methods have the ability to reshape a person’s foundation. Even if he hasn’t reached that stage yet, it’s more than enough to close the gap between you two.”

Li Mo opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found he had no rebuttal.

He recalled Xu Wuyi’s incredibly refined Qi and Blood; it truly didn’t have the hollow feeling of someone who had simply power-leveled their Energy Level.

”But... aren’t High-Tier Body Refining Methods notoriously difficult to practice?” Li Mo asked, puzzled.

”Uncle, I remember you saying that while their Entry Level is simpler than other Martial Arts, they’re time-consuming and exhausting to practice. Progress is snail-paced, and many people spend years stuck at the Beginner Stage.”

”That’s right.” Li Zhenshan nodded, a wistful look on his face. ”High-Tier Body Refining Methods are easy to learn but difficult to master. Among all High-Tier Martial Arts, they are widely considered the hardest in which to make any significant progress.”

He stood and walked to the window, his gaze fixed on the distance. ”Body Refining Techniques are a Refinement of one’s very foundation—your Qi and Blood, your muscles, bones, and fascia!”

”The mechanisms for circulating Qi and Blood in B-Level Martial Arts are often incredibly complex. This is doubly true for High-Tier Body Refining Methods, as they involve circulating Qi and Blood through the entire body and demand absolute physical control.”

”Furthermore, a beginner can’t just pick up any B-Level Martial Arts. The difficulty is far too great. They must first master the prerequisite Martial Arts.”

At this, he looked back at Li Mo. ”Take your Broken Mountain Saber Technique, for example. Once you’re proficient enough, you can try to grasp the True Intention of Martial Arts and learn the B-Level Saber Technique, the Soul-Breaking Saber.”

”I see,” Li Mo said in a moment of realization. ”In that case, Uncle, did Xu Wuyi learn some special Body Refining Technique in the past? Is there any way we can find out?”

But Li Zhenshan shook his head. ”Body Refining Techniques are a special case. Since most of them are designed to temper the entire body, they have a lot in common.”

”For Xu Wuyi to have learned a High-Tier Body Refining Method, the most likely explanation is...” His tone turned peculiar. ”He has completely mastered the Basic Body Refining Technique.”