Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing was shocked inside. Listening to Tie Yongwen, it seemed quite a number of people had died in that incident. Just within the Southern Xingyi Quan Sect alone, one hundred and seventy-two people had perished, and with other sects included, that number could reach over a thousand. What on earth happened back then? With so many deaths, did the police not investigate the matter?

Ye Qingqi wondered, ”How could such a major incident happen?”

”It’s all in the past now, no need to bring it up. Moreover, the object that caused the great battle was also destroyed, so the tragedy of that year cannot reoccur. You younger generation should not know too much about those old affairs; where does the cycle of vengeance end?” Tie Yongwen waved his hand and said, ”Let’s not talk about that anymore, Ye Qing. Let’s discuss your situation. Your meridians are all formed, and trying to force them open to achieve Internal Energy Release is extremely dangerous. At best, you’ll injure your meridians; at worst, you could lose your life. So, you must not attempt to use inner strength to break through your meridians again. It’s very risky.”

”Yes!” Ye Qing nodded in reply, feeling not much regret in his heart. After all, he started martial arts training late in life, and couldn’t blame anyone else.

”However, it’s not entirely impossible. I’ve told you before, this requires the right opportunity,” Tie Yongwen said. ”This so-called opportunity could arise under certain special circumstances. For instance, having some Neijia experts assist you by protecting your meridians while you break through the blockage could make it possible. Or using an external force like the guidance of Golden Needles to open your governor and conception vessels is also possible. So, don’t lose hope; perhaps in the future, you might encounter such an opportunity and meet a master skilled in using Golden Needles who could help open your meridians.”

Ye Qing nodded and said, ”Uncle Tie, rest assured, even if I can’t achieve Internal Energy Release, I am still me. I don’t aspire to achieve too much; as long as I can take good care of those kids, that’s enough for me.”

”It is indeed rare to have such a heart free from contention,” Tie Yongwen said. ”However, living in this society, even if you don’t want to compete with others, others might not let you be. While you can’t achieve Internal Energy Release, there are many techniques in Southern Fist well-suited for you to practice. When I have time, I’ll explain some of them to you for your reference.”

”Thank you, Uncle Tie!” Ye Qing hastily expressed his gratitude.

Tie Yongwen smiled faintly and said, ”By the way, I heard that your Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena is about to open soon. Do you have an invitation for me?”

Ye Qing had been worrying about how to invite Tie Yongwen to the opening ceremony of the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena. Unexpectedly, Tie Yongwen brought it up first, which greatly delighted Ye Qing. He hastily took out an invitation and handed it over.

”I had it prepared early but hesitated to give it to you for fear of disturbing your time,” Ye Qing said with a smile.

”Hahaha...” Tie Yongwen laughed heartily and said, ”You are the Third Brother’s successor; no matter what you do in Shenchuan City, as long as it’s not immoral, I will support you fully. Young man, carry on the good work and don’t disappoint me!”

While speaking, Tie Yongwen patted Ye Qing’s shoulder, continuing, ”By the way, my young disciple will be returning to Shenchuan City in a few days. I’ve already told him, when he’s back, to join you and learn something. The kid is all right, but he doesn’t have your steadiness; he’s far behind you. Make sure to guide him properly!”

Ye Qing busily replied, ”You flatter me, Uncle Tie. How could I possibly teach my junior brother? We’ll just learn from each other.”

”What junior brother? He’s younger than you,” Tie Yongwen said. ”But the boy is talented and could very likely become the next great figure of the Southern Xingyi Quan Sect!” Tie Yongwen showed a proud smile when talking about this disciple, obviously very satisfied with him.

Tie Yongwen didn’t linger in the Xingyi Martial Arts School. He taught Ye Qing the technique of leveraging force with the Half-Step Collapse Fist and then left. Now that Gao Shusen was in charge of the martial arts school, even though people like Wu Xinghuai harbored hostility towards Ye Qing, they didn’t dare do anything because of Gao Shusen’s presence.

Following Gao Shusen, Ye Qing practiced the Half-Step Collapse Fist several times, gradually mastering its true technique. The focus of Southern Xingyi Fist is on leveraging, and the borrowing force of Half-Step Collapse Fist was the perfect proof of it.

When stepping forward, the body twists in conjunction. The force exerted by the bottom of the foot, transmitted up through the thigh to the shoulder, and then the fist strikes. The collective force of the leg, waist, and shoulder, when released, is explosive like a bomb. Though the distance the fist travels is not far, within that range, the power is immensely frightening.

Gao Shusen demonstrated the Half-Step Collapse Fist a few times. As he struck, he would let out a roaring shout. Although not as heroic as Tie Yongwen’s strikes, the sound was like thunder, the punches like a startling dragon—enough to make many wary.

Ye Qing tried it several times and, sure enough, he could transfer the strength from his legs. However, having trained for such a short time, it wasn’t easy to achieve any significant skill.

Ye Qing practiced here for two hours, and on his last attempt, he even managed to push Gao Shusen back a step. Gao Shusen couldn’t help but be greatly shocked. Among his many disciples, all had practiced the Half-Step Collapse Fist, and even the fastest learner had taken a month to gain a slight understanding. Yet Ye Qing had achieved such a feat in merely two hours, which was truly astonishing.

”Brother Ye is indeed a martial arts prodigy. It’s just a pity that he has passed the age for Neijia Kung Fu. Otherwise, Brother Ye’s achievements today would have been far greater, I’m afraid not even inferior to the East State Poisonous Mantis!” Gao Shusen praised sincerely.

”Big Brother Gao is too kind,” Ye Qing replied modestly, then asked, ”By the way, what exactly is the difference between Neijia Kung Fu and External Kung Fu?”

Gao Shusen replied, ”Actually, those who practice External Kung Fu nowadays also practice some breathing and meditation techniques. So, the biggest difference between Neijia and External Kung Fu is not the presence of inner strength, but whether one can release inner strength externally. Like me, and like you, Brother Ye, we have inner strength, but we cannot release it outside our bodies. We could train for a lifetime and still just be lingering at the stage of External Kung Fu. However, masters of Neijia Kung Fu, like our Master, or the East State Poisonous Mantis and Xikou Fire Butterfly, can achieve the release of inner strength. That’s what truly counts as a high-level practitioner of Neijia Kung Fu.”

Ye Qing had a sudden realization. He had always thought that practitioners of Neijia Kung Fu only meditated and cultivated their inner strength through breathing, while External Kung Fu mainly focused on physical strikes. Now, listening to Gao Shusen, he finally understood the difference. High-level masters of Neijia Kung Fu were all once External Kung Fu martial artists, and those who could release their inner strength externally surely had formidable skills in striking as well!

Thinking back to his last encounter with the Fire Butterfly, who struck him with a palm, leaving a dark red palm impression on his body, Ye Qing realized it was a manifestation of releasing inner strength externally. That single strike cost Ye Qing quite a bit. The power of releasing inner strength externally was truly fearsome!

Ye Qing asked, ”I heard from Uncle Tie that he has a younger disciple who is returning soon?”

”Oh, you’re talking about Tian Yi,” Gao Shusen said with a smile, ”Du Tianyi is Master’s closed-door disciple and is even a few years younger than you this year. However, his strength is the strongest among us brothers. Despite his young age, he has achieved internal energy release. Among us brothers, he has reached the highest achievement and is the most favored by Master!”

Ye Qing nodded and wondered, ”I see that the Southern Xingyi Quan Sect also has quite a few descendants. Is he the only one who has achieved internal energy release?”

”Yes!” Gao Shusen sighed, ”Achieving internal energy release is really not easy. Tian Yi’s natural talent is excellent, and with Master’s careful guidance, he has achieved such success. The others simply don’t have this kind of talent!”

Ye Qing was inwardly shocked. Tie Yongwen had said that among one thousand people, perhaps only one could achieve internal energy release. And now, hearing this, Ye Qing felt the odds were probably even lower. Truly, achieving the release of inner strength was not easy indeed!

As the sky gradually darkened, Ye Qing did not linger in the Xingyi Martial Arts School but said goodbye to Gao Shusen and left with Fang Tian. He didn’t go back, but instead headed straight to the hospital to leave Fang Tian in the hands of Wang Tiezhu.

Meanwhile, having spent the afternoon at the Xingyi Martial Arts School, Ye Qing entered the teahouse to find an uninvited guest.

The visitor appeared to be in his thirties, wearing a black robe with a hem that nearly dragged on the ground, giving him a very strange appearance. He held a two-meter-long box that was very narrow and peculiar, perfectly matching his odd attire.

The man entered the teahouse as the Lady Boss sat lazily by a table. She was momentarily stunned upon seeing the man, clearly taken aback by his appearance.

Nevertheless, after all this time as a Lady Boss, she had seen all sorts of strange people. Standing up, she greeted him with a light chuckle, ”Sir, are you here to enjoy some tea or looking for someone?”

The man gave the Lady Boss a glance, his face as cold as ice on the coldest day of winter, sending a chill down the Lady Boss’s spine. She took a half step back, raising her voice slightly, ”Sir, you look unfamiliar, is this your first visit to Shenchuan City?”

The Lady Boss intentionally raised her voice, meant for the other occupants of the room to hear.

Inside, White Impermanence and a young girl were sitting down, enjoying their tea. Hearing the Lady Boss’s unusual tone, they immediately stood up and silently peered out from two directions.

They were both taken aback by this strange man, having never seen him before. The man did not respond with a word, merely looking coldly at the Lady Boss, his expression icy. From his eyes, there seemed to be no trace of any human emotions, which was quite strange.