The Secret of the Palm Print (continued)

This move seemed casual and lacked any grandeur, but its power was astonishing. If it were to strike a rock, it could tear the rock apart. Nie Wanzhi naturally dared not take it head-on. Her body suddenly froze, as if it had lost its weight. With the residual force of the strike, she floated back lightly, just managing to dodge the opponent's attack.

In an instant, she grasped the characteristics of Hao Shuai's martial arts. Although it was incredibly powerful and contained insidious hidden energy, it could only be used through contact and could not be released externally. Therefore, she only needed to keep her distance, and didn't even need to be too far away.

She lifted her thigh, twisted her ankle, and instantly exerted force, tensing her instep. Her right foot kicked out a powerful gust of wind strong enough to leave a mark on the rock face. As her right foot retracted, her left foot followed closely behind. Her legs moved in a continuous barrage, one move after another, like a never-ending whirlwind, overwhelming Hao Shuai with no chance to fight back.

Fortunately, Nie Wanzhi's Whirlwind Leg was only at the beginner level. While her technique was passable, its power was only average. This is the order in which most people learn martial arts: first learn the routines, focus on the techniques, and then try to improve the power once they have mastered them. Hao Shuai, on the other hand, practiced the Spirit Rhino Iron Skin Art. Occasionally, a few gusts of wind would pass through his body, but when they hit him, he would only feel a slight pain and not even break his skin—which was why he was chosen as a sparring partner.

Beside the training ground, Si Ming took out the Martial Arts Illustrated Compendium and pointed Hao Shuai, and it reacted in no time.

[The Buried Love Thousand Threads Hand has strong destructive power, moderate attack speed, and low True Qi consumption. The Internal Cultivation threshold is level three, and the upper limit is level eight. It refines internal energy into threads, which are then condensed between the five fingers to produce a tearing effect on the objects they touch.]

[Note: The Shama Aristocratic Family's unique martial arts are divided into three parts: the Wash Character Formula, the Cut Character Formula, and the Blow Character Formula. The Blow Character Formula has been lost. Legend has it that it was created by a peerless master who retired from the martial arts world and disguised himself as a barber. His real name is unknown, but he was known as Master Wang. This martial art emphasizes the application of force more than Internal Cultivation energy cultivation. Long-term practice can make the fingers more dexterous, allowing one to become a barber master without scissors or a razor.]

"There are actually people who learn this martial art."

Si Ming's lips twitched. He really didn't want to comment, nor did he know how to comment. Judging from the fact that the upper limit was only eight levels, the peerless master who created the martial art probably didn't put much thought into it. He just created it to make haircuts easier.

Of course, this martial art is not weak. Unlike the Swift Thunder Palm, it does not focus on the consumption of True Qi, but rather on the application of strength and the technique itself. Therefore, it is not true that a martial artist with Internal Cultivation reaching level eight can necessarily unleash its full power. At most, he has the basic conditions to unleash its full potential.

This applies to most skill-based martial arts. Even the best guides can't provide detailed evaluations. While Internal Cultivation can be categorized by levels, the level of skill cannot be accurately measured, and there's no unit of measurement for it.

In the training ground, figures crisscrossed. Perhaps feeling that the Whirlwind Leg, which she had just learned, was not enough to defeat Hao Shuai, Nie Wanzhi switched back to the Swift Thunder Swift Thunder Palm. However, she did not stop using the Whirlwind Leg, but changed it from an attack to footwork, launching an offensive in conjunction with the Swift Thunder Palm.

Hao Shuai couldn't take it anymore. The Swift Thunder Palm was already very fast, and with the Whirlwind Leg's agility and changes, the attack range expanded several times over, making it impossible to defend against. At first glance, it looked like there were lightning-streaked fist shadows all around. He was hit by ten punches in three seconds. Even with the Spirit Rhino Iron Skin Art protecting him and blocking external injuries, he couldn't stop the power of lightning.

Each punch he takes causes his body to go numb, slowing down his striking speed. This makes him more vulnerable, leading to more punches and more lightning strikes, which in turn makes his body even more numb, creating a vicious cycle...

This is the characteristic of the Swift Thunder Palm: once it hits, it breaks through the defense, and the gaps will only widen, engulfing the opponent with a storm of attacks.

"Ouch! Ouch! I give up! Stop it! Stop hitting me!" Hao Shuai begged for mercy.

Nie Wanzhi stopped her attack, let out a long breath, and looked slightly tired. The Swift Thunder Palm was good in every way, but it consumed too much energy. If she couldn't take down her opponent in one wave of attacks, she would be the one to suffer next.

"I understand a bit. The Swift Thunder Palm at explosive power, but it can't last long. The Whirlwind Leg is the opposite; although it can last a long time, its destructive power is too weak. Therefore, the two must be used in combination. First, use the Whirlwind Leg to entangle the opponent and lure them into revealing an opening. Then, use the Swift Thunder Palm to defeat the enemy in one blow and lay the foundation for victory."

With his rich combat experience, Si Ming advised, "Leg techniques are more suitable for support; using them in combat is a mistake. If I'm not mistaken, the technique that should prolong the fight is the 'Five Thunders Offline Internal Cultivation Method.' Practicing this Internal Cultivation can reduce the consumption of Swift Thunder Palm, allowing for prolonged battles. The significance of Whirlwind Leg lies in the fact that when Swift Thunder Palm cannot break through the enemy's defense in one go, one can choose to retreat first, using footwork to buy time to recover True Qi."

Nie Wanzhi said, "What you said makes some sense, but no matter what tactic you use, you have to master the Whirlwind Leg first."

"Put the leg techniques aside for now, how's the Internal Cultivation conversion going?"

"You should have kept quiet, because it makes me so angry! The Internal Cultivation you gave me is way too difficult to learn! It's been a week, and I still can't even get past the basics. I finally managed to cultivate my first stream of True Qi, but it clashed with the Jade Crane Art, and I almost Qi Deviation!" Nie Wanzhi complained angrily.

To transform Internal Cultivation, one must first master the basic Internal Cultivation method of the target, and then transfer the True Qi there. In short, one must first build the house before moving the furniture there; otherwise, it's like a rootless duckweed.

Si Ming stroked his chin, pondering, "It's probably because the True Qi energy of the 'Chan Sun Martial Scripture' is too strong, and your Jade Crane Art can't suppress it, which is why the conflict occurred. After all, one belongs to Yin and the other to Yang, so conversion is bound to be difficult, which is to be expected. Some people have even spent years trying to convert their Internal Cultivation."

If Internal Cultivation level is not high, it is easy to change direction. But for someone like Nie Wanzhi who has reached level nine, it is more difficult to change direction. Generally speaking, once a martial artist has mastered the basic Internal Cultivation, they will switch to a higher-level Internal Cultivation from the same lineage. However, the Jade Crane Art and the Chan Sun Martial Scripture have absolutely no connection, not to mention that their Yin and Yang attributes are different.

"The qualifying rounds are just around the corner, where am I supposed to find the time? Rather than just waiting around, I'd rather continue practicing the Jade Crane Art. Now is the time to make the most of every second; not a single minute can be wasted."

"Ultimately, it's because you've been practicing the wrong martial arts. With a perfectly healthy yang constitution, why are you practicing yin-type Internal Cultivation?"

"Back then, I never imagined that such a big change would happen in the future. Not only did I have no money, but I also had a huge debt. I thought I would never have to worry about money in my life..." As she spoke, Nie Wanzhi's mood became depressed, as if she was recalling the past.

"Don't dwell on the past, look forward! Brave girl, go and create miracles!" Si Ming quickly interrupted her reminiscence. "Let me think. It seems impossible to become an expert overnight. Since there's no hope in Yang-attribute Internal Cultivation, let's continue practicing Yin-attribute."

"But my constitution is predominantly Yang. Wouldn't practicing Yin-based Internal Cultivation be counterproductive? This is a crucial matter concerning my entire martial arts career. If I don't get back on the right path now, it will only become more difficult in the future."

Having nearly Qi Deviation once, Nie Wanzhi no longer had much faith in Si Ming.

"Don't rush, listen to me. This time, I recommend Internal Cultivation called 'Shi Moon Dharma Scripture'. It shares the same origin as 'Chan Sun Martial Scripture', so there's less conflict between them. You can first convert Jade Crane Art into Shi Moon True Qi, and then into Chan Sun True Qi, or simply cultivate both techniques simultaneously. After all, Yin and Yang systems also include Yang constitutions."

Although the main Internal Cultivation of the "Shi Moon Dharma Scripture" is Technique Method, which is useless in the Sea Continent, Si Ming only needs the Internal Cultivation part and doesn't need the Technique Method part, so it doesn't matter. Moreover, cultivating two Buddhist School scriptures at the same time might produce unexpected results. Although Si Ming doesn't seem to have heard of anyone in Glazed Temple cultivating two scriptures at the same time, he guesses it's because of the sect's rules that they can't be greedy for more.

"It all seems suspicious. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Nie Wanzhi stared at Si Ming suspiciously, looking him up and down. "You're not just good at theory, are you? Let's have a go?"

Most people hold the view that "the strong are always right," "the weak have no right to speak," and "if you're not good at martial arts, why should you teach others?" But in reality, being bad at martial arts doesn't mean being bad at theory. On the contrary, some people may be very good at martial arts, but they are not good at teaching others because, for them, many problems that seem difficult to understand to others are actually very simple and self-evident, not worth explaining.

"Let's forget it. I don't want to dampen your fighting spirit. If you get the idea that you can 'win without lifting a finger,' then it will be my fault."

"You're really boastful," Nie Wanzhi said, not believing it at all. "Speaking of which, you're also Murong Qing's friend. That first time, it seems you sat at the same table with Murong Qing. You must have some ability; you can't be too bad."

"If it's just a friendly spar, it would probably take me a hundred moves to defeat Murong Qing. But in a serious fight, ten moves would be enough."

"Carrying a suona on a plane, blowing it all the way up to the sky! Since you're so confident, why don't you show us what you've got?"

Before witnessing someone's true abilities, Nie Wanzhi wouldn't easily submit to them. Last time, she was only so polite because she owed them a favor, but now that they're more familiar with each other, she naturally doesn't stand on ceremony anymore.

"Maybe next time, I have something to do tonight."

Si Ming checked the time; it was almost time to go to the park to perform, and it would be impolite to be late.

But Nie Wanzhi interpreted this as guilt, and she pursed her lips, saying, "Just one move, it won't waste much time."

"Alright, then look carefully." Si Ming had no choice but to light a small cut on the other person's buttocks to show them.

He struck out with his palm, slamming it onto a nearby rock and leaving a palm print. In the center of the print was a swastika symbol. The surrounding parts were all concave, but this part was protruding, with sharp edges, just like a sculpted work of art.

Hao Shuai came over and took a look, clicking his tongue and saying, "Leaving words on the palm is indeed impressive. It requires a very subtle level of control over one's strength. If I were prepared enough, I could barely do it too, but the words I left wouldn't be as clear as yours. I didn't realize you were such a hidden master."

Hao Shuai's "Buried Love Thousand Threads Hand" also emphasizes the application of force, which is why he can do similar things. On the contrary, someone like Nie Wanzhi, who practices a rougher martial art like the Swift Thunder Palm," would find it difficult to do the same thing, but that doesn't prevent her from surpassing Hao Shuai.

"It seems you do have some skills, but compared to your tone, this level is still a bit lacking." Nie Wanzhi put away her previous underestimation.

As Si Ming packed his things, he said, "You two didn't understand the secret behind my palm strike. Take another look." With that, he quickly left with his musical instruments.

The two stared at the palm print for a while, but no matter how they looked at it, they couldn't figure it out. They could only conclude that Si Ming was being deliberately mysterious and using an unfathomable tone to scare them.