Practical Combat

The Falling Leaf Spear Technique only offered a very brief description of the Unity Realm, calling it a state where body and mind merge, strength and Qi combine, and technique and physique are one. It stated that one would no longer be bound by form, and each move would possess immense power.

If a martial artist at the Second Blood Forging stage could reach the 'Unity' level in their skills, they could even overcome the physical disparity caused by blood forging and contend with some at the Third Blood Forging stage!

This difference was undoubtedly a qualitative leap.

Wu Ming now had a clear understanding of martial arts. For instance, progressing from First Blood Forging to Second Blood Forging brought a slight increase in strength, but the greater transformation was in the toughness of the skin and membranes, granting enhanced endurance and resistance.

When fully armored, a martial artist at Second Blood Forging with proficient skills could generally handle three to four martial artists at First Blood Forging, also with proficient skills. Facing more than that would make it difficult to fight them head-on.

But Third Blood Forging was different.

After Third Blood Forging, blood energy would temper the entire body through the meridians, not only further refining the muscles but also permeating the tendons and fascia of the limbs, greatly boosting explosive power and entering a completely different realm.

Martial artists at Second Blood Forging, even ten of them working together, couldn't contend with a single expert at Third Blood Forging. This was why achieving Third Blood Forging brought about a drastic change in status and position.

Among the major powers, only those at Third Blood Forging were truly valued.

However, if one's skills could reach the 'Unity Realm,' then even at Second Blood Forging, one could contend with those at Third Blood Forging. Though, based on Wu Ming's understanding, very few at Third Blood Forging had managed to achieve 'Unity' in their techniques.

Wu Ming didn't ponder for too long. He quickly collected his thoughts. Both Third Blood Forging and Skill Unity were still very distant goals for him. The path of martial arts required steady progress, step by step.

He felt the state of the blood energy within his Dantian.

After nine consecutive days of cultivation, Wu Ming had forged nine wisps of blood energy, all absorbed into his Dantian. This had strengthened the blood energy within his Dantian by nearly one-tenth, but it was still a long way from Second Blood Forging.

Based on Wu Ming's perception and rough estimation, with his current diet and training methods, even with his unusually strong soul and his micro-level perception reducing unnecessary blood energy loss, it would likely take at least another year to accumulate enough blood energy to meet the standards for Second Blood Forging.

To accelerate this progress, he needed to eat better or have better nourishment.

But that required money.

A significant amount of silver coins.

"Now that I've mastered the Quivering Spear Force and entered the realm of Scattered Hand, I'm qualified to take on some jobs to earn money. I can slightly improve my diet, but before that, it's best to practice more in actual combat... Being able to fight and actually fighting are quite different."

Wu Ming mused internally.

The Martial Academy of the Seven Martial Alliance was also a good place for combat practice. In the adjacent courtyard, there was a spacious training ground where many young martial artists sparred and sparred daily.

In fact, progressing from Scattered Hand to Proficient was difficult through sheer practice alone; it required actual combat experience. Even a martial artist skilled in Scattered Hand could learn a few moves from a manual like the Falling Leaf Spear Technique. However, knowing a few moves, or even being able to execute them all, didn't mean they had reached the Proficient level.

Proficient.

It meant reaching a state where, in actual combat, regardless of the situation, one's foundation wouldn't crumble, and all moves could be flexibly applied. That was true mastery.

It was similar to mastering the essence of the Quivering Spear Force, perfecting the technique of channeling force to the point where it could be unleashed at any time. The Proficient realm was the same; each move and stance needed to be ingrained into one's bones, becoming muscle memory that could be freely utilized in combat.

"Hoo."

Wu Ming exhaled, walked to the water vat by the side, drank a few mouthfuls of water, and washed his face. After a brief rest, he picked up his ox-sinew spear and left the training courtyard, heading towards another courtyard to the north.

Passing through a circular stone archway, he saw another open space. This area was divided into seven or eight sections. Some were dirt ground, some were wooden stages, some were paved with blue bricks, and there was even a shallow pond.

Around these divided sections, small groups of people were scattered.

"Good!"

Suddenly, a sound of applause erupted.

Wu Ming glanced over and saw, on the nearest section, two young martial artists sparring. One, wielding a large saber, was using brute force to overcome skill, forcefully suppressing the sword of the other. With a final sweeping leg kick, he knocked the opponent to the ground.

Among the onlookers, someone noticed Wu Ming approaching and smiled as they looked over.

"Wu Ming? You're here too, planning to spar?"

The speaker was Chen Gui.

Over the past seven or eight days, Wu Ming had interacted with Chen Gui multiple times and had become quite familiar with him, reducing the need for pleasantries.

Given Chen Gui's family background as a prominent family in the city, he wouldn't normally need to join the Outer Hall of the Seven Martial Alliance. However, he had three elder brothers whose martial arts aptitude was superior to his. With only 'Lower-High' aptitude, he lived comfortably at home but held little status. He wouldn't inherit the family business either, perhaps only a shop.

Young as he was, Chen Gui was naturally unwilling to accept this fate. He left home voluntarily and joined the Seven Martial Alliance, intending to rely on his own abilities, build a network of allies, hone his martial arts, and carve out a career through his own efforts to show his family his capabilities.

"I'll watch for now."

Wu Ming walked to the side, greeted Chen Gui, and then watched the two sparring in front of him.

Chen Gui walked closer, grinned, and said, "I told you long ago, you can't just practice rigid forms in martial arts. Forms are dead, but people are alive. You must gain true skill through actual combat. Otherwise, no matter how good your stance is, when it comes to a real fight, you might be lacking here or there. Come on, let's go get some leather armor, and I'll spar with you today."

Among the batch of young martial artists who recently joined the Seven Martial Alliance, Chen Gui had befriended quite a few people. However, if he had to pick the one he valued most, it would be Wu Ming. On one hand, Wu Ming's 'Middle-Lower' aptitude, while not enough to qualify for the Inner Hall, was considered top-tier in the Outer Hall. Achieving Second Blood Forging was not difficult, and even with poor comprehension, his skills would eventually reach the Proficient level.

Of course, if it were just these factors, Chen Gui wouldn't value him so highly. After all, he came from a prominent family; his father and ancestors were all experts at Third Blood Forging, and some of his elder brothers were in the Inner Hall of the Seven Martial Alliance. The main reason for his high regard was his interactions with Wu Ming. He discovered that Wu Ming not only had decent martial arts aptitude but also possessed unique insights into business.

During a meal a few days prior, Wu Ming casually discussed concepts like 'productivity,' 'supply and demand,' and 'market,' which greatly surprised Chen Gui. Although Chen Gui had a vague understanding of these concepts, he came from a prominent family and had been exposed to various businesses since childhood, while Wu Ming came from a poor background. For Wu Ming to have figured these things out on his own was remarkable. If he could be his deputy in the future, he would undoubtedly help him build a foundation.

After all, in this world, only those with both martial prowess and a sharp mind could earn money while standing tall.

"Alright, let's spar then."

Seeing Chen Gui's earnest invitation and realizing he indeed wanted to practice combat, Wu Ming went to borrow a set of leather armor and put it on. This leather armor was covered in various sword and saber marks, a 'severely battle-worn' version. However, since it wasn't damaged, it still offered protection.

With swords and sabers dulled, and wearing leather armor, even if one was caught off guard and couldn't dodge, their robust physique as a martial artist would generally only result in superficial injuries.