Chen Mo Can Wait, But She Cannot

"General." Chen Mo walked into the study and bowed, saluting General Sun.

The study was cluttered yet simple, exuding the aura of a martial man. Several unread official documents and account books lay on the desk.

Seeing him enter, Sun Shouren casually picked up a book to cover the accounts before asking kindly, "What is it? What's the matter?"

It wasn't difficult for the personal guards in the camp to see him; a simple notification was all it took.

"General, your subordinate has a question regarding martial arts that I hope you can answer," Chen Mo said honestly after standing up.

"Did you run into trouble practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist?" Sun Shouren frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt rising within him.

Logically, Chen Mo had been practicing this martial art for less than two months.

Even if his progress was faster than others, he could at most have reached the second level by now.

Given his physique, he would need to cultivate it to at least the second level's completion, or even the third level, before any problems might arise.

"Reporting to the General, it's not that, but rather a different issue," Chen Mo shook his head.

"Oh!" Hearing this, Sun Shouren became even more curious. If it wasn't a problem with this martial art, then what martial arts question did Chen Mo have for him? Did he perhaps know other martial arts?

"Sit down and tell me slowly," he gestured, indicating for Chen Mo to take a seat.

"General, your subordinate has heard rumors that external martial arts, when cultivated to the extreme, can also cultivate inner energy. Do you think the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist can cultivate inner energy when practiced to its conclusion?" Chen Mo asked with a sincere tone and a look of confusion.

If practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist could cultivate inner energy, then the wisp of inner energy born within his body wouldn't be anything special.

If not, then it could only be because his physique was special after undergoing two Mortal Transformations, and when combined with the martial art he practiced, it led to the birth of inner energy.

"Who told you this? Other martial artists in the camp?" Sun Shouren posed two questions first.

However, without waiting for Chen Mo's answer, he lowered his voice and said, "The rumors you heard are correct. External martial arts, when cultivated to the extreme, can indeed cultivate inner energy from the outside in, like internal martial artists. Furthermore, because of practicing external martial arts, the quality of inner energy cultivated this way far surpasses that of ordinary internal martial artists."

"But…" Sun Shouren paused. Chen Mo's eyebrows rose; he always feared the word "but," as it indicated a crucial turning point.

"This method is extremely difficult. Among a hundred external martial artists, you might not even find one who can cultivate inner energy through external martial arts. And the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, this external martial art, cannot cultivate inner energy because no one can practice this martial art to the point of cultivating inner energy."

Internal martial artists meditate, adjust their bodies, and when their physical and mental states reach perfection, they can condense inner energy in their dantian.

As for top-tier external martial artists, when they cultivate an external martial art to its extreme, their bodies might sustain hidden injuries, but in a sense, they also achieve a form of perfection, thus allowing inner energy to be generated from the outside in.

Of course, this situation is extremely rare; practitioners need sufficient talent and must also put in considerable effort. Most importantly, it must be done early. Practicing external martial arts is inherently damaging to the body. Once a person passes middle age, even with the best care, their blood essence will slowly decline. If the body cannot be in its peak state, it will be impossible to condense inner energy from the outside in. Therefore, throughout history, martial artists who could cultivate inner energy from the outside in were all exceptionally gifted individuals.

"Why can other external martial arts cultivate inner energy from the outside in, but the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist cannot?" Chen Mo asked, full of confusion, though he had a rough guess in his mind.

"I didn't plan to tell you now, but since you're asking, I will. However, you must not tell anyone else." Sun Shouren's expression turned slightly stern. Seeing Chen Mo nod repeatedly, he softened his tone and continued.

"If cultivating inner energy from the outside in is extremely difficult for ordinary external martial arts practitioners, then for martial artists practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, it is absolutely impossible. This martial art requires an extremely strong physical foundation, and the higher you go, the stronger the foundation needed. Even if you possess natural divine strength, you can at most practice this technique to the initial stage of the third level. Beyond that, the required physical foundation is simply beyond what a normal person can achieve."

The Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, the improvement gained from each level is the sum of all previous levels. The effect of this martial art can be considered top-tier among external martial arts. Similarly, the further you practice, the higher the requirement for the martial artist's physical foundation. In the later stages, the strength and robustness of the required physical foundation are simply unattainable by humans. If one insists on cultivating inner energy through this technique, the inevitable outcome is that they will die from practicing before they can cultivate inner energy. Therefore, since this martial art was created, there has been no record of anyone cultivating inner energy through it; even the creator of this martial art likely did not achieve it.

After hearing his words, Chen Mo's doubts were finally resolved. It seemed the inner energy in his dantian indeed originated from the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist. Originally, it was impossible to condense inner energy by practicing this martial art. It was just that he had undergone Mortal Transformation twice consecutively, and the improvements to his flesh, bones, tendons, and even internal organs were far beyond those of ordinary people. Even someone with natural divine strength might not be able to compare to him, so while others couldn't cultivate inner energy, he could.

"Then, can this martial art only be cultivated up to the third level? I heard you cultivated it to the third level or higher?" After receiving General Sun's explanation, Chen Mo had another question.

"I did indeed cultivate this martial art to the fifth level. However, I first cultivated it to the third level, and after that, my physique could no longer continue practicing this martial art. So, I had to switch to internal martial arts to regulate my body and mind, cultivate inner energy, and nourish my body before I could continue practicing this martial art." Sun Shouren shook his head slightly. In fact, this was not just him; most martial artists who practiced this technique followed this path. First, they practiced the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to quickly enhance their strength. Once they had a certain level of strength, they would then practice internal arts to nourish their bodies, seeking further progress in this martial art. However, his talent was high, and he successfully cultivated his first wisp of inner energy in just three years, which allowed him to cultivate the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to the fifth level before his blood essence declined. It was precisely because of this strength that he could achieve merits on the battlefield.

"However, if someone could truly cultivate inner energy using the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, the quality of that inner energy would likely surpass that of the vast majority of martial artists," Sun Shouren remarked with a sigh at the end.

Of course, this was just a sigh. He had practiced this technique and understood that such a feat was practically impossible for a human.

Feeling the wisps of inner energy in his dantian, Chen Mo didn't say much. Throughout history, perhaps only he could cultivate inner energy while practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist.

"Thank you for clearing my doubts, General," Chen Mo said, rising to bow.

These things might be insignificant to General Sun, but they truly resolved his confusion.

"Remember, no one can cultivate inner energy with the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist. Even if you have the innate divine strength like me, it's impossible.

If you experience any obstruction in your blood circulation while practicing this fist technique, do not continue. Come find me then, and I will teach you an inner energy cultivation method to help you recuperate your body."

Sun Shouren's words were earnest and extremely serious as he cautioned him.

New recruits like Chen Mo, who were naturally stronger than average, were already difficult to recruit.

Moreover, he had already spent a considerable amount of money to cultivate him over the past few months. If Chen Mo met with an accident, all his previous investments would be in vain.

"Don't worry, I understand," Chen Mo replied with a smile, though he was contemplating whether to reveal some of his progress in practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist.

If he did, he could obtain the inner energy cultivation method and learn how to use it.

He had already condensed inner energy and, through daily practice of the fist technique, could continuously strengthen it within his dantian.

However, he didn't know how to use this power. At most, he could only manipulate the inner energy, making it circle around the Mortal Transformation Pearl in his dantian.

As for other miraculous effects like using inner energy to recuperate the body, heal injuries, or even fight enemies, he had no idea how to utilize them.

He was like someone guarding a vault, holding the key, but not knowing how to turn it to retrieve the gold inside.

Other internal martial arts techniques, even just by looking at them, would reveal how to turn the key. Unlike now, where he was completely helpless.

There was also the most crucial point: his breakthrough in cultivation was something he couldn't hide.

The increase in his strength and his Mortal Transformation meant he consumed more Blood Essence daily.

Consequently, his current appetite was nearly seventy percent higher than before.

He ate at least twenty-five steamed buns per meal, three meals a day.

This appetite was unmatched even within the personal guard camp. Before, while he ate a lot, there were still people who could rival him.

His cultivation could be hidden, but his appetite couldn't. Even a blind person could tell that Chen Mo ate significantly more than before.

And a large appetite was the most subjective indicator of a martial artist's strength increase.

This was because only strong tendons, bones, and blood could digest food completely without indigestion.

Unless Chen Mo deliberately starved himself, this was impossible to conceal.

Furthermore, the nourishing medicinal soup he required for his daily cultivation had to increase from one bowl to two, otherwise, it wouldn't be enough to meet his needs.

Besides all this, Chen Mo had also considered revealing his post-Mortal Transformation strength step by step earlier.

This was because he wasn't alone; Zhao Yu had sold herself into servitude and was waiting for him to redeem her.

Being a slave was not only extremely dangerous but also fraught with uncertainties.

Even if a slave was beaten to death by their master, the authorities wouldn't intervene.

He needed to find a way to redeem her as soon as possible, a promise he had made earlier.

If he were alone, concealing his cultivation and gradually revealing his breakthrough in a few months wouldn't be a big deal.

It would just be a matter of waiting a few more months.

But he wasn't alone. He could afford to wait, but Zhao Yu might not be able to.

The sooner his cultivation, status, and position improved, the sooner he could redeem her.

In just a moment, Chen Mo had made up his mind. Considering all these reasons, it was best for him to reveal some of his strength, but only a part, not too much.

The personal camp was scheduled to conduct the assessment that was interrupted last time in two days. He could showcase some of his strength then.