"General." Chen Mo entered the study, bowed, and saluted General Sun.
The study was furnished in a disorderly yet simple manner, exuding the air of a martial man. Several official documents and account books that had yet to be handled lay on the desk.
When Sun Shouren saw him enter, he casually picked up a book from the side and covered the accounts before asking amiably, "What is it? What's the matter?"
It was naturally no trouble for a personal guard in the camp to request an audience with him. As long as someone gave him a report, he would receive them.
"General, I have encountered something I do not understand regarding martial arts, and I hope you can enlighten me." Chen Mo rose and spoke honestly.
"Did something go wrong while you were practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist?" Sun Shouren asked with a slight furrow of his brows, though confusion inevitably rose in his heart.
Strictly speaking, Chen Mo had practiced this fist technique for less than two months.
Even if he had advanced much faster than others, at most he could only have reached the second layer by now.
Given his physique, he would have to reach the perfected second layer or even the third layer before any problems might arise.
"Reporting to the General, no. It concerns something else." Chen Mo shook his head.
"Oh!" Sun Shouren grew even more curious. If it was not a problem with this fist technique, what martial arts question did Chen Mo wish to ask him about? Could it be that Chen Mo knew another martial art as well?
"Sit down and tell me slowly." He raised a hand, indicating that Chen Mo should take a seat nearby.
"General, I once heard a rumor that when external cultivation reaches its pinnacle, it can also produce internal qi. Do you think the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist can produce internal qi when cultivated to its end?"
Chen Mo asked in an earnest tone, his face filled with puzzlement.
If practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist could produce internal qi, then the wisp of internal qi born within his body would be nothing special.
If it could not, then it could only be because his physique had become somewhat special after undergoing Mortal Transformation twice, and because it had combined with the martial art he practiced, resulting in the birth of internal qi.
"Who did you hear this from? Other martial artists in the camp?" Sun Shouren first threw out two questions.
But before Chen Mo could answer, he lowered his voice and said, "The rumor you heard is correct. When external cultivation reaches its pinnacle, it can indeed proceed from the outside inward and produce the internal qi unique to practitioners of internal arts.
Furthermore, because it is produced through external cultivation, the quality of internal qi cultivated in this manner far surpasses that of ordinary internal martial artists."
"But..." Sun Shouren paused. Chen Mo raised his brows. When speaking, the word "but" was the most frightening, because it meant an extremely important turn was sure to follow.
"This method is exceedingly difficult. Among a hundred martial artists who cultivate external arts, there may not even be one who can produce internal qi through external cultivation.
And the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, as an external art, is even less capable of producing internal qi, because no one can cultivate this martial art to the point where internal qi is formed."
Practitioners of internal arts meditated and tended to their bodies until their bodies and spirits reached perfection. Only then could they condense internal qi in their dantians.
As for top external martial artists, after cultivating an external martial art to its pinnacle, their bodies might retain hidden injuries, but in a certain sense, they could still be considered to have achieved perfection. Thus, they could produce internal qi from the outside inward.
Of course, this was exceedingly rare. The practitioner needed sufficient talent and had to put in abundant effort.
Most importantly, it had to be done early. External cultivation damaged the body in the first place, and once a person passed middle age, their qi and blood would slowly decline no matter how well they maintained themselves.
If the body could no longer remain at its peak, it would be impossible to condense internal qi from the outside inward.
Therefore, throughout the ages, every martial artist who had cultivated internal qi from the outside inward had been a peerless prodigy.
"Why can other external arts produce internal qi from the outside inward, but the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist cannot?" Chen Mo asked in bafflement, though he already had a rough guess in his heart.
"I originally did not plan to tell you this yet, but since you asked, I will explain it to you. However, you must not tell anyone else."
Sun Shouren's expression carried a trace of sternness. Only after seeing Chen Mo nod repeatedly did he relax his tone and continue.
"If producing internal qi from the outside inward is an exceedingly difficult matter for ordinary external practitioners, then for martial artists who practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, it is something absolutely impossible to accomplish.
This martial art requires an extremely strong physical foundation, and the higher one progresses, the stronger that foundation must be.
Even if you possessed innate divine strength, at most you could cultivate this technique to the initial stage of the third layer. The physical foundation required beyond that is simply beyond what a normal person can attain."
With the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, every layer's improvement was the sum of all the preceding layers' improvements. In terms of its effects, this technique could be said to be the pinnacle among external arts.
Likewise, the further one cultivated, the higher the requirements for the martial artist's physical foundation. The strength and solidity of the physical foundation required by the later layers were simply beyond what a human being could achieve.
If someone insisted on using this technique to produce internal qi, the inevitable result would be that they died from practicing it before they could form any internal qi.
Thus, ever since this technique had been created, no one had ever been heard of using it to cultivate internal qi. Even the creator of the technique had probably failed to do so.
After hearing his words, the confusion in Chen Mo's heart was finally resolved.
It seemed that the internal qi in his dantian truly came from the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist. Normally, cultivating this martial art could not condense internal qi.
However, he had undergone Mortal Transformation, and not just once, but twice. The improvements brought to his flesh, blood, tendons, bones, and even his internal organs far surpassed those of ordinary people by who knew how much.
Even someone with innate divine strength might not be able to surpass him. Thus, while others could not produce internal qi, he could.
"Then can this technique only be cultivated to the third layer? I heard that you cultivated it beyond the third layer."
Having received General Sun's answer, Chen Mo had another question.
"I did indeed cultivate this technique to the fifth layer. However, I first cultivated it to the third layer, after which my physical body could no longer support further cultivation of this martial art.
Thus, I had no choice but to switch to internal arts to temper and nourish my body. Only after cultivating internal qi and using it to nourish my body could I continue practicing this technique."
Sun Shouren shook his head lightly. In fact, this was not unique to him. The vast majority of martial artists who practiced this technique followed the same path.
They first practiced the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to rapidly increase their strength. Once they had attained a certain level of power, they cultivated internal arts to tend to their bodies, seeking further progress in this technique.
His talent was simply higher. It took him only three years to successfully cultivate his first wisp of internal qi, allowing him to practice the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to the fifth layer before his qi and blood declined.
It was precisely because he possessed such strength that he had been able to distinguish himself and establish great merit on the battlefield.
"However, if someone truly managed to cultivate internal qi through the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, the quality of the internal qi they cultivated would probably surpass that of the vast majority of martial artists." Sun Shouren sighed at the end.
Of course, this was merely a sigh. He had practiced this technique himself and understood that such a thing was fundamentally beyond human capability.
Feeling the wisps of internal qi in his dantian, Chen Mo said nothing more. Throughout the ages, he was probably the only person who could cultivate internal qi through the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist.
"Thank you for clearing up my confusion, General." Chen Mo rose and bowed in salute.
These things might not be worth mentioning to General Sun, but they had indeed resolved his doubts.
"Remember this well: no one can cultivate internal qi by practicing the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist. Even if you possess innate divine strength like I do, it still will not work.
If your circulation of qi and blood becomes obstructed while practicing this fist technique, you must not continue. Come to me then, and I will teach you an internal qi cultivation method so that you can tend to your body."
Sun Shouren spoke earnestly and warned him with utmost solemnity.
New recruits like Chen Mo, whose innate strength exceeded that of ordinary people, were already difficult to recruit.
Moreover, over the past few months, Sun Shouren had already spent a considerable amount of silver cultivating him. If something happened to Chen Mo, all his previous investment would sink like a stone into the sea.
"Rest assured, I understand." Chen Mo smiled, but inwardly he was pondering whether he should reveal part of his progress in the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist.
That way, he could obtain an internal qi cultivation method and learn how to use internal qi.
He had already condensed internal qi, and through his daily practice of the fist technique, he could make it continue growing within his dantian.
But he did not know how to use this power. At most, he could control his internal qi and make it circle around the Mortal Transformation Pearl inside his dantian.
As for the various wondrous effects—using internal qi to nourish his body, heal injuries, or even repel enemies—he had no idea how to employ them.
At present, he was like someone guarding a treasury, with the key to that treasury in his hand, yet not knowing how to turn the key to take out the gold inside.
Even if he did not practice other internal arts and merely looked through them, he would still be able to learn how to turn the key, rather than being as helpless as he was now.
There was another crucial point: he could not hide the fact that his cultivation had broken through.
The increase in his strength and his Mortal Transformation both caused him to consume much more blood qi each day.
As a result, his appetite was now nearly seventy percent greater than before.
He ate at least twenty-five steamed buns at every meal, and had to eat three meals a day.
Looking across the entire Guard Camp, his appetite was one of a kind. Previously, although he had eaten a lot, there had still been quite a few people who could rival him.
His cultivation could be concealed, but there was no way to hide his appetite. Even a blind man could tell that Chen Mo was clearly capable of eating much more than before.
And the ability to eat was the clearest outward sign of a martial artist's growing strength.
Only when one's tendons, bones, qi, and blood were strong enough could one completely digest the food one ate without suffering indigestion.
Unless Chen Mo deliberately went hungry, there was simply no way to hide this.
Furthermore, the nourishing medicinal soup he needed for his daily cultivation had to be increased from one bowl to two. Otherwise, it could not meet the needs of his daily practice.
Aside from that, Chen Mo had already considered revealing the strength he had gained after his Mortal Transformation step by step.
He was not without ties in this world. Zhao Yu had sold herself into slavery and was still waiting for him to redeem her.
Being sold into slavery was not merely extremely dangerous; it also came with far too many uncertainties.
As a slave, even if she were beaten to death by her master, the authorities would not interfere.
He had to find a way to redeem her as soon as possible. This was a promise he had made earlier.
If he concealed his cultivation and waited three to five months before gradually revealing his breakthrough, it would not be a major matter if he were alone.
It would be nothing more than waiting a few extra months. He could afford to wait.
But he was not alone. He could afford to wait, but Zhao Yu might not be able to.
The earlier he revealed his cultivation and gained a higher status, the sooner he could redeem her.
In only a brief moment, Chen Mo had reached a decision. Considering all these reasons, it would be best for him to reveal part of his strength. Of course, it could only be part of it—not too much.
The day after tomorrow, the Guard Camp would hold the examination that had not been completed last time. He could display part of his strength then.
Before you continue