The Limits of Hidden Force

[With your unerring Marble Skill, stone after stone whistled through the air like bullets, striking the Shahe Gang members precisely in fatal spots—the throats, temples, backs of their heads—rapidly harvesting the lives of these vermin.]

[Because of your interference, Yan Zhendong, whom you had defeated, was never targeted by the Shahe Gang.

Therefore, no one in the Shahe Gang could even last a single exchange against you.

And without burdens like Ya Cha Su and Thirteen Aunt holding you back, you had no fear of the Shahe Gang's few crude single-shot firearms.

Thus, in less than ten minutes, nearly a hundred Shahe Gang members were all lying on the ground. Not a single one survived, including the Shahe Gang leader.

This was the terrifying power of your physical strength combined with Marble Skill at Great Accomplishment!]

[After wiping out the entire Shahe Gang, you felt utterly refreshed, your thoughts clear and unburdened. This gave you many insights into Hun Yuan Pi Li Quan, bringing it one step closer to completion.]

"Hmm? Having clear thoughts actually helps one comprehend martial arts? Interesting..." Zheng Qian could not help but curl his lips upward as he looked at the words that had just appeared before him.

This was good news, and it would be of great help on his future path.

[About two hours later, after refining Hun Yuan Pi Li Quan, you first looted more than three thousand silver dollars, a small chest of silver ingots, and three gold ingots.

After hiding these things away, you gathered all the Shahe Gang corpses into a pile, poured tung oil over them, and set them ablaze.

As the saying went, murder and arson brought a golden belt!

Now that you had killed the men and taken their gold and silver, naturally you could not neglect burning the bodies to destroy the evidence.]

[Watching the raging flames before you, you did not stop there. Instead, you headed toward a large ship not far away, one flying the Stars and Stripes.

It was a ship belonging to the American devils, and they were the Shahe Gang's backers.

If nothing had changed, many women captured by the Shahe Gang were still being held aboard that ship.

You were going to wipe out those damned foreign devils in one sweep!]

[As for the imprisoned Thirteen Aunt? You did not want a second person to know about what you had done.

So, she could wait for Wong Fei Hung to come save her himself.]

[The American devils' ship was less than a hundred meters from the dock. At the moment, most of the American devils aboard were gathered together drinking, gambling, and playing with women... It was a complete mess.

Only two American devils lazily guarded the gangway, without the slightest vigilance.

You merely flicked out two stones, and the two American devils dropped in response.

Then, like a ghost, you boarded the ship and began another massacre.]

[An hour later, as the American devils' ship was swallowed by towering flames and successive explosions, all evidence vanished.

As for the women imprisoned aboard, you released every one of them after covering your face.]

[After blowing up and sinking the foreign ship, you once again felt refreshed, your thoughts clear and unburdened. This gave you many more insights into Hun Yuan Pi Li Quan.

Unfortunately, those insights were still not enough to completely perfect Hun Yuan Pi Li Quan.]

[You looted even more gold and silver from the American devils' ship, more than ten times what you had taken from the Shahe Gang.

In addition, there were over twenty long guns and pistols, along with ammunition and gunpowder. You wrapped them all in oil paper and sank them into the sea for future use.]

"What was I trying to do in the simulation? Money and guns... was I planning a rebellion?"

In the death row cell, Zheng Qian looked at what "he" had done in the simulation, utterly baffled for a moment.

Though the simulated version of him was also him, he had lived more than twenty years longer and grown up in a different environment. Their ways of thinking were bound to differ, so it was only natural that Zheng Qian could not understand.

[An incident involving a foreign ship at the docks was a major matter, and someone immediately reported it to the authorities.

But this was not the modern era. There were no mobile phones or telephones for communication.

Thus, by the time the yamen officials arrived, half a day had already passed. The American devils' ship had sunk until only its tip remained above the water.

Before the yamen officials arrived, however, Wong Fei Hung and his militia got there first and rescued Thirteen Aunt, though that was all they could do.

The Shahe Gang and the foreigners had already all been killed and burned by you. There was no evidence left to speak of.]

[Because of your interference, the world's plot had shifted. Wong Fei Hung failed to clear himself of the Viceroy's suspicions.

Moreover, he broke out of prison, adding another crime to his name.

Fortunately, Black Flag Army commander Liu Yongfu appeared in time and saved Wong Fei Hung, sparing him from imprisonment.]

[This disturbance lasted nearly a month before gradually settling down.

After a month of rest and adjustment, Wong Fei Hung had returned to his peak condition, and you finally found an opportunity to fight him fairly and openly.]

[Wong Fei Hung truly deserved his reputation as a grandmaster of martial arts. He knew a great many techniques: Foshan Shadowless Kick, Hung Fist, Tiger Crane Double Form Fist, Gong Zi Fu Hu Quan, Shaolin Qi Mei Staff, Wu Lang Bagua Staff, the one hundred and eight variations of Chin Na Hands...

Especially the Shadowless Kick created by his father, Wong Kei Ying. His kicks came like the wind, relentless and continuous, following like a shadow and leaving one unable to guard against them. It made you cry out in delight.]

[Your battle with Wong Fei Hung lasted nearly an hour, only stopping when Wong Fei Hung was exhausted.

The final result was obvious. If you had not been holding back your strength all along, Wong Fei Hung probably would not have lasted more than twenty or thirty moves against you.

Such was the terror of overwhelming strength!

And you possessed more than brute force. Your martial arts techniques were equally exquisite. With both combined, unless you encountered a Hua Jin expert or were caught in an ambush, losing would be difficult.]

[After your battle with Wong Fei Hung, you gained much, and Hun Yuan Pi Li Quan was refined even further.

You felt that Hun Yuan Pi Li Quan needed only one final push before reaching completion.

Unfortunately, that final step was like an insurmountable chasm, firmly blocking you outside the door.]

"Still one step short? Hua Jin is actually this difficult..."

In the death row cell, Zheng Qian muttered softly as he ate his final meal.

Between Huo Yuanjia World and Huang Feihong World, he had practiced martial arts for more than sixty years in total. Yet he had still failed to break into the realm of Hua Jin. It had to be said that Hua Jin truly deserved its reputation as a legendary realm—it really was difficult.

[Failing to break through to the realm of Hua Jin in one burst did leave you deeply regretful, but your years of reciting Buddhist scriptures had not been in vain.

Thus, you quickly adjusted your mindset.

If it did not work this time, then there would be next time. You still had plenty of time.]

[A month later, you had sparred with Wong Fei Hung many times over the past month. Wong Fei Hung's martial arts had improved greatly, and he could hold out longer and longer against you, but you still could not take that final step.

You knew it was time to leave Foshan.]