A New Technique

With Zhao Kuo's departure, a new martial arts school disciple immediately filled the vacant instructor position.

Liu Zhen was an elite disciple of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School. He had practiced martial arts for over ten years and had already reached the third level of the Qi and Blood Great Realm: Bone Forging!

The new instructor for the apprentices was Liu Zhen.

Another morning came, and the apprentices gathered in the plaza early. They looked up respectfully at the blue-robed man on the platform.

Today, Liu Zhen wore a blue robe. His expression was stern, and he never cracked a smile. At a glance, he seemed like a very strict man.

Standing on the platform, Liu Zhen swept his gaze over the crowd, then said coolly, "I am your new instructor, Liu Zhen. For the next year or so, I'll be teaching you the Martial Path!"

"Although you've already mastered the Ox Demon Martial Arts School's introductory technique, Savage Bull Fist, it's clear that you don't have much talent for it!"

His words left the apprentices below blushing with embarrassment. Some wanted to argue, but when they opened their mouths, they found they had nothing to say.

After all, although Liu Zhen's words were harsh, they were true. Otherwise, the people here would have already become true disciples of the martial arts school through Savage Bull Fist.

Liu Zhen changed tack and continued, "But don't lose heart. It doesn't matter if you lack talent for Savage Bull Fist. My Ox Demon Martial Arts School has another introductory technique, True Combined Strength. I believe it'll give you more chances to join the school!"

Sure enough, as soon as Liu Zhen finished speaking, the apprentices below stirred. No matter what, learning another martial technique couldn't hurt.

And what if they turned out to be exceptionally suited to this technique called True Combined Strength? Wouldn't they soon become true disciples of the martial arts school, rising above the common lot?

Quite a few people had already begun to daydream, but Liu Zhen gave a cold snort from the platform.

"That said, don't underestimate the difficulty of True Combined Strength. Once you reach Minor Accomplishment, you can use it to break through Skin Refining and become a true Martial Artist!"

Liu Zhen's words were like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's heads, jolting many of them back to their senses.

That was right. If even Savage Bull Fist was hard to master, what made them think they could learn True Combined Strength faster?

But Shen Fan wasn't discouraged. Instead, the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

A new martial technique meant a new resource. Before, his aptitude had been so poor that it had taken him over a year just to learn Savage Bull Fist!

But now he had already laid a solid foundation, and his aptitude had improved considerably. If he could learn True Combined Strength, he was sure the Attribute Panel would bring him another pleasant little surprise!

So he was determined to study True Combined Strength properly.

"The Martial Path is harder than climbing to the heavens. Just this first realm—the Qi and Blood Great Realm—has stumped who knows how many talented young men!" Liu Zhen said with a sigh.

"May I ask, Senior Brother Liu, what realm have you reached?" an apprentice asked respectfully.

Liu Zhen made no effort to hide it. He raised his head and said, "I, Liu, am unworthy. After more than ten years of training, I've only reached Bone Forging!"

Although he appeared modest, a closer look at his expression revealed a trace of pride.

In Laiyang City, becoming a Bone Forging expert at his age was already an impressive achievement. After all, the headmaster of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, Niu Nantian, was only a Viscera Refiner!

And a Viscera Refiner was already among the top fighters in this little Laiyang City!

The Martial Path was difficult, and the farther you went, the harder it became.

But Liu Zhen was confident that he could reach Viscera Refining before his qi and blood declined and become one of those great figures!

However, Liu Zhen's "humble" words didn't have the effect he'd expected. The country bumpkins below actually thought he was weak, and one after another they looked at him with pity.

Liu Zhen nearly flew into a rage.

But he still had to maintain his composure, so he went on at length: "The first realm of the Martial Path, the Qi and Blood Great Realm, has five levels: Skin Refining, Muscle Refining, Bone Forging, Blood Condensation, and finally Viscera Refining."

"There are only five levels, but the gap between them is as vast as heaven and earth."

"A Skin Refining Martial Artist has only just stepped through the door of the Martial Path. Their qi and blood have only begun to form, nourishing their skin. Their strength is only twice that of an ordinary person. Two or three hundred jin is already quite good!

"But once you enter Muscle Refining, everything changes. A Martial Artist's strength rises rapidly at this level. At the peak of Muscle Refining, their strength can reach a thousand jin, giving them the strength of an ox!

"A Bone Forging Martial Artist has begun to touch the realm of Transcendence. Their skin is like bronze and their bones like iron, impervious to blades and swords. Their strength flows through their whole body as one, and every punch and kick carries tremendous power. No matter how many lower-level Martial Artists you send against them, they'll never be a match for a Bone Forging Martial Artist!

"Your Senior Brother Liu is at this very level!"

Liu Zhen spoke proudly. He stole a glance at the apprentices below, but when he saw that no one was playing along, his interest immediately waned.

"As for the Blood Condensation Realm, the blood itself is refined into something extraordinary, and the power of one's qi and blood surges wildly. You can even send your qi and blood out of your body to attack, making you an extraordinary fighter!

"As for Viscera Refining, it involves drawing qi and blood to nourish the organs, uniting the inside and outside of the body. The Martial Artist's strength and qi and blood undergo another transformation, gradually becoming inhuman. In front of a Viscera Refining powerhouse, even ten thousand ordinary soldiers are nothing special!"

As he spoke, a trace of longing appeared in Liu Zhen's eyes. Viscera Refining—how many Martial Artists dreamed of reaching that level! Once they reached Viscera Refining and united the inside and outside of the body, not only would their combat strength soar, but they could also lock in their qi and blood and maintain their peak for decades!

Unlike the first few realms, where failing to break through meant that, once age caught up with you, your qi and blood would inevitably decline and your strength would plummet!

"All right, that's enough for today's introduction. Next, I'll demonstrate the intricacies of True Combined Strength. Watch carefully!" Seeing that the crowd below wasn't showing him any appreciation, Liu Zhen couldn't help feeling a little downcast.

After demonstrating the technique from start to finish, he ignored everyone's reactions and simply left!

Only then did the apprentices below come to their senses. They seemed to have offended their new Senior Brother Liu.

"Shouldn't we have praised Senior Brother Liu just now?"

"That's right, that's right. Senior Brother Liu's only about thirty, and he's already a Bone Forging Martial Artist. That's pretty remarkable, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I feel like Senior Brother Liu's even a little more impressive than Senior Brother Zhao was!"

The apprentices gathered in little groups, regretting that they'd snubbed Senior Brother Liu. Almost none of them had paid attention to the True Combined Strength he'd just demonstrated.

Of course, Shen Fan was the exception.

Although the extraordinary nature of the realms Liu Zhen had described had left him awestruck, Shen Fan knew that there was no point in thinking too far ahead. When he actually reached those levels, he would naturally understand their splendor.

So Shen Fan had only listened to the broad strokes. He conserved his energy and carefully memorized the True Combined Strength technique Liu Zhen had demonstrated at the end.

Fortunately, Shen Fan had come prepared, and his aptitude had improved. After watching just once, he had almost memorized the entire routine of True Combined Strength.

He only needed to practice it more, and he would surely master it soon.

By the time the morning training ended, Shen Fan was already drenched in sweat. But when he looked at the Attribute Panel, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Host: Shen Fan

Aptitude: 9 (Unremarkable)

Lifespan: 40

Martial Path: Savage Bull Fist (Initiated), True Combined Strength (Not Initiated)

Realm: None

After practicing for a while, True Combined Strength had already been recorded on the panel. That meant that from then on, every time Shen Fan practiced, he would receive feedback from the panel.

There was no denying it: for a Martial Artist, getting feedback with every practice session was a tremendous advantage. It was like grinding proficiency, watching himself improve bit by bit. How could anyone not become hooked on that feeling?

With a panel like this, what Martial Artist would slack off in their training?