Du Ge Practices Martial Arts

Watching the Feng family members at the edge of the field, Du Ge let out a silent sigh. It seemed that if he wanted to thrive in this world, learning martial arts had to be put on the agenda.

Who knew how long he would be stuck in this Simulation Field?

Of course.

Maintenance and Backstab couldn't be abandoned either—they were the foundation of his survival. Those two Keywords were far from fully developed...

After taking first place in the Simulation Field, Du Ge had felt a bit smug, looking down on all the heroes under heaven. But after this match, he readjusted his mindset, cast aside arrogance and impatience, and returned to humility and caution.

He couldn't even beat the newbie village chief—what was there to be proud of?

Still, thinking about it, he had only been transmigrated for three or four hours. How could he possibly be invincible?

Little did he know.

While Du Ge was dissatisfied with himself, Feng Shiren and the others had eyes so red with envy they could bleed.

Especially after they verified that Du Ge had no Internal Energy in his body, their gazes of jealousy and hatred practically wanted to devour him alive.

Heavens have mercy.

They had trained hard for twenty or thirty years, yet they couldn't compare to the Heavenly Demon's chatter for an hour or two. Two hours—from a sickly weakling to a gifted martial prodigy...

What had Feng Qi done?

Aside from painting them a grand picture, he had done nothing. The most critical plan was still executed by the Feng family themselves...

And the result?

The Feng family saw no benefits at all, while Feng Qi's strength shot up like a rocket. Where was the justice in that?

However.

Through this match, the Feng family gained a comprehensive understanding of the Heavenly Demon. It was exactly as Du Ge had said—the Heavenly Demon was a rare good worth hoarding.

Their confidence surged, and at the same time, the Feng family let down their guard toward Du Ge.

This was the result they had verified.

During the match, Feng Yunming followed the plan and pretended to slip up.

At that moment, the weapon rack had fallen to the ground from the previous bout, with a spear pointing straight at Du Ge's back. Feng Yunming raised his palm and lunged at Du Ge.

If Du Ge dodged, Feng Yunming, with his momentum spent, would inevitably crash into the spear and die.

If Du Ge didn't dodge, he would take Feng Yunming's palm strike and likely be pushed onto the spear by the force.

The facts proved.

Du Ge truly took Maintenance to the extreme.

He had already dodged, but when he sensed the situation behind him, he unhesitatingly turned back, placing himself between Feng Yunming and the spear, taking the palm strike head-on. His actions dispelled the Feng family's suspicions of him...

In such a critical moment, there was no other explanation besides instinct.

After all.

Feng Qi had once said that after Soul Possession by the Heavenly Demon, they became ordinary flesh and blood—they could still die...

Risking one's life to protect a stranger—even Feng Shiren probably couldn't do that. If a Heavenly Demon like this couldn't be trusted, who could?

Most importantly, Feng Shiyi's talk of Heaven's Mandate had already taken root in their hearts. Even Feng Shiren believed in his heart that the Feng family was destined to rise, treating Du Ge as an auspicious omen and naturally accepting him.

"Patriarch, is my level good enough to go out and make my way?" Du Ge broke the silence, asking with a smile. "In less than two hours, my strength has grown to this point. From now on, as long as the Patriarch sticks to the previous plan, my power will only increase, growing stronger and stronger..."

"Seventh Master, rest assured. The previous strategy will absolutely not change. To have gained Seventh Master is the Feng family's honor." By now, Feng Shiren looked at Du Ge with more and more satisfaction, his old face blooming like a chrysanthemum. He stepped forward, "Master, from this moment on, you are the Feng family's Supreme Elder. All of the Feng family's resources are at your disposal, no need for my approval. The Feng family fully supports every decision you make."

"Many thanks, Patriarch."

Du Ge breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally played his part to perfection.

The attribute boost had not only increased his strength and speed but also his five senses.

The countermeasures Feng Shiren and the others had discussed in the Council Hall—though muffled through two walls—he had still caught seven or eight out of ten.

Feng Shiyi's talk of Heaven's Mandate nearly made him burst with joy.

Du Ge hadn't expected that the flimsy story he had made up on the spot would lead these people to draw a circle, not only filling in the gaps themselves but also falling headfirst into it.

As for Feng Yunming's test?

Knowing their arrangements, dealing with it was a piece of cake. He had eyes in the back of his head—the spear, the feigned slip-up—all of it was transparent to him.

That night.

Having gained the Feng family's trust, Du Ge and Feng Jiu moved into the Feng family's guest quarters.

Du Ge took the two manuals, Shattered Gold, Broken Jade Hand and Catching Shadows and Grasping the Wind, and sought guidance on martial arts from Feng Yunjie.

With a master's hands-on instruction, Du Ge got the hang of martial arts very quickly.

After all, his agility and speed had both increased, and with a mental strength as high as 80, he could memorize those uncomplicated martial arts moves with just a bit of focus.

The Feng Family's Shattered Gold, Broken Jade Hand was an external technique. Memorize the moves, pair them with breathing methods, and after long practice, it would generate Internal Energy from the outside in.

It wasn't as good as a pure internal cultivation method, but it had the advantage of being simple to operate.

Catching Shadows and Grasping the Wind was a pure movement technique, a supporting skill for Shattered Gold, Broken Jade Hand, and wouldn't produce Internal Energy.

Du Ge practiced it for a while and found that Catching Shadows and Grasping the Wind wasn't even as good as his own natural agility. He decisively abandoned studying it and focused solely on Shattered Gold, Broken Jade Hand.

Not for the moves, but for the Internal Energy.

That night.

Having tasted the sweetness of martial arts for the first time, Du Ge practiced enthusiastically all night long.

Finally, at dawn, he felt a faint warm current flowing through his meridians in his Dantian, which Feng Yunjie marveled at as a genius.

Feng Yunjie said sourly that it had taken him two months of practice to first generate a sense of energy.

But Du Ge was far from satisfied. After a whole night of hard training, he had only produced a faint sense of energy—too slow, far inferior to the rapid improvement from Keywords.

Still, this didn't stop Du Ge from developing a strong interest in martial arts. After all, on Earth, Internal Energy only existed in novels and movies; you could never actually feel it!

As for the faint sense of energy?

Du Ge chalked it up to the Feng Family's crappy techniques.

For the sake of his dream of becoming a martial hero, he decided to move up his plan to snatch a higher-level martial arts manual...

Feng Jiu didn't practice martial arts. He had the host's memories, and his Dantian wasn't shattered.

The martial arts and Internal Energy his previous body had cultivated were all still there, but he simply didn't think martial arts could play much of a role inside the Simulation Field.

No matter how powerful your martial arts became, could they be as effective as Keywords?

A single Maintenance, just moving your lips, in a mere two or three hours, could achieve results on par with a master who had trained hard for over twenty years...

Comparing the two, only a fool would train in martial arts!

In his view, Feng Qi's effort to learn martial arts was completely putting the cart before the horse.

Feng Qi's strength made Feng Jiu envious.

And Feng Qi's act of taking a blow for Feng Yunming on the martial arts stage showed Feng Jiu what it meant to be the ultimate Maintenance.

Feng Jiu saw it clearly. At that moment, the tip of the spear had already pierced Feng Qi's clothes. If Feng Yunming hadn't managed to pull his strength back, Du Ge would have been waiting for a spear through the heart.

If it had been him, he absolutely wouldn't have given up a precious Simulation Field slot for a native. He would have protected himself, even if it meant temporary weakness, there would always be a chance to make a comeback.

But Feng Qi did it, as if by instinct...

At that moment, Feng Jiu truly understood. If he didn't push himself, he might never accomplish anything in this lifetime!

He couldn't turn Keywords into instinct, but he could achieve ultimate madness.

So.

Feng Jiu had Doctor Hu prepare a bunch of digestive aids and laxatives, brought two chamber pots into his room, and told the kitchen steward to prepare twenty servings of food.

He closed the door and began his mad journey...

In the Simulation Field, he might not be able to catch up to Feng Qi's ranking, but after realizing the true essence of Keyword training, Feng Jiu felt he still had a good chance of fighting for a spot in the top ten...