Ultimate Limit Sect

New York Chinatown.

An old-fashioned courtyard stood with its main gate wide open. A black plaque hung beneath the eaves, bearing five large characters: "Ultimate Limit Hall."

The plaque was black, its characters red, written in sweeping, powerful strokes. The characters seemed to contain some strange energy; a single glance was enough to cause a stinging sensation.

Just inside the entrance stood a bluestone screen wall, ten feet long and six feet high, with a huge raised character for "martial" carved into it.

Beyond the screen wall, the courtyard was arranged like an old-fashioned martial arts hall.

The ground was paved with bluestone and exceptionally level. Several weighted training machines stood on either side.

A man stood on the steps before the main building. He looked to be in his twenties or thirties, but his presence was grave and imposing, with the bearing of a grandmaster.

He was nearly two meters tall and bare-chested, his muscles knotted all over his body, making him look as though he were forged from steel and iron.

His voice rang like a great bell as he addressed the assembly.

Across the courtyard, a group of Chinese men and women stood in neat rows, listening to him.

"Our sect carries on the legacy of the War God. From our founding patriarch, Ultimate Monk, through the second-generation patriarch Ultimate Limit, it has now reached me, the third generation."

"I, Zhan Liu, am the third-generation sect master of the Ultimate Limit Sect."

"Our sect rules are as follows: first, never betray or kill your master; second, never slaughter your fellow disciples; third, never divulge our techniques without permission; fourth, never oppose anyone who knows the Hell Sword."

"Understood?"

Everyone shouted in unison, "Understood!"

"Good." Zhan Liu nodded in satisfaction.

"Before you pay respects to the patriarch, think it through carefully. You can still withdraw now. But once you enter my sect, you must follow its rules. Otherwise, I will purge the sect and reclaim the techniques."

His gaze flashed like lightning as it swept across the crowd. He shouted, "Anyone want to withdraw?"

Everyone shouted again in unison, "No!"

"Good. Now follow me to pay respects to the patriarch."

Zhan Liu turned and entered the main hall. The other disciples filed in behind him.

Two spirit tablets were enshrined in the main hall, one bearing the words "Founding Patriarch Ultimate Monk" and the other "Second-Generation Patriarch Ultimate Limit." Incense, candles, and offerings were all arranged neatly beside them.

"Founding Patriarch Ultimate Monk imitated Current Drive through the way ancient martial qigong circulated through the body. Once cultivated to a profound level, it could generate magnetism from electricity, ultimately allowing ordinary people to grasp the omnipresent magnetic force of the universe—Magnetic Field Rotation. He was the founding patriarch of our sect."

Although the disciples who had come to become apprentices had already heard about this, hearing from their master that ordinary people could also develop superpowers still caused a stir.

Zhan Liu glared, and everyone felt their hearts jolt violently. It was as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads; their minds instantly cleared, and they no longer dared to make a sound. They stood obediently and listened.

"The second-generation patriarch, Ultimate Limit, was originally named Limitless before changing his name to Ultimate Limit. After perfecting his divine technique, the second-generation patriarch roamed the world with few equals. He was the true founder of our sect."

"Neither of these two patriarchs was from this world."

"I inherited my teachings from the second-generation patriarch. I came to this world by accident, and in order to continue the legacy of the Ultimate Limit Sect, I established myself as the sect's third-generation master and spread the Martial Dao of the War God throughout this world."

"Now, follow me in saluting the two patriarchs."

With that, Zhan Liu turned and took a stick of incense from the altar. With a light flick of his finger, he lit it, held it in both hands, and bowed deeply.

The other disciples followed suit, bending at the waist and saying, "Greetings, patriarchs."

They bowed three times, completing the ceremony.

Zhan Liu placed the incense in the burner, then turned and continued his lecture.

"You can only be considered named disciples for now. Those who enter the sect within three months may become formal disciples."

"Our sect teaches everyone without discrimination. Whether you are good or evil, talented or untalented, rich or poor, so long as you aspire to devote yourself to the Martial Dao, I will treat you all equally and hold nothing back."

"As for what you do with the qigong once you learn it, I do not care. That decision is entirely yours."

"Misfortune and fortune have no gate; they are brought about by oneself."

"As a rule, the sect will not interfere in your personal grudges."

"Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are decreed by Heaven."

"Understood?"

Everyone shouted in unison again, "Understood!"

"Good. Everyone, sit down where you are. I will first explain the mysteries of Ultimate Limit Qigong."

"Under normal Magnetic Field Rotation, one rubs the cells to generate electricity, then uses electricity to generate magnetism and achieve the desired result."

"But this requires one to be born with superpowers and then use them to control cells, electricity, or magnetic fields. Ordinary people can never cultivate it."

"Mastering Ultimate Limit Qigong means giving qigong the properties of lightning and successfully simulating an electric current. It looks like electricity, but in reality, it is qi with the properties of lightning. Then, one uses this 'false current' to generate magnetism from electricity and enter the Magnetic Field Rotation realm."

"Our sect's martial arts are entirely different from all other martial arts in the world. The key lies neither in talent, diligence, nor resources. There is only one crucial point in cultivating our sect's martial arts: willpower."

"As long as your will is strong enough, you can repeatedly break through your limits in battle. Surpassing another person's ten years of painstaking cultivation in a single instant is entirely possible."

"There are scientific methods that can assist in cultivation, but I hope everyone remembers that these methods may be used, but must never be relied upon."

"Everyone must remember one thing: martial arts realms and the like are merely appearances. The foundation is still willpower."

"Scientific methods may let you advance rapidly in cultivation, but if your will has not been tempered in the process, then your realm will be nothing more than a rootless duckweed. Once you fight another War God, you may well be defeated against all odds."

"Is that clear?"

The disciples replied in unison, "It's clear. The core is willpower!"

Zhan Liu nodded in satisfaction and continued explaining:

"There are a total of twenty-seven difficulties in mastering the basics. I'll give you a brief introduction first. Memorize the theory, and then we'll begin practicing."

Zhan Liu explained all the techniques and secrets of Ultimate Limit Qigong in full, holding nothing back. He then carefully answered some of the disciples' questions before guiding them through their first attempt at circulating qi.

Most of these disciples were ordinary people who had never practiced martial arts and knew nothing about qigong. Having them start from zero, master qigong step by step, and then advance into the Current Drive Realm was not a simple task.

Yet Zhan Liu was very patient now, because he needed powerful War Gods to emerge.

Ultimate Limit Qigong could allow ordinary people to develop superpowers and eventually cultivate Magnetic Field Rotation, but it had one fatal flaw.

At the Current Drive stage, it formed a simulated false current, so its upper limit was restricted. It could only reach the Fifty Heavens.

To reassemble the physical body and live as long as the God Race, one needed at least the Seventy-Five Heavens. To achieve immortality, one had to reach the ultimate level.

Thus, the War Gods of the Ultimate Limit Sect throughout the generations lived only slightly longer than ordinary people.

That was something Zhan Liu could not accept. Since he had already transmigrated twice and even obtained a system, it was only natural for him to develop the ambition to climb to the top of the food chain and remain immortal.

Zhan Liu had originally been an ordinary Earthling, but he had accidentally transmigrated to the World of Martial Gods, become a disciple of the Ultimate Limit Sect, and painstakingly cultivated for more than ten years. He had finally reached the Ninth Heaven Magnetic Field Rotation before accidentally transmigrating once more to this Marvel world.

However, he had unexpectedly obtained a system. Following the system's requirements, he was able to establish a sect in Marvel.

The sect's rules were originally those of the Ultimate Limit Sect in the World of Martial Gods. When he established the sect through the system, they automatically appeared in the system's settings.

The system required Zhan Liu to nurture at least ten native War Gods who had reached the Fiftieth Heaven Magnetic Field Rotation. The reward was a chance to break through the upper limit of Ultimate Limit Qigong.

But something like Magnetic Field Rotation could slowly be cultivated until it literally wore a person to death. That was how the founding patriarch, Ultimate Monk, had died.

Fortunately, this divine technique allowed one to repeatedly break through one's limits in battle. Surpassing another person's ten years of painstaking cultivation in a single instant was entirely possible.

In an intense battle, as long as one did not die, one might well advance more than a dozen heavens in succession.

Although fighting other powerful beings in this world was also a method, Magnetic Field Rotation had a mutual influence on its practitioners. Fighting another War God would certainly be far more effective than fighting a powerhouse from another system.

Zhan Liu did not want to cultivate slowly, step by step. The efficiency was far too low.

Since this world had no War Gods, Zhan Liu would cultivate some himself. Then he would either beat them to death or force them to evolve.