Secret Martial Artist [3]

"Next, I shall explain to you what a Secret Martial Artist is."

Hu Zhenkui stood with his hands behind his back, his tone gradually deepening.

"Some of you may have heard of it, others perhaps not.

But that is not important.

You only need to know that the human body hides great mysteries and holds vast potential. The practice of secret martial arts is the path to unlocking these treasures and excavating the potential within the human form."

Having said this.

Hu Zhenkui paused.

"In short, the power mastered by a powerful Secret Martial Artist is unimaginable; you may also understand them as more perfect humans."

To become a Secret Martial Artist, the primary condition is to master "Jing."

As his voice fell, his figure suddenly flickered.

He vanished from his spot like a ghost.

The next instant, he appeared beside the incense burner in the corner.

He was so fast that almost no one present could track his movement.

Hu Long's heart jolted violently, cold sweat seeping from his back.

At such a speed, if the man wanted to kill him, he feared he wouldn't even have the chance to react.

"Watch closely!"

Hu Zhenkui said, raising his hand into a blade as he spoke and thrusting it forward.

Puchi!

The iron-cast incense burner was pierced straight through by his arm as if it were tofu.

When he withdrew his palm, his arm remained completely unscathed, leaving only a clear, gaping hole in the burner.

Wisps of incense ash trickled down, piling up on the floor.

"Training in techniques without training in internal power leaves you with nothing in your old age. Moves are the surface, Jing is the core; the foundation of secret martial arts cultivation lies in 'Jing'."

Hu Zhenkui stood with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "Jing comes in many forms, and what I used just now is but one of them."

"This..."

Everyone widened their eyes, their hearts filled with shock.

Some even wondered if the incense burner was fake and if the Patriarch was playing a joke on them.

Hu Long, however, looked thoughtful.

In that split second just now.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he seemed to see the man's palm turn slightly red.

Recalling that there was a skill called Red Sand Hand on the other's skill panel, perhaps the two were related.

Hu Zetong couldn't help but step forward twice, reaching out to knock on the body of the burner.

Hu Zhenkui smiled without a word, allowing him to inspect it.

As his knuckles rapped against the iron wall, producing a dull sound, and he tested the heavy weight, Hu Zetong blurted out:

"Holy crap, it's real!"

He immediately realized his lapse in decorum and hurriedly lowered his head.

"Great-Grandfather Patriarch, I..."

"It is fine."

Hu Zhenkui waved his hand.

"You may all come forward and try it yourselves to see if this is a prop."

Who does not yearn for extraordinary power?

Deep within human blood and genes, the craving for strength and the extraordinary is an almost instinctive obsession, regardless of gender.

The group took turns stepping forward to touch and inspect it, every face filled with incredulous shock.

Hu Long was no exception.

He stared at the slightly reddened, jagged opening, his expression grave.

Even with his current strength, which allowed him to easily lift a thousand catties, it would be absolutely impossible for him to achieve such a feat.

This was not a simple matter of raw strength; the man had clearly mastered a power he had never touched before.

If he had to describe it, it was as if, in that instant, the man's palm had transformed into an extremely sharp, high-frequency vibrating blade, allowing it to pierce the iron incense burner with such ease.

"Patriarch, are there any level classifications for Secret Martial Artists? Is it like in games?"

Hu Zetong asked.

His round face was now filled with excitement and fanaticism.

He was at that age of adolescent rebellion; seeing the methods Hu Zhenkui displayed, he was already uncontrollably thrilled, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

The others were essentially the same.

After all, no matter how flashy the character skills in a game might be, they could never compare to the thrill of obtaining such power for oneself.

"Practicing Secret Martial Arts is not like playing a game!"

Hu Zhenkui chuckled and stroked his beard.

"Secret Martial Arts may have different names depending on the era or region.

But at their core, they are all methods of breaking limits, created by humanity in the pursuit of greater power to surpass the limitations of the human body."

He paused here before continuing.

"However, you are quite right about one thing: Secret Martial Artists are also divided into levels. The higher the level, the stronger the strength, naturally..."

Soon, under his explanation, everyone gained a general understanding of Secret Martial Artists.

The path of Secret Martial Arts begins with ordinary people and is divided into seven major realms.

They are: Tendon-Changing, Body-Forging, Skin-Polishing, Bone-Tempering, Organ-Strengthening, Blood-Refining, and Origin-Core.

Tendon-Changing: This realm can also be called the Realm of Technique.

Strictly speaking, it does not truly involve the level of a Secret Martial Artist.

Ordinary people, through systematic training, integrate and coordinate the muscles and fascia of their entire body.

After training the body to its limit, they can obtain physical abilities that surpass ordinary people and achieve preliminary 'Integrated Force.'

They can channel force throughout their entire body, instantly twisting the power of their legs, waist, and arms into a single unit to deliver a strike that exceeds their own physical strength.

The second realm is Body-Forging.

This can be considered the first realm of stepping through the door of Secret Martial Arts; to reach this realm, one must fully master Integrated Force.

Those who reach this realm have their bodies strengthened by force, with reaction speeds and endurance far exceeding those of ordinary people.

The third realm is Skin-Polishing; to reach this realm, one must comprehend 'Bright Force' and polish the skin membrane.

Those who reach this realm can ignore blades and swords.

Moreover, if one's strength breaks through to the late stage of the Skin-Polishing realm, they can even ignore fire from small-caliber firearms.

As for the subsequent Bone-Tempering, it involves comprehending 'Dark Force' to forge and temper the bones, making them even more powerful.

As for the later Organ-Strengthening, Blood-Refining, and Origin-Core realms, Hu Zhenkui did not elaborate too much.

His explanation was simply:

"The path of a Secret Martial Artist should not be about aiming too high; one should be down-to-earth. It is not too late to think about the later stages once your strength has reached that point."

Regarding this, the others did not feel it was appropriate to continue asking.

However, this did not include Hu Long.

Thinking of the skill information he had seen on the other party earlier, Hu Long immediately understood.

The Clan Head himself only possessed the strength of the Bone-Tempering realm, and he likely did not know much about the later stages himself, so naturally, he could not continue.

So that force-generating technique is called Integrated Force? However, if that's the case, does that mean I have already reached the perfection of Tendon-Changing?

A flash of realization crossed Hu Long's eyes.

"Today is mainly to tell you about Secret Martial Artists.

To practice Secret Martial Arts, you will need to go to another place tomorrow, where someone will specifically instruct you."

Hu Zhenkui said.

After speaking, a clansman from behind stepped out.

He handed a card to the five of them, including Hu Long.

The card was pure black, with pale gold tassels and patterns on only one side.

"This is your identification card; if you lose it, you will need to apply for a replacement."

"Now, if you have any questions, you may ask."

Hu Zhenkui looked at the five of them.

"Clan Head, I have a question."

At this moment, Hu Long's eyes flickered, and not knowing what he was thinking, he was the first to speak up and ask.

"Very well, what is your question?"

Hu Zhenkui nodded.

With Innate Divine Strength and a partial grasp of Integrated Force, his aptitude was undeniable.

Because of this, he maintained a very amicable attitude toward Hu Long.

"It's like this: my sister previously had a boyfriend..."

Hu Long gave a brief account of the situation with Xue Wu, omitting the process of how he had killed him, along with a few other details.

He told him basically everything else.

This included the fact that he had seen those ghostly things.

Regarding that point, since Hu Chengwen had once invited members of the main family, they surely knew about it already; it was better to just speak plainly.

"I want to know, have I truly been afflicted by some kind of curse? If I practice Secret Martial Arts, can I prevent this from happening?"

Hu Long asked.

This was one of the primary reasons he had come here to participate in the Ancestral Rite.