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If she had known what they were thinking, Ye Chuqi would certainly have told them that she had spent nearly ten years practicing these simple punches and kicks! Their rhythm contained an intricate sequence of fist techniques. Supposedly, someone had once comprehended the truths of the Dao through them, entering the Dao through their fists!

Her Eldest Senior Brother had obtained this fist-technique manual from a Secret Realm and placed it in the Exchange Tower on Lush Mountain. Everyone else in the sect could exchange merit points for it. It was no particularly profound technique, and anyone could practice it, but not everyone could reach its highest realm or comprehend new truths of the Dao through it.

Ye Chuqi, at any rate, had never sensed anything of the sort. Still, when her Eldest Senior Brother pushed her to practice, she never refused. He wanted her to have another means of protecting herself; he always had her best interests at heart. Looking at it now, it had worked out rather well.

As for the footwork, it had not originally been paired with this fist technique. But her Eldest Senior Brother had constantly urged her to temper her body and improve her stability, and he had modified the footwork to complement the fist technique, bringing out its full potential.

When Ye Chuqi sparred with Ed, she was still holding back her strength.

When she first discovered that she possessed astonishing strength, she had not been the only one startled—even her Eldest Senior Brother had been surprised. Afterward, he had drawn up a new training plan, teaching her both how to put that incredible strength to use and how to control it flexibly—for example, by holding it back.

Ed had noticed it too. He had been somewhat cautious at first, but by the end, he was giving it his all and still could not land an effective attack on Ye Chuqi. It was as though she saw through every attack, always stopping him a step ahead and cutting his moves short.

Ye Chuqi could have told him that this was called interrupting.

Ed felt terribly stifled. Only later did the others realize that he was not actually overwhelming Ye Chuqi, even though it looked as if she could do nothing but defend—

"Is Yezi giving him a training match?" someone could not help quietly asking the companion beside them.

"Surely not?" Their companion pondered it. "Have you noticed? Ed never gets a chance to exert his strength. Almost every move gets interrupted by Yezi as soon as he starts."

"Yes, exactly! She even predicts Ed's movements and blocks his path before he gets there. Look at that frustrated little face of his."

Ed: I heard all of that...

Chris, who rarely chatted with the others, muttered, "She's really strong." At the very least, she could easily lift such a large chunk of Black Ghost Stone and leave marks on it that an ordinary person could never have made, all while looking perfectly relaxed.

If she went all out, how many moves could Ed last against her? Chris seriously considered that question, failing to notice his companions' astonished looks.

They were also wondering whether they should be more surprised that Chris, who was usually as quiet as a little mute, had spoken of his own accord, or by what his words revealed.

Just then, Ed pulled away and left the sparring circle. With one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Ye Chuqi, he shouted, "I'm done! You're bullying me!"

Ye Chuqi looked utterly innocent. Hmm?

"You're not even taking this seriously! You're looking down on me!" Ed accused her, looking thoroughly aggrieved.

Red Beard clapped and laughed. "If she took it seriously, you'd lose your life."

Ed: ???

Even the commander would not take his side!

Ye Chuqi looked at her fair, clean palms. Her sword had slain Demon Beasts, and it had slain Demonic Cultivators too—things her former self had never imagined doing. But in another world, there were things she had to do to survive.

Ye Chuqi curved her lips into a perfectly innocent smile. After that bout of exercise, she could clearly feel that her meridians had recovered somewhat. They were still riddled with damage, a sight too dreadful to behold, but since she had not drawn on her Spiritual Power, they did not hurt as much.

She did not dare draw on her Spiritual Power either. The little San San had shared with her was meant for healing. If she used it to spar with someone, San San would certainly fly into a rage on the spot.

For now, though, it seemed that Ye Chuqi could still hold her own in a fight even without using Spiritual Power.

Red Beard casually ruffled Ye Chuqi's fluffy hair. It felt wonderful under his hand, though he occasionally found himself thinking that black hair still looked better. "Don't get too proud. Ed was holding back too. He didn't use Fighting Spirit."

Right. Fighting Spirit.

Besides Magic Elements, this world also had Fighting Spirit. Whether someone could sense Magic Elements depended on their talent and affinity with those elements. Anyone, however, could practice martial skills and become a Martial Warrior. Yet among those Martial Warriors, only a small minority could cultivate Fighting Spirit.

Only those who cultivated Fighting Spirit could be called Martial Fighters. Otherwise, they were merely Martial Warriors.

But Ye Chuqi had also learned from those travel journals that one should never underestimate a Martial Warrior. A Martial Warrior with abundant combat experience who constantly honed themselves could utterly trounce low-ranking Martial Fighters and Mages.

Martial skills mattered too. Relying solely on Fighting Spirit was no different from using nothing but brute force. When Ed sparred with Ye Chuqi, he had used only martial skills, not Fighting Spirit. Given her current physical condition, dealing with Fighting Spirit still seemed a little difficult.

Ye Chuqi smiled.

Ed snorted coldly and folded his arms without speaking. Although he had not used Fighting Spirit, he knew that Ye Chuqi could counter both his martial skills and his footwork. Besides, her injuries had not healed yet. Xiya examined her every day and prepared medicine for her, but her injuries showed no sign of healing any faster.

A baffling challenge ended just as bafflingly, but the outcome left everyone itching to exchange a few moves with Ye Chuqi and test the waters.

Xiya wanted to slap every last one of them. "Yezi is still injured!" These people simply had no idea how to cherish a delicate flower.

"Yezi just wants to prove she can protect herself," Red Beard said, narrowing his eyes. He had not forgotten that Ye Chuqi's original request had been to help them draw out the mastermind behind the missing girls case. "I think we can let her try."

"Commander!" Xiya wished she could hide Ye Chuqi away. Why did none of these people spare a little concern for this child? They knew Ye Chuqi was injured, but they had no idea how serious those injuries were. Only Xiya could sense their severity firsthand.

Rankings

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Spatial storage fiction

Transmigration and rebirth romance

Big Black Loves Eating Fish