The "basic training" Ren Changsheng had set for Pan Long really was made up of the basics.
The first exercise was Fire Lighting.
Not with a flint, not by drilling wood, and certainly not with Internal Power. A stick of incense was set upright, and Pan Long could use his fists, feet, or a weapon. His strike had to graze the incense just enough to Fire Lighting it without moving it in the slightest.
That was no great challenge for Pan Long. He only had to strike hard and pull back fast. He could do that.
But Ren Changsheng gave him a Jade Talisman and told him to train while wearing it.
The moment Pan Long put on the Jade Talisman, he found that his Internal Power had grown sluggish. It no longer flowed with its former ease.
He could still strike with force, but without that agility in his Internal Power, he could not pull back quickly enough.
He swept out a palm. The incense lit, all right—but it caught fire from top to bottom.
More precisely, the force of his palm shattered it into bits, which then burst into flame. Within seconds, they had turned entirely to ash, leaving a great cloud of smoke.
Ren Changsheng did not need to say a word. Pan Long's face reddened on its own.
"Internal Power. Ha. Internal Power." Ren Changsheng gave a couple of mocking chuckles. "So many people think, I'm not strong enough? Not fast enough? My control is poor? Doesn't matter. I have Internal Power. Use it to make up for strength, boost my speed, steady my control..."
"In a real fight, of course, that thinking is fine. It's kill or be killed. Anything that puts your opponent in the ground is a good method. If you can set